#edit: added hyperlink to see if that works

[raudart]

test post bc none of my image posts want to appear in the tags for some reason

i just want yall to see my wavewave art :[

[floodkiss]

Say "NO" to Genocide - Call, email, mail your reps (Canada)

Me and my friend spent some time today writing letters to the House of Commons, plus we have been calling MPs daily. I haven't seen too many resources for this floating around on tumblr, so here's a lengthy guide on how to do this plus some sample scripts! Long post ahead since I think it will be most helpful to dump everything in one spot to reference. On desktop, use CTR F/CMD F to search for the topic -> Phone / Email / Letter Mail / Contacts / Demands / Scripts / Fax

Update 1 - Nov 23: Updated emails with "mailto" hyperlinks, edited demands, added fax section, added scotiabank pres fax number.

On the PHONE / General Tips

Introduce yourself and identify yourself as a constituent by providing your postal code or address.

Ask to speak to the MP directly, but do not be surprised if you must speak to the MP’s staff instead. Staff can help move your issue forward.

Give the reason for your call and explain your concern.

Focus on one or two main concerns per phone call. Do not unload on the MP or their staff with all of your political concerns at one time.

Ask clear and pointed questions that require some explanation.

Ask for a commitment to action.

KEEP IN MIND Tips for Calling MPs:

Tell the MP that this issue will matter to you in the next election.

Avoid revealing party affiliation or sympathies. If you show that your vote is already cast for a certain party, the MP may not have the incentive to respond to your requests.

Be as brief as possible while outlining concerns.  Show that you respect their time.

Remain calm and respectful in dialogue. Be willing to work with them.

Follow up: Find out what actions were taken as a result of your call, and respond appropriately.

(Source: CPJ.ca)

CJPME Call Tool - Fill in the form, there will be suggested talking point. The tool will call your phone and then patch you through to your MP. If voicemail, state your concerns in 30 seconds. No address input will default you to call Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

EMAIL

Be sure you sign your email with your name and mailing address so they know you are a part of their riding.

You will most likely receive a PR-type response or no response at all, but please still send these. It disrupts operations, and it still contributes to pressuring your MP to act on behalf of your riding.

LETTER MAIL

Mail may be sent postage-free to any member of Parliament at the House of Commons address. You just need to use an MP's full title if they are Cabinet members. Cabinet mebers have "The Honourable" attached to their names.

Postcards are efficient in that they are small pieces of card stock and can be a short message plus demands, no need to get use envelopes.

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0A6

CONTACTS

Find your MP - ourcommons.ca - Contact the MP of your riding, any of the contacts below, as well as any cabinet members in your city or province.

Prime Minister (613) 992-4211 / justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca *FAX: 613-941-6900 /*If faxes are closed at the House of Commons line, try their local offices! (See below under "FAX" for fax guide!)

Deputy Prime Minister - Chrystia Freeland (613) 992-5254 / chrystia.freeland@parl.gc.ca FAX: 416-928-2377

Minister of Foreign Affairs - Mélanie Joly (613) 992-0983 / melanie.joly@parl.gc.ca FAX: 613-992-1932

Minister of International Development - Ahmed Hussein (613) 995-0777 / ahmed.hussen@parl.gc.ca FAX: 613-995-0777

Minister of National Defence - Bill Blair (416) 261-8613 / bill.blair@parl.gc.ca FAX: 416-261-5286

Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group (CAIL) Stéphane Bergeron (*he's not a chair or vice chair of this group, but i want to warn that stephane WILL argue with you, so call after hours if you are scared of confrontation 😭☠️) (450) 922-2562 / Stephane.Bergeron@parl.gc.ca Anthony House-father (Chair) (514) 283-0171 / anthony.housefather@parl.gc.ca Randall Garrison (VC) (250) 405-6550 / randall.garrison@parl.gc.ca Marty Morantz (VC) (204) 984-6432 / Marty.Morantz@parl.gc.ca The Honourable Ya’ara Saks (VC) (416) 638-3700 / yaara.saks@parl.gc.ca

Embassy of Israel (613)567-6450 / FAX: 613-750-7555

DEMANDS

Summarized from resistance groups such as H/mas, H/zbollah, PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), DFLP (Marxist Democratic Front got the Liberation of Palestine), CJPME (Canadians for justice and peace in the middle east), and other anti-war, anti-imperialist, IRL Palestinians.

Canada needs to...

Call an immediate PERMANENT ceasefire to end bloodshed

Send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Institute embargo on all military exports to Israel

Close the embassies, and sanction Israel diplomatically and economically.

SCRIPTS

Use these as scripts for calling, emailing, and mailing. I suggest adding some of your own sentences and changing the subject lines (for email) so they don't end up in spam.

Example from Canada: Stop Arming Israel - World BEYOND War 

As we mourn the thousands of people in Israel and Palestine who have been killed in the past few weeks we refuse to stand by and allow the only true winners in war — the weapons manufacturers — to continue to arm and profit off of it.

Canada exported over $21 million in military goods to Israel in 2022, including over $3 million in bombs, torpedoes, missiles, and other explosives. - 2022 Exports of Military Goods 

Weapons companies across Canada are making a fortune off of the carnage in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine.

This is a call to action. It's time to stop letting these weapons companies profit off of the massacre of thousands of Palestinians. Find a location near you, get friends and allies together, and interrupt their business as usual to demand they stop selling arms and military technology to Israel.

Send an urgent message to demand Canada stop arming Israel and push for an immediate ceasefire to your Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Defense.

Dear [recipient's full name goes here], We are witnessing genocidal violence playing out in Gaza right now. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed, nearly half of them children. With a blockade on water, electricity, fuel and food, a quarter of all buildings razed to the ground, and over a million people displaced, UN experts have denounced Israel's actions as crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, weapons companies across Canada are arming -- and making a fortune off of -- the carnage in Gaza and the massacre of thousands of Palestinians by selling weapons and military technology to Israel. I am calling on you to do two things: to take immediate action to institute an arms embargo on Israel and to ensure Canada pushes for de-escalation and a ceasefire in Gaza. Sincerely,

Script Sample 2 from Palestinian Youth Movement

^This will open up a pre-written email in your chosen email app or site. Fill in the recipient line with the emails of MPs you wish to contact.

Script Sample 3 from CJPME's Email Campaign

^Complete the form to send an email to Prime Minister Trudeau, your local MP, and the leaders of the NDP, Convervatives and Greens. Canada must OPPOSE A SECOND NAKBA and dispossession of the Palestinians in Gaza by pushing for a ceasefire.

Script Sample 3 for mail:

(a mix of mine and a friend's)

I am writing to ask you to take immediate action to stop the genocide Israel is committing against Palestinians in Gaza as well as the onslaught of those in West Bank.

There is blockade on food, water, electricity, fuel, and the use of internationally banned white phosphorus to exterminate Palestinians. Aid is not able to enter Gaza because of this blockade. UN experts have named Israel’s actions as genocide citing numerous war crimes they continually commit.

While over 10k civilians have been martyr’d (4.2k of which are children), Canada has not even been able to NAME such crimes as genocide or call for an official ceasefire. This is not enough.

Canada needs to:

Call an immediate ceasefire to end bloodshed

Send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Institute embargo on all military exports to Israel

Close the embassies, and sanction Israel diplomatically and economically.

FAX (NEW!)

Using faxzero.com is simple, just follow up the steps on the website. No fax machine required! Tell officials your demands and customize your letter by noting their complicity based on their role as a politician or gov official. Or keep it brief and simple, in large legible letters. 

Demands could include:

That you are a “Canadian” constituent That you are demanding an IMMEDIATE AND PERMANENT CEASEFIRE IN GAZA; That you demand a total withdrawal of financial (taxpayer) and commercial support and arms for continued occupation in Israel’s 70+ year occupation in Palestine; That it is shameful that [X] is choosing not to speak up for the deaths of more than 11,000 Palestinians, half of whom are children and thousands of others displaced; That Palestinians like all people, deserve life, dignity and justice; That Israel is breaking multiple international laws daily and Canada MUST meet its international commitment to promote and defend human rights under the Geneva Convention; That not putting these actions in place will harm constituents and undo acts of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities in Canada by not protecting the Indigenous peoples of Palestine; That unless there is concrete and everlasting action taken place, that there will be no peace until Palestine is free, and subsequently that you will not be voting for them (if applicable) in the next election.

Sign off with your name, address and postal code (if applicable, furthering that you are a resident on the stolen Indigenous lands otherwise known as “Canada”) Extended fax list: Scott thomson (president of scotiabank) - 416-866-5929 joe biden / whitehouse - 202-456-2461

(source: @/harlo.gif on IG)

[a-d-nox]

Hi I read your post about vertex persona chart and the part you said to save it and check the astroclick travel map to see where we are meant to travel and why or where can we feel at home

So I'd like to ask how can we do that? Can you make a post of how to read the lines please? Thanks

how to convert your vertex persona to an astromap and some observations for when you read this astromap

first get the persona chart

on astro.com go to the "extended chart selection" page, for "chart type" use the "persona chart" option, click the big green "show the chart" button, the vertex is already preloaded in the options so use the drop down to select "vertex", finally click the "go!" button next to your name.

now convert the chart into a map

click the "save" button, two options will appear - click "add to 'my astro'", a pop-up message will say it is added to your collection - use the "click here" hyperlink to bring you the vertex persona's "extended chart selection" page, click on the plus button in the "horoscope for" box, two options will appear - click the "edit" button, select any gender aside from the preselected "event/other" so the astromap can be formed (because it requires a gender to become a map), click the green "continue" button, click on the three lines in the upper right corner for the side menu to appear, click the "locational astrology" section, two options will appear - click "astroclick travel", and you are there!!

paid reading options: astrology menu & cartomancy menu

enjoy my work? help me continue creating by tipping on ko-fi or paypal. your support keeps the magic alive!

on to the observations!

☆ sun/dc line can make you feel like you where bound to meet people who give you genuine attention

☆ sun/mc line can show you where you feel the most yourself and/or will help you realize who you are / who you want to be

☆ moon/ac line will show you where you want to settle down and make a house a home

☆ moon/ic line can show where you reconnect with your mother and/or make you feel vulnerable like a child

☆ moon/mc and/or the vertex persona's 4h ruler / mc line will show you where you are meant feel right at home - you are likely to adjust well to the change of scenery too

☆ when you visit a mercury line you feel like it is fate that brought you there - things might weirdly line up, you might have important conversations, and/or meet important people

☆ mars/ic lines are where you tend to make a lot of impulsive decisions that lead you towards your fate

☆ mars/mc is where you can really get to work on a passion project of yours

☆ mars zenith is where your passions can become your career - your ambition will serve you well

☆ jupiter lines tend to make you feel happy, fulfilled, and lucky

☆ uranus/asc and/or uranus/mc lines are where your fan base is majorly from and/or where you can amass a lot of followers

☆ uranus/ic lines are where you can be your most free and authentic self

☆ uranus/dc lines are where unexpected huge life changes occur

☆ neptune/dc is where your dreams can come true

☆ neptune/mc is where you will transcend this lifetime

☆ pluto/dc lines are where a lot of people are obsessed with you

have ideas for new content? please use my “suggest a post topic” button!

return to nox's guide to metaphysics

return to the masterlist of planetary & object persona chart

© a-d-nox 2024 all rights reserved

[b-afterhours]

Enter The Chronoheart

SYNOPSIS: Au!Bill | Timing is everything. Just before his big break, Bill met Paz, and with her in his life, everything seemed to fall into place. The timing felt right, until the weight of fame and notoriety became too much for Paz to handle, even from the sidelines. Despite their busy careers and distance, they always seemed to find each other through it all. Just when they decided to rekindle their relationship, when the timing felt right again. Paz disappears without a trace.

The aftermath of her disappearance sends Bill's path spiraling off course. Then, on the third anniversary of her disappearance, he found himself drawn to the mystic shop where she was last seen. Sending him on an unexpected journey through time to find her.

WARNINGS: 18+ Mature readers only

Chapter Two

Bill had been staying at Franco’s for about a week. He had settled in well, keeping mostly to himself. His main interactions were with Franco, of course, and most evenings were spent together tinkering in the studio where Franco edited his projects and worked on various things. He had an eye for detail, an obsessive streak when it came to his work. Bill respected that.

Paz seemed to lead a fairly busy life. Their interactions were brief—just polite hellos in passing, whether she was coming or he was going. The last conversation they had was when she had enough batter for an extra pancake and offered to make him one. That day, she wasn’t dressed in her usual stylish business-casual attire. Instead, she wore a simple white cap-sleeved shirt tucked into a charcoal-colored skort. He wondered what obligation she had that morning instead of work but he was too shy to ask.

He hadn’t seen her since but he heard her though, coughing and hacking in the middle of the night from his bedroom. For the past few days, Paz had been locked in her room, quarantining herself after coming down with a cold.

Lounging in the living room with his long body lazily sprawled on the sectional, he absentmindedly read through a random Wikipedia article, having fallen down a rabbit hole of blue hyperlinks. The TV remained paused, forgotten. When the front door opened, he straightened up, brushing down his shorts that had ridden up.

“Yo!” Franco greeted him. “Hey, did you know that—” he started to say, but his phone buzzed in his back pocket, cutting him off. “Shit. I have to take this,” Franco muttered, setting a drink carrier down on the side table. It held two venti medicine balls from Starbucks. “These are for Paz,” he added. “Can you give them to her for me?”

He stepped off before Bill could even have a word in but Franco could be like that sometimes. His mind was always jumping from one task to the other, almost rapid fire.

There was a succession of sneezes heard on the other side of Paz’ door when Bill softly knocked. 

“Frankie?” a hoarse voice asked.

