#my job is mostly a computer job so i should be able to do this like every day of the work week except maybe one

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Everyone that realistically can, should be able to work remotely. I'm picking up a couple hours remotely today because we have a big event coming up, and this is the best workday ever.

[ms-demeanor]

So You Need To Buy A Computer But You Don't Know What Specs Are Good These Days

Hi.

This is literally my job.

Lots of people are buying computers for school right now or are replacing computers as their five-year-old college laptop craps out so here's the standard specs you should be looking for in a (windows) computer purchase in August 2023.

PROCESSOR

Intel i5 (no older than 10th Gen)

Ryzen 7

You can get away with a Ryzen 5 but an intel i3 should be an absolute last resort. You want at least an intel i5 or a Ryzen 7 processor. The current generation of intel processors is 13, but anything 10 or newer is perfectly fine. DO NOT get a higher performance line with an older generation; a 13th gen i5 is better than an 8th gen i7. (Unfortunately I don't know enough about ryzens to tell you which generation is the earliest you should get, but staying within 3 generations is a good rule of thumb)

RAM

8GB absolute minimum

If you don't have at least 8GB RAM on a modern computer it's going to be very, very slow. Ideally you want a computer with at least 16GB, and it's a good idea to get a computer that will let you add or swap RAM down the line (nearly all desktops will let you do this, for laptops you need to check the specs for Memory and see how many slots there are and how many slots are available; laptops with soldered RAM cannot have the memory upgraded - this is common in very slim laptops)

STORAGE

256GB SSD

Computers mostly come with SSDs these days; SSDs are faster than HDDs but typically have lower storage for the same price. That being said: SSDs are coming down in price and if you're installing your own drive you can easily upgrade the size for a low cost. Unfortunately that doesn't do anything for you for the initial purchase.

A lot of cheaper laptops will have a 128GB SSD and, because a lot of stuff is stored in the cloud these days, that can be functional. I still recommend getting a bit more storage than that because it's nice if you can store your music and documents and photos on your device instead of on the cloud. You want to be able to access your files even if you don't have internet access.

But don't get a computer with a big HDD instead of getting a computer with a small SSD. The difference in speed is noticeable.

SCREEN (laptop specific)

Personally I find that touchscreens have a negative impact on battery life and are easier to fuck up than standard screens. They are also harder to replace if they get broken. I do not recommend getting a touch screen unless you absolutely have to.

A lot of college students especially tend to look for the biggest laptop screen possible; don't do that. It's a pain in the ass to carry a 17" laptop around campus and with the way that everything is so thin these days it's easier to damage a 17" screen than a 14" screen.

On the other end of that: laptops with 13" screens tend to be very slim devices that are glued shut and impossible to work on or upgrade.

Your best bet (for both functionality and price) is either a 14" or a 15.6" screen. If you absolutely positively need to have a 10-key keyboard on your laptop, get the 15.6". If you need something portable more than you need 10-key, get a 14"

FORM FACTOR (desktop specific)

If you purchase an all-in-one desktop computer I will begin manifesting in your house physically. All-in-ones take away every advantage desktops have in terms of upgradeability and maintenance; they are expensive and difficult to repair and usually not worth the cost of disassembling to upgrade.

There are about four standard sizes of desktop PC: All-in-One (the size of a monitor with no other footprint), Tower (Big! probably at least two feet long in two directions), Small Form Factor Tower (Very moderate - about the size of a large shoebox), and Mini/Micro/Tiny (Small! about the size of a small hardcover book).

If you are concerned about space you are much better off getting a MicroPC and a bracket to put it on your monitor than you are getting an all-in-one. This will be about a million percent easier to work on than an all-in-one and this way if your monitor dies your computer is still functional.

Small form factor towers and towers are the easiest to work on and upgrade; if you need a burly graphics card you need to get a full size tower, but for everything else a small form factor tower will be fine. Most of our business sales are SFF towers and MicroPCs, the only time we get something larger is if we have to put a $700 graphics card in it. SFF towers will accept small graphics cards and can handle upgrades to the power supply; MicroPCs can only have the RAM and SSD upgraded and don't have room for any other components or their own internal power supply.

WARRANTY

Most desktops come with either a 1 or 3 year warranty; either of these is fine and if you want to upgrade a 1 year to a 3 year that is also fine. I've generally found that if something is going to do a warranty failure on desktop it's going to do it the first year, so you don't get a hell of a lot of added mileage out of an extended warranty but it doesn't hurt and sometimes pays off to do a 3-year.

Laptops are a different story. Laptops mostly come with a 1-year warranty and what I recommend everyone does for every laptop that will allow it is to upgrade that to the longest warranty you can get with added drop/damage protection. The most common question our customers have about laptops is if we can replace a screen and the answer is usually "yes, but it's going to be expensive." If you're purchasing a low-end laptop, the parts and labor for replacing a screen can easily cost more than half the price of a new laptop. HOWEVER, the way that most screens get broken is by getting dropped. So if you have a warranty with drop protection, you just send that sucker back to the factory and they fix it for you.

So, if it is at all possible, check if the manufacturer of a laptop you're looking at has a warranty option with drop protection. Then, within 30 days (though ideally on the first day you get it) of owning your laptop, go to the manufacturer site, register your serial number, and upgrade the warranty. If you can't afford a 3-year upgrade at once set a reminder for yourself to annually renew. But get that drop protection, especially if you are a college student or if you've got kids.

And never, ever put pens or pencils on your laptop keyboard. I've seen people ruin thousand dollar, brand-new laptops that they can't afford to fix because they closed the screen on a ten cent pencil. Keep liquids away from them too.

LIFESPAN

There's a reasonable chance that any computer you buy today will still be able to turn on and run a program or two in ten years. That does not mean that it is "functional."

At my office we estimate that the functional lifespan of desktops is 5-7 years and the functional lifespan of laptops is 3-5 years. Laptops get more wear and tear than desktops and desktops are easier to upgrade to keep them running. At 5 years for desktops and 3 years for laptops you should look at upgrading the RAM in the device and possibly consider replacing the SSD with a new (possibly larger) model, because SSDs and HDDs don't last forever.

COST

This means that you should think of your computers as an annual investment rather than as a one-time purchase. It is more worthwhile to pay $700 for a laptop that will work well for five years than it is to pay $300 for a laptop that will be outdated and slow in one year (which is what will happen if you get an 8th gen i3 with 8GB RAM). If you are going to get a $300 laptop try to get specs as close as possible to the minimums I've laid out here.

If you have to compromise on these specs, the one that is least fixable is the processor. If you get a laptop with an i3 processor you aren't going to be able to upgrade it even if you can add more RAM or a bigger SSD. If you have to get lower specs in order to afford the device put your money into the processor and make sure that the computer has available slots for upgrade and that neither the RAM nor the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. (one easy way to check this is to search "[computer model] RAM upgrade" on youtube and see if anyone has made a video showing what the inside of the laptop looks like and how much effort it takes to replace parts)

Computers are expensive right now. This is frustrating, because historically consumer computer prices have been on a downward trend but since 2020 that trend has been all over the place. Desktop computers are quite expensive at the moment (August 2023) and decent laptops are extremely variably priced.

If you are looking for a decent, upgradeable laptop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

14" Lenovo - $670 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD

15.6" HP - $540 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

14" Dell - $710 - 12th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

If you are looking for a decent, affordable desktop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

SFF HP - $620 - 10th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

SFF Lenovo - $560 - Ryzen 7 5000 series, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Dell Tower - $800 - 10th-gen i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

If I were going to buy any of these I'd probably get the HP laptop or the Dell Tower. The HP Laptop is actually a really good price for what it is.

Anyway happy computering.

[passionateseadruid]

Snake king’s bride 7

Holiday Havoc part 1 of 2

CW: Swearing, religious topics, Violence, one mention of dub-con and more

Summary:

This chapter was brought to you by spite and Lucifer’s slutty waist and sluttier child bearing hips. Man needs to close his FUCKING LEGS!

Notes:

HEY REALLY QUICK IMPORTAINT NOTE: So in this chapter there's gonna be a lot of references to religion and a surprise and ONE mention of Dubcon at the end. If you are uncomfortable feel free to skip this chapter. If you want to skip the chapter but you want to see the surprise I’ll leave a note at the end.   Also sorry this took so long to get out, I was having a hard time getting inspiration for this and then my computer broke. And on top of that a good 30 minutes of work was Deleted! Fuck ao3

It's been a few weeks since you've met Fizzarolli. He hasn't Been able to find anything but you're hopeful because you'll actually get to see him again at the end of the week for the kings annual holiday party. To top it all off you haven't bought a single present for anyone (plus you're not even sure who it's appropriate to buy presents for).

But none of that is what you were concerned with right now. No, right now you have to convince the short blond idiot in front of you not to wear a green tree print tux embroidered top to bottom in tinsel, lights, and other decorations.

"First of all, you are NOT coming with me to my parents dinner-"

"Of course I am! I have to introduce myself to my new in-laws." He cuts you off playfully sticking out his forked tongue.

"I figured you'd overstep again." You sighed. "If that's the case then secondly you cannot wear that to this dinner. All of my brothers are gonna be there, plus Lilian is gonna be there. I want to make a good impression so that you don't kill them."

"Okay fine. What do you want me to wear?" He sighed. Under his happy exterior he was fairly nervous.

You went into his closet and looked through his clothes. "We also need to set up some ground rules. My entire family is veryreligious and while I'm no Mother Teresa I still don't want them to worry about me."

"Teresa was such a goodie two shoes. I observed her when she was alive and she was even more virtuous than anyone else makes her out to be." He sighed and looked toward the ground for a moment. "She... reminds me of someone I knew back in heaven. Or she did, but the angel I knew... changed"

"Really? You don't talk about your past much."

"...You said you had ground rules for me." Lucifer avoided your eyes as he changed the subject.

"Firstly, don't tell them anything about you being the devil; or about heaven or hell; oh or about our situation. Secondly, don't mention Charlie; I don't want them freaking out about you being billions of years older than me, or about the fact that you have a daughter whose old enough to be my sister."

"She's actually old enough to be your great grandma."

"And you don't find any problem with this relationship."

"Darling look I know that we're an... ahem... unusual couple but I can't go on without you. I'll do anything to have you." He cups your chin and forces a kiss.

"Rule three, you are not allowed to be overly sexual. I have four brothers and three of them have kids so no groping me and no talking about how you wanna diddle my holes in my sleep."

