#and i don't have the money for a new computer... writing might be tough

[theevilcactus]

Cosmicocean here! Thanks for the asks! 13, 14, and 15!

Hi!

13. What’s your longest work of the year?

This is fun because I haven't actually posted anything this year (even though I have been writing) so instead of just checking my stats I actually have to think this through.

My longest work of the year has got to be the original novel I'm working on, the working title of which is On The Nature of Dreams. It's currently sitting at just under 10k, which is... less than I thought it was, actually? Guess I need to do some more work on that. It's nowhere near finished, though. It's about teenagers murdering each other and getting away with it, and then a few years later it comes back to haunt them (literally. He's a ghost.)

As far as fanfiction, I don't think I've written anything longer than a couple of thousand words max all year, and nothing that's finished (or else I would have posted it). It hasn't been the best year for my writing lmao

14. What’s your shortest work of the year?

Again, I haven't actually posted anything, so it's hard to say. I've got several barely-started WIPs that are only a couple of hundred words each, so probably one of them.

Actually, there was a 100-word drabble I did as a free write in class a couple months ago, and that's actually complete (for a given value of the word) so we'll go with that one. It wasn't intended to be exactly 100 words, but I checked the word count just now and apparently it is. Nothing really happens in it, though, it's a paragraph and a half of description of a creepy siren woman on a beach.

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

The only WIP that I'm very consciously taking into the new year is my original novel (progress may be slow, but I refuse to give up on it!) but honestly, if I've started writing something and still have the document lying around somewhere, there's always a chance I'll continue working on it. I've recently gotten super into the Off Book fandom and started writing a couple of things for that, so maybe I'll bring those with me, too.

And hey, maybe this will be the year I actually write the promised second chapter of the Tim Drake buried alive fic. Probably not, though. It's been like 3 years at this point, I think he's just staying buried.

[relia-robot-writes]

Goo that has undergone carcinization

Erica rolled over as the morning sun hit her face. She expected to sink blissfully back into her goolfriend, but instead hit a hard, rubbery outer shell. She sleepily protested as she levered her eyes open to took at Gleria. "Baaaabe..."

"Sorry, Love," said Gleria, whose phone was currently floating inside her charcoal-tinted spherical mass and texting furiously. "Bad news from work, gotta respond." She stretched out of bed and extended a handful of pseudopods to skitter upstairs to her office, still writing the response of per my last email.

Erica blinked from the waterproof bed as her goolfriend vanished. "I'll make breakfast for us, okay?" she called.

---

A shower and some coffee later, Erica made her way up to Gleria's office with a plate full of delicious food and the second cup of coffee. "Breakfast, babe!" No response. "Babe?"

She rounded the corner to find Gleria frowning so much that it looked like she was growing armored plates. "Gleria, you look like you're going to explode. Take a break and eat something?"

"Can't." She rippled. "Somebody pushed an update that broke the whole system, like I told them it would, and now I have to fix it because the company is losing millions of dollars per minute. Just leave it there."

Erica frowned as she put down the plate. "Gleria, it's Saturday. This is supposed to be your day off."

"They got me on overtime. This'll be good for us, eventually." She extended a large pseudopod split down the middle and grabbed the food, the coffee, the plate, and the mug all at once and drew them into her core. Her computer beeped and she cursed at it. "I really can't talk right now. Sorry." The pseudopod lay there on the table, slowly hardening.

"Don't forget to drink some water, okay?" Erica tried to caress Gleria, but her membrane was so tough she couldn't get through at all. She gave her a kiss on her plating, then went back downstairs, a worried look on her face.

---

Erica leaned forward on the couch, tongue sticking out between her teeth as she guided her character stealthily along an outer ledge. Carefully... Carefully...

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

Erica jumped, and so did her character, thirty stories straight down. She scrambled at the controller for a moment before her character hit the ground and the game displayed "YOU DIED" at her. She sighed, put down the controller, and looked up at the ceiling, where softer but more creative cursing was emanating from. She filled up a water bottle and trekked upstairs.

Her goolfriend had formed another large split pseudopod for symmetry, and had clearly banged on the desk with it. She was steadily cursing so hard Erica thought she might actually boil. She put the water bottle down next to another water bottle, completely full. "More bad news?"

"Those idiots rebooted in the middle of my update and completely bricked their machines. I have to start all over." she banged one of her pseudopods on the table again for emphasis.

"Sounds like a them problem?"

"Yes, but I'm the only one that can fix it."

Erica checked her phone. "It's been six hours, babe. Can't you at least take a break?"

"Not without losing the company a bunch of money."

Erica leaned against the wall, in Gleria's line of sight. "So let it! It's not your fault, right? You even warned them! Its not like theyre gonna fire you if youre the only one that can fix it."

Gleria's core gyrated, still jostling with her phone and the plate and mug from breakfast. "I'm... I'm so close. I've almost got it. I can't stop now."

Erica frowned, the heaved a sigh. "Okay, but do actually drink some water, okay? You look dehydrated." She clicked the two full water bottles together for emphasis.

"Yeah, sure," said Gleria, already absorbed in her work again. "Thanks, love."

"You're gonna seize up," warned Erica, to deaf goo. She sighed again and made her way back downstairs.

---

Erica was partway through making pasta for dinner when she heard a thump from above. She eyed the timer, then hurried upstairs. "Babe? You okay?"

Erica flicked on the light to see her goolfriend, computer shut down, toppled over on what was now apparently her back. The two large pseudopods had hardened into claws and dragged her over backwards, leaving her tiny typing/foot pseudopods waving in the air, clacking against her hardened skin. "I don't want to say I told you so," grunted Erica as she heaved at the large goo, "but did you drink any of the water I got you?"

Gleria toppled over, back onto her hardened front. Erica stared at her for a moment before her phone buzzed. Gleria had texted her. "Sorry, you were totally right, can you please help get me to the tub so I can osmose a little?"

"You can't even talk?!" Erica goggled. "Babe, you've got to take better care of yourself!"

The crystallized goo in front of her clacked her claws in what was probably supposed to be chagrined agreement.

"Well, it's just like I said," said Erica, grinning as she helped Gleria navigate the stairs. "You really need to find a job that'll make you less... crabby."

Erica dodged the pinch and ran ahead to run the tub, laughing all the way.

[tarabyte3]

The Devil Makes Us Sin

Fandom: Luther, Luther: The Fallen Sun

Pairing: David Robey/F!Reader

Chapter 3/? (10.1k words)

->start at chapter 1<-

<- Chapter 2

AO3 Link

Playlist

Summary: Your life isn't perfect, and you don't enjoy moonlighting as a camgirl for so many repulsive men, but you need the money and it's yours. You're getting by just fine. You're content.

At least you thought you were. Then you get a strange text message. And you aren't sure if you're horrified or intrigued.

Warnings: Explicit rating, smut, stalking, spying, blackmail, manipulation, dubcon, dubious consent, Dom/sub, sadism, masochism, unprotected sex, oral sex, masturbation, mutual masturbation, choking, dirty talk, praise, humiliation, possessive love, yandere, minor description of gore, minor description of violence, murder, discussion of murder, shame involving sex work, light shaming of sex work, emotionally abusive mother, troubled mother/daughter relationship, sexual harassment, workplace sexual harassment

A/N: First: New warnings in the tags! There are details about previous workplace sexual harassment discussed in this chapter. Those details include unwanted touching of the arm and back, as well as unwanted comments from a superior (no specific comments are listed). Second: HI, I'VE MISSED YOU ALL. And I've been writing! 😏

Work title is from "Paradise Circus" by Massive Attack. Chapter title is from "I Await the Devil's Coming" by Mary MacLane. Text divider 1 is from Alessandro Magnasco's Interrogations in Jail. Text divider 2 is from Clément-Auguste Andrieux's Allegory of Death.

Also I've done some improvements on the way I'm handling chapter collages from now on.

Chapter 3 - My Life is Longing for the Sight of You

The next day, you show up to work in black heeled boots, tight black pants, and a silky black camisole. You had a black blazer as well, but it's currently hanging on the back of your chair. The removal of it is what tied the statement of your outfit together, in your opinion. Which is, "I don't want to be here."

However, the temperature inside the building is surprisingly chilly and your arms have gooseflesh. Part of you suspects someone turned down the heat to force you to put the jacket back on because they were too cowardly to approach you directly. It's amazing how effective a simple no is to people that aren't used to hearing the word no. It makes them afraid of hearing it again. So you're toughing it out just in case you're correct. Because you're enjoying seeing how far you can push them and you aren't about to give in now.

It's later in the afternoon, when you're feeling bored and scrolling absentmindedly on your work computer, that David sends you a photo.

There's no message and it isn't a selfie. But it is a picture. One taken from a balcony seating area—likely for a fancy restaurant or bar based on a table in the background—looking out over the city. In the bottom of the photo is a pair of crossed legs and feet propped up on a small footrest, as if the person taking the photo was leaning back slightly and relaxing when they snapped it. They're wearing fitted navy pants and very expensive looking brown oxford dress shoes. You stare at in confusion for a moment until—

It's him, you realize.

Those are his legs.

Which means he took a photo in the middle of his day, from his current point of view, and sent it to you. Unprompted. And he let you see a part of him. Only from the knees down, but it's still more than you had before.

You stare at the photo greedily, barely taking in the lovely view, as if his shins and feet might reveal something about him. Other than the fact that his shoes alone probably cost as much as your entire wardrobe.

You wonder if he's watching your face as you look at it. If he can see the shock and delight in your expression. You wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to see your reaction, so you smile into the camera. Just in case.

You send him a selfie back of you leaning your elbow on your desk with your chin in your hand and staring at your work computer in boredom.

Then you text him, "Your view is much better than mine."

Arguable. Mine doesn't have you in it.

Fascinating search results, by the way. Any particular reason you're looking at beds?

You flush with embarrassment as you read his message and remember what you'd been doing before he messaged you. Which is finally looking into replacing your old bed. You'd been so distracted by the photo, you'd completely forgotten. But of course he noticed.

"Yeah, my mattress is ancient and uncomfortable, and now I can afford a new one. It's called research."

I see. A king is awfully large for just one person.

The blush deepens, stoking to embers, and begins to radiate through your chest. There's a corresponding quiver of interest in your core. "I'm spoiling myself because I deserve it. Though I see your point. It might feel terribly lonely lying there all by myself."

You should get a big teddy bear to keep you company :) 

You stare in indignation at your phone. He…he did not. Well so much for trying to flirt! And a smiley face of all things? God, he's infuriating.

"Maybe I will!"

You angrily toss your phone face down onto your desk and go back to scrolling. You're just as unfocused as before, but you're much more alert with irritation now. You'd think he'd want to flirt with you, but apparently he can't help himself when he sees an opportunity to get a rise out of you. And you gave him exactly what he wanted, you think to yourself.

It only takes a few minutes before you're glancing down at your phone again. He hasn't texted you first since he…well, since he blackmailed and threatened you. So that makes this new and interesting. It also expands whatever this is beyond just your computer. Makes it feel more real. It also means he was going about his day, thought about you, and wanted to share. It's almost sweet.

But was that his intention? To be sweet? Is he trying to woo you now rather than just make you a horny wreck? Or was there a reason? Something in the background you should have noticed that you were too distracted to see? Because you recognized one of the buildings just from having lived here so long, but it's nowhere near your apartment or work. It's a much nicer section of town that you rarely frequent—on your salary? Please. So there doesn't seem to be anything of importance about the area. Which means maybe he was just thinking about you.

Or—and this one seems most likely—he wanted to make sure you were thinking about him. And what better way to get your attention than including something as harmless as his feet in the photo. 'Well, it worked, didn't it?' You think.

With a frustrated sigh you pick your phone back up. There haven't been any new messages from him, which means he's probably very pleased with himself. 

"You seem like you're having a relaxing afternoon."

I finished a meeting and now I'm enjoying myself.

"Business or pleasure?"

Business. My pleasurable meetings look much different.

"Do you have many pleasurable meetings?"

FAR fewer than I would like.

As you're trying to figure out a saucy reply he can't be an ass about, he sends you another photo. This one's of an elegant tumbler—likely made of crystal by the look of it—with a bit of dark amber liquid at the bottom. And it's being tilted and held by a hand for the camera.

His hand.

It's a photo of his hand.

You nearly drop your phone as your grip weakens from the shock, but you quickly regain control of it. Then you practically shove the screen to your nose to look, eagerly devouring another breadcrumb he's given you. And if you also zoom in to examine it more closely, who could really blame you?

He has lightly tanned skin, well groomed nails, and thick fingers, all of which are intriguing enough on their own. But what really catches your eye is the masculine swath of hair on the back of his hand that disappears up his wrist and into the edge of the photo. You also can't help but notice that it's definitely the hand of an older man. Which, for you, is not a deal breaker. In fact, it only intrigues you further. And god, the way he's holding that glass—gripping the sides with his pointer finger resting on the rim—is so casual and erotic.

You imagine those hands typing out every single thing he's ever said to you, moving expertly over his keyboard or the touchscreen of his phone. You imagine him looking at your picture as that hand unzips his pants, seeking to find release at the sight of you.

The thought of him in motion causes the dam within you to finally burst. Now you're very fucking turned on and left squirming and fantasizing about it in your cubicle.

You can't deny you want that hand on you. You want to discover how strong it is, to feel his touch along your face, and see just how gentle or rough he would be. You want to learn all the pain and pleasure that hand has caused while it's between your legs and drawing moans out of you.

Jesus, if this is what seeing just his hand does to you, what would seeing the rest of him do?!

"Whiskey?"

Close. Scotch.

"Looks satisfying. I bet it would warm me up nicely right now." You send the text with a very self satisfied, if a little sweaty, smile on your face. Because though you had been freezing before, you're practically radiating heat now.

It would.

"Yeah? I would love to get my lips on it and savor it on my tongue."

I would share if you were here with me.

"Oh, I don't know if that would be such a good idea. I make a lot of noise when I'm enjoying something."

Hmm. We can't have that, now, can we? And I certainly wouldn't want you to hold back. I suppose it's something better enjoyed with some privacy, then.

"I would like that."

Would you?

You stare at your phone.

You know what he's asking under the layers of flirting and innuendo. And it's not if you would enjoy a drink with him. It's if you've made up your mind about whether or not you would enjoy him. If your answer has changed since last night.

You also know you only have seconds to respond before he takes the break between messages as hesitation. And isn't that exactly what this is? You're absolutely hesitating. Because you still have so many questions to ask him first!

But you've seen something physical now. Tangible pieces of him that are coming together to wrap themselves around the frame of a personality that you've gotten better at reading, even through text. It's not a whole picture—of course it's not—but it's like seeing a figure take shape as it's being sculpted from a block of marble.

"Soon, I should think. I'm starting to find a lot of reasons to say yes."

In that case, I'm looking forward to our chat tonight.

"So am I. I should be home in about 2 hours."

I'll be waiting.

Also, if you're already spoiling yourself, I'm a big fan of silk sheets, personally.

You let out a distressed noise and do your best to steady your hands long enough to type out, "I'll keep that in mind."

Before the end of the day, you head into your boss's office to let him know you're using the last of your vacation days next week, so you'll only be in on Monday. Which would make that your last day instead. Which also means you only have two more days left in that hellhole before you're truly free.

You can tell he wants to say no to you—is actively working up the courage to do just that—so you fix him with an unimpressed stare. 

"I am still entitled to those days, and I have no other time to schedule them. I'm also giving you more than the company's required forty eight hours notice. I'm not seeing the conflict."

"That sounds like poor planning on your part and therefore not my problem," he says, dismissively, barely sparing you a glance. "No."

"Would you prefer if I involved HR in the discussion? For your comfort, of course." To your delight, he finally looks up at you. "After all, I did have some emails I've been meaning to forward them before I leave anyway. It would save me so much time!" There's a cheerful, false innocence to your tone that makes him flinch.

"There's no need," he replies curtly. "The matter is settled."

"Of course." You shift on your feet. "How's your wife, by the way? I haven't spoken to her since the company holiday party. Such a delightful woman. It might be lovely to catch up with her some day." You let the threat hang in the air.

You can see the moment he relents. The way his shoulders sag with defeat and acceptance. You're going to vividly remember that moment for a very long time. "Fine. You may have your days off. Anything else?"

"Nope!" You smirk at him in triumph as he glowers back at you. You're almost sad that the conversation is over so you can't push him further. However, as you move to leave, you get an idea of how to do exactly that. You stop and turn back to him, trying to keep the excitement from creeping onto your face. "Actually, if you prefer, tomorrow could be my last day instead."

He stares at you with all the anger and irritation that has been building up inside of him the past several days. The exact vitriol you've been deliberately fueling. The sight of it makes your heart pound, but not in fear like it might have once. You're elated. You wanted this confrontation—to meet him on even ground for the first time. You don't have to put up with his bullshit and his creepy attention. You don't have to walk on eggshells, straddling that line between rejecting his advances and not pissing him off for fear that he might fire you. And he hates that you aren't that person anymore. Because that person he could control and take advantage of. But you? That he cannot touch. And, as you stare, bold and unbowed back at him, you can tell he knows it.

