#rush hour nl

[animalpetcel]

For the sake of my pride, I did it without a guide

Positives

Dailies are very entertaining

Less dailies that don’t need be done within 24 hours means busy players don’t feel as pressures

Also makes the daily risks more memorable

Same goes for the perma map medals not being time limited

Neutral

The new UI did take some getting used to. It’s not bad it’s just not great either, esp with the kinda confusing judgement plate(?) risks

After the initial shock, all but the first daily maps were kinda….eh? Either without specific ops you couldn’t really interact with the gimmick and it became a nothing burger and the buffs also wouldn’t be that impactful most of the time if you didn’t have the ops (200 DP was funny tho)

New risks unlock feature was also barely felt

Bad

The shop is too anemic

The perma genuinely sucks balls and it feels way to easy for players to accidentally snowball risks, esp bc the new UI kinda hides the risks lineup unless the player is keeping track themselves

600 felt way too high for this map

They probably changed the way the medals/risks worked to better improve player engagement, however going from rushing day 1 to then basically do nothing for 2 weeks to waiting 2 weeks to then rush in the last few days doesn’t feel much better?

POO perma feels more limiting then CC perma in what it lets the player get away with

Reminded me of why I disliked DV, I haven’t had this much not fun since my early account days struggling with NL-10.

No Everyday Access for supply farming

Verdict: Feels like it needed more time in the oven. Alternatively, after Pyrolysis, they just remove the concept of a perma map from CC and just have rotating stages

[rohanseoewe]

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[spy-in-the-house]

SEAN TATE aka THE BUTCHER

[ Detroit Techno Rec. ll  Detroit Promo TV  ll  Rush Hour NL, Detroit USA ] … without the past … there’s no phuture …

this alltime_top20 that should be listed and not ignored [ in no particular order! ] 01 MODEL 500 [JUAN ATKINS]: Off To Battle [ B1-track from “Sound Of Stereo / Off To Battle” Metroplex M-011 US 12" | 1987 ] 02 CHANNEL ONE [JUAN ATKINS]: Technicolor [ B-side from “Technicolor” Metroplex ‎M-003 US 12" | 1986 ] 03 RENNIE FOSTER: Fierce Methodology _ Thomas Detune Remix [ previously unreleased Digi-File / Wav RF Trax CAN | 2017 ] 04 BABY FORD [PETER FRAQNK ADSHEAD]: Crashing [ B3.1-track from “Ford Trax” Rhythm King Records ‎BFORD-003 UK 2xPromo-12" | 1988 ] 05 DJ BONE [ERIC DULAN]: Faze 1 [ B1-track from “Cultural Variance” Leftroom ‎LEFT-052 UK 12" | 2014 ] 06 PAPERCLIP PEOPLE [CARL CRAIG]: Climax _ Basic Reshape [ B-side from “Basic Reshape” Basic Channel BC-BR / Hard Wax GER 12" | 2004 ] 07 SCOTT GROOVES: Synth Part [ A2-track from “Parts Manager (First Four)” Natural Midi NM-008 US Promo-12" | 2015 ] 08 SUBURBAN KNIGHT [JAMES PENNINGTON]: Midnight Sunshine [ A-side from “Dark Energy” Underground Resistance ‎UR-029 / Submerge US 2x12" | 1994 ] 09 MILLSART [JEFF MILLS]: Untitled A1 [ A1-track from “Every Dog Has Its Day Vol 4.” Axis ‎AX-030 US 2x12" | 2003 ] 10 MARCELL FENGLER: Trespass _ Aubrey Remix [ B2-track from “Remixes” Ostgut Ton ‎O-ton-074 GER 12" | 2014 ] 11 STEPHEN BROWN: Chord Break _ Rolando Remix [ C-side from “Moda EP (Rolando Remix)” Indigo Aera aera008 / Delsin WL-2x12" | 2013 ] 12 CLAUDE YOUNG: Last Shuttle to Sky Lab [ D2-track from “3 Years Of Pushmaster Discs” PushMaster Discs PM-011 ITA 2x12" | 2015 ] 13 RANDOM NOISE GENERATION [THE BURDEN BROTHERS]: Off The Grid [ B-side from “Off The Grid EP” Tresor 227 GER 12" | 2006 ] 14 REAL BY REAL [MARTIN BONDS]: Freedom From Want [ A3-track from “Surkit Chamber - The Melding” a.r.t.less ‎A.R.T.LESS LP 1 GER 2x12" | 2011 ] 15 DJ STINGRAY [SHERARD INGRAM]: Bot [ B2-track from “Weaponized EP” TSAR 001 UK WL-12" | 2013 ] 16 SEAN TATE: A Matter of Honor _ Rick Wilhite Remix [ A2-track from “Vibes 2 - Part Two Of Two” Rush Hour Recordings ‎RH-10.2 / DTR NL 2x12" | 2014 ] 17 SEAN TATE: A Matter of Confidence _ Shamus Coghlan Remix [ Digi-File/ Wav only on Roger Van Lunteren "Kreiswerk"-Radio Comene Mix GER | 2017 ] 18 ANNIX TM: Parabola [ Finn Audio ‎ FINN-1015 4 × Digi-File/ WAV  Maxi-Format AUS | 2017 ] 19 LEGO THA COOK: Soul _ Unreleased Folson & Tate Remixes [ Digi-Files Detroit Techno Records US | 2016 ] 20 JOSH GARRETT: Intercepter _ Remixes [ unreleased Digi-File/ WAV DTR US | 2017 ] bookmarks:

FACEBOOK  ll  DETROIT PROMO TV  ll  SOUNDCLOUD  ll   RA BIOGRAPHY  ll  DISCOGS  ll  DTR  ll  Recent S.I.T.H. podcast

[neomedievalist]

sorry for being a rando popping into your inbox but wrt your posts about smt5 and the acnh effect, as a lifelong fan of animal crossing i hard agree on nh and it's kind of depressing to see so many people say it's the best animal crossing when it isnt even CLOSE. id say the downfall of ac started with new leaf since thats when they started lobotomizing the villagers, but acnl actually had tons and tons of content that kept me playing for literal years. meanwhile with nh i only popped in to check out the new updates then stopped playing. i could write an entire essay on how they completely gutted the original tone that animal crossing had with its writing and overall vibes and basically sanitized a fun, unique quirky little game into being The Relaxing Game.

with smt5, i think the problem is something different though. if you read the interviews from very early in v's production, the devs mention things they wanted to be in the story--namely, they wanted v to touch on themes of extremism in modern society and how in the face of the world being on fire gen z and millennials feel utterly hopeless and like they have no future. none of that was in the final product. granted, i have very little knowledge of game development but since v was in production prior to and during the pandemic, i have a theory that there was meddling on the part of corporate that really messed with the development process with the pandemic on top of that. according to a friend of mine, someone data mined v and there were a ton of unused assets and concepts, which seems to support my idea that there was a huge shift mid development that squandered v's potential.

one thing though, is that new people getting into smt though v means that they're more likely to play the other games in the series and see what it's like when smt's potential is realized, whereas this doesnt really exist for animal crossing since animal crossing is generally the same all around where each smt game has a vastly different story and tone from the other games.

(i might be misinterpreting but one criticism i have of your addition to that one post if you describing this phenomenon as Kirby On The Switch when as a lifelong kirby fan the most recent kirby game was unironically a near perfect game and most people seem to be in agreement on that and it was clear that hal labs put a TON of love and work into making it. but sadly kirby and the forgotten land is an exception to what you were talking about on that post)

sorry for the essay lol i just have Thots

HI YES thoughts appreciated! everyone always welcome to drop essays about video games in my inbox i love writing them and i love reading them

i wouldnt call myself a lifetime ac fan but i played the FUCK out of new leaf, i think i got it in 2014 and i have about 1000 hours in it, which is why i was so dissapointed with NH...and ive heard and understand peoples criticism of NL so it must be really really rough for old ac fans to see NH just double down on all that.

that's really interesting about smtv though, i hadn't heard that about the datamining and stuff? and i guess the original interview i hadnt seen because i wasnt into smt then LOL. i actually am gnna go look at that because it really does feel like a game that went thru development hell and had to rush things, i remember before release being really worried that we hadnt gotten any story trailers or english va announcements...esp since the game was announced at the same time as mario odyssey LOL

and yes thats very true that people might get into smt thru smtv. i definitely agree with that point but at the same time, someone is equally likely to not really click with it then drop it and not touch the series again... but well. not the point.

about kirby i was honestly thinking about that when i was posting it, i havent played the forgotten land but every kirby fan i know loves it (i was actually thinking of picking it up myself as a 3d platformer fan) so yeah i can def see how thats an exception. it is true that really good games with passion behind them still can come out which is really heartening, i wish it wasnt such a surprise when it happened!

but yes i think animal crossing really embodies this point. the way its become a cultural icon and people dont know what the series USED to offer so they think that NH is good and what they're all like is so dissapointing, especially as a life sim that youre meant to put tons of time into... it frustrates me to no end when i see people joking abt AHh i have no motivation to go back to my island its so much work i havent played in so long.. like this wouldnt have HAPPENED if the game wasnt shit!! i never had "no motivation" to play new leaf because it was an actual game and not a halfway between life sim and sandbox game that is the worst of both worlds! i checked in on new leaf EVERY. DAY. after school when i was in high school and id play for an hour each day. i dont think i missed a single day in maybe three years.

in new horizons i told myself id go back to it if they ever added cooking. then they added cooking and i went back to it and it sucked so i stopped playing again

there is literally no reason to play it other than customizing your island as a sandbox game but the sandbox elements are so fucking miserable to play that you have to be, excuse me for saying this, unemployed to actually find the time to make your island look good. the game coasted on the fact that it released right before the pandemic and everyone had the free time to play it.