"That's disgusting, I wouldn't do that to you." He defended against your accusation. 

"Okay we should probably go over each of my family members and their jobs. I hope we'll have enough time to go over this and get them presents."

"Don't worry! We'll just give each of them $10,000."

"Hells currency isn't going to be valuable on earth.

"I know. But for all your protests towards my affection you sure seem to forget who I am. I'm the Devil darling. I have pretty much every politician in my pocket. Here check this out!" He pulled you away from the clothes and into a side room off of his bedroom. Never a good thing to have. He shows you a room that's mostly filled with carnival games. "Here I'll spin this wheel, you take a dart and throw it at them. Whoever it lands on I'll go have a little chat with."

"How about you do that and I'll go pick out something for you to wear." This was just too weird. "If you're absolutely serious we'll need 14 grand."

////////////////////////////////////////

About an hour later you two were sitting in the kitchen going over your family members. He wore the red sweater with a big duck plastered on the front and black pants you'd picked out. It was annoying having him matching your red sweater and floor length black skirt but nothing could be done about it considering the only other option was letting him dress like an idiot.

"Okay so my Mom’s name is Janice, she likes crafts. Dad's name is Dalton and he and my oldest brother Austin like to weld and woodwork. Austin is divorced and has only one girl, her name is Monika. Don't worry she's probably not gonna want to talk to anyone let alone you. My next oldest brother is Peter who's married to Margaret and they has twin boys named Christopher and Evan. Everyone calls Christopher CC though, since he likes that the best. The twins and their dad like rollercoasters and the batfam. Dallas is the brother I'm closest with and he is the epitome of middle child, very class clown type. He has two kids a boy names James and a girl named Missy. He lost his wife last year so don't don't bring it up okay? And finally my spoiled brother Michael. He's the youngest son, my mom's pride and joy. The golden boy, her favorite. Him and his Fiancée got married this summer in July. She despises me so whatever you do bite your tongue and be as nice as you can to her okay? The last thing I need is for Maggie to start crying."

"Golden boy Michael hits a bit to close to home for me." Lucifer looked away from you. Just anywhere away from your figure.

'Oh like that isn't your fault.' You thought, thankful that he couldn't read your mind. "Got all that?"

"Yep." He motions to a notepad that he wrote it all down on. "Quick question. What's the "BatFam"?"

"Bat family. Like Batman and all his robins. Here I should have a picture on my old phone of them last year trick or treating. Peter was Batman, Margaret was cat woman, Evan was Nightwing AKA Dick Grayson, and CC was the fifth robin, Damien Wayne."

"What about your old roommate?"

"Lilian moved in with her uncle when we were 14. He worked a lot to provide for her so she was left alone most holidays. I invited her over one year and she basically became part of the family. Are you ready to go? The fudge I made yesterday has probably settled by now."

"Yeah, let's go." He held out his hand. You took the fudge in your hands instead. He frowned and opened the portal. You both stepped through and found yourselves at your parents house. Lucifer knocked on the door and 

"Auntie!" James shouted from behind the CC who'd opened the door.

"Hi auntie!" CC smiled as the two boys hugged you.

"Hi boys! Let me get inside and put the fudge down." You smiled warmly, not noticing the short man behind you seething. Yes Lucifer knew how childish it was to be jealous of two young boys, and your nephews at that, but he couldn't help it. You smiled so warmly at them and you gave them the attention he so desperately craved.

You two walked in with the boys in toe. 

"How's my favorite baby sister?" Dallas asked as you set the fudge down on the counter and he picked you up to twirl you from behind. "Better not be doing the Devil’s Tango with that deviant." He teased quietly so only you heard him.

You giggled. "I'm doing fine."

"You better be! Do you know how worried we were when Lilian told us you ran away with your fiancé! None of us even knew you were engaged! Why didn't you tell us?" Austin pulled you out of Dallas's hold and squeezed your shoulders protectively.

"Her and I had a bit of a spur of the moment engagement. I mean if it feels right and they’re the one, why not tie the knot." Lucifer put his arm around your waist. "Hi, call me Lucy. Lucy Magne." He held out his other hand for either of your brothers to take. Austin takes his hand and his eyes widens when he feels the Devils cold black hand.

"Sorry. It's a skin condition. Very rare. Not hereditary."

"Uh huh." Austin looked suspiciously at him.

"Bestie!" Lilian runs up to you.

"Lilian hi! I- oof!” You were cut off by her hug.

"Why didn't you tell me you got a sugar daddy?" She whispered.

"A what?!" You blushed.

"Come on I'm not dumb. A man shows up in a clean white suit and asks about all the things you like. He says he wants to provide for you. It's so obvious it's painful."

"Well it's not as simple as that." You tried to explain but you were pulled away by your parents.

"Sweetheart! Where have you been? So much has happened in these past four months." Your mom hugged you. "I'm sorry mom. Things just happened and my life got kinda hectic."

"You're not pregnant are you?" She asked.

"What? No."

"Then why did you drop out of college? You practically fell off the face of the earth. You're only 19, you should live your life. You don't need to grow up so quickly. We already have 5 grandchildren, you don't need to rush into marriage and family life. You should enjoy being young."

"I know mom." 'But I don't really have a choice.' "Him and I aren't rushing in to anything like that though. He's just… passionate about me and kinda… clingy."

"Come on Janice. We raised our girl right. She knows not to run around with degenerates." Your father came up to you both and squeezed your mother’s shoulder reassuringly. "Hi pumpkin." He turned to you.

"Hi dad." You two hugged each other. He led you over to the dining table and sat you down next to Lucifer who was arm wrestling with Monika.

"Why you going easy on me, old man? Just cause I'm a girl?"

"Haha… hah…" He chuckled awkwardly. "Who is she Goliath? I wasn't going easy on her." He whispered to you.

You looked at Monika. "Suplex him next." You smiled towards her as Lucifer's face fell. "It's nice to see you off your phone for once Monika."

"I guess I'm in a holiday mood since it's nearly Christmas." Everyone eventually came over to the table to eat.

////////////////////////////////////////

After about an hour of talking with your siblings you heard crying coming from the playroom your parents built decades ago.

"Is anyone hurt? Did the bookshelf fall down on someone? Did the curtain rod smack someone on the head?"

"Your freaky Fiancé made Missy cry." Evan pointed at you accusingly as James held the tot in his arms.

"What did you do?" You asked Furiously.

"Nothing." He held his arms up defensively. "It was just some light teasing."

"He said the goat man was gonna eat me!" Missy sniffled. 

"What goat man?" You rubbed her cheeks, whipping her tears away.

"Krampus." James answered.

"I didn’t say he was gonna eat her. I said Krampus beats naughty children who don't share with their siblings." Lucifer explained.

"I didn't even want the stuffed moose that badly. I swear I didn’t Auntie."

You shushed James and turned to the Devil. "What is wrong with you?! Why would you think that’s okay to say to CHILDREN?!"

"Honey I-"

You ran your hand through your hair. "You know what? I want you out. I’ll see you tomorrow but right now I need to be alone."

"What…?" His eyes widened.

"Leave. You've caused enough commotion for my family. My brother Austin thinks you're a creep. My mom, Dallas, and Lilian all think you're a deviant. And now you're traumatizing my niece and Nephews."

He left out the back door and you explained the situation to your parents afterwards.

////////////////////////////////////////

"Okay seriously this guy’s bad news sis." Michael persuaded as you two sat on the couch. It's been almost an hour and things are starting to die down. You and your youngest older brother sat in the kitchen talking by the island. "Look I know we've never been super close but you're my favorite sister and I worry about you. Without you, I'd be the one they shirk responsibility of watching the kids onto."

You rolled your eyes. 'Of course.' "So what do you suggest I do now?"

"Dump him. It's not like you need to get married. I mean, come on. You? A wife? HA! No, you're not the marriage type."

"I suppose. The only problem is that I can't get this stupid ring off." You look away. He goes to the cabinet and pulls out some vinegar. He grabs your hand and pours a bit on your ring but it won't come off. He pulled and pulled but it still wouldn't come off.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MY BRIDE?!" A distorted voice came from the Fireplace in the living room. Out stepped Lucifer back in his white suit with his top hat. His red horns popped out of his head, fire sprouting between them. Just like at the ball; only this time he sprouted a tail. He grabbed you and pulled you toward the fireplace.

"NO! LET ME GO!" You thrashed in his hold. In a Last ditch Effort you grabbed the crucifix hanging on the wall and said, "Matthew 10:14 Begone Satan!"

"Ow! First of all it only works if you say the whole thing. Secondly IM NOT HIM!!" He slapped the cross out of your hand and slapped you to the floor. "AND FINALLY YOU REMEMBER WHAT I SAID WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU EVER BROUGHT UP THAT BOOK AGAIN. HOW ABOUT I KILL YOUR FAMILY INSTEAD SO YOU LEARN NOT TO FUCK WITH ME- Ah!" You two were cut off by a shot ringing out throughout the house and your dad holding a smoking shotgun in the doorway. "FUCK YOU! THAT’S GONNA BRUISE LIKE A BITCH TOMORROW!!"

"NO NO NO, PLEASE PLEASE. I'll do anything you want but please don't hurt my family." You clung to his striped vest as hot, fat tears ran down your face. 

His cheeks flushed at the sight of you sobbing, begging on the ground. He bit his lip as he fantasized about all the things he could do to you here and now.

"Stop! His skin is turning red! You're making him angrier!" Michael called.

"Shut up you horse-shit eater! Ah!" He cried as your mom rushed in and sprayed him with holy water. A few places on him started to blister like a burn. A few on his right horn and arm and one on the shell of his ear.

"PLEASE! ILL DO ANYTHING!" You begged, wrapping your arms around his small waist.

"I'll spare them if you vow to never contact them again. And I get to do whatever I want to you tonight."

"Deal!"

"NO!" Several members of your family shout. He envelopes your hand as a fiery illusion overtakes both of your hands and he pulls you into the fireplace.

