#or Skype or whatever chat service at the time and ask if they want to play a video game with me.

[wasabikitcat]

the loneliness of not having close friends vs the desire to not Be Perceived

[eirian-houpe]

I’d love to hear about your experience teaching in Cairo. How did you come to do that? What were your favorite and least favorite parts of it? And anything else you want to share!

Oh my goodness, where would I even start? It's quite the story, and it was quite the experience.  Let's start at the beginning... that seems sensible.

Before I was able to immigrate to the USA (another long story, perhaps for another time), I used to live in England. Through a long series of circumstances, which can basically be summed up by "US immigration rules," I ended up resigning from my full time UK teaching position. Finding a new job when the promised immigration did not happen was nigh on impossible. Then, one day I received a phone call from an agency who had seen my resume online and wondered if I would be interested in a teaching position that had just become vacant in Cairo, Egypt. After much deliberation - quite angsty deliberation as it turned out, I said I would be interested, and here's where everything gets head-spinningly fast.

As near as I can remember the details, I interviewed with the headmaster of the school via skype on a Tuesday. I was offered the position on the Thursday, and accepted the day after, following more soul searching. Later that day I received the E-ticket for the flight to Cairo, which was for the following Tuesday. I basically had the weekend to pack, and prepare myself to move.

The arrangements were that I would be met by a driver at Cairo airport, and driven to the hotel where I would be living for the first few days, until the school provided accommodation. So, I arrived in Cairo close to midnight, expecting to see a little guy holding up a board with my name on.

Nope!

After much wandering around, and with fewer people at the airport, I FINALLY found a dude wearing a CES shirt. (Cairo English School). He spoke no English. I spoke no Arabic. He called someone from the school and we were finally able to communicate via the third party... and I was at last taken to the hotel.  I remember thinking as we drove along that this could all be a ruse, and I could be taken away for human trafficking or murder or whatever. So arriving at the hotel was a HUGE relief.

The following morning, I was picked up by the school bus and driven to the school, quick chat with the Headmaster, and then introduced to the team I'd be a part of. There was a British ex-pat who had married a local, converted to Islam, and was quite the whirlwind. Her name was Sarah. An older gent on the team, think... grumpy old man, and you'd be right.  (Brian) and a guy called Mark who I bonded with almost right away. Turns out that I was replacing a guy who had been fired because of parents complaints about his conduct with the kids.

Literally, I was dropped in at the deep end. Met my class and was expected to teach. Teaching was through English language. On the whole they were good kids.  There are always one or two trouble makers in any class, but it wasn't bad.  They were lively though... a lot of them wouldn't stop talking, one kid in particular, who, after a few days I grew impatient with, and just told him to "Zip it!"  After school that day, my friend Mark took me to one side and suggested that I find a different way to get the kid to shut up. He explained that (close as makes no different), in Egyptian Arabic Zip-it meant 'Penis'  Mortified.  Yes!  After that, I adopted 'Button it!' Much safer. I also decided that learning some Egyptian Arabic might be an idea, and soon!

The next problem came when it was time for me to move out of the hotel into the school provided apartment... except there WAS no apartment. Apparently someone had missed the memo and nothing had been arranged - and now there were no remaining apartments. They said I could stay at the hotel, but I'd have to pay.

Nope!  Enter whirlwind Sarah to the rescue.  She lived in an apartment in a gated community called El ReHab. (Yes, we had fun with that one.  I ended up living in Rehab). She knew a guy that had an apartment. She took me under her wing... had the guy meet us at the place, which wasn't quite ready (needed a good clean) for me to move in, but which was affordable (i.e. would be covered by the housing allowance paid by the school), was in a relatively safe area, (being a gated community and all), and wasn't bad. I have some pictures somewhere, I'll have to see if I can find them.  It had a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen/lounge separated by 'breakfast bar' It also had a washing machine - lifesaver. There was a balcony outside of the bedroom, and while we were there looking around, there was a tiny mewling sound. Turns out a kitten was stuck on the balcony. I would have loved to keep it, but I didn't because, what would I do after a year?  (Contract with the school was for 1 year). Sarah rehomed the little tyke.

The supermarket, and the Souk were within walking distance, although there was a (free) bus service within the city, and the number 5 bus went to and from the shopping district to my apartment area. (five is 0 in Arabic). I pretty quickly learned numbers. A must, because most of the shop keepers chose not to use English - and I guess why should they - even though they knew it. So, unless you could see the display on the register when you were shopping, it was hard to know how much the total was.  However, the cost of living, (in comparison with the US) was RIDICULOUSLY low.  For example, my monthly electricity bill came to the equivalent of about $5 US.

So it wasn't ALL bad - contrary to the way it might sound. Great kids, a good team, and the chance to learn another new language (and I love languages). I'd say I learned 'survival' Arabic at best, and can fully empathize with kids coming in to school as ESL. Sadly through misuse, I've forgotten most of what I learned. I remember 'I want...' and 'I don't want...' (Ana isa & Ana mish-isa respectively). I could probably still count to ten if I really think about it. But with my love of languages, I think this had to have been one of my favorite parts of being there.

Least favorite - being the object of racism - it's way different when you're treated that way, and makes you appreciate what others go through. I was once asked to leave my classroom (I was grading at the back of the class while the Arabic Studies teacher was teaching the lesson). The reason I was asked to leave was because I was not Muslim.

Most surprising - the cold. Say Egypt to most people and they think hot country. Deserts are DAMN cold at night... and in the winter... OMFG.  I literally had to sit 2 feet away from the space heater, wrapped in a blanket to stay warm.  Why?  Well the apartment was built to keep inhabitants cool in the height of summer... (because when it was hot, it was hot!). It was all marble floors and wall tiles, and not at all good for keeping heat in when it was needed.

Where other countries have 'snow days' etc., Egypt has 'sandstorm days'

Most disturbing - when I was there it wasn't long after the revolution, so there would be some days when we would get a call from the school to stay in our apartments and that there would be no school that day due to unrest in the society.

Also, one morning, I saw a man on campus who had a gun tucked into the waistband of his pants. Of course I reported it to the headmaster right away, and it was investigated.  Turns out that it was a plain clothes policeman.

Would I go back?  I want to visit for a vacation some day, do all the things that I didn't get to do because I was too busy teaching. The most touristy thing I got to do while I was there was a boat trip on the Nile.  It was a school field trip for geography lesson, and it was in the heart of Cairo.  Let me tell you, that water was NASTY.

Would I want to live/work there again.  No, really I wouldn't. And driving in Cairo... Hell no! New York driving x10 doesn't even come close... maybe if you crossed NY driving with Stock Car racing, you'd come close. Those drivers are SCARY!

It was an experience, and I don't really regret doing it. I think I learned a lot from being there... about people, and about myself.

Thank you for a brilliant ask!

[princesssarcastia]

in any other world (aka four ways veronica mars’ life could have ended up)

because i CANNOT get these ideas out of my head, goddammit.  whatever god gave me the plot bunny gene needs to take it back now.  anyway welcome to my veronica mars kick, 2020 edition. it’s another long one, boys, and readmores are for suckers.

1. just remember me when we used to be friends

them telling other people stories about each other (gia and whats-his-face wait another four weeks to kill carrie; logan is a thousand miles away with the best alibi in the world.  a movie!canon au

Cobb’s paranoia holds out an extra five weeks, and Logan is already on deployment when he and Gia sneak into Carrie Bishop’s home and electrocute her in her bathtub.  A troubled, drugged up starlet’s death is ruled a particularly gruesome suicide, and word doesn’t reach Logan until well after it happens.

Something about it doesn’t sit right with him, no matter that he predicted she’d end up here; something about it itches in the back of his mind, makes him want to reach for a phone he didn’t take with him when he shipped out and pull up a number he hasn’t dialed in nearly ten years.

But that’s ridiculous.  He writes it off as nostalgic product of a reunion he didn’t even go to, that he’s sure she didn’t, either, and gets back to work.  He’ll go brood and break down about Carrie when he’s off duty later, and let one of his squad-mates put a hand on his shoulder, and then move on.

He lets go of, Veronica, I need your help, and ignores the bone-deep certainty that she’d drop everything for that, after years and continents spanned and blood shed.

—

Meeting The Piznarskis is a surreal glimpse into a normal upbringing; the kind no one Veronica knew growing up ever got.   They’re kind, maternal and paternal people who unreservedly love their son and live simple lives.

And they seem to really like Veronica, which is good.  Piz keeps giving her beaming looks whenever his parents turn away, and her heart crawls deeper inside her in shame because all this clearly means so much more to him than it does to her.

She is keeping polite-society smiles on her face and using her tame, Normal Veronica anecdotes to entertain them instead of really opening up.  Is this how everyone is with their in-laws?  

These people will never know me, she thinks distantly as Mrs. Piznarski lays a hand on her arm and smiles as she inquires after her years at Stanford, and it is a comfort because she doesn’t want them to.  Doesn’t want to see their normal bubble pierced by the mud smeared all over her real history.

She starts keeping her polite-society smile on face in the apartment with Piz, too.

He doesn’t seem to notice.

—

She catches the tail end of Bonnie DeVille’s funeral on Hollywood Access at her favorite deli.  The volume is cranked up, probably so the guy at the counter can hear it over the crush of customers during lunch hour.  Which means that Veronica catches every unfortunate second of their coverage, vaguely familiar faces in the crowd drawing her attention back again and again.

Mentally giving up as a way to pass the time, Veronica compares faces to ten year old memories.  

Dick, Gia Goodman, Luke Holderman...some vaguely familiar schmuck...

She doesn’t even realize who she’s looking for until the correspondent mentions that DeVille’s last boyfriend, Logan Echolls, son of the late Aaron Echolls, is not in attendance because his current tour of duty with the Navy started just days before her death.

God, Logan.  Veronica bites back any kind of expression at the thought of Logan learning that his girlfriend committed suicide while high off her mind.  Even the media circus at the funeral is a bitterly familiar echo of what happened when Lynn died.

The thought of him lingers all the way to the front of the line and her brisk walk back to the office, until she finds her hands hovering over keys, debating whether she should look him up. Then one of the partners walks briskly past and she jerks back to reality, where she’s working through the rest of her lunch to keep the edge on the other new hires.

But the impulse lingers, long enough that she resigns herself to ignoring it until  a new obsession seizes that confined part of herself she shut away that first year at Stanford.

—

Veronica refuses to go back to Neptune for the reunion, but after Truman-Mann jumps at the chance to hire her, she splurges on two round-trip tickets to New York for Wallace and Mac, figuring meeting up was the whole reason they were so gung-ho about it in the first place.

She really doesn’t make it out to California very often, let alone Neptune.  After her disastrous freshman year at Hearst, Veronica jumped at every chance to step further away from the crash-and-burn-site.  The only reason she didn’t lose them is because Mac understood that impulse, and Wallace is a better man than everyone she’s ever met.

But god, skype and Facebook and phone calls don’t measure up to the real thing.  Veronica throws her arms around them right there in the airport and fights the inexplicable urge to tear up. 

Something between nostalgia and longing wells in her chest as they sit shoulder to shoulder with her in the back of a cab, chatting about their lives in Neptune.  She crushes it ruthlessly and fires back with tame, hollowed out stories from work and Piz, and smiles all the way through.

Her father was so proud when she told him.  My daughter, the big shot New York lawyer.  Veronica smiled all the way through that, too, and had an extra glass of wine that night where she derided her own inability to put two and two together.

Fortune 500 companies.  Frivolous lawsuits.  Disappear before they ever make it to a courtroom.

She knew exactly what she was doing, going into corporate law.  The smart thing, right thing, the thing that paid her student loans and kept her out of the oh-so-tempting mud surrounding criminal law.  She knew it would be contracts and smug rich people and ruthless competition.

But that didn’t stop her growing guilt—no, not guilt, shame—as she helped further grind the little guy into the dirt.  As she poked holes in probably-legitimate sexual harassment suits and helped companies with more money than they needed break contracts with smaller service industries and...

All that keeps her going in the disgustingly large paycheck she gets every two weeks and the fact that she does corporate law for filthy rich companies, not defense law for filthy rich people. 

(Though that doesn’t stop her from waking up gasping, one night, after dreaming she’s back in that courtroom, with Aaron Echolls’ goddamn face smiling smugly at her as she tears Logan’s and her father’s and her own testimony to pieces, as she gets him out of Lily’s murder and his attempt on her life.  Piz rolls over in his sleep, breathing quietly, and she slips out of bed. )

She and Piz treat them to dinner that night, and she enjoys it once she gets over the childish jealousy that she has to share these two people she adores with Piz, who she also adores, dammit.  

Their apartment has an office/guest bedroom and a separate living room, so when they get back near midnight (we’re way too old to be out this late, Wallace joke-groans, and Piz laughs back) Wallace heads to bed, and Piz does, too, after she waves him off from helping her set up the couch for Mac.

They share a look, and Veronica lets a smile pull her face wide as they have the same thought.  The sheets and pillow get piled up in a chair as Veronica quietly retrieves two beers from the fridge and plops down on the sofa next to Mac. 

“Cheers,” Mac says, clinking her bottle against Veronica’s, and they both take long pulls.

Veronica sighs more heavily than she means to and lets some unknown tension flow out with the air.  After a long, comfortable silence, Mac nudges her with her knee.

“How are you, really?”  Mac asks pointedly.  Veronica lets her head fall against the back of the couch and grumbles.  No, she didn’t miss the glances Mac and Wallace kept sharing all night when they thought she wasn’t looking, but when Wallace went to bed she thought they’d somehow agreed not to pry.

Now she realizes they just decided to be nice and not tag-team her, which is somehow worse.

“I met Piz’s parents a few weeks ago,” Veronica says, still looking at the ceiling, but even as she says it she knows it’s not the right place to start.  A symptom, not the disease.

Mac hums at her, listening but not interrupting, so Veronica takes the chance to start again.  Her head lolls to the side to examine Mac, really pin her with her stare.

“Did you ever imagine you’d end up working at Kane Software?” Veronica asks.

Mac catches her stare and raises her eyebrows, clearly recognizing it for what it is, and pauses to really thing about it.  “You mean, when I was scamming 09ers that deserved it for their money and helping you crack cases like a budding hacktivist?” She says with a wry look.  “No.  But I knew I was going to do something with computers, and terrible reputation of their founding family aside, Kane Software is a pretty good place to do that.”

Now it’s Veronica’s turn to hum noncommittally.

“I never had your sense of justice, though,” Mac continues.  “I just enjoyed getting swept up playing Q to your Bond.”

Silence falls again as Veronica mulls over what to say next.  She’s avoided putting her finger on this feeling for months and months, because new, normal, successful Veronica Mars is not supposed to...to...

To miss sticking her hands in the mud.

“Sometimes I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize myself,” she says finally, forcing herself to keep meeting Mac’s eyes.  To get a second opinion.

“Yeah,” Mac agrees.  “I looked up the kinds of cases Truman-Mann takes when you told me you got the job.” ‘Looked up’ for Mac doesn’t mean ‘googling;’ Veronica grimaces lightly at the implication.  “It was, uh, surprising.”

Veronica turns away when her eyes start to burn with that now-familiar shame, taking another long drink.  “Well, it pays the bills.  Keeps me out of trouble.”  Another drink.  “They tell me if I keep up the good work, I can make junior partner in four years.  Three, even, if I snuff the competition.”

Mac nudges her again and Veronica starts to fiddle with the label on her beer.  “My dad hasn’t worried about me in four years,” she admits softly.  “He’s proud of me, Mac.  Proud that I got out, proud that I don’t ruin people’s lives anymore.”

“Hey,” she says gently, “You didn’t ruin peoples lives.”  Veronica lets her incredulous face speak for her.  “Well, no one who didn’t deserve it,” she amends.

“I ruined his life,” she says sharply.  “I got you and Wallace in trouble, I lost—” she bites that off.  “I wasn’t happy.  I saw dark corners everywhere.  That’s not a healthy way to live, Mac.”

“No,” she agrees.  “But was that because of your cases, or was it leftover from the long string of traumatizing bullshit in high school?”

Veronica takes another drink.  Getting a psychology degree at Stanford was a fun exploration of all the ways the previous four years of her life were fucked to hell, and fucked her to hell.  And she did seriously work on her trust issues, though she stopped short of going to therapy, because that was never gonna happen.

Mac goes in for the kill.  “Are you happy now?”

Veronica, hyper-aware of Piz in their shared bedroom scant feet away, doesn’t reply, and Mac lets her.  But they both know what the answer is.