“It’s Bill,” he replied. “I have the tea he brought you, though. Do you want me to—I can just leave them outside your door if you want?” He was taken aback by his own nervous stammer. He wasn’t even face-to-face with her, yet the sudden possibility of finally seeing her after a few days made his heart pulse.

“You can come in.”

Slowly, he pushed the door open, the strong mentholated scent of Vicks Vaporub hitting him but much to his disappointment, there wasn’t much to see. The room was dim, illuminated only by the soft pink glow of LED strip lights behind her headboard. Paz was curled up in the middle of her bed, buried under a mound of blankets. Her hoodie drawstrings were pulled tight, obscuring most of her face.

“Don’t get too close,” she warned, her voice thick with congestion. “Could you leave it on the desk? Thanks.”

“Yeah. No problem,” he nodded, doing as she said. 

By the desk, a trash bin overflowed with crumpled tissues, but he ignored that, instead he took in the personal touches she had added to the guest room. Small polaroids of herself and friends were held with tiny clothes pins on a thread of twine pinned to a cork board. A small stack of books with uncracked spines. And tiny trinkets she had collected decorated the shelves.

Her hand emerged from the blankets, reaching for her laptop to resume the movie she had been watching. Bill recognized it immediately—What a Way to Go! from 1964.

“I hope you start feeling better,” he said before exiting her room

“Mm, me too,” she sniffled. “Thanks again.”

“Anytime,” he replied with a small smile before gently shutting the door behind him.

The next morning he went out of his way to bring home medicine balls to give her himself. 

…

After Paz recovered, their once-brief interactions started to grow. They often woke up around the same time, finding themselves in the kitchen making their respective breakfasts. Franco was usually there too, chatting with Bill over coffee. Bill tried to include her but it was difficult to find a segue. But Bill noticed that even without joining in, Paz always listened attentively when he spoke.

On the mornings Franco wasn’t around, their conversations flowed more freely and effortlessly. It was still friendly, but at least without interruptions.

“Uh, I’m working on a self-tape later today,” Bill said after tossing his trash away.

“Yeah? What for?” Paz asked as she loaded their dishes into the dishwasher.

He hesitated, brushing the island counter of invisible crumbs. “Well… it feels silly to say right now.”

Paz leaned against the island, studying him. “Do you not… feel confident about it?” she asked carefully.

“I do… it’s just a bit abstract, I guess,” he admitted. Though the word he really wanted to say was absurd. “I’m mentioning it because I’ll need some quiet while I record.”

“Oh!” Paz nodded. “That’s no problem. I’m heading out in an hour, so you won’t have to worry about me.”

Bill smirked. “Uh, it’s not you I’m worried about. It’s me. I’m afraid you’ll overhear,” he said with a bashful laugh. “You don’t hear anything from down the hall?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I think the studio is insulated a little, so—”

“Oh, well, good. I just don’t want to alarm you if it sounds like I’m having a full-blown mental breakdown in my room or something.”

“Or are you?” she teased, smirking.

“I guess that would only be for me to know for sure.”

Paz laughed. “Did Frankie give you my number?”

“Mm, no.” Bill bit his cheek.

She rolled her eyes and walked over to his side of the island. “Let me see your phone,” she said, holding her hand out. After he unlocked it, she started typing her number into his contacts. “That way you can just text me when you need quiet. Or for anything else.” She smiled as she handed it back to him.

Bill quickly glanced at his screen and noticed she had added a peace sign emoji next to her name.

“Anything else?” he asked, raising an eyebrow before she could leave the kitchen.

“You know, in case you accidentally get locked out or something. Just… anything,” she winked.

…

Paz left the Barre class with wobbly, sore legs. Her friends had convinced her to sign up with them, completely underestimating how intense it would be. It looked like a cute, breezy workout—turns out, it was anything but.

After stopping by an overly health-conscious pressed juice bar, Paz sipped on the fresh-squeezed concoction of orange, pineapple, carrot, and ginger from her cup as she chatted with her friends. The topic of her houseguest came up when she mentioned him.

“Google him, Maxi! So we know who we’re dealing with,” Cora giggled, teasingly.

“Max, no,” Paz sighed, already knowing it was pointless—he had gasped loudly as soon as the results popped up.

“Oh my god! The hot vampire from True Blood is his brother?!”

“Is it really?” Cora said, grabbing Max’s phone for a better look. “It is! Did you know?”

Paz flushed. “Yeah… I-I googled him before he moved in.” In fact, she had googled him as soon as she left the café after meeting him. “I had to make sure he wasn’t some psycho, you know?”

“Sure, sure,” Max teased. “He’s, uh… well he’s cute…” he said doubtfully, scrolling through images with pursed lips.

“He’s a lot cuter in person,” Paz said defensively, surprising even herself. She hardly knew him, and wasn’t sure if she liked him enough to defend him like that. “He’s not a bro-y douche like most of my brother’s friends, though. He’s really nice—funny, too.”

“Well, you have each other’s number now, that’s a step,” Cora said, trying to be supportive, sensing that Paz might be developing a crush she wasn’t quite ready to admit.

Paz grimaced slightly. “Eh, I fucking winked at him like an idiot.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Max said, tucking his phone away. “He for sure thought it was cute.”

“I don’t know…” Paz muttered doubtfully. “It’s probably not smart to date one of my brother’s friends, though. It seems… fucked up?”

Cora scoffed. “Who cares about Franco? He doesn’t have to know. Just hook up with him, that costs nothing.”

Max nodded in agreement. “I saw his height on Google. He’s gotta be packing.” He crossed his fingers. “Not to mention, you’ve got accessible dick down the hall from your bedroom. Literally my fantasy! I’d be on that already, for that reason alone.” He sassily swiveled his neck, making the girls laugh.

…

It was the weekend, and Bill had decided to meet some friends for dinner. The evening went well, but while he was scheduled to be on the set of a short film the following week, his friends had landed roles on much bigger movie sets with A-list stars. He was happy for them, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.

When he arrived at Franco’s later that night, the condo was quiet—until he approached his room. Franco had texted earlier, saying he’d be in the studio working while he was out. Bill didn’t mind, nor was he surprised by Franco’s presence, but he paused when he turned and saw Paz sitting on the edge of his bed, speaking with her brother. She looked very relaxed in an athleisure bodysuit with a cropped hoodie over it, sitting cross-legged and barefoot.

She turned to look at him mid-sentence. Her eyes widened briefly before her expression shifted into one of regret.

“Sorry,” she said, starting to rise from the bed to stand.

“No, it’s all good,” he quickly gestured for her to stay seated.

“What’s up, Bill?” Franco greeted him with a fist bump. “We were just about to head out so you can have your room back.”

“What are you working on?” He asked, looking at the large monitor behind him curiously. 

He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the bedpost next to Paz. The scent of his cologne wafting from it, and Paz found it pleasant. Delicious, even. Unconsciously, it made her thighs squeeze together. She lingered for a while, listening to the men talk, since she was often left out. Just as she was about to leave, her brother excused himself with a big, obnoxious yawn.

Bill quickly turned to her before she could get up.

“And what did you like?” he asked, taking a seat in the desk chair in front of her.

Before he arrived, Franco had been showing her several storyline concepts to pitch, needing help narrowing them down to present to a client.

“I liked the one where the character is a detective and is hunting herself down unknowingly. Or the Death Proof-inspired one.”

Bill nodded in agreement. “Do you like Tarantino?”

Paz lightly shrugged, indifferent. “It’s Tarantino. He’s got some good films.”

“Yeah. What’s your favorite?” Bill asked, leaning back and lacing his fingers over his abdomen.

A smirk tugged at her lips. “Kill Bill.”

He chuckled. “Classic. And what else?”

“From Dusk ‘Till Dawn. Jackie Brown. Yours?”

Bill squinted in thought for a moment. “Pulp Fiction. Reservoir Dogs. Uh... Inglourious Basterds. I like that.”

“I haven’t seen that one yet.”

“No?” He tilted his head, surprised. “It’s been out for a while now. I’ll have to show you while I’m here.”

Paz nodded appreciatively. “Now, name a Tarantino film where there isn’t a shot of a woman’s bare feet.”

Bill laughed loudly. “Shit, yeah, he’s got a thing for them, doesn’t he?”

“A thing, for sure,” she replied, her eyes drifting to the thin script laying on a small nightstand by his bed. “Can I ask what you’re working on?” She pointed.

Bill rubbed his chin, glancing at the paper script resting there. It was becoming increasingly rare to have physical scripts these days; most came via email link. “Did you peek?” he asked coyly.

“I didn’t, I swear,” she said, raising her hands defensively in mock surrender.

He stood up, walking over to grab it. “I wouldn’t have minded if you did,” he said, flicking through the pages in front of her. “Can I sit next to you?” He gestured with the script in hand.

Paz quickly scooted over to give him a little more space, but he sat right next to her anyway. Their thighs touched, side by side, and she felt her heart begin to race. Glancing up at him, his expression was neutral as he scanned the script, unbothered by their close proximity.

“It’s for a short film I’m doing next week while I’m here in the city,” he explained. “You can read it if you want. There’s no dialogue, just actions, feelings, directions. And a rock.” He handed her the script.

As she flicked through it, she could feel his eyes on her, as if he was carefully watching her every reaction. His gaze made her nervous, so much so that she stopped reading altogether. The words blurred into meaninglessness as her focus shifted entirely to him. How he breathed evenly beside her, how his body was slightly turned toward her, the warmth of his thigh pressing against hers…

A palpable tension settled between them. It was a tension that had been quietly building but now seemed impossible to ignore. Bill’s own heart raced as he watched her, wondering if she could feel it too.

He had spoken about Paz with his friends over dinner that night, but they weren’t much help when it came to dating advice. Neither were they particularly interested or encouraging about the new girl he had his sights on. He had just gotten out of a toxic relationship ten months ago, and they were just glad to have their friend back since.

When Paz looked up at him, the sudden direct eye contact seemed to startle them both. “Uh…” she licked her lips, passing the script back to him. “Seems interesting.” She smiled, before rising to her feet. “I should probably head to bed.”

Bill straightened up and nodded. “Yeah,” he stood, only because he felt so awkward he didn’t know what else to do. “Good… Goodnight, Paz.” 

“Goodnight, Bill,” she smiled sheepishly at him before leaving. 

Bill ran a hand through his hair, feeling a little juvenile. He wasn’t good at this—at navigating the space between friendship and something more. And maybe it wasn’t wise to even consider it. Franco had opened his home to him, but that didn’t mean he could cozy up to his little sister also. But if she wanted to... well, he wouldn’t stop her.

…

After that evening together, Paz seemed to become more relaxed around Bill. She started spending more time in the living room rather than retreating to her room like she used to. They could spend a little more time in each other's presence that way, even if it wasn’t often that they could speak. 

One evening, Bill returned home late after a day on the set of the short film he was working on, a bag of carryout in hand. To his surprise, Paz was still up, curled up on the sofa under a blanket, binge-watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Now she felt a bit embarrassed about watching it when he decided to take a seat next to her.

“Uhm, I can change it,” she offered, quickly reaching for the remote on the coffee table next to his food.

Bill gently touched her hand, stopping her. “I could use something mindless to watch,” he said with a smirk.

“Mindless?” She tilted her head at him. 

“No offense,” he lightly chuckled. “But it’s been a long day.”

Bill offered her some of his fries as a peace offering, and she happily accepted. He wasn’t much of a fan of trashy reality TV but that wasn’t really why he was there. It was just an excuse to spend time with her. Before he knew it, though, he had leaned back, one arm behind his head, and his attention fully caught. He was sucked in, asking Paz questions about why certain people had drama. She would giggle as she explained, knowing how ridiculous it all was and he would smile enjoying the sound of her voice.

The late hours passed but they decided on one more episode, even though sleep was creeping in. Their eyes grew heavy as the episode droned on but neither wanted to be the one to break their content bubble.

Bill jolted slightly when his body leaned too far to the side, waking him with a start. The dim light from the TV screen cast soft shadows across the dark living room. 

Are you still there?

The screen displayed. He blinked his tired eyes, his gaze dropping to where Paz’s legs laid comfortably in his lap. His breath caught in his chest when he noticed how close they were. He shifted nervously, glancing over at the staircase leading to Franco’s bedroom. What if he had seen this? But he quickly pushed the thought away. He knew Franco was a heavy sleeper, it was unlikely.

Bill gently patted Paz’s smooth legs, running his hand along her shin to wake her. She stirred slightly, her soft breathing the only sound in the quiet room. 

“Hey,” he whispered softly. “Paz?”

Her eyes fluttered open, locking onto his. For a brief moment, they stayed frozen in that shared gaze, and Bill’s pulse quickened. She didn’t pull away. In fact, she seemed to hesitate for just a second before he extended his hand to her, silently offering to help her up from the sofa. Bill escorted her to her bedroom first, their footsteps soft against the floor. When they reached her room, he gave her a small smile, lingering for just a beat longer.

“Good night, Bill,” she whispered, looking up at him with a small smile before entering her room.

Only this time, she left her door cracked, not closed like she usually would. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. He bit his lip, feeling a little rush of accomplishment. He turned and headed toward his own room, the sound of her soft breathing echoing in his mind as he lay in bed.

…

Through Paz’ cracked door, their eyes would briefly meet before Bill would retreat to his own space. He’d see her lounging in bed, legs propped up against the headboard, scrolling on an iPad. She caught glimpses of him too—towel hanging low on his hip, fresh from the shower, heading straight to his room. 

One evening, Bill was returning home to take a call from his manager when he passed her room. Soft indie pop played from her Bluetooth speaker, filling the hallway as she stood in front of a full-length mirror, fingers working through her hair, scrunching the natural waves with heaps of product.