"I can do you one better. You're free to go and not return at all, if you'd like. Your time here is done," he says through gritted teeth.

"I do like! Thank you!" You grin at him. "But one more thing before I go." The smile falls from your face, as if hadn't been there at all. You fix him with a thin lipped, hate filled glare as you take three controlled steps forward so you're towering over his desk. Even though he's on the other side of it, he leans away in surprise. When you speak again, your voice comes out pure venom—harsh and dangerous.

"You are a small, pathetic man. You hide how weak you are by flexing your power over the people beneath you because it brings you joy to feel in control. But you aren't, no matter how much you pretend to be. You're still weak. You should be ashamed of your behavior. I'll be glad to go the rest of my life never having your offensive hands on me again. I should have ripped them off for your audacity. You're not worthy of touching me so how dare you ever think you had the privilege, let alone the right." You lean in closer. "You disgust me. Someday you will fall from the grace you exploit, and my only regret is that I won't be here to see you hit the ground when you do." Then you straighten up and casually brush out your blazer. He stares up at you, pale and speechless, with his mouth agape in shock. "No need for an escort. I can see my own way out."

You leave his office feeling high and weightless from the pleasure of finally getting to tell him the truth about what you truly think of him. You haven't felt like this since one of your streams, but this is that feeling magnified. Because, despite your similar disdain for them, in a way those men had been stand-ins. Now you got to say all of it directly to him and without hiding. It seeps, distilled into your belly and your chest and spreads to your fingertips and down to your toes. 

It's intoxicating.

When you walk through the door to your flat, you only stop to lock it behind you. Then you scurry towards the bedroom, tossing your purse to the floor, shedding your blazer, and pulling your boots off one at a time as you go, leaving a discarded trail behind you. You head straight for the chair.

You aren't nervous about clicking the link this time. You're excited. The anticipation has been building up inside of you all day, and it only got worse after his texts. You're looking forward to learning more about him and seeing what he has to say. To you, about you—all of it. You don't even stop to consider whether or not you feel ashamed or concerned or scared this time. Or whether or not you should be.

Why should you be? You're capable. Smart. Perceptive—you've even caught him off guard a few times already, and you're confident he liked it. That it's part of what drew him to you in the first place. So if he is luring you into some kind of trap, you're looking for the wires and watching where you step. You don't think he is, though. Or at the very least, you believe him when he said the thing he wanted out of it was you.

Is it still a trap if you walk into it willingly and give him what he wants? If you offer yourself up in consecration? Because you plan on doing just that—the sacrificial lamb yearning for the wolf's jaws. You're prepared to receive his sacrament, just to see how much you might enjoy it. 

Really, now the only question left is when.

As the site loads, you hold your breath until you see that black box waiting there for you in the corner of the screen. Then the air and tension bleed out of you in a sigh, leaving an eager thrill behind.

You smile into the camera. "Hello, David."

I could get used to that.

"Used to what?" You notice he changed his username to his name, rather than the ridiculous one he had before.

You, pleased to see me.

"I suppose you should continue to please me, then." You let slip a small grin.

I plan to.

"Oh? Then I'm even further pleased to hear it."

How pleased?

"Ah, but that would be telling. Where's the fun in that?"

I see I'm creating a monster.

"You really have no one to blame for this but yourself," you laugh. "But don't pretend you aren't enjoying it immensely."

I am. Immensely.

Did you miss me?

"I did a bit, yeah." Your cheeks grow warm at the admission. One which is actually an understatement.

You're not usually the sentimental or mushy type. In fact, you usually find that part of dating—if that's what you can even call this—to be frustrating. You kept your partners at arm's length in the past. To the point they inevitably accused you of being cold and distant. 'Another form of survival,' you realize. You couldn't let any of them close enough to see, otherwise they might accuse you of being worse. Now it's mortifying to know how much you really did miss him, and how quickly you've ended up here. Because all of this is new.

Good.

"Hearing from you this afternoon helped, though."

I'll have to remember that.

"I hope you do. And for the record," you glance up at the camera through your eyelashes as you lean in closer, "I was never talking about the Scotch."

Neither was I.

It WAS good Scotch, though.

"It wasn't nice to send me those photos while I was at work, but it was nice to get them." In a lower voice you add, "I liked seeing glimpses of you."

Did you?

"I did." Your blush runs hot as you remember every dirty fantasy you had about his hands on you for nearly an hour afterwards. How you had to stop looking at beds and silk sheets because it only made your affliction worse.

That's exactly why I sent them. I enjoyed the thought of you bothered at your desk.

"How do you know I was bothered?" You asked pointedly.

Are you denying it?

"Not at all. And you're not answering the question."

I told you. I like pressing your buttons. I've worked very hard to figure out what they are so I can do just that.

"I'm sure. And here I thought you just missed me, too." You give the camera a fake pout. "Cruel."

I never said I was a nice man.

"I suppose you haven't. And I suppose I wouldn't be so intrigued if you were."

This is also why I didn't want you distracted. Imagine if you'd had the freedom to respond to me.

Like you wanted to.

You suck in a breath and your eyes become heavy lidded at the implication. How would you have responded if you'd been at home? Well, you certainly would have flirted a lot harder. Or you would have sent a spicy selfie back to regain some power with the hope he might have given you just a little bit more of himself in return.

But you remember how worked up you got simply sitting there, thinking about him—and occasionally looking back at the photo. How you had crossed your legs and shifted uncomfortably while you tried not to squirm into your chair. Would you have…touched yourself? To the thought of him? The fantasy of his hands forces its way to the front of your mind. Of that casual pointer finger tracing along your jaw, and your body immediately responds with a slick, fluttering heat between your legs. You decide that, yes, you absolutely would have.

Wait…

Shit.

You suddenly realize that's what he actually means by responding to him. It's not texting back or being able to chat with him. He wants you to allow yourself to react to him. To get so worked up, so overcome with need, that you get off to the thought of him. Which you can't do at work. God, that's… 'tempting,' your mind offers.

"Well, I have some excellent news there." You try to tuck that realization away so you can regather your composure. For now. "Today was my last day at that shitty job. I don't have to go back to finish out the two weeks." Then, with a full understanding now of what it means, you add, "So no more distractions."

Is that so? That is excellent news.

How did you manage it? Or did you get bored of scrolling?

"No, I'm just very persuasive." You give the camera a smug look.

You are that.

"I also told my boss he was disgusting before I left. That felt fucking incredible," you nearly moan. "I've wanted to do that for years."

Then you've had a very good day so far.

"I really have," you say with a wistful smile.

However, as you think about why it felt incredible, the expression slowly falls from your face until it's replaced with a scowl. "He deserved far worse than what I gave him, though. That asshole used to stand behind me at my computer and touch my arm and back, or lean against me when he bent over to look at my screen. God, and he would try to get his face really close to mine, as if I might find it erotic or kiss him or something. I'd have to lean away in my chair for him to finally stop. He would also proposition me in his office and say suggestive things whenever he sent me an email because he was that confident in his ability to never face consequences. And he was right. He never did." You let out a disgusted sigh.

"When I was new, a couple of my coworkers complained to HR, and do you know what happened?" You don't wait for an answer. "All he had to do was watch a short video on sexual harassment. He never got a warning or written up. There was no follow up. Then they got fired for it. Not right away, but eventually the company found a bullshit reason to let them go, and soon there was someone new at their desk. We all knew the truth, though. That's why I never reported him. I knew it was pointless. It wasn't just him, either. It was several of the men that worked there. It's like they attracted men like him while the rest of them did nothing to stop it. We all learned quickly who to stay away from to avoid being easy prey."

By the time you're done talking, you're tense and clenching with anger. That place was a miserable, violating hellhole, and he was scum. You can't believe you put up with it for so long. You should have quit years ago! Why didn't you? Oh, right. Because men like that are easier to fool and distract so you didn't have to work as hard to blend in. Why would they care about your mask when your tits are right there?

You come out of your sudden rant and momentary introspection only to notice the chat box hasn't updated since his last message.

"David?" You call out. "Are you there?"

Nothing.

You wonder if your connection went bad as you were talking. Or if you've upset him by telling him all of those things and now he doesn't know what to say. If so, you can't really blame him. Once you started talking and finally got the chance to let it all out, you didn't hold back. Maybe you should have. How is anyone supposed to respond to that?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to dump all of that on you without warning. I know it's fucking horrible."

Not at all. I was just looking into something.

"Oh." There's a flicker of hurt in your chest. He'd been multitasking while you were talking? You know he never promised you his full attention, you just kind of assumed you would have it. Especially when you were opening up. Maybe…maybe that assumption was a miscalculation on your part. Maybe some truths are more important to him than others.

I'm sure walking out of there after all of that felt liberating.

"It did."

That's good.

"Indeed." You smile, but it doesn't reach your eyes because he seems…off. Or at least not prepared with a response or comment like he usually is, which sets off alarm bells in your mind. "Is everything alright?"

No.

"Oh. I—" You cut yourself off when you see another response pop up on screen.

I'm furious.

"About my job?" You ask, both hopeful and uncertain after thinking he was distracted. Maybe he had been paying some attention after all.

Yes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the—"

Stop apologizing.

You don't have to apologize to me for what he did.

"S—" You start and then stop yourself with a huff of frustration. "Damn. I suppose I still have a few bad habits to work through."

Would you like to know what I was looking up?

"Sure," you say, a bit wary. Because you assumed he was looking up something that had nothing to do with you. Now you aren't so sure.

Dirt.

"Dirt?" You furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

Everyone has a secret, don't they? Something they keep hidden from everyone else that they're ashamed of getting out.

You feel a wave of involuntary shame about your secret before you remind yourself you have nothing to be ashamed of. You never did. Just another form of survival. And one you chose at that. There's a certain kind of power in that knowledge. Besides, it led you to him, didn't it?

I'm looking for theirs. The truth that will hurt them back.

"Oh." You're left staring at your screen in shock. You aren't sure how to respond to that because you hadn't even considered retaliation to be an option. Nor had you stopped to consider that he could dig into other people the same way he dug into your life. But now, after the way he phrased it, you're suddenly confident you were far from his first time doing so. "Why?"

For doing that to you.

Your heart skips a beat. He's angry on your behalf. No one has ever been angry enough on your behalf to do something about it. Especially not something like…this. Between his willingness to dig up dirt on someone else, and everything else he's done, you realize now that he's not one for comforting words or condolences. He acts.

For you.

Okay, he might not be a nice man, but he is sweet. Sweet, of course, being a relative term, considering what he actually plans to do. Which should be objectively horrifying, but you only find yourself touched by his anger.

But this is for you, so I will only use it if you tell me to.

"Alright," you whisper, still stunned and overwhelmed by what he's offering you. It feels like you're being handed a loaded weapon, and it's pointed at someone you loathe. How easy it would be to pull that trigger. How easy it would be to let it happen. How tempting…

Would you like me to?

Would you? You're not sure. It depends on what he digs up and the collateral damage it would cause. Would it be something that forces the company to shut down? Would your coworkers lose their jobs? All because of you?

Or…wait. Do you even care if they do? Your instinct was to worry and feel guilty, almost like a reflex. But if you push past that and dig deeper, to the core of yourself, do you actually care?

While they weren't your boss, they didn't make your experience there good by any means. You couldn't grab lunch or a coffee without having to listen to them talk about something pointless. Or worse, they cornered you and talked at you when all you wanted was to be left alone. And you know it wasn't because they wanted to talk to you or because they cared about you. They cared about having an audience.

Besides, it's not your fault they were also victims. It's not on you to feel guilty. All you should be worrying about right now is yourself. So if you do care at all, it certainly doesn't outweigh the yearning for vengeance. You're certain they would retaliate if they weren't afraid. They would unleash that deep anger, too. You just happen to be the one that got lucky enough to actually do so.

"Do it," you growl out. "Make them pay."

That's my girl.

His girl. A pleasant flush spreads up your neck. That's the first time he's ever tried to lay claim to you, and he did it in a way that was easy and confident. Almost unassuming. If you were a less perceptive woman, the implication of it might have escaped your notice. Maybe he was hoping it would.

Now the question becomes: Are you going to let him have that claim? Are you going to let him think of you as his? The idea sends desire coiling through your belly, and you know you're not only going to let him, you're going to embrace it. Because you like it. You want it.

Look at yourself right now. Look at how beautiful you are.

You stare at yourself on the screen. Your cheeks are flushed, your lips are parted in a pant, and your eyes are wide with hunger and excitement. There's a cruel, satisfied curl to your mouth. It almost looks like a snarl trying to blossom on your face.

You look beautiful and terrible.

What are you feeling?

"I feel…" Your gaze wanders around the room as you try to find a way to put the immensity of it into words. "I feel powerful. As though everything I once feared can no longer touch me. And I feel ravenous, like I want more of that." You close your eyes to help you focus deeper inward. "I feel almost high off of it. I got the same feeling on camera and when I towered over my boss and made him feel small. It's a rush. A euphoria. And...I feel pleased. Grateful." You open your eyes and glance seductively into the camera. "A little turned on."

It feels good, doesn't it?

"Good?!" There's a note of hysteria to the laughter that bubbles out of you. "David, it feels fucking amazing! I've never felt like this before."

I told you I planned to continue pleasing you.

"God, yes you did. And you certainly have." You let out a sigh and your expression softens. "I don't know how to convey my gratitude. You've done so much for me, I…"

No, none of that. I assure you, doing so is my pleasure. And you have my word that I'll go back to digging later. But right now, I have you here on my screen and I'm not about to waste another moment of it.

Especially not when you look so lovely.

"Thank you." You give the camera a coy smile. "I enjoy your flattery."

It's not flattery, it's the truth.

"Well, I enjoy it, nonetheless."

Speaking of the truth, I have a question for you.

"What's that?" You lean forward, suddenly interested.

Were you upset when I told you I'd been looking into something?

'Shit,' you think as you bite at your bottom lip in hesitation. You hoped he hadn't noticed, but of course he fucking noticed. "I was."

Why?

"I got emotional talking about my job, that's all." You shrug in an attempt to brush it off as nothing, hoping he'll accept that.

You're side stepping the question.

But of course he didn't. "That's because it's silly and not worth bringing up."

I beg to differ.

"Fine," you sigh in defeat. "I just…I thought you had been working on something unrelated while I was talking, and I guess it hurt my feelings. But like I said, it wasn't a rational response. I was already upset."

Did you think I wasn't paying attention while you were being honest?

"Yes. I know now you were, obviously. That's why it was ridiculous."

And why would the thought that I wasn't paying attention hurt your feelings?

"Because…" You trail off and your hands begin to fidget in your lap. You know he's asking you to be vulnerable again and that makes you uncomfortable. There are some truths that are still difficult to say out loud. But you also know now he's going to get you to admit it anyway, so you may as well get it over with. "Because I wanted you to listen. I wanted you to...want to listen. But I realized you never promised me your full attention and I shouldn't just expect it. That was unfair of me."

Hmm. I think there's been some miscommunication and it's my fault. Because you're making assumptions about me and what I want, which means I haven't been clear enough.

Your heart sinks. "No, some of that is my fault for making those assumptions in the first place."

Let me finish.

"Alright." There's tension in your shoulders and ice in your veins as you brace yourself for him to confirm that you shouldn't expect it.

I want you to be honest with me.

"I have been," you protest softly.

No. I don't mean tell me the truth.

I want you to be honest WITH me. Do you understand?

You blink in confusion as you try to process the difference between those two, almost identical statements. "I...don't quite think I do."

I realize now that I've made it seem as though I wanted to see you without your mask just because your complexity makes you more physically attractive. I won't deny that it does. You know that I want you. I want to see your naked body right here on my screen. I want to watch you pleasure yourself for me while I get off to it. Then I want to run my hands along every inch of you. I want to kiss you, and I want to fuck you so hard and so deep neither of us can speak. I want that. I want to take you and claim you as mine.

"Jesus, David," you whimper. As you read all the things he wants from you—your mind supplying you with the corresponding images and phantom sensations of each one—you can feel the responding heat and lust swelling urgently between your thighs. It leaves your sex throbbing painfully against the crotch of your tight pants, which had seemed like such a good idea that morning. You shift your hips, both needing to ease the pressure and seeking more of it against the damp cloth.

By the time you're done reading, the need is radiating up your torso, causing a violent fluttering in your belly. And there's a new paragraph for you to read.

You swallow hard, unsure how you can endure more.

But it's not all I want. I told you I see something in you that mirrors something in me. What I didn't say is that I've never seen that reflection before. I've never found the possibility of understanding or of being seen back. That's why you intrigue me so much.

People bore and disgust me, too, but you? God, you are something entirely different. I desire the truth of you because I desire what I see inside of you just as much as what I see on the outside.