—

She passes the bar exam with flying colors; a 320 that makes her father beam with pride once she takes the time to explain the scoring rubric to him.  Piz kisses her cheek and brings her flowers when he gets off work.

It takes more effort than she’s willing to admit to ignore the fact that she scored so much higher in criminal law than contract law and civil procedure.

—

It takes her three more months to gather the courage to break things off with Piz.  He’s smart enough to notice that she waited until their shared lease was up, and that leads to a fight more vicious than any they’ve ever had; a final nail the coffin of their relationship.

Apparently she’s cold-hearted, mercenary; unwilling to open up and share her inner life with him.  Unable to commit to anyone.

But if I did that, you never would have loved me, Veronica almost says, biting it back at the very last second because the last thing she needs to release that knowledge for circulation.

She methodically packs up her clothes, the scant few knick-nacks and numerous pictures spread around in a facsimile of personal touches.  Her new apartment was lined up before she even spoke to Piz, who later scathingly rejects her careful offer to pay for half of next month’s rent while he looks for a place.

In the end, it take three days to dismantle their year-and-a-half-long relationship completely.  He’ll certainly get all their mutual acquaintances in the aftermath, who were always more his friends than hers, leaving her with no one but the service people at her regular take out places and a handful of Columbia friends in the city to talk to. 

But as she unloads her things into her new space, all the emotion she can dredge up is a faint relief, and fainter satisfaction at having her own space for the first time in her life.  That’s it.

Cold-hearted.

She pours herself a shot of tequila and knocks it back, in the interest of dislodging any hint of feeling she might be repressing unconsciously.   Fiddles with her phone and considers texting Mac, or Wallace, or her Dad, to let them know—because she’d done this, new address and all, without mentioning a word to them.  She’d even changed her paper subscriptions, but didn’t say a word to the three most important people in her life.

God, at this rate Piz will probably mention it to Wallace before she does.

All another shot gets her is her hands hovering over a keyboard again, still resisting the urge to look Logan up, to investigate he new life in some morbidly curious impulse. 

Kids these days call it Facebook stalking, but back in her day it was just plain old stalking.

And she doesn’t do that anymore.  Right?

—

Veronica channels her excess energy and time in a post-Piz existence into her work, and it earns her a “keep up the good work” from Gayle Buckley.  A nice word from one of the two female senior partners at their firm makes her all warm and fuzzy for the rest of the day.

But that dissipates as she remembers exactly what got her that compliment; playing asshole intimidating lawyer muscle for another “frivolous” sexual harassment suit at a fortune 500 company.

This time, she’s sure the company man did it, but that doesn’t matter in the face of all his money and scary lawyers.  The woman quietly folds for literal hundreds of thousands of dollars less than she should be entitled to.

That earns her another night in, drinking more wine than she really should be on a work night. 

Are you happy now? Mac asks in her head, and Veronica takes another drink.

—

She exchanges nods with the man at the corner store as she lines bottles on the counter; they’re familiar to each other at this point.  It’s late, even for a hard-working New York Lawyer in her late twenties, but she polished off everything two nights ago and somehow can’t face going to sleep sober. 

It’s not until she settles back into her couch with her second drink of the night that ice rushes down her spine in spiraling shivers.  Veronica freezes with the glass halfway to her mouth.

The blood rushes out of her face in a way that makes her feel cold.  An exhausted cold, a mix of expressions she remembers on her Dad and her Mom’s faces growing up.

Her hands shake as she sets it down with a decisive clink on the coffee table.

I will not turn into my mother, Veronica thinks, still reeling with realization.  Not even for Normal.

It’s close to 1:30 here, so everyone in Neptune will be sound asleep; she can’t stomach waking them up for this.  And there’s no one in the city Veronica is comfortable calling up at this hour.

Faintly, she recalls hands hovering over a keyboard, and her chest aches even more. 

If this were a movie, she’d probably go pour out her glass, and the bottles she bought tonight; make some kind of vow.  Sign up for meetings.

Instead, she gets up and collapses into bed as-is, barely remembering to set the alarm on her phone before she does.

—

After that she tentatively reaches out to people from Stanford and Colombia, desperate for connections to ground her and soothe the gaps she only now realizes she’s been filling with alcohol.

Just a few Facebook messages at first, but nearly all of them reach back.  Veronica has a weak moment of tearing up and rereading some of the replies in her inbox after a particularly hard day at Truman-Mann.

In another few weeks, she and a few people from Colombia have mutually coaxed one another into a standing lunch date, risking that relentless workplace competition for a chance at real human connection with people who won’t throw a fit if they have to run out of the restaurant unexpectedly.

She orders water with the meal and laughs for real at least twice.

—

Her last straw is a predictable one.  That final push, the leg stuck out to trip her so she faceplants back into the mud, like she wasn’t two seconds from deep diving into it on purpose.

I need your help, Veronica, one of her friends from Stanford says.  And that, as they say, was that.

—

Lilly laughs in Veronica’s ear as she picks her way through the crowd, for the first time in a long time.

Fleet week.  In New York, not San Francisco, but she laughs back all the same.

His posture is different.  Clearly, there’s something to be said for military training.  But it’s not that he’s standing taller, or with more confidence; despite the presence to him, he seems...lighter, like all that weight on his shoulder finally got shucked off.

It takes him a few minutes to sense her gaze, and she savors them, watching Logan Echolls in the wild.  Satisfying her inner stalker.

Their eyes meet across the crowd, and his face melts into that boyish grin she remembers, softened with age and warm, just for her.  She smiles back, delighted, and waves.

Yeah, she looked up him.  Eventually.

2. bloody knuckles, longing for home

logan, veronica, and weevil gather like fate after aaron echolls gets off for lilly’s murder; and decide to do something about it.  and then flee neptune, because the perfect murder doesn’t exist.

Veronica lets herself into Logan’s room at the Grand with the key she swiped from Duncan before he fled the country.  Steam pools out from the cracked bathroom door, so she drops her back on the couch and heads for it, making no effort to conceal her presence.

His head is bowed between his shoulders, arms tense as he leans against the vanity.  He breathes out sharply, almost a laugh, and doesn’t move.

“Chlamydia, huh,” he says roughly.

“Immunity, huh,” she fires back, but her heart isn’t in it.

“You know he’s staying here?” He asks, still not looking at her, but tension pools in his bare back.  Condensation starts to run in rivulets down the mirror. “He cornered me outside the elevators, earlier.  Threatened to cut me off.  No more mister nice father.”

Her fingers delicately trace one of the myriad scars that cuts across his spine, and then another, and another, and Logan lets her.  She maps out sins of the father visited on the son, and makes a decision.

Aaron Echolls will get his justice in his own way.

“Room 619,” she says, and his head rises.

Their eyes meet in the mirror.

—

Mac does extensive research on the Cayman Islands, just for fun, since Cassidy mentioned his father holds some of his assets there.

Veronica and Weevil go out for a drink.

Logan flirts with the woman on the night shift at the Neptune Grand’s front desk.

Veronica and Weevil and Logan go out for a drink.

Keith and his daughter spend the days between the end of finals and graduation decidedly not talking about it, but he thinks she’s taking it as well as she can.  Almost surprisingly well.  Veronica finds the tickets to New York he has stashed away.

Veronica and Weevil and Logan and Wallace go out for a drink.  It becomes a regular thing, grabbing beers or tequila or whatever they can get their hands on and sitting on a darkening beach every other night or so.  Sometimes the hush of their voices run underneath the waves.  Sometimes silence rings out.

Deputy Leo intercepts a mother and two boys who come into the station to make a witness report, but they can’t seem to find what they’re looking for in a book of the usual suspects.

Wallace forgets a pen in the coffee cup on the desk outside Clarence Wiedman’s office, when he goes to visit his mother at work.

Dick and Logan plan a blowout bash to celebrate graduation at the Grand.

Cliff McCormick brushes up on inheritance law in addition to juggling six other cases.

Logan books a plane to the east coast for after graduation.

—

After the graduation ceremony is over, half their graduating class descends on the Grand, filling the lobby and conference space rented out.  Some of them even make their way to the penthouse, Logan throwing open his door with a flourish.

But something about it just doesn’t feel right.  So Logan, Veronica, Wallace, and Weevil grab drinks and head out the front door, letting everyone see them leave for the beach.  Dick loudly complains to anyone who will listen about how Logan has been doing this every night for two weeks, like he’s got a standing appointment to hang out with narks and gangbangers.

Veronica calls her father and leaves a voicemail, letting him know she’s staying out on the beach with her friends for a while longer, in case he makes it back before she does.

Mac stays in the lobby with Cassidy the whole time.  Kendall Casablancas exits the hotel a little after midnight.

Weevil and Wallace stay out on the beach all night; the Xterra, which they all took together, sharing space for the last time, does not once move.

When housekeeping make their way through the hotel the next morning, there is a do not disturb sign on room 619.  It stays there all day, and night, and day, and night, and day again, and night again, until they start to pass it by automatically.

Veronica and her father leave for New York.  Logan boards a plane.

—

When the news breaks about Aaron Echolls’ death, neither of them are in Neptune.  Logan arranges for a private service in absentia, and sends Cliff McCormick as his representative to the will reading, which the executor of Aaron’s estate takes with more grace than Trina.

His assets are divided evenly between his two children, in addition to the existing trusts tied to age.

Cliff makes a brief stop at a coffee shop on his way back to his office, and says a few words to that computer geek friend of Veronica’s he catches sight of.  He forgets some of his notes on her table when he leaves.

—

Keith Mars comes back to Neptune alone.  The investigation into Aaron Echolls’ death stutters, stalls, stops.  Eventually, a harassed medical examiner admits it’s possible he could have maybe committed suicide.

—

Halfway across the world, a sweet and mischievous little girl named Lilly grows up with a kind, doting father, and an Aunt and Uncle whom she adores, whenever they’re in the country to see her.

Twice every year, her father and Aunt Veronica and Uncle Logan share a toast, even if only by skype.  Once on her Aunt Lilly’s birthday, and once on some day in late may.

3. all things grow

veronica mars, special agent with the fbi and logan lester, english professor, love each other well with the strength of decades, and still impress the hell out of everyone who meets them.  the one where veronica went straight to stanford after the whole cassidy debacle, and never quite lost the knack of investigating but with some distance from the neptune cesspool, learned to do it without ruining lives, her life.

Everyone knows Professor Lester is a jackass—with tenure, so he can’t be reprimanded for it.  But everyone also knows Professor Lester has the best analytical mind in the English department, and all the brightest stars in the Lit program come out of his courses.  He’s not bad to look at, either; the planes of his face are so sharp you just might cut yourself on them, and his eyes are always glittering like he knows something you don’t.  And he really doesn’t dress like a forty-year-old college professor, which doesn’t hurt.

Only the simultaneously lucky and unfortunate bastards who load their schedules up with him, or worse yet, get him as their advisor, ever see those planes soften.

His office is tastefully decorated, for those few English majors who know enough about interior decoration to say so. It’s also surprisingly devoid of books to belong to a man who seemingly memorized every text he’s ever taught. Pulling quotes and passages out of thin air is a particular talent of his.

There’s only one personal touch in the whole room, beyond the probably-expensive furniture: a picture of himself and a blonde woman holding a pit bull, on a beach so clean it can’t be in New York.  In it, her eyes glitter the exact way Professor Lester’s usually do, but his have melted into something infinitely more tender.

Very rarely, at the end of the afternoon or occasional evening class, the particularly observant students notice a blonde woman in a black pantsuit slip into the back, legs extended, ankles and arms crossed. She never says anything.  Just follows Professor Lester’s sharp movements at the front of the room.

None of them are trained to notice the outline of her holster, or the way her gaze actually darts around the room, tracking movement and exits, though it always comes back to rest on Logan.

—

Special Agent Mars is always fun at the Agency’s mixers and dinner parties and fundraisers.  Seeing her out of the sleek suit some of her coworkers suspect she was born in is all the more jarring for her ease in formalwear.  A real chameleon, they murmur, as she flips a switch and becomes more of a tittering socialite than a federal agent.

But the real fun is when she drags her partner with her.  Neither of them wears rings, but then, many agents don’t, so whether they’re married or not is up for debate.  He’s her standing date for every function, though, so in the end it doesn’t matter.

Veronica Mars has a rapier wit. Paired with her degrees in psychology and law and penchant for cataloguing every detail about a person at a glance, it’s safe to say she’s been verbally skinning people up one side and down the other since Quantico.

When her husband opens his mouth, it’s clear he shares her talent for sparring with words.

And watching them talk to each other is like following a tennis match—or perhaps boxing; trading barbs like endearments.

The best times is when some stuffy higher up with more ego than sense tries to glad-hand one of the most promising agents of the decade, and leaves the conversation head three sizes smaller and feeling vaguely emasculated.

—

Veronica learned the hard way in high school not to put too much of herself into her cases; learned to save some for her father, and for Logan, and for her.  But every so often one just stick in her craw and she can’t help sinking her teeth into it.

Her partner is too good to blink when her edges are sharper than usual, but Veronica can tell he notices.

And the man they’re tracking sure as hell does, too.  There’s something magnetic about Special Agent Veronica Mars on your trail, and this asshole is responding to it.  Leaving her...gifts.  Messages at crime scenes.

Verr-onicaaaaaaa, an old demon slithers in one ear and out the other.

When she starts to respond in kind, her supervisor removes her from the case and puts her on unpaid leave.  It’s in New York, though, and Veronica knows herself.  Knows who she is when she looks in the mirror.

Logan kisses the tip of her nose and thanks her for scheduling her crazy after his semester is finished.  They pack together, trading soft looks and touches as they maneuver seamlessly around each other.  Veronica calls Keith.

She silences the voice that sounds like teenage Veronica hissing that she’s running away from the fight.  That’s not her anymore.  And she’s not alone in this; if she didn’t trust her partner she wouldn’t have made it six months in the agency.  If she didn’t trust Logan, she would have died at seventeen.

Their visits to Neptune are rarer than her father would like, but just enough to soothe that part of them both that comes from here, that lives in every McMansion and dark alley and seedy bar and raging club and deserted beach.

Neptune is in their blood.  Veronica wouldn’t wish this place on her worst enemy; but they are akin, she and it. 

While Logan pulls his board and wetsuit out of storage and practically moves onto the beach, she does the usual tour.  Eli’s shop is doing well, and Valentina is adorable in her little oil stained overalls as she helps her father.  Wallace still eats lunch at their table, after all these years, and she smiles reflexively back at him like she did the first day they met.  Mac is still selling her soul to the devil for more money than god, running their software development with an iron fist.

Cliff quirks an eyebrow at her, and drops hints about cases he needs help with like other men his age drop little candies into children’s hands.  She rolls her eyes, but glances over the files anyway, and spends a couple nights taking pictures and video and surprising him with it in court.

It feels...nice.  Nostalgic, but not addictive.  Just some legal favors for an old friend who never failed to scratch her back when she scratched his.

Her forced leave isn’t up yet, and her partner says they’ve hit a frustrating but not definitive dead end back home, so she considers driving to San Diego to drop in on Leo with a pizza, for old time’s sake.

Then the man she was tracking in New York finally shows his face in Neptune.  He followed Veronica back here, to her home.

Oh, if that isn’t the worst, and last, mistake he ever makes.

Her friends, her family, closes ranks.  The town closes like a lobster trap for people stupid enough to come after Veronica Mars on her home turf.  By the time her partner and replacement make it out to the west coast, he’s beaten and bloody and wrapped up in evidence like a Christmas tree in Sheriff Lamb’s lockup.

The Sheriff takes the credit for the arrest; there is no mention of old biker buddies of Eli’s, or information passed along from Cliff and Wallace, or systems infiltrated by Mac. Of tasers and favors.

Veronica is cool as a cucumber when they call to tell her about it, while she’s out to lunch with an old friend.  Her partner is suspicious, but there’s no evidence.  And frankly, he’s not sure even Veronica Mars could have collared this guy without the resources of the Bureau behind her.

Deputy Sacks shakes his head in disbelief that people are still falling for that after all this time.

They go back to New York.  Life goes on.

—

Neither of them went to the ten year reunion, still too fresh off the horrors of high school. 

But they do go to the twenty year reunion, and win the shit out of it.  Not that they care, beyond vague petty satisfaction at the faces of those few people who do.  They leave early, have dinner with Keith, drinks with Wallace and Mac, and fly back to New York the next morning.

Some infinitesimal weight neither of them realized still existed was off their shoulders by the time they touch down in their home of fifteen years.

