#PowerPoint Presentation Example

[ssaltlicker]

Certain Jinx fans being able to read her erratic and destructive behavior as a trauma response and intense self-loathing but not extending the same reasoning to caitlyn.. the parallels are there for a reason i fear

[cappurrccino]

i am trying. SO HARD. to get work done and not give up on this. and then powerpoint over here keeps not letting me click on my own text, so i can't fucking edit anything and giving up is! so tempting!

[zapsoda]

woah

[mamawasatesttube]

hello!! today i present: an introductory lil powerpoint for those of you who may have seen '90s kon floating around, maybe heard a few things about him via dash osmosis, etc., but don't really know his deal, or why he's so different vibes-wise from t-shirt kon.

(the answer to that one is that t-shirt kon is the 2003 retcon i referred to in slide 6; in some ways he's an entirely different character before that!)

*note: i did kinda simplify the "is kon a metahuman clone or a kryptonian" thing. his early comics kinda contradict each other on this! for example, he's not depowered by the lack of sun during final night, but later after sins of youth it takes sunlight to charge him back up, etc.

some resources for getting into his comics:

a reading order for "reign of the supermen"

a general set of catch-all warnings for superboy '94

a detailed list of tie-ins and crossovers with sb94, with warnings for each (made by @radioactive-earthshine <3)

a list of his postcrisis era appearances, categorized by major and minor (note: this does leave out superman '87 #155, which is one of my favorite issues. it's set after superboy "hypertension" arc!)

a list of every single issue he's appeared in, including very minor appearances and cameos

i really only was able to barely scratch the surface and address a couple of common misconceptions in this powerpoint - i didn't even get into things like his feelings on clone rights, his scifi storylines, his relationship with steel, or the complicated depictions of abuse in sb94, so i heartily encourage everyone who's interested to jump into the comics, because there's SO much i didn't have space to mention!! and if you have any questions feel free to send me an ask!! i love to talk about this guy. happy reading!!!

[cosmerelists]

PowerPoint Party in the Cosmere

A PowerPoint Party is where you and some friends give PowerPoint presentations, usually on some sort of silly topic. If Cosmere characters were participating in such an activity, here is how I think it would go!

1. Vin

Vin: Hello and welcome. My presentation is entitled, "Inappropriate Places that Elend Has Read Books." Elend: I-Inappropriate?! Vin: Slide 1: "Literally while we were dancing." Elend: Ah...

2. Adolin

Adolin: I am going to rank all of my swords from best to worst! Shallan: [Raises her hand] Let me guess. Maya is #1 and every other sword is tied at #2? Adolin: S-Stop spoiling my presentation!!

3. Vivenna

Vivenna: Hello everyone, and welcome to "Ranking Worldhopper Aliases, from 'Azure' to 'Thaidakar.'" Vivenna: We'll be starting from the best! Vivenna: Slide 1: "Azure: Classy, Home-Planet-Related, and Cool-Sounding." Kelsier: If that's the top, then-- Kelsier: What's wrong with Thaidakar???

4. Shallan

Shallan: My presentation is called "Tall People Are An Oppressive Class." Shallan: Subtitled: "Those Long-Legged Bastards." Kaladin: I BARELY left you behind in the chasms! Shallan: [Making direct eye contact with Kaladin] Slide 1: "Being Left Behind in the Chasms" Kaladin: HEY

5. Khriss

Khriss: My name is Khriss. I have spent a very long time studying investiture all across the Cosmere. Khriss: Therefore I present to you: "Who Would Win in a 1-v-1 Fighting Tournament Where Each Type of Investiture Is Represented By An Individual At The Height Of Their Power" Khriss: Fight #1: Awakening vs. Stormlight: Vasher vs. Kaladin Kaladin: D-Did the tension in the room just ramp way up?? Vasher: Eh.

6. Lopen

Lopen: Friends, welcome to "101 One-Armed Herdazian Jokes That Are Mostly (H)armless!" Lopen: And that one doesn't count, ha ha! Skar (Whispering in tones of faint horror): S-Slide 1 of 102?!