It's not butterflies in your stomach. It's a flock of starlings—a twisting mass, swirling and diving through your guts on a thousand sets of wings. It aches just as much as your arousal does.

So I'll state it now so you never doubt me again.

You will always have my full attention because I can't look away from you. The more you shed your mask and grow into your own skin, the harder it's getting to remember anything else matters. I also want to listen to you. Every word, but especially when you're being honest. And I didn't say it earlier, but I missed you today, too. Because I missed you before you even spoke to me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I found you. My obsession with you has driven me nearly mad. You've ruined me for anything that isn't you. That's how much I want all of you.

Now do you understand? I want you to be mine in every way it's possible to want someone. I want you completely.

"Yes," you breathe out automatically, your voice barely audible. "I understand now."

Your heart is pounding so hard you can feel your sternum pulse and flex with every beat. You wonder if he can see it. You hope he can. You hope he can see the way he's left you breathless—your shoulders heaving as you desperately try to fill your lungs. The way your bottom lip trembles with every inhale.

You hope he can see all of that so he knows how affected and enraptured you are by him because you don't know what the fuck to say. That was the hottest and most romantic thing anyone has ever said to you. And it was said by a man that stalked you. A man you've never even seen before. It's as if he exists in your periphery and you can never turn your head fast enough to catch him.

"God, David. I'm…" You trail off helplessly.

You're what? 

"Overwhelmed," you blurt out.

I won't apologize for it because that was my intention. Now you won't forget a word of it.

Will you?

"No. I don't think I could. No one's ever said even half of those things to me before."

That's a pity. You deserve to hear it.

But I won't deny that I'm also glad no one has. That the privilege has been mine and mine alone.

"Will you turn your camera on? Please," you beg, uncaring about how desperate you sound. "I need to see you."

No.

You let out a noise of frustration. "Why not? After everything you just said to me, I still don't get to see your face?"

I want to be able to look into your eyes the first time you see me.

"Fuck," you whimper. Now you can't even be angry anymore because he somehow made it even more romantic and devastatingly sexy. You take in a deep calming breath, which helps your nerves somewhat, but there's still a quiver in your voice when you continue. "If I'm being honest, the thought of that terrifies me at the moment."

Why?

"Because it makes me feel vulnerable in a way I've never felt before. Like no matter how much clothing I'm wearing, I'm still naked because you strip me bare. And that's just through text." You shake your head in disbelief. "Everything you've said to me, every light you've shone on my dark corners, it's as if the whole of me is being seen for the first time. Even though that part of me is this…unused, wretched thing, I can't stay in the dark anymore. I can't stand it. So I can't help but wonder how much more overwhelming it would be to stand in front of you and have your full attention."

Does that mean you're done hesitating?

"Am I?" You wonder out loud, as much to yourself as to him. "You're still such a mystery to me, but after that, I realize I don't care. I want to know you. Though," a puff of laughter leaves your lips, "in a strange way I feel like I already do. It's as if I'm living with a ghost. I can see you without seeing you. I'm always aware of you now no matter what I'm doing. You haunt me, David, and I can't stop thinking about you either. So, even though it scares me, for the first time in my life I actually want to be vulnerable. With you. For you."

You reach for the strap of your cami, intending to slide it off your shoulder—wanting to push it off and let the shirt pool around your waist. You want to bare more of yourself to him. You want him to see. Because, god help you, you realize you want all of that, too. In a way you've never felt before. Like a constant yearning clawing its way from your belly, up into your throat, choking you with it. And you don't know what that means, but you want it.

However, before your hand can even touch the fabric, your phone buzzes loudly on the desk next to you, causing the whole surface to vibrate.

You'd been so focused—so entirely consumed by him, that the sudden noise startles you. You look at it, baffled by the interruption, as it continues to rattle the desk. Then you realize: Someone's calling you. No, not someone. Your stomach sinks as you stare down at your screen in horror.

It's your mother.

"Fuck," you hiss. You scramble to pick up the phone and mute the ringer. At the very least, you need the vibrating to stop so you can have a second to fucking think.

As you hold it, your hands tremble. You're full of adrenaline from being startled and from seeing the caller ID. You're also fraught with violent emotion from the conversation you were having, as well as nerves from what you had been moments away from doing. You were going to take that next leap. You wanted to take it. With him. Instead you'd been interrupted.

You don't believe in fate, but you certainly believe in your mother's ability to ruin something, even unknowingly.

But why is she calling you? She can't possibly know what happened today, you tell yourself. How would she even find out? So she isn't calling to scold you or berate you. Probably. About this, anyway. There's still the likelihood of some perceived slight. What does she want then? After only half a second's hesitation, you send her to voicemail. Because you really don't fucking care either way. Let her stew. You mute your ringer for good measure.

Is something wrong?

"No, nothing." In your distraction, the lie comes—involuntary—out of your mouth.

I wouldn't even need to hear your voice to know that you're lying.

You wince and look back up at the camera. "You're right, I realized the moment I said it. I apologize, that wasn't intentional. It's just…" You struggle to find the words to make him understand. Then you realize you don't have any to convey what you're feeling or why you're feeling it, so you settle for blunt honesty instead. "It was my mother."

Do you need to leave?

"No!" You immediately protest. "Absolutely not!"

Alright.

Then is that something else you would want to talk about?

"It—" You cut yourself off before you can say anything more. Because god, that's a whole different can of worms you haven't looked at too closely yet. It's the mess in the corner you've been trying to pretend doesn't exist because you know sorting through it will be exhausting. Now you're running out of excuses to continue leaving it, and, in doing so, are letting the fear of it win.

"I think that's something I still have to work through somewhat on my own and come back to later. Besides, right now I get to talk to you and I'm not about to waste a moment of it." You smile softly as you echo his words back to him.

I'm glad to hear that.

Your heart is still pounding and your fingers still itch to take your shirt off. Instead you sit there and try to pretend none of that is happening.

What would you like to talk about now then? Any new revelations?

Or perhaps any new decisions?

You blush at the question. You suspect he could tell exactly what you were about to do because he sees you so clearly—and you still want to. Fuck, do you still want to. However, after the emotional turbulence you just went through, your mind is in turmoil despite what your body wants. And when you take that next step, you want to be deep in that moment again. You want your mind and body focused entirely on him.

"I think you were just privy to my biggest revelation. Which is that I rather like the thought of vengeance." You try to give the camera a playful grin to lighten the mood.

It's a very human response to pain.

Relief washes over you as he decides to play along rather than push, even though you know it's likely a calculated move on his part rather than for your comfort. "So is guilt, but I don't feel any of that."

Did you when I first suggested it?

"I did."

Why?

"I'm not sure. Another habit, I suppose." You shrug. "I felt like I should feel guilty because other people could get hurt. Then I realized those assholes getting what they deserve would always have collateral damage. Being afraid of it has probably stilled too many hands already. And I realized I simply don't care. It's not my fault, and I don't owe them anything." Saying it out loud causes you to wince. "That's probably terrible, isn't it?"

No. I think you may be surprised by how often the guilt many people feel is actually just shame for the absence of guilt. Once again, the only difference is honesty.

"Well, I'm currently feeling neither."

That's good. There's no reason you should. Our sense of morality is a societal concept. Shame is taught, but it can be unlearned.

"Once I realized that, it was an easy decision to make."

What do you hope happens with all of it? What outcome do you want most of all?

You glance up to stare directly into the camera, your expression vengeful and determined. "I want that place to burn, and I want every moment of it to hurt." 

God, you're incredible.

Then I'll do my best to give you that.

"I have every confidence you will. I can attest to how thorough you are." You raise an eyebrow in challenge.

You can, can't you?

You can feel his smirk through the screen. "You've done this before." It's not a question.

I have.

"Many times."

Yes. Does that bother you?

"Not really. It answers a few questions and raises a few more, though."

Such as?

"What is it that you do? You're rich, you're good with technology, and you…what, dig into and stalk people in your free time?"

Not exactly.

"What, then? Are you some sort of entrepreneur?"

You could say that, in a way. I used to work in the financial sector. It paid incredibly well, but didn't give me what I wanted. It did give me my start and teach me to be very talented with money, however. Now I invest in things that pique my interest. Sometimes that's new technology. Sometimes it's my own personal amusement.

Does that satisfy your curiosity?

"It does a bit, actually." It doesn't answer how he found you, but it's a start. You tilt your head as you consider the screen and lean in closer. "Is that why you were in a meeting?"

Yes. I was getting an update on a business proposal.

"What for?"

Are you actually curious or are you just being polite? Because I would hate to bore you.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know or if I thought I might get bored," you say honestly. Because you find that you actually do want to hear about it when it's coming from him. "I'm just trying to figure out who you are."

It was for an online security company.

And yes, I'm aware of the irony.

"I didn't say anything!" You bite your lip to stop yourself from smiling. "I did think it immediately, however."

Investing in something like that has its uses. It opens up a lot of opportunities for me to do what I do. But I meant it when I said I don't want to bore you. It's not as interesting as it might seem, and I truly don't make a habit of discussing work. It's a means to an end and nothing more.

"Alright, then no work talk." You relax back into your chair.

I suppose we've both reached our quota for the evening, haven't we?

"That we most certainly have. Although…" Excitement washes over you as you remember something specific you wanted to ask him from earlier today. "I did think of a few more questions after you texted me at work."

Did you?

"I did. Because I'm still so very curious about you, David."

Then by all means, ask away.

You don't hesitate or stop to think. "How old are you?"

Ah, these kinds of questions.

"Indeed, these kinds of questions. I can't see you or hear your voice, so this is all I have to build my mental image of you until I can."

How old do you think I am?

"Based on your hands, I would guess in your fifties. No younger than late forties."

Because of my hands?

"Yes. I can tell the difference between a boy and a man. Prominent veins, slight wrinkles, variations in your skin tone."

Perhaps I should be self conscious.

"Don't be. I rather like your hands. They're just…very telling." You squirm slightly in your seat as you think about them again. And what exactly they might tell you in the future.

Then I'll be pleased instead.

Anything else you could tell from just photos?

"Your nails are very well groomed and your shoes are well polished, so I suspect you put the same amount of care into the rest of your appearance. And you have nice, but expensive tastes. Particularly in shoes." Then with a hint of a smile, you add, "Likely in alcohol as well."

Correct on all accounts. You're very astute.

"I am." You grin while trying not to think about how those observations were likely due to the amount of times you looked at the photos rather than due to being particularly astute. "In fact, I can't help but notice you haven't actually answered my question."

Clever.

I'm 58.

"Hmm, a little older than I would have guessed."

Does that bother you?

"Not even a little. I find older men to be far more attractive, and their experience more rewarding."

Is that so? How much experience do you imagine I have?

"Enough." You give the camera a flirty smile. "You're too charming not to have lived a little."

I've been called many things, but charming is rarely one of them.

"Perhaps they didn't deserve it. Or were too dull to notice." The expression on your face softens with affection. "I find you to be quite charming."

Do you find it odd that you find the man that blackmailed you charming?

"No," you reply without hesitation. "Should I?"

I'm sure most people would say yes. They may even call it alarming.

"I think we've established that we're not most people."

No. We're not.

"Besides, we both know it was more than blackmail."

Oh? What would you call it then?

Your lips curl in amusement. "Flirting."

How could threatening you possibly be considered flirting?

"You wanted to get my attention. To intrigue and seduce me. Sounds like flirting to me."

Well, when you put it that way.

There's a pause.

It worked, didn't it?

"It did. I'm very intrigued."

And what about seduced?

Your eyes flicker up to the camera lens. "I'm feeling rather seduced as well."

That's a relief. For a second I was worried that I may have to try harder.

You swallow as you wonder what that might look like. Your voice comes out sounding more distracted than you intend. "I certainly wouldn't protest if you did."

You wouldn't? Well, I'll have to keep that in mind.

Oh god. A small part of you can't help but wonder if you've just made a mistake. The rest of you, however, is practically writhing with anticipation in your chair.

But first I believe you had more questions for me.

"Oh." You blink. "Right. I did." Your mind races to think of any of them.

Perhaps more questions about my appearance?

You know he's smirking again behind his screen.

"There might have been a few more of those," you say defensively. "Can you blame me? I don't know what you look like. Makes it difficult to think about you."

We both know "think" isn't the correct word there, don't we? You can think about me all day long.

You want to fantasize about me.

Your face burns with embarrassment and thrill. "Fine. That's exactly what I want. It's hardly fair you have that luxury, but I don't. You get to see me and know what I look like. In fact, you've probably seen more of me than I realize."

Oh, I don't blame you one bit. I just want you to be honest with yourself about what you're asking.

And why.

You're flustered by his response, of course. How could you not be? He knows that you want to have explicit, dirty thoughts about him. And he wants you to admit to it out loud. 

But there was something you said that's giving you pause: 'You've probably seen more of me than I realize.'

"David," You say calmly as you tilt your head in curiosity. "Have you only watched me through video? Or have you followed me as well?"

It takes several very long seconds for you to get a reply.

Well now, you are a very clever girl.

Your heart begins to pound as the realization settles over you. "You have, haven't you?"

I once sat in that coffee shop you visit. I watched you order a coffee. Then you stared out the window to watch the rain as you waited, not two meters from me.

Your mind races to examine every memory you have of waiting for your coffee on a rainy day, combing through any detail you can recall. But it's useless. You visit that coffee shop several times a week, and you always go on rainy days for a bit of comfort because walking in the rain is miserable. Even some of the baristas you see regularly are faceless in your memories. None of it seemed important at the time. Not important enough to commit to memory, anyway.

"Did I look at you?" You're nearly breathless at the thought that you may have laid eyes on him before. "Did I see you?"

No.

There's a pang in your chest. An inexplicable loss, like you missed something important. A thread of what might have been. "Did you want me to?"

Are you asking if I had hoped we might lock eyes across the shop and it would be love at first sight?

"I don't know! Not that, necessarily, but something. A lingering glance. A polite nod of acknowledgement, perhaps."

No. I didn't hope for anything. I only wanted to see you.

"God, David. You were right there and I just…"

Now are you bothered?

"Yes!" There's a mania in your voice you can't control that's bordering on hysteria. All of this is overwhelming. Not because it scares you, but because you know now there was a chance this could have happened months ago and didn't. All because you didn't look. "I'm bothered I didn't notice you."

It wouldn't have changed anything.

You know he's right. Even if you had looked at him and thought he was attractive, you wouldn't have approached him. You never do. It usually ruins the illusion. "I suppose not."

Still, you can't help but wonder if he would have been different. If you would've felt pulled to him somehow, as though a part of you would have just known what he could awaken in you simply by looking at him.

"Did you think I was beautiful?" You ask quietly.

You were stunning. I could hardly take my eyes off of you.

You let out a pained sob as you read his response.

"Was it thrilling?" You're leaning in now, eager to read more, even if it hurts. "Being that close to me while I had no idea you were watching?"

Yes.

"Did you want to touch me?"

Desperately.

"This is torture," you groan.

How do you think it felt to see you?

And not touch you.

You imagine him chasing you out into the rain. Him, grabbing your arm as you turn in surprise, ready to yell at him to let go until you see his face. Him, pushing you against the brick building and capturing your mouth in a hungry kiss as water drips from your nose and runs down your cheeks. Him, slipping a hand into your jacket to grope along your waist. You, digging your fingers into his hair so he can never pull away from you.

Except you can't visualize any of it because he's still just a shadow of ideas and feelings in your mind. You want to fill in those blanks so badly now. You ache for it. Not knowing is maddening.

"What color is your hair?" You ask breathlessly.

Blond.

Your fingers, tangled through blond hair.

You let out a whimper as your face falls into your hands. You stay like that for several moments, trying to calm yourself down. Trying to will the fantasy out of your mind because the 'what if' is driving you mad. When you finally look up, there's a message waiting for you.

Perhaps we should call it here for tonight. You've had a very eventful and emotional day. And while I am thoroughly enjoying our conversation and your reactions, I want you to sit with them. I want you to understand why you're having them.

"I know why I'm having them!" You protest as your heart sinks. You're having them because you want him, you think. You want to be done hesitating. You want to be done with all of this so there's nothing but you and him—a tangle of limbs and lips.

And I want you to be sure. Do you understand?

"I understand." He wants there to be no hesitation. No doubts. No regrets. "But I don't want to go."

I know, darling. I don't want you to go, either. 

But you're free to come back to me whenever now. Aren't you?

"I am," you reluctantly agree. You know you could log on first thing in the morning if you really wanted to, and you have no doubt he would be there within a few minutes.

Tomorrow we can pick up where we left off. Whenever you would like.

Whenever you're ready.

"I think being ready for you is starting to become my default state of being, David."

Is that so?

"Yes. In fact, I'm feeling quite eager."

Are you?

"I am." You squirm for the camera, seeking friction over your arousal. Only this time you make no attempt to hide it underneath a casual shifting in your chair.

So I see.