4. ten stoplights bleeding out

the one where keith mars dies in that plane crash, and veronica mars takes over mars investigations; veronica mars never escapes the insidious pull of neptune; and after ten plus years of money shots and favors, has perfected handing down her own particular brand of justice—and revenge. logan still joins the navy, but always finds his way back to her. 

it’s a story Eli’s heard a thousand times before, living in this town.  a story he’s lived himself, once or twice, though ever since he met Jade he’s done his upmost to keep his nose clean—to be that better version of himself she somehow managed to see in him.

the cops have it all wrong, lazy, corrupt, blaming it on the first brown kid they lay eyes on, planted evidence, ruined lives, etc.

there’s nothing he can do for them.

there’s nothing he can do for them.  But V always did love referrals.

“You need to go see the Sheriff,” Eli tells the kid, still hoping that one day the nickname will catch on just so he can see her expression.  His face crumples in heated confusion, because he just spent twenty minutes laying out how “Sheriff” Lamb was an asshole, but Eli smirks and jerks his head toward his car.  (Car, not bike)

They climb in, and drive to one of the last places in town holding out hope against gentrification—the 09ers he went to high school with would’ve called it seedy.

He still has a key to her offices after that stint working as her secretary for a few months when she was in college—though it’s not the same key.  Veronica Mars is too paranoid to keep the same locks for too long.  Never does catch her changing them out, just reaches in his pocket some days to fiddle with his key ring and fights a smile when his fingers find unfamiliar teeth.

But today, her doors are open.  They chime as Eli guides the kid inside, and gestures toward the old couch still sitting against the wall.

The receptionist’s desk is empty again.  He wonders vaguely what the last one did to earn the brush off.  She never manages to find what she’s looking for in an employee (either herself or her father, Eli’s never figured out which, but either option makes him want to clasp her shoulder).

He raps his knuckles on her office gently and pushes it open without waiting for an answer. 

She looks up sharply, her resting face before she registers his presence that special kind of pinched that means Logan had damn well better be at the end of his current tour of duty.

“Weevil,” she lets out a little breath and some of her tension.  “Long time no see, huh?”

“Yeah, we missed you at dinner last week.”

She shrugs.  “Life of a PI; there’s always another stake-out to ruin your night life.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” he drawls, raising his eyebrows at her.  After a decade and a half of knowing Veronica Mars, he’s more than familiar with her self-destructive tendencies. 

He’s vaguely grateful she’s pulling back from him before she unsheaths her paranoid claws and scratches everyone in reach, even friends like him; but mostly, it puts an ache in his chest that makes him want to hug Jade close and kiss Valentina on the forehead.

“Whatever, vato.  Just because you’re a successful businessman now doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t fight to keep the lights on.”  Her lips twist wryly.

And now he feels sort of bad, because she never charges his referrals full price for her services.   But favors are part of her gig, the way she tells it—keeps her in information and the occasional backup.

“Speaking of,” he starts, and she leans back in her chair and throws her feet up on the desk in a self-satisfied manner, one after the other, “I’ve got a Sheriff Lamb special in the waiting room for you.”

“Let me guess,” she drawls, “rich ‘victim’,” she pairs it with air-quotes, “planted evidence, and a timeline that makes no goddamn sense?”

“Got it in one,” he says tiredly, suddenly exhausted with the never-ending Neptune narrative.

“Send him in,” she says immediately, pulling her legs back and flipping through the one of the endless files that populate her life.

He hesitates at the door; once he hands off the kid, it becomes a case, and Veronica will tune out everything else that matters.  And Eli owes it to her to ask, to give a shit.

“When’s he back?” He asks softly.

Veronica’s hands slow, tension pouring back into her frame.  “Four more weeks,” she answers, clearly unwilling to further the conversation anymore.

“Yeah, well, make sure you remember to drag his ass to dinner with us then.  Valentina misses his stupid impressions.”

She rolls her eyes, and he shakes his head and leans out of the doorway to gesture to the kid, and that’s that.  Veronica Mars is on the case, and somewhere across Neptune, a familiar shiver just went down Don Lamb’s spine.

[gamestreamingsetup]

What Is Game Streaming

What truly is it that separates a real true geek from a fake wanna-be? In our story / article, it’s participation. Normies go see superhero movies, play video games, and revel in all of the fruits of geek lifestyle, however we’re those who virtually make it. One of a kinds, though one of An crucial issue of the geek character is being able to produce your very own cool individual thoughts, and in this story / article we’ll come up with all the knowledge and gear you want to get in on the movement, that is Video Game Streaming. Be It Twitch, Or Google's Game Streaming Service.

How To Make, Your Streaming Fun - Interactive, And Most Importantly MONEY Off Of It.

If there’s one thing / component in which you’ve probably been instructed again and again approximately your gaming habit, it’s which you’ll by no means be able to make a dwelling off it. Well, that each one changed a few years in the past. Now, a thriving tradition of humans are broadcasting their digital adventures to the sector and making a pretty penny off it. It’s called streaming, and it’s massive. Some of the largest names inside the industry get tens of heaps of viewers for the duration of their periods, and advertising sales means cash goes into their pocket for every and every one of them. Streamers play all genres of video games from all eras, and the most popular have carved out healthful niches for themselves.

You don’t even need to be accurate at games to stream — even though it truly helps! Viewers are drawn to sturdy personalities, humor, wise evaluation, and ability as a great deal as boobs. Combine a few of these and you’re properly to your manner to streaming achievement.

Twitch, Google, And Stream Overlay:

The Supplies, And Accessories you will need before you begin streaming. The first component you’ll need is, of path, a solid net connection. There’s nothing that turns viewers off a circulation faster than lousy frame rate and audio drops, so make certain that your streaming device is running at once into your modem or router — no longer over WiFi. Secondly, you’ll need some streaming software program. There are severa options in the marketplace at a selection of charge stages. One famous free alternative is OBS, which you could get right here. Xsplit has a loose advert-supported version, and plenty of professional streamers find it worth it to pay the $25 quarterly license charge. That lets you do things like transmit Skype feeds and push to projectors.

A microphone is vital so you can deliver remark on your recreation, react to people in the chat, and construct your brand. If you’re using your pc’s on-board mic, put on headphones so that you don’t select up game audio on it. Most streamers pick a headset mic, which you could get at an cheap price. You don’t necessarily need a webcam, however having viewers able to see your face as you play and react to a recreation may be a huge addition in your circulate. People may be looking no longer just for the video games you play — dozens if not loads of streamers might be playing the equal games — however the character you carry to the table. If you’re going to be streaming from any console besides an Xbox One or PS4 (both of which guide Twitch natively), you’ll want a capture card to transmit that output to the net.

Finally, you need to pick your streaming provider. Right now, the dominant player within the marketplace is Twitch. It has the largest viewer base and the maximum nicely-set up commercial enterprise model. That said, there are a few restrictions on content material which can power you to other competition like Hitbox.

Man Versus The Gaming Stream

Before you begin Right off the bat: you probably gained’t have many (if any) visitors in your first move. That’s quality! Rome wasn’t constructed in an afternoon, and neither was PewDiePie’s Hollywood mansion. Before you pass stay, though, it’s critical to run a few assessments to your setup to make certain that the visitors you have got get an most beneficial experience. OBS lets you record pattern streams and play them back to test your setup. Here’s what’s important to search for.

Audio balance: This might be the trickiest factor to get right. You want to make sure that visitors can pay attention you over the in-recreation sound, however you don’t need the feed to just be your voice (or any heritage noise like crying toddlers or partying neighbors). Game decision and clarity: You need to ensure your display screen is casting in reality so the game-play is featured, and you want to make the shot of your self doesn’t obscure any essential part of the game-play, like the HUD. Game familiarity: If humans song into your movement, they don’t need to watch you suffering with show resolutions. Make sure that the sport boots and is playable so that you don’t waste everybody’s time. When you’re geared up to circulation for the primary time, reach out to your social networks to people you recognize, and ask them to music in and proportion. The extensive majority likely received’t, but the few that do will form the center of your support.

CS:GO Stream

Islands in the circulate Deep breaths. It’s time in your first live broadcast.

Set up the movement, ship out another notification on social media, after which get to it. It’s going to sense weird at the start, but there are a few things to remember the fact that will assist you through.

This is a performance: Remember that. What your viewers are seeing is a performance, now not reality. So, remember approaches to make it the quality overall performance it can be. You’re going to need to speak a lot. Don’t censor your self much: Anything which you normally could suppose as opposed to say at the same time as gaming is well worth saying on move. If you have a cam on, make sure your face is expressive. People are looking to hook up with you, so let them. Recognize the target market: That’s what the move chat is for. People will placed all styles of nonsense in that container, and you want to reward them for it. An engaged target market is a devoted target audience. Responding to their feedback at the air is a super manner to expand that rapport and help you suspect to your toes. Keep your cool: Stream chat can be a notoriously lawless location, and randos love to razz streamers, mainly green ones. Take their remarks with accurate grace and flow on. Finally, pick out a good finishing point for your circulation. Try to maintain it brief and sweet, so viewers don’t lose interest, however ensure you provide them a terrific bite of content. Always leave them looking greater – and whilst you move offline, let any viewers realize while you plan to circulate again.

Fighting Game Stream

Getting bigger So you’re up and jogging with your circulate, gambling games, interacting with the chat, and having an amazing time. Now, you want to make people spoil that subscribe button and get your numbers up. There are two components to that equation: acquiring viewers and making them want to stay.

Use YouTube as a crucial aid: Being capable of upload video totally free is a gift, and archiving your material is a superb issue to do. That’s not saying you ought to be importing every unmarried movement, even though. Now’s the time where you need to selectively edit out the great moments of your stream to make person highlights. Keep these brief and candy — under a minute is a good goal — and make certain to include your flow records in the remarks (and annotations). Several websites do regular roundups of spotlight videos like those, which is a high-quality manner to get your content in the front of new audiences. If you observed you've got some thing suitable, don’t be afraid to ship it out. Push alerts on your YouTube movies via Twitch: When your movement is live, use this method to alert human beings which you’ve long gone live. Anybody watching your videos can, with a single click on, track into your stay feed. Do giveaways or raffles: The prospect of getting a few kind of swag is a effective motivator, and lots of streamers use giveaways to fill their channels. If you operate Google Chrome, there’s even a free extension that helps you to pick out a random viewer with a single click. Whatever technique you operate to bring viewers in, it’s your content material that’s going to hold them there. Make positive to position power and effort into every move. Think of it like the old days of TV, while getting collectively to watch a show on the identical time each week changed into a ritual. You need that identical feeling out of your visitors.

Monetizing Your Stream

Make a few cash The giant majority of streamers do it as a interest, not anything more. It’s a manner to share the games they love with an target audience. If you may build up a fan following, even though, it’s very possible to show it into something that will pay.

Monetize your Twitch account: You need a mean concurrent viewer count over 500 human beings (which means 500 people want to be normally looking your streams at any time), in addition to a commitment to movement at the least 3 instances per week. However, those aren’t difficult and speedy policies, and if you may reveal other elements that might make you a good investment, they may allow you to in. Monetize YouTube motion pictures: It’s important to word that some publishers don’t can help you get sales from footage of their games — Nintendo might be the largest instance. Thankfully, most PC publishers are properly aware that streamers represent a huge free advertising opportunity and can help you declare your proportion. Sponsorship's: Many corporations companion with excessive-profile streamers and pay them to apply or sell their merchandise on movement. These sponsorship's usually aren’t notable lucrative, however they may be a pleasing way to tug in a bit more scratch. Most importantly, have amusing. If you’re not enjoying your movement, it’s particularly doubtful that anybody else is going to. Don’t permit the strain of subscribers and visitors suck the a laugh out of playing games.

Some useful sources for streamers:

/r/Twitch on Reddit is a supportive community of streamers in any respect levels of success Twitch Tips is a extensive-ranging useful resource that covers capture devices, overlays, and different technical issues

[twinflamable]

LFRP: Niqmepa Desfosse

(singal boosts appreciated, btw.)

the basics ––– –

AGE: 38

RACE: Duskwight

GENDER: Female

SEXUALITY: Bisexual

STATUS: Single

physical appearance ––– –

HAIR: Naturally purple. Tipped in red and decorated with metal rings crafted from coins or other baubles.

EYES: Pink, often mistaken for red.

HEIGHT: 6′3′’

BUILD: Lithe but muscular. A laborer’s build.

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Tattoo over left eye.

COMMON ACCESSORIES: A long red tapestry, as thin as a sash, that can be worn but is more frequently tucked away.

personal ––– –

PROFESSION: Acquisitions and sales. Sometimes this means finding rare items for clients. Sometimes it means turning a store-room into a junk shop. She’s registered with the adventurer’s guild, so sometimes this means grabbing a leveplate and a pickaxe and doing the hard work.

HOBBIES: Maintains a “written” record of her genealogy and some of her clan’s history in the form of of a woven tapestry of significant length. She is often busy at work creating a second one. Journals meticulously.

LANGUAGES: Eorzean.

RESIDENCE: Travels. Keeps store-houses in some places.

BIRTHPLACE: A network of caverns beneath the Shroud, not directly connected to Gelmorra.

RELIGION: Loosely holds to the Twelve. Practices her clan’s traditional augury and lets omens guide her travels and choices. She reveres the earth and the forces that shape it, a kind of individualistic geomancy.

FEARS: That she might, even after so much life, still unknowingly embody the wicked philosophies that caused the downfall of her clan, or that these things might be an inescapable outcome of her beliefs and experiences.

relationships ––– -

SPOUSE: None.

CHILDREN: None.

PARENTS: Deceased.

SIBLINGS: Deceased.

OTHER RELATIVES: Deceased.

PETS: Xiajhi, a lesser panda.

traits ––– -

extroverted / introverted / in between.

disorganized / organized / in between.

close minded / open-minded / in between.

calm / anxious / in between.

disagreeable / agreeable / in between.

cautious / reckless / in between.

patient / impatient / in between.

outspoken / reserved / in between.

leader / follower / in between. (indepent, tbh)

empathetic / unemphatic / in between.

optimistic / pessimistic / in between.

traditional / modern / in between.

hard-working / lazy / in between.

cultured / un-cultured / in between. (what does this mean?)

loyal / disloyal / unknown / in between.

faithful / unfaithful / unknown / in between.

additional information ––– –

SMOKING HABIT: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

DRUGS: never / sometimes /frequently / to excess.

ALCOHOL: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

RP Hooks:

You need an item acquired. Do you want an artifact or rare material and need someone to obtain it, but you can’t afford a Champion Of The Eorzea or some Legendary Artificer Slash Archaeomancer? Niqmepa is a working class laborer who gets the job done, digging up potsherds, ore, or rare relics if she’s got enough clues to go on. She frequently answers job listings of this kind, or gets referrals from past clients who know that she’s reliable and doesn’t charge more than she’s worth.

You see a sale and hope to find a good deal. When Niqmepa isn’t employed by clients, she’s maintaining a general inventory of useful items. Most of her income comes from trade goods that she either obtains or buys for resale, but a byproduct of this is a bunch of junk goods that she has to liquidate somehow. Her store rooms can be converted into junk shops when they get too full, and you might find some nice stuff in there if you go looking.

You meet on the road. Niqmepa is the kind of person who would offer to share her fire with a fellow traveler, and maybe even some food if they needed it. She might also ask another to share their fire, if it was late and she decided to stop. This is, of course, assuming you don’t have any bad omens hanging over your head. You don’t, do you? She’s unlikely to travel outside of Eorzea, though.

You have a bad feeling about Niqmepa. If you’re sensitive to aether, particularly if you’re wary about voidsent or curses, this might be the case. Oh, it’s not like she’s possessed or a demon in disgusie -- or, if she is, it’s concealed better than most -- and there’s no darkness or dramatic aura pouring out of her. But something feels off in her aether, something subtle, that you can’t really place. Maybe it’s a curse that’s missed its mark, or maybe something that happened a very long time ago and left its sign. Or it could be something more troubling that is deeply, carefully concealed. It would be impossible to say without investigating.

Or whatever your character’s hook is. I’m okay with bringing her to you if you can’t decide how to come to her.

OOC Notes:

I’d prefer to rp in chat, PMs, discord, Skype, whatever. I’m unlikely to participate in in-game rp at the moment, for reasons. I’d be game for RPing on a forum if you have a site you rp on. Otherwise I’m willing to go to your preferred chat service. Or we can just rp here on tumblr; that’s good too. Niqmepa’s on Coeurl, if that matters.

I’m not always the fastest RPer. I don’t require that you be fast either. My preferred pace for RP is that which is comfortable for all involved.

I get anxious sometimes. This can make it hard to begin. Given time, I’ll work my way through it. I might ask for your patience if I’m having trouble.