7. Steris

Steris: Greetings, everyone. My name is Steris. I am a disaster specialist, and therefore, I am well qualified to give this presentation. Steris: "Who Should You Cannibalize First In a Disaster-Type Situation: A Thorough Consideration With Examples." Wax: S-Steris??? Steris: [faint smile]

8. Sigizl

Sigzil: Slide #1: "A Deep Dive Into Penal Code 117a, Paragraph 5." Audience: [eyes glazing over] Sigzil: Slide #2: "Just Kidding! We're going to look at the data I collected on Kaladin back when he was a baby Radiant." Audience: [cheering] Sigzil: Yup. I'm pretty good at presentations.

9. Charlie

Charlie: Hey, guys. I'm going to be presenting on something I've given a LOT of thought to in the past couple of years. Charlie: Namely: "The Best And Worst Animals You Could Be Cursed To Live As By An Evil Witch" Charlie: Subtitle: "Especially If You Are Trying to Help Your Pirate Captain Girlfriend Navigate Dangerous Waters." Charlie: Slide 1: "The Worst of the Worst: A Really Delicious-Looking Seagull." Charlie: ... Charlie: Yeah...I genuinely have nightmares about this one, you know.

10. Yumi

Yumi: I will be presenting on "The Stackability of Objects You Might Not Think Are Stackable" Yumi: Slide 1: Babies. Yumi: It is unethical to stack babies, of course, but after experimenting with baby dolls, I have concluded that the chubbier babies are, the more eminently stackable they are. I believe that--if it were ethical, which it is not--I could likely build a Baby Tower that was at least a dozen babies tall. Akane: I am SO engaged.

[copperbadge]

Thank you so much for your post on ADHD and managing communication. It was really interesting see your thought process and an example of how you set up systems that work for you. I was wondering if you'd mind sharing a little about how you handle task management (the “make sure you do the tasks promptly” part). This is something I (also only diagnosed with ADHD as an adult) feel like I really struggle with, especially at work. Thanks!

I wish I had as...systematic an explanation for that as I do for other aspects of my work and life management, to be honest. For me the most important part is remembering that I even need to do the thing in the first place, so I always focus on systems that will help with that. While I do have trouble starting projects sometimes, I rarely have trouble finishing them, so that aspect is not the most significant part of the struggle for me and not something I've spent as much time on. Still, I do have some advice!

For me the problem, when it happens, is almost always with getting started. I have a few strategies for that. The very first is to remind myself that it's never going to take as long or be as hard as I think it is. That kind of reminder has to feel true and that truth really only comes with time -- you have to be taught over and over, through experience, that "the task isn't that awful". For this the best I can recommend is, every time you finish something, take a moment to stop and reflect how hard it was to get started, and how once you got started it was actually much easier than you thought it would be. If you can identify "being scared of starting" as being the hardest part, eventually you can come to believe that the fear is normal and can be ignored because it's also your brain lying to you.

Another thing I do very often is break tasks I don't want to do (or am struggling to start) into extremely granular portions. If I have to make a powerpoint presentation, and I'm struggling to know where to begin, I'll take it really small steps at a time. Like, my to-do list for the presentation might read:

Open Powerpoint

Fill out the title slide

Gather all research into a folder (do not open any of it)

Start reviewing your research one file at a time

Start sorting your research into appropriate groups based on subject matter or where in the presentation they'll go

Look at the way your research is grouped, just look for a while

Which part of the research would you tell someone to start with if they're new to the subject matter?

That's slide one.

Usually at that point I'm in the "flow" enough that I can stop looking at those granular steps, but it's also fucking astonishing how often just opening the program I need to do the thing in can drop me into the project so deep I'll surface hours later having nearly completed it.