He knocked gently on the doorframe, and she met his gaze through the reflection in the mirror.

“Hey?” She turned, her expression curious. 

“Are you going out tonight?” Bill asked, shifting slightly on his feet when he noticed she wasn’t wearing anything else underneath the buttoned oversized cardigan she wore with cotton shorts.

“I am,” she smiled. “With some friends. What’s up?”

“I’m about to make a call. Would it be alright if I shut your door?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Paz said, reaching for her phone on the shelf in front of her. “I can turn the music down too.”

“You don’t have to,” he said, but she had already lowered it a few notches. “So, uh, if you’re going out, that means you won’t be at your brother’s thing later?”

She blinked, clearly surprised. “He’s having a party?”

“Well, more like a kickback, I guess,” he said, smiling at the confusion on her face.

“Kickback? Well, fuck me, I wasn’t even invited?” She scoffed, but there was a hint of humor in her tone making it clear she was just teasing. 

Bill grinned. “If it means anything, I’m inviting you.”

Paz’s smile grew wider. “You’re sweet. I’ll think about it.”

“Please, do consider!” Bill said in a playful, eager tone, making Paz laugh. “Alright, well, I’ll leave you alone now,” he added with a wink, making her blush.

Later that evening, Franco arrived, lugging a case of beer into the kitchen. As he stocked the fridge, he chatted with Bill who was reheating leftovers for himself.

“Bye, guys!” Paz called out, heading for the door.

“Paz.” Franco peered around the kitchen division, his brows lifting as he took in her outfit—a little black dress with a tasteful plunging neckline, paired with strappy platform heels. “Oh. You’re leaving?”

“Yeah,” she replied, hesitating when she noticed Bill stepping into view behind her brother. His gaze flicked over her, a quick once-over that made her heart flutter irregularly.

“Who’s picking you up?” Franco asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Max.”

Franco shrugged, that’s as far as he wanted to go with fulfilling his big brother duty for the day. “Alright, then. Be careful.”

Bill gave her a casual wave, and once he heard the door shut behind her, he turned to Franco. “So… Max. Boyfriend?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Franco scoffed. “Max? Pfft. Nah. They work together. And he’s hella gay.”

“Ah,” Bill nodded, hiding the flicker of relief he felt.

“She hasn’t had a boyfriend in a while,” Franco continued. “Not sure how long—over a year, at least. Before that, she was with some guy in college for a while. Big time nerd. Quiet, boring, never wanted to go out. Spent every date playing video games.”

Bill let out a low whistle. “Sheesh.”

“Yeah, but saying all that—it's those types that end up doing the most egregious cheating. Dude was ‘addicted to cyber pussy.’”

“Cyber pussy?” Bill chuckled.

“Paz’s words, not mine.” Franco smirked. “Anyway, I’m gonna shower and chill before everyone gets here,” he said, breaking down the empty beer box. “Catch you in a bit.”

Meanwhile, the night stretched on, and Paz was having a decent time as any. She and her friends, Max and Cora, had scored an invitation into a VIP booth, joining the group that had rented it—laughing, chatting, and indulging in drinks on their generous tab.

This wasn’t new to them. It had become something of a game, a little challenge they set for themselves whenever they went out. The goal? Free drinks, a fun conversation, and maybe—if the mood struck—someone worth bringing home. If not, at least they’d leave with a funny story and their wallets intact.

Paz wasn’t as outwardly promiscuous as her friends, but she wasn’t innocent either. Picky was the right word. A guy could be cute, but the moment he said something lacking common sense, she’d check out immediately.

That said… she had made exceptions before.

Tonight, though, no one caught her interest—not that she was trying to catch anyone’s either. It had been a long time since a guy had occupied her thoughts the way Bill did tonight. She liked him. She finally admitted it to herself. But how was she supposed to navigate that feeling? And, more importantly, would it even be wise?

A gentleman was talking to her over the pounding bass of the club’s speakers. She nodded along, pretending to catch every other word between every other hard consonant. Bored, she sipped her drink before interrupting him.

“Do you know the time?”

“Huh?” he shouted back.

“The time?” she yelled, leaning in slightly.

He glanced at the flashy Rolex on his wrist. “Ten after eleven!”

She could have stayed longer, but she no longer cared, she just wasn’t feeling it tonight. Gathering her clutch, she stood up, brushing off the protests of her friends.

“Oh, fine,” Cora pouted. “We get it, though.” 

“I expect a full debrief Monday morning,” Max added with a knowing wink.

When Paz returned home, people were milling about the house, mixed drinks in hand, laughter spilling from the living room and upstairs. The attendees were friends and acquaintances of her brothers, though there were a few unfamiliar faces. Especially, a group filing out the bathroom, rubbing the tips of their noses of white residue. As always, there was an uneven ratio—far more men than women. Now, with her arrival, the number of women had risen to a grand total of maybe seven.

She greeted the few people she knew before ducking off to her room to dress down her outfit a bit. She didn’t see her brother or Bill, but they were likely upstairs. When she returned to the party, her short dress was now tucked into a pair of jeans, and swapped her heels for platform Converse.

While in the kitchen, making herself a vodka soda, one of Franco’s more irritating acquaintances approached her.

“Hey! Paz!” he called out, pointing at her. “I was just about to leave, but what’s up?”

Bill came downstairs for a round of beers and noticed her looking bored, even slightly annoyed, as a guy in a Supreme shirt spoke to her. On his way to the fridge, he gave her a little wave and discreetly listened in on their conversation.

“That sounds nice. But snowboarding, I don’t know…” Paz said.

“You have to come next time Franco goes, though. How old are you now?”

“Uh, twenty-three.”

“Shit, then you must have been seventeen the last time we went. I see… yeah, I almost didn’t recognize you. You clean up nice.”

She forced a tight-lipped smile. “Mhmm.”

Bill grabbed the beers and side-eyed the guy while doing it. He straightened up and cleared his throat loudly enough for both of them to hear. “Paz.” She turned her attention to him, hearing the quiet authority in his voice. “Your brother asked for you.” His eyes darted over to the guy, who suddenly seemed much less confident. 

“Sorry, I should probably see what he wants,” she told her unwanted guest.

“Cool, cool. I was just leaving anyway,” he said, in a bad attempt at seeming unbothered.

Bill followed her up the stairs, and she paused just a step ahead, bringing her closer to his height. “He can talk a lot. I don’t even remember his name,” she laughed. “Thanks.” 

“Yeah,” Bill replied with a dimpled smile. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“The night’s still going,” she said, with a playful spark in her eyes.

They shared a look while standing in the middle of the staircase where it was semi-private, and they could feel that pull again. Paz's heart pounded, but rather than let herself be drawn toward him, she turned and continued up the stairs. Bill inhaled through his nose before following her, composing himself. He had some buddies waiting for him upstairs, and as a man, he still had to maintain his cool demeanor.

Paz waved at a few people gathered around her brother—ones she actually liked. They were smart, interesting creatives with great stories. But Bill tapped her shoulder and pointed to a small group of guys.

"Uh, these are my friends," Bill said to her. 

He quickly introduced her, and they all politely shook her hand. Bill noticed their approving expressions, clearly charmed by her looks as well. He tried to hand beers to two of them, but they spoke to him in Swedish, and judging by Bill’s frown, it seemed they had decided to leave instead. That left only one of his friends, a Canadian with shoulder-length brown hair and a short beard.

Paz found him to be friendly, even a little eclectic. Or dare she say, hipster? He mentioned working with Bill on the Netflix show they were a part of. Though as he spoke about it she couldn’t quite tell if it had been a good or bad experience for them, it was probably a bit of both. He stayed as long as his beer lasted, but as the night wore on, it was clear it was getting rather late.

“He’s nice,” Paz said, settling into a red chair shaped like a hand, its fingers forming the backrest. 

“Yeah,” Bill nodded, scooting a stool in the shape of a die beside her. “I already have too many, but he’s like a brother.”

“How many?”

“Six. And a sister.”

“Right, what’s one more anyway?” she chuckled lightly.

“Oh, shit,” Franco interrupted, walking past. “When did you get here?”

“About an hour ago. I said hello to you,” Paz said, slightly annoyed. “Wait, are you getting another drink?” she asked, noticing the two empty glasses in his hands. Without a word, he motioned for her glass and continued on.

“It’s just you and him?” Bill asked, pushing up the sleeves of his white long-sleeve shirt. 

“Me, him, and our little sister.”

“Right, yeah. I think Franco’s mentioned he has two sisters.”

“Yeah, probably. Juliana’s 20 and still lives with our parents, giving them hell,” Paz said, laughing lightly. “To be polite, she’s very sassy. But um, she has a physical disability. It's a mild case, she wears braces but it definitely doesn’t hold her back.”

Bill nodded. “She sounds like a fun person to get to know.”

“She is,” Paz smiled. “She’s turning 21 soon and wants to go wine tasting. Dad’s not thrilled, but she has the right to make her own decisions when they’re reasonable. Anyway, is it typical for Swedish families to be so big?”

Bill chuckled. “No,” he shook his head. “That’s just my family.”

“Where do you land out of seven siblings?”

“Uhm, somewhere in the middle. If you have time, I can break it down for you,” he chuckled. 

“I’m here all night.” 

They got lost in conversation, discussing family and friends. Bill even mentioned how the short film wrapped up well. They were getting more personal than before. The topic of exes came up, and it seemed neither had emerged from their past relationships the victor, though for different reasons. As they spoke of their exes, they both gauged each other’s tone, making sure there were no hard feelings or unresolved hang-ups. Though bruised, it seemed there were none on either side.

They talked so long that they hadn’t realized the party had ended. It wasn’t until Franco came back, stumbling up the stairs and loudly yawning, that they said goodnight to him and moved into the living room downstairs.

“I’m going to go out for a smoke,” he said to her, pulling a pack from his back pocket.

“Come,” she gestured for him to follow her to the window. Kneeling on the spacious bench in front of it, she opened the window. “This should be fine,” she said, sitting down and leaving space for him to join her.

After lighting his cigarette, he took a drag and blew a thin trail of smoke out the window. “Would you like one?”

“Can we share?”

He passed it to her, watching as she took an easy drag before passing it back. “I finally figured out who you look like,” she said with a playful smirk.

“Who do I look like?” he raised a brow, curious.

“Do you know the old film star, William Sigrid?”

He let out a low chuckle. “I’ve heard that one before, yeah.”

“It’s uncanny at times. Your noses are different, though.”

“Shockingly, his is bigger than mine,” he quipped.

“Yours is way cuter,” she boldly complimented. “It’s awful how he died, though.”

“Getting into a wreck in those old cars was fucking unforgiving,” he said, exhaling smoke.

“He was nearly decapitated…”

Bill nodded with a grimace. The music softly playing on the house speakers filled the space a bit then. 

“This is a good song,” she commented, to veer away from the dark subject matter.

Bill pulled his phone out from his front pocket and checked the artist. “Touch by Daft Punk.”

“You’ve been playing music this whole time?”

“Well, it’s a random Spotify playlist, but yeah. Why? Did the music suck?” He silently worried, taking another drag and passing the cigarette back to her.

She shook her head, amused, as she took a pull. “No, you’ve got good taste.”

He put a hand to his chest, appreciative. “You...” He paused, nervously ashing out the window when she passed the cigarette back. “Uhm, you look good tonight.”

Paz felt her cheeks flush, bashfully looking away from his sincere green-eyed gaze. Bill nervously chewed on his bottom lip, hoping she didn’t take offense. He didn’t want to become another one of her brother’s annoying friends, like the Supreme-shirt guy from earlier. Worried, he wondered if he mistook just a normal attribute of her personality for flirtation this whole time? 

He flicked the cigarette out the window to get rid of the crutch it provided.“I, uh... it’s been nice talking to you tonight, like we have. Or anytime rather.”

“Yeah,” Paz smiled, meeting his gaze again.

As they fell silent, their eyes locked once more, the pull between them making itself known again. A smile tugged at both of their lips. Hearts pounding nervously, but he reached for her hand, holding it with quiet permission. When she squeezed his hand in return, he leaned in, and their lips met. Their hearts, once racing anxiously, now soared.

It started slow and gauging, until it grew more desperate and wanting. His fingers laced through the hair on the side of her head, steadying her as their kiss deepened. Her tongue sought entrance, and she lightly moaned when he sucked gently on the tip of it. When he let go, she giggled softly against his lips.

“You’re so pretty,” he murmured, kissing her neck, causing her to melt against him. “I’ve been wanting to tell you that since I met you.”

She placed a hand on his jaw, guiding his lips back to hers, pressing a deep kiss against them. “So are you,” she said, her voice low as she lifted her leg and began to straddle him with his help. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone so badly until I met you.”

She was surprised at how easily those words came out, but they were true. She had never felt that way about anyone until him. Her words sparked a heat in him because he felt the same, completely. Their kiss deepened, more intense than before.

Paz cursed herself inwardly for wearing jeans. She rutted against him, wishing to feel more, to be closer. His hands roamed to the front of her, cupping her breast, making her gasp softly.

As he kissed his way down her neck to the tops of her breasts, when she felt a throbbing ache between her thighs.

“Let’s go to the bedroom,” he breathed against her skin.

Her chest rose and fell unevenly, her nerves overtaking her lust. “Uhm…” She bit her lip, regretfully. “Maybe... not tonight.”

Bill stopped, looking up at her with an apologetic expression. “Sorry, maybe that’s too fast.” 

“A little…” she caressed his cheek.

He nodded, understanding. “I can wait,” he said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, a little seal of promise.