[jawritter]

The Arrangement

Part 6

Summery: You are a young girl that was raised in a small church in Dallas, TX. One of the only churches left in the state that still practices arranged marriages. When your betrothed ran off to California you thought you'd escape the fate you were trained for ever since a small child. Now upon the death your parents your fate seemed to be inescapable as he's returned, and is ready to take you as his bride.

Book Warnings: Arranged marriage, loss of virginity, smut, unprotected sex, angst, language, suicide attempt, battles with anxiety, struggles with mental illness, age gap (about 11 years), I think that’s it, chapters will have warnings of their own!

Chapter Warnings: Nothing really, feels and tooth rooting fluff.

Word Count: 1897

A/N: This book is a book about Christian and church based arranged marriages, I would like to take this moment to say that I DO NOT have ANYTHING against the Chirstian faith, and mean absolutely no harm to anyone! Especially Jensen’s family! This is a complete work of fiction, and should be treated as such!

Beta’d by the amazing @deanwanddamons who was awesome enough to do all this for me! It was a lot of work, and she deserves all the praise for it!!

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Want More? Check Out My Masterlist!!

***MASTERLIST***

***SERIES MASTERLIST***

Jensen's POV:

A loud crack of thunder woke Jensen up as it rolled overhead. He automatically tightened his grip on Y/Nl aying next to him, pulling her sleeping body closer to his in hopes of keeping the storm that was rolling outside from waking her.

She'd been through a lot, and as much as she tried to hide it yesterday, he was afraid all of yesterday's events had taken their toll on her. Even though he was thinking about driving back to Austin earlier than planned, he quickly saw last night that she was going to need some time to recover, even if she didn't want to admit it to him.

What was concerning him more than anything, were his own feelings that he was already developing toward the young woman laying soundly asleep in his arms.

He shouldn't already be feeling these things. Hell they'd only really just meet yesterday! He didn't understand why he worried over her so much, why every time she nuzzled closer to him in her sleep his heart would skip a beat. Why every time he kissed her, it felt like he could fly around the room.

If Jensen was to be completely honest with himself, he’d never been in love with someone, and he knew it. The marriage with Danneel was nothing but a PR disaster that took 10 years to fall apart. Every other relationship he'd ever had never lasted long enough for him to develop feelings for anyone.

Right now with Y/N nuzzled into him as close as was possible, he was pretty sure he was already falling head over heels for her. One thing he was certain though, was he'd never felt this way about anyone before.

Another roll of thunder overhead and you stirred in his arms. Jensen froze, waiting to see if you were going to wake up. When you didn't, he reached over and grabbed his phone to look through his messages. Five were from Jared.

He was concerned for him, and Jensen knew it, but this was something that he just had to do. He needed this. He needed someone that would be faithful to him, someone that could learn to hopefully love him,  not just use him to get whatever they wanted from people, and exploit his pocket book.

Every woman he'd ever been with had only wanted him for their 15 minutes of fame, or what he could buy them. They never really loved him.

Y/n, being raised as she was, didn't really care about the money, and she definitely didn't want to be in the spotlight. They were trained against it. Jared was lucky when he found Gen. Why didn't he deserve to find the same thing?

Your POV:

A loud bang of thunder followed by a  crack of lightning woke you up with a start. As soon as you jumped, Jensen tightened his arms around you.

"It's okay baby I got you." he whispered, pulling you impossibly close to his warm body while you tried to control your breathing. You had been asleep hard and honestly, had slept harder than you'd slept in a long time. Which meant it took a few minutes for you to catch up with your surroundings, and your current situation. 

You didn't know if it was from exhaustion, or from the fact that for some unexplained reason you felt safe in Jensen's arms. Safer than you'd ever felt in your life, that you just crashed last night. 

"What time is it?" you finally mumbled, laying there listening to the rain pound down on the roof and windows above the two of you. It was peaceful. The storm raging outside, the comfortable dark bedroom, and Jensen wrapped up as close as possible with you. It was the closest to heaven you'd think you'll ever get here on earth.

Even though you knew you shouldn't be feeling these things this early, you couldn't help it. There was something about Jensen that just made you feel complete, whole in a sense, especially after the loss of everything that was close to you.

"Little after 10, I say we just stay right here today sweetheart, you need to rest, you've been through a lot. Let's just stay in bed all day, and get used to just being with each other. There’s no rush to get back to Austin."

You couldn't help the stupid smile that plastered across you face. 

"That sounds great to me." you tell him, stretching in his arms a little as Jensen’s eyes shamelessly racked over what of your body that was exposed to him. Your body immediately protested against the movement, soreness racking through you. Jensen didn't miss the fact that you winced slightly.

"Let me go draw you a bath sweetheart, It'll help." Jensen said, he looked worried.

"You know I'm supposed to be the one pampering you, not the other way around. I didn't even wake up early enough to fix you breakfast this morning. So far I suck at this."

You really did feel like you'd failed. You couldn’t get used to the thought of him wanting to take care of you. You should have already been out of bed, breakfast fixed, and packed so that he could go home, instead of staying here another night, spending more of the money that didn’t belong to you.

You were always taught that it was your job as a wife to be a help mate, to cook, to clean, to make a comfortable home, to raise a family, all this to make your husband's life better. You were there to serve him. Not the other way around.

"Y/n, you do NOT suck at this. I don't need you to cater to my every whim. I'm a big boy, If I get hungry before you wake up I know where the kitchen is. You're not my slave you know." he said, running his fingers through your hair, before lightly grazing over your neck with his lips, his breath ghosting over your skin, causing an involuntary shiver to run through you.

You didn't understand why his touch affected you so, but it did. One small little gesture that he didn't even realize he was doing and you were putty in his hands.

"I just don't want you to be stuck with someone like me. Who not only is WAY  out of your league, but can't even get off her ass, and do what she is supposed to for you."

Jensen propped up on his elbow, looking at you like you'd popped out a third head. You shook your own head and moved to get out of the bed. His hand reached out, and grabbed your arm, pulling you as close to him as possible, before laying you both back down, and pulling the covers over you.

"What do you mean, 'WAY out of  my league?' You're not way out of  anything? I married you because I chose to. No one forced me, no one twisted my arm. I knew what you looked like before you even walked into the church yesterday. I was well informed on any, and everything that has gone on with you since I left for California. Baby you're not way out of my league."

Leaning down, he placed a sweet kiss to your lips softly, just barely moving his mouth over yours.

"Y/n, you and I are equals. I'm not any better than you are. I don't see myself as something you're not. I want us to be partners in this relationship. Like I said last night. I want a real marriage with you. Not just some arrangement of convenience. I'm not going to lord over you, or anything like that. I'm not going to expect you to walk around like my little slave girl, who's only job is to wait on me hand and foot and fuck me. Sorry, that's not what I wanted."

Leaning down he kissed you again, this time slipping his tongue through your lips without any effort at all, exploring your mouth lazily for a while before breaking the kiss again.

"Now, I'm going to go run you a warm bath, then I'm going to make us so coffee while you're soaking, then we're going to eat a shit ton of junk food, and watch Netflix all day while cuddling here in this bed.   Sound like a plan?” 

You couldn't help but giggle at his serious face, and those perfect, pink, pouty lips.

"Okay, okay..." you tell him, sitting up and watching him make his way toward the bathroom to start running your bath.

"And don't bother about putting  clothes on. You're not going to need them." he said, giving you a playful wink before disappearing into the bathroom. The sounds of water running erupted through the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------

A little over five hours and the only thing that had been accomplished was one very relaxing bath which did seem to help a great deal with your sore muscles, and several Netflix serious episodes, which you couldn’t even tell what was on the tv. Jensen kept your mouth busy with his like a couple of teenagers, hands exploring each other's bodies as you lay there, cuddled into each other, wrapped up as tight as you could physically manage.

To say the least this is not what you expected out of an arranged marriage, with all the horror stories and things you had heard. You expected something along the lines of a sex crazed, slave driver, that wanted nothing more than to pound you into the mattress, and have you wait on him hand over fist.

Jensen was the exact opposite so far. He was gentle with you, and he took his time with you. Even though you were lying there next to him, both of you completely naked, he never pushed you to sleep with him, never did anything to make you uncomfortable in the least. There was no rush. He was patient, and content just to lay there and kiss you.

You talked about everything you could think of. Childhood memories, things he's experienced over the last 10 years, what you expected out of life, what your dreams and goals were, what you both wanted in a home.

You both laid there like until long after the sun went down. 

You felt like you knew him a little better than you did when you met him at the church yesterday, and to be honest, you were already head over heels for him.

Every time he smiled, it damn near knocked the wind out of you. Your skin felt alive under his touch in a way you'd never experienced before. So far, Jensen had far surpassed his expectations. That, you were secretly thankful for.

Learning to do this with each other definitely wouldn't be easy, but you were confident that you were both talking a step in the right directions.

One thing you were sure of. You were already completely, irrationally, and  irrevocably in love with him. 

Hopefully you weren't going crazy, and he actually felt the same way. You'd never been a fan of love at first sight. You'd never believed it existed.

Right now, laying here wrapped up in his arms, you were starting to think maybe this whole marriage thing wouldn't be as bad as they talked about before.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tag List: @deanwanddamons​ @imabitch4jensen​ @rvgrsbrns​ @bi-danvers0​ @onethirstyunicorn​ @i-love-superhero​ @akshi8278​ @lyss-dw79​ @magssteenkamp​ @lemondropirwin​ @squirrelnotsam​ @hobby27​ @spnbaby-67​ @mrsjenniferwinchester​ @defenderrosetyler​ @screechingartisancashbailiff​ @thecreatiivecorner​  @aflamboyanceofgays @vicmc624​ @busy-bee-angel-misska​ @justanotherwinchester​ @brilovesdeanwinchester​ @idksupernatural​ @lyarr24​ @amandamdiehl​

[the-end-of-art]

So why are we getting bullied into opening?

