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shina913 · 1 year

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Flowerworks | KNJ

Flowerworks

Pairing: Namjoon x Fem!Reader

Rating: M (SFW)

Genre: Exes; pure angst; fluff

Warnings: a lot of angst; pining; meet-cute; suggestive language; missed opportunities; vague infidelity

Word count: 4,241 words

Summary: “The love you had in your past...unfinished, untested, lost love...seems so easy, so childish to those who chose to settle down. But it’s actually the purest, most concentrated stuff.”

A/N: This story was inspired by an anthology series that I had binged while I had Covid back in January this year. For a while, I've been wanting to do a rendition of that but I wasn't sure which member to 'cast.' But Indigo has such a great inspiration so I've revisited this draft and thought Namjoon would be the perfect angsty main character here. Also, Kelly Price's rendition of As We Lay was a good inspo for this as well, except it's got none of the spicy stuff and you're left with all angst!

A/N2: I've never been to the UK or Europe 🤡 so a lot of this is just talking out of my ass hoping it would make for an interesting backdrop. I apologize for any geographical inaccuracies. This isn't the first time I've mentioned Juan Luna in my fics--I just thought, wouldn't it be cool if Namjoon studied Filipino impressionists🤪. Anyway, hope the story still lands! 💙

“Thank you so much for the presentation, Dr. YLN. It was so refreshing to hear a new take on a subject that’s so rarely…uhm, what’s the word…”

“Discussed? Thought of?” You finish their sentence for them. You smile warmly at a young journalist who was covering your lecture as part of a feature piece they were doing for a magazine. After the program ended, they decided to come up for a side conversation.

“Yes, that’s right,” the journalist says. “Your perspective is so fascinating to me. I mean–when we were in grade school, these lessons were just so repetitive and boring. It’s practically a bird course,” they chuckled.

“Right, because you’re supposed to just fly right through it?” You joked. You, too, had that impression when you were much younger.

“Your research style is so much more interesting. I was elated to find out that you’re the historical consultant on that ‘Ilustrados’ series!”

You tried your best to stay humble but deep down, you were still pinching yourself about getting to work with a major studio and top-tier production team. “I saw it as a great opportunity for us history and literature majors to flex a little, you know?” Then you caught yourself and laughed. “Oh my god, that sounded so nerdy,” you flushed.

“Not at all! Don’t be too modest,” they giggled. “I think it’s great that we get to give stories like this a new angle.”

You smiled and mouthed your thanks.

“I’m curious, do you remember what or who inspired you to pursue history as one of your fields of expertise?”

You grew flustered then blew out a quick breath. “Wow, uhm…nobody’s ever asked me that!”

“I don’t have to include it,” the journalist adds.

Your brows furrowed. “Include what?”

“That story that’s written all over your face,” they say with a knowing look.

“Oh, well…I think I’ve always been on track to study literature in some shape or form. That was my chosen major in college. Pursuing a career in history, however…was a happy accident,” you recall fondly.

They smiled excitedly. “Please tell me more,” they urged.

You stifle a grin. It was one of, if not the most unforgettable time in your life. If you could ever capture lightning in a bottle–that was the moment to do it.

You began, “He was an art history major spending a year in France while I was a language and literature major spending a semester in London. I met him while on holiday at a cafe in Paris–”

“Hang on! I think I’ve heard this story before!” They interject.

You give them a confused look. Up until this moment, you’ve only spoken about him to your former flatmate and a couple of close friends. “Y-you have?” You ask slowly.

They let out a soft chuckle. “I’m sorry, I’m kidding! Is that real?”

You laughed. “Yes, yes it is!”

“You know, most people are like–we met in college, lost touch for a while, then ran into each other on the street years later and had coffee.”

“Well…it does sound like quite the Hallmark movie plot, huh? The place we were at was certainly the perfect backdrop for it,” you smiled at the memory. “But, as unbelievable as it sounds, if it weren’t for him sparking my…” You cleared your throat, “...Enthusiasm in the subject and history in general–I wouldn’t be in this position today.”

It was indeed a serendipitous time in Paris, which began as a casual encounter over drinks, then eventually led to hours of exploring historic art districts with him. The day trips around the city certainly brought your interest in history to a whole different level.

“W-what happened to him?”

You shrug your shoulders. “After my break, I had to return to London. He wanted to come with me but he had some travel commitments with his fellow students. We agreed to meet at my place but–it just…didn’t work out for some reason.”

The journalist listened intently, indulging you in your story.

“I don’t know what happened. I thought we had a great connection. I mean, wasn’t that as perfect an opening to a relationship that you can get? Back then, I would go back and forth trying to think about how different it felt for me than it did for him.”

For a moment, you felt yourself slip again. But as you had done for the past several years, you smiled and shook your head to brush the memory aside to lock it away. Then, at your most vulnerable, you can unpack it again. You wave them off, “Anyway, that was such a long time ago, though!”

“How long?” They ask curiously.

“10 years,” another voice answered.

For that fraction of a second, your heart drops to your stomach, and you’re afraid to look up. This has to be another figment of your imagination. Still, you couldn’t help thinking about the times you wished to hear that voice again.

The journalist steps aside to clear the path. You finally peer up, blinking a few times to assure yourself that this was real.

There he was, standing in front of you–your lightning in a bottle…Namjoon. He had the biggest smile on his face and it was just as warm and bright as you remember it.

Suddenly feeling that they’ve intruded in a special moment, the journalist excuses themself and thanks you for the lovely conversation, promising to send you the initial draft of their feature via email.

As stunned as you were, you managed to string some words together. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

“Hello, YN,” Namjoon greeted you as he moved closer.

“H-hi.” You were shocked to hear how calm your voice sounded when all you wanted to do was melt into a puddle.

You both stand in front of each other not knowing whether to shake hands or hug. Before you knew it, you were throwing your arms around his neck to embrace him. You feel his warmth envelop you, hearing him sigh faintly into your hair.

“It’s been a long time,” you say after pulling away. “Weren’t we supposed to meet in London?”

//FLASHBACK

When you met in Paris, he was only one of the handful of patrons who spoke English at the cafe. You don’t know how exactly your conversation began, but he started spouting some facts about craft beer as opposed to wine–and tried to convince you that one was better than the other.

After a few spirited arguments, you agreed to settle things…back at his flat, which was a block away from the cafe. Your worked out your differences in opinions in bed, eventually agreeing to disagree after he made you orgasm.

He later confessed that the spontaneous debate was a pickup tactic from him. He thought he was being clever but never expected you to offer up some valid points. But you told him that you thought he was cute so you were all-too-willing to be reeled in anyway.

Though you were on break, he was in the middle of his school term and had to spend time traveling within the city to check out recommended sites to fulfill his course requirements.

He invited you to come with him on a day trip to check out the former studio of an artist who turned out to be instrumental in their home country's rebellion. You were apprehensive but came with an open mind--and you never regretted it.

You spent the evening at his place once more...and a few more times after that. Your favorite thing was waking up next him in the mornings, exchanging innocent kisses in bed that always escalated to the point where one or both of you would end up moaning each other's name.

But when you weren’t in bed, you spent many hours just talking. He was so passionate about his studies as much as you were about yours. The way he spoke about art, its origins, and inspirations was so reverent, it was fascinating to experience a drop of his enthusiasm.

The day you had to return to London was difficult, not just for you but for him, too. He and a few of his fellow students were supposed to travel to Rouen and spend a few days there to check out some impressionist exhibits recommended by their teacher. He planned to take the ferry to visit you right after.

When you arrived at the train station, he noticed that he lost his phone somewhere between the ride from his flat to this point. You dug into your bag and retrieved an old receipt where you wrote your number and address down. He took it and slid it in between his book that he carried with him. Then, on the week that you were supposed to meet, the borders shut down.

//END FLASHBACK

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Mm-hm…you better be,” you respond wryly.

He rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. “I, uh…missed my alarm then, got caught up in the border lockdown. Before I knew it, I was stranded in Normandy for a bit before the school managed to make arrangements to get us back to Paris then back home.”

You’ll never forget it, since you, too, were stuck in a foreign land so far away from family.

“How come you never called?” It was a question that niggled at you for years.

He chewed at his bottom lip helplessly. “In the midst of all the chaos, I misplaced my book–the one where I kept that receipt where you wrote down your information.”

That all sounded too easy and far-fetched. But in the week that you spent with him, it wasn’t that hard to believe. He nearly left his passport behind at the bar that first night before going back to his flat; Once, he got off at the wrong stop after mixing up north and southbound trains.

You sighed. “Well…you’re here now. That’s all that matters, right? How did you know I’d be here?”

He smiled wistfully. “I saw your picture in one of our e-newsletters I get at work,” he answers. “I normally send those straight to my trash but something told me that I needed to take a look at it and…I’m sure glad that I did.”

That made your heart flutter. You made a mental note to thank the university’s Communications team for convincing you to do a headshot to promote the lecture series.

“Do you live around the area? Are you local?”

He shook his head gently. “No. I made the trip out here because I wanted to come see you.”

Your mouth falls open at his confession. “O-oh.”

“I wondered if I could take you out for dinner? There’s a bistro that I passed not too far from here. U-unless…you’ve already eaten–”

You snorted loudly then interjected, “Oh, please–you know I could always eat!” He laughs hysterically.

******

“Have you ever gone back?”

His eyes flick up at your question but the look he gave told you that you didn’t need to clarify it further.

“Mm-hm,” he answered affirmatively before adding, “Not as often as I’d like, though. And you?”

“Yeah,” you reply. “Actually, a year after travel restrictions eased up, I went back right away.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Really?”

You nod and look at him enigmatically. “I went straight to Villa Dupont.”

Remembering the area so clearly, his lips twitch at the thought. “Luna’s atelier?”

You nodded again. He sat back on his chair then interlocked his fingers behind his neck before he tilted his head against them. “Wow. That’s…amazing!”

“What can I say? That’s where my career started,” you quipped.

“And here I was, thinking that I was such an idiot for taking this beautiful girl on the most boring, mind-numbing walking tour of Asian impressionist artists.”

You both laughed, but those walks with him were one of the best memories of your time there.

“Anyway, I came back a few more times after that for my doctoral dissertation. And now here I am, giving lectures on it.”

The look on his face showed pride and admiration. All those hours you spent talking, you both shared your dreams and hopes for the future. You both had your head in the clouds…just two kids trying to justify the relevance of your respective liberal arts programs.

“That’s amazing. Consider me envious,” he says in jest. “You’re traveling around the world…and living your dream.”

You wave him off. “It’s not so glamorous. These days, I’m happy if I get to squeeze in some personal time. Usually, I get to a place, spend most of my time working and…” Your eyes drift down to your left hand, picking up your drink, “...then I have to get back to my family.”

He follows your line of vision. It wasn’t the first time he’s clocked in the piece of jewelry you’ve worn for a number of years now. He noticed it when you took the menu from the host after they sat you down at your table.

He hadn’t asked about it then, nor did you ask him about the ring that he wore on his finger when he moved his wine glass to the edge of the table when the server returned to pour him a glass of red wine.

You cleared your throat. “So, what else have you been up to these days? Are you just calling up former lovers?” You teased him.

A low laugh rumbled within his chest. “I’ve only ever had one former lover,” he held up one finger and stared. It was so unnerving, you had to break eye contact first. “Then, I got married. Really quickly…to the first girl that I met a year after I got back from France.”

You couldn’t hide the shock written all over your face. “Wow,” you managed to say. “That’s…” You try to think of a word that didn’t sound too reproachful.

“Crazy? Impulsive? Yes. I was really young and I thought the world was ending. I just didn’t want to lose anybody again.” he trailed off.

You and your husband were together for five years before you even thought about getting married. Maybe you were unconsciously holding out hope that you’d run into Namjoon again.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and smiled sadly at the thought, but that was quickly interrupted by the server bringing your dinner to the table.

******

You go through the rest of dinner talking about your most recent work and him sharing some of his more recent projects. When the server returns to dish out your plates, they ask about dessert. Namjoon declined but immediately looked at you.

“Oh, no thank you,” you declined politely.

Namjoon’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Who are you? I could have sworn that moelleux au chocolat was calling your name,” he teases, remembering your favorite treat that you indulged in while you were together.

“Shut up,” you laughed. “We’re not 21 anymore. You can’t…eat chocolate cake just like that.”

“Not even in bed?” The soft crinkle in his eyes deepened as he smiled cheekily.

You try to put aside those memories of chocolate and him. You cock a serious eyebrow at him, his expression unchanging. “Nope, not even in bed.”

You fall silent for a bit. Then he asks, “How many kids do you have?”

“Two girls. You?”

“I have a son,” he answers.

“Must be blissful to just have one,” you commented, polishing off your wine.

“Oh, trust me,” he says, picking up the bottle to pour you another glass but you hold your hand up, feeling like you’ve had more than enough for the night. “He’s still a handful, though.” he laughs, proceeding to empty out the rest of the bottle’s contents into his glass.

“But he’s my handful, so…” he trailed off, setting the empty wine bottle on the table.

“Are you and your wife still together?” You thought maybe the question was out of line but curiosity was getting the best of you.

His expression turns wistful. “We live under the same roof, let’s put it that way. She’s a great woman, a good mother. And I don’t deserve her.”

You smiled sadly at him, then stared at him silently. You begin to question why you even decided to come with him. Perhaps it was all a big mistake.

And yet, even though it's been so long, your memories of him were so incredibly vivid that you could just reach your hand out and you'd feel them. Feel him.

“What are we doing here, Namjoon? Why did you show up at my lecture? What did you hope to achieve?”

“Honestly?” His eyes flicked downward and he began to fidget with a loose thread on the table cloth.

“When I found out that you’d be in town, I booked a room within five minutes.” He chuckled. “I didn’t even care if the rate was ridiculous…”

Then, his gaze lifted back to your face. “I was hoping that we could pick up where we left off."

Your hand instinctively clutches at your chest. Your heart was beating so fast, you were afraid that it would just burst out of it.

"For 10 years, I imagined what our life would have been like. And if I ever saw you again, would I feel the same way about you? Would you feel the same way about me?”

You purse your lips and lean in closer. “You didn’t need to book a hotel room to find out if we still love each other…” You paused, then gave him a small smile. “Because clearly, we still do.”

His lips curved into a smile and the dimples in his cheeks grew deeper.

“For 10 years…Just the idea of you, knowing that you existed and that you were in my life…I held onto those memories and they got me through some tough times.” Your throat tightens but right before your tears fall, he reaches across the table, holding his hand out, beckoning you to put your hand in it.

After some hesitation, you acquiesce. He gives it a gentle squeeze, then brings it up to his lips to kiss it. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

******

You took a leisurely walk by the avenue and into a small pub a few blocks away. You shared a few more drinks and stories. For hours, you caught up with each other’s lives.

You excitedly talk to him about your new television project while he enthusiastically describes recently studying works by the late Yun Hyong Keun, even developing a friendship with his family.

Art was Namjoon’s pride and joy. His eyes, though the corners were now wrinkled with laugh lines several years later, still lit up the same way when he talked about his passions and the things that he loves.

When one pub closed, you moved into another. And when that closed, you moved your conversation to a park bench, right outside of your hotel by the waterfront.

It was a little after 5:30AM and daylight was breaking through the horizon. Most of the town’s commercial avenue was still asleep, save for the cafes that were gearing up for a new day for early-morning patrons.

When you sat down next to him, he lifted his arm up, inviting you to sidle up closer to him. And you did. You basked in his warmth and rested your head against his chest. You caught a whiff of him…cinnamon and coffee mixed in with faint traces of lavender-scented fabric softener. Even though you felt fatigue set in, you couldn’t close your eyes. You crane your neck up to find him sitting still with eyes closed while the sunrise kisses his face. Now, how could you possibly miss that?