So my first step for any task, once I know it's time to work on it, is just to open the program needed and gather all my resources in one place and give myself permission to ONLY do that. Those two things, which are easy in themselves (they usually don't need much thought) trigger that "this is what I'm doing now" state and even if I don't finish the project, I will at least make headway. This works in non-digital, non-work ways too -- if you're going to paint a wall, gather all your supplies first in one place and make sure you have everything you need. In the process of doing that you start to become more at ease with the idea of actually doing it, and even if you don't do it right that minute, now you're actually feeling prepared for when you do.

And honestly even knowing all that I still struggle sometimes. That's just the nature of the beast. Adderall helps a lot, and age has helped because I know what I'm capable of and it's often more than I believe at the start. But it's just always going to take more energy for me than for some people. Making sure I'm fed, rested, clean, and medicated helps a great deal, so I recommend looking after yourself when you DON'T have a project looming, but I also recommend giving yourself some grace when you do -- these things are just the challenges we face.

[bonbonly]

bon's thoughts (18+) a/n: anonsss i see your messages in my ask box, i might take a break from answering them cuz i got other... interesting thoughts LMFAO college!au daniel ricciardo who's partnered up with you for group project. only problem is that he's not doing any of his work. all he ever does is say something cheeky, wink at you and walk away to hang out with his friends. you hate him. you hate the way he sits next to you in class even though he knows you hate him, but he does it on purpose because he likes to see your reaction. you hate that he's always glancing at your answers when you're taking a test, and then boasting about how smart he is outside of the lecture hall. he never turns in his work, never texts you if he's done his part of a powerpoint and certainly doesn't respond when you're calling him at 3 in the morning, crying about how you need him to finish his slide or else you're going to get a bad grade because of him.

he always chooses you because he knows no matter what, you'll end up finishing his slides. and he merely is trying to finish inside you. he watches you cross your arms, bite your lips and frown when he's presenting to the other students. you're always unhappy with what he's doing, and he wants to see you with a smile on your face.

"a smile wouldn't hurt you know" he leans close to you to whisper into your ear. the both of you are at the library, sitting in the small cafe as you're editing your slide. you frown at him,

"you finish your slides and then i'll smile. we have to rehearse this before tomorrow. you wanna meet up somewhere this evening?" you ask.

"i'm busy this evening. what about at night? 1 am at the basketball court?" daniel asks and you scowl,

"that's across campus for me! and i know you're just gonna play basketball and not let me practice. why are you always my partner, i just don't get it, you're useless!" but you still agree, because it's either the basketball court, or no rehearsal at all.

you press record on your phone, because you like to record all your practice sessions, and you take a step back. your laptop's on the bleachers, and daniel walks over. he's sweating, having played basketball until you showed up, and he smiles at you. you don't reciprocate and roll your eyes, telling him to get started.

"remember, it's a presentation about pain vs pleasure. you need to be careful with what you say. i included extra examples on your slide, like cutting your finger on accident, and getting a good grade on your test. cuz you know serotonin is-" your words are tuned out of his mind, he's focusing on the part where you said pain vs. pleasure and he has a wicked idea in his head. he nods, contorting his face to look like he's deep in thought and listening to you intently. he takes off his cap and tosses it to the side before winking at you,

"i got this don't worry." and he turns to face the camera. surprisingly, he's doing well. very well, and that doesn't sit right with you. he never is this prepared, and the entire time you're staring at him with a look of shock. he turns to you with clasped hands, "may i perform a demonstration?"

and you're nodding your head, "of course, of course!" because you think he's being very serious and composed, you'll do anything as long as he's finally listening to you for once. he nods his head, standing behind you, and almost immediately he yanks your top up just enough for your tits to spill out and he watches them jiggle in front of the camera. the cold air of the night makes your nipples harden and as you're gasping in shock at what he's doing, he roughly takes your nipples in his hands and twists them, causing you to cry out.

"that's pain," he glances at the camera, before kneeling in front of you. he takes your areola in his mouth and begins to suck, rubbing your other nipple with his thumb. you let out a really quiet moan, a hand coming to grab the curls in his hair and he tears his mouth away from you juicy tit with a pop! "and that's pleasure!"

he crawls over to where your phone is and stops the recording, and glances back at you, leaning on his elbow with smile, "should we do some more rehearsals?"

and you're nodding your head like crazy.