Notes:

Yep, your dad has a shotgun now! Yay?j

[entropicbias]

Do u have any johndave hcs youd care to share? Literally anything that comes to mind (height hcs, habits in their coexistence, what kind of food they usually make/eat/order, general opinions towards each others family... just throwing a few out there to get thoughts flowing). I am v intrigued about ur vision for them, ur domestic sketches feel like they have a lot of thought (or at least general vibes) behind them

when i draw john and dave sometimes, i have this very specific universe they live in planned out in my head. most of this is self projecting with me and my own best friend, but i'd be really happy to share anyways!

these are my headcanons for them physically. i am really not sure what race john should be. i always say he's "mystery asian" but honestly, i dunno. dave, to me, is embarrassingly white.

here are two pinterest boards i just made to try and explain their sense of style and their "vibes". i'm sorry if this is shit. i'm no experienced pinterest board creator. dave's board john's board

and on top of that, here are two playlists that highlight what kind of music i think they'd listen to. dave's playlist john's playlist i think john's taste in music is just stuff he's picked up from other people, and movies. dave actually goes out and finds new music he'd like to listen to. john would be the type of person to have 4 songs in a playlist and hit smart shuffle on them. i think john's favorite food is lasagna/burgers and dave's favorite food is spicy chicken wings. but since dave doesn't know how to cook and john is busy most of the time, they'd order takeout frequently. i think john and dave would both be smokers, one more casually than the other one. here is a minecraft house i built for them: https://youtu.be/bXCzLp-S99Y?si=mebaL3FDafxrPt-I but, i'll talk more about it. i think john and dave would rent an apartment in the city together so john could easily go to uni and dave can grow mold in his room. it'd be a really shitty place, but i think with john's efforts they'd manage to make the place look more homely. dave would mostly stay in his room because he has made it so that he could sustain himself in there for a week without having to come out. john wouldn't be on his case about it though as long as the living room isn't filthy. i think john would be able to tolerate a moderate mess.

i think john would be weirded out by bro strider, but then again i don't think those two would cross paths very often. i think in a world where dirk exists as dave's brother consistently he'd get really annoyed by him. that is why i made those dirk comics. i reckon that dave would like john's dad, but for some reason i always imagined he'd be dead or in a different state when john and dave live together. in terms of what they'd do, i think dave would be a college dropout so he'd probably be working some really peculiar short-term one off jobs. like, gigs and costume mascot work. or he'd be doing some really weird crypto shit on the internet, which he'd think is really funny. like, he'd rake in a handful of money during the nft craze. i imagine john and dave trying to live a little and be teenagers during the time. so they'd show up to or have parties and they'd be getting up to some zany and boisterous teenage behavior. i think john would be studying at university and he'd have a job related to that. i'd bet that dad would help him pay for his expenses too. i think john would study computer science or something kind of nerdy like that. he'd be paying for most of the expenses at home. and he'd probably be doing most of the chores, but he wouldn't mind that much cause dave tries to contribute and he makes good company. john and dave would play video games a lot and go out to eat and see movies and stuff. just kind of really casual things. maybe they'd go out to arcades too. i suggest reading deacon_blue's moveout zine, which i enjoy a lot and has a similar basis. it is one of my favorite things produced out of the fandom regarding the beta kids. romantically, i like to imagine they don't actually get together until like, two years of living together. not much i can say about that but when it happens, it happens late. i can't formulate the words to describe this bit, but i'll end up drawing pictures later on. i hope this was enough, i can't really think of anything else unless i'm prompted with specific questions so if you have any i'd love to keep talking about this weird universe i've built in my head around them.

[nabibeans]

Eternal Sunshine

Summary: Seonghwa, 19 has been in an online relationship with Hongjoong, 18 for nearly two years now. Due to high school they’ve never met. However now that they’ve graduated and have the whole summer before college Seonghwa’s family takes a trip to Los Angeles, coincidentally where Hongjoong lives.

Disc: they’re high school age here. So no smut! Just lots of fluff of two long distance boyfriends meeting.

•☀️•

Seongwha laid on his bed on his stomach, headphones plugged into his laptop while he worked on filling out paperwork for multiple colleges. He’d been offered to study at Seoul National University, Yonsei, you name it he probably got a scholarship for it. On the computer he’d forgotten the whole reason he even had it out. “Babe? You listening?” Seonghwa’s eyes snapped back to the screen, his boyfriend sat on the floor of his messy bedroom. Messy brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, he wore a sports bra with pajama pants, Seonghwa couldn’t help but smile at the bit of pudge his stomach had as he bent over to get closer to the screen. “I was asking what color I should dye my hair.” Seonghwa smiled softly, setting the paperwork aside for now. “What colors do you have this time babe?” The boy grabbed a few bottles holding them up. “Pink, red, and blue.” Seonghwa tapped his chin. “How about pink? You’ve never done that color.” The boy smiled, “okay I will! I gotta call-“ , “Hongjoong! Mom says clean your room!” A voice called from off camera. “Ugh, I gotta clean my room. Can you keep me company while I do?” Seonghwa laughed, “of course babe.”

Hongjoong smiled, picking up the laptop he had face time on and setting it on his dresser. Now that Seonghwa had a full view of the room he could see the state it was in, clothes scattered the floor with multiple art supplies, his bed was a mess of plushies and blankets, a trans pride flag hung on the wall next to a gay pride flag, the windows were covered by sheer black curtains. “Damn babe, when was the last time you cleaned.” Seonghwa joked. Hongjoong rolled his eyes, beginning to grab the clothes off the floor first. “I told you I got really sick recently, I was in the hospital for a day or two because I was dehydrated.” Seonghwa hummed. “I remember, we didn’t video chat for a couple days while you were sick.” He watched with nothing but love in his eyes as his boyfriend cleaned his room. He liked when he could see Hongjoong like this, his full body figure, the way his mullet reached just the tip of his spine. Hongjoong was skinny, but he also wasn’t. He was slim with the tiniest bit of fat in all the right places, it was cute. Seonghwa just wanted to squeeze him.

“Oh babe! Did I tell you? I was thinking of going to college in Korea. But I also don’t really want to go to college, plus the paper work of moving to Korea only to come back to Los Angeles. I haven’t spoken Korean since I was a toddler too.” Seonghwa nodded as he listened. When they first began dating Hongjoong had told him he was born in Korea but moved to Los Angeles at a young age after his mother booked a very large job there. He spoke mostly English, but knew a good amount of Korean. Seonghwa had learned proper English to be able to communicate with his long distance boyfriend, making it much easier for them both. “If you don’t want to come all the way here for college don’t baby. Do what makes you happy.” The door to Seonghwa’s door opened, “hey Hwa! Mom says dinner is ready. Gotta hang up on your boyfriend.” Seonghwa sighed, “I gotta go babe. I’ll call before you go to bed okay?” Hongjoong was tugging on the sheets when he looked up. “Okay babe, I’ll call you later. Bye! I love you!” Seonghwa smiled. “I love you too babe.” He hung up the call putting the laptop aside. “What’s your lover boy up to now?” His brother rubbed his head. Seonghwa pushed his hand away, “cleaning his room. Thinking about college.” , “so normal kid things.” The two laughed sitting at the table.

Hongjoong had finally finished cleaning his room, collapsing onto the bed he grabbed his AirPods of the nightstand, putting them in his ears before grabbing his phone. Scrolling through Apple Music he opened the playlist Seonghwa made for him and started it, he’d listen to music while coloring his hair. Grabbing a pair of gloves and a bowl for the dye the boy got off his bed and headed into the bathroom connected to his room. Normally someone would dye his hair for him, but this time he wanted to do it himself. Humming along to the playlist Hongjoong began to run the pink dye through his hair, suddenly a Group FaceTime notification popped up. “Damn it guys.” Answering the call he went back to dying his hair. “Hey guys what’s up?” The group were all scattered around right now, though Wooyoung and San were clearly in the same place. “We have a plan to go to the beach sometime next week. What do you think?” Hongjoong hummed, he wasn’t normally a fan of the beach. “I don’t know, I’ll have to see what Mom and Bumjoong have planned. We’re supposed to take a mini vacation to Hollywood sometime this month.” Hongjoong tugged the gloves off, throwing them away before grabbing another pair. “Let us know! Yeosang’s family is out of town and he’s alone with his sister, she said it was chill if we all hung out there sometime.” Yeosang nodded in agreement. “Maybe we could have a sleep over before Yunho leaves to Florida for college with Mingi.” Mingi and Yunho had both been accepted into the same college, deciding to move to Florida once the college season started. “Yeah that sounds nice, but..I kinda want to go to Korea and meet my boyfriend.” Hongjoong blushed, he’d been thinking about it for a while, his mother had even agreed to buy him a plane ticket. “You haven’t asked him yet? You guys totally need to meet!” Wooyoung gasped. “We will! We agreed we want to, but my schedules never line up with his.” , “you’ll figure it out. Hey wanna go out for burgers at about 6? San is paying.” Hongjoong nodded. “Yeah burgers are good. I’ll let my mom know.”

“So remember how we take a family vacation every month?” Seonghwa’s mother spoke. “Yea, what’s up?” Seonghwa’s brother, Seungmin spoke up. “Well, looks like Los Angeles is next on the list! Isn’t that where your boyfriend lives honey?” She smiled at Seonghwa. His jaw dropped, he’d get to meet Hongjoong!? “Yeah! He lives near Beverly Hills I think?” Seonghwa didn’t remember details, just that Hongjoong and most of his friends lived in a nice neighborhood. “I think it would be nice if you met him dear, you always talk about him and I can tell you really love him.” Seonghwa blushed. “I’m supposed to call him later, I’ll tell him I want to meet him. We’ve discussed him coming here a few times but his mom is so busy it never works out.” His brother nodded, “definitely ask him without saying we’re going. You want to surprise him.” His father who had been silent spoke up, “tell ya what kid, we’re gonna make sure you meet that boy. Regardless of how hard it is.” Seonghwa smiled. “Thank you.”