******

You head back into the hotel and go up to your respective rooms only to retrieve your things so you could check out and head to the train station.

“You don’t have to take me, really–”

“I know I don’t have to but I want to,” he insisted.

You laugh at him. “You’ve gone and rented out a room that you didn’t even sleep in. Now you’re saying that you’re going to take the train with me, see me off at my stop, then transfer at a station that’s completely out of the way for you?”

He laughed in return. “It sounds so crazy when you put it that way but…yes, I want to do all that.”

You shook your head at how ridiculous that was. “Joon…”

“Please? Just let me do this,” he all but pleads.

You wanted to protest again but instead, when you open your mouth, a yawn escapes you.

“Look at you…that’s like, the fifth time in a row you’ve yawned,” he snickered.

“Spare me,” you chuckled with a slight eyeroll. “I know we barely slept when we were together. Now I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“Dawn is for lovers…and bakers,” he adds with a grin while his eyes peered up at a bakery that had just turned over its ‘open’ sign on the front door.

Your cheeks flushed with warmth. “You always had a way with words.”

“Things haven’t changed much,” he replied as you made your way out of the hotel to catch a cab together.

******

Hours later, the train approaches your stop, and you begin to gather your things.

“Thank you,” you say to him.

He smiled wordlessly then dipped his head down. You didn’t stop him and instead, met his kiss halfway. Warmth bloomed within your chest when your lips brushed against each other’s. In an instant, you had traveled back in time…back into his embrace. It was like coming home.

The train comes to a halt, making you bump against each other. Pulling away, you stare at each other with half-lidded eyes. Both your pulses raced but ironically, there was a calm that washed over you.

Neither of you said anything for a few beats until a smile broke through his lips. It’s so infectious that you do the same. He leans in again and plants a soft, lingering kiss on your forehead. You find yourself squeezing your eyes shut.

When he lets go of you, he looks into your eyes again. “We should do this again.”

His invitation was so unexpected that it knocked the wind out of you. You give him a small smile and a nod. “Sure, just call me.”

“I definitely will. You know, since I have my phone with me now instead of an old receipt,” he says.

You gather your things and off-board the train hand-in-hand. You put your luggage down then faced each other on the platform.

“So…have a good life!”

Your comment tickles him. “‘Have a good life’?” he echoed. “That sounds like something people say when they won’t see each other again.”

You didn’t really mean anything by it. You thought it sounded better than saying, ‘That was fun,’ or ‘Take care.’

You chuckled at him and shrugged. “You never know what could happen between now and the next time we see each other again. I could die; you could hit your head and fall into a coma; another border lockdown could happen, or…maybe one of us decides that they want something else,” you reply casually.

He took a step to narrow the gap between you. “I’ve always loved your wild imagination,” he says, tucking a few strands of your hair behind your ear.

You grinned at him. “So you’ve told me.”

His expression turned serious. “Well, none of those things will happen. We’ll see each other again.” he promises, keeping his eyes locked with yours.

You nodded softly and gave him a small smile. “Alright.”

His smile grew wider and you tilt your chin up to kiss his lips again before his train home arrives on the other side of the platform. You watched him board and saw that he sat by the window seat, his eyes still on you.

True love in its absolute form has many purposes in life. It’s not just about bringing children into the world; or romance or soulmates or even lifelong companionship. The love you had in your past...unfinished, untested, lost love...seems so easy, so childish to those who chose to settle down. But it’s actually the purest, most concentrated stuff.

For years, you imagined what it would be like to see him again. To learn that things hadn’t changed and that spark between you was just as bright and electric as when you first made eye contact.

And while you were happy to learn that he still felt the same way, just like any spark, there’s a brightness for a few seconds…before the wind blows it out. Like a firework that shoots up into the sky, bursting into different colors, only to fall back down as smoke and ash. Like a bolt of lightning, crackling through the storm clouds, followed by a loud thunderclap and a burst of rain.

Up until the last few hours, you realized that something this good can only last for so long.

You had your beautiful moment with him. And that’s how it will always stay in your heart.

When the train rain pulls away from the station, you feel a twinge in your chest. You blew him a kiss and stood there silently until he was far enough away from you.

He waved at you through the window then turned to look straight ahead.

“Have a good life, YN,” he whispered to himself.

Crossposted on AO3 | Main Fic Masterlist

You’ve reached the end! Thank you so much for reading!

If you loved it, please comment, reblog, or send me feedback! 📩. I love hearing from readers! If you didn’t like it so much, I would still like to hear about it. Help me become a better writer! 💜

Tagging: @internetjunkdrawer @deepseavibez @itdoesntmatterwhy @joonschocochip @yu-justme @e-cm

#bts fanfiction #namjoon x reader #namjoon angst #namjoon fanfiction

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japanese-cryptic-beauty · 4 months

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Post 2: Correcting Post 1

Or: The journey of Japanese is a journey of folly.

So, I wrote that Japanese has pitch but it's usually not important for meaning, you just sound unnatural.

... Which is something you could say ... Kinda ... sorta ...

Only the Universe has been bombarding me with the importance and prevalence of pitch ever since. So I want to qualify the statement, at least.

Check out this interesting post I found here. Now, if I read this slightly cryptic answer right (it talks about "word-accent" which I assume can mean both "pitch" - Japanese, Chinese - and "stress" - English), pitch is significant to distinguish words with same sounds (homonyms) as follows: Chinese - 71%, Japanese - 13%, English - 0.47%.

Unsurprisingly, in a language (Chinese) using (in its standard pronunciation/main dialect) 5 pitches to differentiate words, pitches are "damn important" (71%). But 13% is actually also quite significant. Your mileage may differ.

Personal bias in skimming information

Now, for me, myself, this is not so surprising. I may have come across the information that pitch exists in Japanese probably twice but my brain may have chosen to willfully ignoring it.

(Textbooks may mention it but then omit it to not overload beginners, I guess.)

Thing is, I have a horrible history with learning how to stress words in other languages. These little accent-y things and squiggles on top of words? They're my nemesis. So I guess I wanted there to be no equivalent of that in Japanese.

I had three years of Ancient Greek in school, an investment of my time that taught me a valuable lesson: Don't learn Ancient Greek. I'm kidding - or am I? - the valuable lesson was to do my choices in a less knee-jerk way. In hindsight, nothing of value would have come of learning Ancient Greek even if I did well. Your opinion may differ. Fine. I really think it's a colossal waste of time unless you make a job choice requiring it. The best it could have done for me was get better at the learning itself or the learning of languages in general. But it failed in the most important thing that language does: connecting people. If it fails at that, it barely has any right to remotely exist as a subject. Nobody likes you Ancient Greek, go away.

Besides the letters, Greek gave me major problems with the stress accents. Put it on a syllable and I would never manage to pronounce the word. I always put the stress wrong. My brain hasn't unlocked how that works. I notice the same in Spanish. I may emulate a speaker (not that I speak Spanish, but when I repeat after someone), but even then I might not even hear the difference.

I know I've aggravated my Swedish teacher for not hearing the difference between his "ooh" and "uh" sounds he was making for the letter "u." (Ironically a song based entirely on the sound "U" is now playing on shuffle.) Hopefully continued exposure and awareness of the problem might help...

There's some good news, though

While my chosen learning method of WaniKani doesn't display stress, it features two speakers, Kyoko and Kenichi that say the readings. I wondered on occasion if they were real, but they do use pitch when pronouncing words. (And they might slightly vary between each other.)

So there's a neat little feature:

You pick your speaker and chose to let pronunciation play out every time the reading is featured - in case of reviews after you transcribed it yourself first.

I have to admit I was in the habit of not playing it when I could do multi-kanji word readings well, but this exposes me to pitch and pronunciation peculiarities I might otherwise ignore.

More exposure!

[EDIT:] Probably more good news, depending where you come from

So, in researching this I came across this article. It provides two pieces of context that I want to quote .

A reply to a letter to the editor of a manga magazine printed in Romaji (without accent marked) quoted in point 5: "When two or three words sound exactly alike except for pitch accent, context is going to resolve the ambiguity virtually 100 percent of the time. In practical terms, accent is probably the least important aspect of Japanese pronunciation no matter what your level of language skill."

In other words, even bad pitch accent will be understood almost always. This is where I first will employ the most horrible, stereotypical example that's ALWAYS trotted out to justify anything: the chopsticks/bridge example.

Chopsticks and bridge both transcribe to "hashi" (and to the same Hiragana). They only vary in rising and falling pitch. Now you could argue that makes pitch important. But as the above quote states - context usually resolves that quite reliably.

I mean, having browsed reddit and Quora for a while, you will inevitably see this being trotted out, and people ask the rhetorical question: Don't you think it's important to know if the bridge is burning or a set of chopsticks?

Rhetorical questions are, of course, only questions in the most technical sense. They're usually just people being smug or actually making biased or even bad faith arguments.

As mentioned above, people are not dumb. Japanese is already incredibly context-sensitive. You constantly have to keep track of things said before - because omission is common. You can leave out the subject because you mentioned it before as "the topic." Good luck with translating that, AI...

You usually can infer what is being said. But propagators of the burning chopstick dilemma are trying hard to make you think their way. Or are they even trying? It's so tired an example. If there were lots of these, surely people would quote them, too? Who cares what's going on with the damn bridge, anyway?!?

Okay, moving on.

I found this from point 6 a very useful and probably true assessment: "People without hearing impairments can mimic the melody of language, but they can hardly interpret visual accent markers into the oral/aural domain without special training because visual and auditory stimuli are processed very differently in the human brain. In all likelihood, the author of the above-mentioned letter simply feels more comfortable visually with accent markers. But using such markers to speak Japanese creates pronunciations that are worse than a crude synthesizer."

Well, I was notoriously bad at it in one language already. I guess I will hold my horses on trying to make that my method. Thankfully, audio material is available in enormous quantities, so we can learn from the melody of native speakers. And that is good news.

#learning japanese #ancient greek #pitch accent #wanikani

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zoobus · 4 years

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Online Socializing and Distraction Masterpost

You're bored, you're lonely, you’re an extrovert and social distancing sounds like hell on earth, you're not sure you can handle what feels like endless isolation - I get it and I want to help. This list is broken into two sections: Free for your own use and Free if your library offers it. I am not posting anything that requires money to use (excluding the cost of streaming services for those programs), so you will not see any of the endless extended free trials companies have been throwing out - If you're interested in such a list, go here, here, and here. And Comixology. Free to Use: -twoseven.xyz - RIP Rabbit 😢 Now that that’s out of the way, I know some of you gave up on a replacement - Kast sucked, half the replacements were broken, no one filled the gap. However, after several months of tv watching with friends, I can say twoseven is the most expansive and functional tv sharing site I’ve found. Everyone can pause, play, rewind, etc without it getting out of sync (unless your interenet is really bad) All your friends will need to install the app, it gets funky when using Netflix and Hulu, and I’ve occassionally had issues using it with Firefox, but otherwise it works. -Netflix Party - If Netflix is your main, this is your app. Unlike Twoseven, you can set up audio chat, if that’s something you want. HOWEVER, unlike twoseven, you all need a Netflix account. No free riders here :( *At the time of this post, it’s currently having issues with the latest version, with plans to drop a fixed release by Tuesday. -Disboard and Discord.me - You’re probably already aware of Discord, have an account, maybe a couple servers you’re active in. It can be difficult finding a quality server with both good members and subject you’re interested in - these two are better at finding such servers than Discord’s Discovery feature or hoping one of your mutuals reads your desperate telepathic pleas to give an invite. -Discord - Again, you all likely know of Discord as a socializing platform. It’s been gradually improving its video chat and video share features, letting you and your friends talk while you show off your game/movie/hentai/whatever. It’s at the bottom of the list because I found it to be the spottiest of all the media group share software. -Roll20 - Maybe you’ve always been curious about tabletop games, maybe all your interested friends are in different timezones. VERY useful if you have zero interest in keeping track of numbers or doing the math yourself. Recommend playing using with Discord’s voice chat.

-Facetime, Houseparty, Hangouts, Duo, WhatsApp - None of these are linked since there’s various platforms you can download them on, but basically if you want to video chat - especially with multiple people - these are the most popular. I do not like video chatting so I cannot/will not vouch for any. Make on-nomi a thing and have a drinking party. -Exercise Playlist - Gyms are closed and going outside is currently being discouraged. Don’t give up!

Free to Use IF Your Library Holds a Subscription Your library probably offers a lot of online services outside of ebooks. Their list can likely be found on their website or by searching “[your local/county library] eCollection”or “[your local/county library] online resources.” These are a few yours might subscribe to, but if they don’t you can always make a request:

-Libby and Overdrive - Libby is the app for OverDrive. Read ebooks and listen to audiobooks from your library’s OverDrive collection on mobile using Libby. -RBDigital - Primarily provides a wide variety of magazines in a few languages, but offers some ebooks and audiobooks as well. -PressReader - All the newspapers you can read. If you’re constantly frustrated by paywalls, check whether this is available to you. -Kanopy - On-demand streaming video platform for public libraries and universities that offers films and documentaries, plus a kids’ section. Hey, guess which site has Moonlight, Midsommar, and m’big brain stuff showing, that’s right, Kanopy

-Hoopla - Another public library database - movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and TV shows. Its selection is smaller than Libby/Overdrive, but there’s no holds and no waiting, just read that book. -Lynda - Yeah yeah, learn a skill. More importantly, play around and find an interest. Maybe you’ll like Unity, maybe you’re curious if any marketing tips could apply to your ao3 fic. -Freegal - Unlimited music streaming, download 5 DRM-free songs per week. -Mango Languages - Online learning program for over 70 languages and growing. Do it if you’re tired of being threatened by the duolingo bird. -Bookflix - Scholastic made their book fair online. For the kids. -Consumer Reports - An American nonprofit organization dedicated to unbiased product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. Useful for making big purchases, though not as high profile as it used to be.

And that’s all I’ve got! Hope at least one person finds it useful.

#social distancing #discord #free stuff #reference #long post

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atlafan · 4 years

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My Everything - Part Three

A Take it Slow Sequel

What happens with Harry and Y/N after he proposes? How will the two navigate the engaged life while also continuing to juggle their jobs, friends, and families? Let’s find out.

Warnings: Fluff and Smut.

a/n: not proofread fam, I didn’t have the strength.

Masterpost

“Oh!” You pause the TV.

“Y/N! It’s the middle of the second season finale are you fuckin’ kidding?!”

“I forgot to tell you something earlier.” You giggle.

“Alright, what is it?”

“Our new intern goes to my college, my undergrad, and he’s part of the film club, the one I helped create when I was a student, and he asked me to come to a meeting next Thursday. Would you wanna come with me? The meeting itself is at like 8PM, but I thought we could go beforehand, I could give you a little tour…”

“He asked you to come to a meeting?”

“Yeah! He wants me to like explain what I do now, and how being the film club helped me in a professional sense. He’s even going to email the director of alumni relations to see if they’ll do an article on me for the alumni magazine, but I doubt they will.”

“Why not? You’re incredibly successful, and didn’t you say an alum helped you get the job? I bet once you tell them that they’d feature you. You could talk about how important the alumni network is.”

“Harry!” You squeal and tackle him down, kissing him all over his face. He starts laughing underneath you.

“What? What?” He could barely breathe from your sudden affection.

“You’re so cute when you’re being supportive.” You nuzzle into his neck and he rubs your back.

“Well then I must be cute all the time then, huh?”

“Mhm.”

You forgot how beautiful your campus could be in the fall. Even though it was in the city, it had some beautiful parks and pathways. After work you had changed into a pair of jeans and a blouse. You didn’t want to look too fancy. You showed Harry different buildings where you had class, and the dorm you lived in freshman year. You both decide to go eat at a pub you used to love.