I’m not against romance in RP, but I prefer to rp that kind of thing with RPers I’ve known for a long time. It’s not like I never make exceptions, but I probably won’t be making any right now.

[fourohfourrealitynotfound]

Rear View Mirror

“When Eva told Dylan about her plan to take a two-day car ride to go off to college, they asked to tag along and make it a road trip.”

For the rest of her life, Eva kept this trip a secret. She never told anyone for fear that they would look at her in a different way when she explained how it ended.

-

TW Suicide, emotional abuse, and food are all mentioned in this short story. There’s also a moment where a non-binary character is deadnamed, but the deadname is written as a dash.

If you are going through suicidal thoughts, emotional abuse, or an eating disorder, please Google the appropriate hotline or support service. I and many others care about you, and we want you to get the help you need. Your life matters.

-

Read below the cut or on Wattpad.

When Eva told Dylan about her plan to take a two-day car ride to go off to college, they asked to tag along and make it a road trip.

The best friends had known each other for the better part of three years, but they never met in person. Eva vaguely remembered some Tumblr post about rubber ducks with knives that lead Dylan becoming her mutual. They eventually started messaging and then Skyping as they became friends. Eva was proud to include Dylan on her list of most reliable friends.

She didn’t know too much about their personal problems. She knew that their home life wasn’t the greatest, and that their parents were rather unsupportive and borderline emotionally abusive. Eva may not have known the full extent of the situation, but she was definitely happy that her best friend was getting out of there.

Dylan barely had to ask before Eva agreed to drive road trip with them. Secretly, she had been hoping that they would ask. What’s a better way to become closer friends than to be stuck in a moving vehicle with them for two days? So, when they asked to ride with her, she enthusiastically agreed.

-

Dylan’s house wasn’t in shambles, but it wasn’t a mansion, either. They lived in a neighborhood where all the houses were the same cookie-cutter box in different colors. The driveway lead to a one-car garage, and there was even a small front yard. Across the street, some little kids played with chalk and balls and scooters. The area was rather pleasant, in Eva’s opinion.

When she pulled up to the house, Eva double checked the number before sending them a text that she was there. A minute later, Dylan was hustling out of the house with a duffle bag slung over their shoulder. Eva got out of the car to open the trunk and give them a huge hug. “It’s nice to finally meet you!” she said.

”Same!” Dylan said, but with a slightly less enthusiastic tone. “Let’s just get out of here.” They shut the trunk and quickly got in the passenger seat. Eva noted Dylan’s nervous behavior, but she chalked it up to running away from their parents and meeting someone they’d only known through the internet. So, she let it go and joined Dylan in the car.

-

The first couple hours were a bit awkward. They attempted to make small talk, but it didn’t go well. Eva kept dancing around the subject of Dylan’s decision to leave home while Dylan ignored her questions and tried to talk about silly Tumblr posts. Eventually, they just lapsed into silence.

When they got back in the car after stopping at a gas station, Eva decided to play music so they wouldn’t have to suffer in a palpable silence. She hooked up her phone to her car’s radio speakers and let Dylan scroll through Spotify and play whatever they wanted. The first couple songs were enjoyed in silence. Eva then began to hum and then sing along, and soon they were both screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs.

The conversation stated with favorite bands before moving through favors movies, television, actors, and more. Talking became easier by the minute as the two found topics that they could comfortably agree upon. As they ran out of easy subjects, they moved on to political issues and moral debates.

As the conversation evolved, Eva began to feel more and more grateful that she had brought Dylan along. It looked like her plan of cementing their friendship would be successful after all.

-

When it was dark outside and Eva could barely keep her eyes open, Dylan suggested that they stop for the night. Not wanting to spend money on a hotel, the pair eventually decided to sleep in the car. They were lucky to find the parking lot of a recently shut down restaurant just a couple minutes after exiting the interstate.

Eva retrieved a couple blankets from the trunk and shower her companion how to recline their seat all the way back. They bid each other goodnight and turned to curl up facing the car doors.

After a few minutes of silence, Eva whispered, “Dylan? Are you awake?”

”Yeah,” they replied. “I can’t sleep.”

”Me either.”

”Why?” Dylan flipped over to face her.

Having heard them moving, Eva also turned over. “You first.”

”Ok,” Dylan started, taking a deep breath. “I’m thinking about my parents.”

Eva wanted to ask about why they were running away, but she restrained herself. “Do you miss them?”

”No, definitely not. I’m so glad that I’m leaving. The way they made comments about my appearance or my grades or the amount of time I spent on the internet... it was just so toxic. It felt like the descriptions you read about people who are bullied in school.”

Eva nodded. “Your parents shouldn’t make you feel like a victim.”

”Yeah. I didn’t realize that for the longest time, but when I did, it was like a light switched on in my brain. I don’t owe them anything. They can’t force me to stay while they are making comments that let my mental health deteriorate.

”Before you offered to let me come with you, I was in a really bad place . . .” They trailed off and took a few deep breaths. Eva noticed that their eyes were sparkling with held back tears. “My mind was thinking the darkest thoughts that someone could have. If you hadn’t messaged me when you did, I don’t know what I would have done.” At this point, Dylan’s breath was shaky and their voice was cracking.

”Hey, it’s ok,” Eva sat up and leaned across the parking break to give them a hug. “You’re here now. They can’t do anything to take you back. You’re free.” Dylan finally broke and sobbed into her neck.

They stayed like that for a long time, holding each from across the car. When Dylan finally calmed down, they both laid down and drifted off to sleep. It was comforting to both of them to know that they were safe with someone who had their back.

-

Eva woke up first, but she stayed laying down for a little while longer, letting Dylan sleep. Eventually, she gently shook them awake. “Hey, Dylan,” she whispered. “Put on your seatbelt so I can take us to breakfast.” They grumbled but complied, and soon Eva was driving to the nearest place with pancakes while Dylan continued to sleep.

Eva gently woke Dylan again when they arrived. Inside, the pair ordered a breakfast feast and chatted about their favorite foods, their favorite memories, their most nostalgic items, their most sentimental keepsakes. The conversation was light and filled with increased laughter as they consumed caffeine and woke up. They took their time and continued to chat, ordering more coffee as an excuse to stay. When their bellies were so full that they couldn’t possibly eat any more, Eva and Dylan returned to the car and continued their journey.

-

As they approached their destination, Eva and Dylan’s mood began to dim. The car fell into an uneasy silence that they didn’t bother to fill with music. Eva had spent nearly two days in the same car as Dylan, but she hadn’t grown tired of their presence. In fact, she grew more attached to her fiends. They would be living in the same city, but Eva didn’t want to say to them when they reached their destination. She already knew that she’d miss Dylan while living only ten minutes away.

When there was only twenty minutes of driving left, Eva exited the interstate to refuel at a gas station. The sun was beginning to touch the horizon when finished filling up the car. “Hey, I need to go to the restroom,” she told Dylan. “I’ll be right back.”

On her way back to the car, her phone rang for the first time in two days. The caller ID was Dylan, but that couldn’t be right. From where she was standing, Eva could see them sitting in the car and watching the distant sunset in the car’s mirrors. They must have left their phone at home, and it was probably one of their family members calling to ask where Dylan was. Not wanting to disturb them with a conversation about their family, Eva answered the phone still standing on the sidewalk in a few feet away from the car.

”Hello, is this Eva West?” The voice was masculine, most likely Dylan’s father.

She turned away from the car to face the sunset. “Yeah, that’s me.”

”Okay, good. I’m calling all of —‘s friends to inform them.”

She winced at the use of her friend’s deadname. “Inform us of what?” Eva tried to keep her voice neutral and not give away that she knew Dylan had run away from home and knew their exact location.

Dylan’s dad was silent for a moment, and then a shaking breath was drawn. “— is dead.”

That was weird. Dead, not missing? Perhaps they gave up on the search and declared them dead. “What . . . What do you mean?” Eva barely had to add any concern to her voice, because it was already creeping in.

“— committed . . . committed suicide a week ago.”

A week ago. A week ago was when Eva told Dylan that she was going to road trip to college. A week ago was when Dylan asked Eva to tag along on her road trip. A week ago was when Eva made the plan to road trip and become closer friends.

The hand holding up her phone was shaking violently. “I have to go. Thank you for telling me.” Eva hung up and then paused to take a few deep breaths. She whipped around to look at the car, not sure which version of what she would find terrified her more.

No one was in the car.

Eva stared at the empty passenger seat for a while, unable to comprehend what it meant. The world blurred as tears quickly pooled in her eyes. She somehow managed to get in the car before she completely broke down. Eva’s head rested on the steering wheel that she gripped with an iron-tight grip. Her sobs were loud and wet and heartbreaking.

Some time later, she calmed down enough to wipe her eyes. She fumbled in her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone, navigating to her text conversations and call list and Tumblr messages. All of the conversation that Eva remembered having with Dylan over the past week were gone. There was no evidence to prove that she had actually interacted with them.

Dylan was gone.

Eva leaned back in her seat and stared into the rear view mirror. Her eyes glazed over as she remembered her times with Dylan, the good and the bad and the great. She didn’t know if the past week had been hallucinations or a ghostly visit, but Eva was grateful to have some perceived interaction before Dylan left for good.

Her only regret was that she never got to tell them goodbye.

[maybeformepersonally]

look I’m not saying you should write the boyband au but I am saying you should write some headcannons for the boyband au

okay so i don’t see daniel howell being part of a boyband, ever, no matter what teen magazines like to imply with their shiny cringy wowza edits, so i’m going with rock band instead. probably alternative rock with some interesting experimental twists thrown in, a little bit edgy but overall just really good bops with a wholesome message and a fresh, innovative sound.

now that’s been established, let’sa go:

1. phil is the lead singer because that man has a voice, but they all sing. phil learnt to play guitar when he was a kid, following in the footsteps of his cool older brother who he wanted to be like (with good reason, because martyn is awesome). he and martyn went to the same teacher, and it was with him that they also started to learn other instruments. 

2. phil and martyn are close growing up, not in small part due to their shared love for music, and they played together all the time, making up melodies and later on whole songs. they started a band with some friends when they were teens, which broke up when a couple of them went off to uni. their second band broke off when martyn left for uni, but he missed it terribly, and so did phil. after a lot of contemplation and soul-searching they decide to go after a career in music. martyn changes his major, and when the time comes for phil, he chooses the royal northern college of music in manchester, and for the first time gets formal vocal training as well as a general musical background and the opportunity to perfect his guitar and cello skills.

3. dan’s love for music started with his dream of playing the piano. his parents sent him to private classes after he begged them for long enough that they realised he was serious about it, but they still told him he had to pay for it with his own pocket money, which he did. this was important to him. his teacher was a young, upbeat, classically trained student who was a bit disorganised, but every bit as passionate about her craft as dan would grow to be. she loved dan’s dedication, and was always patient and encouraging, and she was his main supporter when he decided to move to manchester to pursue music professionally (his parents were skeptical at first). he dabbled with other instruments, and later on would play some of them occasionally, but the piano would always be his first and everlasting love. dan is quick to love but he’s steadfast, and he’d be fortunate enough to choose well, every time.

4. dan and phil meet, of course, on the internet. phil creates a youtube channel at first because it was the best way to share his music with his brother and other friends, and soon learns he can use it as a sort of sounding board, since complete strangers can listen and comment, and there’s a small but active community of UK-based music creators there. he makes a few casual friends there, mostly people he won’t see again, or that he’ll talk to once or twice a year at most. the exception is one stunningly pretty boy from reading with the face of an angel and the piano skills of someone who made a deal with the devil, (and soft looking lips that phil can’t quite take his eyes off, and the most adorable dimples, and surprisingly defined collarbones that phil wanted to bite, but that was neither here nor there). phil notices his username because dan’s commented on several of phil’s videos, always positively, and some of his comments were really insightful. phil was not prepared, when he clicked on his username, to find the man behind the comments, but he was glad to. he binged the few videos dan had uploaded in under an hour then went back to rewatch and leave comments on them. the last comment he wrote offered an msn contact and an open and very enthusiastic offer to chat.

5. dan had a mini freak out when his youtube crush commented on every single one of his shitty videos, but despite his own insecurities, dan would not let this opportunity pass him by, so he contacted phil as requested. he was a tightly-wound bundle of nerves during that whole first chat (which lasted a lot longer than he would have thought), but he was also grinning from ear to ear the whole time. he may have screamed into his pillow after they finally called it a night, at almost 3 in the morning, too keyed up to actually go to sleep, but if so then no one could prove it.

6. dan and phil kept talking on msn for a while, as well as through other social media platforms (phil was the only person to consistently reach out when he was being dramatic and vague on twitter), then moved on to skype, and eventually, they met up in real life. they bonded over their love for music and even had a little improv session at phil’s house when dan went to visit. phil made up ridiculous lyrics for the songs and dan could not take his eyes off him the entire time, it was unfair how perfect he was, he thought. then phil started singing about meeting a boy named dan on the internet, and the things he sang were so sweet and flattering that it gave dan the final push he needed to dare to close the small distance and kiss him. 

7. dan has to return home after only three days, but they have their next visit planned already, and they’re connected through the internet. they talk all the time, in fact, and dan starts filming and uploading more songs just so that phil gets to hear him play. dan starts writing more, inspired by these new feelings, and soon they’re collabing through skype, weaving melodies together, their styles jarringly different but surprisingly complementary.

8. dan gets to meet martyn on his fourth visit to phil’s. martyn had heard a lot about him, of course, since his little brother could not seem to shut up about him for longer than a few minutes (if that), and he’s seen dan’s videos (again, urged by phil), so when he finally got to meet the younger boy, he suggested they all jam together. martyn had never seen phil so happy as he was while playing with his two favourite people.

9. it becomes a thing. a tradition of sorts, that when they are all in the same place, they’ll improv together. dan and phil have been writing songs together, and phil and martyn never quite stopped doing so as well, but when all three of them play together they mostly ignore those in favour of trying out new sounds. by the time they start talking band names, they have more than enough songs for an album.

10. they amass an internet following, and soon enough local bars are too small for the crowds they attract, so they move on to other venues. dan and phil move in together, and somehow they’re still stuck on the honeymoon stage two years into their relationship, which is mostly cute except when martyn walks in on them furiously making out in the studio, or the tour bus, or their dressing room, or once at a hotel lobby’s bathroom. he teases them mercilessly about it.

11. their fanbase keeps growing steadily, and before they know it they’re releasing their third album, and one of their singles unexpectedly makes it to the top of the charts. suddenly, they’re getting invited to more interviews than they can actually go on, their album sales skyrocket, and they have to modify their tour plans to accommodate their newfound fame. it’s exhausting but exhilarating, for a few months it feels like they barely have time to breathe, much less compose new music, but somehow they still write a few new songs. it feels like everything is falling into place.

12. martyn meets and promptly falls in love with cornelia, a swedish singer who was booked to open for them on the european leg of their first world tour. she’s invited to travel with them the rest of the way, and phil finally gets to have his revenge for every time martyn poked fun at him for staring at dan too much, or for not being able to stop touching dan (innocent touches only, when martyn was around. but it’s true: phil doesn’t seem able to keep his hands to himself when dan is around, he’s always sitting close enough that their sides are touching, poking his dimple when he smiles, nudging his shoulder to call his attention, pretending to bite him when he teases phil, pushing him playfully when he makes fun of him.) and okay, phil is smitten, and it shows, but martyn is just as bad with cornelia, and soon enough dan joins in the gentle teasing.

13. cornelia becomes a fixture in their lives, part of the family, and she is warmly welcomed into the fold. dan has been an unofficial lester for a long time by this point, and now she becomes one as well. 

14. cornelia sometimes features in a song or two, but she has her own thing going and isn’t actually interested in joining their band (they asked). she and phil harmonise beautifully, and whatever songs they release with her are always their most popular. 

15. cornelia likes to take pictures of them and upload them to her social media accounts, which works out great for everyone involved because sometimes they can’t be bothered to post stuff themselves, and the band’s manager is insistent that they be more active on social media. This way she gets to gently poke fun at their boys, help them keep their manager off their backs, and do a public service to their fanbase, who can never have enough content.

16. this is one such picture. 