It was around 9pm when Hongjoong got home, a bit tired from his outing; after dinner he and his friends ended up doing a bit of shopping at the mall then got boba. “Mom! I’m home!” He called out, “Hongjoong! Welcome home honey!” She called from the kitchen, where she was making kimchi with Bumjoong. Hongjoong walked into the kitchen, bags in hand. “Here, got your favorite.” He handed one of the drinks to Bumjoong, then another to his mother. “Thanks shortstuff, how was it? What did you get now?” Hongjoong sat on the bar stool, pulling a few shirts out of the first bag. “I got a few shirts to wear for our trip, they’re all short sleeves. I also bought a swimsuit.” His mother looked up, “you haven’t worn an actual swimsuit since you came out. Let’s see it.” Hongjoong pulled out the swimsuit next, it was a tankini, the top red and the bottoms black. “I figured this would suit me best, so I’m not too aware of my boobs.” His mother nodded her approval. “It’s cute! I promise we will get that surgery scheduled as soon as possible honey. There’s just so much to do.” Hongjoong smiled softly. “Mom it’s fine, I’m in no rush to get top surgery, especially if Seonghwa and I decide we might want a baby.” Bumjoong spoke now, “do you want kids?” Hongjoong thought about it. “I think I’d like to have a baby yes, But not any time soon. I’m only 18.” His phone rang in his pocket, taking it out Seonghwa’s caller ID flashed across the screen. “It’s Seonghwa, I’ll be in my room!” Hongjoong grabbed his bags, answering the call as he walked upstairs. “Hey babe! I just got home!” He smiled seeing his boyfriend’s face. “Hey babe, did you have fun with your friends?” Hongjoong nodded, stepping into his room and switching the light on. “I did! We went shopping after we ate, I got some clothes and a swimsuit.” Seonghwa smiled affectionately. “I have to change and pee real quick, I’ll be right back babe.” Hongjoong set the phone down on his nightstand, giving Seonghwa a view of his plushie net. Going into the bathroom Hongjoong did what he needed to then changed, deciding on a pink tank top and some shorts to sleep in. “Okay I’m back!” Grabbing his phone he walked over to the light switch, switching it off. “I’ll show you my clothes tomorrow, I’m really tired.”

Seonghwa smiled at his boyfriend, “I can see that, you do look tired.” He laid in bed himself. “It was fun, but exhausting. Wooyoung dragged us everywhere.” Hongjoong settled into his bed, rolling over so he was facing the wall. Seonghwa’s eyes softened, his boyfriend was so cute. “You look cute, oh by the way. My mom wants us to meet up. Would there be a time we could?” Hongjoong choked on the soda he’d grabbed to sip on. “I uhm..yeah! Next week! I’m going to the beach with my friends we could meet there!” Seonghwa nodded. “Great! I’ll let her know. Do you know what day?” , “ah Friday, it’s the only day Jongho can come down from San Francisco.” Jongho was Yeosang’s boyfriend, they’d also been long distance before Jongho moved from Korea to San Francisco for college. “Okay, I can’t wait to finally see you. Get to hold you.” Hongjoong blushed, grabbing a plushie. “I can’t wait either! I want to bring you to my house to meet my mom and brother, could you maybe stay the night too?” Seonghwa nodded, “I’ll ask my mom babe, it would be better than staying in a hotel but it’s still a family trip.” He almost let it trip. “I know babe, my mom runs an air bnb I can send a link to a home that’s available right now.” Seonghwa was excited. He’d finally get to meet his boyfriend, the love of his life. “Thank you, I can’t wait to see you.” Hongjoong yawned softly. “I can’t wait to see you baby.” He mumbled sleepily. “Don’t fall asleep yet, last time you did that you called me at 3am your time while you walked to seven eleven for snacks.” Hongjoong laughed. “But I’m so sleepy baby.” The two chatted for at least two hours before Hongjoong fell asleep, hair covering his face and the tv making noise in the background. Seonghwa couldn’t wait to meet him.

It was raining when they got off the plane in Los Angeles, much to Seonghwa’s dismay; turned out it’d be raining the whole week so plans had changed with the beach. Instead Seonghwa would go straight to Hongjoong’s house and spend the next few days with him while his parents were exploring and having some much deserved alone time. “How excited are you to meet your boyfriend buddy!?” Seonghwa’s father shook the boy gently. “I’m very exited! I can’t wait to see him. He looks so small when we video chat but I think he’s shorter than that.” Hongjoong was very small, his testosterone hadn’t done much in that area. “You have to send us pictures of each other!” His mother cooed, “don’t worry I will, I’ll see you guys in a few days.” The family split up, Seonghwa walking nervously to the entrance. Hongjoong had said he’d be coming to pick him up, which shocked him. He hadn’t know Hongjoong had his license, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out his stomach began to do flips,

🐿️: I’m in the bathroom, I really had to pee and couldn’t hold it. It’s right by the entrance.

His boyfriend always had a small bladder, he couldn’t remember how many times Hongjoong left their calls every night to use the bathroom. Walking over to the restrooms entrance he decided to wait outside , leaning against a pillar. The next few people that exited the bathroom were definitely not Hongjoong, Seonghwa’s nerves began to build up. That’s when he saw him, Hongjoong was in fact very short, probably no taller than at least 5’7 on a good day, he wore a black cropped tank top and blue skinny jeans; pink hair messy. His face was buried in his phone, typing away at something that had his brows furrowed. Seonghwa carefully approached the boy, wrapping his arm around his waist. “Hey I’m looking for my boyfriend.” Hongjoong flinched. “Hey get your hands off me fucker-Seonghwa!?” The phone slipped out of his hands, immediately Hongjoong’s body was pressed against his own; both of them locked in a tight hug. “Oh my god! No fucking way this is happening! Are you real!? Are you really my boyfriend!? Oh my god you’re so hot in person!” Seonghwa smiled, pulling back from the hug to properly admire his boyfriend. “You’re just as cute in person as you are through a screen.” Hongjoong nodded, tears falling down his face now. “I’m so happy, oh my god.” Seonghwa smiled, pulling him back in. “I am too, you have no idea how long I’ve been dying to meet you.” The couple held each other a bit longer before pulling away. Hongjoong bending down to pick up his phone. “How was your flight? Are you hungry? Tired? Wanna drop your bags off at my place then get lunch?” Seonghwa chuckled. “Yeah sure sounds good. The flight was long but I slept most of it.” Hongjoong laced their fingers, blushing at the warmth of Seonghwa’s hand. He finally got to hold his boyfriend’s hand! “That’s good! I parked close not too much of a walk, my car is messy though so I’m sorry.” Seonghwa giggled at the boy’s obvious nerves. “It’s okay babe, I’m just happy I’m with you.” The two made it to Hongjoong’s car, putting Seonghwa’s bags in the backseat. “Your car is not messy! A few bottles of soda is nothing!” Hongjoong blushed, “it’s messy to me.” He slipped into the drivers seat, Seonghwa getting in on the passengers side. Hongjoong started the car, then looked towards his boyfriend shyly. “Can I kiss you? Is that okay? I really want to kiss you.” Seonghwa reached out to cup his cheek, gently running a thumb over the warm skin. “You don’t have to ask to kiss me, we’ve waited this long.” The pair leaned in, finally sharing a kiss. Their lips stayed pressed together for a few seconds before separating. “Wow, your lips are so soft.” Hongjoong blushed, “so are yours, nice chapstick by the way.” They shared another kiss, this time longer. Breaking apart again Hongjoong took his boyfriend’s hand. “Let’s go! Mom is excited to meet you.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong chatted the whole ride to Hongjoong’s house, their hands never once separated. “I live in a gated community by the way, curfew is at midnight.” Seonghwa nodded. “I plan to have you in bed by midnight, you barely sleep.” Hongjoong giggled. “I did last night! I was really tired.” Opening his door a bit Hongjoong typed in the password to the gate, getting back in the car as it opened. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Seonghwa was shocked to say the least, Hongjoong’s house was huge; surrounded by a well kept yard and two other vehicles sat in the drive way. “This is my home, don’t be intimidated.” Hongjoong smiled as he leaned over, kissing his boyfriend once more. Seonghwa returned the kiss, “I’m not, well..maybe a little.” The two got out of the car, grabbing Seonghwa’s bags then heading inside. “Mom I’m back! And I have someone with me!” He tugged Seonghwa into the kitchen area. Seonghwa felt nervous as they entered the kitchen, Hongjoong’s brother and Mother were packaging the kimchi they’d made. “Oh my goodness! Are you Seonghwa!? It’s so nice to meet the young man my son has been so happy with.” Bumjoong bowed. “I’m Bumjoong, his big brother. Nice to meet you.” Seonghwa bowed back, “nice to meet you both, I’m so happy to finally meet Hongjoong in person after so long.” Hongjoong smiled, hugging his boyfriend’s waist. “We’re gonna get Seonghwa settled then go out for lunch, is that okay?” Hongjoong’s mother nodded. “Just be careful my baby!” Hongjoong’s ears turned red as they left the kitchen. “Your mom and brother are really nice. I like them already.” Seonghwa followed his boyfriend up the stairs, and into his room. It was much cuter in person than on camera. “This is my room, you’ve seen it on camera though.” Hongjoong sat on the bed, “I might change, the jeans are making me sweaty.” Seonghwa joined his boyfriend on the bed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to hold him close. “You look cute no matter what. You know that right?” Hongjoong nodded, “I know.” He yawned. “You’re tired.” Hongjoong nodded. “Only a little, I haven’t drove that long in a while and it’s raining.” Seonghwa smiled. “Let’s take a nap instead then. I want my baby well rested.” Hongjoong thought about it then nodded. “Yeah okay, let me take my bra off and change into shorts. You can change too, I don’t like people in my bed with jeans on.” He smacked his boyfriend’s thigh. “Didn’t think you would.” Seonghwa stood up, grabbing his small boyfriend and picking him up. “God you’re tiny, perfect for me.” Hongjoong squealed. “I’m not that tiny! Now put me down!” Seonghwa put him down, but not before kissing his lips one more time.

The couple slid into bed after changing and Hongjoong shut the blackout curtains, the sound of rain was loud over the low voices coming from the tv. Seonghwa was only starting to fall asleep while Hongjoong snored softly in his arms, a sleepy smile on his face. “I love you.” Seonghwa whispered, pressing a kiss to his lovers head. As he fell asleep he heard a soft groan, followed by a sleepy, “I love you too.” The couple cuddled togeher, finally able to fall asleep in each others arms. No screen to separate them now.

[duckprintspress]

On the Care and Maintenance of Editors

September is “Be Kind to Editors and Writers” Month. Here at Duck Prints Press, we have editors and writers aplenty, and to celebrate them, we asked them a few questions about kindness in their field of work. In this post, we’ll be chatting with our editors. (Stay tuned for the writers chat later this month!)

The participants in this roundtable are E. C., Alex, Nina Waters, Rhosyn Goodfellow, theirprofoundbond, boneturtle, and an anonymous contributor.

1. What is your favorite self-care as an editor?

E. C.: Following the 20-20-20 rule to mitigate eyestrain (I make it the 20-20-20-200-20 rule and look out a window for a bit, too).