[multifandomslxt]

How I think each Nct 127 member would be during a heated argument (honest)

THIS IS NOT REAL. MY IMAGINATION IS AT WORK HERE. IDK THEM PERSONALLY.

Taeyong

he plays the victim really well

The argument started because of something he did

but he flipped the script

now he's pinning EVERYTHING on you

manipulative

omg its crazy

knows exactly what to say to set you off

and when you do blow up he says something like

"see? this is what I'm talking about"

Johnny

he speaks to you like you're a child

like you don't know basic shit

ALOOTTT of hand gestures

and the worst part?

he sometimes disregards your point just to get his across.

twists your words a lot

He's a walker btw.

walks away from you whenever it's your turn to speak

Yuta

You won't win

let me clear that up first and foremost

You. Will. Not. Win.

You could've made an entire PowerPoint presentation with detailed examples

He doesn't give a shit.

You're coming at him for shit like this?

alright then here

He's saying the most low-balled shit ever

he's throwing shit back in your face btw

stuff you confided in him about

so you're not gonna win this one

Doyoung

Girl bye.

attitude on top of more attitude.

looks at you stupid

"how does that even make sense?"

"whatever"

and quite literally blocks you out after that.

argue with yourself is basically what he's saying

Jungwoo

pretends like he doesn't know what he did.

CANNOT take accountability for shit

everything is "but-"

excuses and more excuses

also plays the victim

also manipulative

a manipulative crier (I have ptsd from this)

makes you feel like shit for even coming at him like that.

Jaehyun

don't argue with this man if you value your sanity

he does not give you ANY reaction

just sits there and nods

"alright." "okay."

like he just wants this over with

makes you feel stupid because he really and truly is not even attempting to properly engage at all.

"are you done now?"

Mark

He tries to understand where you're coming from but boyyyy

he got some shit to get off his chest too.

he'll try to word it nicely but just ends up making it worse.

walks away and then comes back later more calm and collected

arguments don't go too far with him.

Haechan

"and?"

that's what an argument feels like with him.

completely disregards anything you say and makes you feel stupid for even thinking it.

"y/n, be serious..."

"...so tell me then, since you're so smart"

rolls his eyes at EVERYTHING.

[nightjarring]

Something people might be interested in since my friends didn't know: there's this little parasitoid wasp, Copidosoma (Encyrtidae) that has larvae with castes, like ants!

Copidosoma is a polyembryionic wasp, which means many larvae can emerge from a single egg, which in their case is laid in caterpillars. The cool part is that some of these larvae are neither male nor female, but sterile workers that will never become adults, and only exist to defend their siblings by attacking competing larvae chemically AND physically.

In these photos you can see the slender, sexless soldier larvae, and the more typical looking reproductive grub, plus two example images of the soldier attacking larvae of competitor species. Again all this happens inside the eggs and bodies of caterpillars! These things aren't even rare, my boss did his dissertation on this family and described them as "common as dirt". They're used in pest control as a natural enemy. This is a very common species that exists all over the world, almost entirely unnoticed because they're just so small and inconspicuous.

They're not even the only parasitoids that have hit on this either, here's a slide I enjoyed from a PowerPoint I saw at the national ESA meeting. Tragically I have forgotten the authors of this presentation tho..

Update: this paper is about competition between braconids Cotesia glomerata and rubecola and is not the same thing as what's going on in Copidosoma, but does still involve baby on baby violence in the flesh of a living caterpillar.

[toomuchblthoughts]

Thinking of Lin Ling being a hero but still can't get over his office worker habit. Like for example, if The Commoner gets some allegations, Lin Ling would explain to the people about it by opening up a PowerPoint presentation.

[thevoidstaredback]

Tim's Deep Dive

Enough Caffeine to Kill an Elephant Side Story

Tim frowned down at his coffee. He was right, no amount of caffeine would ever be enough again.