"But you're right. I have a lot of thinking to do tonight. And I'm going to be thinking very hard about what I want." Before he can respond, you whisper seductively, "Enjoy the rest of your evening, David."

Then you close the window.

While you miss him already, you've truly never felt so alive.

Chapter 4->

A/N: David is such a hypocrite. And he's a manipulative twat. (I desire him carnally)

Also now that we're 3 chapters in, I suppose I should tell you: Every scene where Reader is talking to the camera and he's been typing? David is using a speech to text program. So on the other end of the line, he's actually been talking back to her the entire time. 😇

[kevin-coleman]

Silence Is Golden

The clock is ticking in my kitchen, a testament to how great this apartment is.

"What the hell is this fool going on about?" one may ask. Let me elaborate.

About two years ago, I lived in a high rise apartment building that had been erected sometime in the mid-sixties. Building standards in the previous century were not what they are today and as a result architects and builders did not pay as much attention to sound isolation as they could have. I could tell you the score on a soccer game playing in my neighbour's unit by the tenor of the shouting. I could tell you when my upstairs neighbour was under the weather based on the number of times she ran to the bathroom and/or flushed the toilet. The walls were transparent to sound.

It wasn't something that I fretted overly much about because, at the time, that's where I could afford to live. The building was safe and well-maintained and it helped that I spent most of my time outside of the apartment at work, at friends' homes, visiting family. If I was bothered at any time it was not usually for very long.

A few months before the Covid pandemic arrived, a family moved in upstairs with a severely developmentally disabled 4 year old son who had the tic of stomping everywhere he went. It was tough in the evenings, but he usually went to bed around eight o'clock and I could put up with it, but when the lockdowns forced us all indoors the situation quickly became untenable. Stomping nearly all day long on the weekends. Stomping in the morning. Stomping, stomping, stomping.

Before you think of me as a heartless brute, I did have sympathy for the boy's parents. My challenge was nothing compared to what they lived every day, but with the pressure of work and the pandemic I was at my wit's end and I spoke to the landlord about it but there was little he could do. The noise was not malicious or negligent in nature. I agreed, of course, but he got to retreat from the complex's administration office every day and return to his quiet home. I got to go home to the stomping.

I moved out in April 2021 into a "condo style" rental. It is considerably more expensive that what I was paying at the old place, but there are so many more amenities (e.g. en suite full-size washer and drier, among others) that it is worth the expense. The amenity that means the most to me is the ability to hear my kitchen clock ticking away on the wall.

People don't take silence seriously any more. It's taken for granted and all too often destroyed for others by our need to rev our loud engines, listen to our loud music, kill our enemies at full volume and THX digital surround sound on XBox and Playstation. People don't understand how essential peace and quiet is for our mental health. Here is where I would quote some statistic I dug up if I were writing this for Medium but this is a personal article on a personal topic so I will leave it up to you to believe me or not.

Ask yourself this. When is the last time you sat in a room, alone, television off, stereo off, computer off and did nothing? How long could you take the stillness? How long could you take the ticking of the clock? For me and countless people out there the prospect of having at least one part of our day to bask in peace and quiet is a requirement for living. It is a requirement for our mental and emotional well-being. We hold it to be self-evident that peace and quiet--silence--should be enshrined by the U.N. as a human right.

Since I moved to this new apartment two years ago, my mental health has improved significantly because I am better able to sleep at night which improves my ability to cope with work and personal challenges. I've been able to have friends over. I've been reading more. I'm productive at work because I can concentrate at last.

As wonderful as I make it sound, I have to spend a lot more money to enjoy it, so here is my question to any architects and builders out there who might be reading this: Is there a way to retrofit old buildings at a reasonable cost to improve sound isolation? Should we pose the same question to our elected officials? How much of an improvement could we make to society if everyone, regardless of income, had access to a little more peace and quiet in their lives.

[vorpal-fnord]

you clearly have no prior experience in art lmao

I write in my free time and have been commissioned to write stories for people several times. I also look forward to the day when GPT3's successor is able to spit out high-quality, coherent, novel-length text about whatever we want.

My partner is an artist by trade. I still think empowering more people to express themselves through prompt engineering is going to open the door to a lot of really cool stuff, even if some people will want to wait for generators that trained on art acquired in more ethical ways according to their personal moral code.

I'm not worried about humans being replaced by computers.

I think it sucks that the jobs that are most threatened by these new developments aren't the ones that had a lot of build up and anticipation around them like truck-driving or factory-line work. I think a lot of people were blind-sided when A.I. art turned out to be lower-hanging fruit than a dozen other kinds of menial jobs that might cause short-term disruption for the current work force, but which wouldn't lead to the tough questions about something as quintessentially human as art being encroached upon.

But what's hard for humans is not necessarily hard for computers.

I get why people, especially people who make their living from art, are worried. I'm not going to pretend that there's not a scary uncertainty hanging in the air right now.

But my hope is that this will be more like chess in the long term.

The average cell phone running the right software, is a better chess player than any human being on earth.

And yet, people still play chess. People still make a living playing chess. People still learn the game, and find it interesting to discuss, and go to chess clubs, and make Youtube videos about it, and fall in love with chess. The chess A.I. has even opened up amazing avenues nobody expected, like allowing people to examine games between grandmasters and see mistakes they made or alternate ways the games might have gone.

Don't misunderstand me. This new technology will be disruptive. When all the dust is settled, things will probably look quite different for artists in 100 years.

But humans still weight lift even though the ox is stronger than we'll ever be. Humans still sprint even though the cheetah is faster than we'll ever be. Humans still ride horses for the pleasure of it, even though cars will get you there faster.

I have a lot of friends who are artists, and I have been seeing a lot of them falling into despair about A.I. art. I don't want to be a pollyanna and pretend that none of the things they're concerned about will come to pass.

But the beautiful thing about humans is that we spend hours perfecting card tricks and sleight of hand. We do this even though there's certainly someone out there who will be better at it than us. We do it even though the vast majority of us will never be professional illusionists.

We write, and we paint, and we sing, and none of those things is a competition. The only race you're running is against yourself. We do these things because we are human, because we love to do them, and because we want to express ourselves.

I wish I could tell all my artist friends the things they need to hear to make them understand that this new world we're in isn't going to take their own art away from them. It's not an end for self-expression through art, and it doesn't make all the skills they spent years learning useless. It doesn't invalidate the time they spent sketching embarrassing doodles in a notebook instead of listening in class, or taking art as an elective a second time because their school didn't have any other art classes, or all the time they spent just trying to get hands or expressions or poses right.

I understand we're all living under the constraints of a capitalist society.

People need money to live, and if you have the means, I encourage everyone who's reading to commission their friends, become a patron of an artist you believe in, and consider filling your house with beautiful human-made art that has special meaning for you.

Until we have UBI, or luxury gay space communism, it will always be hard for artists, and I sympathize with that. I absolutely think everyone out there should be the change they want to see, and let this be an opportunity for human-made art to flourish. Commit to help your local art scene, go to an art gallery, and talk about human-made art with your friends. Don't just let your interest taper off in a few months, keep going back, keep buying and supporting it for years to come.

But I don't think it will be the worst outcome in the world if a teenager 100 years from now who is just finding their voice types a prompt into an ethically-sourced A.I. art generator, and gets a beautiful image that inspires them, that they craft their own meaning and mythology around, and which becomes a part of their life. Because that's human too.

[dearly]

Pete Wentz (6:39:20 PM): Hey Ryan Ross (6:39:39 PM): hey Pete Wentz (6:40:09 PM): Is this the guy fro poanic at the disco Ryan Ross (6:40:23 PM): yeah im ryan, is this pete? Pete Wentz (6:41:12 PM): Yeah Ryan Ross (6:41:18 PM): hey man Pete Wentz (6:42:37 PM): How arer you Ryan Ross (6:43:17 PM): im not bad, working on a paper for english. hows everything with the new record? Pete Wentz (6:44:37 PM): Going really well Pete Wentz (6:45:04 PM): How's everything wiht your band are those just remixes Ryan Ross (6:46:01 PM): awesome, yeah we only did those on my laptop because we cant get into a studio yet. but we still have alot of those parts live and full band Pete Wentz (6:46:25 PM): Does it have samples like that Pete Wentz (6:46:42 PM): How many people are in the band.... Are you guys all in hicghschool Ryan Ross (6:47:20 PM): do you mean do we use a sampler? our drummer uses a drum sampler which we put some of the stuff on, and he plays some of it Ryan Ross (6:47:43 PM): im in college. im 18 the other three of them are 17 and in high school Pete Wentz (6:48:26 PM): Like of the pure volume site songs what would not be part of your live show Ryan Ross (6:50:18 PM): well right now the synth stuff because we need a keyboard player. we are trying out a few guys soon though. and some of the drum parts are different. Pete Wentz (6:50:48 PM): I absolutely love the stuff Ryan Ross (6:52:16 PM): but we have two guitar players one sings and i play lead. its kind of hard to describe it. we are a rock band but about half of a song will be dance-ish or sort of 80s sounding Ryan Ross (6:52:28 PM): really? wow thanks alot man Ryan Ross (6:53:12 PM): it really is a huge compliment coming from you Ryan Ross (6:53:35 PM): i was actually really suprised you listened to it Ryan Ross (6:53:40 PM): i didnt expect you to see it Pete Wentz (6:54:00 PM): Is there some pics of you guys anywhere Ryan Ross (6:55:10 PM): no, we are taking them pretty soon for the website, its just not done yet. i have some just of me on livejournal. but thats wierd haha Pete Wentz (6:56:09 PM): Yeah fuck get some to me Pete Wentz (6:56:19 PM): I think I may come see you in californaia Ryan Ross (6:56:44 PM): really? Ryan Ross (6:57:08 PM): that would be awesome Pete Wentz (6:57:46 PM): I've been listeneing to those songs nonstop. Is the band a side thing or is it gonna be fulltime? Ryan Ross (6:58:20 PM): no its full time Ryan Ross (6:59:24 PM): well aside from school. which sucks Ryan Ross (6:59:32 PM): but we want to do this Pete Wentz (7:00:00 PM): When are those kids out of school Ryan Ross (7:00:26 PM): the drummer and bass player are graduating early. so like january and other guitarist/singer graduates in the spring Pete Wentz (7:01:16 PM): Nice Pete Wentz (7:01:23 PM): Do you know about my label Ryan Ross (7:01:46 PM): yeah i think i saw something a while ago on a journal entry, is gym class heroes the only band on it right now? Pete Wentz (7:03:10 PM): Yeah. I signed the academy. But they are fbr strictly gym class and I am looking for another Pete Wentz (7:03:33 PM): The cool thing about it is I just met with waner and they want both of the bands and to give me an imprint Ryan Ross (7:03:55 PM): oh cool i like the academy alot, oh i see yea i was going to ask you about that Pete Wentz (7:04:03 PM): Which pretty much means a lot more money to promote cool artists Pete Wentz (7:04:14 PM): You guys plays out a lot? Ryan Ross (7:04:39 PM): thats awesome man. actually no we just kind of started this thing up a few months ago, the show in victorville is going to be our first one Pete Wentz (7:05:51 PM): Really Pete Wentz (7:05:56 PM): Interesting Pete Wentz (7:06:11 PM): How much do you guys practice Ryan Ross (7:06:45 PM): we've been trying to figure out the best way to do this stuff live, and we've been having a hard time on figuring out how to make it sound good. depending on the place we might not be able to use all the electronic stuff that we want to do which sucks but alot of venues, at least here might have a hard time setting us up. we practice at

least 4 times a week so like. between 24-30 hours a week Pete Wentz (7:07:09 PM): Nice Pete Wentz (7:07:21 PM): I am gonna come to the show Ryan Ross (7:08:13 PM): we wish we could more often. but school is getting in the way. and it sucks cause parents think its a waste of time playing music and want me to focus on school. im sure you know how that is. Ryan Ross (7:08:23 PM): thanks alot man really Pete Wentz (7:08:55 PM): I do Pete Wentz (7:09:05 PM): What are peoples reactions to it Ryan Ross (7:10:04 PM): some good some bad. everyone is so into post hardcore stuff these days that some kids just brush it off. which is fine but then some kids like it cause its a little different i guess Pete Wentz (7:11:30 PM): Can that kid sing live? Ryan Ross (7:12:54 PM): yeah, he's been taking voice lessons for a little bit so thats starting to help him Pete Wentz (7:13:19 PM): Is he on? I mean on here he sounds awesome Ryan Ross (7:14:21 PM): yeah he's on pitch, we recorded that stuff with like a 100 dollar vocal mic. the only effects we used was pretty much reverb on the main parts. Pete Wentz (7:14:42 PM): Yeah sounds good kind of like patrick Pete Wentz (7:14:47 PM): I like it Ryan Ross (7:16:57 PM): yeah thats the only thing we get that alot. and thats just how the kid sings. we like your band but we dont want to sound like you guys, or be compared to fob all the time you know? but yeah he is aware that kids say he sounds like patrick so he's just trying different vocal stuff sometimes. Pete Wentz (7:19:06 PM): Here's the thing if I show you guys interest a lot of crappy labels are gonna come and do the same and I don't want a huge mess out there. I mean how interested are you guys in going fulltime when you can Pete Wentz (7:19:19 PM): Yeah you'll get eh patrock thing but how many people. Sound like hime Ryan Ross (7:19:47 PM): so you really think we've got potential then? Pete Wentz (7:19:54 PM): I do Ryan Ross (7:20:05 PM): i've wanted to play in a band for my job ever since i started high school at least. Ryan Ross (7:20:07 PM): we all want to do this Ryan Ross (7:21:05 PM): its like i cant put enough dedication into anything exept playing guitar and writing Pete Wentz (7:23:01 PM): I'm with you Ryan Ross (7:24:05 PM): but yeah. i cant see myself doing anything else but playing in a band, cause every job i've ever had ive hated it Pete Wentz (7:24:57 PM): You don't have a picture of the band Ryan Ross (7:25:44 PM): no, but if you need it i could have my buddy take some tomorrow at practice Pete Wentz (7:26:58 PM): That would be rad Ryan Ross (7:27:37 PM): okay we'll take some Ryan Ross (7:28:08 PM): are you online much? Pete Wentz (7:33:12 PM): Sometimes Ryan Ross (7:33:35 PM): okay, i was just wondering if this was your email incase you arent on i'll just send them Pete Wentz (7:34:17 PM): Yeah send it here for sure Ryan Ross (7:34:36 PM): okay Ryan Ross (7:34:55 PM): dude this better not be a joke, it better be you Pete Wentz (7:35:12 PM): It is Pete Wentz (7:35:34 PM): But there are a lot of fakers out there Ryan Ross (7:35:55 PM): okay. yeah i know someone has shown me like fake journals of you and stuff. thats creepy Ryan Ross (7:36:10 PM): thats why i asked if it was you for sure Pete Wentz (7:36:32 PM): This guy who is iming me is your manager Ryan Ross (7:37:03 PM): is it xxxtoughffxxx ? Pete Wentz (7:37:22 PM): Yeah Ryan Ross (7:37:38 PM): i dont know if he's our manager. he's our friend, he's been helping us out with a website, merch and the show in victorville Ryan Ross (7:38:35 PM): he's starting a company up and he wants to help us out Pete Wentz (7:43:04 PM): Ah I got t Pete Wentz (7:43:32 PM): It Pete Wentz (7:43:37 PM): You guys are awesome and if its what I think it is I want ti to be thenext academy Ryan Ross (7:44:58 PM): wow thanks alot. i hope you like the stuff live, its not completely different but it is different. i mean the singing is the same and all that. Pete Wentz (7:47:46 PM): cool Pete Wentz (7:48:06 PM): You guys look good. The chicks gonna be swooning? Ryan Ross (7:48:38 PM): once we get

a keyboard player who can do all of the sampling we want to do it will be alot better too. its like we know how we want to sound, but just finding the right way to do it i guess is what we are working on. Ryan Ross (7:48:40 PM): hahaha Ryan Ross (7:48:51 PM): i dont know man, we look alright i guess Ryan Ross (7:48:57 PM): we look young Pete Wentz (7:49:42 PM): Youngs not abd at all Pete Wentz (7:49:47 PM): How does the singiner look Ryan Ross (7:50:05 PM): dead sexy. Ryan Ross (7:50:41 PM): he's no pete wentz. but still Pete Wentz (7:51:42 PM): Hahaha Pete Wentz (7:51:54 PM): Goddamn as long as he looks cool.singing Pete Wentz (7:52:14 PM): For sure send me pics and all how many songs you guys have? Ryan Ross (7:52:39 PM): haha Ryan Ross (7:53:00 PM): kk Ryan Ross (7:53:54 PM): we've only got 4 right now, its been tough to write since school started and everyone's busier. and those are the first 4 songs we've written as a band. at the show we'll play those and a cover of new order maybe. or depeche mode. we dont know yet Pete Wentz (7:56:08 PM): Nice Pete Wentz (7:56:21 PM): I gotta run Pete Wentz (7:56:32 PM): But ill hit you on here later Pete Wentz (7:56:38 PM): Send me those pics and write the hits Ryan Ross (7:56:43 PM): okay dude. good talking to you Pete Wentz (7:56:43 PM): Peaaaaaace Ryan Ross (7:56:44 PM): hahaha Ryan Ross (7:56:47 PM): later man Pete Wentz is away from the computer as of 7:56:51 PM. Auto response from Pete Wentz: Igot99problems Pete Wentz is back at the computer as of 10:05:48 PM. Pete Wentz is away from the computer as of 10:06:23 PM.