[haydenboye]

Doing Business in Japan

There are a growing number of dating apps that are specially designed for people living with HIV. Or are you more on the outgoing side? No, I like more serious people. By the way things ended, it definitely seemed like it was Addison's decision. It's a good way to meet people, but not sustain a relationship. I was open to it, but I wasn’t really on the apps or intentionally trying to meet people when I was out. This means she may feel out of her element; whatever you do, don't ignore her or assume she'll figure it out on her own. I try not to, but I will if I feel that I should. I try to take revenge. I'll take a normal guy, please. There is no one right way to go through a divorce, but for everyone, it's necessary to take time to work through the end of the relationship. This is possible in potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating, for example, because most minerals do not take argon into their structures initially. נערות ליווי ברמת גן Based on that frustration, I wanted Yarns to be able to operate independently of other IndieWeb structures. Only our test can help you sort through the confusion.

I will help anyone out who needs it. Now is the time for you to find out! I'd wait a fairly long time. I would wait a little bit. He's a little bit fit. Goetze (1951) argues against Albright that the high chronology seems to fit best. Humor is the best. I do my best to forget about it. Over ten years ago, she plugged into the network nation and earned her way as a sort of networking consultant by adroitly introducing others to it and explaining away the dark, mysterious corners. And my friends gave me this sort of bloated sense of false confidence. Many of these even offer in-person mixers for single parents instead of one-on-one dating. This is a creation of a renowned network that has been offering online dating services for several years already, so the platform has all the features for men interested in Asian female seeking dating. ❤️ Date In Asia is free to use and highly accessible, and that will never change for our main features.

The free app lets you match and chat with potential partners or upgrade to a premium membership ($9.99 per month) for an ad-free experience, a boosted profile, unlimited number of likes, and the ability to "rewind" by giving somebody a second chance. Sign up FREE today! ”, “What do you mean I have to go to my parents for Thanksgiving alone! I would talk to my parents about it. You can't always tell if you're going to click with someone until you've met them in person, or at the very least spoken via phone or video call, eg Skype. He's not into video games. I'd introduce them right away. If you are dating first time, many suggestions are there for you to get the right way with right person. On-screen, Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron danced their way into each other's hearts, while gambler Marlon Brando seduced young nun Jean Simmons and Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart fell in love while performing an act of patriotism.

I don't care, I love them. I'm not ready for the "I love you" part yet. Instead, he was inspired to try to win back the heart of his lost love Kate Stern. I try to keep going out to keep my mind off of it. Everyone has a unique, jaw-dropping feature that makes them stand out in a crowd. What do you like to do for fun or how would you spend a night out? It feels like a meat market. If a dating site asks you questions like these, steer clear! Harmony is a much larger site (and may have more Christians), but it’s hard to say for sure. Maybe you like those who are muscular and fit, or perhaps you're more into someone who is sweet and shy. Do you like people for what's on the inside? This conveys that she isn't selfish; she has empathy for other people but is very guarded when showing it. The bugs also need fixing with notifications, showing that I have "likes" but they disappeared completely. I have identified relationships among IndieWeb’s social structures, design decisions, material architecture, and connections to corporate platforms, which may be helpful for future decision-making.

[perfectlymassiveengineer]

Doing Business in Japan

There are a growing number of dating apps that are specially designed for people living with HIV. Or are you more on the outgoing side? No, I like more serious people. By the way things ended, it definitely seemed like it was Addison's decision. It's a good way to meet people, but not sustain a relationship. I was open to it, but I wasn’t really on the apps or intentionally trying to meet people when I was out. נערות ליווי בתל אביב והמרכז This means she may feel out of her element; whatever you do, don't ignore her or assume she'll figure it out on her own. I try not to, but I will if I feel that I should. I try to take revenge. I'll take a normal guy, please. There is no one right way to go through a divorce, but for everyone, it's necessary to take time to work through the end of the relationship. This is possible in potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating, for example, because most minerals do not take argon into their structures initially. Based on that frustration, I wanted Yarns to be able to operate independently of other IndieWeb structures. Only our test can help you sort through the confusion.

I will help anyone out who needs it. Now is the time for you to find out! I'd wait a fairly long time. I would wait a little bit. He's a little bit fit. Goetze (1951) argues against Albright that the high chronology seems to fit best. Humor is the best. I do my best to forget about it. Over ten years ago, she plugged into the network nation and earned her way as a sort of networking consultant by adroitly introducing others to it and explaining away the dark, mysterious corners. And my friends gave me this sort of bloated sense of false confidence. Many of these even offer in-person mixers for single parents instead of one-on-one dating. This is a creation of a renowned network that has been offering online dating services for several years already, so the platform has all the features for men interested in Asian female seeking dating. ❤️ Date In Asia is free to use and highly accessible, and that will never change for our main features.

The free app lets you match and chat with potential partners or upgrade to a premium membership ($9.99 per month) for an ad-free experience, a boosted profile, unlimited number of likes, and the ability to "rewind" by giving somebody a second chance. Sign up FREE today! ”, “What do you mean I have to go to my parents for Thanksgiving alone! I would talk to my parents about it. You can't always tell if you're going to click with someone until you've met them in person, or at the very least spoken via phone or video call, eg Skype. He's not into video games. I'd introduce them right away. If you are dating first time, many suggestions are there for you to get the right way with right person. On-screen, Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron danced their way into each other's hearts, while gambler Marlon Brando seduced young nun Jean Simmons and Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart fell in love while performing an act of patriotism.

I don't care, I love them. I'm not ready for the "I love you" part yet. Instead, he was inspired to try to win back the heart of his lost love Kate Stern. I try to keep going out to keep my mind off of it. Everyone has a unique, jaw-dropping feature that makes them stand out in a crowd. What do you like to do for fun or how would you spend a night out? It feels like a meat market. If a dating site asks you questions like these, steer clear! Harmony is a much larger site (and may have more Christians), but it’s hard to say for sure. Maybe you like those who are muscular and fit, or perhaps you're more into someone who is sweet and shy. Do you like people for what's on the inside? This conveys that she isn't selfish; she has empathy for other people but is very guarded when showing it. The bugs also need fixing with notifications, showing that I have "likes" but they disappeared completely. I have identified relationships among IndieWeb’s social structures, design decisions, material architecture, and connections to corporate platforms, which may be helpful for future decision-making.

[perksjust]

Office chat

#OFFICE CHAT HOW TO#

#OFFICE CHAT FULL#

#OFFICE CHAT FREE#

for a standard plan and $12.50 per user/mo. Slack pricing starts at $6.67 per user/mo. Slack has expanded its product as of late, offering video conferencing, integrations with productivity tools, and a process automation function. Its straightforward chat functions make it ideal for businesses with multiple teams that need to communicate frequently. Slack is likely the first team chat program you’ve heard of. Use Slack to chat about whatever you want, whenever. with an Office 365 Business Premium subscription and $20 per user/mo.

#OFFICE CHAT FULL#

Pricing for the full suite starts at $12.50 per user/mo.

#OFFICE CHAT FREE#

Microsoft Teams offers its chat function as a standalone free version. Users can communicate with each other through text chat or video conference, and easily share files and calendars directly through Teams. Teams integrates pre-existing Microsoft tools like OneDrive and Skype into one central database and communication hub. Microsoft Teams, the company’s latest productivity tool for business and enterprise, is quickly becoming a default chat app with more than 20 million users (at the end of 2019). Microsoft Teams offers team chat, OneDrive integration, and more. Pricing for Flock starts at $4.50 per user/mo., billed annually for unlimited messages, with 10GB of file storage per user, and more. With direct messaging, personal space, and team-based channels, you can Flock anyone at your organization, anytime.įlock’s collaboration and productivity features, like shared to-dos, reminders, and polls, all help keep your team on the same page as you chat to get your work done. Surprise, it’s us! Flock is designed with teams and small businesses in mind as an effective, scalable team communication app. Organize and chat with your team on Flock. 9 chat apps for your team and small business Plus, having all your communication in one place means it's more difficult for good ideas and important conversations to fall to the wayside.

#OFFICE CHAT HOW TO#

Knowing how to contact your team and how to streamline your communication solves countless problems many workplaces still face. Moving your office chat to a multifunctional app enables a mix of synchronous and asynchronous communication that’ll help your team communicate more and work better. These chat programs interface with multiple communication and collaboration features like file sharing, to-do lists, and video and audio conferencing. What is a team chat app?Ī team chat app is a platform where your team or business can communicate in one place. We’ve tested out nine of the best chat apps for your team or small business. If you’re looking for chat functionality and collaboration features in one easy-to-use tool, we have you covered. So how do you know which app is best for you? Office chat tools are sweeping the workforce, and it seems like a new one surfaces each day. ***Īll times are Pacific Standard Time (PST).Flock's chat functionality keeps all your team's conversations in one place. ZotChat will have limited hours on the following dates: July 11th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 29th, August 2nd, 6th, 10th, 16th, 22nd. ***ZotChat will be unavailable on Monday June 19th for the Juneteenth Holiday, July 5th for the Independence Day Holiday and September 4th for the Labor Day Holiday. ZotChat schedule for Summer 2022 June 14th - September 18th. UC Irvine students in need of these services should contact the UCI Counseling Center directly: ZotChat is not available for Personal/Crisis/Mental Health Counseling.

Personal/Crisis/Mental Health Counseling.

School of Physical Sciences ZotChat is NOT intended to answer questions related to: Questions/advisement requiring more time should be asked on a walk-in basis by visiting our office in 134 Rowland Hall during business hours. ZotChat is intended for questions that can be answered quickly.

Prerequisite Information/Prerequisite Clearance.

Change of Major Requirements for Physical Sciences Majors.

Degree Requirements for Physical Sciences Majors.

Counselors/Peer Academic Advisors in the School of Physical Sciences are available to answer general questions related to the following: ZotChat is an online live chat service available for students to ask general counseling or advising related questions.

[likeshipsonthesea]

The One With The Lesbian Wedding

First off, I’m sorry this is a year late, I am an asshole and apparently am procrastinating even things I like at this point, so that’s a thing. Secondly, I’m not sure if I’m meant to write the episode but with Samwell characters or if I can write anything that would fit with that title, but I’m doing the latter so I hope you enjoy. Thanks for the prompt!

This prompt is from this thing I reblogged, just so you know.

Also warnings for mild (REALLY MILD like almost imaginary) homophobia.

*~*~*

         In mid-June the summer after Nursey’s softie year, Ransompicks him up from a train station in Massachusetts and they drive up to Mainein Ransom’s minivan with Holster, Lardo, Jack, and Shitty. Ransom drives, as noone knows how to touch his baby like he does (he says, to which Holster gagsat), and Lardo sits in the passenger seat, barking directions in a way that hasNursey nostalgic for mornings after away games when Lardo tried to get themaway from the waffle-maker at whatever hotel they’d stayed at before the busleft without them.

        Jacksits next to Shitty in the middle and promptly falls asleep because he stayedup the entire night before coordinating his outfit with Bitty on Skype and only justmanaged to pack in time for take-off this morning. Shitty sits next to him, loudas all hell because he’s excited to have so many people he loves in the samecar with him, and Jack doesn’t even shift in his sleep because he has beenthrough war (i.e. owning a room next to Shitty’s) and won’t wake up foranything. Holster sits in the back with Nursey and the suits in their blackbags, hung up to keep from wrinkling. He alternates between yelling at Ransomto turn up the radio because the back speakers are shit and asking Nursey abouthis summer, to which Nursey gushes about being home with his moms and also hisburgeoning novel.

         The drive to Maine is a little over six hours, and they’restuck in traffic for a bit until they get passed the Mass border and thenthere’s nothing except for shacks in the wilderness and the occasional maplesyrup shop until they reach the coast. Shitty manages to get one of thepassenger side windows down- which had been stuck for over a decade ever sinceRansom’s sister lost a lollipop stick down the side of it back when she waseight and Ransom’s mom owned the car- so the car is flooded with the scent ofsaltwater and warm sand, and it makes Nursey remember when Dex came home fromSpring Break and fell asleep on the Haus couch, and Nursey used him as apillow. He smelled like the sea then, and Nursey hopes that all of Maine smellsthat sweet.

         “Bitty landed,” Jack says, sleepy, when they get across theborder into Maine. He’s blinking blearily, smiling, at his phone, and it’s theexact same look Bitty’s been giving his phone all year. Nursey wants to chirp himfor it, but Holster beats him to it, and anyway, Nursey’s moms have beenchirping him all summer for staring mushy-eyed at his phone whenever Dex textshim, and he tries not to be a hypocrite if he can help it.

         “Whiskey and Tango are coming up together right?” Lardoasks from the front, painting her toes up against the dashboard. She didn’thave time before they left, but if she can paint on Shitty’s back as he giggledat the feel of the brushes she can damn well paint under any conditions.

         “Yeah, their train comes in at three, so they’ll be there alittle after us,” Nursey says, as Tango texted him half an hour ago expoundingthe many wonders of an overnight train car. “Chowder and Farmer are sleepingoff jet lag at the hotel, and Ollie and Wicks are already there, too. They allsay the hotel rooms are sweet.”

         “Ford got in last night,” Holster says, checking his phone.“Her mom was pestering her about meeting a cute bridesmaid at the wedding soshe moved her flight up.”

         Nursey snorts. “Don’t think Poindexter’s relatives aregonna be down for that,” he says, which is mostly a joke but, well. He washesitant when Dex invited them all for his aunt’s wedding back in April,because he loves Dex and all (like, way too much, actually) but he knows Dex’sfamily probably isn’t the most… open minded? Like, he knows his queerness isn’timmediately known when he introduces himself, but his blackness is and hedoesn’t know what kind of bigoted Dex’s family is as of yet and he’s going withworst-case scenario of the buffet assortment of –isms, -ists, and phobias.

         “I think she’s still doing long-distance with Cosette from LesMis, anyway,” Ransom pipes up.

         Nursey grimaces. “Wasn’t that the girl who called the tubjuice “delightfully middle-class”?”

         “Nah, that was Fastrada from Pippin.”

         “She has got to stop dating those drama girls.” Lardosighs. She squints at her toes, now a delightful lilac color. She closes upher bottle and reaches for the top coat in the cup holder. “The Poindexterscan’t be too bad,” she says as she unscrews the top, “if Dex invited us all.”

         “He said he invited us ‘cause his aunt wanted a biggerwedding than her sister,” Shitty says, a ranting look on his face.

         Jack, thankfully, goes full-captain to cut Shitty off andsay, “It doesn’t matter. We’re guests and we have to be civil.” He says this asif he didn’t spend that whole fundraiser dinner Nursey’s frog year makingsubtle gay comments to one of the drunk donators who didn’t understand how a“gay school even had hockey”.

         “Aye, aye, Captain,” Holster says, saluting lazily, andeveryone laughs amicably.

         It’s only half an hour later when Siri announces, “Turn infive hundred feet, and the destination is on your right.” She brought them tothe hotel they’ll all be staying at. The service is at four and the receptionis in the same place, some fancy country club that Dex rolled his eyes aboutwhen he mentioned, so they have time before they have to leave. Nursey rentedhis own room, as everyone else had paired off (except for Ford who has insomniaand tends to like to have her own room) , so after they all check in they partways in the hallway and he enters his own room alone.

         He takes a shower to wash off the ride up, and when he getsout of the shower he stops in front of the big mirror and wipes away the steam.He stares at himself in the mirror, the towel slung around his waist and hishair wet and dripping on his forehead. He channels Shitty. “You,” he says,pointing at his reflection, “are a sexy motherfucker. You will charm thePoindexters down to the tiniest old grandma, you will make Dex swoon, and you won’t get drunk on champagne and tellDex his face keeps you up at night.” He grimaces as he remembers that lastkegster before summer break. He doesn’t know what Ransom put in the tub juice,he only knows that that entire night was nothis fault.

         He exits the bathroom and unzips his suit from itsencasing. He chose a simple dark grey one, nothing too expensive, with a lilacbutton down under it and a beautiful dark blue and silver patterned tie. Hethinks he looks damn good in in, if he does say so himself, and he dressescarefully, paying attention to all the little things his dad taught him aboutback in sixth grade when he had his first-ever dance and had to look good forMandy Scheckel, his little sixth-grade date. He does the fanciest tie-knot heknows, then undoes it and goes for casual, and then changes it two more timesbefore going back to the first one. He does his cufflinks, makes sure his beltis buckled nicely, even fiddles with his socks a little before he curses athimself and goes to do his hair.

         After another half-hour in front of the mirror, he wondersabout putting on some makeup, nothing major just some highlighter and maybesome mascara, but decides against it ultimately. Dex is sure to have somecousins interested in makeup and he doesn’t want any of them ratting him out as“one of them queers” to the rest of the family.