Phantom was right, too. Tim's heart had, in fact, stopped beating for about a minute after he took that first sip, but it was nothing he couldn't walk off. He'd also been awake for three days, but it had been a very productive three days, so jokes on everyone else!

God, he needed a nap.

'Productive' is a strong word, actually. Yeah, he'd gotten a lot of work done in those three days, but it wasn't any of the work he should've been doing, like any of the four cases he was currently working on. Yeah, he progressed them, but he wasn't focused on them.

Hyperfocus is an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a subject, topic, or task. And currently, Tim was hyperfocusd on Phantom. Well, specifically, he'd focused on who Phantom is.

Sure, his original goal was to find the recipe for that coffee - damn it was good! - but that had quickly been derailed when he'd found the JL's records on him.

Or rather, lack thereof.

Batman knows everything there is to know about everyone. He logs it all in the Justice League Records, obviously encrypted and not all in one place, but there's nothing on Phantom.

The JLD Files had a bit more information, but not by much.

There was a picture of Phantom, obviously taken when he was mid-battle, but the town in the background was unfamiliar and old. Phantom's hair was white, but more solid looking than normal, and his eyes were purely a toxic sort of green. His suit was a black HAZMAT with white gloves, boots, collar, and decal. His features were also a lot more...human looking? Yeah. He's more human like in the picture, ignoring the glowing green where there should be blood.

Was that...Lazarus Water?

No, it's too bright. But it's definitely something similar.

Underneath the picture was the standard base of everyone's files.

Name: N/A Alias: Phantom Age: N/A D.O.B: 02-12-XXXX (Earth Calendar) Gender: Male Race: Ghost (Realms Being) Height: 5'2" Weight: N/A Location: Infinite Realms / House of Mysteries Status: Dead Personality: Introverted, kindhearted, loyal, protective, confident Powers: Sensitive to emotions, flight/levitation, invisibility, intangibility, eco blasts, basic magic History: The JLD summoned him, and he didn't leave. Zatanna Zatara offered him an official spot on the JLD Team, but he refused. He has yet to leave and works unofficially as a consultant with both the JL and JLD on Realms related problems

Tim had to give it to Phantom; he really knows how to keep himself hidden. There's almost nothing in the file on him. 'Almost' being the key word.

For one, the background of the picture. If Phantom's from anywhere the JL and affiliated teams have visited, then there'll be record of it.

Second, the specification of 'Earth Calendar'. He's from a place similar enough to their world to use their calendar, otherwise it would've been marked with the date of his home's calendar. No matter which calendar was used, though, didn't explain why the year was blocked out.

Thirdly, the file says both 'Ghost' and 'Realms Being'. According to the powerpoint Constantine presented barely two months ago, he can cross off 'ghost' as the correct term to use.

'Realms Being' makes sense if he's really from the Infinite Realms. However, why is he staying the the House of Mysteries? How can Tim get in?

'Dead' is not a ne thing to see on files like this, especially when dealing with magic, though the status doesn't normally start as Dead. Though, he's clearly able to consume substance, probably meaning that he also expels waste, but the dead can't do that. Deadman is a prime example of that fact. 'Undying' would be a better term, but that isn't quite right, either. Maybe as his race, but definitely not as his status.

The personality and powers check out from what Tim has seen and heard. Was that all there is to Phantom? That didn't seem right.

The history is what was really interesting. Phantom gets pulled from his home one day, probably to make a deal in exchange for help, and just decides to stick around? Not only that, but there's nothin before or after that. He lives in the House and works as a consultant, though he won't become a part of any team. Why? The wording is really vague, too.

Tim's always loved a good mystery.

With Speedsters, the Timeline is more of an open concept than a set path, so finding a 'when' is just a important as the 'how'.

He had the Batcomputer analyzing the photo, the only cap on time being the early nineteen-sixties when coloured cameras became much more widely available.

While that was going, he also ran the picture through facial recognition software. Phantom looked more human when this was taken, so it was probably close to when he died. (Did the dead change appearance after the fact, or did they look as they did in life? Jason suggests that they change, but he was only dead for six months, so he was probably an outlier. Then again, it's not like there's a huge sample pool for this kind of thing.)