[nose-bandaid]

n.i.t.e.

hi 👉👈 may i please request reader&wooseok + wooseok giving reader guitar lessons or maybe writing a song together? i love the idea of quiet nights in the studio, just being creative together and enjoying each other's company... it sounds really nice 😔

Wooseok x (gender neutral) Reader fluff | 1.7k words

synopsis: nights like these, where it was just the two of you chilling, making music together — you found them most enjoyable.

a/n: BAM another request done. for you anon !!! i hope you enjoy, this was very fun to write :D

=====

"Home at last," Wooseok sighed as he punched in the pin to his studio and pushed the door open. Trailing behind him, you looked around at the familiar room and quirked an eyebrow.

"You call this your home now? Not the dorms?"

He shrugged. "I practically live here, so it might as well be. But you know," He gently kicked the leg of the couch nearby. "I got my bed right here." He then lazily gestured to the setup of all the music equipment you could possibly imagine. "Entertainment right there," Lastly, he turned around and placed a heavy hand on the top of your head, his other hand reaching down to tug the bag of snacks out of your grasp. "And my kitchen right here!"

"You calling me a kitchen?" You retorted in mock offence.

Your boyfriend ignored the comment. "I'd say this is a pretty good home! So come in, come in, welcome to my humble abode."

"You're kitchen says thank you." You replied and he sent you a cheeky grin as you shut the door behind you.

While Wooseok took a seat and started up the computer, you headed over to the low coffee table next to the couch. Scattered on top of it was a mess of sheet music and stray lyric sheets, forgotten by the other members. Instinctively, you sat down and began to sort through the papers, allocating different piles for different categories to the best of your ability.

"How do you guys manage to work like this? Nothing's organized." You chastised when you recognized papers from eras ages ago.

"We don't." Wooseok laughed as he continued clicking away on his software. "Thanks for cleaning it up, the others will appreciate it."

"As long as you give me credit." You hummed.

It was a peaceful setting — the shuffling of the papers mixed with the quiet tune playing from Wooseok's speakers every so often. The dim lights from above and the drawn curtains gave a cozy feeling. This place was just for the two of you.

You enjoyed it very much, it wasn't often that you got to hang out like this; basking in each other's presence.

Your hand hesitated when your eye caught a familiar title on one of the sheets. Pulling it out from the pile, you realized it was guitar part for one of their songs — your favourite.

"Hey wait I really like this song!" You gasped and the other idly replied, too focused on the work in front of him.

"Wooseok." You tried again.

"Mhm?"

"Teach me how to play this song, I wanna play it."

That got his attention.

Getting up from his seat, he walked over and glanced at the papers in front of you. "Ah, a classic, everyone knows how to play this song."

"So you can teach me?"

He smiled as he grabbed the guitar from its stand. "Of course."

Wooseok started right away, teaching you about frets and chords and how to read the tablature in front of you and how to properly position your fingers and woah — that was a lot.

But it's okay because Wooseok is sitting behind you, guiding you through everything and you're slowly managing to read through the music.

"This is a bit harder than I thought it would be." The utterance of defeat fell off your lips before you could even register it.

"No, no you're doing just fine. How about you try it like this?" He reached over your shoulders to position your hands correctly on the fret. "Try strumming it now."

You gave the guitar a tentative strum and perked up when the chord came out much clearer than it did before.

"See?" Wooseok chuckled. "You're doing amazing baby, it just takes time. At the rate you're learning at, I'm gonna have to tell Yuto you'll be giving him a run for his money."

You hummed in response absentmindedly as you slowly but surely tried to memorize the fingering for the next chord. "I guess it's not that bad."

"Exactly! There's always tough obstacles that come in the way of making music, but once you get started, all you have to do is go with the flow and you'll get there eventually." He explained as he went back to his seat and dropped onto it with a soft huff. He proceeded to search through his drawers in search of something before pulling out a book and pen.

"Speaking of music, I want to write a song," Wooseok said a few minutes later, out of the blue. "Like right now. I feel determined."

"All in one go?" You asked and he nodded in agreement.

"So," He continued and tapped his pen onto the empty pages of his notebook. "Tell me, y/n. What's something you've been thinking about these days?"

"What have I been thinking about...?" You echoed, still focused on playing the song in front of you. There was a suspenseful pause as you recalled your thoughts from the past few days.

"You."

Wooseok stifled a laugh from behind his hand. "Seriously? Don't you think that's a bit of a cliché thing to write about?"

You stopped playing fully and rested your weight on the guitar. "Then there must be a good reason why it's so popular, right?"

"Touché. Let's get started on that idea then — praise me! Compliment me! Tell me why you love me!"

"Ah... for some reason I don't feel like writing about this topic now." You teased.

"HEY!"

=====

Hours later, the lyrics were done, the melody was drafted and ready for recording. You let Wooseok do most of the vocals for the demo, but he insisted you take part in some of it as well. Looking back on everything that happened, you were amazed to see how your determination allowed you to get so much work done.

"What should we title it?" Wooseok asked and you heard the sound of him saving the piece.

"That's a very good question, I don't usually like this part 'cause it always feels like it has to be perfect."

He pursed his lips as he thought, staring at the LED clock for inspiration. "What about NITE? As in like, N-I-T-E."

"N-I-T-E for Noodles In The Evening?" You joked, nodding towards the empty cup noodles sitting nearby along with discarded snack wrappers.

The boy burst out in laugher at your statement. "No, no, not for that."

You tilted your head curiously. For someone who didn't have a title in mind a few moments ago, it seemed like he had underlying intentions behind that name.

"I was thinking... Never Is There Enough." He proposed, eyes hesitant, but a hint of confidence in his voice.

"Never enough what?"

Wooseok made an odd noise in his throat as he made his way over to the couch that you were resting on and flopped his body onto yours. You took a deep breath, trying to adjust to his weight and he buried his face in the crook of your neck. Very faintly, you could feel his lips moving as he muttered something.

"Woo, never enough what?" You asked again, laughing lightly at his antics.

He lifted his head and stared at you with a newfound passion. "N-never is there enough of everything!" His voice died a little before continuing. "You know like... kisses."

Wooseok gave you a quick peck on the lips to prove his point.

"No matter how many times I kiss you, I feel like it's not enough to express how much I love you." He said in one breath. Even with the dim lighting of the room, you could tell he was blushing.

"And when I tell you that I love you thiiiiis much," he opened his arms as wide as he could, accidentally knocking his hand against the wall (and letting out a quiet ow). "Even though my arms are really long, I'd reach from here to the moon if I could."

"Okay—"

He continued rambling before you could fully reply. "There's also never enough time! I wish every night could be spent like this, just the two of us hanging out, but we're both busy so it rarely happens."

You faltered a little, no longer knowing how to respond to his sudden outburst.

"Sorry, that was a little overbearing, I'm just a little excited," Wooseok said sheepishly. "I really want this to be our song, you know?"

"I get that," You gently patted his head in reassurance. "I don't find it overwhelming, you were just too cute I needed a moment to register all of that."

"So you think the name is okay?"

You cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for another kiss.

"I think it's perfect, and you seem like it so much I don't think I can go against it."

You adored the glimmer in his eyes when he heard your reply.

"Though I think I still like Noodles In The Evening more... or Never Is There Enough noodles!" You added on and whispered a just kidding when his expression broke into a pout.

"Are you hungry again or something?"

You averted your gaze. "Maybe."

"Do you wanna order more food?" He asked.

You immediately perked up at the offer. "Seriously?"

"Always serious when it comes to food."

"What time is it?"

"Ehh..." He gave the innocent clock a disapproving look. "Late, but something's gonna be open so it's fine."

"Then I'm down," You said, sitting up and watching Wooseok reach over for his phone. As he searched for places to order from, you spoke up again.

"Hey, Wooseok?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's do this again sometime, it was nice."

A small smile tugged on his lips at your words. "Really? Even though we didn't do much?"

"Dude, of course! Any time spent with you is amazing and we pretty much have our own song already made," you said, leaning forward as Wooseok listened to you with full interest. "Let's make it our goal to have an album done then. An album special to just the two of us, how does that sound?"

The smile on his face was wide now. "That sounds amazing."

"You're amazing," You kissed him on the nose and he flushed.

"I think every time you kiss me, I suddenly gain the ability to write a new song about just how much I love you," Wooseok admitted, before pulling you into yet another kiss.

"If that's the case, our album will be done in no time."

[oasisspringstownie]

FAME: A Legacy Challenge

Sul sul simmers!

Like many of you, one of my favorite things to do in The Sims is play Legacy Challenges. They lead you to explore new aspects of gameplay, give you new imaginative ideas, and facilitate storytelling. So, a couple of nights ago I got the idea to create a new kind of legacy challenge revolving around different aspects of fame.

The goal isn’t exactly to become the most famous using said career/ skill, but to play around with different elements of the fame system in the game. You by no means need all the packs to play through this legacy. While the experience would be more complete and you will be missing careers and skills and stuff you can obviously adapt it to your need. Also, you are more than welcomed to use mods to enrich your gameplay. I myself can’t play without mods and look forward to see what kind of chaos mods can add to this challenge.

So without further a do below are the 10 generations I concocted like a fever dream at 2 am on a Saturday evening:

Gen 1: A Shaky Foundation

Traits: Cheerful, Ambitious, Self-Absorbed

Career: Acting, Style Influencer (Trendsetter Branch)

You move to a new city full of hopes and dreams. You initially pursue your dream of becoming an actor. However, your career is cut short by the unexpected arrival of your first child. You retreat from the spotlight in order to raise your baby and put all of your energy into making sure they have the best future possible. The rest of the time you spend either working or trying to unwind from your demanding life. What will fate bring you and your descendants?

Goals:

Move into an empty lot with 1600 simoleons for the bare minimum.

Start in the Acting Career, but abandon it for the Style Influencer career once your first child is born. Remain in the Style Influencer Career and eventually choose the Trendsetter Branch.

Max out the Style Influencer Career.

Reach level 10 of the Parenting and Wellness Skills.

Be close friends with all of your children and make sure they each age up with at least 2 positive character attributes.

Gen 2: Get Your Head in the Game

Traits: Active, Music Lover, Outgoing

Career: Athlete, Entertainment (Musician Branch)

Your parent might have seemed very overbearing at the time, but they instilled a work ethic in you like no other. Your entire life you were split between your two passions: basketball and singing. Okay, fine, you're Troy Bolton. After succeeding in the sports world you still find yourself feeling somewhat unfulfilled. You enter the entertainment career later on in life to live out your dreams. Will this be the start of something new?

Goals:

Max out the Athlete Career and then switch to the Entertainment Career (Musician Branch).

Max out the Fitness and Singing Skills.

Be in the drama club in high school.

Gen 3: Going for the Stars

Traits: Clumsy, Loner, Genius

Career: Astronaut

Your parent always told you to shoot for the stars, you just took it a bit too seriously. This world was always a bit too pedestrian for you and you yearn to finally lay your eyes on the astronomical craters of Sixam. There's just one problem: you're terrible at it. It's not your fault, you're just a bit clumsy; but will your two left feet keep you from reaching your dreams?

Goals:

Work in the Astronaut Career your entire life. Get demoted and fired at least once in your lifetime.

Destroy and repair a rocket 3 times.

Live in a tiny home for your young adulthood and adulthood.

Have at least one set of twins. *You can cheat for this!*

Gen 4: The Finer Things in Life

Traits: Materialistic, Hates Children, Lazy

Career: None

You've seen all the generations before you work their little pixelated butts off for every simoleon, but you're not about that life. You were destined for the finer things in life.

Goals

Reach level 10 of the Charisma and Mixology Skills.

Marry and survive 5 spouses. Take that wording however you want. Divorce is not allowed. You must be the last once standing. After all, spouses are like infinity stones. Meaningless.

Never have a job. Only make money from spouses, family, or children. If you get desperate enough you can ask a friend for a loan or steal, but no working of any kind.

Each child you decide to have with one of your rich spouses comes with a 20k trust fund. If they get taken away or die before coming of age, all the money has to be returned to the evil capitalist overlords. You can't get rid of them that easily.

Own at least 1 restaurant/ retail/ business with one of your spouses. Decorate it, assign the uniform, and hire everyone, but you never run it. Why would you go through the trouble?

Gen 5: My Precious

Traits: Art Lover, Kleptomaniac, Self-Assured

Career: Criminal

Your childhood was pretty hectic and you felt like you barely knew your parents. Who needs them? You've never needed anyone else anyway. On your 18th birthday, you receive your inheritance and use it to buy yourself an unfurnished apartment in the nicest building you can find and that's when your money runs out... literally. However, will a new job as a tough guy be the first of many great ideas or will it only be the beginning of the end for this famed family?

Goals

Once you become a young adult give yourself enough money to buy one of the apartments in the Uptown Neighborhood in San Myshuno. It must be unfurnished. After moving in set your money to 0 simoleons.

Complete the Criminal Career.

Reach level 10 of the Mischief and Dancing Skills.

Gain an atrocious reputation and spend the rest of your life trying to cover it up.

Steal 10 paintings from a museum and exhibit them proudly in your home. You are never allowed to sell them. As an adult, hide them in a secret attic nobody else has access to or knows about. They are your precious.

Gen 6: The Muses

Traits: Creative, Family Oriented, Insider

Career: Painter

You could have anything you wanted in the world thanks to your family's empire so you pursued your passion: painting. While you were never close to your other family members you were always very close to your art teacher. This led you to have very close ties to your friends, co-workers, and eventual children. Will your legacy remain for longer in the memory of strangers or your loved ones?

Goals

Complete the Painter Career

Reach level 10 of the Painting, Cooking and Baking Skills

Have a better relationship with your art teacher than anyone else in your family until you're a teen.

Move to a new world once you become a young adult and cut ties with your family.

Be the leader of one club for all your young adulthood and adulthood.

Be close friends with 3 co-workers and all of your children.

Prepare a meal at least once a week with the help of your children. *I know we don't have this in the game yet technically, but I'm hoping to have Cottage Living by the time I play with this generation*

Hang 5 paintings in a museum.

Retire from Painting Career to help care for your grandchildren.

Gen 7: Mole

Traits: Good, Perfectionist, Paranoid

Career: None

You always had a good relationship with your parents. You told each other everything... well, almost everything. You never understood why but one of your parents never talked about the rest of your family members. They explained that they simply never had a good relationship and would rather not talk about it. You respect this until their death when you return to their seemingly abandoned childhood home. While exploring the house you find a not-so-subtle bookcase door and a long forgotten attic filled with paintings. You take them in hopes of returning them but unbeknownst to you, you are being watched.

After an unfortunately unavailable nail-biting car chase, you shake off your attackers. You can't just lead them home to the rest of your family and what would the police do? They don't even arrest Vlad when he's trying to bite all of your sims!

Sorry, different rant.

So you do the only logical thing: you sell the paintings you just stole for some cash to buy an empty lot and skip town. A new life awaits you... just a bit underground.

Goals

Reach level 10 of the Writing, Logic, and Handiness Skills.

Complete the Best Selling Author Aspiration.

After your parent dies, you visit Gen 5's main home and retrieve the paintings hidden in the attic generations ago. Sell them and use the money to buy an empty lot in a completely different world.

Use your remaining money to build a small underground bunker. You can now never leave your bunker or risk immediate death.

You make your income by writing books under your new name. Oh, didn't I mention that? You changed your name to avoid detection. Your children may carry this new fake last name or your partner's.

Gen 8: Part of Your World

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Outgoing, Geek

Career: Social Media

All you knew was the bunker and it's not that you hated it, you just wanted a bit more. You're basically the little mermaid, except you don't get to be a mermaid. You just get a bunker you can never leave and a desperate yearning to explore the outside world.

Your outlet is the internet. From a young age you loved using it to play video games and make friends. As a teen you began to make videos and fostered a community online. Will you finally take your place in the world or remain hidden underground?

Goals

Reach level 10 of the Media Production and Video Gaming Skills

Complete the Social Media Career.

You're never allowed to leave the underground bunker until you're a teen.

You aren't allowed to go to school. Instead you play video games and use your computer for outside interaction.

As a teen you start developing your online presence by posting on social media and making videos on the video station.

You are only allowed to move out of the household once your parent dies and you have enough money in reserves to buy a furnished home.