“Harry, it’s okay, have a beer if you want.”

“But I feel bad…”

“I really don’t mind. I’m fine with the seltzer water.” You smile reassuringly and he order the beer.

Once you’re done with everything you walk him around some more. You show him where you lived sophomore year, and then start walking towards the building where the film club meeting is. You see a group of people walking towards you and you gasp.

“No fucking way.” You groan and hide slightly behind Harry.

“What?”

“Nothing, we just need to walk very fast by-“

“Y/N?” A man says.

“Shit.” You say under your breath. “Um, Chris?”

“What are you doing here?!” He goes to hug you but you clutch at Harry.

“I was invited to a film club meeting…what are you doing here? I thought you graduated…”

“I did! I’m an RD.” He smiles and looks at Harry.

“Sorry, uh, this is my fiancé, Harry.”

“Hey, mate.” They shake hands.

“Wow! Congratulations. Well I won’t keep you. We should catch up sometime.”

“Sure.” You give him a fake smile and keep walking. “Gag me.”

“Who was that?”

“A guy I hooked up with like once, and he wouldn’t leave me alone. It took me going to California for him to stop asking me to come over. It was so annoying. Like take a hint dude.”

“Why didn’t you wanna hook up with him again?” Harry asks with a laugh.

“Oh, like you would always hit it twice.”

“Good point.” He smirks. “Suppose I don’t blame him, I mean, I’ve seen what that ass looks like when it’s bouncing up and down on my cock, I’d probably want you to come over again too.”

“Harry!” You smack him in the arm, making him laugh. “One beer at dinner and you’ve gone all goofy.”

“I’m just teasin’.” He throws his arm around your shoulders as you continue your walk to the building.

“Here it is, let me just text Zach that we’re here.” You both wait a few minutes, and Zach comes out to open the door.

“Hi, Y/N! Thanks again for coming, everyone is really excited. You must be Harry.” He smiles and shakes Harry’s hand. You both walk into the building. “Y/N talks about you all the time, it’s so cool that you have your own photography studio. I bet you could show some of these guys a thing or two.”

Harry liked Zach so far, he seemed polite and genuine.

“All the time, huh?” He nudges you.

“Not all the time, only when it’s relevant.”

Zach leads you into the room you knew very well. It was a computer lab you used to hold your film club meetings in. There was a screen, projector, white boards, all things you and your friends needed to have productive meetings.

“Hey, everyone!” About fifteen or so students turn to look at you and Harry. “This is Y/F/N Y/L/N and her fiancé Harry, Y/N graduated in 2017 and she’s one of my supervisors at my internship. She is one of the founding members of this club!” They all clap for you, and you’re a little surprised. “Come on in, tell them about yourself, what you do.”

You step further into the room so you can see everyone clearly.

“Thanks Zach, um, hi everyone!” You say brightly. “I’m feeling really nostalgic right now since I used to have my meetings in here too. We worked on so many cool projects, and my sophomore year we even made a short film that I stared in.” Harry’s eyebrows raise. He didn’t know you were in front of the camera as well as behind it.

“That’s why you look so familiar! At the beginning of every school year we watch a ton of past projects. You played the girl that went missing right?” A students says.

“Yeah, that was me.” You laugh.

“And you made that one about the purple pencil, that cracks me up.” Another says.

“Yes…that one was like a film challenge that the president at the time had us do. It was a lot of fun. Being in this club really took me out of my comfort zone. I never would’ve learned how to properly use a camera for filming or even taking pictures if it weren’t for film club. I have a job in marketing now where I get to edit video and sound clips, and I even supervise part of our social media department now. I really enjoy what I do.”

“Y/N was able to do well in her interview because another alum was already working there, and gave her some tips.” Zach explains.

“That’s right. It’s really important to know who your alums are, that’s why LinkedIn is so crucial.”

“Could you pull yours up?” A student asks.

“Sure! If that’s something everyone wants to see…”

They all agree and Zach logs onto the computer that’s connected to the projector. Harry takes pictures of you while you’re going over your LinkedIn.

“I think the best advice I could give is just don’t be afraid to try things. If you want to get better at something you need to practice. I went from using Windows Movie Maker, to iMovie, and now I use Adobe Premiere. It’s okay if things take time, and if there is something you want to do and you’re not sure how, don’t be afraid to Google it. I remember I had no idea how to do like a slow zoom, and I just looked it up and it was super easy to get the hang of. Create the content you’d want to watch, and have fun with it.” You smile.

A few students ask you some questions, and you end up giving out some of your business cards, good thing you brought them. Some students wanted to be able to reach out to you for resume help.

“Thanks again for coming. I’m gonna put another bug in the director’s ear. I think this is something that should be in the magazine. Oh! Do you plan to come to Homecoming Weekend?” Zach asks.

“Um.” You blink. “God, I haven’t gone to Homecoming since I was a student myself.” You snort.

“It’s alumni weekend too, you should come. I’ll be working at the alumni table, then I could introduce you.”

“When is it?”

“First weekend of October.” You look up at Harry. He looks at the calendar on his phone.

“Think I’m free…” He says.

“We could certainly try to swing by…that’s like next weekend…I have some friends that might wanna come too.”

“I can send you an email with the registration link and with all the activities for the weekend. It’s a lot of fun, as I’m sure you remember.”

“Yeah, I sort of participated in different activities…” You blush.

“Well either way.” He shrugs.

“I’ll let you know at work if we’ll be able to go. This was a lot of fun though, I’ll come back any time.”

You say goodbye to everyone, and walk out hand in hand with Harry.

“You’re really good at explaining things.” He says to you.

“What do you mean?”

“Like…you never got frustrated, or annoyed. Some of their questions were stupid, I easily would’ve gotten aggravated.”

“They don’t know what they don’t know.”

“All I’m saying is, like, ten years from now I could see you bein’ a professor or somethin’. You’ll have your MEd, you could teach an online class as a TL and see how you like and then go from there. You love learning, Y/N, why not get paid to do it?”

“I think I could see that for myself, but yeah, ten years from now. I’m curious to see how I could keep moving up at work. It would be weird to leave there. I mean, I know people don’t stay at the same place for thirty years anymore…but it would be sad to go. Plus I would miss Niall way too much.”

“Yeah, but he could easily find another job if he wanted. You shouldn’t stay somewhere just because your friends are there.”

“Says the person that persuaded the two friends he made at work to follow him to his studio.” You nudge him playfully.

“Alright you got me there, but seriously, don’t use him as an excuse.”

“I know, you’re right. Let me actually get the Med first, and then I’ll start thinking about things I wanna do years from now, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.”

You both get into your car and head home.

“So I know we like just got engaged, but I was thinking while the weather is still nice it might not be a bad idea to start lookin’ at some potential spots we’d wanna get married at…” You could tell he was slightly nervous to bring it up.

“I think that’s a good idea. I think you and I need to sit down and consider a budget before we hop in the car and start looking. We need to do some research online.”

“That money you wouldn’t let me pay you I was thinking could go towards the wedding.”

“Harry.” You sigh. “Shouldn’t that money go back towards the business? Or couldn’t it be saved for a holiday bonus for Mariah and Isaac.”

“I have money set aside for that already.” He says matter of factly. “You won’t let me pay you, and that’s money you’ve earned. So we should use it towards something.”

“Fine.”

“At least we’ll save money on a photographer. Mariah’s really talented.”

“I know! She’s great at capturing the moment. Did you want her to be the one to take the photos?”

“Considering how Lou’s probably going to be my best man, she’s the only other person I would trust.”

“That’s so cute you both are gonna be each other’s best men.” You giggle. “I sort of had an idea for Niall.”

“I’d really rather him be in my wedding party, he’s been my friend longer, and-“

“Actually, I don’t want him in either of our wedding parties.” You pull into the parking garage and you both get out.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s the whole reason we’re together right?”

“Yeah.”

“So…why not let him be the one to make it official?” Harry stops short when you get into the lobby of your building.

“You want him to officiate the wedding?”

“Yeah…it just feels right.” You shrug. You both get into the elevator. “What do you think?”

“I think I need to make sure I’m filming when we tell him because he’s gonna cry.” Harry smiles. “It’s a great idea, Y/N.”

“We should pick up a little gift for him, or like take him to dinner.”

“Ohhh, I like that.” He kisses your cheek as you both enter your apartment.

Buster greets the two of you, he was doing much better. You both sit down on the sofa and flip the TV on.

“Who were you thinkin’ for your wedding party then?”

“Well, it’s going to be really hard to pick a maid of honor…it always supposed to be Kate. I was her, you know? But obviously that’s not happening. I don’t know how I’d be able to choose between Sarah and Rachel.” You sigh. “I’m equally close with them…I’ll have to talk to them about it and see what they think, honestly. I don’t want anyone’s feelings getting hurt.” Harry nods. “Then my sisters would be in the party too, El of course.” You think a bit more. “That might actually be it. I have other girlfriends, but I don’t need a ton of bridesmaids. What about you?”

“Louis, obviously, Mitch…him and Sarah said congrats by the way I completely forgot to tell you. I was thinking of maybe askin’ Isaac…I’d like my sister to be in my party too.”

“Aw, that would be so cute! Oh, and I bet by the time we actually do get married Michael will be able to walk all on his own, he could be like the flower boy or something.”

“That would be really cute. Didn’t you say you wanted it to be kind of Jewish too? Like you wanted someone there to bless us?”

“My cantor from my old temple, yeah…but we don’t have to if that’s too formal.”

“No, I think it would be nice to add in there. I just don’t wanna wear the little hat if that’s okay.”

“Don’t worry.” You laugh. “You don’t have to wear the little hat.” You burst out laughing.

“What?” Harry laughs.

“I was just picturing Gemma walking one of my sisters down the aisle.” You wipe tears from your eyes. “We’ll really have to figure all this out soon.”

“That would be pretty funny.” He puts his arm around you and pulls you close. “It’s nice talkin’ about this without it bein’ hypotheticals, like, this is really happening.” He kisses your forehead.

“I know, I’m really excited, babe.” You give him a quick peck. “We just need to get through Erica’s wedding and Lou and El’s.”

“I know, a lot is gonna happen all at once.” He sighs. “Lou’s is before your sister’s though, June if I’m remembering from the save the date correctly.”

“Yeah, and Erica’s is in July, I could kill her.”

“Why?” He chuckles.

“Because it’s going to be the dead of summer, we’re going to look sweaty and gross. And of course she’s getting married at some farm, so it’s gonna be all humid and blah.” You groan. “Whatever makes her happy I suppose. I’m just glad Mike finally asked her, took him long enough.”

“Everyone does everything in their own time, baby. Weren’t they really young when they first got together?”

“Yeah she was a senior in high school, and he was out of school for a couple of years…it was a pretty cute way they met. She was working at a RiteAid at this outlet mall, and he was working at Game Stop, and I guess he would go to RiteAid like every day for a snack on his lunch break, and he would say hi to everyone but her, so one day she gave him shit for it and they started talking. Turns out his aunt was our neighbor and we had like played with him when we were kids and didn’t even know. And his older sister was best friends with Bridget when they were in high school.”

“Wow, small world.”

“Right?”

“That is a pretty cute story, but I like ours better.”

“Oh, you do?”

“Yeah, I mean, how romantic is it that a mutual friend set us up, and we had this really great dinner date?”

“It’s pretty romantic, doll.” You yawn. “Yikes, I’m tired. I’m glad tomorrow’s Friday.”

“Me too, let’s head to bed.” He stretches as he stands and follows you to the bedroom.

It felt so good to sleep in Saturday morning. You stretch as you sit up, and start to get out of bed, but Harry yanks you down to him, making you squeal.

“Why do you always insist on gettin’ right up?” He mumbles as he wraps himself around you to spoon you.

“I don’t want Buster to shit himself.” You giggle.

“He knows to go on the piddle pad if we don’t get right up.” He pushes his morning wood against your ass.

“Jesus.” You groan. “You don’t wanna cuddle, you just wanna having a morning fuck.” His arm slips up under your shirt so he can caress one of your breasts.

“I want both.” He says into your ear. His hand slides down to between your legs and he smirks. “Seems like you do too.” He starts to rub circles on your clit while he grinds against you. You back up against him to really feel how hard he is.

Heavy petting was rare between you two. Usually you would just end up diving into the sex, but this first thing in the morning was like heaven. The way he would really ease you into it. His fingers slowly start to slip inside, and you find yourself turning onto your stomach. Harry gets full on top of you, his chest flush with your back. You your ass up slightly so he can continue to finger and rub you. He gets his fingers in and then drags them out and up to your clit. You moan out in your pillow. He continues to grind against your ass, getting right between your cheeks. He had his boxers on so you weren’t worried about anything slipping into the wrong hole.

“You’re so wet.” He groans. “Want me to fuck you, baby?”

“Yes.”

He leans up, only for a moment, to get his boxers off. He gets back on you the way he was, nice and close, and slides in.

“Ah, fuck.” You moan out.

Harry keeps his fingers on your clit while he rocks in and out of you. His other hand slides up to the back of your head, and he gets a light grip on your hair. He knows not to pull too hard.

“Feels good, angel?”

“So good, Harry.”

He continues to rock in and out of you, and once you come from him rubbing on your clit, he pulls out to flip you over. He yanks your shirt off so you’re fully exposed to him. He slides back in and wraps his lips around one of your nipples. One of your hands is tugging on his hair while the other is digging into his back.

“Really give it me, babe, come on.”

“Want it hard, Y/N?”

“Hard and fast.”

Harry grins and sits up, grabbing both of your legs to put over his shoulders. He stretches his neck and cracks his knuckles, making you laugh. He loved when you two would laugh when you were intimate. It didn’t always need to be so serious. He pulls out nearly all the way and slams back into you. You gasp at the feeling, but you love it. He does this over and over, picking up the pace each time, making the bed start to shake. He was hitting the right spot over and over. You fist at the blankets with your head slamming far into your pillow. You grit your teeth as you feel your orgasm approaching. He could tell you were close from the way you were clenching around him. He almost wanted to pull out and make you beg him for it, but he also loved seeing how far gone you were and didn’t want to tease you. He knew he was hitting just the right spot, just a few more thrusts…

“Holy shit!” You scream as everything in your vision goes white. Tears well up in your eyes as he fucks you through the orgasm that was making you feel like you were going to collapse from within. “Oh my god, Harry! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Your praise was enough to make him lose it, and his come spurts inside you, filling you to the brim. He looks down at you to see your chest still heaving. He pulls out of you slowly and you whimper from the loss of contact. He leans down and gives you a kiss on the forehead.

“Good game.” He shakes your hand.

“Oh, shut up.” You swat at him and laugh.

You both shower quick, and go out to feed Buster. He did, in fact, need to use the piddle pad. After he eats Harry takes him out for a proper walk while you get some breakfast for the two of you going. Just some simple oatmeal.

“So, do you wanna go over a budget today? We could set up at the dining room table, and you could get a spreadsheet goin’ on your laptop.”

“Yeah, we can definitely do that.” You smile.

You and Harry sit down at the dining table, while Buster rests his head in your lap as he sits at your feet.

“Does he do that a lot?”

“Hm?” You look down at Buster. “Yeah, he likes to sit under my desk like that with me at work.” You grin at Harry. “He’s just like his daddy.” You pinch his cheek and he swats your hand away.

“Shut up.” He nudges your shoulder. “Want me to replace him right now, cause I will.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

You pull up excel and name a bunch of rows with what you’ll need money for. Venue, food, drinks, photographer/videographer, DJ, hotel rooms, bachelorette/bachelor party, bridal shower, dress, etc.