“I’m sorry, but it’s a fantasy” by Jeff Gregorich, Arizona school superintendent at The Washington Post

This is my choice, but I’m starting to wish that it wasn’t. I don’t feel qualified. I’ve been a superintendent for 20 years, so I guess I should be used to making decisions, but I keep getting lost in my head. I’ll be in my office looking at a blank computer screen, and then all of the sudden I realize a whole hour’s gone by. I’m worried. I’m worried about everything. Each possibility I come up with is a bad one.

The governor has told us we have to open our schools to students on August 17th, or else we miss out on five percent of our funding. I run a high-needs district in middle-of-nowhere Arizona. We’re 90 percent Hispanic and more than 90 percent free-and-reduced lunch. These kids need every dollar we can get. But covid is spreading all over this area and hitting my staff, and now it feels like there’s a gun to my head. I already lost one teacher to this virus. Do I risk opening back up even if it’s going to cost us more lives? Or do we run school remotely and end up depriving these kids?

This is your classic one-horse town. Picture John Wayne riding through cactuses and all that. I’m superintendent, high school principal and sometimes the basketball referee during recess. This is a skeleton staff, and we pay an average salary of about 40,000 a year. I’ve got nothing to cut. We’re buying new programs for virtual learning and trying to get hotspots and iPads for all our kids. Five percent of our budget is hundreds of thousands of dollars. Where’s that going to come from? I might lose teaching positions or basic curriculum unless we somehow get up and running.

I’ve been in the building every day, sanitizing doors and measuring out space in classrooms. We still haven’t received our order of Plexiglas barriers, so we’re cutting up shower curtains and trying to make do with that. It’s one obstacle after the next. Just last week I found out we had another staff member who tested positive, so I went through the guidance from OSHA and the CDC and tried to figure out the protocols. I’m not an expert at any of this, but I did my best with the contact tracing. I called 10 people on staff and told them they’d had a possible exposure. I arranged separate cars and got us all to the testing site. Some of my staff members were crying. They’ve seen what can happen, and they’re coming to me with questions I can’t always answer. “Does my whole family need to get tested?” “How long do I have to quarantine?” “What if this virus hits me like it did Mrs. Byrd?”

We got back two of those tests already — both positive. We’re still waiting on eight more. That makes 11 percent of my staff that’s gotten covid, and we haven’t had a single student in our buildings since March. Part of our facility is closed down for decontamination, but we don’t have anyone left to decontaminate it unless I want to put on my hazmat suit and go in there. We’ve seen the impacts of this virus on our maintenance department, on transportation, on food service, on faculty. It’s like this district is shutting down case by case. I don’t understand how anyone could expect us to reopen the building this month in a way that feels safe. It’s like they’re telling us: “Okay. Summer’s over. It’s been long enough. Time to get back to normal.” But since when has this virus operated on our schedule?

I dream about going back to normal. I’d love to be open. These kids are hurting right now. I don’t need a politician to tell me that. We only have 300 students in this district, and they’re like family. My wife is a teacher here, and we had four kids go through these schools. I know whose parents are laid off from the copper mine and who doesn’t have enough to eat. We delivered breakfast and lunches this summer, and we gave out more meals each day than we have students. I get phone calls from families dealing with poverty issues, depression, loneliness, boredom. Some of these kids are out in the wilderness right now, and school is the best place for them. We all agree on that. But every time I start to play out what that looks like on August 17th, I get sick to my stomach. More than a quarter of our students live with grandparents. These kids could very easily catch this virus, spread it and bring it back home. It’s not safe. There’s no way it can be safe.

If you think anything else, I’m sorry, but it’s a fantasy. Kids will get sick, or worse. Family members will die. Teachers will die.

Jeff Gregorich, superintendent of schools at Hayden Winkelman Unified School District in Arizona, shows results of a district survey. (Photos by Caitlin O’Hara for The Washington Post)

Mrs. Byrd did everything right. She followed all the protocols. If there’s such a thing as a safe, controlled environment inside a classroom during a pandemic, that was it. We had three teachers sharing a room so they could teach a virtual summer school. They were so careful. This was back in June, when cases here were starting to spike. The kids were at home, but the teachers wanted to be together in the classroom so they could team up on the new technology. I thought that was a good idea. It’s a big room. They could watch and learn from each other. Mrs. Byrd was a master teacher. She’d been here since 1982, and she was always coming up with creative ideas. They delivered care packages to the elementary students so they could sprout beans for something hands-on at home, and then the teachers all took turns in front of the camera. All three of them wore masks. They checked their temperatures. They taught on their own devices and didn’t share anything, not even a pencil.

At first she thought it was a sinus infection. That’s what the doctor told her, but it kept getting worse. I got a call that she’d been rushed to the hospital. Her oxygen was low, and they put her on a ventilator pretty much right away. The other two teachers started feeling sick the same weekend, so they went to get tested. They both had it bad for the next month. Mrs. Byrd’s husband got it and was hospitalized. Her brother got it and passed away. Mrs. Byrd fought for a few weeks until she couldn’t anymore.

I’ve gone over it in my head a thousand times. What precautions did we miss? What more could I have done? I don’t have an answer. These were three responsible adults in an otherwise empty classroom, and they worked hard to protect each other. We still couldn’t control it. That’s what scares me.

We got the whole staff together for grief counseling. We did it virtually, over Zoom. There’s sadness, and it’s also so much fear. My wife is one of our teachers in the primary grade, and she has asthma. She was explaining to me how every kid who sees her automatically gives her a hug. They arrive in the morning — hug. Leave for recess — hug. Lunch — hug. Locker — hug. That’s all day. Even if we do everything perfectly, germs are going to spread inside a school. We share the same space. We share the same air.

A bunch of our teachers have told me they will put in for retirement if we open up this month. They’re saying: “Please don’t make us go back. This is crazy. We’re putting the whole community at risk.”

They’re right. I agree with them 100 percent. Teachers don’t feel safe. Most parents said in a survey that they’re “very concerned” about sending their kids back to school. So why are we getting bullied into opening? This district isn’t ready to open. I can’t have more people getting sick. Why are they threatening our funding? I keep waiting for someone higher up to take this decision out of my hands and come to their senses. I’m waiting for real leadership, but maybe it’s not going to happen.

It’s me. It’s the biggest decision of my career, and the one part I’m certain about is it’s going to hurt either way.

(https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/01/schools-reopening-coronavirus-arizona-superintendent/?arc404=true&campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20200803&instance_id=20930&nl=the-morning®i_id=72340436&segment_id=35086&te=1&user_id=e60ae3c4dd2d7adddb2ce123ccc9fad4)

[ezrastokes]

[ CODY CHRISTIAN, HE/HIM, CISMALE ] —  [ EZRA STOKES ]  is a child of [ HEPHAESTUS ] with the power of  [ TECHNOKINESIS ] .  they were born in [ 1995 ] and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2010 ] .  with the change, they [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ] the [ TECHNOLOGY ] role which makes sense since they’re usually [ FIRING POTTERY IN THE KILN AND BREWING A THIRD CUP OF COFFEE ] .  if you’d like to meet them try the [ MOON ]  building .  —  kati / she & her / est / 18+

links: stats / pinterest .

background

most of ezra’s early years were spent not fitting in and for most of that time, he didn’t know why. he didn’t understand why his father seemed to hate him so much, why his younger brother, caleb, seemed to get all of the attention. ezra chalked it up to just not being quite good enough, maybe because he wasn’t into sports the way caleb was, coming home with paint on his shirt instead of grass stains. 

for a while, ezra tried to fit in, went out for baseball to try and garner his father’s approval, but it was never really him. over time, he began to isolate himself instead, because it was easier to be on his own than face rejection and disapproval.

his mom was loving, but only behind closed doors. it always seemed like she was scared to show her affection for ezra in front of his father, like she felt GUILTY about loving him, about caring about him. she’d sneak into his room at night and read him stories or they’d spend all day together when his father was out of town. “ why does dad hate me so much ? ” he’d ask, and his mother would smile sadly and say, “ i’ll explain more when you’re older. ” 

ezra started developing his powers when he was about twelve years old. his mother had hoped it would never happen. it started small, realizing he could do things like make the toaster pop up without touching it or turn on the television with what seemed to be sheer willpower. his parents started noticing this too. he overheard them talking about it one night, fighting. ezra didn’t know what it meant, but over time, he’d listen at the top of the stairwell as the arguments got more and more heated, resulting in broken glass. caleb would sit with him sometimes. “ what are they always fighting about lately ? ” ezra would ask. “ you, ” the dreaded answer, but he’d already known. he just needed to hear someone say it. “ it’s because you’re a freak. ” 

anxious during a test at school, ezra set the printer going so hard that it started smoking and set the fire alarm off. to most people, it was nice to get out of the test, but ezra went home demanding answers. “ just tell me what i am, please ! ” rising frustration, appliances in the house whirring to life. ezra was getting more powerful, it was not just a PHASE that he could outgrow. his parents had to tell him the truth. 

his mother sit down and told him about an AFFAIR she had once, with the god hephaestus. he had been able to forgive her for it, but his father had never been able to get over the living manifestation of her disloyalty, the obvious misfit in the family that stuck out and didn’t belong. every day, ezra seemed less and less like he could be his father’s son. everything seemed to click into place for ezra, but it didn’t make him feel any better to be the product of circumstances he couldn’t control ; things would have been easier if he’d been born normal like caleb. 

his mother expressed concern for the way his powers were growing and that modern society might not be the place for him. she’d been told if such powers ever developed, that there was a place that he could go. so, at age fifteen he packed this things and began training at nemean lion. 

ezra naturally assimilated into the technology track with his powers, it seemed to make the most sense for him. in terms of helping heroes, he is most comfortable beneath the hood of a car, developing advanced transportation technology and essentially providing heroes with the best possible support. he also built his own motorcycle and car from scratch, they’re named thelma and louise respectively, his pride and joys. ezra is  a quiet person but get him talking about his hobbies / geeking out and you’ve hit the sweet spot. 

recently graduated and working, though he feels like he’s in no position to mentor the newbies…he’ll try. he would’ve been happy to be a student forever, but due to nl’s new status, he felt the need to rush his graduation and work a little harder so that they’d have the tech help they need for the heroes on the field fighting monsters and such. 

personality

PERSISTENT. essentially, when ezra sets his mind on something, he will accomplish it. in some ways, he can be pretty one-track minded when it comes to things, like he’ll start a task in the garage or at the kiln and he won’t speak to anyone for days until it’s done. balance ? he doesn’t know her. but achieving his goals ? yes, king. sometimes i think ezra believes that people are to be measured on accomplishments and his value only exists in terms of what he can do for others. however, you can definitely count on him to get a job done. 