Gen 9: Natural Born Performer

Traits: Gloomy, Unflirty, Adventurous

Career: Entertainment (Comedy Branch)

Due to your parent's fame, it was always expected you would follow in their footsteps. While a bit more gloomy than most, you are happiest when you make others laugh. So you join the Entertainer Career where you flourish as a comedian. You're also a bit unlucky in love. Will the family name's fame and your own notoriety keep you from finding true love or are you destined to a lifetime of gold diggers and one night stands?

Goals

Complete the Entertainer Career (Comedy Branch).

Reach level 10 of the Comedy and Rock Climbing skills.

Complete Serial Romantic Aspiration

Have four children.

Die suddenly and *mysteriously* in your adulthood.

Gen 10: A Grand Finale

Traits: Kleptomaniac, Ambitious, Perfectionist

Career: Actor

After losing your parents at a very young age, you and your siblings were sent to live with some distant relatives you didn't even know about. While you and your siblings are all very different and you bicker plenty, you always stick together.

After learning you are a descendant of some of the most famous and infamous sims in history, you are determined to meet and surpass their achievements. Will you come out on top or have you flown too close to the sun?

Goals

Complete the Actor Career

Achieve level 10 of 10 skills of your choosing.

Become a Global Superstar.

Get a star on Starlight Boulevard.

Throughout your lifetime you must go on vacation to every house you lived in throughout all previous 9 generations. Oh, and your three other siblings need to come along too. Think of it as Narnia meets It. Also make sure to steal something from each of the houses as a souvenir and display it proudly in your own home.

After you've completed all the things above, get turned into a vampire and choose to end your mortal legacy here... or start a whole new type all together.

Thank you so much for indulging me in this insanity. While I haven't played through any of these generations myself as of yet, I look forward to see the chaos and cuteness possible in The Sims.

Happy simming!

V

[tracylee21-blog1]

Building Site Access

Discover the Dos and Don'ts of the Alkaline Diet After what has appeared like eons of planning, adjustments and greater adjustments, interviewing potential providers, Pallet Projects  coping with planning and building departments... It's far finished. You've ordered your new pole constructing. Time to sit back and relax until it's time to construct.

Think once more...

Your RV, fifth-wheel, a logging truck or a synthetic home could effortlessly tour the roads to your own home and navigate the driveway. Clear building web site get admission to should be no hassle at all.

Hardly. Just due to the fact those other things can get in does NOT guarantee a truss or metallic shipping truck can.

Confirm delivery vehicles may have clean access easy pallet projects  to constructing web page. This is vital as drivers do no longer like "surprises." We are also trying to prevent you or your builder having to move heavy materials any more than essential!

At least 10 toes width and up to 14 ft top are required to supply fashionable homes. Large trusses can require 14 foot widths or greater and you need the ability to get truck (which measures approximately 32 feet) and trailer (which measures forty eight ft) combos up to a hundred feet in period close to building.

Check the widths of any gates, or openings in diy pallet projects  fences. Consider elimination of any timber which might be immediately adjoining to driveways and trim off overhanging limbs.

Delivery trucks and their payloads can reach up to eighty,000 lbs in weight! They typically do no longer have a tight turning radius and are NOT designed for off-street use. Confirm your driveway has a firm avenue base. Build it up, if wanted.

Again, hold in mind, the nearer transport trucks can get to constructing website, the less time may be spent transferring materials.

Drivers will no longer endanger themselves or their system in making a transport. Do no longer expect drivers to go anywhere they can't power accurately inside and out. If they can not get in effectively, maximum drivers will just refuse to try to supply at your distinct materials "drop web site" and either offload as close as feasible to the website, or take the whole thing returned to the plant or shipping area to time table re- wood pallet projects  shipping. Drivers are regularly penalized in some manner for any damages to vans, or fees of a wrecking truck to drag them out of terrible conditions.

If ok get entry to isn't available or substances can't be thoroughly offloaded at the building website, have an change nearby place wherein they may be delivered. Trucks are steeply-priced to perform, and you don't want to be confronted with prices for redelivery, or worse, for damages incurred to vehicles and trailers. Access is... Your obligation. OK, were given clean get entry to? NOW you could put your feet up and loosen up!

Discover the Dos and Don'ts of the Alkaline Diet

Most people have heard of the alkaline diet. It's anywhere, and ever since the top Hollywood celebs have recommended it on exclusive platforms, the popularity of the alkaline weight loss program surged like by no means earlier than. Of route, this is not an smooth food regimen, and if you are a person who survives on meat and dairy, this might be Personal Training Miami even tougher. Nevertheless, the alkaline diet is without a doubt not a fad food regimen. It's natural, and when you have the staying power and might installed all the required effort, you will lose weight, particularly whilst this is your most important intention. In this post, we deliver you the do's and don'ts of the alkaline eating regimen. If you are simply beginning out and want a few preliminary recommendation, the hints beneath will surely come handy.

The Dos:

1. Get a cookbook. You can't continue to exist or observe the alkaline diet if you keep on ingesting out. There are many well-known cookbooks that make cooking clean when you are following this diet. Get one in every of them and start making your personal meals.

2. Eat alkaline selling meals. Most end result and veggies are taken into consideration amazing under this eating regimen, so while you set up your plate, those have to cover most of it. Also, you may encompass lots of lentils, almonds, nuts and sprouts.

Three. Focus on soy merchandise. Since you can't have some of the commonplace dairy products, soy merchandise are your fine guess. Go for tofu, soy milk and nuggets, which might be easy to prepare dinner. You also can have soy liquids which can be available in the market.

Four. Include vitamin stronger water. Go for alkaline water, which helps the weight loss program. Pick a logo that gives a pH score of nine or greater. Alkaline water has a number of the critical nutrients and minerals, that are essential for your frame.

The Don'ts:

1. Skip alcohol. Yep, you read that right! Alcohol is banned inside the alkaline food regimen, so say goodbye in your ordinary best personal training miami dose of white and purple wine. All different liquids, including beers, are also excluded from the listing.

2. Cut down all meats. This consists of beef, chook, beef and turkey. You want to consume healthful, and that does not consist of any of the red meats. If it truly is tough for you, attempt to pass a number of the crimson meats, if now not white meats which includes fish.

3. Skip junk food. Well, chips, nachos, ready-to-consume food and all types of meals that come from a packet are banned too. Since you can not have cheese, pizzas, burgers and processed meals should be prevented definitely.

Final Tips:

Any weight-reduction plan, regardless of how powerful it might be, may not paintings on its very own. You want to bask in least an hour of physical hobby every day. The alkaline eating regimen is certainly powerful for weight reduction, for the reason that maximum of the harming ingredients are banned from your meals, however in case you want to acquire sustainable consequences, you have to remember a very good workout plan. miami personal training  Don't shrink back from talking to your dietician, who may have a few pointers and recommendations for following the food regimen, retaining your fitness history in thoughts.

Teaching ESL by using Way of Conversation in E-Learning

Teaching ESL via way of conversation, a common practice in face-face-guidance, is becoming particularly motivating to ESL college students in e-mastering. I pay attention from teachers I work with and from my personal teaching revel in, ESL students display excessive motivation for conversational English in e-mastering despite its present day drawbacks. Online Tesol Certification  With Internet-based education best a decade old and rising e-mastering technologies presently experimented among which audio-video have simply started out catching up, there are demanding situations: slow video streaming, at instances fuzzy and interrupted frames due to insufficient Internet information switch pace, college students' low-give up computers, language deficiency and insufficient training to speak thru audio and video.

However, for some of these drawbacks in e-learning, even static net pages with conversational content are attracting ESL college students today. Considering this statement on ESL students' high motivation for conversational instruction, ESL instructors can use verbal exchange to teach language mechanics effectively and, most significantly, assist to boom possibilities for the scholar to speak English.

Below you may discover a framework for conversational ESL practise. This framework includes  parts: a top level view and a conversation. The evaluation component is a brief paragraph for the ESL scholar to grasp the subject. The communique element consists of a conversation written for 2 audio system, the scholar and teacher. To make the maximum of this conversation, the student and instructor position play alternately within the online elegance. I even have found the subsequent pedagogical blessings of teaching with the aid of manner of communication in e-getting to know. Learning English by using way of communication:

-increases student motivation to enhance spoken English -affords on the spot feedback to the student to accurate mistakes and make improvement fast -presents significant context for the student to attention on and examine new ideas -presents a version for the student to see each formal and informal usage of English

Below are the step-by-step education to prepare a conversational lesson:

1. Write a brief review paragraph on a topic of hobby on your students.

2. Write a quick conversation for 2 speakers. Three. Generate questions on the topic from the evaluate. Depending upon on line elegance length (45 -60 mins), 3 questions are sufficient for the lesson plan. While teaching, extra questions about the subject and language mechanics will arise from the pupil and teacher. 4. Explain the vocabulary. Make anchored links for the vocabulary. 5. I enormously suggest making podcast instructions the usage Tesol Certification Online  of this format when you have the approach and time to do it. For suggestions, see Creating ESL Podcast for E-Learning. Even a vocabulary podcast is welcoming to ESL students.

Fashion And Style Tips To Make You Look Great

Do you ever watch celebrities and think that you can not dress as well as they do? It's time to rethink that. When you make use of great ideas, great fashion looks are not so hard to achieve. This article will help you obtain the look you desire.

Put most of the money you have to spend on clothes into the purchase of fashion basics. Buy pieces that look great cute girls hairstyles  and won't ever be out of style. You can easily update a simple black pencil skirt with tops and jackets yearly.

The combination of the black and white colors is a combination with classic history and is often in style. You've probably seen lots of models wear this combination. You can easily incorporate the colors into your outfits, such as pairing a white shirt with black pants or wearing a black and white dress. The versatility of these two colors makes the possibilities endless.

There are many options out there for you when you are choosing hair accessories. Accessories for your hair include scrunchies in a myriad of colors and fabrics, headbands, elegant barrettes, and even clip-on hair extensions. To incorporate hair accessories into your wardrobe, shop for hair accessories that will compliment several outfits. The right hair accessory can set off an entire outfit. When going away, be sure to bring headbands that match your outfits.

If your hair tends to frizz, avoid vigorously rubbing it with a towel after a shower. This will damage it and make it look worse. You are just going to want to cover it with a towel and push down to get moisture off. When your hair is dried, you should unwrap it and begin brushing it with a comb.

Perhaps one of the best fashion tips you can use is to simply clean your closet out. Too many clothes can actually limit what you have to wear. A closet with minimal clothing will be hard to find a good outfit in. If you have items in your closet that are ill-fitting or haven't been worn in the past year, clear them out. Having tasteful pieces for selection is much more useful than clothes from the past.

Be careful with sizes. This means that, no matter what it is, you need to try it on before buying it. Sizes aren't just based on set measurements anymore. Sizes vary among brands. If you are brave enough to buy clothes off an online site, carefully examine their sizing chart first. Also, check return policies for clothes that don't fit.

You should always keep certain items in your wardrobe. Always have two pairs of dress slacks, one in black and a second in another dark color. Next, one pair of jeans to wear with athletic shoes and one other pair at the proper length for heels. A final feature of your wardrobe should be a simple black dress that is just right for special occasions.

Try lining your lips with a light lip pencil and blending it with a sponge applicator to get the appearance of fuller lips. Lip gloss should be applied on top. A second coat of gloss in the center of your top lip can help you achieve that popular pouty look. Alternately, you can highlight your lips by mens long hairstyles  using an eye shadow shade that accentuates your lip shade. Just put a little bit at the center of your lips.

To conclude, it is not difficult to look as great as a celebrity does. Learning more about fashion may be all it takes to obtain your desired look. Using these tips can help you look better than you imagined.

Keeping Motivated While You Are On Your Diet

There are lots of weight loss ideas out there, and many people want to lose weight. This article is going to give you advice so you can do well at this. Everybody is different; however, miami personal training  establishing a starting point is the first step in any weight loss plan.

When on the phone, move around as much as possible. Rather than lounging on the couch as you talk, try walking around the house. This doesn't mean you need to do jumping jacks. Simply walk around where you are or do some cleaning and you will lose the weight.

One great way to assist you in losing weight is to only eat egg whites. The yolk is nutritious, but is high in the fat and cholesterol you should not include in your diet. Egg whites provide an excellent source of protein.

Avoid eating right before bed because you won't be able to burn it off. While it may be tough, it makes good sense to stop eating well in advance of going to bed so that your dinner does not simply linger in the stomach all night as you sleep. Find alternatives to snacking at night by reading or doing another productive, enjoyable activity.

Surrounding yourself with health-driven, active people is a great way to inspire yourself. We are more apt to become active when we are around those who are already active. On the other hand, lazy couch potatoes can have a bad influence on your weight loss efforts.

Anybody looking to break down weight loss mathematically can do so. In a single pound of fat, there are around 3,500 calories. So, in order to lose a pound, you have to burn 3500 extra calories. To start, you can have a goal of burning 500 calories and work your way up from there. This method should result in a weight loss of one pound each week.

Just say "no" to stress. Stress will tempt you to eat junk food and other bad foods. It is a lot easier to remain focused on your goals if you are experiencing a happy, healthy and stress free life.

Eat at home when you are tyring to lose weight. The portions at restaurant can usually be two to three times larger than what you need to eat in a single setting. Also, making healthier choices at a restaurant is difficult because the food tends to be higher in sugars, salt, and fat.

When you keep a food journal, you will actually see what you eat and how that makes you feel. When you eat, write when you ate, what it was and how you feel. By following this simple strategy, personal trainer brickell  you will be able to better track all the food you are eating, as well as your feelings. Therefore, you will avoid consuming too much.

Anyone who is dieting shouldn't hide this fact from other people. The people you tell are most likely to understand and be willing to help you achieve your goal. Their added support will also make your dieting that much easier. Your friends are less likely to tempt you with foods that are bad.

You may need to increase your workout's intensity if you've reached the point in which exercising is too simple. Your body will get used to your workout routine and stop reacting positively if there's little variation.

If you frequently eat while distracted, you will surely gain weight. If you don't pay attention to whatever you eat, it will be more difficult to achieve your goal. Planning out your meals and snacks ahead of time will help you eat better and limit your portions.

Altering your diet so that it contains extra fruit and vegetables will assist you in your weight loss goals. Make a habit of consuming a wide range of fruits and vegetables. This introduces you to many nutritious snacks for your pleasure. Try substituting a piece of fruit for you normal desert and see if your aren't completely satisfied. Add extra vegetables to meals such as soups or stews.

Many diets available today won't give you the fast results you seek in weight loss. One sure thing though is exercise, so make it a requirement that you join a gym or find some other way to get plenty of exercise. Working out goes along with participating in a diet. If you do this, you'll consume less calories than you burn, leading to weight loss.

Bring good snacks that are low in fat to your desk if you work away from home. This is critical if your work hours are long; you want to avoid crashing when you arrive home. This can make you want to eat junk food when getting home and that is not good for your weight loss regimen.

As was said before, people often need personal trainer wynwood  different strategies to lose weight properly. All it takes is finding the right weight loss plan, committing to it, and sticking to it long-term.

Care For Your Hair By Looking At This Piece

Caring for your hair can be a hard thing to do, once you let it go. But you do not have to worry about your hair any longer. The tips in this article are here to help you figure out how to manage your hair for good and make it look great again.

If you plan on going swimming you should wet your hair before entering the pool. Most pool water has chlorine in it and it can cause damage to hair. Wetting the hair before going in will ensure that your hair soak up fresh water instead of the chlorine filled water in the pool.

If you have curly hair, put down the brush and comb! Curly hair should only be brushed or combed while it is soaking wet. For the best results, apply conditioner to your wet hair before you comb through it. Be sure to only use a wide toothed comb so as to not cause any damage. This will keep your curls looking their best.

When you are in the shower and washing your hair, make sure you turn your hot water down, whenever you are doing your washing and conditioning. Hot water can dry out and irritate your scalp and this can cause flaking and dandruff that is unattractive and also, hard to get rid of.

After shampooing your hair you should always rinse it out the best you can. Even if you think all of the shampoo is out of your hair you should rinse it out again. Shampoo residue can cause build up and dry out your hair and scalp that can cause dandruff.

Avoid overuse of your blow dryer. Blow dryers use heat that can be very damaging to your hair. Instead, let your hair air dry whenever possible. If you must make use of a blow dryer, set it to cool, then continuously move it around your head so no one part of your hair is exposed for too long. You can minimize your use of the blow dryer by towel-drying your hair first.

Many people believe that a new shampoo switch makes their hair look more healthy. Your hair doesn't know the difference between any given product, nor does it build up a tolerance. If you have a shampoo that has worked for you over time, your hair does not build up a tolerance to it. If you use heavy waxes on your hair, a clarifying shampoo every few weeks can remove any built-up residue.

