#Toyota Fun Code

[starplusfourletters]

Dark Force Rising rant incoming

So I’m open to the possibility that I am Enjoying the Media Incorrectly buuuuuuuuuuuuut Dark Force Rising is a comedy, right? Like, approaching a farce? If I were in charge of turning this into a movie my first step would be to get Chuck Jones on the line. But in that way I think it captures the OT energy perfectly because, like, the OT is very campy. I’d low-key started to forget that. Hey Disney I just remembered this is supposed to be fun

Come to Dark Force Rises we have:

Mara “No Really I’m Still Going to Kill Luke Skywalker” Jade. Mara “Imperial Policymaker” Jade. Mara “But I Thought I Was the Emperor’s Special-est Killing Machine” Jade. Mara “The Problem With the Modern Empire Is No One Trusts Each Other Anymore :’(” Jade. Mara “Exotic Dancer???” Jade. Mara “Has a Backdoor Access Code to All Imperial Star Destroyers and Is Somehow Still Bitter About Losing Her Position” Jade. She is nothing like what I expected and I love her

Luke “Lesbian Energy” Skywalker [Stand aside, Multiday Character Bonding Hiking Trip – Multiday Character Bonding Road Trip (in what I’m picturing as a Toyota Corolla) is coming]

Leia “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Everyone Else to Get on Your Motherfucking Level” Organa Solo

Han “The Clever One” Solo

Wedge “Fundamentally Just Some Guy” Antilles

Lando “Please Let This Be a Normal Field Trip” Calrissian

Taron “Work Friend Accidentally Becomes Real Friend” Karrde. Unfortunately he’s the only killable protag currently on the field soooooo

And then we have Thrawn. Poor sweet Thrawn. My guy. He’s playing 3D chess and everyone else – they’re not just eating the pieces, they’re losing the pieces entirely on accident. He’s always two steps ahead, but the protags have wandered off the trail because they saw something shiny. He sees the other characters start acting more and more erratic and he’s like “at last! My adversaries have developed a more intricate strategy!” and goes veering off in a different direction, and then smash cut to the protags being like “…wait he literally had us that time where did he go?” He’s flying circles around a New Republic plot that straight up doesn’t exist. He manages to capture the Falcon but ends up handing it to Luke as a gift-wrapped getaway car because of shenanigans he simply had no way to predict. He just wants an int-build playmate and every other character min/maxed charisma. He’s rapidly becoming my scrunkly meow meow

[aboutchriss]

Stray kids as cars

Author note: okay so, I think that this needs a little explanation, I grew up between cars and motorbikes because my grandpa used to work as a mechanic.

When I was little and even now I see cars as people, I swear I’m not crazy but there’s some cars that are happy, some cars that are angry, some cars that are sad, so I thought that it would be fun to write this thing.

I’ll probably do the same thing with motorbikes. :)

Interactions and reblogs are appreciated! expecially bc I put my blood and soul on this thread

You can find the maknae line here

Please don’t do stupid shit while you’re driving, drive responsibly and DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE

-✉️

I’m so insicure about my English, as I said it’s not my first language and I’m always scared to make mistakes or stuff like that, so if you find mistakes please let me know, I’ll be thankful and also my English will improve!

-✉️

Tags: @ilevaar 💛

HYUNG LINE

Bang Chan: FORD MUSTANG

Expensive and fast

above $58.000

Black it’s THE color for this expensive baby

0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds

Literally the leader of the road

THE CAR OF MY DREAMS BUT I’M POOR AS FUCK

You need a huge pair of balls to drive this beast

Has a passenger seat but you NEED to trust the driver in order to enjoy the trip, and if the driver was Chris, man I would sleep like a baby, he’s a responsible king and I love it.

Hand on your thigh, or YOUR hand in his thigh is a must, definitely he has blankets in the back seat in case you get cold.

Everyone has their eyes on this car.