…

A few days had passed, and it seemed that Paz had been avoiding him since that night. Bill began to feel regret weighing heavily on him. He thought back to that night, wondering what he could have done differently. Maybe Paz had simply changed her mind. Maybe she was being the smart one, cutting off the attraction before it became too messy.

Still, Bill couldn’t accept her silence. She was going to have to talk to him, even if it was just to tell him that she didn’t want anything to do with him. Sure, it would suck if that was the case, he could feel his heart bruising at even the thought of rejection. Regardless, he'd still like to be her friend if she’d let him.

One evening, Paz was returning to her room with a bottle of coconut water she had grabbed from the fridge. Bill was in the living room, settling in as he reached for the TV remote. It was just the two of them in the condo. 

“Do you want to watch a movie with me?” he asked quickly.

She stopped mid-step, looking at him with pressed lips, unsure. “Mm, I’ll be right back.”

He watched her walk back to the kitchen, hearing the pantry open as he searched for a movie. Then he smiled to himself when he heard the sound of popcorn revolving in the microwave. She returned with a bowl of popcorn and placed it in the middle of them, as if to create a little space between them.

“Nice,” he said, grabbing a few pieces of popcorn, trying not to let the space between them bother him. “I rented Inglourious Basterds.”

The movie played and they watched without a glance or a word toward each other. The bowl of popcorn was empty now. Bill placed it on the coffee table in front of them, but the space remained. He slouched a bit in his seat, spreading his knees wider. Paz nervously scratched her knee, and suddenly he felt her gaze on him. When he tried to meet her eyes, she looked away, adjusting the strap of her spaghetti-strap tank top she wore underneath a cardigan that slouched off her shoulders with a slight smirk tugging at her lips.

He bit his lip to keep from smiling and sat up, scooting closer. He put an arm around her, and she settled comfortably into his side.

“Sorry…” Paz said, regretfully. “I wasn’t sure if the other night happened because of the drinks or—”

“Ah,” Bill nodded understandingly. “No, it wasn't the drinks… maybe the cigarette, though.” He said, earning a soft giggle from her.

Before they knew it, their lips met again, the third act of the movie forgotten on the TV screen. Paz’s back fell against the couch cushion, pulling him on top of her. She moaned softly as their bodies melded together, and she could feel him through the thin cotton shorts she wore.

“Touch me,” she breathlessly said against his lips. 

She felt his hand travel from her side, his fingers slipping into her shorts. A low rumble vibrated in his chest when he felt how hot and wet she was beneath his fingertips. Her hips bucked against his hand and he swallowed hard. He caught her gaze, her kiss swollen lips parted, a light whimper escaping them when he began to make circles around her clit. 

Bill ducked his head into the crook of her neck, licking along her clavicle and kissing the tops of her breast before sitting up a little. 

“Can I take them off?” He whispered.

Paz swallowed hard, a feeling of apprehension washing over her. She raised herself on her elbows. “I-I haven’t shaved… well it’s growing back so—”

Bill smirked. “Just lay back,” he said, with a kiss. 

He grabbed the waistband of her shorts and swiftly pulled them off, revealing the dampness soaking the crotch of her pink, high cut panties. Impatiently, he plucked them to the side, the air briefly cooling her sex until his face dove in, introducing the warmth of his mouth between her legs. Even as his tongue teasingly licked her slit up and down she stiffened at first. She could probably count on one hand how many times she’s gotten head. Every instance she had to ask her ex for it, every performance subpar and worse than the last. 

After pausing to pull her panties down the rest of the way, his mouth created a seal over her clit and placed his tongue flat and firm against it. An unexpected moan loudly left her when the suction built up pleasantly. Her shoulders fell and she felt herself finally relax, enjoying every flit of his tongue. 

Bill could feel her squirming against his face, his eyes peered up at her as her hands took hold of her breasts while her chest heaved. He persisted, encouraged by the sweet breathy moans he elicited from her. He took a tighter grip around her thighs, harshly pressing his face into her pussy. His head lightly shook back and forth as he lapped and slurped her up. Paz's eyes widened, he was practically devouring her. 

“Oh my god?!” Paz choked out, her back arching off the couch. “Oh fuck!” 

She sharply sucked air between her teeth until a loud moan ripped from her throat. When Bill’s eyes met hers, she had a bewildered look on her face as she tried to catch her breath. 

“You taste so fucking sweet,” he breathed, peppering kisses on her soft inner thigh. 

His fingers traced her wet slit, sending shivers through her. Just when his fingertips pressed at her entrance the sound of the front door being unlocked down the hall made them both freeze. Their eyes wide as saucers in panic. 

“Fuck!” Bill said, trying to help her find her shorts. “Here!” 

Paz snatched her shorts from his grip and dashed to her bedroom, nearly tripping on her feet on her way. Bill quickly wiped his mouth with his hands and then brushed his hair into place as he sat upright. His erection was pressing firmly against his grey sweats but he had no time to adjust. Instead, he grabbed a throw pillow and placed it over his lap to conceal himself. 

Franco appeared, but made no stops as he started up the stairs. From the edge of his vision he saw Bill sitting on the couch making him pause. Bill was seemingly scrolling through his phone. In reality, he was just staring blankly at his lock screen.

“Yo!” Franco called out, and Bill greeted him with a simple nod. “Uhm, I can’t hang,” Franco continued. “I’m just here to grab some clothes. I’ll be with Mia tonight.” He smirked, sharing a knowing look with his friend.

“Oh, cool,” Bill replied, scratching his chin.

“Have you seen Paz?”

“Paz?” He licked his lips, tasting her there. “Uh, no. Well, earlier. She’s in her room.”

“I’ll just text her,” Franco said, then loudly climbed the stairs to his room.

Bill said goodbye to Franco when he emerged from his room with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He waited a full ten minutes and some change after hearing the front door close before even rising from the couch.

“He’s gone,” Bill said, lightly knocking on Paz’s door.

“I got his text,” Paz’s voice came from the other side before the door opened. 

Bill felt his heart skip when she opened the door, she never bothered to put her bottoms on again. After the initial panic subsided, Paz didn’t let herself lie in shame for long. She focused on setting the mood, dimming the pink LED lights and adding a fresh wax melt in the burner on her shelf. She even spritzed her favorite sweet and delicate Dolce & Gabbana perfume onto her bed and herself.

A giggle left her lips when he effortlessly lifted her onto his waist. “You’re stunning,” he said against her lips as he walked them towards her bed. 

He gently sat her down, helped her out of the thin tank top she wore, and righted himself to pull his shirt off as well. That’s when he felt her hands on the aching bulge pressing against his grey sweats. 

With a smile on his lips, he peered down watching her kiss along his length through the fabric. But his nerves crept up on him when a thought came to him. She was American, would she find his uncut European cock strange and unappealing? His nerves faded away when she freed him and a delighted smile flashed across her face.

She was surprised to see what was in his pants face to face. It was impressive but also the size was a bit shocking. Would it fit inside her? She worried but the thought also titillated her. 

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, gripping his heavy, thick cock in her hand. Her thumb, collecting the dew drop bubbling from the tip.  

Bill licked his lips, his heart quickening. “No… we shouldn't,” he said appreciating the slow strokes she was giving him. 

“But we will.” 

His teeth dug into his bottom lip as she took him into the warmth of her mouth, her soft lips sealing around him. The rhythmic motion of her head, the sight of her dark lashes fluttering above her hollowed cheeks, made his head spin. They shouldn’t be doing this. Every nerve in his body screamed for more, but his conscience gnawed at him—this was a betrayal, a breach of Franco’s trust. Maybe Paz could be forgiven. But Bill, with his hard, throbbing cock in his friend’s little sister’s inviting mouth, was beyond redemption.

If banishment was his fate—if he’d never see her again—then he might as well savor every moment. And with Paz, that was easy. The way she swirled her tongue around the head of his cock, her strokes firm and measured, felt damn near perfect. A groan rumbled in his chest as he tangled his fingers in her hair, guiding her as she took him deeper, all the way to the back of her throat.

“Ah, fuck,” he ground through his teeth. 

She pulled away, coughing softly, but recovered quickly, her hand never faltering as she stroked him. He leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss, his grip on her jaw gentle as he guided her to her feet. His erection pressed against her belly, hot and insistent, and though arousal pulsed between her thighs, a nervous quiver followed it.

She pushed past the beat of trepidation, instead turning and pressing her palms flat against the mattress, arching her back as she nudged her bare ass against him. Assuming a position she always took during hookups out of habit. But as Bill took in the sight of her, his cock pressed against a round ass cheek while his hand ran over the other, his brows knitted together. Did she really want it like this? It felt too impersonal for what he craved. Leaning in, he pressed a slow, lingering kiss to her shoulder, his hand sliding from her hip to cup the fullness of her breast.

"I want to look at you," he murmured against her skin, his voice thick with need. Gently, he coaxed her to turn, guiding her down onto the bed before following her. His lips trailed over the soft swell of her breasts. "Do you want me inside you?"

Her pussy spasmed when his lips wrapped around a hardened nipple. She whimpered, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Yes."

Bill stroked himself slowly, letting the anticipation build before positioning himself at her entrance. Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she braced herself, her breath hitching. For a fleeting moment, responsibility surfaced—he should’ve grabbed a condom. But the thought dissolved the instant he felt the head of his cock slip into her warmth, his body overriding reason with sheer, aching need and desire.

Paz appreciated the slow, considerate way he pushed inside her, giving her body time to adjust. He watched her pussy stretch around him, her walls clinging to every ridge and vein as they accommodated his size. A shudder coursed through her then, she had never felt so full before. What should have been overwhelming was instead intoxicating, and she found herself almost scandalized by how easily she took him, her body welcoming him without any pushback.

Their gazes remained locked on the point where they joined, mesmerized. When his hips finally pressed flush against hers, their eyes met—searching, wondering, caught in the quiet awe of how perfectly their bodies fit together.

With each slow, purposeful thrust, Paz moaned, her body yielding to him in perfect rhythm. Bill panted softly, his control slipping as he drowned in the heat of her—tight, hot, wet, perfect. A shiver coursed up his spine, his chest tightening at the sound of her whimpers, each one pushing him closer to the edge. 

“It’s so much better than I imagined,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers, his breath mingling with hers as he lost himself in the moment.

She ran her hands through his hair, feeling the connection growing between them. Encasing them in the moment. Paz never felt such a feeling but also she never had sex with anyone she genuinely liked until now. Involuntarily, her hips met his rolling thrusts and she could feel a sensational pressure building within her. A feat only she was ever able to accomplish with her toys and she was astonished that someone was able to make her feel this way with their body alone. 

“Oh my god!” She gasped. “Like that. Holy fuck!” 

Bill was trying to concentrate, but it was difficult with how she swelled and pulsed around him. His hips continued to drive into her, her back arched off the mattress, her mouth parted in what looked like a scream but her voice was stuck in her throat. Her hand clamped down on her mouth and she let out a strained moan as her eyes rolled back. 

He couldn’t stave off his climax any longer. She was just a sight to behold with how her body fully blushed when she orgasmed, how she clamped down and pulsed around him deliciously. He pulled out, taking hold of his cock slick with her arousal as stroked himself to completion. A loud groan escaped him as his cum glazed her mound and lower belly making her glisten for him. 

Both their chests heaved as they tried to catch their breath. When their eyes met they both smiled bashfully. 

They cleaned up and between exploratory touching, they pillow talked all night. Cuddling, giggling, content in each other's space so much so it felt as if they had been in eachothers lives forever. What they hadn’t known was that they had started something that would last years. 

Paz’s alarm went off in the morning, pulling them from their brief slumber. They had fallen asleep wrapped in each other's arms, the covers tangled around their naked bodies. Bill reached across to her nightstand, handing her phone over, but she dismissed the alarm with a quick tap.

“Got any plans today?” she asked, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

Bill scratched his bare chest, puffing his bottom lip out as he shook his head. He watched her quickly typing on her phone, then heard the whoosh of an email being sent.

“I’m not going to work today,” she said, tossing her phone casually onto the bed.

Bill chuckled, feeling a surge of excitement. The thought of spending the entire day with Paz, outside the apartment, felt freeing. He imagined walking side by side, their fingers brushing and intertwining as they crossed the street and stealing kisses whenever and wherever they felt like. It would be a good day and he knew it especially when Paz straddled his lap to ride him at the start. 

~*~*~

1966

Bill was behind the wheel of a sleek, silver Aston Martin, cruising down the winding roads of the hills. Of all the things to hallucinate, a James Bond inspired trip wasn’t so bad. Marcia Patton sat beside him, her hair perfectly styled in a voluminous blowout, wearing a baby pink satin cocktail dress that shimmered in the light. Her matching buggy sunglasses added an extra touch of glamour. She looked like she had stepped out of a Hollywood fantasy. In fact, she was a fantasy. 

Bill was dressed sharply, the house staff having laid out a cream-colored suit that was perfectly ironed and pressed. His shoes were polished so meticulously he could see his own reflection in them. Having a staff to cater to him at his beck and call, felt a bit excessive, but for once, it was nice—even if all of it was just playing out in his head.

They pulled up to a mansion so grand it seemed designed more for spectacle than for anyone to truly live in. When the valet took his keys, Bill couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the sight of their immaculate vests and the matching pillbox hats perched on their heads.

“Darling?” Marcia's voice broke through his thoughts as she reached out her hand, slipping it through his arm. “You’re in an odd mood.”

“I am?”

“You seem... distracted,” she observed, her gaze searching his face.

“Hmm,” Bill hummed dismissively, not feeling the need to explain himself to his delusions.

As they stepped into the grand foyer, the soft strumming of a harp filled the air, and guests milled about, chatting and laughing. Bill’s attention caught briefly when a petite woman passed by, but he only caught a glimpse of the back of her head. Was that Natalie Wood? He wondered as his mind continued to play tricks on him.