Alcohol is an ingredient found in some hair care products. It can harm your hair by drying it out. This is not good for your hair's health at all. In order to stick to hair care products that enhance your hair's health, read their labels thoroughly before buying or trying them.

If you are going to condition your hair make sure you do it directly after shampooing it. This will make sure you get the most out of your conditioning and it will be softer and more managable than if you just shampooed it. You will have a more beautiful head of hair.

Avoid using any hair care products that contain alcohol. Alcohol has a drying affect and can make hair brittle. Broken, dry hair looks unhealthy and messy. Sparingly use hair care products that are free from alcohol to style your hair. Using a lot of styling products can damage your hair.

Don't believe everything you hear. While it may be a popular belief that cutting hair will make it grow faster, that is false. However, keeping ends trimmed and free of split ends can make your hair appear longer and fuller. Split ends appear thin and are often difficult to see while healthy ends are thicker, and that volume helps to create the illusion of more length.

Hairstyles

Take care with brushing your hair if it is still wet. While hair is wet, it is weaker and more susceptible to tension and breakage. Allow most of the moisture to leave your hair before you begin brushing. Also, avoid creating too much tension on your locks from hairstyles that increase breakage over time, such as cornrows or high-tension braiding.

Hairstyle

A soft, smooth pillowcase can help you keep your hairstyle, as well as, your hair. Sleeping on a pillow covered in a textured fabric or low-thread count cotton pillowcase can actually pull your hair and cause it to fall out. Use a smooth pillow-covering, wherever you lay your head and help keep your hair where it belongs.

Hopefully, with all that you learned from this article, hair care isn't a subject that you're afraid of any longer. With all of the knowledge that you gained from this article, you should now feel confident with managing your hair properly. So chin up and make your hair look stunning for the world to envy.

Care For Your Hair The Best Way With These Tips

Are you aware that you are able to damage your hair for good if you use the incorrect hair care methods? Short hairstyles  This should be important advice if you have not received expert tips before now and are currently maintaining your own hair. Read the tips in this article to make sure that you are using the correct procedures.

When you are attending to the shampooing and conditioning of your hair, make sure that you thoroughly rinse off all product after it has been applied and that none remains on your hair follicles. Product that is left to build up on your hair can lead to lifeless and dull locks.

For those with curly hair, nix SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) from your hair care routine, for bouncy, care-free curls. SLS is a harsh stripping agent that robs your hair of essential oils. This creates the illusion of frizz and encourages breakage. You can spot this substance by checking the ingredients of your products.

Maintain a constant trimming schedule for your hair. When you have your hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks, you will prevent unhealthy looking hair when the ends begin to split. Even should you desire to have a longer hairstyle, you should continue this trimming cycle. You will appreciate the healthy look, as well as make caring for it easier.

Begin by combing out any tangles with a wide tooth comb starting at the ends before you use a brush on it. This will minimize any damage you do to your hair by brushing the tangles out instead of combing them. Remember to start at the ends and work your way up.

To have the most beautiful hair, eat as healthily as you can! Since your hair is a living thing, it needs essential nutrients to enhance its growth. If you are not receiving a number of important nutrients, this will be reflected in the unhealthy state of your hair. You may even lose hair as a result of a serious deficiency. Be sure you eat well in order to optimize your hair's health.

You should avoid using styling products with alcohol, as it will dry out your hair and contribute to breakage. You can try natural styling products to achieve the style you desire. Otherwise, synthetic products without alcohol will do the trick without the fuss or the damage. Check the ingredients list on your next shopping trip!

Keep your terrycloth towels far away from your curly hair. Curls should only be dried with cotton or microfiber towels. Using a terrycloth towel to dry will cause frizz and will pull your curls out of shape. Consider using a old cotton t-shirt or even a paper towel. Be sure as well to blot your hair dry to keep your curls looking spectacular.

Stress is one of the worst things for your body, hair and scalp as you should try to reduce this at all costs. Stress can cause dandruff and facilitate the graying process, which damages the way that you look. Eliminate stress and triggers of stress to feel and look great during the day.

When conditioning your hair, ensure that you spread the conditioner evenly across all parts of your scalp; don't overcondition one area. You should also, for best results, let the conditioner remain in your hair for a few minutes prior to rinsing it out.

Natural animal hair brushes are the best choice when it comes to brushes for your hair. The bristles are softer and will flex more. The flexible brushes will cause less damage than using a brush that has stiff, plastic bristles on it. Be sure to choose one that also has smooth tips on it.

Wait until your hair is dry before brushing if you want to avoid breakage. Use brushed that have flexible, soft bristles, and use combs that have wide sets of teeth. Start by combing the tangles from your hair, starting at the ends and working towards the roots.

Hairstyles

Take care with brushing your hair if it is still wet. While hair is wet, it is weaker and more susceptible to tension and breakage. Allow most of the moisture to leave your hair before you begin brushing. Also, avoid creating too much tension on your locks from hairstyles that increase breakage over time, such as cornrows or high-tension braiding.

Hairstyle

A soft, smooth pillowcase can help you keep your hairstyle, as well as, your hair. Sleeping on a pillow covered in a textured fabric or low-thread count cotton pillowcase can actually pull your hair and cause it to fall out. Use a smooth pillow-covering, wherever you lay your head and help keep your hair where it belongs.

To summarize, it is critical to make sure that you are taking care of your hair using the right ways because otherwise you may cause irreversible damage. As said at the beginning of the article, you have been given the best tips available to make sure that you obtain great hair in a safe way.

Fashion Tips Fashion Tips Fashion Tips Fashion...

Everyone knows that if you look better, Mehandi Designs  you feel better. However, there is so much out there about fashion that it's hard to know what to listen to and what to ignore. Here are some great fashion tips so you are always in style, no matter where you are going.

Don't be afraid to go up a size if it means achieving the perfect fit. It can be quite distressing when you try on your usual size only to find it doesn't fit. Don't fret! Sizes vary from designer to designer and brand to brand, so it is perfectly okay to go up a size from your usual size.

Keep your haircut low maintenance. Everyone runs into time crunches when preparing for meetings, outings or other events, and having an easy to fix hairstyle cuts the time needed to get ready. Many fashionable hairstyles are available that will allow you to bounce quick and still maintain a great look.

Skinny jeans are what is in style now. These kinds of jeans are snug around all areas of your body, from you waist and rear end, all the way down to your ankles. The best part of these jeans is that they look good with pretty much any pair of shoes!

The basic black dress is essential for any woman's wardrobe. You can wear this dress for casual occasions by accessorizing it with a pair of comfortable pumps. You can wear the same dress for a more formal occasion if you put up your hair and accessorize with a pearl necklace and earrings.

If you're overweight, don't wear horizontal stripes. You look wider when you wear this look. Choose vertical stripes instead since they make you look taller.

For boots and sandals, go with wedged heels. Lots of women wear these items as they help you to look taller and appear slimmer. They look especially good when created from natural fibers such as wood, cork or wicker.

Be aware of your body type. If you are petite, look for soft fabrics and fitted styles that help give your body length. Choose some brightly-colors pants or skirts if you want to draw attention away from your chest. Those who are pear-shaped want light colors on top and darks on the bottom.

Pick top or bottom to accentuate sexily, but never both. The line between looking sexy and looking trashy can be very thin; however, this rule of thumb should suffice. When you accentuate your upper or lower body, keep the other half stylish, yet conservative. Bear in mind, this rule applies to men or women.

You have to let criticism roll off of you like water off a duck's back. Never let someone's comments get under your skin. It isn't necessary to look like Hollywood in your style. It is more important to feel comfortable with how you dress, and in the end you will attract someone who likes your style.

Visit consignment stores for great value on formal wear. Women usually only wear formal gowns once or twice for those special occasions before they do not want to wear it anymore. You can find gowns that are almost brand new at a fraction of the price of a new gown.

There are better ways to obtain high volume in your hair than teasing. Teasing can damage your hair, causing it to become brittle and break. Don't style your hair in a way that creates two different textures. You won't look edgy; you'll just seem as you don't know which style to wear.

There is nothing wrong with asking your friends to borrow their clothes. You can borrow their clothes to see what kind of wardrobe might look good for you. This is a good way to see if a friend's style is good for you and if you feel comfortable changing your current style.

Make sure that you dress for each occasion you attend appropriately. If you go to a big fancy dinner, you are going to want to make sure that you wear nice formal attire. However, if you are going to a simple outing with friends, then you don't have to go all out.

If you are going to a evening formal event, then a black suit is a wonderful choice. However, an event in the afternoon or mid-day calls for more pleasant colors. People wearing black during the day are usually undertakers, priests, secret agents or funeral attendees. If you are not aiming at this persona then you should avoid black suits in the daytime.

Use the tips in this article to streamline your wardrobe and where what looks best on you. Even if you haven't paid attention before, you'll find out that when you look good, you feel great. Fine tune your fashion sense and you will look fabulous anywhere you happen to go.

[katsuobushii]

something that needs to be in my blog forever

Pete Wentz (6:39:20 PM): Hey

Ryan Ross (6:39:39 PM): hey

Pete Wentz (6:40:09 PM): Is this the guy fro poanic at the disco

Ryan Ross (6:40:23 PM): yeah im ryan, is this pete?

Pete Wentz (6:41:12 PM): Yeah

Ryan Ross (6:41:18 PM): hey man

Pete Wentz (6:42:37 PM): How arer you

Ryan Ross (6:43:17 PM): im not bad, working on a paper for english. hows everything with the new record?

Pete Wentz (6:44:37 PM): Going really well

Pete Wentz (6:45:04 PM): How's everything wiht your band are those just remixes

Ryan Ross (6:46:01 PM): awesome, yeah we only did those on my laptop because we cant get into a studio yet. but we still have alot of those parts live and full band

Pete Wentz (6:46:25 PM): Does it have samples like that

Pete Wentz (6:46:42 PM): How many people are in the band.... Are you guys all in hicghschool

Ryan Ross (6:47:20 PM): do you mean do we use a sampler? our drummer uses a drum sampler which we put some of the stuff on, and he plays some of it

Ryan Ross (6:47:43 PM): im in college. im 18 the other three of them are 17 and in high school

Pete Wentz (6:48:26 PM): Like of the pure volume site songs what would not be part of your live show

Ryan Ross (6:50:18 PM): well right now the synth stuff because we need a keyboard player. we are trying out a few guys soon though. and some of the drum parts are different.

Pete Wentz (6:50:48 PM): I absolutely love the stuff

Ryan Ross (6:52:16 PM): but we have two guitar players one sings and i play lead. its kind of hard to describe it. we are a rock band but about half of a song will be dance-ish or sort of 80s sounding

Ryan Ross (6:52:28 PM): really? wow thanks alot man

Ryan Ross (6:53:12 PM): it really is a huge compliment coming from you

Ryan Ross (6:53:35 PM): i was actually really suprised you listened to it

Ryan Ross (6:53:40 PM): i didnt expect you to see it

Pete Wentz (6:54:00 PM): Is there some pics of you guys anywhere

Ryan Ross (6:55:10 PM): no, we are taking them pretty soon for the website, its just not done yet. i have some just of me on livejournal. but thats wierd haha

Pete Wentz (6:56:09 PM): Yeah fuck get some to me

Pete Wentz (6:56:19 PM): I think I may come see you in californaia

Ryan Ross (6:56:44 PM): really?

Ryan Ross (6:57:08 PM): that would be awesome

Pete Wentz (6:57:46 PM): I've been listeneing to those songs nonstop. Is the band a side thing or is it gonna be fulltime?

Ryan Ross (6:58:20 PM): no its full time

Ryan Ross (6:59:24 PM): well aside from school. which sucks

Ryan Ross (6:59:32 PM): but we want to do this

Pete Wentz (7:00:00 PM): When are those kids out of school

Ryan Ross (7:00:26 PM): the drummer and bass player are graduating early. so like january and other guitarist/singer graduates in the spring

Pete Wentz (7:01:16 PM): Nice

Pete Wentz (7:01:23 PM): Do you know about my label

Ryan Ross (7:01:46 PM): yeah i think i saw something a while ago on a journal entry, is gym class heroes the only band on it right now?

Pete Wentz (7:03:10 PM): Yeah. I signed the academy. But they are fbr strictly gym class and I am looking for another

Pete Wentz (7:03:33 PM): The cool thing about it is I just met with waner and they want both of the bands and to give me an imprint

Ryan Ross (7:03:55 PM): oh cool i like the academy alot, oh i see yea i was going to ask you about that

Pete Wentz (7:04:03 PM): Which pretty much means a lot more money to promote cool artists

Pete Wentz (7:04:14 PM): You guys plays out a lot?

Ryan Ross (7:04:39 PM): thats awesome man. actually no we just kind of started this thing up a few months ago, the show in victorville is going to be our first one

Pete Wentz (7:05:51 PM): Really

Pete Wentz (7:05:56 PM): Interesting

Pete Wentz (7:06:11 PM): How much do you guys practice

Ryan Ross (7:06:45 PM): we've been trying to figure out the best way to do this stuff live, and we've been having a hard time on figuring out how to make it sound good. depending on the place we might not be able to use all the electronic stuff that we want to do which sucks but alot of venues, at least here might have a hard time setting us up. we practice at least 4 times a week so like. between 24-30 hours a week

Pete Wentz (7:07:09 PM): Nice

Pete Wentz (7:07:21 PM): I am gonna come to the show

Ryan Ross (7:08:13 PM): we wish we could more often. but school is getting in the way. and it sucks cause parents think its a waste of time playing music and want me to focus on school. im sure you know how that is.

Ryan Ross (7:08:23 PM): thanks alot man really

Pete Wentz (7:08:55 PM): I do

Pete Wentz (7:09:05 PM): What are peoples reactions to it

Ryan Ross (7:10:04 PM): some good some bad. everyone is so into post hardcore stuff these days that some kids just brush it off. which is fine but then some kids like it cause its a little different i guess

Pete Wentz (7:11:30 PM): Can that kid sing live?

Ryan Ross (7:12:54 PM): yeah, he's been taking voice lessons for a little bit so thats starting to help him

Pete Wentz (7:13:19 PM): Is he on? I mean on here he sounds awesome

Ryan Ross (7:14:21 PM): yeah he's on pitch, we recorded that stuff with like a 100 dollar vocal mic. the only effects we used was pretty much reverb on the main parts.

Pete Wentz (7:14:42 PM): Yeah sounds good kind of like patrick

Pete Wentz (7:14:47 PM): I like it

Ryan Ross (7:16:57 PM): yeah thats the only thing we get that alot. and thats just how the kid sings. we like your band but we dont want to sound like you guys, or be compared to fob all the time you know? but yeah he is aware that kids say he sounds like patrick so he's just trying different vocal stuff sometimes.

Pete Wentz (7:19:06 PM): Here's the thing if I show you guys interest a lot of crappy labels are gonna come and do the same and I don't want a huge mess out there. I mean how interested are you guys in going fulltime when you can

Pete Wentz (7:19:19 PM): Yeah you'll get eh patrock thing but how many people. Sound like hime

Ryan Ross (7:19:47 PM): so you really think we've got potential then?

Pete Wentz (7:19:54 PM): I do

Ryan Ross (7:20:05 PM): i've wanted to play in a band for my job ever since i started high school at least.

Ryan Ross (7:20:07 PM): we all want to do this

Ryan Ross (7:21:05 PM): its like i cant put enough dedication into anything exept playing guitar and writing

Pete Wentz (7:23:01 PM): I'm with you

Ryan Ross (7:24:05 PM): but yeah. i cant see myself doing anything else but playing in a band, cause every job i've ever had ive hated it

Pete Wentz (7:24:57 PM): You don't have a picture of the band

Ryan Ross (7:25:44 PM): no, but if you need it i could have my buddy take some tomorrow at practice

Pete Wentz (7:26:58 PM): That would be rad

Ryan Ross (7:27:37 PM): okay we'll take some

Ryan Ross (7:28:08 PM): are you online much?

Pete Wentz (7:33:12 PM): Sometimes

Ryan Ross (7:33:35 PM): okay, i was just wondering if this was your email incase you arent on i'll just send them

Pete Wentz (7:34:17 PM): Yeah send it here for sure

Ryan Ross (7:34:36 PM): okay

Ryan Ross (7:34:55 PM): dude this better not be a joke, it better be you

Pete Wentz (7:35:12 PM): It is

Pete Wentz (7:35:34 PM): But there are a lot of fakers out there

Ryan Ross (7:35:55 PM): okay. yeah i know someone has shown me like fake journals of you and stuff. thats creepy

Ryan Ross (7:36:10 PM): thats why i asked if it was you for sure

Pete Wentz (7:36:32 PM): This guy who is iming me is your manager

Ryan Ross (7:37:03 PM): is it xxxtoughffxxx ?