PRACTICAL. ezra is a pretty realistic person, not the type to get caught up in a daydream or set an unrealistic expectation for himself. granted, he knows he can accomplish a lot, but he would never expect more of himself than what is tangible. he’s definitely not a naive person and is more inclined to believe actions over words every time. 

INDEPENDENT. ezra is the sort of person who has always felt like he’s had to fend for himself and is pretty mature. he’s good at taking care of himself and has never felt like he NEEDS other – not that anyone’s really need him. he’s very self-sufficient as a person basically and doesn’t rely on others to get things done. you’ll literally never feel like ezra’s a mooch, but he would let others mooch off him tbh. 

PESSMISTIC. as a result of that practicality, he can come off as rather negative in conversation or in ideals. essentially, ezra can be a real downer to be around sometimes because he will always anticipate the worst case scenario ! he’ll tell you he’s just being prepared though. 

SENSITIVE. although he comes off as tough or even unapproachable sometimes, this is actually because he’s EASILY hurt. he puts on a front like a badass but seriously he is a sensitive baby and if you say something that rubs him the wrong way he will legit never forget it. can literally hold a grudge for 8092390482 years like if you cross him slightly he will bring it up until you die. 

headcanons

if he’s not working with vehicles, he’s making pottery. he has a wheel in his room and is really passionate about art and ceramics. so, when he’s not working, he’s probably firing something.

yes, he has an etsy store <3 

has a little black cat named soot that is genuinely his best friend

has a natural affinity toward all things fire and smoke, developing the nasty habit of smoking cigarettes – american spirits, too, because he has no class. however, since he started dating his current girlfriend, he’s pretty much quit smoking to make her happy – and like, to be more kissable.

genuinely, his girlfriend cecilia baum ( y’all know her ? ) has been a super positive influence in his life because he used to drink, smoke, and isolate himself a lot more before getting to know her but honestly the act of developing a crush and trying to impress her all the time got him into better habits and her caring about him has made him care a bit about himself more too.

granted, it’s not JUST cece. making better friends and meeting people that care about him has been a positive influence on him overall

don’t ask me too much about cece, strud and i are mid-plotting but they are dating. 

you’d probably think like mechanic, artist, he must be super messy? however, ezra is really meticulous and organized, i would say he’s always been really mature and independent. he has his shit together, but he’s also fueled by a ridiculous amount of coffee in order to do so. 

though he does often smell like gasoline from working in the garage so much, though he personally loves that. 

really likes thrifting? like browsing thrift stores for hours and finding weird shit or interesting art pieces. he’ll treat thrift stores like museums, could spend hours walking around, but he’ll also spend hours walking around museums. 

wanted connections

best friends, bros, etc !! i’m looking for the people he really vibes with in a number of ways, his squad, his fam, the wholesome shit. the scott to his stiles, the schmidt to his nick, all of these things. 

but i would especially love to have like his DAY ONE, i will simply go crazy go stupid for a best friend connection and i feel like that person who supported him from the start and made him feel less alone on his first days at NL prob means the fucking world to him.

like, someone he’s protective of? maybe a little sister type connection, essentially someone that’s probably softer and more naive and he feels like he has to look out for them and keep them safe and such. 

someone to test out his vehicles and inventions. ezra is always tinkering away in the garage and he comes up with cool stuff for the heroes to use out when they’re saving the world, it would be nice if he had someone who was always down to literally come through in the middle of the night and be the elastigirl to his edna mode and all.

someone that he really clashes with. give me enemies for god’s sake, or anything, i feel like especially when he first arrived at NL he was a bit rough around the edges, hard to get to know. ezra definitely comes off as grumpy and standoffish around people he’s not super comfortable with and he’s pretty introverted, so they might have gotten a bad impression of him. 

or honestly if you play a char that’s kind of ? stuck up ? full of themselves ? that would really rub him the wrong way. tho he’s probably just jealous bc he lacks that confidence like damn. 

an almost? like a case of bad timing where they were hitting it off or maybe there could have been something between them but he started dating cece instead. maybe your character read into it more than it was and felt really hurt by it. OR he told them he didn’t want a relationship/do relationships and then started dating cece right quick like that’s gotta hurt. 

someone who is good w money. help him manage the finances of his etsy store and how to run a business because he doesn’t even know how to properly price his own goods, probably undersells himself. gimme the business mind to his art mind. 

drinking buddies! sitting around w a good glass of scotch talking about life after a hard day. ezra doesn’t drink so much but honestly their work is hard and ppl die so like, a lil something to take the edge off. 

roommates? is that a thing here? he is in moon building.

naturally also down to vibe and plot anything, exes, family members, enemies, besties, all the things, this is just off the top of my head !!! 

[ayellowcurtain]

can you do a Kes x Lucas fix I miss my skam nl bbs 😢 (kes is dutch!even ok it’s canon don't @ me) like the wtfock cuddling scene how kes would react to Lucas straddling him and them just being flirty

-----

It’s a miracle to have his house all to himself for an entire afternoon. Everyone is doing something and Lucas came with him just to play some video game, but these days, anything between them seems to lead to a kiss, maybe two and at some point, the video game was completely forgotten and Kes took Lucas to his bedroom to avoid getting caught by one of his siblings or his parents. 

Lucas moves just a little closer and Kes puts his hand on the back of his neck, deepening the kiss, but Lucas moves away again, kneeling on the bed, putting one leg over Kes’ torso, straddling him against the mattress and Kes smiles at him, putting both hands os his thighs, always enjoying Lucas’ little coy smile. The things he would do to Lucas if their relationship were just a little clearer. 

They’re still on this blurry phase where they’re some sort of friends with benefits that also cuddle and spend time together without having sex (yet) and without calling each other “bro”. It’s weird so Kes likes to enjoy moments like this when things seem a little easier. 

“When did you fall for me?” Lucas smiles just a little bit. It’s very rare for him to actually smile, showing all his perfect teeth, Isa is one of the few that can make it happen. But even with the small turn of his lips upward, Kes smiles too.

Kes laughs and Lucas presses him harder against the mattress, so bossy. Kes loves Lucas so much it’s hard to put into words. When you look at him, he has such angelical features, but there’s also some mystery hidden deep inside those bright blue eyes that you’re instantly aware that Lucas could end you if he ever wanted to do it. He’s cocky and yet so shy, he’s always up to do anything, the craziest, dumbest shit, but also just lounge around, doing nothing and he’ll always genuinely have fun. Kes wishes he was like that. “You think I fell for you?”

“It’s been over a week that we started this mess and you’re still here, spending your day in bed with me with no sex involved, so yeah, I do.” 

“Jesus, you’re full of yourself, huh? Didn’t know that about you.” He squeezes Lucas’ thighs, trying not to talk about feelings right now. Kes has no idea of when he fell for Lucas or when they became more than best friends. It just happened. One day they were talking to Jayden about girls and the other they ran away from a party and ended up kissing. And now they’re here. Hiding in Kes’ bedroom, with puffy lips from kissing for hours. Lucas is still staring at him,  and Kes just pushes his hip up and Lucas puts both hands on his chest to keep himself from falling back on the mattress, but he’s close enough now, so Kes just pulls him for another kiss. 

- 

All Kes wants these days is some privacy. He loves his family and he loves all his brothers and sister even more, but sharing a room is not the ideal anymore. It’s not like his older brother will question anything, he knows Kes better than Kes knows himself, so he didn’t say a word when he came home from work and Kes was spooning a sleepy Lucas, but Kes wishes they didn’t have to hide underneath the covers to kiss in the middle of the night when Lucas woke up asking for a kiss. 

It’s getting colder with each passing day so it’s not too hot and both he and Lucas lost a lot of clothes during their afternoon together, but sleeping completely covered is so fucking annoying. Kes barely slept and when the birds started singing right outside his window, he pushes the cover out of his face, finally able to breathe fresh air. 

His brother was already awake, quietly changing clothes and Lucas was still asleep, his face way too close to the wall on his other side. He was wearing one of Kes’ black tank tops and his underwear and Kes was only wearing his underwear so he kept the blanket all the way to his chest, trying to hide how intimately they were sleeping. His brother doesn’t say anything again, he just raises his eyebrows once, looking from Kes to Lucas. 