“This way, dear,” Marcia said, gently guiding him toward a nearby parlor room.

A server approached them immediately, offering flutes of champagne. They settled around a standing table, and Bill took a sip of his drink. He glanced over to see Marcia pull a cigarette from her clutch, her movements graceful.

“A light, love?” She asked with the cigarette between her ruby colored lips. 

“Ahh,” Bill said, patting his pockets. “I’m sorry Marcia, I don’t have one.” 

“Marcia?” She raised a brow, a disapproving glance flickering over him. “You know what, I'll find one. Don’t fret.” With a dramatic sigh, she turned. Being Marcia Patton it didn’t take long before several eager men rushed to offer her a light, each one more than happy to oblige.

Bill took in his surroundings as he sipped his drink, his gaze drifting toward the foyer as more guests continued to file in. A cluster of people began to break apart, and within the mix, a tall, handsome blonde man caught his attention. He was impeccably dressed, exuding the kind of movie-star charm that Bill couldn’t quite place. Bill watched as the man turned on his heel, a warm smile spreading across his face. He chuckled, reaching out to a date he'd accidentally walked ahead of.

As the woman came into view, Bill took in the sight of the elegant dress she wore—a strapless gown in a similar color to her tan skin, with gold accents that gleamed subtly in the light. The gown was sophisticated, set apart from the brightly colored and patterned ones that had dominated the evening. It wasn’t until she pushed a few locks of hair away from her face that Bill’s breath caught. His heart distinctly skipped several beats.

Paz. 

Was it really her? Bill wondered, as his broken heart seemed to stitch itself back together even at the possible sight of her. Had this disorienting trip finally aligned itself into something he longed to see all along? She finally looked ahead, her unmistakable beauty mark just beneath her eye visible. One he liked to place kisses over. Bill straightened, hoping his tall presence would be noticed as her gaze swept across the parlor. When it finally landed on him, he flashed a bright smile, but she looked right past him. Not even giving him a second glance.

In that instant, he felt like a stranger to her. Even in this world—this drug induced dream conjured from his subconscious—she still didn’t want him. He knew, deep down, that wasn’t the case from the last time they were together. They were set to be together then. It was an insecurity that stemmed from the past. An old wound opened up, from a time that did not permit them to truly be together. 

His smile faltered, especially when the gentleman at her side gave her a peck on the lips before moving on to greet some other male attendees. Marcia had made her rounds, greeting everyone in the room with her bubbly personality Her last stop—Paz. They embraced each other warmly with familiarity, exchanging compliments about each other’s gowns.

Bill felt caught in a moment of indecision. Should he approach her? Or would everything around him distort and unravel the instant he did, waking him from this disorienting dreamscape? Just the sight of her stirred something deep in his chest, he longed to hear her voice again, to feel the warmth of her touch just one more time before it was all over.

The night continued on, and she never glanced his way. Anxiety clung to him, a discomfort growing. But when he noticed Paz excusing herself to the bathroom, he made his move.

“I’ll be back,” he interrupted Marcia, who was mid-conversation with two guests who’d joined them at their table.

“Okay, dear,” she replied with a nod and then looked  him up and down. “He’s a little under the weather,” Bill overheard her tell their friends as he left, excusing his behavior. “He’d normally talk your ear off if you let him,” she chuckled lightly, brushing it off.

Bill walked down a long hallway and when he turned a corner, he saw Paz enter the bathroom right after another guest. He glanced over his shoulder, and felt it was private enough to knock on the door without looking like a weirdo. 

“Occupied.” 

Paz called from the other side of the door. There was another knock and she rolled her eyes.  

“One moment!” 

She was in the process of slipping her gloves back on after washing and drying her hands when the knock came again, this time louder, more insistent.

“What the hell?” she muttered under her breath in irritation.

The door was hardly even cracked open when someone pushed their tall body through. She was taken aback, her face nearly bumped into a broad chest that was preventing her from leaving the bathroom. She didn’t see his face, but she recognized the fabric of the cream colored suit worn by none other than William Sigrid. It was her job to recognize such things.

“Excuse me, sir?” Paz blinked, her face a mix of embarrassment and nervousness. “Sorry, I was just about to leave…”

“Paz?”

Her head tilted down and her eyes avoided his. “Yes?” she replied softly, surprised even that he knew her name. “I’m sorry, if I had known you were waiting—I’ll just get out of your way.” 

“What?” 

“Excuse me,” she murmured, still not meeting his gaze.

“Paz, look at me. I haven’t seen you in so long, and I’ve missed you so fucking much. I just… I just need to talk to you before—”

She stilled. Her head slowly rose then, to look at him, and when she did she blinked at him with deep confusion. “Mr. Sigrid?”

“What!?” Bill’s voice broke with desperation. “Paz… it’s me.”

“No…” Her eyes widened in disbelief. “No…”

Her hands rose, trembling slightly, to cup his face. A smile tugged at his lips, as he softened. To feel her touch him again, to have her this close—it almost felt real. She studied his face, her gaze lingering on all the familiar lines before her satin glove-covered finger brushed down the bridge of his perfectly angular nose. Then, her thumb brushed across the scar on his high cheekbone. A shocked gasp escaped her, and her eyes quickly filled with tears.

“Bill?” 

He nodded, overwhelmed with emotion. “Paz. Fuck, I’ve missed you so much.”

“What the fuck did you do?!” she exclaimed, her voice cracking as the disbelief morphed into anger.

“Huh!?” 

“You—you… oh my god, Bill! You’re not supposed to be here!”

“Paz? I’m exactly where I want to be. You’re here.”

“No! This cannot be happening right now!”

“Can’t you be happy to see me? Before I wake up from this, I just want to remember—Why are you mad?”

“Wake up?! Wake up from what!?” She rubbed her forehead, looking more stressed by the second as she paced. “What do you think this is right now?”

“I don’t… That mystic lady from Luminar gave me fucking acid!” 

“God damn it!” Paz groaned, exasperated. “Why the hell did you go there? Oh my god, Bill, no… this isn’t that.”

“Paz… I-I don’t know what to say...” he said, rubbing his chest above his heart as he felt it quicken anxiously. 

“She’s the reason I’m stuck here.”

“Stuck?”

“I-I can’t explain here… It’s inappropriate for us to be in this bathroom together at a party like this.”

“Fuck everyone! I only want to be with you.”

“No, Bill, there are rules. I have a boyfriend, and you’re married. You’re really fucking famous here. We can not be seen like this,” she stressed.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Bill! Listen to me,” she said, her eyes locking with his, a sternness in her gaze. “You’re not high off your ass. I’m not a delusion.”

Bill lightly shook his head, unbelieving. “What are you saying… Am I—are we dead?” He questioned because he had seen a handful of classic actors he knew to be at this very party. 

“No, baby,” Paz sighed, her heart going out to him as she saw how lost he looked. “I’m real. You’re real.” She gently took his hand and placed it against her cheek. Her skin was warm, glowing with the vitality only the living could have. “Just stay with me for a second, okay? It’s 1966. We’re in 1966.”

“1966?”

“I can explain everything later,” she said softly, her eyes full of an unspoken understanding of his confusion. “I’ll slip you my address before the night’s over, okay?”

“Uh, sure…” Bill stammered, still trying to process what was said. But process what exactly? He was still deeply confused. 

“Just play the game until then,” she urged. “It’s important that you do, especially now. Now, we need to get out of this bathroom before someone comes knocking.”

Bill nodded trying to follow but his mind was everywhere and nowhere trying to make sense of everything. “Paz, is this for real? It’s 1966?” 

“Yeah… I’ve been here the whole time, baby,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I’ll explain everything, I promise. Fuck… Bill, I’ve missed you too.” Her lip quivered as tears welled in her eyes. “I-I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Yeah… I can’t either.” His voice lowered, overtaken by emotion.

A short silence fell between them, still looking at each other as if they were witnessing a ghost until Paz spoke.

“Kiss me.”

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, lifting her from her feet as she threw her arms around his neck. Their lips met, connected as if no time had passed at all. They were together again, their hearts full again, the cracks mending slowly but surely. Yet, even in this moment, bad timing shadowed them—only now, they were trapped in a decade that neither of them truly belonged to.

[certifieddilfenjoyer]

In Plain Sight - an interactive Gus FringxGN!Reader

============================ How does it work? At the end of every chapter, you will be presented with a hyperlink, disguised as a dialogue or action option, which will then lead you to a chapter following your choice and so on and so forth :)) Please let me know what u think (please don't sh#! on me choosing the xGN! instead of xBoy, I wanna enjoy my story as well lol) ============================ INFO: ============================ Yes, there are going to be smut chapters involved at some point. You can expect tags like: (MDNI!!!)

Domination, degradation, submission, power imbalance, sexual tension, hate fuck, choking, bondage, recording the deed, manhandling, hair pulling, dragging across the floor, Gus being the only receiver, etc etc.

The course of chapters, so smutty stuff as well, depends on your choices. If you read through the fanfic once, you can always come back to this main page and try other options! :D

The action is happening during BCS, not necessarily Breaking Bad (but I so badly wanna do something with the boxcutter, well, we will see), so you can expect appearances or mentions of Lalo, Nacho, etc. (but I don't like them so it's Gus focused) and there's gonna be Mike! <3 Now, the fanfic is not fully finished, so if you don't see the hyperlink at the bottom, it simply means that I haven't added the chapters yet. Please be patient <3 <3 ============================= UNFORTUNATELY it turns out that Tumblr does not support my idea completely as every time I edit a post, the URL of the said post changes which is incredibly bad as the more I write the more chapters I'd need to edit each time. Because of that I have moved this project to my blog that I created specifically for this and future x Reader projects: https://xrdr.blogspot.com/

You adjust the headphones in your ear and feel your heart sink as you fight to recover balance on your bicycle. You take a deep breath of fresh, moist air with a heavy scent of rain and turn the handle bar to the left. You pass through a big rain puddle and speed up, allowing your bike to gain momentum as you continue down the road. In the distance, a big glowing logo casts a cone of yellow hue on the glossy street. You feel your heart speed up as you try to go through all the possible questions that employers usually ask during an interview.

As you turn your bike to the parking lot of the fast food restaurant - Los Pollos Hermanos - you anxiously check if your pant legs got dirty. You sigh with relief and drive your bike to the bicycle stand and secure it there with a key chain. You brush your hands across the fabric of your clean, light blue shirt and enter the building. It's most deserted, probably due to the bad weather and the late afternoon hour.

You nod at the employees, currently taking care of the kitchen and the dining area. They nod back and one of them appears in front of the counter, waiting to take your order. You take a quick glance at the person and suddenly you become hyper-aware of all of his facial features. You want to inspect his entire face, but you know damn well it would be weird and most likely make him uncomfortable.

'Hello, I am here for the job interview. I was told that I will be speaking to the manager named Monica.'

The man smiles at you in the most heart-warming way you've seen in your life.

'Monica is unable to attend due to personal reasons. I will be taking over your interview process.'

'I see,' you nod and offer him your hand. 'Y/N.'

'Gustavo Fring,' he introduces himself and takes your hand into his. You can feel the strength resonating off his body and the hard texture of his palms. 'Nice to meet you.'

The name rings a bell immediately. You remember that Monica introduced the Los Pollos Hermanos brand to you over the phone and his name was mentioned at least once.

'Nice to meet you too, sir. Are you the owner of the food chain?'

'Yes.'

'Oh, I'm sure you're busy then. If Monica called in to cancel, I can be rescheduled as well,' you suggest.

'That's not going to be necessary, but I do appreciate your consideration,' he gives you a smaller smile, still just as warm as the first one.

You respond with the same expression and look to the side a moment later, feeling butterflies in your stomach. You blame it on the thrill of the new job interview and look back at the man. His eyes seem like an endless void, which immediately sinks you in.

'Do you need any more time?' he asks.

'No, but I'd like to wash my hands first,' you inform him and look around the restaurant. He lowers his gaze onto your face, observing you for a moment with a lingering smirk.

'It's over there,' Gustavo says after a few seconds, extending his arm to his right side.

You nod and turn on your heel, then go to the bathroom. As you catch your reflection in the mirror, you notice a small blush on your face.

'Oh my God,' you roll your eyes and turn on the tap, then wash your hands with soap.

When you return to Gustavo, he leads you to his office at the back of the building. The room is fairly small, with a small window above his desk. There is almost no sunlight sinking inside the office and it has a weirdly hostile vibe to it, even though the owner looks like nothing else but a sweetheart.

'Please, take a seat.'

You sit down at the chair and adjust yourself in the seat, then straighten your back, while Gustavo sits on his chair in front of you, immediately taking on a perfect posture. You can feel your heartbeat speed up as he opens up the lid of his laptop and you can see a small reflection of your resume in his thin-framed glasses.

'Let's begin, Y/N.' You nod enthusiastically and he gives you an encouraging smile as his eyes come back to yours. 'I don't usually review resumes of candidates without any previous experience in gastronomy.'

A slight hint of worry flashes through your face, immediately noticed by Gustavo.

'Can you tell me why you decided to make an exception?'

He makes a pause and observes you for a while. The single ray of the sun, sinking through the window behind him, falls onto his neck, creating a shadow of his figure, which is reaching all the way across the wooden desk towards your clasped palms.

'We are in need of employees. We are planning to expand to another restaurant soon and some of my employees from the restaurant in which we are sitting are going to be transferred, as it is closer to their home address.'

'Congratulations on the expansion!' you throw in the comment.

'Thank you very much,' he responds. 'What made me accept your resume is the fact that you live near this area, but mostly it was the fact that I realized that you are a foreigner, correct?'