It belongs to German highway (Germans highway has no speed limit)

very comfy you can do the naughty naughty things in it

WEAR YOUR SEATBELL👹

Changbin: TOYOTA SUPRA

Once again expensive and fast

above $60.000

Cute and small but has a beast in it

0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds

Usually used for drifting, but if you drive this on the road everyone it’s going to be like OMG THATS A SUPRA

Purple/pink it’s THE color for this car

Comfortable as fuck but it’s only for two people, so that’s the right car to bring only your s/o in it

as I said it's small but nothing can stop the naughty naughty things

It’s a softie on the road but with the motor that it has, people it’s going to see only your butt cheeks hehe

Once again, belongs to the German Highways and Tokyo (you know Tokyo drift)

as I said It has a passenger seat but since I can’t drift (yet) I’ll let the driver do it

If Changbin was the driver his hand would be GLUED to your thigh and definitely has some good playlists to enjoy the trip and some good snacks

(Yes, he’s part of the snacks)

WEAR YOUR SEAT BELL👹

Hyunjin: LYKAN HYPERSPORT

once again this beauty it's expensive as fuck

this car is RARE

LITERALLY just for a few people, in fact there's only seven examples in the whole world

above $ 3.690.000 (yes, you heard it right)

When I say fast I mean it 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, do the math if you don't believe me

red it's THE color for this car

look at it, mad as fuck LITERALLY a beast

it has a passenger seat but honestly I would rather be the driver even if it scared the shit out me

Hyunjin would let you drive it because he turns on when he sees that you’re able to drive a beast like this

If he’s the driver he want physical contact so you guys hold hands or both of your legs are straight on his lap

not too comfy for the naughty naughty thing

Since this car is rare you have to be careful where you drive it, but definitely once again belongs to the German Highway even if I would protect it with my life✋🏼

WEAR YOUR SEATBELL👹

Lee know: LAMBORGHINI URUS

(Don’t come at me I have expensive taste okay)

I mean look at this its Minho coded

Expensive and of course fast

This car is HUGE since it’s a suv

Above $230.000

0-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds

Black it’s THE color for this car

This bitch it’s fast, and I’m proud to say that this piece of art is made in Italy

Another car of my dreams but I’m still poor af

This car gives me such a big dick energy that I can’t even explain (so definitely Minho coded)

It’s big, spacious and comfortable definitely a place where you can do the naughty naughty stuff

This car belongs to the german highway (yes, once again) and the street of some fancy city like Monte Carlo or Courmayeur

I would love to be the driver of this piece of art but if I think about Minho hands-on-the-steering-wheel fuck it okay? He can drive it.

he needs to touch you so hand on your ties or locked in yours is a must

WEAR YOUR SEAT BELL👹

I spent two days working on this so please don’t let it flop.

As always requests are open!🩷

[chaos-and-codeine]

June of Doom 2024

Day 9 - I made a mistake

OC’s: Dellan, Nate, Raine, Trey

Warnings: Gunshot wound mention, blood, blood loss, near passing out, general panic from the friends, medical help

Word count: 1147

Summary: Nate shows up at the facility a week early with a very injured Raine. Dellan is scared, Nate’s covered in Raine’s blood, and Trey is trying to save a life.

(Obviously this is my first original post, but I hope to introduce you more to these characters later! Just having fun with June of Doom for now!)

Dellan held his pistol towards the ground as he warily watched the small Toyota sedan wind up the drive. No one was due to come in tonight, much less an unregistered car of a visitor. There was never a call from the gate, so either they belonged there enough to have an all access code or they possibly didn’t belong there at all.

So there Dellan stood with his pistol at the ground, unsure whether he should be more or less ready for a fight than he was.

The car got close enough to see that there were at least two people in the front seats, but Dellan still couldn’t see into the back. The headlights burned into his eyes as the car bumped over the cracks on the final curve. Dellan cocked his head as he finally started to make out the silhouettes of his friends' faces. Friends that weren’t supposed to arrive back for at least another week.

“Help now, ask questions later,” Nate started speaking before he was fully out of the driver’s seat, circling around the front hood to the passenger side. He flung open the door to reveal the blood that the night and dirty windshield had yet hidden from Dellan.

“What happened?” Dellan finally managed to say, still trying to comprehend what was unfolding. Nate began to carefully pull the second person, soaked in red, from the car.

“I jacked up,” Raine said through a tight jaw. She put her right arm around Nate as he lifted her out, her other arm held against her, “a stupid mistake and I got made.”

Dellan could feel the urgency squeezing at his chest, but he was still grasping for something solid for his swirling mind. She was talking. She was alert enough to hang on to Nate’s shirt. That was good. She’s not unconscious. She’s not dead.

The amount of blood left on the leather seat brought the next wave of panic. Adrenaline. It could be adrenaline keeping Raine this alert. She might be worse off than it seems. She could be better off.