Kes wants to say it’s complicated, but he doesn’t, he doesn’t feel like he needs to explain himself, his brother is not asking anything either, he just sits down on his bed, still looking at Kes as he puts his boots. When he’s done, he gets up, whispering: “Don’t hurt him, Kes. It’s Lucas, not a random hookup.” 

And he leaves, closing the door behind him and Kes looks at the ceiling, wondering how can his brother be so smart and so aware of Kes’ feelings. 

Lucas only wakes up with Kes’ alarm almost ten minutes later, he complains and tries to hide against the wall, but they can’t go back to sleep or they’ll be late for school. 

“We have to go. Wake up, sleepyhead.” He kisses Lucas’ neck and shoulder, putting the covers to the side, sitting on the bed, looking at himself only wearing his briefs. 

They got carried away yesterday and if it wasn’t for the loud voices coming from downstairs all of a sudden, they wouldn’t have stopped. Kes gets up, pulling his briefs a little down, it rolled all the way up while he was moving all night long, trying to find a good position to sleep. 

“Where are you going?” Lucas whines, but it’s barely a whisper, he lies on his back, squinting his eyes and Kes comes back to bed, crawling on top of him. 

“I need to pee and we need to go. Right now.” They usually act like nothing happened the day after, but Kes just kisses Lucas again, but when Lucas tries to pull him back to lie down under the covers, Kes smiles against his lips. 

“Luc, right now. Come on, get up.” He kisses his cheek and jaw, escaping Lucas’ grabby hands, rushing to the bathroom, making sure to close his bedroom door behind him, peeking inside, watching as Lucas closes his eyes again, grabbing the covers and covering himself completely again.

[goldngguk]

limerence // 01

warnings // yandere behavior, strong language, fluff 

word count // 2.1k

"You'll come to find that the terms obsession and addiction go hand to hand in psychology. Often times they are used as synonyms for one another."

Jimin sat in the back of the room, twirling his pencil between his fingers as he inwardly groaned. He couldn't stress enough how boring this class was. His teacher, Mr. June, was old and was constantly trying to act young and cool, which only made things worse. His textbook made next to no sense, and the assignments were poorly designed. In other words, Jimin hated psychology.

He slumped down in his desk, watching the seconds tick by causing him to roll his eyes. Oh, this is agonizing. Tick. Tick. Tick.

"Alright, now that we've finished unit two, it's time to discuss your next paper." Crickets. "It's the most important grade you'll receive in this class." Nothing. Mr. June sighed. "It's not due until May."

It seemed as if the whole class was alive again. Even Jimin's ears perked up. What could be so important about a paper that it would take an entire semester to complete?

"Your task is to observe someone outside of this class for three months. On May 3rd, you will turn in a paper that analyzes your subject as well as required notes to prove you actually did the work. Trust me, I can tell when someone just pulls a paper about their imaginary friend out of thin air." Sure you can. "You have to prove that you were actually watching your subject. I'll pass out the rubrics."

Jimin grabbed the paper from the man, flashing him a toothy smile that he met with his own. Jimin didn't even have to try, really. He was just one of those people who everyone adored. He could probably pass the class without even writing a sentence for the stupid paper. In fact, Jimin could probably get away with just about anything.

Mr. June dismissed the class and Jimin gathered his things and left the lecture hall. "Hey, Jimin! Wait up!"

Taehyung, Jimin's best friend and roommate who had joined the class with him, jogged up. "What do you think about this," he asked, waving the rubric in his hand.

Jimin just shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I don't really have an interest in it."

Taehyung nodded. "Don't you think it's a little creepy? I mean, we're supposed to stalk- sorry, observe someone for three months and then analyze them like an experiment? What the hell is that?"

Jimin chuckled at him. "He didn't say you couldn't tell. Just ask someone for their permission. Otherwise, yes. Essentially, we are stalkers now."

"Who are you gonna watch?"

"I'm not sure yet. Like I said, I'm not really that interested in it."

"Oh well, I'm sure you'll find someone. Damn. It sounds like I'm giving you dating advice."

"Please, if anyone needs advice about girls, it's you."

Taehyung scoffed as they reached the front doors of the campus. "Do you have another class?"

"No, not today, but I was gonna head up to the library and get some work done. I'll see you later."

"Ok. I'll see you at home." He stopped in his tracks before turning back to Jimin. "And for the record, I don't need help with girls."

"Oh please. I know exactly who you're going to watch and you'll end up stalking her because you can't even say one word to her without choking on your own tongue. You need serious help."

"I- fine. But I can't help it! Taylor makes me nervous."

"Goodbye, Tae." Taehyung started for his car as Jimin made his way to the library upstairs. Sitting down at a table in the back, he pulled out his books with the intent of focusing on anything but the paper.

-

Jimin couldn't focus. No specific reason. He just could not focus. Maybe he wasn't in the right headspace. He packed up his things after deciding he'd probably get more done at home. He stepped outside, the cold air hitting his slightly puffy cheeks.

Keep in mind, it was January, so he probably could have been more cautious. But if he had, he wouldn't have met you, now would he?

Jimin crossed the street between campus and the parking lot when he fell; both literally and figuratively. He slipped on a patch of ice and his legs flew up from underneath him. He landed on his back. Hard.

"Oh my god! Are you alright?"

Someone rushed over to him, putting their hand on his back as they crouched down. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was- just-..." Oh wow.

Pretty was an understatement. Beautiful fell short. Stunning was nothing compared to the girl kneeling by his side. Now, maybe it was the fact that he'd nearly hit his head and his tailbone felt like it was on fire, but jesus christ, how the hell could someone look so... so perfect. She wore a puffy black coat with a beanie that helped frame her magnificent face. She had strong features. He probably would've been intimidated if it weren't for the fact that he was fatally attracted to her. The mittens she had on were far too large to be her actual hand size. She looked absolutely adorable. She smiled down at him, the tip of her nose pink from frostnip. "Come on, she said. "Let's get you on your feet." She helped him dust the snow off his back before looking up at him. She was shorter than him, making him feel manly despite the hard fall he just took. "It's Jimin, right?" He looked into her eyes. Such pretty eyes. His textbook says that eyes are the windows to the soul, in which case she is warm and soft. Innocent.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's me." He smiled back at her.

Jimin was not what'd you'd call 'a lady's man', but he knew what to do and what to say. He wasn't the kind of person who got nervous. Besides, everyone loved him. He could charm the pants off anyone.

"That was quite the fall you had there. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks. You know my name?"

"Yeah. I've seen you around campus before. I figured everyone kinda just knows who you are."

"Well, I don't know who you are. What's your name? And you have to tell me, seeing as how you just saved me. Otherwise, I'll just have to go find out." She giggled as if he were joking.

"I didn't save you, I was just making sure you were okay."

"Whatever you say, hero." She laughed again. It was very quickly becoming one of his favorite sounds. It was high pitched, but not too high or squeaky. There was a perfect balance to it. One that he appreciated.

"I'm Y/n," you said while extending your hand for him to shake. He took it, wishing he could feel the soft skin concealed under the wool mitt. He would compare the sizes of your hands, hoping yours would be somewhat smaller than his own.

"Nice to meet you, Y/n. How come I've never seen you around before?"

"I'm not really someone who lives to be seen. I just come to class and go to work." He liked that. Not someone who likes to be seen. Every girl he'd ever dated was the life of the party; they demanded everyone's attention and it exhausted him. Y/n was the opposite. She was kind and quiet. Someone he could take care of, someone to shelter. And that excited him. If he was being honest, he'd always wanted someone for himself. Someone he alone could love and protect and he would never have to share. Almost like an animalistic instinct he tended not to dwell on, or rather one he just hadn't picked up on yet.

It dawned on him that there was no way this was a coincidence. First, there had been the paper about analyzing someone outside of his class. Then he couldn't focus in the library which led him to slip on the ice and fall right into her arms. It was at that moment he decided: he needed to see you again, had to get to know you. You were his person; his subject. He was going to observe you.

"Well, I should get going. I have to be at work in an hour."

"Oh." Jimin started to panic. If he let you go now, there was no way he'd see you again. He needed to find out more about you if he was going to use you for his paper topic, and eventually a whole lot more. "Um. Before you go, could you at least give me your number?"

She tilted her head to the side in a teasing manner, lips parting. "Why would you need that," she smiled. He chuckled, smirking as he shifted his gaze to his feet. Y/n pulled out her phone from her coat pocket. "Here. Give me yours. This way you can repay me for saving you." He handed her his phone while grabbing hers, typing his contact in as 'the cute clutz'. She hummed at the nickname.

She waved goodbye to him as he called out, "I do plan on thanking you, by the way!"

"Looking forward to it!"

He was in.

-

Jimin raced home, tossing his stuff on his bed and dashing for his laptop. He pulled up your contact on his phone, praying you had put your last name instead of a cute nickname. Damnit. Just Y/n. Plan B. He went onto the campus website and searched for a student directory. Typing in your first name, he found fourteen other Y/ns listed. He clicked on each individual profile and waited for the picture to appear. After a couple of minutes, he struck gold.

Campus Profiles:

Y/n L/n

Age: 21

Major: Pre Med

Email: y/nl/n@gmail.com

That was all the information he needed to be able to find you everywhere else. He added the email to your contact and began looking for you on every platform he could think of.

Your Instagram was public, which he chuckled at. Oh, sweetheart. Don't you know it's dangerous to leave your accounts available for anyone to see? He considered whether he should wait until he knew you personally before following you or not. Inevitably, he pressed the follow button and requested to be notified every time a post was made. Facebook was next, which wasn't any harder. Then twitter and snapchat. It was almost too easy, due to the fact that you used the same username for everything. He learned about your family, your closest friends and past relationships, where you worked, your likes and dislikes, favorite music genres, favorite food, etc. Basically, any detail he could think of was written somewhere on one of your profiles. He got so lucky. He wrote down everything he thought was noteworthy. After all, Professor June did say he needed to prove he was doing his work.