'Um, yes,' you are taken aback by his question and you mask your discomfort before it gets noticed. 'I came here from New Mexico.'

'I'm from Chile. I know how hard it is to get your first job here, that's why I decided to give you a shot,' he admits.

'That is so very kind of you,' you say openly.

Gustavo raises his hands and connects them in front of his chin.

'But hard or not, I am going to treat everyone equally, without giving anyone a head start.'

'Understandable.'

'Because you do not have any prior experience with customers, can you tell me, if perhaps at school or in other areas in your life, have you encountered a difficult situation, a conflict that you managed to solve?'

Even though before coming to the interview, you had multiple sessions of talking to yourself in front of a mirror, preparing possible answers for usual interview questions, you cannot help but feel a little sting of stress at the question. Your mind presents you with a flash of an image, a painful memory of a rainy night and the car lights aimed straight at your face. There is an older man standing in front of you and a much younger one to his side.

'Y-yea,' you answer and clear your throat. 'Sorry. I remember solving a conflict in my classroom, where three of the top students wanted to take the responsibilities of being the class president. I suggested a class vote to clear the confusion. The other time I also stopped a fight between two classmates.'

'How exactly did you achieve that?'

'They were arguing about some girl. I went in between them,' you respond and see his eyebrows rise slightly. 'I know, a risky move, but it was worth it. They cooled down a bit, didn't hit each other and I just listened to both of their stories. It turned out - I don't remember the context now - but it turned out that they misunderstood each other.'

Both of the stories are made up, but Gustavo Fring doesn't have to know that. He doesn't need to be made aware of the fact that your cartel family never allowed you in a public school and that you are home-schooled. He also shouldn't be made aware of your fake ID that you used for your resume.

'How would you deal with a customer who reports incorrectly prepared food? For example undercooked chicken wings?'

You look to the side, then let your eyes wander across the wall and up to the ceiling, as you make a slow, quiet humming noise, thinking about the answer.

'Do I see the food that this imaginary customer reports?'

'Let's assume that in this particular scenario, you do.'

'Ok, so I wouldn't check the recipe, because I can see the plate, so I ask them nicely what is wrong with the food.'

''It's disgusting' - that's what the customer is saying,' Gustavo responds with a shadow of a smile on his face.

''I really want to help you in this situation, but I need some more information, please. Is it not to your liking in taste or is the quality disappointing and how?' that's what I would ask, or something similar,' you clarify.

'The quality is disappointing, because the meat is partially raw.'

'I am very sorry to hear that, would you like to receive a refund of your chicken wings order or a special offer for our menu?' you respond, choosing your words carefully. You look for validation on his face, but it is unreadable.

'Would you not try the chicken wings yourself to verify their honesty, Y/N?' he asks after a moment. I would or I wouldn't

[livixbobbiex]

Embedding audio in AO3 fics

A few people have asked about me adding atmospheric audio to my fic on AO3, and it took me quite a while to figure out so I wanted to document how to do it somewhere. In this example, I wanted some of the atmospheric background music from Ace Attorney, so I'll stick with that. I'm going to assume limited familiarity with HTML here. You will need to start by pasting your writing into the rich text editor. Now, flicking over to HTML like this I appreciate can make it look intimidating. So a quick 'pre-tip' is to actually click on preview (beside the 'post' button), and then return to edit again. For some reason, this makes paragraphs reappear in the HTML editor, which I just find easier to work with.

Adding your audio

I only directly know how to make it work with Soundcloud, though I think any hosting site that lets you embed like this would work. Be warned that Spotify only allows the first 30 seconds of a song to play, if you're using that.

Anyway, the next step is getting the embed code. This is not a link to the website! You need to go to 'share', and then to 'embed', and copy that code.

By the way, Soundcloud gives you a few options for how you want the embed to appear - with the more simplistic option being paywalled. You can then paste this directly into the HTML editor:

I appreciate this is a scary amount of text if you're not used to code, but fear not! This is actually all you need to do for the bare minimum. See how this looks in my preview:

Technically, you can stop here if you're happy with this outcome. However, especially if you're putting this in the middle of other text, I find this a bit overlarge. Thankfully, despite Soundcloud's paywalls, we can edit the code ourselves.

Refining the code

Going back to edit, AO3 has changed my code slightly (I input a paragraph at the top to show this off clearer):

From this point out, I will just paste the code directly as text here. In order to not make it actually embed into tumblr, I have replaced < and > with [ and ] so keep that in mind.

[iframe width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/842658844&;color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"][/iframe][div] [p][a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-338850232" title="Ace Attorney Trilogy OST" rel="nofollow"]Ace Attorney Trilogy OST · [a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-338850232/psyche-lock" title="Psyche - Lock" rel="nofollow"]Psyche - Lock[/a][/div][/p]

Firstly, we don't need anything after the [/iframe] part. All this bottom part is doing is providing additional hyperlinks. So, you can delete everything after the [div]

We can change the numbers to make the player smaller. This is really up to your preference. I have found about 300 for width still looks okay on mobile browser. In this example, I change height to a value of 80.

We can also remove the audio artwork. In the part of the code right before [/iframe] (but still within the "quote marks"), add: & amp ; show_artwork=false

Note that this "& amp ;" part should not have spaces in it, I just have to type it this way to get it to appear on tumblr... If in doubt, look at my screenshots.

You can also just alter the other trues and falses to get rid of the interface showing comments etc.

In my case, I also want to align this button to the middle of the page. This is very simple. You just add [p align="center"] before [iframe], and close the link with [/p]

The final code, again with the caveat that [] need to be replaced by <> is as follows:

[p align = "center"][iframe width="300" height="80" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/842658844&;color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&show_artwork=false"][/iframe][/p]

And this is how the code looks without the weird brackets:

And this is how it looks when you go to preview:

You can mess around with it a bit more, such as changing the colour of the button for example, but I think this concludes the basics of how to achieve this

[ebrothemes]

hello! i'm trying to use your airlock theme but whenever i try to use it, part of my description (mikhail, 23"/>) shows up at the very top left corner of my blog page and won't go away. i can't seem to find the issue that's causing this

Hi, looking at your blog I don't see that in the corner, so I can't tell you what the issue is. It may be something that shows up only in the theme editing page, but disappears once you go to the live site.

It's also possible that it has something to do with adding hyperlinks to your description, similar to this. If you have any html that uses double quotes in your description (") you can replace them with single quotes (').

If that doesn't work, feel free to send me a link to the blog where the issue is happening so I can troubleshoot.

[manonamora-if]

Weekly check in. Some little stuff, some bigger stuff.

Current word count: 23.323 (Ch.5), >8k (Ch.6)

And we're finally back on track with Harcourt, babyyyy. After a month of eh from both me (with the editing) and MelS (writing the next chapter), we both managed to break through our respective blocks.

As of a few days ago, I sent back the edited Chapter 5 to MelS, so he could answer my comments and check the changes. I finally got to read the missing bits (and they are creepy and yucky)... Can't wait to code all of that when it is ready. We definitely need another round of MelS editing the text and me checking it, before I can add that to the file.

Until I get the file back, I'll focus on other projects.

Like...

Yerup... I ended up finishing it. A little binksi with more vibes than story. Click if you dare :P

Making a binksi (or a bitsy/bipsi) had been something on my bucket list for a while now (almost a year actually), and I finally got to make one for realsies!

Honestly, the hardest part in all of this... was making the tiles/sprites in 8x8 pixels ;-; Anyway, the code is freely available on itch and my GitHub.

Fixed some accessibility issues yesterday:

textbox not getting in focus properly

links/buttons not changing state when in focus but not hovered

added image descriptions to pictures in French/English

Also added the logos of Twine and SugarCube when the game loads. Those are clickable too.

I have worked a tad more on the UI/missing elements. But not as much as I should have.

Next week, the final update should be out.

This is what I'll be fixing this month. Officially reopened the code files, stared at it, and cried. It's so bad. It's such a mess...

Not looking forward to it, but it needs fixing! (I've asked the Forum for help too in the commands...)

ALSO, I've decided there will be a hyperlink version of this game. Instead of the commands, click on words. It will be in the same file, and you get to choose at the start.

I’ve finished reviewing the EctoComp entries (except the Spanish-only ones because I suck at Spanish...) and have started reviewing the Bare-Bones Jam entry. An updated version of the reviews have been queues on the IFDB and @manonamora-if-reviews. I will probably go back to the IFComp entries after that (probably after the voting deadline... I've done 40 already...).

-_-

I've made a completely new intro post with all of the place I'm at (if you'd rather not be on Tumblr). It was a long time coming, and now I have clear channels of where I'm posting about stuff. Just need to be consistent...

I've also started migrating old dev logs and posts to my blog, especially the longer ones where I have a lot to say. Since the search function and archive on Tumblr is eh, I get to keep the important ones (not all of them are) in a more organised place. They are still on Tumblr, btw. It's not gone, just copied. It's been nice to revisit old dev logs, and see how far I've come (it's been a long way). It's pretty humbling (especially the typos, omg... I fixed so many of those).

-_-

The IFComp and EctoComp, are always looking for players/voters. If you want to play a few short-ish games, take advantage of that! There is only a few days left for the IFComp and a few weeks for the EctoComp.

The @seedcomp-if is always looking for inspiration (text, images, code, etc…) in this current first round. If you have half-baked ideas or anything, really, come submit something!

Over @neointeractives, ShuffleComp! is looking for playlists and participats :)

-_-

And that's it I think...

[visual-sculptors]

Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: Simplifying Collaboration in Presentation Design

Branded Google Slides design of high quality: Q & A Tutorial

1.How do you make a Google slide secret?   

To make a Google Slide presentation secret, adjust its sharing settings. Open your presentation, click on the “Share” button in the top right corner, and under “Share with people and groups,” ensure that no one is added. Set the link sharing to “Restricted,” so only specific individuals can access it. You can also remove any previously shared links. For added security, avoid sharing your Google account credentials and regularly review sharing settings to maintain privacy.

2. How to make Google Slides more engaging?

To make Google Slides more engaging, use visually appealing templates and consistent fonts. Incorporate high-quality images, videos, and animations to capture attention. Limit text on slides; use bullet points for clarity. Engage the audience with questions or polls and incorporate interactive elements like hyperlinks or embedded quizzes. Use storytelling techniques to convey your message effectively and maintain interest. Finally, rehearse your presentation to ensure smooth delivery and encourage audience participation throughout.

3. Why is Google Slides so good?

Google Slides is highly regarded for its user-friendly interface, real-time collaboration features, and seamless integration with other Google Workspace tools. It allows multiple users to edit presentations simultaneously, making teamwork efficient and effective. The cloud-based platform ensures easy access from any device, promoting flexibility and convenience. Additionally, it offers a variety of templates and design options, enabling users to create visually appealing presentations effortlessly. Its automatic saving feature reduces the risk of data loss, and compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint enhances its usability. Overall, Google Slides combines functionality and accessibility, making it a preferred choice for both individuals and teams.

4. Does Google Slides work without the Internet?

Yes, Google Slides can work without an internet connection by enabling Offline Mode. Users must first set up offline access in Google Drive while connected to the internet. Once activated, you can create and edit presentations offline, and changes will sync automatically when you’re back online. However, some features may be limited without internet access.

5. Is PowerPoint better than Google Slides?

Whether PowerPoint is better than Google Slides depends on the user’s needs. PowerPoint offers advanced features, extensive templates, and offline access, making it ideal for complex presentations. Google Slides, on the other hand, excels in real-time collaboration, cloud storage, and ease of sharing, which is beneficial for team projects. For users who prioritize offline functionality and advanced design tools, PowerPoint may be preferable. Conversely, for those valuing accessibility and teamwork, Google Slides is often the better choice. Ultimately, the "better" option varies based on individual or organizational requirements.

Visit: VS Website See: VS Portfolio

[digitdigitech]

How to Add a Request a Quote Button in Shopify?

Hiding the product fee and adding a request quote button is a superb approach for interacting with interested shoppers. Supercharge your online store with our Shopify Development Services—custom solutions to fuel growth and enhance user experience!

Here, I will display you the perfect technique on a way to add a request a quote button in Shopify.

Ways to Show Shopify Quote Request Option

There isn't any default characteristic in Shopify to show the request quote button.

You have  alternatives right here:

Edit the liquid subject of your Shopify save. You ought to code the solution to add a button and create a shape to get hold of the quote request out of your buyers. 

Use the request for quote Shopify app that simplifies this process. You can show the button with a form with only a few configurations out of your cease with none coding. 

I will spoil down both techniques so you can pick the only that works for you.

How to Set The Shopify Request Quote Button? (Manually)

In your Shopify admin panel, visit Online Store > Themes > Actions and pick out Edit code.

In the theme editor, open the primary-product.Liquid record under “Sections”.

Find the section responsible for the product rate and remove it or comment it out the use of % remark % and % endcomment %. Now, add the following code:

<div class=”request-quote-container”>

    <a href=”/pages/request-quote” class=”btn request-quote-button”>Request a Quote</a>

</div>

In the above code, update the target web page hyperlink as in keeping with your necessities and click Save.

This will cast off the fee section from the product page and add a request for a quote page link. You might also want to set up the shape at the goal page in which the customers can submit their quote requests.

For instance, here’s how the product web page with the request a quote button seems like:

This approach requires you to create a separate page for accepting quote requests. Further, you’ll need to customize your topic to get rid of the upload to cart button and hide charges from other locations.

How to Add a Request a Quote Button in Shopify? (Using Shopify App)

Use the Meetanshi Request Quote & Hide Price, which comes with a free 7-day trial and makes it excellent clean to cover pricing on the front end.