Alex: Scheduling in breaks, both short (for eyestrain) and long (for mental fatigue). I always ensure there’s some fun snacks or activity involved (past treats have included anything from ice cream after finishing X amount of pages to new tattoos for finishing a major project).

Nina Waters: Mostly, it’s setting and enforcing boundaries about when and how I will work and when and how I won’t. Like, “I don’t check my email during these periods” kind of stuff.

Anonymous: As a freelance editor, my favorite type of self-care is scheduling myself fairly, and not taking on too much.

Rhosyn Goodfellow: Scheduling breaks specifically to play with my dogs, which helps get my brain completely away from thinking about written communication.

theirprofoundbond: My favorite self-care is to set limits for myself in terms of the amount of work I’m going to take on, as well as the kinds of projects I’m going to work on. I really had to learn how to say no to things, especially when I was first starting out. I felt like I should accept any project that came my way, or accept even if I wasn’t very interested in the project because I had availability. Now, I’m much choosier about how much work I’ll say yes to, and the projects I’m going to devote my time to. The authors I work with benefit, because they’re getting the best out of me. The authors I decline to work with have the opportunity to find someone who will be able to offer them the time, support, and enthusiasm they deserve. And I’m certainly benefiting, because I find my editing work much more enjoyable now!

2. What kindnesses have others done for you to support your editing that you’ve appreciated?

Alex: Listened to me when I said I was not to be disturbed (this goes for digital friends as well as irl folks).

Nina Waters: Being understanding that editors aren’t perfect either, like, yeah, I do make mistakes, and so do the writers, and the whole point is this is a partnership where we work through it all together to produce a polished story that makes the author’s words and intentions shine.

Anonymous: I appreciate when my clients get that I have a full-time job in addition to their edits. My wife is also very understanding when I have to sit at the computer and edit instead of hanging out with her.

Rhosyn Goodfellow: Understanding and respecting that my editing time is just as important as my time working at my other job.

3. What’s an advice you’d like to give to people who want to support their editor friends?

Alex: Your editor has a good handle on what they need to succeed. If they ask for something (or conversely, don’t ask for anything), it’s probably for a reason!

Nina Waters: If the editor is wearing their “editor” hat and not their “friend” hat, understand that. And don’t assume that just cause they’re your friend, they’ll be interested in editing for you.

Anonymous: If you want to support your editor friends, I recommend acknowledging the effort they’re putting in and the skill it takes to do what they do. It’s nice to feel appreciated!

Rhosyn Goodfellow: If you think what they do is cool or important, tell them! It’s always nice to know someone thinks what you do is important, and I think that’s especially true right now for anyone whose job falls into the broad category of work people who don’t actually understand that work think is easily replaceable with AI tools.

theirprofoundbond: Ask them about their work! It’s understandable that there’s a lot of interest in authors’ writing progress and processes, but editors are involved, too, working away behind the scenes to support their authors. It means a lot when people show interest in my work. I truly love what I do, and I love talking about it—whether that’s with someone who has no familiarity with what I do (or they have misconceptions—very common!), or with authors or other editors who have an understanding of the editing process/experience.

4. What’s a common misconception about being an editor that you’d like to correct?

Alex: Yes, I edit. Yes, I write. No, I have never gone an hour without typos and no, I will not be correcting them (unless they’re REALLY egregious lol)

Nina Waters: That editors are evil inflexible hardasses.

Anonymous: I don’t like the misconception that editors are, like, sharks intent on tearing your manuscript apart. I don’t suggest changes because I hate you or your writing; I want your writing to be the best it can be.

Rhosyn Goodfellow: That editing is about “correcting” someone’s writing. An editor’s job is to help a writer tell the story they want to tell and communicate the information they want to communicate in the most effective way possible. Even things like spelling, grammar, and adhering to a specific style aren’t about doing things the “right” way; they’re about minimizing the degree to which the technical aspects of written language distract readers from the content of the writing. A good writer-editor relationship is a partnership, not some kind of grammatical dictatorship.

theirprofoundbond: People almost always assume that I’m eager to correct and criticize an author. That I’m going to tear their work apart. I think those ideas come from a place of people recognizing that giving your creative work to someone for feedback and improvement is a little scary, but it has been striking to see this repeated misconception—even from people who know me well, and know that that’s not how I am as a person or editor. I can’t improve on Rhosyn’s response to this question, but I will say that for my part, I tell every author I work with that I’m there to help them tell the story they want to tell, not tell them what to do.

To summarize in the words of boneturtle: editors are the Frankenstein’s monster just looking for love while everyone runs away screaming

Love our roundtable discussions? You can view all our past chats here! Also, did you know that Patrons get Discord access that allows them to contribute to these lists? Come check out all the awesome offerings on our Patreon and join the conversation!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I was reading TLTIC and the scene where Aro is planning arson, and he mentions that Alice's visions center around objects not people ergo arson is a-go.

So my question is - what if the Cullens came home one day and found everything that wasn't nailed down gone? Cars, computers, sarcophagus, etc. Who would shrug and say "oh well" and who would go overboard to recover their stuff/get revenge?

(Bonus: could the family fall apart over this?)

I could sneeze and that family would fall apart.

Absolutely, depending when this happens, who the suspects are, and the reactions of those involved to the previous two points it could spiral into the family falling apart.

But let's bullet point in a general sense.

Alice

Alice is devastated she didn't see this and puts her all into finding their things not just because they had nice things but to restore her honor. The entire family's wondering why she didn't see this and, while she is explaining, she too feels that this is something that she should have been able to notice.

Bella

Bella's also upset but she doesn't want to be upset. See, Bella likes to believe she has no attachment to the Cullen wealth or material things. Not to mention, of course, that these were not 'her' things as they were things purchased for her by Alice and the family when she became a vampire. Bella tries to tell herself that it doesn't really matter, and is very relieved to latch onto the excuse of "THEY TOOK RENESMEE'S THINGS AND SHE'S VERY UPSET" to feel upset about it.

She doesn't actually do anything about it though.

Carlisle

Carlisle doesn't have many things, but what he does have is personal, and he's not thrilled that the family doesn't see why losing his giant crucifix or that weird painting of the Volturi bothers him. Carlisle eyes donations to museums and art dealers to see who's trying to sell off his things.

In the latter case, he intervenes to get it back, in the former he likely concludes that he's fucked and has to be sad and see his things in a museum.

Edward

Edward's mostly upset about his record/CD collection. That was the item he had the most attachment to and it's mild compared to some of the others. He agrees to help search out of the principle of the matter but privately thinks the family should get over it.

Emmett

Emmett's extremely upset. They took all his stuff! His XBox! The car! However, he's not upset enough to really do anything about it and is content to let Alice do the search and potentially get back their things or else buy everyone new editions of the things.

Though he is mad about the old videogames that he won't be able to restock.

Esme

Esme's devastated. All the furniture is gone. The house still stands but it's empty of even their personal photos. However, she's more grieved than she is upset, and holds out some hope for Alice finding their things but is trying to reconcile herself with the fact that it's all gone.

Jasper

Jasper's annoyed but not really upset, he wasn't attached to anything. His job now is trying to comfort Alice who is extremely upset.

Renesmee

Renesmee is mostly confused as there's hubbub that all the things are gone and then the next day she finds herself with replacement new things that everyone's hoping she'll love. Renesmee realizes she has a show to put on and doesn't ask questions.

Rosalie

Rosalie's upset as the cars she spent ages working on are gone, all stolen, and she can't believe the audacity of someone stealing everything they own. What the fuck? Rosalie would help Alice, but Alice refuses, and instead spends her time fuming.

[cbk1000]

And part three. (Final part; sorry this is so long: it has been a fucking long four months.)

No problem, Doctor Dipshit, I guess I'll just do your job and continue treating myself.

After my period ends, my heart rate drops again. It's still not as low as it should be, but it's much better. I continue to gradually improve. It's not a linear process; some days are better than others, but I never feel as bad as I did at the beginning of all this. My main issue is really my heart rate at this point; I'm no longer dizzy, I don't have the extreme weakness I had, my nausea is gone, I'm sleeping much better, and I'm a lot less tired than I was even before all this started. But the high heart rate keeps me still mostly bedbound, and I'm gnashing my teeth, because at this point I feel well enough to be mad about it, instead of just lying in bed trying to stave off death.

I finally start turning a corner, almost three months into taking supplements. My heart rate is consistently lower; even my last period wasn't as rough. (I felt a little worse than I had been, but my heart rate didn't spike, and I mostly just felt more run down than I normally would during my period.)

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been able to sit and stand and walk around for much longer, and I was finally, after months, able to start writing again. My heart rate is still a bit higher than it should be, and I have chest pain and tightness that radiates into my throat (it almost feels like an asthma attack) if I exert myself too much, but I can sit up for a good couple, few hours at a time, then lie down for a few minutes till those symptoms improve, and then get back up again. It is more exhausting to do things because of this, but I still, honestly, feel less tired than when I was a fully functioning, 'normal' person, and I've noticed that the horrible, frequent anxiety attacks I was having multiple times a week, out of nowhere, with no trigger, haven't happened since I started supplementing. I have been stressed, of course, but not baselessly anxious. Apparently iron deficiency can cause or worsen anxiety, so the anxiety I was having for the last couple of years that I attributed to all the changes at work, and how generally stressful the world has been, was also likely related to this.

Today, three and a half months after starting iron supplements, I'm writing this sitting up at my computer. I have some chest pain, but right now it's more of an annoyance than anything, and I can push through for a while before I'll need to lie down for a bit. The last week I have been able to write 27,000 words, animatedly play a video game I'm into at the moment (I shout a lot when I play), take Seamus outside multiple times a day while Mr. Jenn is at work (albeit for very short walks around the backyard, but still), edit, and concentrate on my reading. I can now sit out and eat dinner at our countertop and visit with Mr. Jenn. I spend more time up now than I do in bed. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment with a non-lunatic, and will hopefully be able to get medical clearance to finally return to work (Mr. Jenn and I have rigged up my desk so that I can recline and still see my monitors and work if I need more than my allotted breaks to rest) and an order for an iron infusion to get me the rest of the way more quickly. It has been the longest four months of my life. I have felt trapped in my own body. There were points during that constant back and forth of regressing a bit, improving a bit, regressing a bit, that I was afraid I would be stuck like that forever. I've had enough of consistently being on my feet day after day over the last few weeks that, while I'm not yet at 100% and know it will still probably be a while before I am, I know I will be, eventually. I actually feel confident in that now.