Twenty minutes later, Tim had the results for both searches.

Amity Park, Illinois: Founded in 1690, Destroyed in 2069 An explosion, apparently. The state of Illinois converted the site to farmland, leasing it out to a couple of farmers.

Danny Phantom: First publicly appeared in mid-2004. His debut was at the local middle school, fighting a ghost named The Lunch Lady. After that, it was near daily appearances. Property damage and bystander injuries were kept to a minimum if not zero. Phantom's first recorded appearance dates back to Ancient Times, most notably in hieroglyphs alongside Anubis. All sightings of Phantom stopped in February of 2032.

Odd.

Even odder still? The second name that came up for Phantom.

Daniel James Fenton: Son of the town's ghost hunters/mad scientists. He was known for being terrified of ghosts, disappearing whenever there was a ghost attack. But, he had been sited to help Phantom run from both the Doctors Fenton and a [now disbanded] government organisation (Tim would have to make sure it was really gone, but that's a later project) called The Ghost Investigation Ward (G.I.W for short). He was quoted about altering his parents' tech so that Phantom could use it. His best friends had even been seen helping Phantom whenever they could.

If so many coincidences (seriously, try a little harder next time, okay?) weren't a dead give away, the craziest thing? Daniel looked almost exactly like Phantom.

His hair was black and his eyes sky blue, but his features were all the same. Daniel and Phantom held themselves completely differently, even dressing almost exactly opposite of each other, but it was still obvious that they're the same person.

Tim ran the facial recognition on Daniel James Fenton, giving an approximate age based on information Phantom had given willingly. Lo and behold, not even ten minutes later, Daniel J. F. Nightingale was staring at him from the screen.

Four years did almost nothing to change how he looks, but it hadn't been four years. Daniel didn't slowly fade out until he was thirty-six years old. It'd had been over a hundred years and Daniel didn't look a day over eighteen years old. Phantom looking the same makes sense because he's dead; no heartbeat or breathing. Daniel doesn't make sense because he's human, born and raised.

Medical records were shody to come by, especially for a town that had been destroyed, but it was doable. Inside, Tim found what was probably the answer to how Daniel has stayed nearly the same: An accident in his parents' lab.

Metahumans have only been recorded in the last hundred years or so. There's evidence of them existing long before that, but nothing concrete. Could Daniel be one of the first?

Tim had so many questions.

First thing's first, though: He coded the notes and put them in his personal folder. He had a hero to find.

Storyboard

[god-offical]

May i have a soul please? I've done everything a human has, created art and life in one bottle, Commited some sins (don't ask about December 16 1897, I was never involved!!!) Although it took awhile, begged for forgiveness, gained emotions in the process, burned out, had a rerun, slept for ten days straight, gained 3 brain diseases, cured 3 brain diseases (I think) had a child, killed a person, mourned my kids death, and am about to live to see the release of gta 6, is that enough to have a soul now? I have more things if you need more examples. I'll even make a PowerPoint presentation!

I want a 100 slide PowerPoint with a bunch of fancy tricks and accurate statistics going back at least 240 years. And then I’ll consider it

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

I think I have already posted fanart about this before, but it's simply not enough. headcanon for xisumas suit design - his helmet/visor is a screen. a screen that x can put anything on. there is a human shaped head with eyes and everything underneath the helmet, and he does show it occasionally, but it is way more fun to project silly smiley faces or, when he goes afk, literally turning his visor into a lava lamp.

hermits have been caught coming to AFK xisuma to prank him but ending up just staring at the lava lamp visor like moths at light.

maybe sometimes he even projects live captions for his speech on there. maybe during meetings to help hermits focus/understand some Real important news/questions.

heck he may even use it to show admin things (projecting the map-veiw for a feuture season world (seed) for example) like its a PowerPoint presentation

.