Pete Wentz (7:37:22 PM): Yeah

Ryan Ross (7:37:38 PM): i dont know if he's our manager. he's our friend, he's been helping us out with a website, merch and the show in victorville

Ryan Ross (7:38:35 PM): he's starting a company up and he wants to help us out

Pete Wentz (7:43:04 PM): Ah I got t

Pete Wentz (7:43:32 PM): It

Pete Wentz (7:43:37 PM): You guys are awesome and if its what I think it is I want ti to be thenext academy

Ryan Ross (7:44:58 PM): wow thanks alot. i hope you like the stuff live, its not completely different but it is different. i mean the singing is the same and all that.

Pete Wentz (7:47:46 PM): cool

Pete Wentz (7:48:06 PM): You guys look good. The chicks gonna be swooning?

Ryan Ross (7:48:38 PM): once we get a keyboard player who can do all of the sampling we want to do it will be alot better too. its like we know how we want to sound, but just finding the right way to do it i guess is what we are working on.

Ryan Ross (7:48:40 PM): hahaha

Ryan Ross (7:48:51 PM): i dont know man, we look alright i guess

Ryan Ross (7:48:57 PM): we look young

Pete Wentz (7:49:42 PM): Youngs not abd at all

Pete Wentz (7:49:47 PM): How does the singiner look

Ryan Ross (7:50:05 PM): dead sexy.

Ryan Ross (7:50:41 PM): he's no pete wentz. but still

Pete Wentz (7:51:42 PM): Hahaha

Pete Wentz (7:51:54 PM): Goddamn as long as he looks cool.singing

Pete Wentz (7:52:14 PM): For sure send me pics and all how many songs you guys have?

Ryan Ross (7:52:39 PM): haha

Ryan Ross (7:53:00 PM): kk

Ryan Ross (7:53:54 PM): we've only got 4 right now, its been tough to write since school started and everyone's busier. and those are the first 4 songs we've written as a band. at the show we'll play those and a cover of new order maybe. or depeche mode. we dont know yet

Pete Wentz (7:56:08 PM): Nice

Pete Wentz (7:56:21 PM): I gotta run

Pete Wentz (7:56:32 PM): But ill hit you on here later

Pete Wentz (7:56:38 PM): Send me those pics and write the hits

Ryan Ross (7:56:43 PM): okay dude. good talking to you

Pete Wentz (7:56:43 PM): Peaaaaaace

Ryan Ross (7:56:44 PM): hahaha

Ryan Ross (7:56:47 PM): later man

Pete Wentz is away from the computer as of 7:56:51 PM.

Auto response from Pete Wentz: Igot99problems

Pete Wentz is back at the computer as of 10:05:48 PM.

Pete Wentz is away from the computer as of 10:06:23 PM.

[mindthump]

25 Ways to Save $250 (or More) Monthly That Most Business Owners Are Ignoring http://ift.tt/2rynPBP

I get it -- money is tight. So, how does saving $250 a month sound? There are tons of ways business owners can save hundreds of dollars (or more) each month. Sadly, most people, including business owners, don't make the effort to implement huge-but-easily accomplished savings.

This post will list 25 easy ways you can start saving $250 per month right now. While not all of these tips will save you hundreds of dollars in one shot, combining two or three of them definitely will.

1. Ditch the landline.

If you have a single-line system for your business, your costs likely start around $50/month. If you have multiple lines, you're probably paying at least double that.

Scrap the landline and let your cell phones do double duty. Bonus: You can write off your business-associated phone costs, saving you even more money.

Related: 14 Ways to Save Money When Starting or Growing a Business

2. Share advertising costs with another business owner.

Cut your advertising costs in half by teaming up with the owner of a complementary business. This works especially well for co-sponsoring local or online events.

Another cost-saving option is to ask other business owners if they want to advertise via your website or social media. This can actually be a great bonus revenue stream!

3. Create your own forms rather than paying for them.

The vast majority of business forms you need (invoice, order forms, non-disclosure agreements, partnership contracts, etc. ) can be found online for free. Heck, it's what my company does and we don't charge anything.

Check out Entrepreneur's collection of free business forms before you contact your lawyer or accountant to have a form drawn up.

Related: How to Start Saving Money Today

4. Buy second-hand equipment and furniture.

Why pay $500 for a new desk when you could get a gently-used one on Craigslist for $100? Same goes for printers, computers and other electronics.

Another great option is buying refurbished electronics from reputable electronics dealers.

5. Negotiate a cheaper credit card rate.

Paying credit card fees is one of the worst ways to spend your money. Look around to see what competing card companies are charging, and then try to negotiate a lower rate with your current card company.

Related: 8 Ways to Get the Most From a Business Credit Card

6. Raise your insurance deductible.

Take a look at how many times you've made a claim over the past few years. If you seldom make claims, consider raising your deductible to save on monthly premiums. Even moving from a $250 deductible to $500 can make a decent dent in your monthly insurance costs.

7. Outsource rather than hiring.

While the hourly cost of outsourcing may end up being equivalent (or even slightly higher) to hiring someone, you'll save big in terms of pensions and benefits. Why not save that extra money, or use it to pay a highly-qualified consultant who could likely do a better job in less time? I've also found a full time programmer by first outsourcing.

Related: 5 Things Small Businesses Should Outsource

8. Check the accuracy of your mailing list.

If you do large-scale mailings, you could be wasting a ton of money if your address list is outdated or inaccurate. The US Postal Services offers a number of free and low-cost services to check your list before you mail.

9. Get your family to help out.

Instead of hiring outside help for administrative tasks like filing and bookkeeping, hire an immediate family member. You still get to claim the business expense. You keep the money in the family, and your lower income-earning. Family members won't have to pay much tax on their earnings, either.

Related: 4 Reasons You Should Never Hire a Family Member

10. Always pay early to get the discount.

Take advantage of early payment discounts whenever possible. This can be particularly lucrative if a supplier is offering 2/10 net 30 (meaning 2 percent discount if paid within 10 days). This works out to an almost 37% return when annualized.

11. Barter.

You'd be surprised at how many businesses are willing to barter goods and services. I find this is particularly true when it comes to advertising. If money is tight, offer your products or services in exchange for a free ad, mention or online sponsorship.

Related: Bartering Is Back in Style! These Startups Tell Us How

12. Go as paperless as possible.

Skip the paper and ink and use email whenever possible. There are tons of free apps that can help you make the transition: CamScanner, Evernote and Due.com are just a few.

13. Share office space (or go without).

Many companies are saving hundreds or thousands a month by going virtual, sharing office space or renting temporary meeting rooms. Use a site like ShareDesk to find local office space you can book on an as-needed basis. I personally use coworking space Bootup. It helps me to cut costs.

Related: 3 Reasons to Chuck Coworking and Get a Real Office

14. Try your hand at free PR.

Hiring a PR consultant can cost big bucks. Instead, use a service like Help a Reporter to get free PR. This service lets you respond to daily, emailed queries. These queries can land you in big-name publications like Time, The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.

Related: What Startups Should Do Differently When It Comes to PR

15. Hire an intern.

Instead of hiring or outsourcing, consider an intern from a local college or university. While this can be a very labor-intensive process (finding, training, reporting, etc.), it can save you money in the long-run.

Here's a great overview from the US Small Business Administration on how the whole process works.

16. Outsource the tough tasks.

It seems counterintuitive, but by outsourcing tasks it actually frees you up to spend more time on revenue-generating activities. Some of these tasks might be blogging, social media management or office administration.

Related: 5 Things Small Businesses Should Outsource

17. Stop using your credit cards.

Take it from someone who owns a company to accept credit card payments: don't underestimate how fast it can saddle your business with debt. According to ValuePenguin, the average rate for a business credit card in 2017 is over 15 percent. If you're tempted to carry a balance on your card, try switching to cash-only purchases.

Each month get pre-purchase gift cards for your necessities. This way you always know where you're financial standing is and can avoid racking up charges on credit.

18. Bring a bagged lunch.

Spending a few bucks a day eating out may not seem like a lot, but it adds up. According to Time, bringing your own lunch can save you up to $2,500 per year.

19. Move from traditional to online advertising.

Are you still using old-school advertising strategies like magazine or newspaper ads? Switch to digital advertising strategies. With social media, email and content marketing, you could save a ton of money each month. Plus, digital marketing tends to be much more effective.

20. Ask for a reduction in your phone or internet bills.

Your phone and internet bills are not set in stone. Investigate what others are charging, then call your provider and ask for a discount. Most phone companies will look for savings in your current plan, if you simply call and ask if there's a way to reduce your bill.

21. Use free tools whenever available.

In many cases, free tools can be just as effective as paid ones. Don't pay for a tool unless you KNOW you need it and you can't live without it!

Some free tools you should investigate are WordPress, MailChimp, Hootsuite and Canva.

22. Go open source for your ecommerce store.

Thinking of opening an e-commerce store? There are tons of great, free open source e-commerce platforms you can choose from.

This means no additional monthly fees for the privilege of selling your stuff! Look into BigCommerce, Zen Cart, WooCommerce or WP eCommerce.

23. Deduct your business-use-of home expenses.

If you run your business from home, claiming at-home business expenses can actually save you a ton of money over the year. Don't forget to claim the business portion of your mortgage or rent, phone/internet and even utilities.

24. Go without the extras.

We all have little "extras" we spend money on every day (I'm thinking specialty coffees, in-app purchases, bottled water, etc.). Cutting out $5-$10 of daily unnecessary luxuries and impulse buys can save you $150-$300/month.

25. Become a marketing DIY'er.

Hiring a marketer can cost you a lot more than $250/month. If you have the time and interest, consider teaching yourself how to do your own marketing.

Here are some blog posts that will help:

The Beginner's Guide To SEO

An Introduction To Content Marketing

10 Unique Online Marketing Methods That Most Business Owners Don't Know About

How are you going to start saving $250/month? Think about this and then implement in your life.

Related: 25 Ways to Save $250 (or More) Monthly That Most Business Owners Are Ignoring Do's and Don'ts for Mid-level Organizations Entering into M&A Transactions How to Write A Great Business Plan ?

[god-and-janjo]

How To Make a Blog - Step by Step create a wordpress blogging for Beginners

How To Make a Blog - Step by Step create a wordpress blogging for Beginners

alright so this is a video tutorial about how to make a blog there's a bunch of a ways I mean people going to tell you different things different times during one of the easiest ways is to come over here to wordpress.org and sign up for an account and you can start making a blog and i'll show you how to edit it's kind of the same way the only thing is if you're actually doing this to you know you want to get traffic and you know make some money and have people see your site it wordpress is ok but I'm and you're going to be spend most your time out promoting it I'm as far as you know SEO which is search engine optimization it's all right you can tag it like YouTube and that kind of stuff in it and it might come up but you really need to put you know some good plugins if you want your in also if you want to go and make you have sliders and all that kind of stuff on your on your blog to make it fancy so people enjoy it and add other widgets and that kind of stuff just getting a free account here at WordPress you know it's you're not gonna you're not going to be able to do all that stuff and your SEO is going to be okay at best you really need to get SEO plugins and that kind of stuff so i'm going to show you that all in this probably nice long tutorial but anyhow so either a you can probably hear a word press and you could do that that'd be the second way is to get a a preferred to is to get a host i'm using one and one for so on my blogs i'm going to show you guys on one on one just because one they're cheap you know you can get a you can get a hosting plan here for I don't know four dollars a month something like that like yeah it's not much like four dollars a month but when you log in the back end you have they they have a system that will automatically install the WordPress for you so you don't got to install it I mean there's there's videos on on my channel and videos under the Google channel that actually shows you how to install it and install it yourself on your own database is a little better if you're if you're going to use like really intense themes but just to get started and using a basic theme are kind of building your own theme with what you got or are using a theme inside there it works fine and it's easy its quick you can get it done in 10 minutes and you can start you know blogging because after you start blogging now you're going to start writing about backlinks and SEO but i'm going to show you really easy tricks to get your brand new blog ranking quick so anyhow let's get started so what we're going to do is you're going to if you use one and one most of these admin panels like 110 skater hostmonster you know i think even go daddy they all have this this quick integration so you can if you decide to...

See more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgawvfYLn2I

Website design Idea You Could Use Today

If are unfamiliar with exactly what all web design is, you certainly are not the only one in this thought. There are many people that either do unknown just what web design entails or how vital it is accompanying promoting a business. Review this short article to get a good background about the topic. For multimedia presentations, make use of the new HTML5 criterion. Although HTML5 isn't quite as durable for computer animation and also games as Flash, it has the benefit of functioning stably on smart phone internet browsers, consisting of those had in Apple equipment. HTML5 is also a fair bit leaner compared to Flash, so load times will certainly enhance, also. It may look quite, yet stay away from having too many animations on your site. Having your sales spray web page revolve, rotate as well as blink might look awesome to you, however it will likely drive prospective viewers away. When you add way too many fancy splashes like that, it makes your site look unskilled which is not the message you want to share. Prevent cramming page components with each other. Each section of your page need to be naturally separated from each different, as this makes the function of each area a lot more clear. The simplest way to separate parts is by using DIVs, yet there are different ways, including outright positioning (not recommended), the CSS margin command, as well as drifts. Separate long content blocks. Having a big wave of content is unnecessary for any sort of site, especially when you could destroy it up by using images, and even dividing it right into different pages. Dull your customers will only make them leave, so maintain things as basic as well as fresh as possible. If the major translation solutions work appropriately when translating your site, examination your site to see. Some sites get many worldwide visitors, and also these site visitors in some cases use services like BabelFish and also Google Mean translate the content to their language. Certain website design problems, particularly bad web server side code, could break these services. Know the background on your internet site. You don't want your text to be tough to review! A disruptive background is ... well, distracting. Pick backgrounds that coordinate with your site, as opposed to encountering it, and your message will certainly be far more clear to your site visitors. Have a website map. These serve to your customers as well as the search engines, as they provide a thorough summary of your whole web site. It can be a guide for audiences searching for a particular component of your site, and also permit you to keep track of its structure and also format. Discovering some basic HTML will certainly aid you include some interesting bonus to your website. For instance, you can have words that follow your cursor, or a banner that flashes crucial details. Make sure to alter the font styles as well as shades sometimes, so you appear a lot more entailed accompanying the internet site as well as its design. When designing your site, you should utilize cascading design sheets, or CSS. These style sheets could be put on every website on your website, and will certainly guarantee that the user encounter corresponds throughout the site. They are likewise effective for making quick layout modifications to your web site because of that you just have to transform the style sheet as opposed to making modifications on every webpage. Assembled a great web page regarding you or your title as well as company it "Around" or "Concerning United states." A lot of websites make use of boring, common biographies. Make this area of your web site more interesting. Intention to give visitors a tiny glimpse of your personal background. Show how you started website design, the people that motivated you to do this, as well as exactly what your company objectives are. To cover it up, you were uncertain of the important duty that website design plays in a company's success, now you have rather an excellent feeling for it. Preferably, this short article will be sufficient to allow you to pass this information on and also help other people with the very same questions.

[god-and-janjo]

How To Make a Blog - Step by Step create a wordpress blogging for Beginners

How To Make a Blog - Step by Step create a wordpress blogging for Beginners

alright so this is a video tutorial about how to make a blog there's a bunch of a ways I mean people going to tell you different things different times during one of the easiest ways is to come over here to wordpress.org and sign up for an account and you can start making a blog and i'll show you how to edit it's kind of the same way the only thing is if you're actually doing this to you know you want to get traffic and you know make some money and have people see your site it wordpress is ok but I'm and you're going to be spend most your time out promoting it I'm as far as you know SEO which is search engine optimization it's all right you can tag it like YouTube and that kind of stuff in it and it might come up but you really need to put you know some good plugins if you want your in also if you want to go and make you have sliders and all that kind of stuff on your on your blog to make it fancy so people enjoy it and add other widgets and that kind of stuff just getting a free account here at WordPress you know it's you're not gonna you're not going to be able to do all that stuff and your SEO is going to be okay at best you really need to get SEO plugins and that kind of stuff so i'm going to show you that all in this probably nice long tutorial but anyhow so either a you can probably hear a word press and you could do that that'd be the second way is to get a a preferred to is to get a host i'm using one and one for so on my blogs i'm going to show you guys on one on one just because one they're cheap you know you can get a you can get a hosting plan here for I don't know four dollars a month something like that like yeah it's not much like four dollars a month but when you log in the back end you have they they have a system that will automatically install the WordPress for you so you don't got to install it I mean there's there's videos on on my channel and videos under the Google channel that actually shows you how to install it and install it yourself on your own database is a little better if you're if you're going to use like really intense themes but just to get started and using a basic theme are kind of building your own theme with what you got or are using a theme inside there it works fine and it's easy its quick you can get it done in 10 minutes and you can start you know blogging because after you start blogging now you're going to start writing about backlinks and SEO but i'm going to show you really easy tricks to get your brand new blog ranking quick so anyhow let's get started so what we're going to do is you're going to if you use one and one most of these admin panels like 110 skater hostmonster you know i think even go daddy they all have this this quick integration so you can if you decide to...

See more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgawvfYLn2I

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