What I mean to say with these three very long-winded posts is, please do not ignore what your body is telling you. I wrote off the extreme fatigue, and anxiety, and burning and tingling I was feeling in my legs and feet as poor sleep, the world going to shit, muscle strain, etc. etc. That was my body trying to tell me something was really wrong. I did not know these were symptoms of iron deficiency; and not everyone gets them, and not everyone gets such severe symptoms that their entire body shuts down and confines them to bed for months: but there was something wrong with me, probably for years, and I ignored that, and wrote it off, because the symptoms were non-specific, and I'd lived with them for so long that I normalized them. If you are having any of these symptoms, especially fatigue, especially if you're menstruating, and especially especially if most of your iron sources aren't from meat, please get an iron panel done. Not your CBC; that will only tell you if your hemoglobin is ok, and I can tell you, as exhibit A, that just because your hemoglobin is normal, does not mean you don't have iron deficiency. B12 deficiency will cause some of these same symptoms as well, so if you're vegetarian, definitely get that checked as well.

The only reason I was able to put two and two together was because I had had similar cardiac issues after a blood donation, when it was easy to go, "Wait, I think you bled too much; let's put some iron back in you." I don't want to think about how long I might have been stuck like this getting booted from specialist to specialist with no one thinking to check my iron levels because my hemoglobin was normal. If you do not have enough of this one single mineral in your body, it can literally be debilitating. I work a desk job from home; I have been out of work for four months now because I haven't even been able to sit up at a desk. I actually ran out of legally-protected medical leave a month ago and am just lucky that my employer wants to keep me enough that they were willing to put me on personal leave until I was ready to come back.

Anyway, that is my extremely long update. I sincerely appreciate everyone who has checked in on me and asked how I'm doing.

[specialagentlokitty]

Mr Evershed x student!reader - the closest to family

Hej me again. I have another request. Can you write a Evershed x Student Reader with prompt List 2024 number 27? Thank you again! Have a nice day. ☺️ - @marieamardill 💜

27: “I need a parent or guardian to sign this.” “I’m neither.” “You’re close enough, sign it.”

Looking at the letter in your hands, you looked back up at your teacher.

“Seriously?”

“I’m sorry, but we need written consent by somebody to say you can come on the trip.”

You held up the letter.

“Who the hell am I gonna get to sign it? Let me just consult the spirits of my dead parents and see if they’ll let me go on a trip.”

“(Y/N), I legally can’t let you come without the consent form, I’m sorry.” She sighed.

“Didn’t want to go on the shit trip anyway..”

You shoved the letter into your bag and you stormed out of the classroom furious.

Walking down the hallways, you barged past a few students, and you made your way to the office and threw the door open as you walked in.

“(Y/N), as energetic as ever I see. Have you had your lunch?” Mr Evershed asked.

“Not hungry.”

He looked up from his computer and he sighed softly.

“What’s wrong?”

You shrugged a little and you buried your nose into the fabric of your jumper.

“There’s a trip I want to go on..”

“Well, why don’t you? I think it would be a nice break for you anyway, there’s no reason for you not to be able to go.”

You looked at him.

“Really?”

“Well, yes, of course. You should go.”

You nodded, digging through your bag to pull the letter out and you handed it over to him.

“I need a parent or guardian to sign this.”

Reaching over, Mr Evershed took the letter giving you a sightly confused look.

“I’m neither.”

You shrugged slightly, grinning a little at him.

“You’re close enough, sign it.”

Mr Evershed looked at you, and he chuckled a little bit, grabbing a pen, signing the paper.

He held it out and when you went to take it he pulled it back making you huff a little bit.

“This doesn’t mean you get a free pass at of everything, do you understand?”

You quickly nodded your head and he handed it over to you this time.

You grinned a little and put it back in your bag.

“So, I’m really the closest thing to a guardian?”

“Well yeah, you convinced the school board and social to let me stay here, even though they don’t know I’m living on my own. You still look after me, that’s basically a guardian right?”

“Yes, thought I would still appreciate it if you found a responsible adult you could live with, a family friend or something of the sort.”

You shook your head.

“Nah, plus it’s just for another year anyway, until I can leave and get a job.”

“No college?”

“Nah, I don’t have time for that. Plus if I get a job I can buy things.”

Mr Evershed rose an eyebrow at you.

“Do you need money to buy things?”

“I have money, I can buy some things?”

“What are you living off exactly?”

Digging through your pocket, you pulled out your phone and took the back of your phone case out, putting a £20 note on the desk.

“This.”

“A week?”

“Every two weeks, but it work you know? If I don’t buy all that much, and get the cheaper stuff.”

“This isn’t enough (Y/N).”

“It’s fine sir, really, I got it all figured out.”

Mr Evershed sighed heavily, and you put your money back in your phone case and put your phone away.

Reaching under his desk, Mr Evershed pulled out a plastic bag and stood up, placing it at your feet and sat down down, going on his computer again.

You looked at the bag and opened it, looking inside to see some food, mostly canned or dry foods you could store for a long time.

“What’s this?” You asked.

“I know you feel embarrassed about going to food banks for help, so I did some shopping, this is stuff that’ll last longer, every month I’ll get you a couple of bags.”

“Why?”

“Because you need to eat, and it’ll take some stress of your shoulders.”

You smiled a little and looked at the headteacher.

“Thanks sir..”

He smiled back at you.

“If you need any more, or want something different just let me know. But you can’t tell anybody (Y/N), because if you do I’ll have to stop, and they’ll most likely put you in care.”

“I won’t, I promise. You’re the best! I’ll come get it after school!”

With that you grinned brightly and jumped up, running out of the office making him laugh slightly and shake his head.

He knew you weren’t a bad kid, you were just trying you best and you were doing great, you just need an extra helping hand here and there

[doyouknowbtsswag]

Hard Truth |Han Jae Joon|

"Everything was a success he should be able to leave soon but we still want to monitor him for a few days" I smiled as I talked to the family. "You're welcomed to visit him."

"Thank you so much I don't know what I would do without him." The lady said tearing up.

"If you have any questions just let the front desk know and they'll call me," I said.

"Let me walk you to the room alright?" I offered to which the lady nodded. I walked them to the man's room hearing the woman telling her daughter that her daddy was going to be alright which made me smile.

"Here we are," I said opening the door.

They both ran over to the man's side relief was written all over the woman's face as she held her husband's hand. The little girl was rambling off to her father even though he was still unconscious.

I smiled and bid farewells. I made my way to my office to start filling out paperwork for the man wanting to get it done as soon as possible. I put the man's discharge papers in a file and put it in my drawer ready for when he's allowed to leave. The family made me a little jealous. They were lucky to have their loved ones knowing their okay and being around them.

At first, when I started to work here I'd go to my cramped apartment and cry at night thinking about my family that fell apart so quickly. My life was ruined when I was 8 and after that, I slowly lost everyone and everything. I was forced to become a skilled doctor but I ended up enjoying it. It wasn't a pretty place and I did horrible things to survive. I was happy for all those families though, watching their faces light up knowing their loved one is okay always makes my day. It made me forget about my past. I'm glad I at least have someone who I can trust and rely on.

"Daydreaming again?" Jae Joon asked leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Holy shit" I jumped. "How long have you been standing there for?"

"Quite a while," He said uncrossing his arms and walking to my desk.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of a surgery I have to do this week" I smiled lightly.

"Is everything okay? You've been spacing out a lot more recently." He said grabbing my hand. "You can talk to me I'm always going to be here for you"

"Even if I did the worst thing ever?"

"What's wrong? You're worrying me" He said rubbing circles on my hand.

"It's nothing I swear"

"Why don't we go home early so you can rest," He said. "Plus we haven't had time to relax together without being at work mostly"

"What about-"

"No, we're going home I can tell you aren't feeling well." He said as he walked to the door. "Meet me at my office so we can leave"

"Fine" I sighed but he wasn't wrong.

This was unusual for him to leave early but I wasn't complaining he needed it more than me. I took off the hospital coat so I could put my actual coat on. I grabbed my things and logged out of my computer. I walked to the front desk to let the nurses know to call me if anything happens to my patient while I'm gone.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," The nurse said smiling. "You did an amazing job"

"Thank you" I smiled. "I try my best, have a good night"

"You as well," she said as I walked away.

I took my time walking to Jae Joon's office wondering when I should tell him. The thought raced through my head along with every worst-case scenario. What if I tell him and he breaks up with me? What if he doesn't think the same of me knowing my background? Will he get mad? If he gets mad how mad will he be? Should I even tell him?

I kept aimlessly walking not paying attention to anything around me too deep in thought. Why I'm suddenly feeling the full guilt of everything out of nowhere? I almost walked right past his office and I knew he saw it. He stared at me worry in his eyes before putting his coat on and grabbing his things.

"Shall we go?" He said.

"Yeah," I sighed as he put his hand behind my back.

The walk to the car was silent not a word I could think of at that moment. I kept looking straight too guilty to look at him. I knew I couldn't keep this secret up I'd rather tell him instead of someone else beating me to it. I just wanted to get home so I could tell him and cry in the guest bedroom. I knew he wouldn't be happy hell I wouldn't blame him. Once we made it to the car he opened the door for me like usual and he got in to start the car. He put one of his hands on my thigh and the other on the steering wheel his face changed to a look of worry as he started to drive.

"You've been distant lately," He said bluntly.

"I have?" I asked confused.

"You aren't as talkative to me anymore or not hugging me randomly or stuff like that for the last week" he looked over his eyes had a bit of sorrow in them but were gone in a second. "did I do something wrong?"

"No you did nothing wrong baby," I said reassuring him placing my hand on top of the hand in my thigh.

"You can be honest I want to know what's up," He said. "Shit"

"What?"

"Traffic," He said annoyed. "Standstill it looks like"

Fuck I just want to get home. I want to cry and tried to avoid that by looking out the window. I looked at the licenses of different cars but they couldn't stop him from seeing me tear up. The window reflected my face and I tried to avoid showing. I was stuck having nowhere for me to go. He sighed turning the car off knowing we weren't moving anytime soon. I wiped off whatever tears that were going to fall.

"I don't understand why you've been acting distant and it hurts" He looked forward. "If you want to break up tell me" His voice faltering.