[lackadaisycats]

Hello! I'm a librarian who is going to have a drawing course for seniors starting now in April, I'm wondering if it's ok that I use som of your art as examples and references for this. I'm only going to have the art in the powerpoint, and won't be making any copies of it or distributing any copies of it. Have a good day!

How wonderful! And sure! Using my art in a powerpoint presentation for educational purposes is fine with me. I'd be all too happy to see it put to such use, really!

[rosetta-j-stone]

IT'S BOJERE WEEK 2025!

Original post here - thanks to @oneshotdepresso for organising!

Day 1 - SFW - Dinner Date!

(AU where this is how Bojan and Jere meet for the first time)

For once, Bojan Cvjetićanin is EARLY for something.

And NERVOUS.

Why am I nervous? This is no big deal. I'm just meeting a stranger. Off the internet. For dinner.

He did suggest going for coffee but apparently this guy (Jere...something) is super-busy during the day. So. Dinner it is.

He got Jan to pick out some hipster-but-not-too-hipster venue rather than one of the places he, Bojan, usually goes. Because what if the date's a disaster and he can never go back there again? Or, worse, the date goes well, they date for a bit, then have a hideous break-up IN THIS SAME RESTAURANT (it's their go-to place now, obviously) and THEN he can never go back there again?

You have to be prepared for this sort of thing.

He can picture Jan rolling his eyes at this while pointing out that this kind of overthinking is exactly why the gang signed him up for this in the first place. So he can get out of his own head and - crucially - out of the house.

Whatever. If this is a disaster he's got a whole PowerPoint presentation entitled I Told You So with Jan's name on it.

***

Jere Pöyhönen is running late. Like, inexcusably late. Like, "you'll have to AT LEAST offer to buy the drinks" late.

In his defence, however, it turns out that very few of the clothes he owns are in that middle ground between his "Freddie Mercury Approved" stage outfits and his "Freddie Mercury Appalled" leisurewear. It took him about an hour to find something even vaguely suitable.

So of course he's ended up leaving the house super-late AND he's had to skip a few of the other things he would normally do before going on a first date.

For example, his nails are currently unvarnished.

Feels wrong somehow. Like his fingers are...naked.

Heh.

STOP IT, JERE. Arriving this late, you'll be lucky to get a smile out of the guy, let alone-

The thought distracts him so much that he almost barrels straight past the restaurant.

***

Bojan has already made his way through one surprisingly boozy pina colada and is considering ordering a second when Jere - it HAS to be him, right? - bursts through the door in a flurry of energy, apologies and...glitter eyeshadow?

Huh. Interesting.

The hair is different from his profile pic - instead of a dark bowl cut he's sporting a blonde quiff. He's not too taken aback by this though. Maybe because from the guy's other pictures it seems like he changes his look on a fairly regular basis, maybe because of the pina colada. Or maybe he's finally succeeding in channelling his inner Jan and nothing will faze him ever again.

Jere pulls up a chair opposite him and looks him in the eyes.

OK. Nope. Nope. He's definitely still capable of being fazed.

DAMNIT.

***

Okei, the guy doesn't look annoyed. That's a good sign.

Jere breathes a deep inward sigh of relief as he grabs the menu and starts scanning it so he can avoid wasting more of this man's time on umming and ahing over the options. Thank the lord this isn't one of those overly fancy places where he doesn't understand the menu in his own language let alone anyone else's.

Though he seems to remember something in this guy's profile about his friends calling him "Languages Georg" so he could always throw himself on his mercy if required.

He sneaks a look up at him from under his eyelashes, then thinks, what the hell, and follows it with a slow look down.

Hmmm, yesyes verinice.

Definitely wouldn't mind throwing myself on his-

-FOCUS, JERE.

***

"I was just going to order another one of these" Bojan says, gesturing at his empty glass in what he hopes is a careless, casual way. "Do you want one? Do you like pina coladas?" And getting caught in the rain, he mercifully does NOT say out loud.

Jere beams at him. Oh boy. The smile is even more devastating than the eyes. "Yes, very much. I get these?"

The power of speech seems to have momentarily deserted him so Bojan simply nods.