Now, he really did mean to just be your friend. All of this was just to get close to you so he could complete this stupid paper. But it was like Mr. June was saying in his lesson. Addiction and obsession are essentially the same things; once you're in, you can't get out. And Jimin was in. He just didn't know it yet.

previous // masterlist // next

a.n. // Oof I am so beyond excited for this series!! I'm not sure how long it will be yet or when exactly I will post new chapters, I'm just kinda going with the flow. Please let me know what you think, I would love to hear from you! Also, if you would like to be added to my taglist, just ask! And don't forget to go check out my Jungkook series: Trilogy! -Kay 💕

taglist // @kalisica @darkdragonskies @chinkbihh

[joutacujo]

New Horizons is kind of.... really boring. 

With tools breaking so often it makes farming for collectables or materials a pain. Material wise it’s annoying trying to get rarer stuff just using your island without NMT. The islands lose their appeal after the third one and getting new villagers is a pain. 

I don’t bother with the stalk market and haven’t gotten any good DIYs to craft and resell. 

Multiplayer doesn’t have any appeal either when all your friends are international so it takes forever to load in and what can you even do? There’s no mini games. 

I miss the wifi islands where you just hang out with randoms

The fandom feels super toxic now too with the uwu aesthetic people being assholes about ugly villagers, “stealing” island designs and all that shit. Plus wtf are those fees people are demanding for villagers and just to visit their island for prices? For people who hate capitalism you fuckers sure love to do it yourselves

NHs does feel really rushed and after the first few weeks of playing it feels like there’s nothing to do. I don’t play it for hours either or TT so don’t go saying it’s bc of that

NL was my first game but I played a bit of WW. I had a lot more fun with NL than I’m having with NH. NH feels like a chore

[prorevenge]

Oh SO You Want To Kick Me Out Of My New Job? Then Enjoy Being Unemployed, Sued, And Blacklisted!

Warning: This is a long story!

Of course, I inquired why Asswipe isn't in the meeting while I'm being interviewed. The answer I got from RH was along the lines of: "well, technically Asswipe isn't the IT manager anymore, and our arrangement with him is that he will stay as the interim IT head until his contract has ended and not renewed." Basically, the "employment" of Asswipe has already ended sometime in the past, and that he is more or less just a consultant at this point. Asswipe is also almost always "working from home" so he would be unavailable for meetings. RH added that they are hiring me to eventually replace Asswipe when I learned enough of the business and the systems that the IT department is managing. I found this kind of odd but I was like "whatever" and never gave it much thought.

So eventually, I resigned from my (then) current employer despite them throwing me a very attractive counter offer (very bad move on my part) and started my new role at company X after a couple of months.

Day 1. The first day was okay. There were around 5 new hires aside from me, and we were all from different departments. We were taken by our recruiter (RC) to a nice meeting place outside the office to attend the usual onboarding session for new employees. I went home with a smile that day, looking forward to meet my new team when tomorrow comes. I felt that everything would be perfect from then on. Oh boy was I wrong...

Day 2. I came in an hour early so I opted to sit on the couch outside of the HR office while waiting for RC to arrive. Good thing one of the new hires was early as well, so I had somebody to chat with. After about thirty minutes, RC finally came in. She greeted and escorted us to a meeting room where we filled out some paperwork. I was seated on the side of the room where I have a full view of the lobby through a glass window. A few minutes went by when I noticed a man passing by the lobby. He has neck-long hair, wore huge eyeglasses, and was a bit on the chubby side. He's dressed quite decently though. RC whispered to me: "/u/padodo123, that is Asswipe, your manager". I felt a bit nervous as this will be the first time I am meeting him. RC stepped out of the office and had a chat with Asswipe, probably informing him of my presence. RC returned and told me that Asswipe cannot meet me right now because he is engaged with something important. I replied with: "oh, okay" and continued on with the papers.

That morning, RC gave us (the new hires) a tour of the facility, jumping from office to office, and showed us to everyone. Along the way, we met NL, who greeted me and the rest of the newbies with her sweet motherly voice. She's a bit in a hurry for a meeting but promised to have a chat with me soonest. We continued on with the tour. The rest of the staff were generally pleasant, and the atmosphere is friendly and light, at least, until we reached the IT department's office. The moment the door opened, I felt heavy air rushing through me, and the environment was somewhat tense. RC introduced us one by one, and then told the IT guys that I am their new assistant IT manager. I greeted them with a smile and expressed my excitement to be working with them finally. Nobody responded, though I saw a few forced smiles here and there. RC pointed me to the direction of Asswipe and introduced us formally. We were on the door, and Asswipe is sitting on his table which is situated at the other end of the room. Asswipe had this smug look on his face and without saying a word, nodded at me, then continued on with what he was doing on his computer. I felt quite disappointed by his behavior, acting like that being a manager and all, but I thought maybe he's just having a rough day. We left after a few minutes and carried on with the tour. Before the day ended, I got my laptop and system access from the system admin (this guy is silent, but generally okay) before clocking out.

Day 3. I headed straight to the IT department for my "first working day". Nobody except the girl sitting on a desk in the front row was present... maybe I'm just too early. She recognized me and told me that Asswipe wanted her to show me the back area (where they keep the supplies, parts, and do repairs). So we went to the area, and I was offered a desk - it is all messy with wires, computer parts and who-knows-what sitting on there. I settled in and opened my computer to test my email, access and whatnot. There were three technicians in the room that time. They were friendly and we had some nice conversation. I also had a Skype call with RH and he walked me through the entire IT organization. I inquired about Asswipe and he told me that he already sent him an email, and that I can talk to the guy tomorrow. The day ended with me staying at the back area, with Asswipe nowhere in sight.

Day 4. I again arrived early and with nowhere else to go, sat on my "desk". No emails coming in of course, since I haven't been doing any work yet. Eventually, I heared from the other side of door that Asswipe has arrived. I waited for a few minutes so he can settle down, then I went to the front area and walked to his desk. I gave my usual greetings and pleasantries, but what I really wanted was to talk with him about my role and tasks as his new assistant IT manager. He dismissed me and told me he will just send me a mail as he is doing something important. I didn't like this. I am a generally nice guy but I don't mix well with people who wastes my time and disrespects me. I tried hard not to make a fuzz out of it, agreed, and went back to my desk, waiting for his email that never came. That night, I was already having second thoughts about my decision of joining this company.

Day 5. No emails from Asswipe, though I got a lunch out invite from NL, which I accepted. I pinged RM. He then arranged a meeting for the three of us. After a while I was told that Asswipe declined the invitation but suggested another time. RH is unavailable for the suggested schedule but I told him that me and Asswipe can push through anyway. Come afternoon, I was sitting on one chair in front of Asswipe's desk, and we started to talk. However, instead of discussing about my tasks, responsibilities, and his expectations, he pulled out a copy of my resume and started "interviewing" me. I was puzzled. I politely told him that I am already hired and there is no longer a need for an interview. His face turned from grumpy to sour, and then began questioning my qualifications. He nagged about how I am unfit for the role and why I was hired without him approving it. His voice went to loud to really loud to shouting. This went on and on until I had enough. Needless to say, I engaged in a shouting contest with him, to the horror of everybody watching. "I don't like you, go back to where you came from" he said. I replied with "Don't worry, I don't like you too" and stormed out of the room. To be honest if we are not inside the office, he probably already met my fist and the ground.

I went to the HR office and looked for the employee relations officer (ER). Asswipe followed me but stayed at the door, giving me sharp glances that can slice potatoes. ER met me and I told him what happened. He invited me to a room along with the HR manager. We discussed the whole ordeal and I told them how disappointed I was. I almost resigned that instant but they asked me to calm down and reconsider, and that they would do something about it. Day ended with me leaving work early. I forgot to bring my laptop home though because, you know.

Day 6. I was hesistant to report to the office due to what happend the week prior, but because I was able to relax at the beach with the chicks during the weekend *devil face*, I got my composure back. I am also looking forward to the "action" ER told me that he would do.

When I arrived at the office, NL was there waiting for me. She inquired about what happened and how am I doing. She invited me upstairs to their department and ushered me to a nice looking desk. She said that I will temporarily be staying there until we resolve the conflict. I already met the people there and they are all nice. They told me about what they heared and was actually not surprised of how Asswipe acted. I learned from them that Asswipe is actually known to be a prick and a real nuisance to everyone. He acts as if he's the owner and I'm the only person who stood up to him. You see, before company X was acquired by it's now parent company, it was a family business. Being the only IT guy that time, Asswipe was able to introduce innovations to the company with the help of technology. He also only hired entry level people and never taught them too much, maybe so that he can have an advantage over the company (security of tenure). He threatened to "leave" the company on several occassions, of which each time the owner tried to win him back by addressing his demands (doubling his salary). Poor lady. Asswipe bacame the highest paid employee by then. When the acquisition was completed though, his antics no longer worked, and when he tried to resign one last time, it was accepted. However since he is the only person capable of running the IT services, company X cannot get rid of him right away. They then settled with the contract that I have mentioned earlier. How I wished I have learned about this before signing the job offer :(

As expected, Asswipe didn't report that day. My laptop is also nowhere to be found, and I wondered why lol. Meanwhile, there was a commotion going on around the facility. Apparently, the system that everybody uses just refused to work out of the blue, causing transactions to fail. I also wondered why lol. Luckily, we were able to put up an interim solution so that production can still continue, while we are investigating the root cause of the problem. Unfortunately, we were locked out of the server and had no way of accessing it or the system logs. (Only Asswipe knows the password). Somebody tried to contact him to no avail. We ended up phoning the server support and asked for assistance.