"No, I would never break up with you." I was quick to hug him. "It would be the other way round"

"What does that mean?"

"I'm originally from the North as a doctor that's why you can't find many files of me because they're all fabricated. I escaped and still wanted to be a doctor." My voice started to get hysteric as I continued explaining. "I did so much horrible things and don't deserve someone like you and I don't know why I suddenly felt this way. That's why I wouldn't be upset if you wanted to break up I can pack up when we get home and I'll find a hotel to stay at"

The car was dead silent. I cried hiding in my coat wanting to disappear. I didn't deserve happiness and he didn't deserve to be lied to. I heard a sniffle and looked over seeing him tearing up.

"Why would I break up with you for something you couldn't control." He softly said looking down. "It's a lot to process but I wouldn't leave you"

"Jae-" He cupped my cheeks looking me straight in my eyes.

"I'll always love you, even if you killed someone. I promise"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner" I muttered placing my forehead on his.

"I don't blame you" He smiled lightly.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

[secondhandbagofholding]

Tending Your Garden

Again I sit awake at 3 a.m. watching the evidence roll in that, not all but, a significant number of people in my country have chosen fear, lies, anger, hatred, and bigotry as their call to action. Again I sit here unsure how that could possibly be, as if this perpetual game of ethical tennis hasn't been going on since long before I was born. People are imperfect, and they make imperfect decisions based on imperfect information, often to the detriment of other people, as well as themselves. So every four years, at least in the USA, I sit at the computer at 3 a.m. watching and fearing.

Fear is a powerful motivator, but it's also often a lie. It drives us to make decisions and form ideas and values based on shades and phantoms of reality, rather than the actual solid facts of our existence. I think evil exists in how people act in response to that fear. I think evil is a thing you do, not a thing you can be, and I think you do the most evil when you let fear, and fear alone, drive you to action. Perhaps worse though, is when you use fear to motivate others; when you use fear to get others to forget their communities and their humanity.

But not all fear is evil. It's in the doing, not the being or the feeling, that evil lives. Fearing for your safety, or your rights, or your security, or the safety, rights, and security of your community is something you should listen to. But it's in learning truth, and acting to cultivate and protect that you turn your fear from evil into good. It's in the cultivation and truth that you can find right action.

In a garden there are many jobs to be done. Seeds must be planted. Weeds must be managed. Fertilizer and nutrients must be added. Water has to be given. Only then will your harvest be fruitful, and you'll be able to relax and enjoy the literal fruits of your labor. If you forget a piece of the whole, if your tending of your garden lacks balance, the garden will suffer. It still may bear fruit, but it won't be as bountiful as it could have been. The more off balance your tending becomes, the worse off your garden will become.

Cultivating your community is like gardening. It requires balance. If fear is the only thing you focus on, then you will only ever fight at the weeds that will never stop growing. If you spend all your time fighting, for fear of losing your garden to the weeds, you will never grow vegetables. All you will be left with is barren earth, devoid of anything but weeds. Fear must be tempered by truth, and then it must be used only so far as it is useful. There are other things that need tending.

I intend to try to be better at cultivating community. My life has been lived mostly in fear, and the past 12 years have been lived trying to avoid the worst. I have no community here, where I live. I see only people who would potentially harm myself or those I love, and I only take actions to avoid that outcome. That is evil. I have let fear drive my actions, and without truth, seen only the fight and nothing else. I have been so focused on the enemy, I have lost sight of the people around me. All have become enemies. My garden has only weeds.

There is a chance nothing will change. But I will, or at least I will try. And I have to believe that we can change, that we can be better. That everyone can be a little bit more kind and community minded. But I think it will take moving our eyes from the enemy, and focusing on the people around us. It will take reaching our hands out and helping those closest to us where it is needed. Cultivating community can't make things worse, and if there's a chance it will make things better, maybe it's worth a try.

Don't lose hope. It's bad right now. And it may be bad for some time yet. But if you reach out, others will reach back. There is good out there, even in people you don't expect it from.

[igotthebees]

Help Me Get Out, Get a Drabble!

You win, I win! Everybody wins.

So i'm Phoenix, I made a post two or three months ago and people were wonderful and now I'm even more desperate.

My family life is very dangerous. I am a diagnosed complex system because of them and that environment. I managed to go low contact with part of the family and no contact with another and become completely independent or mostly independent. I started a new job. I had hopes for the future.

And then I had what we're currently calling "the incident".

I had a brain injury. The hospital said it was a hemiplegic migraine or stroke-like migraine but cannot explain why my loss of my peripheral vision is sticking around exactly two weeks after the incident. I also developed pretty serious essential tremor although it is being handled with a fuck ton of determination and grit.

So, I can't work the old job or drive anymore. Where did I go? Back to my parents house, where I've been for a little less than two weeks now.

I have to get out again. I can't go back to them. Luckily we have an out - they've agreed I should move out again since my health is getting better and we toured places. I'm moving either end of July or mid August.

Except today they told me that I may not be able to move if I can't have a stable income and money coming in before I leave. I got a "work as needed" job I can do from the computer and with my health but it's hard to focus and do work when you're in the place you were tortured again.

I can't really do the big difficult things but I've always wrote. I love to write - check out my AO3 (Voidfish) if you like Gravity Falls or The Adventure Zone for so many fics about identity and disability and being a sad old man. Message me for my professional writing - I've had my plays produced more than fingers I have. You won't be disappointed.

So if you want to be super nice and help me get through this time and maybe even prove I can make money so I can get out...below is my information. For every $5 you donate, message me privately or send something in the notes telling me how to contact you and I will write 500 words of whatever fandom you like that I know, sfw or if you're 18+ and can prove it nsfw, whatever concept or idea. Or if you'd prefer poetry or prose or even hell a short play, we can also figure something out.

Paypal: paypal.me/albeecreates Venmo: @Albee-Horowitz Kofi: ko-fi.com/phoenixcharmed

Thank you so much for reading and hopefully spreading this.

[catboybiologist]

I maaaaay have spent most of my evening scrolling your dash. But, for my defense, you post good, Ma'am. Also I need someone to tell you your vocal tries are impressive. I tried to stay focused but your voice was so soft, that was lulling.

Anyway, uh, yeah. Question. I was here for a question.

I've just started my PhD, do you have any advice to handle the incoming workload and the pressure?

Aaaaww thank you <3 I might post more voice clips to practice in the future!

As for the question- a PhD experience is highly, highly variable. My advice is going to be strongly based on my own experiences, and my own program. It's probably more applicable if you're in a wet lab science, but still, take it with a grain of salt.

A big thing to realize about a PhD is that it isn't necessarily the sheer quantity of work you'll be doing, but how different the pace and the kind of work you do is from undergrad or a more typical job. Compared to undergrad, your classes will be far less important to nonexistent. Your time will mostly be split between research/thesis related projects, and teaching, depending on the teaching workload.

Your experiences with your research are going to vary a lot, but in general, your PI/research advisor basically determines everything. The #1, big, massive, blinking, do-not-avoid piece of advice I will give about grad school is: pick your research advisor carefully. Do NOT prioritize the exact, nitpicky subfield you want to work in. Your PhD doesn't determine the direction of the rest of your career. Instead, you HAVE to consider whether this is a person you can work for/with for the next 5-7 years. Do you want a more "hands on" person that will set short term goals, or someone that will leave you alone and just check in infrequently to help with long term goals? Do you communicate well with them? What's the word in the department about their mentorship style long term? Avoid people who take pride in trying to "challenge" you, invariably they're shitheads preying on people with more work ethic than self worth (may or may not be based on personal experience lol).

You might be past this point, depending on how your program works- for me, I had a year of rotations before settling in lab permanently. Unless you're a direct admit with an advisor you already know, I would basically consider this or a similar system to be a requirement of a program.

Beyond that, even if you end up in a more "hands on" environment, independence is key. Of course you should collaborate and ask people to help you, but in both a motivation and a practical sense, you should be able to work on your own and take initiative. You need to interpret your own findings and set your own direction for where they're going to go. You need to analyze whether that's in your capability and how you're going to get it done. My personal little advice is to always have at least one thing going on that you can do with zero to minimal input from anyone- for me, this takes the form of computational bioinformatics work that doesn't require any lab resources and most other people in my lab don't have the toolkit to do. Main projects or side projects like this allow you to get *something* done, even if you're stuck in a rut otherwise.

But then there's the flip side to that- you're almost always going to be your own worst critic. Pace yourself. You'll always feel like you're not getting enough done, and you'll fight that feeling constantly. Hell, writing this is like me telling on myself and leaving my own reminder for myself. Balance this with your ability to work independently. Be deliberate about your recreation time and keep yourself to it as well.

The PI selection is the only one that's like, a super strong piece of advice here. But I hope the rest was at least a bit useful!

[nicohverse]

June Update- Physical Merch, Live Events, OST Additions

 The physical rewards have arrived! And if you're somebody with a physical reward tier, you have until 07/01/2024 (July 1st) if you'd like to add anything to your shipment: Whether Entropic Float related or otherwise, use the code ADDKICKSTARTER on my etsy store for free shipping (domestic or international!) to have items sent with your rewards package. Packages with additions will be shipped right away after purchase, the rest will ship out on 07/01 ~ Though, everything is ready to go, so if you already know you don't want to make any additions, just let me know and I'll get your package in the mail!

If you don't currently have physical rewards but see something you'd like in my shop, including this NEW Entropic Float merch printed for reward fulfillment (extras available while supplies last!) Just please don't use the coupon for free shipping, since it'll be an all-new package. US Shipping is free with a purchase of $35+, International with $70+.

I've mentioned Entropic Float Apparel coming in my next clothing drop- Apparel ships separately, and is always free shipping anywhere, so don't worry about waiting for that. And let me know if there's any kind of apparel you'd really love to see! Current plans are for logo shirts (the same design available on Redbubble, but higher quality working with a manufacturer), PJ Pants based on what Ame wears in the first game, and the T-Shirt that Touko wears in the Beloved Ghost DLC- But I'm happy to add suggestions if you've got your heart set on something specific~

The OST for Beloved Ghost is also now available on youtube, added onto the end of the OST playlist! With a new album cover, too. Beloved Ghost and EF2 are going to share this art, to distinguish their new tracks from those of the first game. There are nine new additions to the soundtrack now! Some of them might sound familiar even if you haven't been able to play the DLC yet- Dreaming Of Delights and Dreaming Of Destruction were the feature tracks in my yanderejam 2023 entry, and GHOUL GROOVE already appeared as the main menu theme in EF2's demo!