“Stop overthinking,” Nate kicked the car door shut as he swiveled with Raine in his arms. The slam of the metal made Dellan jump, looking at Nate before taking a shaky, but full, breath. He nodded and Nate started up the steps to the main entrance.

“Nate,” Raine’s voice was painfully soft, her grip loosening on the Nate’s shirt collar. He looked down at her as his pace increased even more.

“Stay awake, Raine. We’re almost there and then we’ll get you taken care of and then you can sleep,” Nate’s words ran together, a mixture of fear and exhaustion as he walked.

“Hurts too much,” Raine hissed, her eyes rolling, but not quite closing. Her eyebrows pulled together, a desperate plea for consciousness to stay a minute more.

Dellan jogged ahead of the pair, his shaking hands threatening to keep him from pressing the right code into the keypad. As if the doors were hesitating with him, they stayed silent for a moment before the click of unlocking echoed through the empty lobby.

Nate nodded his head in thanks as Dellan held open the door. He headed for the left hallway, towards the small trauma bay the facility held, and turned his head as they went, “When we get up there I need you to snap back into it. You’re like her brother; she needs you.”

“Okay,” Dellan squeaked back. He hated how much he was freezing up. He’d seen his fair share of blood. He’d inflicted his fair share of blows and taken enough himself, too. He’d even seen his own team members get hurt before, but this one hit different. Nate was right, they were like siblings. Dellan knew she needed him, but right now he was trembling because he needed her too.

“Okay,” Dellan said again more confidently. He had to shake himself off and get his mind to straighten out. He noticed the blood being trailed behind them and almost caved into himself again, but balled his hands into fist as he skipped ahead of Nate again. He shoved open the door, holding it as they turned into the second door labeled ‘medical’. The unfitting serenity of the empty hallways was replaced by an immediate chaos as they entered.

“What happened?” Trey’s chair hit the cabinet as he bolted up from the desk. He scrubs were wrinkled, a result of the previously relaxed evening. He shouted several names as he rushed toward Raine. Various people came out from where they’d been hanging out, not expecting any commotion. Any of the agents in the field weren’t due back for days and even then all the current jobs weren’t terribly risky.

“Shot twice at least forty minutes ago,” Nate said robotically. His face was pale as Trey motioned for him to set her down on the gurney being pushed up beside them. Raine’s face twisted and she groaned at the movement.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Nate apologized as he removed his arm from behind her.

“It’s good,” She told him, still not wanting anyone to feel bad. Her expression remained tight, showing visibly the growing pain.

“You’re awake?” Trey sounded astonished. He walked alongside the bed as it was briskly pushed toward a room to the left. His hand now replaced Raine’s own, holding pressure with sterile towels against the wounds. He could see her eyes open slightly, flitting between the ceiling and himself.

“Barely,” She said quietly, “Dellan?”

“Yeah,” Dellan’s voice cracked as he moved closer. He watched as the bed was pushed into a bright room and the wheels locked to still it in place. People were moving everywhere, but each one seemed to flow together without interfering with the next.

“I’ll be fine,” Raine was trying to tell Dellan that confidently, but he could hear the question in the statement. She was trying to convince herself too.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Dellan squeezed Raine’s hand as he pulled every ounce of his own confidence, or hope, from the pit of his stomach, “I’ll be right here when you wake up. Trey’s gonna fix you right up and you’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be right as rain.”

Dellan felt a hand on his elbow that gently pulled him towards the door. He let his hand slide off of Raine’s as he reluctantly backed up. He could see Raine’s face calm ever so slightly as the first drug got pushed in. And then the door was shut.

“She’s strong,” Nate said directly to Dellan.

“I know.” Dellan responded, looking back at his friend. He could see the amount of blood on his shirt and arms, some even on the pants now. He could tell Nate saw it too, but neither of them said anything about it. Dellan took a deep breath, “She’ll be right as rain.”

[gustavo2029]

What Should You Do If You’ve Lost Your Keys?

It happens to the best of us—you’re in a rush, patting every pocket and checking under car seats, only to realize your keys are nowhere. Before you break a window or spiral into panic mode, there’s a faster, safer option: call a professional mobile locksmith.

At LostMyKey.co.nz, we specialise in rapid-response key replacement and lockout services across New Zealand. Whether it's your car, home, or office, our team shows up fast—tools in hand—to get you back on track without damage or drama.

What Services Does LostMyKey.co.nz Offer?