That evening, the support guys came and worked on our server. We went home (except the night shift technicians) and were promised a report early morning.

Day 7. I was issued a new laptop since the one I used last week went "missing". I read the report from the server guys and was "shocked" to find out that the downtime was actually caused by somebody deleting several files and records, and stopped scheduled jobs from running. Of course we already have a clue who is behind this but we have no evidence to back it up since all logs were wiped out and the person was able to hide his tracks. Or so he thought. Well, the mistake is that even though transaction logs can be removed, connecting to the VPN to access the server will create a separate record that would show the IP address of the person making the connection. The IP address just happened to be the one Asswipe is always using, since he has an office "extension" at home, where the internet is paid for by the company. The time of the VPN session "incidentally" aligns with the time the issue was first reported. Hmmmm... What's more is that the username that was used to log in on the network was Asswipe's. Not very bright huh. Both GM and RH were informed, and police was contacted as well.

Day 8. I was told that some talks happened which ended with us taking back posession of Asswipe's laptop. The laptop was then sent to another facility for investigation. By this time, the system is back and running, though a lot of transactions were needed to be redone. GM apparently called Asswipe, told him of the findings, and threatened to sue him if he will not respond to the company's demands, the demands being that: 1) He return his laptop, company issued phone, and any other company-related items in his posession; and 2) Perform training for the IT staff on how to operate the systems he previously exclusively handled and provide thorough documentation. He was not allowed to come anywhere near the facility or any branches of the company though, so these training sessions need to be done somewhere else. Asswipe complied.

------

The training sessions lasted for 4 weeks, with them meeting twice a week. For every session, a guard and the company lawyer was always present. After everything was settled, Asswipe was set free. Though, he is forever banned from being rehired in company X and all companies under it's parent organization. It all went well for me and company X from then on, but this is not yet the ending.

------

A few weeks have passed. Me and a colleague were doing some inventory and basic auditing when we stumbled upon a few anomalies. There were purchases made in the past that have no official receipts to them, and all we found were petty cash vouchers that you can buy at all bookstores. The purchases constitute of processors, motherboards, power supplies, and RAM sticks. What's more intriguing is that the prices were blown up, almost double than the usual prices in the market. We dug up for more info and found records for all these purchases. It turns out that the company has been "in business" with whoever the seller is for years already. There were remarks on these questionable items saying that they were "bought from an onlne seller" and that "Asswipe met them somewhere to do the transactions". There's a company name and website listed for the seller but no contact number. We tried to open the website but the page was not found. I tried to do a whois domain lookup - and whaaa laaa.... it was actually owned by somebody with a very fictitious name. I was hoping to see Asswipe's name here but oh well. However, there is an email address associated with the domain, and guess who's personal email it was.....

We documented our findings and reported it to GM and RH. Last I heard, he was being sued by the company, but this time it is for real. Also, the laptop previously issued to him was sent back to us. The forensics team was able to squeeze out lots of evidence against him from the said equipment. Bonus: I found an email sent from his account which dates all the way back on Day 5. Asswipe was apparently blackmailing GM, that he will resign immediately and he will only retract his resignation if "the new guy" was removed. Needless to say, this didn't worked. Adding salt to the would, Asswipe was also blacklisted on several IT groups and organizations. Goodluck to him finding a new job :)

(source) story by (/u/padodo123)

[nuclearblastuk]

ALMANAC ANNOUNCE NEW STUDIO ALBUM 'RUSH OF DEATH'

Victor Smolski's ALMANAC are pleased to announce the next piece of big news for the band – that their third studio album Rush Of Death will be released on 6th March 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The epic cover artwork has also been revealed today, which you can view above.       Victor Smolski has made a statement regarding the news:       "The new ALMANAC line-up has been working out very well indeed, and following on from our latest headline tour and festival run in Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia and Korea, it seemed the perfect time to enter the studio. I spent a lot of time on the song writing and I contemplated a lot on what has influenced my style throughout my thirty plus year career. There’s the hard riffing in tracks like "Unity" and "Soundchaser" of RAGE, bombastic orchestration in "Suite Lingua Mortis", plus the versatile vocal parts and crazy solos in Lingua Mortis Orchestra. You can find all these influences on the new ALMANAC album Rush Of Death, which some people might find surprisingly heavy. It is a very guitar-intensive record which consists of two parts: one half with energetic metal songs without orchestration, and the other half (no less harder!) contains an epic "Suite Lingua Mortis Part 2" recorded with the same symphony orchestra as the original Part 1 from "Speak Of The Dead" by RAGE. Album guests Frank Beck of GAMMA RAY and Marcel Junker have enriched the vocals with their versatile range of singing. Lyrically, we’ve remained true to ourselves and have researched the history thoroughly. As an adrenaline junkie, I found that the theme of “gladiators” has tied in very well with the songs, but this time, we      transferred the issue to the present - portraying racing drivers as modern gladiators. I’m very familiar with the dangers of being behind the steering wheel: with eleven 24 hour Nürburgring races under my belt, including various victories, but also fails, I have already fought many hard fights. We as a band also took ourselves to the limit in the studio, staying true to the motto: "pedal to the medal!"

ALMANAC documented their time in the studio with several clips. Check them out here:      Clip #1: https://youtu.be/EqkIdNjK4C4      Clip #2: https://youtu.be/Ip2GVFkbSaE      Clip #3: https://youtu.be/rx566J8-4y8      Clip #4: https://youtu.be/FYjtiynZWuI      Clip #5: https://youtu.be/epmqTK5VhJI      Clip #6: https://youtu.be/A-xfLnV4yLw      Clip #7: https://youtu.be/vQ0JRroqFpE      Clip #8: https://youtu.be/xz1FA5ulDok       ALMANAC won’t be resting on their laurels in regards to live shows either - they’re set to present tracks from Rush Of Death to fans in spring 2020, when the band joins the Finnish Horror Metal maniacs LORDI on their European tour.       Headline Shows 01.02.  DE         Hamm - HoppeGarden 15.02.  DE         Dusseldorf - Pitcher 29.02.  DE         Bocholt - Alte Molkerei KillecTour 2020 w/ LORDI 05.03.    FR         Epinal - La Souris Verte 06.03.    FR         Paris - La Machine du Moulin Rouge 07.03.    NL          Sneek - Het Bolwerk 10.03.    DE         Munich - Backstage 12.03.    DE         Hamburg - Markthalle 13.03.    DE         Berlin - Kesselhaus 14.03.    DE         Leipzig - Hellraiser 15.03.    DE         Stuttgart - LKA Longhorn 18.03.    DE         Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal 19.03.    DE         Nuremberg - Hirsch 20.03.    DE         Memmingen - Kaminwerk 21.03.    DE         Regensburg-Obertraubling - Eventhalle Airport 22.03.    CZ         Prague - Roxy 25.03     DE         Cologne - Essigfabrik 26.03.    CH         Pratteln - Z7 27.03.    DE         Heidelberg - halle02 28.03.    CH         Schaffhausen - Kammgarn 29.03.    NL          Amstelveen - P60

ALMANAC links:

www.facebook.com/AlmanacVS.band www.instagram.com/almanacofficial www.almanac.band/

[spy-in-the-house]

LET THE MUSIC TAKE CONTROL!

This sith_utr podcast 005 from Monday, September 29th 2017_22:00-23:00 cet: Detroit Techno Recordings finest SEAN TATE aka THE BUTCHER riding seriously high through all valleys of Techno & Planet Detroit from E-DANCER's "World Of Deep" to PÉPÉ BRADOCK & THE GRAND BRûLÉ’s CHOIR "Deep Burnt" and many more. Definitely an essential club-mixwerk, not only for those who know, and a fine late-nite trump card as well, when floor-things a gettin' woozy under the influence of a fog-machine and some strobelights. Time 2 dig this cool breed now!

SEAN TATE bookmarks: FACEBOOK  ll  RA  ll  DETROIT PROMO TV

[your-return-blog]

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[moonlight-at-dawn]

Thanks! How about Luna giving birth to chibi!Noct? King!Noct being adorably worried beside her bed, and getting 100% floored upon seeing his son for the first time. He was immediately reminded of the sad child he used to be before meeting his wife in Tenebrae. No rush! Would be really really happy if this prompt inspires you to write something for NL. :3

“How’re you feeling, love?” Noctis asked Lunafreya in a soft voice, sitting on the edge of the large bed of the expensive maternity suite in the hospital. He adjusted the pillows behind her, and chuckled when he noticed the flat glare she was giving him. “Right, dumb question. Better question: What can I do to help? Want me to put a movie on?”

“Please,” she said wearily, as she shifted and recovered from the latest contraction. “Something lighthearted, that’ll make me laugh.”

He nodded, kissing her on the forehead and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He saw to her request, loading up the movie player with an adventure comedy, and then he made sure she had plenty of juice and ice water on hand before he laid down beside her, on the side opposite all the wires and machines. She scratched around the edge of a sticky patch on her belly and sighed, looking worn and grumpy, and not for the first time she asked, “Is all of this really necessary?”

“Better to have it and not need it, right?”

“I can feel the contractions just fine, a machine really isn’t needed to say I’m having them.”

He chuckled at her tone, a bit of liveliness returning to her voice, pitched hard and monotone. “Yes, but this way they know just how often.” She glared at him for stating the obvious, and he chuckled again, kissing her forehead. “I know, I know. This isn’t your first time, you know what’s to be done. But Luna, this time is a bit different from last.”