         He takes a few deep breaths and gives himself anotherpep-talk, this one more about how he can come home and cry later if he fucksthings up, but it isn’t as uplifting as the first for some reason. He leavessoon after that, taking his wallet and phone, seeing messages in the group chatabout meeting downstairs. Everyone has arrived and is ready, apparently, soNursey leaves his hotel room, meeting Shitty and Lardo in the hallway on theway to the elevator. Lardo is dressed in a pretty soft yellow dress, perfectfor summer, and in her heels she reaches just about Shitty’s chin. Shittyalways cleans up nice, even with his hair just a bit too long to be posh orrugged, and Nursey compliments him as they press the button for the lobby.

         “That’s means a shitton of a lot coming from the fuckingsupermodel,” Shitty says, elbowing Nursey lightly in the side. “You lookfucking sw’awesome man, I can’t even with that shit.”

         “Chill, Shits,” Nursey says, fidgeting a bit insheepishness. “You’ll make Lardo jealous.”

         Lardo meets his eyes, dead serious, and says, “I’d leavehim for you in a heartbeat,” which means they’re all laughing as the elevatordoors open.

         Everyone except Farmer and Chowder are in the lobbyalready, Bitty fretting at Jack’s tie and hair, Ollie and Wicks playing somegame on Wicks’ phone, and everybody else milling around talking. Tango perks upwhen he sees Nursey, getting up and coming over to give him a hug. “It’s greatto see you,” Tango says, eager like a puppy, and Nursey realizes how much he’smissed Tango’s energy.

         “Same, bro,” he says, smiling, and he offers a fist-bump toWhiskey, who follows Tango around mostly like a guard dog, but the unassuming,probably not harmful kind. Whiskey accepts the bump and nods back.

         “Nursey, you look wonderful,” Bitty says as he comes over.Nursey bends down to receive his hug.

         “Same, Bits, nice tan.” Bitty pulls back and smiles, ahandful of freckles across his nose, and Nursey thinks that it’s ratherproblematic that just the presence of freckles makes Nursey even more attractedto Bitty.

         “I have almost no tan lines,” Bitty says, proud, and Jacklooks like he’s choking from behind him. Bitty smirks, because he always knowswhat he’s doing. Nursey blanches because these are his hockey parents and no please don’t wanna know.

         Farmer and Chowder come out from the elevator at thatmoment, a bit rumpled and breathless. Chowder greets everybody happily, huggingNursey because he’s the closest, and when they pull back Nursey gives him araised eyebrow. Chowder beams. “Farmer is downright beautiful in her dress,” hesays, not even apologetic about literally looking like he just had sex.

         Nursey can forgive him, as Farmer does look gorgeous in hersoft green dress, and he tells her as much as he gives her a kiss on the cheekin greeting. “Thank you,” she says, breathless. “Chris didn’t wrinkle it, didhe?” She looks down at herself inquiring and Nursey relieves her of her worry.

         “We should get going,” Lardo says, after everyone’s greetedone another long enough to satisfy.

         “Who’s going in what car?” Ford asks, which is an importantquestion. Every car needs a designated driver and everyone needs to be matchedup with someone who’s probably going to leave at the same time so no one getsannoyed.

         Nursey ends up back in the minivan with all the same peopleexcept for Jack, who goes with Ollie, Wicks, and Bitty in the car Ollie rented,because he’s a little older than everyone else in his year. Ford Ubers withFarmer and Chowder, so none of them have to abstain, and Tango and Whiskey taketheir own Uber for unknown reasons. They all reach the venue at about the sametime, and everyone in cars leaves them with the valet. The venue is awaterfront country-club-esque place. It’s very white, very flowy andpicturesque, and Nursey thinks it’s a beautiful place to get married, though hewas picturing more simple, going off his image of Dex. Though, he knows, justbecause Dex is plain and simple doesn’t mean his aunt is.

         There’s a giant sign reading “Gallagher-Nhung Wedding” thatdirects them towards a doorway, and as they all move to follow its directions,Lardo says, mostly to herself but next to Nursey, “A Vietnamese guy.” Her voiceis unassuming, but Nursey knows what she means; they probably won’t have todeal with too many racists then.

         “Why does it say Gallagher?” Tango asks, because he’s nevermet a question he didn’t ask.

         “It’s Dex’s mom’s sister,” Chowder explains, holding thedoor for Farmer, then Jack and Bitty. “It’s his mom’s maiden name.”

         When they’re all inside, they’re in a big room that looksback towards a deck with a water view and there’s an arching ceiling and somecouches spread around for people who have to wait. There’s a check-in deskwhere a woman in a vest with a nametag is talking to someone on the phone, anda spot above a fireplace’s mantelpiece displays sailing memorabilia. There are afew people milling about, one or two of them with red hair, so Nursey assumesthey’re in the right place. But they’re not so early that they should be theonly ones here, and Dex implied that it was a big wedding, so Nursey alsoassumes that there’s another place people are waiting.

         General questioning murmurs ensue throughout the group,and Nursey is just about to suggest asking the woman at the desk for help whenhe sees Dex coming in through some double doors near the back of the room. He’sjust in a button-up light blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Hishair is a bit messy, and he looks frazzled and a little sweaty, possibly fromrunning around. He’s gorgeous, to put it simply, and Nursey’s breath hitches atseeing him for the first time in more than a month. His moms have been makingfun of him all summer for the way he walks about Dex and the way he reacts togetting Snapchats and texts from him, and he’s sure they’d roast him now forwhatever mushy look is on his face, but damn, Dex is pretty.

         “Hey guys,” he greets them, out of breath. “The ceremony isout back on the water.” He rolls his eyes fondly. “My ma keeps saying that wewon’t be able to hear anything ‘cause the seagulls, but it should be niceanyway.” He shakes his head and takes a needed breath. “You can head on backand sit on the Gallagher side. There’s already a bunch of redheads there, youcan’t miss it.” This he says with a look to Nursey, who laughs despite himself.Dex smiles in response, so Nursey knows that’s what he was looking for, and hegrins once he mellows out.

         “Sounds good, hun,” Bitty says, pulling Dex into a hug.“Everything alright? You seem winded.”

         Dex hugs back, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just‘cause I’m the only guy in Cindy’s wedding party she’s been making me run aroundall over the place trying to find veils and bouquets and boutonnieres.” Hepulls back from the hug and gestures at himself. “I promise I won’t look likethis for the wedding. I managed to clean up somewhat.” He smiles,self-deprecating, and Nursey’s too busy wondering how he’s going to deal with aDex even more attractive than this one to protest. “Thank you guys so much forcoming. It means a lot.”

         “Got your back, man,” Ransom says, grinning.

         “Even at weddings.” Holster nods, solemnly.

         Dex grins lopsidedly, a bit goofy and probably tired, andsays, “I love you guys.” Nursey wonders if he’s already dipped into thechampagne, or if maybe the wedding is just making him sentimental. Either way,everyone “aw’s” and crowds in for a big group hug.

         “Will!” They all turn to see a red-headed woman, her hairup in intricate braids, wearing a long, white dress with beading andlacework all down it poking her head out of a doorway. She gestures with abouquet. “I need your help with my shoes! Nessa lost them!”

         “Be right there!” Dex calls back. He turns to them with atired grin. “See you guys out there,” he says before turning and jogging off tojoin the woman, presumably Cindy, the bride, in whatever room she returned to.

         “Well,” Bitty says, clapping his hands together, “shallwe?”

         They all find their way to the back deck, which sits abovethe sand only barely, fairly close to the water. People have already filled agood portion of the seats, so the group takes the up the next unfilled row onthe right side, labeled the Gallagher side, and settles in. Nursey ends up withChowder on one side and Shitty on the other, and he fidgets a bit as he waits. Theceremony should be easy, as all he really has to do is be quiet and listen, buthe’s still kind of dreading the ceremony. Despite whatever he said to hisreflection in a fit of self-esteem boosting, he doesn’t know how charming thePoindexters is going to go. He assumes they’ll be too preoccupied with thebride herself to actually care about Nursey too much, but he still doesn’t wantto make a bad impression.

         He’s being stupid, he knows, because it’s not like Dex isgoing to ever return his feelings anyway, and, even if by some miracle he did,he’d likely never introduce Nursey to his family as anything more than afriend. No offense to Dex or his relatives or anything, but going by how Dexacted when he first came to Samwell, his family is probably just asconservative and uncomfortable with ~the gays~ as Dex was. Nursey has no reasonto make a good impression, as he’ll probably never see any of Dex’s relativesever again, which makes his stomach drop just a bit despite himself.

         Shitty must notice, as he’s always had a sixth-sense whenit comes to his friends’ shitty moods, because he looks over at Nursey with aquestioning frown. But before he can ask after Nursey, music starts up,announcing the beginning of the wedding party, and Nursey frowns, looking towardsthe altar. There the officiant stands, wearing the traditional garb of a priestand/or pastor (Nursey doesn’t know the technical term), but no groom. Where’sthe Nhung guy Aunt Cindy is marrying?

         The wedding party starts coming, but they’re strange. Itchanges, but sometimes it’s a girl and a guy and sometimes it’s two girls ortwo guys, which is unlike any other wedding Nursey’s been to. Usually it’s agroomsman and a bridesmaid, but Cindy apparently mixed it up? Dex walks downthe aisle with a young Vietnamese girl on his arm, the pair of them lookingbeautiful and beaming. He looks great, now wearing a jacket and tie, even witha little boutonniere in his lapel. His eyes rove over the crowd, straying fromthe end of the aisle, and Nursey swears that Dex smiles when he meets Nursey’sgaze.

         The wedding party ends with a single woman walking down theaisle, someone Nursey recognizes from Dex’s pictures as Dex’s mom. She must bethe matron of honor, though Nursey has no idea if the wedding processional isfollowing any kind of order. The ring bearer comes next, a little Vietnameseboy in a little suit, carrying a pillow in his hands, staring at the rings withan intense concentration, so much so that he nearly walks into a chair liningthe aisle. He must’ve been told to watch after the rings so he didn’t losethem, Nursey assumes. The boy is followed by a little girl in a flowered dress,holding a basket and dropping out flowers in clumps of wrinkled white petals.She goes and stands next to Dex when she’s done, beaming proudly.

         Finally, the bride arrives on her father’s arm, grinningwithout restraint, and Nursey is still puzzled at where the groom couldpossibly be. Still, he watches her graceful descent down the aisle, her fathercrying by the time they reach the altar. He kisses her cheek before sittingdown in the one empty seat in the front row, and Cindy moves to stand at thealtar. Then her eyes widen and her grin mellows into a soft, breathtaking smileas she stares at something at the other end of the aisle, and Nursey turns tosee what she’s looking at and-

         And it’s a Vietnamese woman, Nhung presumably, in abeautiful, simple white dress, holding a bouquet with the hand not curledaround her father’s elbow. It’s at that moment that Nursey realizes- it’s alesbian wedding.

*~*~*

         The ceremony is beautiful, and everyone is cry-laughinghalfway through Cindy’s vows as she promises to only complain minimally aboutLisa’s (her bride’s) stinky feet until death do they part. When the ceremony isover, and the brides have run down the aisle (Cindy picking Lisa up halfwaydown it and carrying her the rest of the way) all of the guests stand up tomove to the reception area, which a kindly employee at the country club informsthem is “Just over there”. The Samwell group waits to let some of the elderfamily members go first, and Nursey sees on everyone’s faces the same thing hefeels; surprise.

         Bitty is the first one to speak. “I-” he says, then stops.He shakes his head and smiles. “That wasn’t what I was expecting.”

         “Me neither,” Chowder says brightly, tear stains on hischeeks. “But it was beautiful.”

         Shitty shakes his head somberly. “Shame on us, brahs, forheteronormatively assuming that-” Lardo shuts him up by hitting him in theshoulder.

         “I digged Cindy’s hair,” she says, nodding. “I need to findout who did it.”

         “Those braids were mad pretty,” Ransom agrees, as hewatches YouTube hair tutorials to calm down sometimes when he’s stressed.

         “We’d better get to the reception area,” Bitty says, asmost of the other guests have filtered out already. “Find our seats.”

         They all start moving, but still Nursey is stuck in awe,staring at the altar at which two women were just married in the presence ofDex’s entire extended family and no one objected a bit. He can’t help butwonder, hope, wonder some more, and then conclude that he has to make a damngood impression, just in case.

*~*~*

         The reception is sw’awesome. While the food is prepared,everyone is up on the dancefloor, moving along to an assortment of songs thatrange from dad rock to pop to country. Dex doesn’t get a chance to stop byagain to say hi, consumed by his numerous relatives, but Nursey doesn’t mind.He ends up dancing with a few of Dex’s cousins, and then slow dances with Fordafter the newlyweds’ first dance. When they all sit down for the appetizers,Dex is sat at their table, somehow, and talks with everyone around him, bubblyand happy and grinning. Nursey doesn’t get a chance to say much aside fromtelling him he walked funny as he went down the aisle (which he didn’t) towhich Dex laughed and leaned into Nursey’s side, which Nursey ended up smilingat his plate at for a while afterwards.

         In between courses they dance, and they chat and drink andhave a merry time all around. The food is delicious, the music is good, and thecompany is great, and Nursey can’t even remember what he was so worried aboutwhen he and everyone else in the room are singing along to Call Me Maybe afterone of Dex’s younger cousins got ahold of the playlist.

         After the Cha-Cha Slide, Nursey leaves the dancefloor to goget himself a drink (a Coke, as he told himself he wasn’t going to drink and hemeant it) and someone slides up nextto him at the bar. He turns and is surprised to see it’s Dex, grinning and abit out of breath from the dancing. “Hey,” he says, casual, as if Nurseydoesn’t want to grab him by his stupid ears and kiss the ever-loving shit outof him.

         “Hey,” Nursey says back, chill, because he’s an idiot.

         “Having a good time?” Dex asks, and at Nursey’s nod hesmiles, soft, and says, “Good, I hoped you would.”

         Nursey raises his eyebrows. “Not all the guys? Just mepersonally?” It sounds flirty and he curses himself for making a fool ofhimself, but Dex just grins, his cheeks only a little pinker.

         “Of course, Nurse.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s alwayspersonal with you.” Nursey knows it’s a chirp, but something about the way Dexsays it makes Nursey swallow hard.

         “It wasn’t what I was expecting,” Nursey says, to changethe subject before he projectile word-vomits feelings all over Dex’s nicebutton up (he ditched the jacket after the appetizers, and lost the tie too, sonow his collar is undone and flashing freckled collarbone and is way too much). “But it’s really nice.”

         Dex nods, motioning at the bartender for a drink he must’veordered already a few times tonight, because the bartender knows what he wantswithout asking. “Yeah, it’s a bit over the top, but Cindy wanted a betterwedding than her brother, my uncle Quinn, who is stewing in anger over in thecorner as aunt Abby laughs at him.”

         Nursey debates it for a moment before saying, “That’s notwhat I meant,” because he is nothing if not an annoying catalyst to all of hisand Dex’s conversations.

         Dex looks over at him, this time his eyebrows raised. “Youmean the gay thing?” Nursey just nods. Dex looks back at the bar, all thedrinks on display. Behind the shelves of drinks is a mirror and Nursey can seeDex’s reflection in it as he frowns a little. “It wasn’t great, in thebeginning. Cindy came out while she was at college and most of the familydidn’t know how to take it, at first. She’s the youngest of my mom’s siblings,except for Nessa, and Nessa’s always acted older than she was- anyway, she wasthe baby and everyone adored her, but they didn’t really understand?” Dexgrimaces for a second before his expression smooths out. “No one really talkedabout it for a few years, but then she brought Lisa home and told everyone theyhad to deal with or she wouldn’t ever come back again, and they did. No onewanted to lose her.”

         “Everyone seemed fine today,” Nursey says lightly.

         “Oh yeah.” Dex shakes his head, his expression returning toits earlier easiness. “Everyone’s fine now, really. A few of my cousins havecome out, and Dani even started transitioning last year, and everyone gets herpronouns right now, even when smashed.” Dex smiles a little. “Cindy started it,though. She made it okay.”

         “You must be really proud of her,” Nursey says, smilingback.

         “I was fifteen when she brought Lisa home. I just got myfirst boyfriend and I was terrified that I’d be disowned, then I found out mymom had been going to PFLAG meetings since Cindy’d come out to her a decadeearlier and I felt like an idiot.” He smiles, thanking the bartender as hehands Dex his drink. He takes a sip and turns to look at Nursey. “She’s mysuperhero.”

         Nursey blinks, trying not to let his surprise at Dex’squeerness show on his face. He remembers his moms talking, sometimes, aboutwhat it was like when they came out to their families, how it took time toadjust and how some people never did, and he’s grateful for everything theygave him, especially the environment in which his coming out consisted ofsaying “I think Buffy is cute, but not as cute as Angel” at the dinner table ona random day he doesn’t really remember.