We’re not your average key cutters. Here’s what we do best:

Automotive locksmith services: Locked out, lost keys, broken remotes—we handle everything from standard metal keys to modern smart fobs and transponder keys.

Car key replacement NZ-wide: On-site key cutting and programming for most makes and models, including Kia, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Ford, and more.

Residential lockouts: Locked yourself out of your house? We’ll get you back inside safely—no busted locks, no drama.

Emergency mobile locksmith: Our vans are mobile workshops, fully stocked and ready to respond anywhere in NZ.

Ignition repair and broken key extraction: We fix what other locksmiths avoid.

Our mission is simple: be fast, fair, and fully equipped.

Can a Mobile Locksmith Replace Modern Car Keys?

Absolutely. Many people assume only a dealership can replace smart keys or reprogram transponders. But here’s the thing: dealerships are slow, expensive, and often require towing. We do the job faster, on-site, and at a better price.

At LostMyKey.co.nz, we use dealer-grade diagnostic tools and programming equipment, which means we can:

Replace lost or stolen keys

Reprogram transponder keys

Replace push-to-start and smart key fobs

Cut and code high-security keys

And yes, we do it without needing your original key.

How Fast Can a Locksmith Get to You?

Time matters, especially when you’re stranded in a parking lot or locked out of your home after hours. That’s why we’ve built our service around NZ-wide mobile coverage, with locksmiths on call and ready to go.

In most urban areas, we’ll be at your location within an hour (often faster). For more remote regions, we’ll still get to you—just give us a ring and we’ll confirm arrival times.

Is It Cheaper to Use a Locksmith Instead of a Dealership?

In almost every case—yes. Dealerships often charge hundreds of dollars just to replace a key, and that’s before towing and waiting around for days. Our pricing is transparent, competitive, and includes on-site service. No surprises. No inflated margins.

Here’s what you save with us:

No towing fees

No inflated dealership labor costs

No waiting days for your key to arrive

You get dealer-quality service, minus the red tape.

Why Choose LostMyKey.co.nz?

We know what you’re thinking—there are plenty of locksmiths out there. So why trust us?

We’re real locksmiths, not call center middlemen

Our vans are fully equipped mobile workshops

We respond fast and do the job right, the first time

We cover most of New Zealand

We actually pick up the phone when you call

And most importantly: we treat every job like it’s our own car, home, or business.

Final Thoughts: Don't Let a Lost Key Ruin Your Day

Losing your keys isn’t fun—but it doesn’t have to wreck your schedule. With LostMyKey.co.nz, you get expert service, quick response times, and local professionals who actually care.

Whether it’s a lost car key, a house lockout, or a stuck ignition, we’ve got your back—anywhere in New Zealand.

Explore our full range of automotive locksmith services and get back to what matters.

[bradyoil]

Filmmaker Nur Niaz Talks Directing Commercials & Music Videos From Kazakhstan.

Director Nur Niaz is a talented filmmaker creating stylish and fun films for Samsung, Toyota, BMW, Coca-Cola, Red Bull and many more. I met Nur via another filmmaker's instagram post of Nur's work an d loved it. He's living in his home country of Kazakhstan, yes it's a real place, so we zoomed and you'll love this chat. 

Also check out Nur's treatments and templates you can use for your pesky Director's Treatments. It's a great resource. 

Check out all the Nur's stellar work here. 

FLOW STATE Click my name for your MAGIC MIND discount code: JORDANB - so gobble it up. If you follow me on Instagram you've liekly seen my unpaid endorsment of this mind power juice.

EVENTS My next in-person Commercial Directing Bootcamp is Saturday, January 20th, 2024. Sign up soon or miss out.

Check out my Masterclass or Commercial Directing Shadow online courses. (Note this link to the Shadow course is the one I mention in the show.) All my courses come with a free 1:1 mentorship call with yours truly. Taking the Shadow course is the only way to win a chance to shadow me on a real shoot! DM for details.

How To Pitch Ad Agencies and Director’s Treatments Unmasked are now bundled together with a free filmmaker consultation call, just like my other courses. Serious about making spots? The Commercial Director Mega Bundle for serious one-on-one mentoring and career growth.

  Jeannette Godoy’s hilarious romcom “Diamond In The Rough” streams on the YouTube, Tubi and more. Please support my wife filmmaker Jeannette Godoy’s romcom debut. It’s “Mean Girls” meets “Happy Gilmore” and crowds love it.

  Thanks,

  Jordan 

Check out this episode!