Using the app, you may:

Hide pricing for particular products, collections, or entire save

Use a easy form to collect pricing inquiries

Add smartphone wide variety, e-mail, WhatsApp link, and more as opposed to the default message “Request Pricing”

Keep yourself and your patron alerted approximately the pricing inquiry 

Let us see the steps to request prices and conceal pricing in Shopify. 

Step 1: Install the MIT Request Quote & Hide Price App

Install the Meetanshi Request Quote & Hide Price without delay from here.  Click on the Install button after which navigate on your Shopify admin panel. Transform your eCommerce journey with our Shopify Development Services—innovative solutions tailored for your business success!

Step 2: Set the Call for Price Scope 

Then, head to the MIT Request Quote & Hide Price dashboard and start configuring the subsequent settings. 

Call For Price: Enable the app from here

Do You Want to Hide Price?: Select Yes to hide the fee

Call For Price Scope: Choice if you want to use the functionality on your complete Shopify keep(Global), unique product, or particular collection.

In case, you place the scope to Products and pick all the products for which you need to hide the charge. Follow the same method for collections. 

Step three: Customize the Display Label & Button 

Next, you have to set the style of the label and button. You can upload a simple label or opt for the classic “Request a quote” button.

If you desire to choose a label, do the following:

Enable Call For Price As: Select Label from the dropdown

Label Text: Enter a custom text or custom link right here the use of an HTML code

Label Text Color: Opt for the textual content colour as in line with your liking

If you want to opt for a button, do the subsequent:

Enable Call For Price As: Select the button alternative here

Button textual content: Enter the text to your request a quote button

Button Background Color: Set the background colour of your desire

Call for Price Form Title: Set a name name for the shape that looks after clicking the button

When the consumer clicks the button, a easy shape will appear, which they ought to fill out the subsequent fields to get the product’s pricing.

Name

Email

Country

Mobile quantity

Select product variation

Custom message

After your consumer has submitted an inquiry, you could view it below the “Inquiries” tab within the app dashboard.

Additionally, if you wish to see precise client inquiries, just click the attention icon. 

How to Add a Request a Quote Button in Shopify? 11

You will get complete person inquiry info. 

How to Add a Request a Quote Button in Shopify? 12

When a shopper inquires about any precise product to your keep, you may notify them via e-mail approximately their action. 

Within the app dashboard, you can personalize the email templates the use of the Email settings phase.

Also Read : Shopify Editions Winter 2025 – The Boring Edition

How Can Digital Transformation Benefits Your enterprise?

[digitalmarketingph]

SEO: Wikipedia Writing and Publication

SEOs and Digital Marketers know that getting a Wikipedia page and backlink is a very juicy digital achievement. The link juice is the primary aim for it, plus the kind of branding/online presence it establishes as well.

WRITING

It's not so easy to get published on Wikipedia. The approving Wiki editors are very strict. Aside from grammar, the content has to be unbiased. It won't get published if it sounds like PR content. Here's an example between PR sounding and objective/unbiased:

PR - "The BlahBlah Company is the best digital agency founded in 2018 by John BlahBlah, a multi-awarded SEO guru with over 2M followers on social media."

Objective / Unbiased - "The BlahBlah Company is a digital agency founded by John BlahBlah in 2018."

Avoid superlatives and other statements that don't have supporting published written articles/links from credible sites (like famous news sites, organizations, etc) for such claims.

CITATIONS

Now that you know the difference between sentence formulations, next would be backup links/resources to support your statement/s.

Like I said, every statement to be written must have a supporting backlink. The screenshot below shows that there are "citation links" as to why such statements were written and approved by Wiki editor/s.

When you go down to the bottom of every Wikipedia article, there's a list of citation links to show proof that the statements in the article are correct/valid.

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE / CMS

Formatting the content such as bold, italic, hyperlinking, and so on is different compared to your standard HTML. There would be a bit of a learning curve for this but they have a guide for formatting. You are allowed to preview your work before submitting/publishing it in their CMS.

THE SANDWICH METHOD

To seem like I was an objective/unbiased contributor in Wiki, I had to mask myself virtually. I didn't sign up using my work email (e.g. jane@blahblahcompany.com) and I used my home/mobile hotspot Internet connection (IP address). Then, the content needed to have a bit of dirt on the article's subject to really be unbiased, but tried to make it short and light.

The sandwich method is writing a paragraph that doesn't shade the subject in the intro and latter parts of the whole article and putting the shade in the middle. That is if such dirt content exists. Adding this truly gives you an objective / unbiased rapport as a Wiki contributor.

MY SAMPLE WORK

I used to work for a famous Southeast Asian E-commerce company back in 2013-2015. Back then, the Lazada Wiki article was published but needed to be updated/edited. Since leaving the company, it underwent many changes so the Wiki article has also gone through many changes too. It used to be separated into different countries (Lazada Philippines, Lazada Malaysia, Lazada Indonesia, etc) but the Wiki editors might have decided to consolidate everything into one link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazada

But the localized version still exists which I wrote: https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazada_Philippines

It's the exact content of my English version (but now was changed and merged into the currently existing article version). When you check "View History" of a Wiki article, you get to see when it went a change and who made the change.

When you see the very bottom/start of the editing history, that's me with the username "TheSentenceFormulator"

By now, I've forgotten the login details for it since it was just a secondary task for my SEO duties back then. We were busy with ongoing On-Page optimizations and Off-Page optimizations (a growing e-commerce company meant a growing number of category, product, promo, and sale web pages).

When your boss or client wants a juicy backlink like Wikipedia, share this article to them so they know that they need to start investing in having their company being published/recognized elsewhere first.

[bucket-wiki]

Welcome to the Bucket Wiki!

This Wiki is about original lore created by Bucket and a bunch of friends. Each post here will be a wiki page, and pages will be connected to one another through hyperlinks (marked with blue text). This post aims to provide additional information about the wiki, but can also be a starting point for topics you can start reading into.

How it works

Entries are gradually added over time, and missing hyperlinks in previous entries will be edited in the future when their respective pages get posted. Because of this, some entries may result in dead ends (marked by red text).

When new entries are added, they will also be reblogged to my main blog. Feel free to follow either blog to see new wiki entries as they release.

Some entries might get edited later when new info is released on a specific subject, and will be reblogged to notify followers of new changes.

Feel free to explore the wiki by using its tags, using the search feature, or simply clicking on hyperlinks spread throughout each entry.

Starting points

Important Concepts List of Characters List of Dimensions

[keyboardandquill]

On creating a wiki for your worldbuilding

Do you have a lot of lore to keep track of? Whether you're an author, a Game Master, or simply someone who really really likes worldbuilding, this post is for you.

Here's a quick overview of what I'll be talking about:

Platforms people use to create personal wikis

Formats and organization systems you may find useful when creating your own wiki

A brief look at the actual content you might put in your wiki (I'm planning a more in-depth post on that later with more images and demos)

And because this is gonna be a long'un, I'm putting a read-more here! I'll also make downloadable epub and PDF versions of this post available for free on my Ko-Fi at some point in the future.

(I'm also planning to reblog with a list of links later on, but I want this initial post shows up in search)

Also now that you're here, I'm going to say this isn't, like, super comprehensive or anything. I'm just talking about stuff I know a little about or have experience with. Please feel free to reblog with additions and/or corrections as needed!

What is a wiki?

According to Wikipedia, "a wiki is a hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience, using a web browser."

In this case, you'll likely be the sole person making updates to your wiki. The web browser part is optional these days as well, as you'll soon see.

Platforms for creating wikis

Websites for creating worldbuilding wikis

WorldAnvil

This one is actually designed for people who want to create big worldbuilding wikis.

Pros: Worldbuilding prompts! Those are great. It's got a pretty comprehensive set of article types too.

Cons: Kind of expensive to upgrade for features like making your wiki private, and it does NOT work well with adblock turned on, so if you don't want to pay for a membership you'll get inundated with ads. I'm not a huge fan of the interface in general and a lot of it isn't intuitive, but I like what they're doing so I support them anyway.

---

Tiddlywiki/Tiddlyhost.com.

In addition to having a cat as its icon and also a silly name, each 'article' you create with this is called a 'tiddler' which makes me think of Chuck Tingle. I haven't used it much myself yet, but I did make an account and it seems pretty neat.

---

Miraheze

A community-hosted wiki platform that runs on MediaWiki (which is what Wikipedia runs off of).

Pros: It's not Fandom.com.

Cons: You have to request a wiki and can't just make it yourself, as far as I can tell. I haven't actually looked into this one as much.

---

Neocities

An option for if you want to go super oldschool and create a website using only basic html and hyperlinks (without the handy shortcuts of bbcode or Markdown). Monthly cost is $5 usd if you want to have more space and your own domain.

Pros: 100% control over your content.

Cons: Doesn't support PHP databases for wiki software, and can be fairly labour-intensive to update if you break a link or something.

---

Fandom.com

Unfortunately, this one is the top result you'll get when you look up how to make your own wiki. I'm only including it here to tell you to stay as far away from it as possible!!

Its staff are known to ban wiki creators from their own wikis and a bunch of other nonsense that I'm not getting into here.

Programs and apps/web apps for creating worldbuilding wikis

Obsidian.md

My personal favourite. I'm planning to make a whole post about how I use it in the near future as part of this article series.

It's a markdown-based application that you can get on just about any platform (Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android, etc) which is great. Obsidian is really easy to pick up and use and also has great themes and community plugins!

Best thing is, it's FREE and you only have to pay if you use their publishing service, which... I don't, so.

---

Notion

I've heard this one is pretty good too. Idk if it costs anything. It's another "second brain" style app (might be markdown also?) and I think it might do more than Obsidian, but I haven't checked it out much myself.

---

Microsoft Word/Google Docs etc.

...Or just about any word processor that lets you create internal hyperlinks. Word may work best due to the collapsible headings so it doesn't get too unwieldy, but *shrug* whatever floats your boat.

---

Excel/Google Sheets etc.

Or, again, any spreadsheet creator that lets you create internal hyperlinks.

I'd recommend having some basic spreadsheet knowledge before doing this. It could get complicated. Before I started using Obsidian, I was using Sheets to keep track of my glossary, notes about characters, and plot ideas.

Types of formatting & organization systems

There are as many organization systems as there are people who want to organize their stuff. Everybody needs something a little different! I find the ones that work best for me are systems that have a lot of customization options.

Here are a couple I know of.

Johnny Decimal

This system is absurdly simple in its concept and yet so versatile. From their website (it's just johnnydecimal dot com but I'll link it in a reblog later):

Take everything you need to organise and sort it in to, at most, ten large buckets.

Make sure the buckets are unambiguously different.

Put a label on each bucket.

Their website has a better explanation than I can give in this post, but I'll sum up the appeal of this system as quoted from their site: "There's only one place anything can ever be."

Usefully, part of this method is creating a directory for the rest of the system.

So if you're like me and tend to shove things wherever only to lose track of it later, this is a great system—especially when used in conjunction with the Zettelkasten Method (see below).

---

Zettelkasten Method

Originally devised as an extensive paper-based knowledge management system, Zettelkasten is meant to easily add new entries to a knowledge base while giving each one a unique ID for easy 'linking.'

The creator of this method said 'it is not important where you place the note, as long as you can link to it.'

As with the Johnny Decimal system, I can't explain it super succinctly (nor can the website, if I'm being honest), so I'll include a link in a future reblog for a video that gave me an excellent run-down of the basics.

Setting up your own system

An organization system is only useful if you can actually, y'know, use it.

It can be fun to set up a super-detailed organization system with predetermined categories for everything, but is it easy for you to use? How will you navigate it?

Making decisions

There will be a lot of decisions to make as you set up your system. The only set-in-stone rule I follow is... don't set anything in stone. It's okay if you decide something that doesn't work later on.

Figuring out your categories

My advice: go fairly broad. You can always sub-categorize. I'm going to go over my own wikis for Athenaeum and Rocket Boosters in detail in a later post, but here are the starting top-level categories I'd recommend for worldbuilders:

A meta category for notes about your database, templates, and any relevant research you've done.

Characters, including main characters, minor characters, and important figures

Worldbuilding

In the last category, which is the main reason for the existence of my wiki, I might have:

Culture

History

Locations

Organizations

Lore (if relevant)

Technology

Transportation

I'll go over the nuances of these 'main' subcategories in that future post I mentioned. In other words, the stuff that actually goes in those categories!

Determining the importance and relevance of worldbuilding elements

You'll need to figure out whether a topic is complex enough to deserve its own entry, or if it should be a sub-heading under another entry. It's okay if you decide on both! I have short subheadings under some entries that amount to "see [link to main entry on that topic]."

I've also decided to expand subheadings into their own topics, and I've removed topics as their own entry and shoved them under subheadings. I do this a lot, in fact! So it's okay if you don't know.

Templates

Will you be creating several of one type of entry?

Individual character profiles

Towns and cities

Factions

(to name a few)

It might be handy to figure out the basic types of information you'll need about each of those things and create a template for them.

A character template might have spaces for the basics, such as name, role, age, and so on.

Some characters will have a lot more information, and some might have even less than what your template dictates! And that's fine.

A word of warning about using system-creation as procrastination

Creating a wiki can be a daunting task. You might decide it's not for you, and that's okay. But you might also decide to go headlong into the process and work on every minute detail, and that is also okay, but.

But.

Beware of using your wiki as an excuse to procrastinate your actual writing/session preparation. Yes, use it to keep track of all the lore you've injected into your manuscript/campaign/whatever, just make sure it stays in its place as a companion to your main project rather than becoming your main project.

How formal should your entries be?