         He looks at Dex, the pride in his smile and slant of hisshoulders and how comfortable he looks with himself in that moment, and hewants to tell Dex how much he loves him.

         But Chowder comes up behind them in that moment, throwinghis arms over their shoulders and informing them that they’re about to cut thecake, and Nursey doesn’t get the chance.

*~*~*

         The reception winds down a little earlier than Nurseyexpected, but the younger guests are getting tired and it did start early.Everyone at the table is getting ready to go, except for Whiskey and Tango wholeft twenty minutes ago when Tango got too tipsy to form full questions. Nurseypulls on his suit jacket, wishing he could stay longer to try and get somealone time with Dex, when the devil himself shows up to see them all off.

         Dex makes his way around the group, hugging and kissing andthanking them for coming, and he finally gets to Nursey at the very end. Hehugs Nursey close, unexpectedly so, and all Nursey can do is nod dumbly inresponse to Dex asking, in his ear, “Want me to drive you back to the hotel?”Dex says he’ll be back, he just has to say goodnight to the brides, and thenhe’s gone in a whirlwind, leaving Nursey to speculate on why Dex could possiblywant to drive him back to the hotel alone.

         He begs off when Lardo tells Nursey they’re leaving, butshe doesn’t ask why, just gives him a knowing look that Nursey hopes means thathe’s right, this means something. Dexcomes back ten minutes later with his keys and a blush, and he leads Nursey outto the parking lot. Dex brings him to a rusting blue pickup that Nursey has seenin Snapchats the past two summers and he gets into the passenger side with asmile.

         It’s a stick-shift and watching Dex maneuver it makes hismouth go dry, which is fine because they don’t talk the whole way there. Dexknows the way to the hotel without directions and Nursey is silent, watchingDex drive and wondering about improbable implications. They reach the hotelsoon enough that the silence doesn’t become awkward and Dex parks and turns offthe engine. He turns to Nursey and asks, “Can I come up for a minute? I wantto- talk.”

         Nurseynods, so Dex follows him out of the truck and into the hotel lobby. Nurseyfeels his heart start racing as the implications become more and more probablewith every step Dex takes behind him as they get into the elevator. He fidgetsin place after he presses the button for his floor and the doors close. Theystill don’t say anything as they reach Nursey’s floor, not as they reach hisroom and Nursey opens the door, not even as the door to the hotel room shutsclosed behind them and they’re left standing in the hallway, quiet andthrumming with anticipation.

         “I’m not-” Dex pauses. “I’m not good with words like youare so I’m just going to-to do it and if I’m wrong we’ll deal with it later, okay?”Before Nursey can reply, Dex is in his space, cupping Nursey’s jaw so carefullywith one hand, and pressing their mouths together. Nursey hums, devastatedinstantly with just that one press of lips, and grips at Dex’s suit jacket totry and stay grounded. Dex pulls back for a fraction of a second and re-slotstheir lips together and it’s perfect, it’s warmth and comfort and coming homeand everything he’s been waiting for, and then Dex parts his lips and Nursey isgone.

         He loses himself in it, the give and take, the smooth skinof Dex’s lips and the calluses of his hand rough against Nursey’s cheek, the absolute needNursey has for the soft sounds Dex keeps muffling in Nursey’s mouth. They kissand keep kissing until Nursey forgets what it was like before Dex’s lips wereon his and he hopes he never has to remember again, and it’s then that Dexpulls back, breathing hard with his forehead against Nursey’s, and Nursey hasto figure out how to breathe again.

         “I love you,” he says, the second he has enough air in hislungs, because his mama has always said he’s an impulsive boy. “I know it’s toomuch, but I do, and fuck please never stop kissing me.” He curls his fingers inDex’s jacket tighter, pulling him impossibly closer.

         “I won’t,” Dex says, and kisses the corner of Nursey’smouth. “I promise, I won’t.”

         “God, we’re so gay,” Nursey says, laughing against Dex’scheek, and Dex bursts into surprised laughter, leaning even further intoNursey, and somehow they end up hugging each other, laughing like idiots, justlike that.

[philthevaliant-stuff]

Steven Universe So Far: One Sentence Summaries For Each Episode! [The Way I Saw It At Least] (Post-April and Pre-May Episodes Edition)

Thankfully, my Crohn’s flare-up hasn’t truly stopped me from updating the one-sentence summary episode guide to Steven Universe before next week! But it’s gotten so long that I’ve had to put a ‘Read More’ link to save your dashboard from overloading! :P

Gem Glow: His first episode. Laser Light Cannon: Amethyst loves being used as ammo. Cheeseburger Backpack: Now available to buy online! Together Breakfast: His first Memetic Mutation. Frybo: Steven defies Broadcast Standards and Practices. Cat Fingers: WOMP WOMP. Bubble Buddies: A ship sails. Serious Steven: Strawberry Fields Forever. Tiger Millionaire: Better than John Cena, that’s for sure. Steven’s Lion: A companionship is formed. Arcade Mania: Meat Beat Mania too much for the UK, apparently. Giant Woman: His first encounter with a fusion. So Many Birthdays: In which Rebecca Sugar reveals her diabolical plan to make everyone watching cry their eyes out for the first time. Lars and the Cool Kids: Whatever you do, DON’T insult Steven’s mum! Onion Trade: In which everyone begins making theories about Onion being the actual Big Bad of the franchise. Steven the Sword Fighter: “Where there’s life, there’s…..” Lion 2: The Movie: Lion is a well-behaved movie patron. Beach Party: Garnet fails at telling lies. Rose’s Room: Nightmare fuel comes as standard. Coach Steven: The song will never get out of your head. Joking Victim: His first work experience session. Steven and the Stevens: Steven makes the Time Lords cry. Monster Buddies: Sponsored by CHAAAAPS potato crisps. An Indirect Kiss: The ship travels at a fine lick. Mirror Gem: Where the franchise changes course and becomes a drama. Ocean Gem: His first close encounter with other Gems. House Guest: Healing spit, we hardly knew ye. Space Race: Ground control to Major Tom, your circuits’ dead, there’s something wrong. Secret Team: Sssh, Secret Team! Island Adventure: Makes the Steven/Connie ship look like a raft. Keep Beach City Weird: At least we got to talk with Ronaldo afterwards, even though he wasn’t prepared for it in hindsight. Fusion Cuisine: Steven gets into the biggest amount of trouble yet. Garnet’s Universe: Estelle works that microphone for ten minutes. Watermelon Steven: His first business deal. Lion 3: Straight to Video: Pass the tissues. Warp Tour: The Dorito debuts. Alone Together: The ship reaches maximum speed. The Test: Time to cry your eyes out again, fans! Future Vision: Wild Beedrill appeared! On the Run: Amethyst makes the Crystal Gems guilty and the fanbase cry. Horror Club: Or ‘Do You Want Fries With That Doughnut?’ Winter Forecast: The ship gains an icebreaker. Maximum Capacity: Amethyst unintentionally causes controversy. Marble Madness: The Dorito debates with Steven. Rose’s Scabbard: You can fit any piece of music with the final scene. Open Book: Cartoon Network buggers up continuity and Rose’s Room makes the situation worse. Shirt Club: Steven gets away with referencing the Kennedy assassination. Story for Steven: His origin story. The Message: Steven inspires a Youtube musician. Political Power: MAY-OR DEW-EY! Say Uncle: Uncle Grandpa tries to inject one last bout of comedy into the show before it all goes down, only to divide the fanbase in his attempt. The Return: “It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for…” Jail Break: His final stand.

Full Disclosure: The ship steers through jagged rocks. Joy Ride: The Dorito’s driving vehicle is discovered. Love Letters: A mailman wishes to become Garnet’s American Boy. Reformed: “Physician, heal thyself.” Sworn to the Sword: The ship gets equipped. Rising Tides, Crashing Skies: Or ‘Keep Beach City Weird: The Animated Series’. Keeping it Together: The Dorito disturbs Garnet. We Need to Talk: Pearl’s salty 90s period. Chille Tid: So disturbing a Hiatus had to be reinstated. We Are the Crystal Gems [1/6]: The National Anthem of Steven Universe Lovers. What Are Gems? [2/6]: In which Steven becomes even more cuter in chibi form. How Are Gems Made? [3/6]: Amethyst debunks dozens of fan theories in one lecture. Fusion [4/6]: "The Answer" in ballet form. Unboxing [5/6]: His first TubeTube video. Lion Loves to Fit in a Box [6/6]: Beach City gets hit by the cat video bug. Cry for Help: The Dorito distributes dissension in the ranks….or does she? Keystone Motel: A handy guide to understanding an autistic person’s mindset, so I discovered. Onion Friend: In which everyone begins making MORE theories about Onion being the actual Big Bad of the franchise. Historical Friction: Jamie provides the fanbase with ideas on how to make an “Ember Island Players” version of the show. Friend Ship: The Dorito dislikes dusty old Gem tech. Nightmare Hospital: The ship’s secrets are brought to light. Sadie’s Song: Steven becomes increasingly popular on Tumblr for a week, and makes Cartoon Network history at the same time. Catch and Release: The Dorito comes out of her chip-based shell. When it Rains: Peridot panics over precarious precipitation. Back to the Barn: Peridot and Pearl pettifog, pummel, and pacify. Too Far: Peridot practically plows predicaments into a Hiatus. The Answer: Ruby, Sapphire, and Garnet's origin stories. Steven's Birthday: The ship departs after refueling [OR: The reason Steven had his own week-long event]. It Could've Been Great: The Turning Point of Steven Quartz Universe. Message Received: Steven rocks the hoodie look. Log Date 7 15 2: Peridot's player gets pawned and perused.

Super Watermelon Island: In which Cartoon Network UK cocks up big time and completely spoils the episode for everyone else. Gem Drill: Our cinnamon roll journeys to the center of the Earth. Same Old World: Steven can show you the world...! Barn Mates: I always wear a leak on St. David's Day! Hit the Diamond: Romance in the Outfield. Steven Floats: It does exactly what it says on the tin. Drop Beat Dad: Such an important event, even the Crewniverse had to check it out! Mr. Greg: His first musical [OR: Pearl's salty-tearful reconciliation]. Too Short to Ride: If you know where to look, you can actually Cheep Peridot right now! The New Lars: Matthew Moy makes up for lost time. Beach City Drift: The ship gains the ability to run on land [OR: Ronaldo auditions for Top Gear]. Restaurant Wars: Ronaldo is finally accepted by (a vast majority of) the fanbase. Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service: Steven uses up his pun quota for the season. Monster Reunion: Leaked from the servers, still sponsored by CHAAAAPS potato crisps. Alone at Sea: No fish were harmed during the making of this episode. Greg the Babysitter: "Meh." Gem Hunt: The ship survives the wilderness. Crack the Whip: "Stop, you're making me giddy...!" Steven vs. Amethyst: Pearl makes good use of traditional seaside shops. Bismuth, Part 1: Rainbow is the new Gem. [OR: His 100th episode!] Bismuth, Part 2: Vengeance is an old vice. Beta: Bow ties are cool! Earthlings: Two heads are better than one, but all bets are off when you and your co-worker's jobs are to protect episodes from being leaked. Back to the Moon: On the moon, no one can hear a thousand Tumblr moms scream. Bubbled: In space, no one can hear a thousand Tumblr moms cry.

Kindergarten Kid: Corruptius Geminius vs. Doritus Clodius Know Your Fusion: Smoky Quartz and Sardonyx take over the Network from the Titans for 11 minutes. Buddy's Book: Jamie's fledgling theatrical career begins to pay off. Mindful Education: Two months' worth of summer adventures finally take their toll on the ship. Future Boy Zoltron: Featuring Neil Gaiman in a role you won't see coming! Last One Out of Beach City: Pearl attempts to roleplay a popular AU version of herself. [OR: Pearl's salty night out] Onion Gang: We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the wine and the song, like the seasons, have all gone. Cooking With Lion [1/5]: "But, Your Honor, he stole my act!" - Francis Gem Karaoke [2/5]: All singing, no crying. Steven Reacts [3/5]: Even Steven can't stand Hiatuses! Video Chat [4/5]: Skype Chats Between Gems. Steven Song Time [5/5]: Or "Summer of Steven: Epilogue" Gem Harvest, Part 1: Steven ditches his Knife for a common or garden Trowel. Gem Harvest, Part 2: Steven and Lapis take to the air and some Steventhusiasts take to petitioning Mr. Enter for an Animated Atrocity entry. Three Gems & a Baby: Peace and goodwill to all Steventhusiasts, and love for the cinnamon roll... Steven's Dream: Three days into 2017 and the entire Stevenbomb gets leaked - that's gotta be a record! Adventures in Light Distortion: The Shorty Squad gets two new members. Gem Heist: Steven is obviously a Mysterious Cities of Gold fan. The Zoo: Ronaldo's not so stupid now, is he, Steventhusiasts!? That Will Be All: Blue and Yellow make Green melodies. The New Crystal Gems: Connie helps to promote the second wave of Funko Pop vinyl figures. Storm in the Room: "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Rocknaldo: In which it's beddy-bye-bo's time for (a vast majority of) Ronaldo's fanbase. Tiger Philanthropist: Tiger Millionaire raises his fists, Purple Puma raises the roof, and Lars raises up a stink! Room for Ruby: Lapis and Peridot regret not watching "The Wrong Trousers" the night before. Lion 4: Alternate Ending: This episode not being leaked in the first place is the actual alternate ending! Doug Out: In which the thoughts of a Super Mario/Steven Universe crossover game that never will be make this blogger cry to sleep. The Good Lars: Jenny plays a mean melodia. Are You My Dad?: We love our bread, we love our butter, but most of all we love each other! I Am My Mom: There's nothing I could do, a total eclipse of the heart.

Stuck Together: Forever's gonna start tonight. The Trial: TEAR DOWN THE WALL!!! Off Colors: Every now and then Lars gets a little bit tired of listening to the sound of his tears. Lars' Head: Every now and then we get a little bit terrified of Hiatuses, and then we see the look in the show's eyes! Dewey Wins: As the ship sinks, Steven learns the definition of the word 'Repercussion'. [OR: Not actually a repeat of 'Off Colors' this time!] Raising the Barn: Onion sets his stakes high by cornering the agricultural market. Gemcation: Steven projects his angst, Pearl projects her hatred of reptiles, and Ronaldo projects his voice. Back to the Kindergarten: The Shorty Squad get their Ground Force on! Sadie Killer: Steven is a bad, bad boy, apparently. Kevin Party: Rebecca Sugar finds some inspiration for her next story meeting, but can the ship be salvaged in time? [OR: I don't care what you say, Steven doesn't look anything like that boy from Aberdale!] Steven's Secret Rap Career: His first official/unofficial fan video. [OR: The franchise transcends cultdom, thanks to MKatwood.] Lars of the Stars: In which the next Gem to debut has a little Chaos in her. [OR: As 2018 gets under way, the fans petition for a Captain Lars miniseries.] Jungle Moon: Stevonnie gets caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom. Your Mother and Mine: Garnet wipes out the canonicity of every Steventhusiast's theories and fan media in a matter of minutes. The Big Show: Pearl misses an opportunity to visit Empire City with Steven. Pool Hopping: Square Mom spends some quality time with her favourite cinnamon roll. Letters to Lars: It may be all change, but the next batch of episodes will still be released the good ol' fashioned Stevenbomb way!

[shirlleycoyle]

Spice Up Your Next Zoom Meeting by Inviting a Real Goat

Like most newsrooms in New York City, Motherboard has been banished from its physical office to work from home for the last six months. At first, virtual meetings were cute and fun—waving at people from inside my apartment, instead of half-asleep across a cold conference table, was a slice of normalcy in the middle of the Covid-19 chaos. 

More than half a year of virtual meetings, however, has gotten old. When I saw Cronkshaw Fold Farm's virtual goat rentals, a service that will add a live goat to your Zoom meeting (or Hangouts, Skype, whatever platform you use) for a small fee, it seemed like something that could snap us out of the virtual meeting haze for at least a few minutes. 

The goats are based in Lancashire, England, where farmer Dot McCarthy has been offering them as guests for virtual meetings since the start of the UK's Covid-19 lockdown in March. 

Cronkshaw Fold isn't the only virtual goat in the game: Sweet Farm, south of San Francisco, offers "Goat-2-Meeting" appointments that are a little more involved than a Zoombombing goat, with a tour of the farm and introductions to a variety of whatever rescued llamas, pigs and goats are feeling camera ready that day, according to their site. 