“My friend Adam, the guy we got Buster from, is actually a really good DJ…”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, he always used to put playlists together for our parties and stuff. I’m pretty sure he has a DJ business on the side. I could ask him what his rates are.”

“That would be great. So…I don’t want this to be crazy expensive…like it seems silly to drop what could someday be a down payment on a house on a party for one night.”

“I agree. I don’t want it to get out of hand. I feel like the venue will be the most expensive. Let’s try to figure out where we want it so we can compare prices. Some hotels have the food and drinks included and some don’t.”

“I think…like in my wildest dreams, I’d love for it to be at a hotel on the Cape, like have the beach behind us…the ceremony outside, and then the reception would be indoors, but maybe there’s this outside patio area or something?”

“Ohh, I can really picture that. We both love the beach, let’s look and see.”

“I feel like that’s gonna be expensive.”

“We won’t know unless we look.” He grabs your laptop and opens Google. “Maybe we could find an inn or somethin’.”

“True, that would be cute actually.”

The two of you see the different options out there and find two you really like. You book a couple of tours on their websites so you can physically see the spaces.

“Oh, I wanted to ask, are we doin’ like a traditional cake or did you want cupcakes? I’ve seen a lot of people save money on just doin’ cupcakes, and then havin’ a small cake just made for the couple.”

“I think that’s a great idea. Then we could have a variety of cupcakes so everyone could find something they like. There’s a bakery I really like that back home that did my Bat Mitzvah cake, I’d like to go there to maybe do a tasting?”

“Sure.” He smiles. “I’ll let you set that up, and you can just tell me when.”

“Okay.”

“Maybe we could do like a lemon cake since we both like that.”

“Mm, my mouth is already watering. I’ll definitely set that up soon. I guess there’s not much else we can really do until we set a date, and then we can work backwards.”

“Guess you’re right.” He rubs his eyes and rests his chin in his palm. “What were you thinking for a bachelor and bachelorette?”

“God, I have no idea. I’m the sure the girls will think of something.”

“Did you wanna do a combined thing, or be completely separate. S’not like it’ll be the night before the wedding, like it could be a month or so ahead.”

“To be honest, I’d like to have a weekend with just the girls…”

“Alright.”

“Is that okay? I mean, I had a lot of fun for my birthday, but-“

“No, I really don’t mind. I just didn’t know if you wanted a combined trip, but we can have separate things.” He shrugs.

“What do you think you wanna do?”

“I was thinin’ maybe like a trip to Mohegan Sun with the guys. We went years ago, and it was a lot of fun.”

“Oo, do a little gambling, that would be fun.” You sigh. “I’m not gonna be able to drink during any of this.” You groan.

“You’ll still have fun, baby.”

“I know, but I’m gonna have to tell my friends why I’m not drinking…”

“You can just say you’re on a medication that doesn’t allow you to consume alcohol, you don’t have to specify any more than that if you don’t want to. Do you really think they’ll judge you?”

“It’s not the judgement…it’s the look on their faces I know they’ll give me. The medication has helped me a lot, I think.”

“I’m really proud of you for taking it so consistently.”

“I just take it with my birth control…it’s easy to remember.”

“Babe.” He saves the file you were working on and closes your laptop. He turns so his body is facing yours. “Can you take a second and just think about how far you’ve come? In the year that I’ve know you, you’ve made so many great steps. I can remember times you getting so frustrated because you never thought you’d be in a place where we’d be able to just go at it. I mean, think of how we had sex just this morning. You weren’t in a place this time last year to be able to do that, and now you are. I know it’s not just about sex, there’s a lot of mental progress you’ve made too, but I feel like physically, I just feel so close with you, I feel like every time we do it we get closer.” Your eyes were glossy while you listened to him.

You felt overwhelmed by his kind words. He was right about everything. You had made a ton of progress, and you didn’t reflect on it as much as you should. You stand up and he pushes his seat you. You sit down on him and wrap your arms around his shoulders, and nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck. He holds you close and rubs your back. Buster yips at the two of you, clearly upset that his head was no longer comfortably resting in your lap. You both look down at him.

“He really is just like me, huh?”

#my everything #take it slow #take it slow sequel #harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles fic #harry styles x reader #harry styles y/n #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff fic #harry styles smut fic #enjoy!

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fosterbradley28 · 3 years

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25 Fun Things to Do at the Beach

It's always summertime somewhere, and for many people that means hitting up the local beach or visiting a beach town while on vacation. If you think that spending time at the beach is limited to just swimming, there's a lot more that you're missing out on! Here are some of the most fun things that you can do at the beach besides just going swimming.

1. Look for Dolphins

Many beaches all over the world offer the chance to see dolphins right from the shore if you know what you're looking for and when to look. Do a little bit of research to see if your beaches apply and, if so, check the best times to visit. Don't forget your camera.

2. Play on the Boardwalk

A lot of beaches also have accompanying boardwalks where you can play arcade games, ride rollercoasters, eat delicious and unhealthy amusement park food, just walk around, and even enjoy free summer concerts on the sand. Check their respective websites to see what will be featured on the day you'll be there.

3. Play Frisbee

Frisbee is a classic beach game that people never get tired of enjoying together. There's only one prop needed, and it's very easy (and cheap) to get. You can even play with your dogs (if you're on a pet-friendly beach). There are also more advanced versions like Frisbee golf, Ultimate Frisbee, and Aerobie, but the basic version will do just fine.

4. Go Hiking

Many beaches offer nearby trails where you can hike to or from the water. This offers great exercise, and the water is good for cooling down after the hike. On top of that, you get to catch some beautiful views while being immersed in nature.

5. Have a Picnic

There are always a lot of food vendors near popular beaches, but sometimes it's nice to pack yourself a picnic with fancy cheeses and fresh fruits and go indulge at the beach. If you're going with a big group, make it a fun (and delicious) potluck where everyone can contribute an easy dish a variety of foods makes for a great beach picnic.

6. Go Fishing

Fishing is one of the most relaxing things that you can do at the beach and something people have been doing for centuries. It's something that you can focus on or just leave in the backdrop—your choice. The best part is, you might catch your dinner!

7. Read Magazines

A beach vacation is supposed to be completely relaxing. Park yourself under a shady umbrella, enjoy the warm breeze, and read some magazines or indulge in a cheap novel. There may never be enough time during your regular schedule to flip through a magazine, so take advantage of the opportunity you have at the beach.

8. Go Window Shopping at the Little Seaside Shops

The majority of beaches are located in beach towns. A lot of these places are quaint and fun to explore or at least take a stroll through. These towns also typically have a bunch of little stores set up along the beach. Spend some time browsing when you're ready to get out of the sun. Stop and grab a sweet treat too maybe ice cream or salt water taffy.

9. Go Surfing

Surfing is a great water sport. Get out on the water and have an adventure instead of just being lazy. You can also dedicate an hour or two to take a surf lesson and then lounge for the rest of your time on the beach. You could also try any other kind of water sport, such as kayaking, jet-ski racing, waterskiing, or kitesurfing.

10. Have a Bonfire Party

Bonfires are a ton of fun. Make sure that your specific beach allows for fires, though. Many of them don't. For the ones that do, it's a lot of fun to have a nice fire going on a cool night. You can hold a gathering where friends and family come together to play music, have good conversation, dance, roast marshmallows, and just have a great time.

A bonfire is a great way to enjoy the beach at night with some hot chocolate, s'mores, and friends.

11. Go Topless

There's something really brave about getting naked in public. It's an experience that can make you feel courageous and bold it should be tried at least once. Of course, you have to make sure that you're doing this at a nude beach. Otherwise you're going to get into some serious trouble!

12. Hula Hoop

Or play catch. Or jump rope. Or fly a kite. Engage in some sort of child's play, using cheap toys that you can pick up at a nearby store. This will bring back the wonder of what it was like to go to the beach as a kid. It's also just really fun and a great stress reliever.

13. Write Poetry

Bring a notebook with you and get carried away with your words and creativity. The beach has been inspiring poems and songs for centuries now, so you might as well join the tribe of people who like to write when they're by the water. Other creative writing options include starting that novel you've always wanted to write, or simply keeping a diary of your trip.

14. Meet People

Beaches are filled with people, so there's no reason that you can't make new friends. Games on the sand like volleyball make this easy, but there are lots of ways to meet people at the beach. Look online to see if there are any upcoming social gatherings or meet-ups at the beach.

15. Look for Seashells

You can troll the beach looking for seashells and colored glass. Take photos of the best shells so that you can research them when you get home, or make some shell art on the sand and take a photo to remember it by. Please keep in mind that in some places, it's illegal to take shells from the beach, and it's often highly discouraged in places where it's still technically legal.

16. Take Photographs

The beach is a great place for taking some beautiful photos. On top of that, those photos will be great memories to take home after the trip. Wander along with your digital camera, see what there is to see, and snap away.

17. Search for Historic Sites

Many beaches are located near places of historic importance, which are marked with monuments or signs. You can find these in the most unexpected of places. Keep an eye out for military batteries on the water, historic lighthouses, and old battlegrounds. This is another great opportunity for your camera as well.

18. Catch Up on Phone Calls

With cell phones working almost everywhere these days, you should have no problem getting connected to others at the beach. It's a great place to catch up on phone calls while getting a tan and everyone you call will be jealous because of where you are!

Of course, remember to be mindful of not speaking too loudly or obnoxiously. You may be in an outdoor public area, but so are many others—they're looking to relax and not unintentionally eavesdrop. Save the personal, private conversations for another time.

19. Look for Little Critters

Most people who go looking for animals at the beach are looking for whales, seals, or dolphins. Turn your focus to the little critters, like crabs, birds, and jellyfish. Spend the day seeing how many different animals you can count. Make it a goal and snap pictures for each one so you can catalog your findings.

20. Write Messages in the Sand

You can write them big or small. Say anything you want and then take a picture that will last forever. These pictures can be made into unique postcards to send to the folks back home.

21. Watch the Sunset

You could also watch the sunrise if you get there early enough. This activity is a favorite for many at the beach, as it should be, because it's such a breathtaking sight to see—you'll never tire of it. Take in the day (or morning) and reflect on what you've accomplished.

22. Celebrate a Holiday or Special Occasion

People often go to the beach to watch Fourth of July fireworks or to celebrate a honeymoon. There's nothing like the crashing waves and the sand between your toes to ring in a special occasion.

23. Daydream

You're sitting around at the beach with no commitments for the time being (at least, that's how it ideally should be) and nothing demanding your attention. That's a great time to just hang out and daydream a little bit. Envision what you want your life to look like in five or ten years, where you wish you could travel, or what you would do if you won the lottery. Let your mind and fantasies carry you away in the best way possible.

24. Relax

You don't have to daydream or take pictures or do anything really. You can just sit there and relax. Breathe, meditate, take a nap. Just be and relax. You're on vacation, after all!

25. Build a Sandcastle

This is a classic beach activity for kids and adults alike. From the simplest design to the most elaborate, sandcastles help you pass the time at the beach while doing something really creative and fun. Try Googling sandcastles for some inspiring ideas.

Don’t become too much of a beach bum. Instead of buying, rent it from the best boat rental at Indian Rocks Beach, FL.

#sea beach #beach activities

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astonishinglegends · 3 years

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Ep 194: The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts Part 1

“The nature of things is in the habit of concealing itself.”

– Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, as quoted from Page 256 of the 2001 edition of Joe Fisher’s book The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, published by Paraview Press

Description:

Sure, maybe most of us would find it enticing to receive "inside information" from a mystical plane, our very own oracle of knowledge beyond what's possible in our earthly human existence. Who wouldn't want access to a Spirit Guide, one that could lend us valuable insight to better our lives and give a glimpse of what awaits us on the other side? Perhaps this supernatural soothsayer could also provide a longing companionship or, even better, prove to be a soulmate from a past life? It sounds like a delightful gift, right? But what if the source of this metaphysical communication ended up having as many foibles as any ordinary untrustworthy "frenemy?" What if the messages proved to be increasingly inaccurate or questionable, with the attitude of your once beatific benefactor becoming demanding, desperate, petty, contentious, and maybe even obsessive and possessive? Perhaps it wasn't looking out for your best interests, after all? This twist seemed to be the compelling and chilling experience of Toronto-based journalist and author Joe Fisher when he became entangled with a consuming investigation into Channeling and Spirit Guides. In Part One of our examination of Fisher's book, The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, we're joined by our own Spirit Guide and good friend, Rich Hatem, for a discussion about Fisher's enigmatic journey into a sometimes troubling relationship with Channeling and the personalities, once-human and otherwise, that come through a medium. What materializes is realizing that our expectations of wisdom and comfort from a Higher Source can gradually lead to suspicion, fear, and doom.

Reference Links:

Joe Fisher, investigative journalist, and author

Billy Bunter

Catechesis

Catechesis on the Angels, authored by Pope John Paul II

“In Search of Hungry Ghosts: The Mysterious Death of Joe Fisher,” by Louis Proud in EdgeScience, Issue 43

Vroman’s Bookstore, in Pasadena, CA

The Vickers Wellington, a British WWII medium bomber anti-submarine aircraft

“The Vickers Wellington And Its Defensive Ring” on WorldWarWings.com

The “Submarine Reincarnation” episode from Unsolved Mysteries, Season 6, Episode 1

Newmarket Racecourse – where the soldiers slept due to a lack of accommodations

Photos of the Newmarket Racecourse grandstands

Related Books:

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CREDITS:

Episode 194: The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts Part 1. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Special thanks to Rich Hatem; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2020 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

#The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts #Ghosts #Medium #Channeling #spirits #Toronto #investigative #journalist #Past Lives #Soulmate #Suicide #Spirit Guides #angels #demons #trickster #Akashic Record #seance #194

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verai-marcel · 4 years

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The Things That We Could Be (Charles x F!Reader, Biker AU, 18+, 2 of 3)

Tags, summary, and notes are in Chapter 1.

AO3 Link is here, baby.

Word Count: 2891

Chapter 2 - Close Enough to Touch

“Here we are. Mi casa es su casa, as Javier would say.”

Your home is my home. You smiled; he had mentioned Javier a couple of times, that he didn’t come around while the store was open in case somebody recognized him. When you had asked Charles why he would be recognized, he had shown you a magazine. He flipped to one of the ads, and a man with tanned skin, beautiful dark hair, and a seductive smile, wearing some of the latest outfits of a well-known clothing brand took up a whole page. Charles had told you that he didn’t want the attention that he got sometimes and that his cafe was a safe place for him to chill with just the cats. Wanting a safe place was something you could easily relate to.

As you followed Charles inside, you took in his apartment; a door across from the entry led to a small bathroom. To the left of that was a kitchenette with a stove, oven, sink, microwave, and a fridge. Past the kitchen was a door leading to his bedroom, and to the left of that was a small living area with a sofa and a TV. Tucked away in the corner was a small table with two chairs.

Small, but efficient. It was definitely bigger than your apartment.

You peeked into his room, your temporary bedroom for the next week. Charles left your duffel bags at the foot of his bed. He had a king sized bed; he was a large man and needed the space. Unfortunately, because the bed was so large, there was hardly any space for anything else in his room, not even a desk. There was a chest of drawers on one wall and a small nightstand next to the bed.

“So, should we make something for dinner?”

You turned around and took the one step into the kitchen, watching Charles as he started to pull food out of the fridge. “Sure, but is there even room in there for me to help you?”

He turned around, looked at you, and smiled. “I suppose there isn’t. Unless you don’t mind being close.”

You swallowed. Was he saying things like that on purpose?

“I’m kidding. Make yourself comfortable. I was going to make some chicken and rice, if you don’t mind.”