As for progress on EF2 properly? Well... To be perfectly honest, I've barely been at home this month, and when I was, I was mostly sorting out the shipment and getting etsy listings up, so I don't actually have any smooth new assets to show you right now. I've been working on a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff! Planning out puzzles, plot moments, brainstorming in the car about how to code the randomization processes. There's a lot I can do when I'm not at my home computer, it's just not stuff that I'm really able to... Show off progress on visually.  Oops. 

The upside is that most of what I've been doing away from home is work! Lots of it! My day job is a bit unconventional, so I should note that the hours I'm scheduled and paid for are typically longer than the hours I actually spend at work, but on paper I worked 60 hours last week and am scheduled for 70 next week. Even knowing that's more time than I actually work, it's shaping up to be a lot, considering my health... But it's alright. Working harder on a given month just means I can afford more time off to work on the game in a different month, and I thrive in sprints of focus.

 The other upside is that I should be able to create quite a few visual assets in the last couple weekends of June, but I wanted to get this update out sooner rather than later for the sake of anybody who wants to take advantage of free shipping with their reward package.

Finally, I also have a few live events coming up! You can come say hi at my artist table (Nico's Fan Niche) if you're attending Springfield Comic Con, Connecticon, or Terrificon this summer. I'll also be at Otakuthon as an attendee myself! As you can imagine based on that lineup, my July update probably won't be too exciting either (Especially with artfight going on- Add me! I'm Nhitori!) but of course, I'll still have some fun stuff to share with you all.

Thank you, as always, for reading!

[ezrisdax-archive]

I completely forgot about "help desk support b'elanna dealing with ext 709 on the phone every day" so now you've gotta say more about this AU

“Aren’t you going to get that?” Harry asked B’Elanna as the phone rang again.

B’Elanna stared at the extension flashing on the screen.

709.

“No.” She said, half tempted to lift the phone up and drop it back on the receiver.

“B’Elanna.” Harry said in the tone that implied he wasn’t going to humor her usual antics today.

Tough luck to him because B’Elanna could out stubborn any one, any time.

The phone stopped ringing.

“There. It’s fine.” B’Elanna huffed.

And then the phone rang again.

“God dammit.” B’Elanna finally snatched the handset up. “What is it Seven?”

“You have taken considerably more time than usual to answer the phone. I take it to mean there must be a serious problem within the company that a call can be ignored so long.” Seven said without preamble.

B’Elanna rolled her eyes. “The only serious problem this company has is you.”

At the desk across from her Harry winced. She could have sworn she heard a muttered ‘here we go again’ from him but tuned it out.

~~

“My computer has ceased function.” Seven said when B’Elanna answered the phone again.

“Why can’t you just talk like a normal person and say it won’t turn on?” B’Elanna asked, sighing and trying to massage the incoming headache away already. “I’m surprised Seven, I thought you’d be able to fix a little computer issue.”

There was a pause over the line. “Janeway has informed me that it falls under your concern and as such I should allow you to do your job.”

“Allow me?!” B’Elanna sputtered. “Allow?!”

“However should you require the assistance I would provide it.”

“Oh how gracious of you.” B’Elanna rolled her eyes. “What would I ever do without you?”

“I theorize that you would be not be selling our software as well due to my continued cooperation with Borg.”

“Go back there already you drone.”

~~

it's funny I had to go back through our own conversation to find the roles I made for people but:

janeway: ceo chakotay: chief of operations tuvok: chief financial officer tom: salesman for the product they make b'elanna: tech support/product developer harry: tech support neelix: kitchen staff because they're fancy enough to have one idk emh: banker for the product kes: salesman seven: consultant for another product but janeway convinced her to join their team by poaching her

and no B'Elanna never learns Seven's name, just keeps calling her Seven like I have her do in every moden au.

I don't even know how I planned to end this one honestly that's where I mostly go stuck, I was just enjoying writing B'Elanna as tech support the way I was tech support, all the stupid calls I got included. And I had written Seven as doing her own tech support but fucking something up within the software because of it so Janeway makes her go through B'Elanna now. (people pls don't try to install your own software on work computers. it makes IT's life harder and believe me the auditing software will pick it up)

For a while the AU was just gonna have them be on the phone and keep missing each other in meetings due to something else happening so they don't meet face to face for a while and then???? yeah again I have no idea what I planned for this anymore.

[pbandjesse]

I just got home from hanging out with Jule. It was such a nice time and a really nice way to end the day. I am tired, today was long. But it was a really nice day and I feel pretty happy inside.

I slept later then planned. Waking up at 830. I meant to wake up at 730. Oops. I only really woke up because Alexi called me to ask me a question. I felt so bad! We had just been up late having fun and talking and being silly. After I finished my post last night I was just having to much fun being with my husband. Laughing and joking and being in love! Which lead to me oversleeping.

But it was fine. I got up and apologized to Alexi. I was a little frazzled and would leave without checking on sweetp, for the first time. Which was the worst time to do so because when James got home at 5 they discovered Sweetp had been in the basement the entire day!!! He's fine but I felt so bad!! We need to put a second litter box down there just in case this happens again. He thankfully didn't pee on anything but I wouldn't have blamed him if that did happen. 8 hours!

I didn't know that he was trapped though and left for work.

I had a very easy drive in. And got to camp at 930. But while there was no traffic that does not mean I did not have issues. I had tried to eat my egg sandwich while driving and it exploded and yoke went all down to cleavage. Like really everywhere. It was horrible. I had to pull over on the side of the highway and use napkins and water to clean myself up. And I thankfully did a good job and was fine. I barely got it on my clothes, mostly just on my skin. It felt gross but I was able to get cleaned up and was only a little upset about it.

When I got to camp I jumped right into my computer work. I didn't want to lose motivation.

I had schedule updates and lessons and printing and printing and printing. I would print and organize all of the programs and lessons and schedules. I could binder clip them with labels so when they get copied next week it will be easier to figure out. And instead of printing from the computers we can just make copies. So whoever is tasked with that won't have to use a laptop which is always a problem. Problem hopefully solved.

All this printing and organizing and stuff took a few hours. I would stop for lunch. And during lunch I purchased a new lash perm kit so I can have nice lashes for camp and not feel self conscious. I don't wear eye liner during camp but I like mascara but also if I just have nice lashes I will feel prettier. I would also find a new eye cream. I would text with James and checked in with Jule. We were still on for dinner.

I had more tasks for the afternoon. Creating binders for each specialty program. I would design little covers and made sure each binder has a schedule and all the lessons and other information for each group. I really hope that these can be helpful for them. Especially because half of them won't be here next week. Which is tough but we'll make it work. I'm excited to work with them. And officially I am specialty senior staff and I'm super excited about it.

I would have some meeting with Alexi and Heather. And would send some emails. I was put in charge of sending a form for people to write how they want their name tags to appear. The form was two questions "what would you like your name tags to say (Ms, Mr, Mx, coach, your majesty, your honor, pronouns optional)" and "would you like your job title on your name tag?" This was mainly because not everyone knows their jobs yet and also some people will move around so it's not a fixed answer. I was excited to see by the time I was finishing for the day we had 13 responses and it was really interesting to see what people wanted to be referred to as! It was nice.

I spent the last half hour taking a quiz for camp. I had to answer a question they make us answer every year that I disagree with so much. "True or false. It's okay for kids to be bored." And they say it's false!! They say that kids should be involved and active every hour and every minute. That's the langue they use. I think that's insane and also not developmentally appropriate! Kids need to be okay with being bored. With solving being bored without us entertaining them!! It makes me crazy that that's what they are saying when it's not true. I also just think they are being honest. That they know there are situations where boredom will happen but they are not being honest about that. This is why I hate true and false because there is so much nuance so I have to answer based on what they want rather then what it actually true.

I still passed the test though so it's fine.

I would head out at 4 but I decided I would waste time so I could go directly to dinner with Jule.

I would go to goodwill first. Where I found a very fluffy wearable blanket. I had a nice little conversation with the cashier. And then I tried to go to Aldi but the GPS took me to one that isn't open yet?? So instead I went to Lidil. Where I got a chocolate pastry and some sauces to keep at camp. To replace last year's specialty ketchup. Now we have a new ketchup and also boom boom sauce. Amazing.

I made one more stop at Target to use their bathroom and buy a body oil I was i influenced to buy. I hope it makes my skin feel nice.

I would go to Hamden to meet Jule. And it was such a nice time!

I got a parking space pretty quick. And got a little turned around because it turned out this place's front door is in the alley. But it ended up being so cool! Jule was really nice. And wicked smart.

We ordered our food. I got a tofu bun that was so good?? Would have again. I also got a Thai tea. And we sat and talked.

She works with the UN. And I loved hearing all about how her job works. She helps with policy for humanitarian work. Just completely outside my realm of knowledge and that was awesome. I love learning a lot different worlds. And she was just so nice to talk to. We would hang out for two hours and we got so much covered in that time. It was so fun.

After we finished eating we would walk around Hamden. We came across a little craft market. Where I got business cards and made connections to invite people to apply at the farmers market. One stained glass maker specifically, I hope she comes because her work was so nice.

We would continue our walk. We went around the park. Talked about skateboarding and our families. Eventually she said she would like ice cream so we went to the charmery.

She got Lady Grey, which is a tea flavor, and I got the lemon stick, which was a lemon with peppermint. It was so light and nice. We got there before the crowd. We sat on the bench inside and talked and people watched and it was really nice.

I really hope we find time to hang out again. She said we should go hiking sometime. I am excited to have a new friend.

I shook her hand at the end because I thought it was funny. But we had a goodbye hug and went on our way.

I had to walk a few blocks to my car. But it was a nice walk. And I was very happy.

I went home and was so happy to see my James and Sweetp. Omelet was swimming around and looking so good. I'm thrilled that adding two new friends has made him so so good.

James had brought in my package which was my new orange platform Crocs. I'm really excited for them. I love an ugly shoe so much.

Me and James sat in the kitchen and talked. But eventually I came up here to take a shower and start winding down for the evening.

Now James is here and I'm ready to get in bed. Today was a really good day.

Tomorrow is going to be very busy. With market and museum. But that's fine. I'm looking forward to a good day.

I hope you all have a good day too. Sleep well. I love you all. Until next time.