[thissying]

“On Wednesday afternoon the news came that the Grand Prix was cancelled and then Max himself came up with the idea of organizing a sim race, so that there is still something to experience for the fans this weekend, but also to draw attention to what is happening in Emilia-Romagna and to support the people affected by the storm. "So this really happens on Max's initiative," Atze Kerkhof of Team Redline told Motorsport.com. “Max will of course participate and there will be quite a few members of the Red Bull Junior Team with Enzo Fittipaldi, Ayumu Iwasa, Arvid Lindblad, Jak Crawford and Isack Hadjar. There will also be drivers from Formula E, including Antonio Felix da Costa and Oliver Rowland. Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen and Luke Browning have also agreed to participate.”

F2 driver Richard Verschoor, Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich and Alpine reserve Jack Doohan have also been confirmed via Twitter. A grid of twenty-five to thirty drivers is targeted. Kerkhof himself will also participate, just like a few other riders from the Team Redline stable. “But also Sebastian Job, who is part of the Red Bull Racing Esports team. So it will be a nice mix of professional sim drivers and names that normally come out on the track.”

Just like the previous races that were held under the name Real Racers Never Quit, they will be driven on iRacing. “We will be running four races in a row at the Imola circuit, with four different cars,” Kerkhof explains the format of Sunday's event. “We are doing a race with a Formula 3, a race with a Formula Ford, a race with a Mazda MX-5 and a race with a Toyota GR86. Max chose these cars because they are not too difficult to master in the game, are fun to drive and can make for entertaining races for the viewers. We could also have gone for a Formula 1 or GT3, but then you will spend a lot more time getting to know the game version of the car and it might also be less competitive in the races. But because we want to have races that are fun to watch first and foremost, Max picked these four.”

As mentioned earlier, Verstappen wants to raise money with the sim race for the victims of the storm in Emilia-Romagna. “We will support the same action as AlphaTauri,” explains Kerkhof. “As you know that team is based in Faenza and that place has also been hit hard. We will show a link and QR code in the stream that can be used to donate money to the emergency fund. We will encourage anyone watching to make a donation."

Setting up a major sim racing event this hastily is no easy feat. Kerkhof: “Verstappen.com Racing and Team Redline have worked together to get this event off the ground. And Verstappen.com Racing is in turn supported by Red Bull, which has helped to gather some of these drivers. So yes, it is a lot of work, but the fact that Verstappen.com Racing and Team Redline have joined forces makes it a lot easier.” - Atze van de Kerkhof about tomorrow's RRNQ (X)

[postplus-protest]

On one hand, I really feel for @staff. Inbox constantly full of ‘bugass’. The coding for the site has to be like playing a nightmare game of Jenga in the dark with thick mittens on. Yet, perhaps people would be less pissed if they focused on getting the site halfway functional before showing off potential new features that could break the site further. Even just for fun?

I picture things like this…

Tumblr : I just put in new flame colored floor mats in my 1994 Toyota Corolla!

Us : That’s cool? But um dude, you have 2 flat tires, no reverse, no windshield, and it doesn’t start half the time.

Tumblr : … so you’re saying you wanna help pay for an air freshener for the car?

Us : no. I’ll help you get tires-

Tumblr : Alright, two air fresheners!

Also, I really hope the Ignite feature happens just to see the chaos and discourse it creates. It’ll be a nightmare and I love it.

[awyeahobscuregaming]

Obscura #1: Sonic CD

For the very first Obscura, I’ll go over the infamous Sonic CD secret screens! There’s not just one!

In Sonic CD,  by inputting specific codes into the Sound test, you can get unique screens.

By inputting (FM 46, PCM 12, DA 25),  Created by “Satan”  “Masato Nishimura,” this screen is the most famous out of all the secret screens, scaring many people over the years. Accompanied with this image is Sonic CD’s Boss Theme. The text below reads, “Infinite fun, Sega Enterprises - Mazin Picture.”

However, while this is the most infamous screen, there’s more to see! By inputting (FM 42, PCM 4, DA 21), and created by “Takumi Miyake.“ You’ll get what’s nicknamed “Batman Sonic,” due to the muscular figure, and darkness. The final boss theme plays during this little screen.

By inputting (FM 44, PCM 11, DA 9), you’ll get an adorable little sonic here. The Japanese text you see below translates to “You are cool”, “By Sanchanzu.”