“Sounds good to me,” you said as you bounded over to the couch and looked out the window that overlooked the street below. There were still people walking around, restaurants and breweries bustling with activity, but the windows were closed and blocked out most of the sound.

You went back to Charles’ room and grabbed your laptop bag, went back to the couch, and started working.

***

Dinner was wonderful, and you found yourself getting sleepy very quickly. After helping with the dishes, you told him you were going to settle in for the night, despite the early hour.

He nodded and bid you goodnight, grabbing a blanket and a sheet for the sofa. You felt bad about him offering you his bed, but when you had tried to talk him out of it, he stubbornly refused to hear you out.

Nestling into his large bed, you noticed that it smelled of him. You buried yourself under the covers, surrounded by his scent, took a deep breath, and felt protected for the first time in a long time.

***

You had not intended to wake up so early, but you supposed that was because of how early you had gone to bed. Stepping out of the bedroom with a change of clothes and your bathroom bag, you were shocked to full wakefulness by the vision before your eyes.

Charles had just exited the shower, wearing only sweatpants and a towel around his neck. His black hair was damp, loose around his shoulders and trailing down his back and chest, drops of water sliding down his body. His biceps made your mouth water, his pecs made your body burn with desire. Your hands itched to touch him, to feel his hard muscles under your fingers.

“G’morning,” he said as he looked up at you. Walking towards you, he pointed a thumb at the shower. “It’s all yours.”

You could only nod, your eyes catching a glimpse of the outline of his manhood through his sweatpants. Trying to hide the sudden sharp intake of breath you took, you scurried to the bathroom, desperate to take a shower and drown out the burning of your lust.

***

You weren’t proud of the fact that you had imagined Charles pinning you up against the wall in just his sweatpants, his hair deliciously framing his gorgeous face, his hands holding your wrists above your head. Stroking yourself in the shower, picturing him pulling out his huge cock as he spread your thighs, and then taking you against the wall in an animalistic show of primal lust, rutting into you as if you were the last woman on earth, you came so quickly that you nearly forgot to hide your small cries.

Cleaning yourself off, you finished your shower, did your usual routine, and came out of the bathroom, sated but feeling somewhat guilty. You jilled off in his bathroom! You couldn’t believe yourself, but after seeing him like that, how could you not?

“Coffee?” he asked from the kitchen as you walked by.

“Yes please,” you said as you put your bathroom bag and pajamas into the bedroom and came over to the small dining table. Charles placed before you a hot mug of coffee with only a little splash of milk, just the way you liked it.

“Thank you,” you said gratefully as you sipped the delicious nectar of the gods. “God, this is just as good as you make it in the cafe.”

“Of course, it’s the same beans. I buy a batch for myself whenever I put my order in.”

“It’s not just that, you make it so well… I end up using the wrong temperature or the wrong amount and it ends up tasting gross.”

“I’ll teach you my ratios,” he said as he sat next to you with his own cup. A few moments of silence passed as the two of you enjoyed your drink.

“Are you alright? I thought I heard you cry in the shower.”

You nearly choked on your coffee. “I- I’m fine! Just nearly dropped my razor, that’s all. No biggie. I’m fine.” You winced, knowing that you had repeated yourself, knowing that it sounded like you were lying, which you were.

Charles looked at you for a few moments more, your heart pounding with the stress. Finally he nodded. “Alright, but if you’re not feeling well, don’t push yourself.”

You mentally let out a huge sigh of relief. Outwardly, you smiled. “Thanks Charles. Really. I owe you big for helping me out.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, his hand reaching out to touch your arm. “Let me know if you need anything.”

You swear his voice dropped an octave when he said ‘anything’.

***

The week passed by far too quickly. Every morning was the same; you would take your shower after Charles, then he would go downstairs to open the cafe while you did some writing or did phone interviews in his living room until it was time to meet someone in person. When you weren’t working on a news article, you were researching the ODB MC, or you were apartment hunting. You found very little on the internet about the MC, and your apartment hunt was turning up nothing.

Worried that you would be overstaying your welcome, you planned to go back to your old apartment by the end of the week.

As Charles came up the stairs after closing up the cafe on the last day of the week, he spotted you packing your bags once more. You had sprawled out your items at the beginning of the week, but now you had put everything away.

“You found a new place yet?” he asked as he leaned against the doorway.

You shook your head. “Not yet.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

“I’ve been here a week, I think it’s been long enough.”

You heard Charles’ footsteps as he padded up you and knelt down next to you on the floor. You wouldn’t look at him, didn’t want to see his eyes, because you knew whatever he said, you would listen if he caught you in his earnest gaze.

So when he took your chin between his fingers and turned your head towards him, you were trapped by the worried look in his eyes.

“Please. Stay. Until you find a new place.”

You swallowed. You worried that you were troubling him.

It must have shown on your face, as his eyes roved over your features. He suddenly leaned in and kissed your forehead gently. “You’re not a burden. I’m happy to have you here.”

As he got up and walked back to the kitchen, you slowly raised your hand to your forehead.

Had he really just kissed you?

***

You ended up staying for another week, and with each passing day, you felt more and more guilty for staying with Charles. He didn’t say anything, but you could tell that sleeping on the couch wasn’t the more restful sleep for him. He was yawning more often, and looked a little more tired every day. He even had spent a good chunk of his day off taking a nap.

Determined to find your own place so you’d stop feeling like a leech, you spent more time looking for apartments.

Your luck seemed to have turned around by the end of the second week. You had found an ad on Craigslist for someone renting out an apartment closer to downtown, a basement level unit for super cheap. When you went to look at the place, it was surprisingly clean and neat, but it was also very small. However, the price was right and the location was much closer to the cat cafe, which was a significant plus for you.

You bit the bullet and broke your lease with the other place. Fortunately, the landlord understood why you were doing it. Unfortunately, he still made you pay the huge fee that came with leaving early.

With your bank account mostly drained, you were left with no real way to move your stuff out other than by taking everything apart and dragging it to your car on your own.

But Charles insisted on helping you. And he brought his friends.

John, Arthur, and Javier, along with Charles, came by to help you move your stuff out of the old place and into the new one, making your move so much faster. John had brought his pick up truck, and you had your ancient Honda Civic. Although the other guys just had their motorbikes, they were stronger than you and could carry boxes and furniture all day, leaving you to do clean up and organization.

You were grateful for their help, offering to buy them pizza when you got your next paycheck. They had laughed it off, saying that they needed the exercise anyway. You weren’t sure how much Charles had told them about your situation, but when they all told you to stay safe, you had an inkling that he told them enough.

***

After you had moved into your new place, you still felt the need to come home before sundown, but as each day passed and you felt safer in your new place, you stayed out later and later. The library was safe, and you started to regularly stay until they closed at 8PM.

Driving past the café, you looked through your window to see Charles sweeping the floor.

It was only a moment, but you swear he looked up and saw you. Part of you immediately felt guilty for not paying heed to his warning, but you shook that feeling away. There was no way he would have recognized your generic looking car.

Your phone suddenly rang, the ring tone coming over your car speakers via Bluetooth. You glanced at the screen.

Charles.

Hitting the phone button on your steering wheel, you girded yourself.

"Hello?"

"You just drove past, didn't you?"

"...Yeah."

"Don't get out of your car, I'll meet you at your place."

"I'll be fine, they haven't bothered me in a few weeks."

There was a heavy silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "That's what worries me. I'm coming to you, if only for peace of mind."

You knew better than to argue with him when his voice was like this: deep, commanding. It was sexy as hell, even as you rolled your eyes at the fact that he was probably being paranoid.

You parked your car in your car spot and got out, just as Charles pulled up on his bike, an Indian Chief Vintage, decked out in all black.

"How'd you get here so quickly?"

He glared at you. "Didn't I ask you to stay in your car?" he asked, ignoring your question.

This time you definitely rolled your eyes. "C'mon Charles, I have my mace, I know some self defense, it's not that far from here to my door, it'll be–"

Just as the two of you were about to reach your door, the three men who had harassed you before stepped out from around the corner.

Charles immediately stepped in front of you.

"Get outta here, lover boy. We just want to talk to the lady."

"I know your idea of 'talk'. Leave her alone."

The three men loomed closer.

“Or what?” the leader asked, sneering.

Charles just stood his ground, but you observed his stance widening slightly, his muscles flexing as he prepared to defend you.

You took a step back and widened your stance as well. Holding your keys in one hand like a knife and wielding your mace in the other, you stood ready to defend yourself.

However, all three of them went at Charles, attempting to grapple him to the ground. They completely ignored you as they threw punch after punch at him.

Seeing Charles stand his ground and landing a few good punches on his own, you gained the courage to help him. You launched yourself at the nearest man and swung your elbow at his face. Landing a hit on his cheek, you quickly jumped back as he swung a fist at you.

“Bitch,” he snarled as he turned his attention towards you.

You quickly sprayed him with the mace. Yelling in pain, he grabbed at his eyes and took a few steps away from you. Then he suddenly charged at you blindly, catching you off guard. Knocking you to the ground, he grabbed your face and squeezed, all the while coughing and gagging.

You jammed your keys into his arm as hard as you could, but despite his growl of pain, he wouldn’t let go, keeping your head in place. His eyes closed, he lifted his fist, about to pummel your face in.

Then he suddenly flew off of you as you watched, almost in slow motion, as Charles roundhouse kicked him in the head, knocking him away. You quickly got up as the two other men launched themselves at Charles. He dodged one, only for the other man to wrap his arm around his neck in a chokehold. As Charles pivoted around and broke the man’s chokehold on him gracefully, he grabbed the man’s wrist and pushed it down at the same time pulling his elbow upwards with no mercy.

The sickening sound of a shoulder being dislocated echoed in the air, the man groaning in pain.

Throwing the man away like yesterday’s news, Charles turned to the other man, who was currently backing away.

“Oh shit… you from the VDL.”

You blinked. The VDL? The Van der Linde Riders, a small but powerful motorcycle club that disappeared almost a decade ago? They had caused trouble, but had never been caught for anything illegal, though there were reports that any other gang picking a fight with them would inevitably leave town.

You wouldn’t have believed it, if you hadn’t seen him fighting just now.

Charles glanced down to see his shirt sleeve torn, revealing a VDL tattoo on his shoulder. He looked back at the man and grinned viciously.

The man paled.

“Take your friends and leave,” Charles said in a low, threatening tone. “And if I ever see you back here…” He let the threat hang in the air as the three men regrouped and left quickly, not even bothering to look back.

You looked at Charles, his chest heaving with the exertion, his shirt was torn from the fight, bruises starting to appear on his cheek, and his lip a little bloody.

And you were incredibly turned on.

Charles softly called your name as he held his hand out to you. “Let’s go back to my place,” he said. “It’s not safe here.”

You took his hand and nodded as he led you back to your car.

In the rear view mirror, watching him ride his bike beside your car as you drove back to his apartment, you had a glimpse of who Charles had been, and wondered what had led him from being an outlaw biker to the owner of a quiet cat cafe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 3 is the last part, and it’s got the good stuff 👀

#Charles Smith #rdr2 #charles x fem!reader #rdr2 fanfic #biker au #modern au #fanfic #writing #lemon fanfic #nsft

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mouthtrashworld · 4 years

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HEAR ME OUT: PARIS HILTON INSPIRED ME TO GO TO ART SCHOOL

HEAR ME OUT: PARIS HILTON INSPIRED ME TO GO TO ART SCHOOL AND BECOME A FILMMAKER.

My sister and I played it cool until my parents dark purple grand caravan left the driveway. We knew we had to conceal our excitement of being home alone for a few hours in order to not seem suspicious. It was our chance to watch whatever trash was on television that day without the normal censorship our parents had set on us. My mother strived to win the gold medal for being a helicopter parent and my dad just agreed with whatever she said. Somehow we were always a step ahead of them. There was a vast lack of communication within my household which lead me to crave answers and sneak around to get them.

We really made a day of it. We pulled our big fluffy comforters off our beds and brought them to the couch, gathered every unhealthy snack from our cabinet (which was difficult as my mother kept a strict, low carb, low sodium, no sugar menu to chose from in our house) and hung heavy blankets over the windows to block out the glare on the 30 inch Panasonic VHS combo unit. My older sister, Cate, had control over the remote, she knew which channel number MTV played on and she memorized the Parental Control Password that was set on various channels that aired the exact rubbish it was to protect us from, but quickly became our favorite shows. At the time I didn’t even really know how Cate found out these shows existed. Our amount of media consumption was little to none. Living in a tiny town in Pennsylvania, attending private Christian school and hardly having a social life; our only connection to whats out there

would be the local blockbuster that my mother skirted us in and then quickly out of after renting wholesome family movies. I remember slipping away from my moms watch just long enough to find the “1 Night in Paris” sex tape DVD that was made in 2004 with Rick Salomon (who by the way has been married to Pamela Anderson TWICE!) and Paris Hilton as the star. A few years later, The Simple Life, featuring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie became a huge success for Fox and was later taken over by E! network. The glimpse of the DVD cover was so scandalous I felt guilty just for looking at it. We were a few years late, really just catching the reruns of the show that E!, MTV or VH1 would play during the middle of the day, but we ate it up nonetheless.

The first episode I ever watched was on Season 5. The two girls become camp counselors and every week a different theme and set of campers come in to encounter their shenanigans. This episode was “Fat Camp” and the first order of business was for Paris and Nicole to give the campers enema’s before they start their week of dieting and exercise. It was absolutely ridiculous. I felt bad that these campers who fell victim to their bratty comments, yet my sister and I couldn’t take our eyes off it. Reality TV works in that way you know, where you feel bad, but not bad enough because its not your life.

Soon Cate and I started adding other reality shows to our pallet of rebellion. The Girls Next Door, a reality show about Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends living in the Playboy Mansion. Real World Cancun, AKA Jersey Shore before there was Jersey Shore. And of course The Hills where Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag live it up in Orange County, a place I

thought was made up until I visited there in 2014. But the Simple Life remained my favorite of them all. But Paris Hilton was my first glimpse of glamour, so she always remained my favorite. Granted, Kim Kardashian has seemed to surpass her on many levels after starting out as her intern. And sure maybe Paris is an heiress who will never run out of money or resources and people behind her, producing her, but Miss Hilton found a savvy way to brand herself right at the pinnicale of the internet and she still had to work for it. As a filmmaker I am hyper aware of the way we consume media, which is why I’ve taken such an interest to Paris and this manipulation she had turned into an art form.

Before we go on, in case you don’t know how Paris got famous, I’m here to give you a brief backstory. Paris Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotels empire, was actually raised a lot like me. Her parents were strict. She wasn’t allowed to wear makeup or have much of a social life. I believe her parents knew what kind of name she bared and the harsh reality that could come with it, so they kept her on a tight leash. Despite their efforts to keep her tame she slipped away, out into the world long enough to meet famous photographer David LaChapelle, who became enamored with Paris and her sister Nicky, and insisting he take their photo. She knew it was highly against her parents rules to engage in that kind of activity but she went for it. He designed an elaborate set and costumes for them and they went ahead naively thinking the photos would be just for them to admire in private but were later were published in a 2001 Vanity Fair issue, getting her in a whole lot of trouble. She later had to turn down and offer to do Playboy because her parents would disinherit her. By the time she was 18 her career as a model

and professional partier could really take off. Paris became absolutely obsessed with fame. She came up with a formulated routine on how to grab the paparazzi’s attention. She would find all the places photographers would be hanging out that day and go to every single location just to be seen and her plan really seemed to work. She was the bright and shining star of every tabloid in America. She describes in the documentary film, “American Meme” how desperate she was, spending hours searching for a place with someone, anyone to take her picture no matter what it took. Her paparazzi access seemed responsible for Paris to become a household name. — add on?