Honestly this one's entirely up to you. I have a mix. Some entries are written like Wikipedia entries with a thorough explanation of the topic with proper punctuation and formatting, while others are simply bullet-point lists of thoughts and ideas that I can return to at a later date.

What methods do you use to keep track of your lore and worldbuilding? Let me know in a reblog or comment!

And please make sure to check the notes. I'll be reblogging with links, and then reblogging that reblog to make sure they're, y'know, actually visible in the notes.

[otakebi-cam-wao]

PUBLIC SERVICE FOR ANY IDOL OTAKU

You might like, want or need this i have for you (these first 2 images were added to caught your attention)

I was checking my digital Idol (H!P) goods database on notion

where i even have a table to see how much i've spend on it

So i decided to make a template

for every harowota (or any idol fan in general, you can just change the decoration, remove/change properties and all) who wants to keep a data

Instructions

Besides clicking the hyperlink on template, whenever you're there and logged in notion, click on duplicate; like this you'll be able to have your own page like this

I put a wish-list whenever you can write down any goods you want as well as a waiting list (the good you're waiting for)

Under that there's the "Idol collection" Database in gallery view. And as you can see, i made many views deppending on the type of good

Let's learn how to add some goods

Whatever view you are in click on "+new"

it will open this, and lets see it in every section

above "untitled" you have "add cover"; i use this to have the good's image as a file or link, and of course on "Untitled" you write the name for the good as you want to (for singles, for example, I write: "Single name" Edition)

On Type you have a variety of categories you can choose to clasify your goods

On date release you can add the release date of the good (if you enable end date, you can make a lapsus, for example to use a tour's dates), i use dd/mm/yyyy, but you can change it

For Group(s) and Idol(s) i added many, you can always add more and delete the existent ones

On other type, you can sub-categorize the goods on the type "Other"

Size was done for photos or clear files, but you could add T-shirts sizes

And lastly you can add if you have it physical (like a CD) or Digital (digital Photobook, or kindle version magazine); and also if you want to sell it, make a giveaway or you're just keeping it for a friend.

and this under that

Now the spendings (you can always delete it)

You can add items, and how much you spent, but be carefull changing the name of the propperties, because you'll need to change the formulas (for "Total USD" the "*0.0013" you'll need to change it every week maybe because it's the currency converter ratio setted up for mine)

You can change the number data currency (it says CLP or USD) while puting your mouse on the number imput and clicking the "123" like this

To share the page click on share, show share options, and there you can disable/enable whatever you want, lastly "Copy link page" and you have it ready to share to friends

Hope it works for you and you like it!

[tyranova]

A little bit of an explanation, a lot a bit of an apology.

For everyone who cares to see, this is a copy-and-paste of a post over on my Patreon (hyperlink should be to the post itself) that I finally decided to revitalize. This has taken me... Quite a long time to write, but it finally needed to be put out there.

That being said, the whole thing is under the cut, so that people don’t get a hugelarge post across their dashboard. Thank you for your time, thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day.

So I wanted to start out by saying thank you to the people who supported me when you did, and thank you to the people who wanted to support me, and thank you to the people who still support me. When I received that support, it was at a time of my life when I needed it.

That being said, you might look at this post and wonder "So, Nova, why haven't you touched anything in over four years?" and to that I say... Well, I don't really have an excuse. I've got a couple of reasons, and you can take them or leave them, it is all ultimately up to you. I've been writing this for... Longer than I'd like to admit, wanting to get the words down just right.

Ultimately, there's a couple of very simple reasons for my absence.

Back in 2017, at the end of October, I ran away from home. I was living in an abusive household, and, with the help of a dear friend, I bit the bullet and just... Left. I gave live updates about my journey to what would be my new home, letting people know that I was still alive, and that I'd finally reached my goal: Freedom.

At the beginning of 2018, I moved out and into a shared apartment. I'd recently started up my YouTube channel I'd always wanted to start, and had tons of energy for creating content. I was brimming with ideas (even if I was limited by the resources I had access to), and wanted everything I put out to be the best that my unskilled hands could make it. I was learning as I went, and I kept trying my best, each and every video, to make it as great as I could. I had a job that I worked overnights at, and I felt like I had so much to do, all I had to do was put it into words. I was ambitious, and I felt like I could reach my ambition, and nothing could stop me. I created a Patreon! I had professional-level photo and video-editing software! I was on top of my own little world.

Then... The latter half of 2018 hit. I quit my job to work at a different place, with better conditions (even if it wasn't better pay,) so I could have more time to create. But, in August, a huge storm hit the area I live in, and I live in a basement apartment, so there were a lot of things that got ruined. It caused chaos in my life. I couldn't create any content anymore, because the areas I worked in were being blocked off by things because of my apartment's near mismanagement of repairs. There were constant notices, every week, "Be on the lookout for people coming between X and Y time on [Day when you're off work and can record]" wasn't really something I could work around. My work flow, mostly due to the OCD, required I be able to start on a project, and not stop until it was done. On top of this, I'd also recently been unable to go to therapy anymore, so things slowly started feeling like they were adding up.

By the way, it ended up taking them 10 months to finally fix everything that got damaged by the flooding, in case anyone was curious.

I'd started up a couple of YouTube series before I moved into my apartment. I was doing some indie games, and I had a Fallout 4 Let's Play going, because it's what I had access to. I attempted to do a blind playthrough of DOOM (2016), but the footage got corrupted. (Side note: Loved the game, may still play it for people and do a blind run of DOOM Eternal) I'd had a Minecraft Let's Play going, as well, because I loved the game, but I, simply put, wasn't putting that same love into my content. My last Fallout 4 episode was on July 22nd, 2018, and I hadn't done anything since. This was mostly due to the computer I was using for my basic video editing software ended up dying, and ironically the people who made the software discontinued it shortly around the time it died.

But I couldn't just leave people with... Nothing, that would be hurtful to both myself, and my audience. I attempted to do more livestreams, since it was easier for me to get the energy to stream a couple of hours, rather than record, edit, re-edit, possibly re-record, and output a more polished product than what I'd been doing. The livestreams went relatively well. I did Minecraft, because if and when (and there was a plan for a when) I went back to Fallout, I wanted to make it nice and polished. I'd done Minecraft streams before, what would be the difference?

And it was good. For a while. But ultimately, I lost my creative energy for it, and I felt my own performance getting worse and worse with each passing stream. The burnout was hitting, and it was hitting hard. But I kept trying to push through it, and, in the end, the burnout got the best of me. I just... Stopped it all together.

It was a situation that I'd hope that, if I ignored it, the problem would go away. The problem being: Lack of creative content (or content in general) and lack of energy to do anything. I felt that if I could just... Take some time without thinking about it, the content would come back to me.

The end of 2019 came with a new job, and the start of 2020 came with leaving said job. They apparently were only hiring seasonal work, and were a lot flexible on hours than they said they'd be, so I took the simplest solution and left, telling myself I could find something else quick. 

And then the beginning of the pandemic hit.

It was hard to find work. And, due to some fuckery that happened when I quit my first job, I couldn't collect unemployment (which hit extra hard when the pandemic started.) The majority of 2018 I'd had to rely on people to help support me, same thing for 2019, and 2020 was shaping up to be the same. I got a job at the end of 2020 that lasted for a couple of months before an altercation between me and another coworker (that they initiated) led to me leaving (I wasn't asked, I just didn't want to cause any further ruckus.) 

By this point, I hadn't had posted any form of content in almost a year, I was quiet on every form of social media, and the burnout, anxiety, and paranoia were extreme. I kept telling myself I just needed to get back on my feet, just needed to stabilize, and I could get back to living my dreams. It's only sensible for people to want to live their best lives, I told myself, and I just needed to be able to get the things (I've had a list on PCPartPicker for years that I've been trying to build to get back into streaming/recording, as well as peripherals on an Amazon wishlist that I've been staring at for ages.)

The majority of 2021 passed by without much. No job offers, no callbacks, not even a rejection letter. Nothing. But in September of 2021, a friend of mine told me that his kitchen was hiring dishwashers, and so I said "Fuck it, it's work, and they're paying decently, let's try it."

And it was honestly one of the best jobs I've had ever. It was good pay, full time, and slowly over time my duties shifted away from dishwashing to doing prep work and cleaning, something I was much more apt to do. I had enough money to pay my bills and do fun stuff every so often, and started saving up a bit of money so I could finally achieve my dreams.

In January of 2022, however, I started feeling under the weather. I'd been sluggish, coughing a lot, and slowly just felt my energy draining harder than it had up until that point. Turns out, at some point, I'd caught Covid. Now, At that point I was fully vaccinated, so it wasn't nearly as bad as it could be, I told myself. And then I was sick for six weeks, and was constantly feeling like death after the second. I do know it would've been a lot worse, with my case, had I not been vaccinated, but it was still unfortunate. I didn't have insurance (because it was still way too much to be taken out of each paycheck by my employer, so I didn't want to risk it,) and I'd actually just spent money right before it hit, so I was flat broke for two weeks. Over the course of those six weeks, however, I received a total of two weeks of payment (when I was told I'd be getting Covid pay for all six weeks), went through constant tests to see if I would make a recovery. My life had fallen apart with regards to income and socially, and ultimately, long Covid would kick my ass. I never was able to really fully recover, and as a result, my hours were cut, and I was ultimately laid off after 11 months of employment there (even if it was only 9 and a half of actual working).

After this last job, however, something just... Felt different. I didn't feel despair as I had from every other job I'd gained and lost over the years. Sure, I've been depressed the last month or so I was unemployed, but it wasn't the same soul-crushing depression that I've been feeling the last few years. I resolved to take care of myself better, at the very least, than I had in each of my depression slumps before, and it's... It's been a lot more manageable than previous years. Still depressed, still unemployed, still (unfortunately) having to ask for favors just to get by, but this time it just... Hits different.

But after my life's story over the last five years has been spilled, with my 24th birthday right around the corner, I just wanted to say... Thank you. Thank you to everyone who did support me when they did, and thank you to everyone who supports me now. I'm truly, truly sorry for (what I feel like, at least) was betraying people's trusts, and I don't know what else to say besides that.

Lately I've been working on actually, officially writing the story I've been wanting to write for years. Actually over 13 years at this point. It's something I've been trying to convince my brain to do, and I've slowly come to realize you can't... Force these things. That's been the big theme of this massive depressive episode, I suppose, is that you can't force anything to happen. I've also got some video ideas I've been writing down and getting things together for them, to try to do, because they're fun, challenging, and I think that people would have fun watching them. I'm not going to say dates for anything, because I don't want to promise people something and ultimately end up not being able to deliver on time. I'm trying, this time around, to not force anything that doesn't want to be made to be made, just need to let the creative process happen when it happens, so I don't get overwhelmed and burnt out again. I want to make sure that if I make something, if it isn't a rough draft, it's as good as I can make it in the moment I make it.

That being said, some keen eyes may have noticed a lot of content went missing from my YouTube channel. Don't worry, the content isn't deleted, it's just... Not up to my standards, so I privated the videos. They're an important part of my journey, even if it's a low point, but I want to try to improve so I can show people how much I've (hopefully) grown. I at least put effort into my Fallout videos, so I kept that together, and a few other fun videos along the way I was personally proud of when they happened. They may not be the best content by any means, but I was at least proud with what I could make when I made it.

Along with this post, there will be the rough draft of the first chapter of the story I'm working on available to anyone and everyone, so they can see it as like a preview of what I've been up to recently. In the meantime, like I said I've also got some videos I'm working on that I've been testing things for that I feel like can turn out to be really fun content, so we'll see about that when the time comes. Hell, I even started a Ko-Fi (that I also have no idea how to use) in case people want to do something over there.

People may also notice that there is now only one tier: The "Pay What You Want" tier, starting at $1. For the time being, this is the one and only tier I have on Patreon. I want to make sure I can consistently put out content for people before committing to more (as well as getting more ideas for more varied content for people for various tiers, though it may only stay with the one tier until I decide to either pull the plug or go harder into Patreon things.) This phase of my life is all about taking things at my own pace so I can make good, quality content (or as good, quality content as I can) for everyone. If that means I can put out multiple videos in a week, then I put out multiple videos in a week. If it takes months, it takes months.

By no means is anyone required to monetarily support me, I know I've given virtually nothing these last few years, but I want to try to change that, and if people decide "Hey, I like your content, can I do anything about it?" then I'm simply going to direct them to here and Ko-Fi until I can get YouTube back on track, and Twitch, as well, and go from there.

One step at a time, we will make it there.

I'm working on cleaning up a lot of things, and for the first time in a very long time, I've felt like I can get things back on track.

Once again, a huge thank you to my friends and people who have helped support me over the years, though I haven't done anything I've felt like deserved it. You've been amazing to me, and I wouldn't be here without you.

And, as always, I'll see you all in the next one!

[mayalaen]

⚠️CON ‘Verse is Currently Being Edited ⚠️

Part 1 Primary Deviance is already being edited. Part 2 & 3 will be next. The edits include basic fixes for grammar and small issues, but I’ve also added 25k to Part 1 so far.

If you want to save copies of the ‘verse as is for yourself or share them, I’m totally fine with that, and if you don’t see this until after it’s been edited, feel free to message me for a copy of the originals.

There are currently 9 parts to the ‘verse, only 3 of which have been published on AO3 with the other 6 in various stages of completion. Another 15 or so parts are planned, but I haven’t started writing them yet.

I post updates here as well as Twitter and Dreamwidth. You can also subscribe on AO3 for updates.

I’m also currently working on a Discord server for the entire ‘verse since AO3 doesn’t allow hyperlinks, and there’s a ton of stuff readers can’t access in my shared/open G00gle Drive folders including diagrams, Sims 3 set recreations, outlines, character info, and other fun stuff.