By inputting (FC 44, PCM 11, DA 9), The artist behind “The Fastest DJ, MC SONIC” is none other than “Kazuyuki Hoshino!” With the phrase “Can I kick it?” Looking it up, it’s a call and response, wanting the audience to say Yes.  

Finally, by inputting (FM 40, PCM 12, DA 11), you’ll this art of Tails with Lotus Seven. Created by “Judy Toyota,” “Yasushi Yamaguchi”. Not much to say for this one!

And that is all for our first Obscura, I look forward to showing many more, hee hee hee~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Credits go to Sonic Retro for a lot of this information! ♥

[hlizr50]

You Belong with Me

Azriel and his brothers are high-power executives, and while the Valkyrie ladies always attend the fancy dinners and events, Gwyn is NOT wealthy and is the only one who isn't attached to someone who is. When Gwyn volunteers to take Azriel to the cabin early to prep for their big family/friends vacation, they have a conversation about how she might have to cut back. Add in banter and hours of Gwyn unabashedly belting Taylor Swift, and Az realizes that not having her around is just not an option.

Guys... I've never cared for AU, never been big into song lyrics. But my soul just needed this to be a thing. So here it is.

Read on AO3

“You sure this thing is gonna get us there?” Azriel’s smug grin only earned an eyeroll from the redhead on the other side of the car, opening the driver’s side door.

“Just put your shit in the trunk and get in the car,” she huffed across the weathered blue of the roof. He chuckled, slinging his suitcase into the trunk as the door slammed – maybe with a little extra force. He loved poking at her, and he knew she would dish it right back. After closing the trunk he returned to the open door on the passenger’s side and lowered himself into the well-worn leather seat. “You know not all of us are fortunate enough to be high-level executives at multi-million dollar companies. But rest assured that this historical document restoration expert and her 16-year-old Toyota with 154000 miles are going to get you to the cabin safe and sound. Because you insisted on getting there a day early to make sure everything is secure.” Gwyn deepened her voice, giving him her best Azriel impersonation. And maybe he was being a bit… overzealous. But he had always been the most keenly aware, the most protective. He may have been CFO, but he was also deeply involved in security – both from the standpoint of the organization and of it’s employees. And his family.

He simply smirked, “If you say so.”

“You’re insufferable,” she groaned, turning the key. The car rumbled to life, and Azriel had to admit that he was impressed with how quiet it still seemed to run. He was sure Gwyn was a stickler about maintenance. “Just for that, you are sentenced to three hours of me serenading you with the best songs Taylor Swift has to offer.”

“Oh, Gods, anything but Taylor Swift.” Azriel grimaced, hiding the secret joy he rarely let her see. He loved it when she sang. Her voice was lovely, of course, but what hit him harder was how she seemed to radiate joy when she did it.

Gwyneth Berdara wasn’t quiet and shy like he tended to be – not by a long shot. She was irreverent and blunt and bold. But he could see the shadows that hid just behind the shimmer in her eyes – he could tell there were demons there. Her sister had been murdered four years before, in the apartment they both had shared, and it had wounded her deeply. Nesta had mentioned that there was more to the story, but that it was only Gwyn’s to tell. So, yes, she definitely had darkness that followed her, but she kept it well hidden. He’d learned, as they had become friends, that she often grew anxious in large crowds or chaotic environments. She didn’t feel safe, and that had always bothered him. Regardless of how many people were around or how crazy it was, her friends were there with her. He was there. Whatever it was that kept her so on edge, he imagined that the lingering sadness in that deep ocean gaze and the faraway wistful look that sometimes passed over her features were a part of it.

But when she sang she was a beacon of light, with the brightest smile and rosy, freckle-flecked cheeks.

“Don’t you dare disrespect the goddess T. Swift,” she glowered, and as they pulled onto the highway he lost himself in the lilting notes of her car concert.

He wasn’t sure how long they’d been driving – at least seven works of the goddess T. Swift – when he reached for the volume knob on the console and turned it down.

“Are you coming to the charity gala in a couple weeks?” Azriel looked over at her, noting the light stain of pink gracing her cheeks. She kept her eyes on the road.

“Oh… No.” Gwyn glanced over at him and gave a tight smile, causing him to purse his lips.

“Why not?”

“Az,” she chided, throwing him a stern look. “It’s too expensive. I can’t afford a seat and a dress. Hell, I probably can’t even afford one or the other.” He stayed silent, mulling over the understanding that money wasn’t something he ever had to worry about, and how he could make that not a problem for her. “Besides, you know how I am with crowds like that. I’d probably just have an attack and ruin everyone’s night.” She tried to laugh it off, and that troubled Azriel even more. Because she had seemed disappointed just then when she said she wasn’t going.