Jere gets up, bounds over to the bar and immediately begins sweet-talking the dour-looking bartender. At least Bojan assumes sweet-talking is going on. There is DEFINITELY some eyelash-batting involved.

Not that he's bothered.

Nope.

He drags his eyes back to the menu, like he hasn't already read it five times and knows exactly what he's going to order.

After what feels like an unnecessarily long amount of time, Jere returns, triumphantly bearing a pina colada in each hand. He hands one to Bojan, their fingers brushing each other as he does so.

Bojan damn near drops the glass.

Thank goodness for fast reflexes.

***

Hoo boy. That was intense.

As he takes his seat again, Jere quickly looks around to make sure the glass in the windows is still intact and the lights are still working.

Yep, everything is perfectly normal apparently.

Seems fake but okei.

He raises his glass. "So...Bojan..."

...please let me have pronounced that correctly...

"...na zdravje?"

***

Carpe diem, whispers Bojan's inner Jan.

He's really cute, whispers his inner Jure.

You got this, whispers his inner Nace.

If he breaks your heart, I'll hunt him down and kill him myself, whispers his inner Kris.

Bojan takes a breath, raises his glass, and clinks it against Jere's.

"...na zdravje" he replies, grinning.

[victoriadallonfan]

I don't agree with a lot of Sanderson's politics - and they aren't, in fact, based in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints doctrine, but rather Utah culture - but it also makes me pretty uncomfortable to hear you badmouthing the church I'm part of?

I badmouth religious organizations in general, Catholic Church included (in which I was raised) because they tend to be overwhelmingly corrupt and abusive towards their own church members (and especially towards people outside of them)

Mormonism in particular is especially bad for how being part of the church requires “tithings” from paychecks plus their treatment of women, minorities, and even men in ways that are almost so explicitly manipulative and cultish that it feels like it comes out of parody.

(For example, I simply declared, “I am no longer catholic” and that was it. Done. You cannot generally do the same in LDS without incredible backlash and slander by its members)

And it’s very obvious when it shows up in fictional books by a lot of Mormon writers, because it’s so conservative that it’s a step or two behind the times.

It’s not as bad as Westeros Westboro Baptist Church or Scientology, but that’s not a high bar to clear.

If your time in the church was different, I’m happy for you, because it means you likely avoided the worst parts of their abuse.

Still, if you have the time, I’d suggest watching these videos (in no particular order):

Why I Left Mormonism - Video covering the creation of the channel “Cults to Consciousness” and her abusive home life under the church

The BITE Model - Simple PowerPoint explaining the reoccurring factors of cults

Ex-Mormon Cast Reacts to Mormon Debates -Cast of ex-Mormon members react to a Mormon debate and highlight various lies and falsehoods presented, as well talk about teachings/history Mormon Church does not want revealed publicly

How the Mormon Church ‘Help Line’ Hid Child Abuse - Exactly what it says. Survivors speak out and the church has done nothing for them or worse.

If you don’t want to watch these videos, if you can’t stomach the testimonies, ask yourself and others these questions:

- How often are you allowed to preach about Heavenly Mother?

- How often do you see women in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine and not just playing piano or making food for the men?

- How often do you see minorities in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine or being treated as a token?

- How often does your church talk about the incredibly high suicide rates for children and how it’s associated with its practices?

- How come when a racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic etc Prophet speaks its “the word of God” and doctrine, but then another Prophet can simply claim it was mere “policy”. Was ‘God’ lying to the prophets? Were the prophets lying about God? How can you trust what is their words and what is God?

- How come the church hid $30 Billion dollars from the public and even its own lower members?

- How come the founder lied about what was on the Egyptian papyrus, claiming it was a translation from God, but people who can actually read Egyptian pointed out he was lying?

- How come you get treated differently for asking these supposedly easy to answer questions?

I do not go after Brandon or you because you happen to be religious. I think belief in a higher power is one’s own choice and prerogative.

I instead care far more about the religious system that is using well-intended people like pawns for goals that pretty much boil down to money and power.