She sighed and didn’t say a word, just nodding and snuggling back down against his arm. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and nuzzled her crown with his cheek, closing his eyes and paying no mind to the movie. He, too, could tell whenever she had a contraction, no need for the machine. She shifted and she squeezed his hand tight, and her breathing grew shallow as she rode out the pain. His mind was wandering to concerns, though the doctor and nurses had repeatedly assured them everything would be just fine. Until that moment came, when they could hold their son and see for themselves that he could breathe just fine on his own, he would worry.

Before they had left the Citadel for the hospital, Cor had reminded him that he had been born more premature than their son was coming along, and he had been just fine. Small, yes, but healthy. That made him wonder, though, dredging up old insecurities. He had always felt slow to pick up the things he needed. Slow to get the sword, slow to use magic, very slow and clumsy with warping… He didn’t want his child to feel those some concerns of never being good enough. At least his son wouldn’t have the added stress of being the Chosen King, or, hell, king at all, with his sister first in line for the throne. Ravus’ daughter was like to take up the mantle of Oracle next, which left the Lucian firstborn as the Crown Princess.

Noct picked up his head, started out of his thoughts by the feel of Luna squeezing his hand tight, riding out the pain of another contraction. He patted her hand, and when she was breathing again, breaths that were both heavy and shallow as she tried to recover air without letting her pained diaphragm expand too much, he grabbed her watered down orange juice and handed it to her. He knew from her grimace that it wasn’t the best tasting thing she could have, but it was the closest thing to food she was allowed for now.

When the movie ended, Luna looked to him, brow knitted in concern, and he took her hand between his, stroking softly to comfort her. “How’s Rori doing? Could you check on her? She isn’t here at the hospital already, right? They wouldn’t bring her so soon…”

He smiled, pulling out his phone so he could help with her first concern, while shaking his head at the last. “When the nurses call for the doctor come in, that’s when I’ll call Ignis and have him bring her and the others along. It shouldn’t take nearly 2 hours this time, right?”

“Stars, it had better not,” she cursed emphatically.

He laughed, and then showed her a message on his phone. It was from only twenty minutes ago, a photo of their young daughter napping on Iris, holding a stuffed animal close. It was hers, from when she had been an infant, one she had replaced a few months back with something she liked more. But this one, she insisted, she would give to her baby brother when they met, and for now she clung to it in her sleep. Luna’s lips turned up in a quivering smile, touched by the sight as she remembered when the four-year-old had been only a year old, clinging to that doll in much the same way she did now.

“Thank you,” she breathed out. Noct leaned in to kiss away a tear that threatened to spill down her cheek. He changed out the movie and they settled in, and the movie hadn’t quite finished when a team of nurses came in and began prepping everything for delivery. Luna braced herself for hours of hard labor, even as they explained this would likely go faster than last time. Last time they had told her she looked like she was proceeding quickly, only for things to suddenly slow down to the average pace.

This time they were right, though, even underestimating things. She felt they had only barely begun, perhaps on her fifth push before they called for the doctor. Noctis held her hand as he made his brief call to Ignis, keeping it to only a few words so the nurses wouldn’t be shooting those looks around. All of his attention was on her after that, stroking her hand, letting her squeeze it tight. He wiped her forehead with a cold damp cloth, offering her sips of ice water when she finished up a push and breathed in slow and deep. He murmured soft encouragement, his quiet voice drowned out by the activity going on under the sheets where a nurse and the doctor communicated what was going on. It didn’t take much longer before they heard a soft wailing and their son was held up for them to see.

Luna laughed weakly, relieved to see the child, to hear him, and soon after came the words that his first check up was perfectly fine. A few more were in line for these first few hours, but that first one was the one she had needed to hear was alright before she could lose much of the tension from the unexpected early arrival.

Noct’s relief was evident in the fall of his shoulders, but his breath caught at the sight of his small son. Yes, the child was a good bit smaller than his sister had been at her birth, and quieter too. Healthy, as Noctis had been, probably even a little larger, but the softness of voice made Noctis worry at first. At least, he worried until the boy was placed in his arms and he could feel him wiggling, and could really hear the power behind his cries. He was quieter than his sister had been, but it was not because he wasn’t healthy. Smiling broadly, he gave his son’s wandering hands a finger to grasp, and he chuckled, a soft sound shaking with emotion. “Hi there,” he murmured softly, putting his face close to unfocused deep gray-violet eyes that would lighten to blue like his sister’s had. “I was impatient to meet you, too.”

Luna snorted in laughter and held out her arms for Noctis to give her the child. He grinned and nodded, helping her to place him for his first meal, carefully extracting him from the blanket so their skin would touch. He watched in quiet reverie, hand resting on his son’s back, watching Luna’s expression as she fed him, locking eyes with her newborn son and whispering soft words of love and encouragement. When they finished and Luna settled back with him sleeping on her chest, she gave Noctis an inquisitive look, her eyes filled with warmth.

“Caldor,” he whispered, voice a bit hoarse.

She blinked, confused a moment, and then she nodded, looking down at their son. “Caldor,” she repeated, trying it out and smiling. “Warmth. It suits him. Caldor Lucis Caelum.”

[dayvmattt]

chapter one of MANIFESTO

PSST!

Any resemblance to individuals ruling or ruled should be taken with a grain of salt. All of the events he has described herein that actually happened, actually happened, though he has made changes to the chronology and factuality.

Force majeure, bitches.

1 BISCUITS

Truth be told, this document isn’t a manifesto. It’s an unfinished manifesto. Certain demographics don’t seem to expect genuinely completed and tested products anymore. For example, people purchase and play video games still in their Alpha stages of development. The pharmaceutical companies put aside vast sums in the event that one of their rushed products, which usually treats a designer ailment, causes death or severe complications to both patients and investors. Everything is rushed now. Why should books be any different? Is this the first unfinished book you ever purchased? He doubts it.

He has, thus far, lived what he would characterize as an interesting life. Of course, his journey isn’t necessarily more or less interesting than yours, but it has been interesting enough. And to be sure, much of what he finds interesting about his own experience is similarly experienced by the vast majority of individuals who grew up middle class in big city Ontario. So, while interesting, his various experiences are not entirely unique.

He was born in Toronto. His pre-pubes-youth was youthy. When he was four or five he’d wake up well before Saturday morning cartoons were on TV to watch The AG Report; a weekly hour-long recap of the exciting world of Canadian agribusiness. He wasn’t obsessed with the world of agriculture; he just woke up early. He played Mario and Duck Hunt in his basement bedroom and met the gang from the neighborhood for road hockey and to get into mischief. He went through trading card and comic book phases, and he may have hit his brother in the head with a hammer. Life before high school was fine. 

High School is when social constructs and expectations from peers really kick into gear.

He attended Catholic school because his family did and he liked the idea of wearing a uniform. He just didn’t give a fuck about fashion. His peers could still, and did, judge him based on his shoes, backpack, hell, even lunch quality, but having to wear a uniform reduced the number of ways he could be judged; especially from afar.

During high school, he did not attend one dance and he didn’t go to his graduation ceremony.

High school seemed, at the time, to be so complicated (it was sexless and awkward) and often wretched, but looking back he is convinced that it was pretty god damn normal. He’s got plenty of stories to tell, that is true, but the stuff he wrote back then is embarrassingly bad. Really horrible. He is consoled by the fact that a lot of people are also embarrassed about what they wrote when they were young and angsty teens. That said, he does not regret writing when he was young.

With high school checked off the to-do list he moved to Ottawa to get university over with.

University is when resistance to social constructs and expectations from society really kick into gear.

During half a decade of university he smoked grass, read Marx, made music, shot street, hated everyone, and saw ghosts in line for the bathroom in the techno room. He also did some studying and graduated with a degree in Political Science, a minor in History, and a concentration in Comparative Politics. He didn’t attend his graduation ceremony.

University was, at the time, so lonely (it was sexless), but when he thinks back, that free and easy life was pretty good. There are plenty of stories to be told, that is true, but most of the stuff he wrote back then was straight up shite. Really horrible stuff. Idealistic hogwash heaped atop self-absorbed nonsense. He is consoled by the fact that he is sure this is true of many his age thinking about what was written when they were young adults slowly coming to terms with the fact that their entitled lives were soon entering a new and more demanding stage. He does not regret writing when he was a young adult.

With a new degree, he moved out of his apartment in Ottawa and back to his mom’s in Toronto.

There is something to be said about cocaine use among a number of his Toronto friends at the time, but, cocaine is really boring so let’s move on. Within a few weeks of being back in Toronto hanging out with pals who were coke curious, a friend of his called him up from Seoul, Korea.

He’d called to find out if he wanted to teach at the English academy he was employed at. His pitch was simple and his questions were few. He didn’t even ask for time to think about it. He figured, what the hell, and seven sleeps after speaking with his friend he was on a flight to Seoul and a life of expatitude. That was 2002.

The career that ‘should’ have materialized after university hadn’t materialized. Truth be told, moving to Korea offered him the opportunity to game the system for quite some time.

If you are content earning a couple grand a month, and it allows for a generally comfortable standard of living, it’s easy to just ignore a career. Nevertheless, more than a decade has passed and he is still always without savings and his debts aren’t any less daunting. He doesn’t necessarily lament the fact that he didn’t figure out a career path earlier in life, but there certainly are increasing levels of anxiety and stress that arise whenever he gives the subject some thought. Not everyone is a go-getter.

He is currently a stay at home dad who mildly enjoys it. If nothing changes his tombstone will read “Should have been more successful”.

It is certainly refreshing that more and more people are giving serious thought about drug policy and the negative effect that the criminalization of narcotics is having on society.

Egalitarian shifts cannot truly begin until society comes to a much more open attitude toward narcotics and resists the urge to wage war on them.

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