“Do you want to go, Gwyn?” He prodded. I want you to go. She sighed, adjusting herself in her seat to straighten her back.

“It doesn’t matter. Like I said, it’s really not possible for me.” She shrugged, as if that was it.

But that wasn’t it. Everyone was going to be there. She should be there, too. She should be there, with him.

“You know we would help –“

“I know, Az. But I’m not asking you, or Rhys. I’m not asking anyone. I can’t keep depending on everyone else just to go to events and dinners and whatever else.” She sucked in a breath. “I just… I don’t live the same life that the rest of you do. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just how it is.”

“Gwyn, you know nobody cares about that.” Azriel frowned. “I understand that my family is… fortunate. Privileged. But you and Nesta and Emerie are a part of us.”

“It’s not the same, Azriel.” Azriel. The full name. This was more serious than he realized. “Nesta is with Cassian and Emerie is with Mor. It makes sense that maybe they’re taken care of. I’m just… a friend. A friend who is poor.” He opened his mouth to argue but she beat him to it. “And it’s not just about covering food… you go to places with dress codes and too many forks for dinner, and with the company’s increasing success the three of you are only growing more popular and more press-worthy. Especially you.”

“Me?” Azriel swallowed, brows furrowed. “Why especially me?”

Gwyn cast him a pointed look, eyes dark and serious. “You’re the last single brother, Az. You are eligible bachelor number one. All the single ladies in the metropolitan area, if not further out, will be pining for you. If they’re not already.”

Eligible bachelor number one. He rolled his eyes. “I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

“Oh Az. Sweet, precious, innocent Az. Have you seen yourself? You’re gorgeous. You’re wealthy, successful, and absolutely beautiful.” Azriel raised a brow and gave her a sideways glance, but she was so stubbornly keeping her eyes trained ahead. It was responsible, of course. She was driving. But not even a peek meant that she was intentionally avoiding looking over at him. The corners of his mouth turned downward, not quite understanding how this conversation had gone the way it had.

“Is that so? Please, tell me more,” he snickered. If there was anything that he knew, it was how to draw her back with teasing. She wouldn’t back down from a challenge, and Gwyneth Berdara was ruthless when it came to having the last word. The corner of her mouth twitched, and he knew she was doing her best not to smile.

“I hate you so much,” she huffed.

“Now, I don’t think that’s even remotely true.” He reached out to pinch the apple of her cheek, but she slapped his hand away, sending a glower that only made him laugh.

“The single ladies can have you. Maybe you’ll find someone else to annoy.”

“Aw, Gwynnie. You know nobody could ever replace you.” And even though it was in jest, it was also… true. “And what would you do without me?”

“Get some peace and quiet for once?” And when the redhead turned with that scrunched freckled nose and her tongue stuck out at him Azriel was relieved to have the playful girl – his best friend – wearing a smile again. “Now shut it or sing along, you have not been punished with nearly enough of our lady Taylor Swift.”

And so the ride continued, but Azriel chewed on his lower lip, contemplating everything Gwyn had said. She was fiercely independent, so he could understand how she might not want to accept what she might perceive as charity, or worse, pity. But the idea of her just not being there… it made something inside of him feel hollow. He reached out and turned down the volume again.

“Why wouldn’t you say anything? About where we’re going to dinner? Or about not being comfortable at big events?” He didn’t even try to hide that he was staring at her, trying to pinpoint any reaction she may have. Once again pink stained her cheeks.

“Az, it’s not like you guys are going to stop going to fancy restaurants so you can come to Wendy’s with me. I don’t want to take away from anyone’s fun.” Fucking ridiculous.

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe we would have less fun without you there?” Azriel tried to keep his tone light, but his temper was flaring. He wasn’t sure why, but it bothered him that she would think she could just… not be there and they would all just go on like it didn’t matter.

“Of course I did,” Gwyn shrugged nonchalantly and threw him a wink. “I know it will be hard but I’m sure you’ll manage somehow. Besides, I don’t plan on just disappearing. I just… need to be more thoughtful about what I’m doing. I’ll just be around… less.” She turned the volume back up and jumped straight into the lyrics, not giving him the opportunity to tell her how preposterous she sounded.