We have to remember that this time, 2007-2009, was a turning point, as smart phones and blackberries were now in almost every American’s pocket and we were craving the tea more than ever. Tabloids started working around the clock to deliver us the latest scoop at the now possible all hours of the day; i.e. the tragedies of Amy Whinehouse, LiLo and her drug escapades, Britney Spears and her hairless melt down, the list goes on. We asked for it, we got it and kept asking for more. After Paris sought out these outlets, the offers poured in. Her own show, movie roles, modeling for brand name designers, she became a DJ, became an author, a business woman, a fashion designer she owns hotels in Dubai and is currently carrying a hefty 10.5 million instagram follower count.

I know what you’re thinking, like okay so who cares about this rich “bimbo” (dubbed courtesy of a New York Post article circa 2007) but just hear me out. Most of us can relate to her story and if not, at least to some of her tactics. What I grew to realize after becoming social media obsessed (possibly because I was deprived as a child) is that

no matter how information changes or what new technology comes to pass it along to us, we will always be doing it in the same way. I watched Myspace come and pass, seeing thousands of singers, bands and actresses get discovered through that site, even some playmates in Playboy magazine. I saw Facebook allow us to put every single thing about our lives on blast at any minute of the day. Twitter allows us to barf our thoughts up in once 180, now 280 characters, Vine stars made 6 seconds videos and now make 6 figures from their fame and last but not least Instagram, and trust me when I say I cringe having to say this, “influencers” sell to us with every photo or video they post. Whether that be a lifestyle, a product or just themselves as a person. A vast majority of us have to admit that we are drinking the juice. We ourselves are partaking in marketing our “best life” being lived via Instagram. So ask yourself, what is the difference between what we are doing on the Gram versus what Paris was doing in 2006, showcasing her persona to the media in the only way it was accessible at the time? Why not manipulate it the same way it manipulates us? Find out where the quote on quote Paparazzi are and market yourself the same way reality stars did.

Not that I have the intention to come up in the same way some of these heiresses who’s names are already famous or these vine stars or twitter comedians did but I have the power to show a portion of the world who I am and what I can do to earn my career as a filmmaker and communicator via social media.

I realized that what I was doing as a little kid, waiting for my parents to leave to seek a world outside my own is exactly what Paris did. She took the risk and got the answers.

Her obsession with fame coincided with my obsession with social media, to communicate and or get my work out there. I’m just trying to work system to brand myself. My research shows that the reality show we down load from an app store and place in our pockets has led me to some big wins. Upon getting hired for shoots or my work recognized in some way, I see there is a formula to the entire thing. When to post, how to post, who to follow, etc. I have no producers behind me to curate my Instagram, I have no connection to someone with a big name. All I have is myself to show for what I can do and if I keep going back to the place with the most access to the loudest voices , like Paris did I may have a shot at getting my own voice out there and I will say more important things than “thats hot” I promise you.

In the end I think that the reason I clung to Paris and her story so deeply was because it was virtually first and foremost example I had and to as impressionable young woman, that kind of thing sticks. The definition of success and how to obtain it was taught to me was by sneaking her show on a Saturday afternoon while my parents when to Shop Rite without me. I’ve just stayed observing all the ways fame has developed via internet and can lead to success. But the beauty of the defying gravity factor is that this blond “bimbo” and many other “bimbos” like her have done the same thing, most without the Hilton name. All I did was think twice before I believed that reality television was just a trashy phase. Instead I realized that I, like many others, am still consuming similar content in 2009 now in 2019, the difference is its in the palm of my hand and I’m deciding to take advantage of it.

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illogicalhusbands · 5 years

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The Game is Afoot - pt. 1

Bill Masters x Alec Hardy Masters of Sex / Broadchurch crossover

Meet cute and cafe AU of these two dorks

Alec Hardy of course knew who he was when he first saw him.

Dr. William Masters.

Broadchurch was a small town. Hardly anyone ever came in or went out without everyone being informed. Alec had come to know Broadchurch as an extremely tight-knit community in his two years here. He had, once, been the talk of the town also. He wasn’t born here, unlike the 98% of its residents. Not to mention that at the time the tails of the Sandbrook case still cast over his shadow. Needless to say, he caused quite a stir when he moved in.

Now, however, he fancied himself more or less settled—or as settled as he could find himself to be. He still lived alone in a small flat and occasionally phoned his daughter. Miller was there to remind him to consume meals. Lately it’s all been kind of a standstill.

Which was exactly what made the arrival of Dr. William Masters so pronounced.

Alec knew all he did about the man from various sources. He couldn’t avoid hearing them even if he tried. He was apparently a world class doctor. A gynecologist. Published many papers that revolutionized women’s health medicine and, he heard in those giddy tones of some women muffled into whispers by the backs of their hands, apparently published an extensive research mapping out ways to intensify the pleasures of the flesh during sexual intercourse.

Each time, Alec could not resist rolling his eyes. These people really were in desperate need of entertainment.

Alec saw him for the first time at a cafe near his flat which he frequented for their earl grey tea and occasionally, scones. He was the only unfamiliar person, and so it was easy enough to conclude that he was the famed new guy in town.

Dr. William Masters ordered before he did. He appeared to be of average height and stocky build, dark hair trimmed properly to the back of his head. And in just a few seconds, he walked off to the side and was out of Alec’s sight. Alec stepped up to the counter and ordered his usual drink.

Moments later, as he swirled his paper cup he stared out of the shop’s glass window, watching people he’d seen before walk by. He needed to be at work soon, but he liked to take a few minutes to just sit down for a bit in silence. He took a sip of his cup and was taken aback by the sharp bitterness on his tongue.

He frowned and took a whiff of his drink. Black coffee. Really, people were just getting more and more incompetent nowadays. He ought to order again when a tap on his shoulder stopped him.

“Excuse me. I think we may have accidentally switched drinks.” The voice was cool and distinctly American. Alec jolted.

He looked up to see the face of Dr. Masters, cup of what seemed to be an earl grey tea in hand. He wore a brown suit and a dark blue bowtie which did nicely to complement his light eyes. The man was posh, Alec thought, but there was an allure to his face that made it extremely hard not to stare.

Which was to say, of course, that he was gorgeous.

That’s something the rumours had neglected to warn him of.

“Err…” said Alec elegantly, “Right.” He took the tea from the man and handed him his own cup.

“Alright,” was the doctor’s prompt reply before he spun on his heel and went back to his table.

The second time Alec saw him was two mornings after, in the same place. The cafe, however, was packed. There was a group of kids on a field trip in the area and they’d scattered over the few open establishments where they could get breakfast. Alec, however, had arrived long before they did and managed to commandeer a table all to himself. Despite that, the noise they produced was still there and was unbearable.

He heard footsteps approaching, and there was Dr. Masters with the same stoic expression on his face, a tray of food in his hands. “Can I sit here?”

Alec could only nod in response. The doctor was in a grey suit this time and a dark brown bow tie. How many of those things did he own? He looked like a model that stepped straight out of a magazine from the 50s.

Alec didn’t know what he was hoping for. Some conversation maybe, that would let him get to know the man a little. After all, people of Broadchurch were always overly friendly and accommodating to every person they were meeting for the first time. Alec should probably strive to maintain that pretense.

And yet as soon as Dr. Masters had taken his seat, he brought out a pile of papers from his briefcase and settled down to read intensively.

“I see you don’t exactly talk much, do you?” Alec said, little bite in his tone.

Dr. Masters merely raised his brows, not looking up from his papers. “I imagine you don’t as well.”

“Hardly polite, though,” Alec had no idea why he was saying these things but he pressed on. “Not even bothering to talk to the person that gave you this table.”

Dr. Masters looked up at him then. A small smile graced his face, instantly brightening his features. There was an air of smugness about him that Alec found highly unpleasant. An arrogant medical man, of course. He couldn’t even bother to be surprised by it.

“Do we need to be?” said Dr. Masters. “I don’t see how making small talk and talking about ourselves is relevant. I’m a busy man as you can see.”

“Bluff” was what instantly came out of Alec’s mouth. Dr. Masters tipped his head.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You asked me for a favor, I granted it to you, but you’re a prideful medical man who doesn’t want to say thank you, so you pulled up those papers to excuse yourself from further conversation. I’m calling your bluff.”

He expected a denial or a rude comment on Alec’s abrasiveness. Instead, the doctor’s eyes shone with what appeared to be… amusement? Dr. Masters pursed his lips, his jaw tensing. Alec could not help wondering if he knew how attractive that look made him.

“You obviously know a lot about me already,” said the doctor, voice holding no malice. “So there’s no need for me to introduce myself.”

Alec shook his head. “Every body knows every one in this town. Every new face, every new scandal—they’re gagging for it. They’ll not leave you alone until you divulge all the details of your past, so you may as well start practising.”

“Well,” Dr. Masters seemed to consider. “I don’t know you. Why don’t we start there?”

At this, Alec couldn’t help the sly grin that made its way on his face. “I asked first.”

“Then I believe we’re at a stalemate. You’re not willing to make yourself known and I’m not as well, so you won’t know anything else beyond what you already do from the so-called rumour grapevine.”

“There are other ways that people get to know another person.”

“That sounds an awful lot like you’re challenging me.”

“Oh, yes indeed.” If it was a challenge of getting information on other people, then Alec had every right to wipe that smug grin off of his handsome face. “Though I’m afraid you’re at a huge disadvantage here.”

“I can’t imagine why,” said Dr. Masters. “You don’t look that remarkable.”

“It’s what you least expect that really surprises you.”

“Alright. I believe you frequent this place and as do I. Why don’t we meet here in the mornings and not introduce ourselves. We’ll see which of us is better at getting to know the other.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting into,” Alec replied. “Which makes this all the more exciting for me.”

“Don’t think that just because you’re a detective that you’ve the upper hand here.” Alec froze. He didn’t bank on Dr. Masters having that information. And his surprise was probably written on his face as the doctor placed an elbow on the table, fingers gesturing to Alec’s person. “I saw you tucking away your badge the other day. So no, I’m not afraid of you. Why would I be?”

Alec tried not to dwell too much on the fact that Dr. Masters had been, in fact, observing him.

“You’re not gonna get much farther than that,” was Alec’s only reply.

Dr. Masters put away his things and stood up from his chair. Alec saw that the danish he’d ordered had been reduced to residual crumbs on his plate. He didn’t even notice how much time had passed.

“I’m late for work,” said Dr. Masters. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. I don’t know your name so I should resort to calling you something else.”

Alec frowned. “We didn’t agree on that—”

“See you around, Mr. Holmes.” A hint of cheekiness in his otherwise cold tone. And then he was gone.

Now as far as nicknames went that wasn’t even terribly creative, thought Alec as he took another sip of his tea.

But he was determined. He had lots of work to do, stuff to dig up on about Dr. William Masters. There was no way he was going to lose to him at his own game. To be continued.

#bill masters x alec hardy #bill masters #alec hardy #masters of sex #broadchurch #illogical husbands #crossover ship #drabble #the game is afoot #leann writes

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homeremodelingatlanta7b · 3 years

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Determining a Kitchen Remodeling Budget

Basement remodeling atlanta

It is very important to find out a financial budget for virtually any do it yourself project, and kitchen remodeling isn't exception.

A thing of caution: I spent hrs researching kitchen remodeling cost and budgeting online to accumulate data with this article. I ran into a few websites that gave size pricing for kitchen remodeling. Although I commiserate using look for an easy approach to determine remodeling pricing, this kind of advice just isn't based in reality. Remodeling jobs normally are so specific to the conditions of the building and tastes from the homeowner that no square footage pricing is ever going to starting point. I additionally encountered many sites that didn't offer you any real information about establishing a budget but basically interpreted Hanley Wood's Remodeling Cost vs. Value report that's published annually. You happen to be far better off going to the Cost vs. Value report on the web and evaluating the final results yourself.

home remodeling marietta

Like other things in this world a kitchen remodel will cost more than you thought it would and the sky's the limit about what it can cost determined by your preferences. You can find multiple factors that go into determining a remodeling budget.

There are numerous places online you can check out help you establish a basic budget number to start with. Our recommendation is Remodeling Magazine's Cost vs. Value Report which is released by region and major city each year. The truly nice thing about this report would it be provides description from the "average" project to help you gauge in case your kitchen remodel is going to fall above or below the benchmark. Furthermore, i find their average pricing to be an exact reflection in the pricing for our company, so by recommending to clients before I even talk to them that they can investigate this report they are prone to begin a realistic budget we could work within to present them an incredible kitchen.

Custom Hutch designed with Semi-Custom Cabinets

While Remodeling Magazine's report is quite helpful, it is a very one size fits all method of establishing a budget. Continue reading if you want to try to hone your numbers a little.

Escape a pad and paper and jot down several notes about each factor along the way through their list:

Factor 1 Home Value- Consider not merely how you feel your home is worth, but also the price of similar homes where you live that curently have updates. The best site to check home values is zillow.com, simply enter your address and you also have an interactive map with home along with other information listed right on the map. Pay attention to which homes are of similar size to yours, happen to be purchased recently, but have a higher value, then peek in their windows to determine exactly what the house looks like. Ok, seriously, I became only kidding. Should you not know them perhaps it's time to meet the neighbors and ask for a simple tour.

Factor 2 Wow! - It is everything to use your primary goal and motivations. Write down each motivational factor which can be crucial that you you in the kitchen remodel. Here are several possible examples: Kitchen is falling apart. You want to cook and the layout doesn't suit you. You love to entertain and want to start living rooms like a place to gather. You need a kitchen that wows your guests. You get able to sell your own home and also the kitchen is really a sticking point with buyers... Now that you have your list, determine what motivations are most important and relist them in motivational order. Imagining your financial allowance beginning in "the middle" pay attention to which factors might move the budget up or down...i.e. attempting to remodel to encourage sales might slowly move the budget down, remodeling to wow guest might max it...etc.

Factor 3 Did someone say AGA? - List any "must haves" for a kitchen remodel to become worth the cost to you personally. Possible examples: granite counters, a tropical with an extra sink, an extra dishwasher, an advert quality gas range, etc.

Factor 4 Longevity- Determine to the best of what you can do the length of time you intend on owning the home.

Factor 5 Size Matters- Determine what amount of your property your kitchen encompasses. A sampling well over 100 modern home floorplans of 1000 to 3000 square feet homes revealed the average kitchen size to be 7% from the home's sq footage. If your kitchen is greater or smaller than this average you might need to decrease or increase your allowance accordingly.

Factor 6 Layout- should you may have learned you're going to want the sink moved, hawaiian isle sink added, an enclosed wall moved plus an exterior door added, you will want to add money on your budget well past such a basic facelift would cost.

Tricky layout: the decorative column conceals a sound wrapped drain pipe

Factor 7 Funding- Determine the maximum amount money you could manage to spend. If you're financing your project you are able to calculate such a lender will likely lend you. Lenders are interested in a personal debt to income ratio(DTI) of.36 or less. Your DTI is established by taking all of your monthly debt obligations (credit card payments, automobile financing, mortgage, etc.) and dividing from your monthly income. To discover your maximum safe monthly debt multiply.36 times your monthly income. Now subtract your existing monthly debt out of this number and you've got a monthly budget maximum. Here is a connect to a calculator that will perform the math for you personally: mortgage calculator

Putting it All Together

The key to managing your finances are choosing the amount of your home's value you should use being a budget guideline. While researching this article I discovered recommendations to make use of percentages starting from 10% to 25% of home value. For any kitchen remodel of any substance that features new flooring, appliances, cabinets, sink/faucet, lighting and bringing electric approximately code I have discovered anything below 15% to become very dubious number. I guess on a million dollar house 10% will be a workable budget, but on the 200k house a 20k affordability is marginal at the best for the complete kitchen remodel.