Five minutes of goat time from Cronkshaw Fold costs £5, or a little over $6. The farm is using the profits to continue its goal of saving up to install renewable energy technologies for the farm. 

"Climate change is shit and we want to do all we can as soon as we can to address it," McCarthy told me in an email. Profits from the calls have also helped them pay wages for farm workers during Covid. 

"We start at 6.30 a.m. and go every 10 minutes until 9.30 p.m. UK time, seven days a week," McCarthy said. "We also do it [after] hours for those calling from different time zones, we just charge a bit more to cover staggering down to the barn in our PJ's in the middle of the night!" 

I booked these goat colleagues for a 4-4:05 p.m. EST time slot, which was around 9 p.m. in Lancashire. While the site allows you to choose what goat you want to visit your meeting and provides personality descriptions for each, it being late in the evening I decided to leave the starring goat up to the farmer.

The Motherboard staff meeting, plus goats.

I asked my coworkers to tune in to the meeting early if they wanted to catch five minute of goat bliss, but they dialed in a little late (actually, while Motherboard EIC Jason Koebler was in the middle of announcing that the Waypoint team raised more than $150,000 during their Save Point fundraiser for National Bail Out). But eventually, Cronkshaw Farms asked to join the meeting and threw the whole meeting into momentary chaos. 

In the chat box, the goats introduced themselves as Daisy (who was banned from goat yoga, due to head butting other goats, according to her description on the site) and her kids, Lulu and Sebastian.

Daisy the goat, chatting in our meeting.

We kept going with the meeting as the goats hung out in a lower video corner, listening to Motherboard's plans for the week, I assume. It was, to be honest, kind of awkward to me, but I’m told other Motherboarders found it enjoyable! 

McCarthy told me that even though I very thoughtfully warned my coworkers that a goat would be bombing our meeting, some teams use them as a prank. "It's been ace joining calls all over the world watching those who booked the goat trying (mostly failing) to keep a straight face while their completely baffled comrades try to figure out 'WHY IS THERE A GOAT!?'" she said. Why is there not a goat, is my question for all future meetings here on out. 

Spice Up Your Next Zoom Meeting by Inviting a Real Goat syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[writeessaysformoney738]

professional writing service

About me

Linkedin Profile Writing Service

Linkedin Profile Writing Service Purchase the companies you need, deciding on your resume format in addition to any additional cover letter or LinkedIn companies. Online profession providers pioneer— CareerPerfect began offering career service online in 1996 and has been main on-line career companies ever since. The Muse provides a different model to supply resume help. Instead of a text-based mostly collaboration, The Muse has a resume evaluate teaching service that features a resume replace. Our service doesn’t have any of those restrictions. We strive for a process the place you're employed in tandem with your author and are in a position to attain out to her or him by way of cellphone, e-mail, or another type of communication. Finally, your writer will work on perfecting your resume (alongside with your cowl letter, LinkedIn profile, and so forth… if applicable) by addressing any concerns you might have had with the unique draft. Once your writer has all the knowledge that's wanted, she or he will full a draft of your resume and send it over so that you can review. You’ll talk with your writer via each phone and email to nail down all the specific particulars essential to write a top-tier resume for you. Depending on the coaching service you buy, you can have a 30, 45, or 60 minute Skype or telephone name with knowledgeable. LinkedIn ProFinder helps you discover freelancers, but doesn’t have an organization-wide normal for resume writing. Instead, you need to look into a number of freelancers based mostly on their proposals and pick the resume fashion you like greatest as not all freelancers are created equal. Every writer may have a special system to course of from there. Deposit funds into your EssayShark balance so that a author can work in your order. Start receiving proposals from our writers within minutes and chat with them stay. If you need us to find degreed writers who specialize in your analysis space, place an order right now and we are going to report back to you in a moment. It doesn’t matter whether or not you want a medical or engineering assistance because we make use of a big cadre of writers with experience across a wide spectrum of disciplines. They will plan, write, and edit your dissertation. Degreed writers will elaborately craft you a strong original dissertation, thereby serving to you to obtain a degree. Unless you're nicely-versed in the nuances of the hiring course of and what employers are on the lookout for, it can be simple to miss the mark together with your resume. Investing in professional assistance will ease your job search and set you on the right path for profession success. The writers who're qualified in your order will begin sending you provides. In the nursing course, you might have troubles with critical essays, annotated bibliographies, literature reviews, and different assignments. Here you can ask an essay helper to help you with any nursing paper. Your order will be delivered strictly within the deadline. Our writers will want at least three hours to complete it. Check writers’ scores, expertise and awards to pick out probably the most proficient skilled for your self. Time efficient— Receive proposals rapidly out of your potential resume author. Zipjob could be contacted by telephone at or stay chat from 9 a.m. From there, you’ll keep in constant communication with your author until you’ve received a last copy of your resume . Whatever trade you’re in, you want skilled writers who can engage your audience. A service's value is dependent upon which bundle you select. Deluxe packages can value upwards of $1,000 and embody much more features and providers than just a resume. Once you discover a number of companies you like, talk to your potential resume writer to ensure you feel snug communicating with them. Choose from three resume services primarily based on your career stage. Each job opening get a total of 250 applications on average. Finding a method to rise above your competition is crucial, and this really comes right down to how well your resume is written. Many job seekers who write their resume themselves lack the X-factor on their resume wanted to face out among the sea of job functions out there. Those enrolled in undergraduate degree applications seek our skilled help with their school papers. Even essentially the most outstanding essay makes no sense when it’s delivered too late. We assure that your paper will be composed, checked, and delivered somewhat sooner than you requested deadline. This gives you time to verify it and ship it again for a revision, if necessary. However, every of them must present perfect grammar information.

[a-magpie-witchling]

1,000 followers G I V E A W A Y

I love you.

In a non sexual way.

Or do I?

SO I WAS THINKING, what a time to be alive! As of this second 635 (SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE, HOLY SHIT) people have decided that they want to hear the shit I have to say-

*gets notification*

SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIX! (shout out to awakenthysoul who has one hell of a timing)

So I was thinking, shit! I want to give back to these people! How can I do that when I’m broke and turn up ugly in all of my nude selfies?

So I was deliberating with myself, what can I actually DO for a giveaway?

After giving it some thought, I finally made up my mind

THE DAY AFTER I REACH 1K FOLLOWERS I WILL RANDOMLY PICK ONE OF MY FOLLOWERS AND LET THEM CHOOSE AMONG THE FOLLOWING PRIZES WHERE I DON’T HAVE TO SPEND MONEY SENDING THINGS TO OTHER COUNTRIES BECAUSE ARGENTINA’S POST SERVICE IS ACTUAL PURGATORY

A Glade Born Tree tarot spread (19 cards, no questions, this is a spread where the Tarot conveys whatever it feels it needs to say)

A Daemon reveal session (I prefer using the term daemon over totem or spirit animal since it’s not directly associated to any specific minority or culture). This will have to be done via private chat, Skype, or a similar medium and can take a long while, even several days and different conversations.

Up to five questions (to be discussed with me beforehand so we can formulate them the best way possible) to be answered by an Oracle deck of my choice (I’ll pick the best depending on the questions you want to ask). Each question will be answered with a spread of one up to five cards.

Five sigils created specifically for you. I can help you word the request but it’s not necessary, you can simply give me the final consonants and I’ll draw them for you, no questions asked. I will later on publish the sigils if I feel they should be shared because others could benefit from them, but I won’t disclose those with private meanings nor your association with them if you don’t wish me to. Also you don’t have to ask for all five sigils at the same time, although I don’t recommend you wait years in case, I don’t know, I die?

One spell or hex designed specifically for you according to the ingredients you have access to (I refuse to create spells that will harm someone undeserving of being harmed, mess with somebody’s free will, threaten somebody’s sexual consenting abilities, or disproportionate if they’re meant for punishing).

Help and tips in building your altar and/or witchy supply storage (especially recommended if you’re a closet witch). We can skype and I’ll give you ideas of where you can hide stuff. I’m incredibly shady so I know where you tuck things so nobody will notice. This is more of a practical prize, but shit, I’ve been seeing a lot of witchlings who could use a hand!

All of these prizes can be adapted to your needs. You don’t need to like or reblog or anything (although it’s recommended so I’ll reach the 1k followers faster and we can get this out of the way sooner)

The two only rules are as it follows:

1) NO TAGGING THIS AS GIVEAWAY, you’ll ruin it for everyone, don’t be that guy.

2) I RESERVE MYSELF THE RIGHT OF REFUSING REQUESTS THAT GO AGAINST MY MORALS, meaning helping you in racist, homotransphobic, islamophobic, etc. ways.

As soon as I reach 1k followers, I’ll be picking the winner randomly using the page RANDOM.ORG. I’ll record it and search for the winner during the video to show the contest’s transparency.

I’ll get in contact with the winner via PM or ask. If these options are disabled, I’ll try to do it via tag. In any case, the winner will have FIVE DAYS (120 hours since the moment I announce it) to reach me back, else I’ll pick a different one.

Uh, I don’t think I have anything else to say, except that Han shot first?

Happy travels!

-Semiramis, the Magpie Witchling 

[jay-omnipotent]

Open For Readings - Jay’s Tarot

(King of Pentacles from the Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake, art by Elisabeth Alba)

I’ve had mixed feelings about reading for money in the past, which is why I’ve always done free readings. But some insight from members of the community and some life changes are encouraging me to finally put my skills to serious use. So, here marks the opening of Jay’s Tarot. :)

My History

I’ve been reading tarot for about ten years now. I started as a kid with the Starter Tarot deck, reading for family, friends, and myself, and got a lot more into it in my later teenage years, expanding to various other decks.  Tarot has always been deeply wrapped in my spirituality, hence my trouble with asking for money for readings and why I won’t be charging too much for my spreads. I’ve come at reading from a few different perspectives and now incorporate memorized meaning, symbolic interpretation, gut intuition, and sometimes clarification from the book to give properly holistic answers. I’ve read at parties and most recently for a non-profit fundraiser, so this is the next step in upping my game.

Prices

When I read you, you get to choose the deck, spread, and medium over which I give you your message. Note: I include a picture of your spread with every purchase, typed or over call!

3-card, Past-Present-Future spread, typed: $5

The most common tarot spread, used by just about everyone. It is quick but powerful, establishing the foundation of the issue at hand, the current situation and advice, and the likely outcome or the goal that should be sought.

10-card, Celtic Cross spread, typed: $15

Another more common, but much more intricate spread. This is a go-to for deep analysis of an issue or question, taking into account past and future, and internal and external factors, giving comprehensive understanding and advice.

3-card, over phone or Skype: $10

While I’m good at typing out what a spread means and that alone can be enough, sometimes what you need is a conversation. With this option, unlike the basic one, you’ll have the opportunity to ask follow up questions, get to clarify confusing aspects of the reading, expand upon your situation more, and get more of my personal insight. This conversation can go up to 10 minutes (but I’m usually flexible). As I don’t include a typed version, I recommend you have a notepad handy for any key points that come up.

10-card, over phone or Skype: $30

Same as the 3-card, only this conversation can go up to 30 minutes. This is really helpful when interpreting larger spreads as we can examine all of the intricacies and inter-card connections and have time to really get to the root of your answer.

You Choose / I Choose / Customize Your Spread: Priced as Appropriate

Let’s be honest, there are infinite tarot spreads out there. If you’re looking for something that can best tackle your specific question (relationship questions are a big example), you can either bring me a spread you’d like me to do, ask me to choose (or make!) one that I feel would work best, or we can work together to customize an old spread so that it fits your needs. These can be done in a single written piece or over a call just like the others.

And of course I won’t ask for extra if I feel the need to draw an extra card or go another few minutes into a call.

If these prices are too high for you (I understand the broke life well) but you’re still interested in my readings, give me a follow and stick around. As well as the general tarot posts and occasional witchy reblogs, I plan on doing sales and specials at least once a month (like the one at the end of this post!), and you might even score a free reading. Who knowwwws.

Contact Information

While you could send me a message through Tumblr, your most reliable method of contact is by emailing me at jaymore1545@gmail.com. We can discuss your question, spread, pricing, and anything else needed, and I’ll give you the link to my paypal.me for when you’re ready to pay. So you’re aware, you’re free to email me about setting up a reading without making a commitment, but I will only draw cards after a full payment has been made.

Opening Deal!

From now until December 15th, anyone who reblogs this post gets 50% off their first reading of any kind. Yes, that includes video chat readings. Furthermore, anyone who correctly guesses my Sun Sign in the tags has a chance to win a free 3-card reading. I’ll draw three names on December 1st, feature your blogs in a post, and we can go back and forth through Tumblr messenger or by email figuring out your spread’s meaning.

Thank you for reading!

I hope my tarot knowledge is able to serve this community, that I’m able to help you all, and that I make some great friends along the way!

To see what decks I read with and to read my general policies and disclaimer, check the read more.

My Decks

From the Light Grey Art Labs, the Cosmos Tarot & Oracle Deck.

This deck has 78 tarot cards and 22 oracle cards, each individual card drawn by a different artist.

Each card is connected to an astrological story, and as such it gives the standard tarot meanings a very unique twist.

This deck’s Oracle cards are used to show motion, such as the pushing and pulling forces behind a spread’s message. You can add oracle cards to any spread for $1 per card.

The Wildwood Tarot

My first deck following my beginner’s edition, the Wildwood also takes a unique interpretation of the traditional Rider-Waite card meanings. The major arcana is shifted around a bit, and the cards are given a variety of possible interpretations. Full of Celtic and nature themes.

The Everyday Witch Tarot

This deck has incredibly clear, beautiful symbolism. It is very easy to read so you are sure to get an easy to understand message, although it may lack the depth another deck could give when dealing with a complex situation. Or, maybe having everything spelled out in easy terms is just what you need! This deck also does not read with reversals, which contributes to the theme of simplicity in readings.

The Linestrider Tarot

This deck is gorgeous and every card is made like a watercolor painting. It is very intuitive, and the book places a special emphasis on the meanings that arise when certain cards come up together. An introspective, emotional deck, with a book that takes standard tarot interpretations and deepens them to previously unknown levels.

For those interested, I also own the Gay Tarot and the Color Oracle, but I have to admit that I am less experienced in using them.

General Policies and Disclaimer

Understand that tarot is going to be what you make of it. Some people view it as magic, divination, and a way to predict the future or contact the inner voice. Others view it strictly as a tool to force the mind to shed light on over-familiar situations in new and unfamiliar ways. I cannot guarantee that my readings will accurately predict the future or even make sense. The more you work with what messages I give you, or the more information you give me to work with, the more a reading will make sense. Something that appeared to mean one thing may mean something else. Personal flexibility in your own interpretations is key to a satisfying reading. Sometimes, a reading can predict an event that has not come to pass or that has not been consciously realized yet. Meditate on the message, and maybe, whether spurred by an internal or external event, it will click.

Financially, what this comes down to is that I cannot offer refunds for unsatisfactory readings.

This should go without saying, but, should I read a negative event in the future, I am not personally responsible for that event coming to pass. While I doubt that tarot will ever show me a literal death, there are other negative events such as loss of a relationship, job, home, etc. that may come up in spreads. Be prepared for bad news just as much as good news.

Most importantly, I am not a certified mental health counselor or life advisor. My readings are to help you consider your own circumstances from another perspective and may encourage you to follow through with or think deeper on your plans. And again, my readings come from a spiritual background, not one of college education. Should the cards be encouraging you to take an action in your life, please consider all perspectives before doing something potentially risky. My cards and I are not responsible for negative circumstances that come about from a decision influenced by one of my readings. Really, this goes for all tarot readers.

I reserve the right to turn away clients for any reason, though it will almost always be because I believe their question is truly not suited for tarot or if they are asking essentially the same question multiple times in a row hoping for a better draw of the cards. Again, it is not my place to help you with problems affecting or that could affect your mental or physical health. If you’re heavily depressed, please talk to a doctor. If you’re at risk of harm from someone, please contact law enforcement. Yes, I’ve read myself on matters of mental and physical health, so if I do agree to a reading near any of these topics, understand that they are supplementary at best and that your main source of help should be from professionals in the relevant field.

Another thing that should go without saying: I can turn away anyone should I think, for any reason, that they are harassing me or even just being rude. My services are a space for zero negativity (excluding polite but negative reviews and constructive criticism - I’m not that harsh) directed at me and I will cut connections for the slightest appropriate reason.

Phew. All that stuff out of the way, I just want you to know that I want the best for you and that I’m going to interpret every spread from a perspective of what you can do to make whatever situation you’re in better, or even better! I’ll put love and understanding into every reading as much as I am able to.

And if you read this far? Triple thank you.