If resale value is very important for your requirements it is wise to keept the cost of your home renovation project within 20% of the present worth of your home. Staying within this range insures that the majority of the brand new kitchen's price is recouped in increased home value immediately, and the remaining cost must be recouped within 5 years because your home appreciates.

Ok, let's put into practice one example. Remember, there is no exact formula here. We have been simply doing good to become as informed as you possibly can and create a wise decision about how exactly much to spend on the kitchen remodel.

For the example let's use the house. It's a 50's cape cod with a modest square footage of 1500.

Factor 1 value: Zillow provides me with an estimated price of $167,500, however, I notice zillow hasn't yet updated and taken into account the single homes which are recently integrated the sector behind us with a starting expense of $270k. Zillow also has our square footage listed at under 1200. Looks like the previous owner did a bit remodeling with no permit. I am going to base my budget with a expense of 180k which is similar to other houses locally which might be exactly the same size.

Factor 2 Goals: My family and i want to entertain guests. To create a kitchen remodel worthwhile for all of us we must lose an interior wall to spread out up the kitchen and dining nook on the family area. I am going to add 1% to plan for this.

Factor 3 Most important items: As being a former chef two most important items for me personally are a new oven as well as a really nice propane range(no gas main service here), preferably an advertisement range modified for your kitchen at home (real commercial ranges lack insulation throughout the oven, critical for home safety). I am going to add another 1% to my budget to make certain there's enough money to acquire me my range and propane installation.

Factor 4 Longevity: We plan to be in the house at the very least 4 years. Generally of thumb it will take Five years for most remodeling to achieve and recoup all of its cost. Because we will probably be at least Five years I'm not gonna penalize the budget, consider there's a good chance we'll move right around Five years That's not me gonna increase it like I might whenever we were staying considerably longer.

Factor 5 Size Kitchen: The kitchen at home is approximately 140SquareFeet(SF). That's over 9% of the SF of your home, 2% excellent. Obviously this kitchen is going to require some extra material and cabinets. I'll in the budget 1% with this, I am hoping it's enough.

Factor 6 Layout: We are going to customize the layout of our kitchen pretty extensively. We currently use a cooktop peninsula. The product range will probably use a differnet wall as well as the dishwasher will move to the peninsula, though organic beef ditch the peninsula, slowly move the fridge and add hawaiian isle instead. About the only stuff that won't move may be the sink. I will add another 1% to my budget, again hoping $1800 (1% individuals 180k value) is enough to cover the electrical and plumbing changes.

In my base I am going to use 20%. Because i mentioned earlier on, you'll find gonna be people who will argue with me on that, but going lower often doesn't leave you with workable budget numbers for full blown kitchen remodels. I'm adding 4% according to my factors in the above list. I adjusted my zillow.com estimated home value to 180k depending on the comparable size and value of other homes around me. This provides me a working budget of 24% x 180k= $43,200 When I match it up to the Cost Vs. Value report I see that in the centre Atlantic Region an important Kitchen Renovation is $59, 098. It looks like my budget could be bit low, especially since i have really would really like granite countertops along with the Cost Vs. Value specs necessitate laminate tops. Conversely the kitchen at home is really a lot small compared to their 200SF benchmark, i really think I'll opt for my budget number and discover what my contractor can perform personally because budget.

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wisqcrafts · 4 years

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19 Home Quarantine Boredom Busters!

Bored? Bored??? Complain about your neighbors, your family, the government, the sky, anything else. But I never wanna hear or see anyone complain about boredom. Sorry not sorry. There's so many masterposts of things to do and free online resources. Here are just some of my dork ass ideas:

1) Free (yes FREE) online college courses from, you know, Yale, Harvard, MIT, etc:

https://www.coursera.org/

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/find-by-topic/#cat=engineering&subcat=nuclearengineering&spec=nuclearsystemspolicyandeconomics

https://www.edx.org/school/harvardx

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ivy-league-free-online-courses-a0d7ae675869/?fbclid=IwAR1a9qAE6IcqmcQpPaTmXH6q63QBCA95rntnZPY0ah_U80d8u0wa9wAIYhc

What, like it's hard?

2) "Tattoo" practice - This is a personal idea of mine. Basically, you just take some non-toxic markers to draw on yourself or whoever youre in home quarantine with that wants a fake tattoo. This isn't the best time to be getting real tattoos but you can have fun seeing what youd look like with a one. If you dont really draw, you can print designs to cut into stencils.

3) Bento "stories" - I got this idea from the mom that went viral for the creative bentos she makes for her kids. I think, for even just one meal a day, it would be cute to tell a story with each bento. So if you're living with someone, they need to wait til the next day to find out what happens next! If you live alone, make them for yourself and post your bento story online.

https://www.boredpanda.com/creative-bento-food-art-samantha-lee/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

4) Karaoke - By yourself or with others, doesn't matter, make it a party! Just search for your karaoke sobgs on Youtube. And anything is a microphone: hairbrush, remote, piece of fried chicken.... Good for you if you have one of those bluetooth mics tho.

5) Professor Day - Okay this one is really nerdy but it's more fun than it sounds. Pick a random topic, anything at all, and prepare a "lesson" or presentation on it. It could be one of your interests, an intro to a new language, or something you always wanted to learn. You can keep it to yourself, share the file online, or better: Dress the part and call your home quarantine buddies in for "class." If you live alone, teaching a class of inanimate objects would make for a silly yet informative video on your topic. Hey maybe this can catch on! Everyone can be an expert of something they're passionate about and should share their unique take on it, who knows who will be into it.

6) Miss Going Outside? Bring the experiences indoors! Like the family that made a home grocery for their grandma, you can make part of your home into something you miss from the outside world. Museum? Plenty offer free virtual tours. Cinema? If you don't have a big TV, you can make a projector for your phone with a shoebox. Camping? Hello, pillow fort and blanket tent. Roast marshmallows on the stove. Play relaxing nature sounds on your speaker. (Try the free app Relax Melodies, I love the mixing feature) Get creative with your space and what you have to make something you want. When you're really bored and missing the outdoors, Youtube or Google Streetview somewhere you wish you could go.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/75809/12-world-class-museums-you-can-visit-online

https://www.relaxmelodies.com/?utm_expid=.P1gqxCs8TYuGTBlAbE0VkQ.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

https://newsvideo.su/video/12560164

https://www.instructables.com/id/Build-A-Smartphone-Projector/

7) Room Makeover - No better time to do it! It's good exercise and it's a creative experience.

8) New Hair Dont Care - This is the best time to try an outrageous haircut or color since you're stuck at home. If it doesn't turn out ideal, no one has to know. If you love it, great! You can try any look you normally wouldn't wear outside or at work.

9) Safe Science Experiments - emphasis on the word SAFE. Safety first, always. There's plenty of free resources online for instructions, esp on YouTube.

10) Consume All The Free Movies, Shows, Music, Books, Audio Books and even Comics Online... it's endless! So much free... And now not so little time. You won't run out of things to watch, read, or listen to.

https://www.epubor.com/10-best-sites-for-free-comic-books.html

https://www.bettercloud.com/monitor/15-classic-video-games/

http://www.loyalbooks.com/genre/Non-fiction

https://www.digitalbook.io/search-audiobooks-ebooks.html#!///history

https://documentaryaddict.com/

11) Make a Short Film - Get creative or just be silly! Try stop motion with old toys, get yourself or someone you're home with into acting, or make your pet a star.

12) Tea Party - Be a kid again and dress up for tea... but put whatever twist you want on it! Wear an old Halloween costume or something! If you live alone, video call your friends or family to join you for tea.

13) Spa Day - All the pampering you didn't have time for when work/school wasn't from home? You have time now. DIY facial. Bubble bath. Nail art. Really soak in every little act of self love.

14) Practice drag makeup, styling, and performance for fun. Your gender or sexual preference doesn't even matter here. Its all good fun! Be a drag queen or king for a day. Lip sync for your life by yourself or make it a drag race with your home quarantine mates.

15) Mystery Day - Create a fake crime scene and have your friends/family solve it! Doesn't have to be a big mess and you don't have to make it so complicated for yourself or your home quarantine fam. You could also just write a simple mystery/riddle online for friends to solve if you live alone. You can even assign roles like accomplice, police, detective, etc. Work your brain, the goal is to kill boredom right?

16) Scrapbook - or Burn Book, Spell Book, pop-up book, revolutionary manifesto, whatever. Use anything you have as a base even if it has writing: an old phone book, something missing pages, a faded magazine, whatever. Then stick any pics, stickers, printouts, tags, wrappers, etc you want. What kind of book will it be?

17) Art Therapy - Even if you dont consider it something you're "good" at, use art to express yourself. It doesn't just have to be drawing, painting, or sculpting... You can pick up a forgotten musical instrument you may have lying around and just keep trying. Youtube is life. Countless tutorials for everything.

18) Crafts Crafts Crafts - Theres so many simple crafts to try at home. 5 Minute Crafts on Youtube and various other channels offer some great yet easy ideas. Try going about it in this order:

a) Look around your house for stuff you don't need. Set aside for craft pile or donate pile.

b) Look around again for any ways you can improve you home. You need mor storage? Is your shoe rack broken? Are you always missing something? Then search online for crafts specific to that.

c) Set up a neat work space with your craft pile and some tools you can use. Note: Never use kitchen items for crafts if you still intend to use them on food. You may be able to wash them but you can't undo any damage from crafting trial and error.

https://youtu.be/AROj7nkH2LQ

19) If you have any skill that can possibly help frontliners during this crisis, do see what you can do without risking your own health. If you can sew, donate masks or even PPE suits as there are guides online for the right patterns and materials. Even just a few pieces are helpful. If you sing, sing for our frontliners. If you write, write about them. Do your research about the situation in your town. Health workers, sanitation workers, grocery staff, and other essential workers are all putting their lives on the line. All we have to do is stay home but we can make the most of it.

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1-Xr-67gs2qw0o44-hy-INb89I9m-wcLD?fbclid=IwAR2q0JV6uqgDW5e_m5X5ABLv86rXdQodXh4x5fYDg9_WRsMe0hQwki9PUTk&fbclid=IwAR3Oofo8FIjzwZOoLepnGxYTrST_zV1dRf6NMtoWVRQVSuho1nnqwG5esUE

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/coronavirus-face-mask-what-you-need-to-know-about-making-a-covering-at-home/

#own post #covidー19 #covid 19 #covid19 #covidquarantine #cdc coronavirus #coronavirus #social distancing #isolated #isolation #quarantine

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bonjourmoncher · 5 years

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You can contact Hamilton Lindley by: Phone at 254-759-5866 Email at [email protected] And mail at 1020 N. University Parks Drive, Waco, TX 76706

After ten years in Dallas, Hamilton Lindley moved his family of five to the home of the Baylor Bears. Hamilton P Lindley realized the brainwashing of his daughter was complete after she believed that the Baylor Bear mascots hibernate only after “eating all them Longhorns.” If you have the desire to see too many photos of Hamilton Lindley’s family, you can find Hamilton Philip Lindley on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Let’s get straight to the point, shall we?

Busy people can be incredibly difficult to connect with.

You know the drill. You send an email, then you wait. And wait. And wait some more. You get no reply, so you try again. More of the same. Eventually, you give up.

If this sounds familiar, well, you’re not alone. Most men have struggled, at some point in their career, to try to connect with someone who is incredibly busy. Whether it’s a potential employer, a possible mentor, a dream client, or even just to connect with a girl so you can ask her out on a date, contacting a busy person can be very difficult.

Does that mean you give up? Heck no. Often, there is a good reason why busy people are so busy. Namely, it is because they are successful, and they’re successful because they are smart and well-connected and have access to resources or knowledge that might make all the difference in the world to you…if you can just break through.

But if you’re like most men, you’ve struggled with trying to figure out how to go about making that contact. How can you get the person’s attention? What should you say and how do you say it? Where do you even start? Should you follow-up if they ignore you? And new means of communication in the form of social media, Skype, text messaging, and blog commenting has made this issue even more confusing and challenging.

Throughout my career, I’ve tested just about every different approach for contacting busy people. I’ve also spent the past 2+ years reaching out to very busy entrepreneurs and authors to appear as guests on my podcast. I’ve tried techniques that work like a charm and other strategies that are guaranteed to bomb. Below, I include the best of what has worked for me.

Art of Manliness has previously covered how to write an email that will get a response. In this article, however, I want to share more of an overarching approach which can be (and often is) implemented using email, but which is also medium-agnostic. Email is what I’ve used the most and is still an effective vehicle. However, you should also consider other approaches such as face-to-face and social media where appropriate. To contact AoM’s reclusive McKays, you’ll even need to be willing to write a good old-fashioned letter! (Word is if they start getting too much snail mail to handle, they’re going to move to requiring messages by homing pigeon.)

Although it can feel like a daunting task trying to connect with a busy person, the rewards when you succeed can often be game-changing. You just have to be smart about how you make your first move.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

At the outset, you must understand that busy people get hundreds, if not thousands, of requests for help, aide, or resources every week. Not surprisingly, a large portion of them look and sound exactly the same. “Can you help me?” “Can I pick your brain?” “I’ve got an awesome idea that I know you’re gonna love!”

Don’t kid yourself. You might think your request is incredibly original or immensely valuable to the busy person, but they’ve probably already heard it before (A new app that will make you more productive? NO WAY!) Naturally, they’re going to be a little apprehensive.

Before you even think about reaching out, you need to get your mindset right. Even if you have the best of intentions, and think your request is a relatively minor one, don’t expect an answer. By definition, “busy” people can’t possibly respond to every inquiry. They’re not being rude — they’re just prioritizing. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be as successful as they are.

According to Steve Pavlina, author of Personal Development for Smart People, “If you can accept that busy people must triage in order to be effective and have a life, and you can respect them for setting priorities, you’ll have a much better shot at building a bridge with them.”

Here are 8 tips for contacting a busy person:

1. Try to Connect Before You Ask for Anything

The worst way of contacting a busy person is to ask them for something in your first attempt to connect with them. A much better approach is to reach out and contact the person long before you ever actually ask for anything.

One way to do this is via social media. Look for creative ways to quote, feature, or mention the busy person, by including them in a blog post or article you are writing, and then share it with them afterwards via social media. A single tweet might be all it takes to “grease the wheels” and get the conversation started.

Continue to build the relationship by doing things like sharing their content, promoting them, or simply sending relevant resources their way. To do this, you need to really get to know the busy person and understand what they are working on or could use help with. Be patient and allow the connection to grow organically before you jump in and start asking for favors. Don’t burn the bridge before you build it.

Another frequently overlooked option is to examine your existing network and see if you have any ties back to that person. A friend? Business associate? Anything that can be used to show commonality between you and the other person will help.

“Getting someone else to introduce you is one way to get someone’s attention,” says networking expert Lynne Waymon co-author of Make Your Contacts Count. “Find out who you both have in common and ask ‘Will you introduce me?’”

2. Keep Your Communications Brief

“Just a tip of advice. Never write on both sides of the sheet when you are sending a letter to a busy man.” –Jack London, Letter to Louis Stevens, March 24, 1913

Save your life story for another time. The shorter the message, the more likely you will get a reply. And the busier the person, the more important it is that you not waste their time.

First, always start your correspondence with a relevant subject line that’s clear and to the point. The recipient should be able to quickly tell why they would benefit from opening your message, how they know you, or ideally, both.

“Can you help me?” With what? Your business? Your math homework? There’s about as much value here as in a rubber crutch. You don’t have to be psychic to know that this one is headed straight for the oval file.

“Podcast Appearance to Promote Your New Book” is a much better subject line. By clearly stating what it is you want, and more importantly, how it will benefit the other person, you are much more likely to get your email opened.

Being brief also means excluding anything that isn’t necessary. It’s okay to open with a couple lines of pleasantries about your connection/affinity for the person. “I’m a big fan of what you do and I’ve been reading your magazine for five years now,” or “Seeing your TED talk made me decide to switch my major to biology.” A bit of praise will get your email off on the right start and build rapport. But keep your opening to no more than two sentences.

Keep the main body of your email as succinct as you can as well; aim to make your pitch in five sentences or less. You don’t need to attach your 100-page business plan or a dozen pictures of your prototype before you’ve explained what it is that you actually want. Remember, be respectful of a busy person’s time and wait for the green light before sending follow-up information, if they are open to it.

3. Do Your Research First and Ask Specific Questions

“I do detest being asked general advice, because, in reply, I must do one of two things: (1) Either write two or three books handling the replies or (2) damp the replies by giving only a few short sentences.

What I mean is, any time ask me for particular specific advice, and I shall be only too glad to place myself at your service.

Please remember that I write thousands of letters every year to unknown correspondents. And please remember, (1) that I do not like to write for a living…and that (2) therefore, when I have written all the books that I have written and upon which I work every day, that I am so tired of writing that I’d cut off my fingers and toes in order to avoid writing…

Anyway, please remember that you can call upon me any time for SPECIFIC PARTICULAR advice on any subject.” -Jack London, Letter to Cordie Ingram, April 9, 1913

When you reach out to a busy person, do so with very specific questions in mind. You may only get one shot at this, so you want the questions you ask to offer the most metaphorical bang for your buck; make them questions where you cannot find out the answers anywhere else, and for which you absolutely need the busy person’s unique perspective/connections/input.

So first research the answers to the list of questions you have in mind as rigorously as you can, and see what you can find out from easier-to-access sources. You need to show the busy person you’ve done your homework. Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, says “It’s amazing how many would-be mentees or beneficiaries ask busier people for answers Google could provide in 20 seconds.” In Ferriss’ words, “That puts you on the banned list.”

Not only should you do research before you reach out to a busy person, you should also try to get going on your project/business before you ask them for help. “Don’t ever ask a busy person to ‘pick their brain’ before you begin working on your project or idea,” says AoM’s own Brett McKay. “Instead, wait until it’s really underway, you’re in the thick of it, and you run into a specific problem.” Advice on starting something is typically plentiful and readily available. So save your “Phone-a-Friend” lifeline for when you’ve done all you can on your own and you’ve reached a wall you can’t figure out how to break through.

What specific question you should ask will vary depending on your situation, so it’s easier to explain what types of questions you should not ask. Typical examples of the types of generic questions you should not ask include:

I don’t know how to get started with ______. What would you recommend I do?

Do you think ____ would apply to my situation?

I’m confused about ______ and I’m not sure why I’m not getting it. Do you have any suggestions?

A better approach than these generic questions is to explain 2 or 3 specific options you are considering and ask for specific feedback on this discrete choice.

When you take this approach, you can “make use of your opportunity and ask better questions about specific topics rather than just peppering someone with general inquires,” says McKay. “The time you land with a busy person is valuable, so use it to ask the highest leverage questions you possibly can.”

4. Make Your Pitch Something to Which They Can Say Yes or No

If the question you have for a busy person regards whether or not they want to work with you on something, make your pitch as clear as possible. In other words, don’t ask an open-ended question like, “Would you like to partner with us somehow?” It’s not the busy person’s job to think of ways you two might team up. It’s your responsibility to come up with a specific proposal. A proposal a busy person can answer with a yes or a no.

5. Show Up in Person

Think for a minute about how many sales calls or how much junk mail you receive in a week. The majority of these items are deleted before they are ever opened. The multitude of requests busy people receive often suffer the same fate.

Now consider what you would do if the person making that same plea was standing right in front of you. Not quite so easy to ignore them now, is it?

Waymon says if there is a particular busy person you want to connect with, you should find out what groups or organizations they are part of and see how you can add value to those groups. Perhaps you can join a committee they are on or offer to help with something they’re passionate about.

“Studies show that it often takes 6 contacts with someone before they know who you are and have you placed in their mental Rolodex,” says Waymon. “So committee work and small group activities are good ways to create that continued contact.”

Being part of the same team can get your foot in the door, but you have to be ready when opportunity strikes. “Always have an agenda. Before the meeting think of three or four things you’d like to find out or know more about. Also, be ready to talk about three or four things you’re excited about — personally or professionally,” says Waymon. “Since people want to do business with people they trust, your overall goal is always to teach people to trust you.”

6. Keep Bringing Value

The chances of getting what you want become exponentially better when you offer something of value. A lot of people struggle with how to find something of “value” to offer, but really the options are limitless.

One of the best ways to provide value to a busy person is by helping them to promote their new book, project, business, or event. You can do this in a variety of ways:

Write an online review on Amazon, Yelp, or other review site.

Feature the busy person in an article on your blog or someone else’s blog.

Offer to introduce the busy person to someone relevant. But be sure to ask first.

Interview the person for your podcast, or if you don’t have a podcast, record a simple interview using a free service like FreeConferenceCall.com and upload it to your blog or SoundCloud (also free). Keep in mind that if your audience is very small, the busy person will likely make a cost benefit analysis and decide that the amount of promotion you can offer is less than the value of their limited time.

Create a Click to Tweet link explaining why you love the particular person’s work and share it with all your friends like this.

Even if you don’t have a blog or podcast, you can record a simple video with the webcam built into your laptop and upload it to YouTube, where millions of people will watch it before going back to watching videos of a cat playing the piano.

Bottom line: Find out what it is they need, or who they want to connect with, and make it happen.

7. Assert Yourself

When you make a request, not only is the message itself important, but so is the tone in which you present it. Michelle Lederman, author of The 11 Laws of Likability, talks about approaching the conversation from what she calls the “middle ground.” You should come off as “not passive, not aggressive, but assertive” says Lederman. Think confident, but not cocky. And definitely not meek.

Lederman also recommends going for the “convenient ask.” Make it as easy as possible for them to say yes to the request. For instance, give the busy person specific dates and times to choose from. Offer to meet them at the location of their choosing. Anything you can do to simplify the request can help.

Finally, Lederman recommends creating a sense of “scarcity.” Create a deadline for a blog post or article so that if the busy person wants to be included, they will need to respond by a particular date in order to make it happen. Having a deadline elicits more responses since these types of requests are harder to push off until later (which usually results in the busy person forgetting to come back to the request).

8. Follow Up (Within Reason)

Now, what do you do if you don’t get a reply? Should you follow up, and if so, how? “I think the secret to building meaningful relationships is following up,” says Jeff Goins, author of The Art of Work. But Goins cautions that you have to be careful how quickly or eagerly you follow up. “If you’re too aggressive, it can hurt you. But if you’re too lax, you can miss an opportunity.”

Goins says he will reach out once, then follow up a week later if he doesn’t have a response yet. If he still hasn’t heard back by then, he will “follow up after another week or two with a ‘hey if I don’t hear back from, I won’t bother you again’ email and then move on.” If Goins is really determined, he says he might try a completely different approach. “I may try another way to build trust with the person, like finding a way to meet them in person, but I won’t try the same way that failed before.”

Brett and Kate McKay have a similar suggestion. They say you should follow up once two weeks after sending the original email, and then 6 months later. “Sometimes the busy person will be in a different phase or season of busyness where their circumstances have changed and they’ll be more receptive to the reach out,” says Brett.

If you want to follow up after a week or two, you can use this script:

Hey George, I just wanted to follow up on my prior email once, in case my previous email got lost in your inbox.

If you aren’t interested, I won’t take offense. If you are interested, let me know. I will send one courtesy follow-up after this email in case the timing right now does not work for you.

-John

By indicating in your message that you are just following up as a courtesy and that the busy person need not respond if they truly are not interested, you are respectful of their time while also balancing the possibility that they really didn’t see your email the prior time around.

Start Contacting Busy People

Remember: busy people aren’t selfish and inconsiderate; I’ve actually found the opposite to be true — that some of the busiest people are actually the most giving types of people. But they also want to be efficient with their time. Remember that the time they give to you is time they sacrifice from working on their own businesses or spending time with their families. So contact them in a way that respects this reality and impinges on their schedule as lightly as possible.

While the entire process may sound intimidating and overly complex, you shouldn’t be intimidated. Like any challenge, connecting with busy people is a skill that you can develop over time. And it’s worth the effort.

“Don’t underestimate your value to someone else,” says Lederman. “There are so many things you can bring to the table that you don’t realize. A little bit of legwork goes a long way.”

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astonishinglegends · 3 years

Text

Ep 197: Mrs. Hingely and the Mince Pie Aliens plus Listener Stories

Christmas tree element in the main image composition courtesy of Elekes Andor

"We come from the sky."

– 3 purported aliens to Mrs. Jean Hingely on January 4th, 1979, shortly before they attacked her artificial Christmas Tree and left with her mincemeat pies

Description:

Tonight's episode starts with the coverage of a strange and funny case involving aliens and holiday pies. On January 4, 1979, Mrs. Jean Hingely of the town of Rowley Regis in the West Midlands region of England was visited by three fishbowl-helmeted and friendly aliens with wings. After some spiritually uplifting exchanges, her holiday visitors thrashed her Christmas tree and nicked three of her mincemeat pies. The second part of our episode features heartwarming personal stories of hope from some of our listeners. These stories may not be proof of an afterlife for some, but for others, they may bolster the belief that our existence doesn't end with our physical death and that somewhere there is a world where everything we cherish is waiting for us, and proof that love is eternal and boundless.

Location:

The 12th century village of Rowley Regis in the West Midlands region of England, where Jean Hingely was visited on January 4, 1979 by three winged, benevolent aliens who trashed her Christmas tree and made off with three of her mincemeat pies.

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Credits:

Episode 197: Mrs. Hingely and the Mince Pie Aliens plus Listener Stories. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2020 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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antigoneblue · 5 years

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Are there any lit magazines you recommend to submit to?

hey anon! took me a few days to get to this because 5th sem’s getting over right now (this is the last week before our end sem exams) and there was too much going on & i wanted to like… sit down with a clear head and get this right.

ok, i’m gonna list out some lit mags i trust. i’m also going to tell you how i choose where to submit, so that you can choose where to send your work in based on what works best for you. this got a little long so i’m putting it under a read more.

2 things to keep in mind when submitting is the kind of work they feature (genre, quality, whatever) & the masthead. when looking at the work they feature, ask yourself: is my work suitable for this mag? do the already published works here compliment what my work has & are they works i would like my piece to be featured alongside? a lot of mags may seem lucrative because they have a huge readership, but if the work they’re looking to publish doesn’t align with the work you’re bringing out, that’s not the right choice for you. also: check the masthead, always. sometimes, magazines might feature good work, but the masthead might be problematic. look up the editors! check out their twitter/facebook/insta whatever, check that they seem to be decent people that u trust. generally just research the magazine a bit before you send in any work.

ok! that said, here, from my experience, are some magazines that i like/ that i trust. these are based on what i know of them right now, and is in no way a Fact or whatever.

off the top of my head, i can think of

jellyfish review (their twitter account is really lovely, like, they’re super interactive and fun and give the energy of really caring abt their contributors. also when the whole pro life thing was blowing up they did a special feature on abortion and pro-choice related stories. i love that they did that.)

honey & lime lit (not to be That person but im friends with the editor of this mag and she’s a really lovely person, your work will be in safe hands, if you’re nervous)

homology lit (the masthead seems pretty cool, and some amazing poetry’s featured in past issues, and i have a poem in their upcoming issue and i am so excited! haha)

moonchild magazine (their EIC is an actual angel, like, i kid you not. she’s so supportive and sweet and always speaks out against abuse and bigotry and supports survivors and whatnot, i just. she makes me feel safe, ok.)

half mystic (they were the first mag i EVER submitted to, so the rejection i got really stung, lol. but after sending work out to more places and whatnot, i realised that the rejection letter they’d sent me was actually really sweet…. much more than is the norm.)

brave voices magazine (they tweeted a few days ago asking for more submissions! so they might be open for subs RIGHT NOW, go check. i love the kind of work they feature, it’s usually identity-centric or deeply personal, from what i’ve read, and like. it’s Good. i’ve never submitted to them but i plan to soon. bonus: their editor is a lovely person)

flypaper lit (i have a monthly column up here!!! as someone who’s working with them, like, with that kind of frequency - it’s really a delight. their editor is super chill and amazing and i love them, haha.)

glass poetry (never actually published here or submitted so i can’t really say much but they do feature things i love.)

ghost city press (i remember a friend from a poetry network i was in recommending them much before i actually started sending out work. everyone seems to have a good opinion of them!)

adroit journal (again, i don’t know much abt this, but one of my mutuals suggested it and was excited about them.)

pigeonholes (this one’s on my lit mags to consider submitting to list, but i actually haven’t researched them very much. i remember one of my friends had a poem in here and she was pretty happy abt the experience!)

damaged goods (again, havent done anything much with this press, but heard mostly good things abt them. i think they focus on trans people specifically.)

empty mirror (heard good things about them, and i love the vibes they give off!)

the nasiona (if you’re into writing nonfiction, they’re a good place to consider imo)

coffin bell magazine! (esp since it’s spooky season! idk i read ONE story off this website and it changed my life lmao)

barren magazine (i had a poem in issue 6 i think it was??? and like. the whole experience of working with them was amazing, they consulted me over edits, we discussed things out, they were very patient with me when i messed something up, etc etc etc)

blanket sea magazine (i love the fact that this magazine exists! they focus on disability, if i remember right)

so!! im not sure when the submissions for these magazines are open (if theyre open now, or opening later.) nor am i 100% sure abt the criteria of them - some of them, i think, are for specific groups like poc only or trans people only or, you know, things like that. there are definitely more that i’m forgetting!!!

im too tired to add links right now, sorry.

there are also a few lit mags that i would advise against submitting to.

not sure of the details but there was a whole thing with anti-heroin chic defending a racist editor and when one of my mutuals drew attention to the fact that the editor was racist, they were really rude to her. i don’t know what went on exactly and it’s not my place to ask, but i wouldnt ever submit there personally.

i had a really shitty experience with storm of blue press in which they policed my identity and intentionally misunderstood me when i said “nonbinary is a spectrum of genders, not a single monolith gender identity” and got offended by the fact that i used the word ‘woman-aligned’ to refer to my friends……..who aren’t women……….but are woman-aligned…………like………..that’s the phrase they use for themselves?? there was other stuff too (biphobia) and they harassed one of my friends + tweeted about how her manuscript was “lazy work” and not good enough or something, so. steer clear

apparently rust + moth published a terf once and when someone brought this to their notice, they made fun of the person who spoke out about it and refused to take down the work, so…..

arkay artists was defending a racist author who said something about blackface not being too racist / implied it was forgiveable…… she’s white so. she isn’t an authority on this. then, the mag proceeded to call one of my nonbinary friends a b*tch off their official account, which is gross & unprofessional and an act of misgendering, to top that off.

this is all i’ve got!!! i’m in no way a pro - if you’re really interested in submitting to lit mags, twitter’s a great platform to network. i follow a lot of lit mag accounts, and that’s how i keep in the loop of what’s happening, where to submit, etc etc.

take this with as many pinches of salt as you want -im not an authority, i might be biased, but these r just observations based off what i’ve seen, what i’ve experienced and what my friends have told me! DO UR OWN RESEARCH TOO!

#anon #long post #writers on tumblr #poets on tumblr #ugh i forgot so many mags!!!!!!!!!#im sorry #it's something tho #a place to start?

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