Azriel leaned back in his seat, losing himself in thought with Gwyn’s lovely voice still soothing him in the background. He didn’t know how long he’d been brooding when the volume increased dramatically, blaring through the interior. Looking over he found her tapping on the steering wheel and swaying to the beat of her majesty Taylor Swift. Her eyes were shining, her smile was brilliant, and she sang like she didn’t have a care in the world.

You’re on the phone with your girlfriend, she’s upset

She’s going off about something that you said

‘Cause she doesn’t get your humor like I do

I’m in my room, it’s a typical Tuesday night

I’m listening to the kind of music she doesn’t like

And she’ll never know your story like I do

But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts

She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers

Dreaming ‘bout the day when you wake up and find

That what you’re looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I’m the one who understands you,

Been here all along, so why can’t you see

You belong with me

You belong with me

Walkin’ the streets with you and your worn-out jeans

I can’t help thinking this is how it ought to be

Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself

Hey, isn’t this easy?

And you’ve got a smile that could light up this whole town

I haven’t seen it in awhile since she brought you down

You say you’re fine, I know you better than that

Hey, what you doing with a girl like that?

She wears high heels, I wear sneakers

She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers

Dreaming ‘bout the day when you wake up and find

That what you’re looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I’m the one who understands you,

Been here all along, so why can’t you see

You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door

All this time how could you not know, baby?

You belong with me

You belong with me

Azriel felt like he couldn’t breathe, like he was seeing Gwyn for the first time. Unbridled joy, laughter when she turned to him when she was singing, dancing in the driver’s seat like a passenger’s worst nightmare.

And he couldn’t help but listen to the words, too. Surely that part was coincidence, but he couldn’t help but feel like she was speaking to him… something was speaking to him.

He grinned as she shimmied her shoulders and rocked her head from side to side, wisps of copper flying away from her ponytail.

Oh, I remember you drivin’ to my house in the middle of the night

I’m the one who makes you laugh even though you’re ‘bout to cry

I know your favorite songs and you tell me ‘bout your dreams

Think I know where you belong, think I know it’s with me

Can’t you see that I’m the one that understands you

Been here all along, so why can’t you see

You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door

All this time, how could you not know baby?

You belong with me

You belong with me

You belong with me

Have you ever thought just maybe

You belong with me

You belong with me

“Gosh I think I went too hard on that one. I’m out of breath!” she laughed, and she glanced toward Azriel in the passenger seat. “Have you had enough yet, Az?”

“Never,” he murmured, and her breath caught. She turned her focus back to the road, but kept stealing looks back at him. She seemed unsure of how to respond, but he was also lost in his own head.

He didn’t want to be the eligible bachelor. He didn’t want to annoy anyone else. He knew that he had cared for Gwyn as more than a friend for a long time – Nesta and Cassian had always encouraged him to do something about it. Nesta in particular had assured him that Gwyn felt the same way. But no matter how much Azriel had flirted she never seemed to acknowledge it, never seemed inclined to do something about it. They bantered and challenged and laughed, but never more.

But Nesta continued to be insistent. She told Azriel that there were some things about Gwyn that might keep her from acting upon her affection for him, and maybe he should make the first move. He never had, of course, for fear of rejection and fear of ruining the relationship that they had.

But now suddenly he was looking at a future where she wasn’t always there. He didn’t like the thought of that. He would go to Wendy’s for dinner instead of whatever black-tie restaurant had their reservation. But, furthermore, he would take care of her, like Cassian took care of Nesta. He wouldn’t go to events without her, and he would make sure that she was comfortable and safe while she was there. Because he would keep her close. He would always keep her close.

By the time Gwyn was pulling the car onto the driveway leading to the cabin she was only singing quietly to herself and letting him sit in his own silent thought. And as soon as she parked and turned off the car he knew exactly what he needed to do.

Without a word he ripped off the seatbelt and burst out of the car, slamming the door behind him. He was already crossing across the front when Gwyn popped out.

“What the hell, Az? The car is 16 years old you can’t just slam doors like that –“

Azriel grabbed the back of her neck and crushed his lips to hers. Gods, they were perfect – warm and lush. She inhaled shakily against his mouth and he tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. He swept his lips across hers once again before pulling away only slightly, resting his forehead against her own. They were both breathing hard, and her expression nearly sent him to his knees. Gwyn’s teal eyes were wide, shining with surprise and confusion. Her lips were swollen and her freckled cheeks stained crimson. Azriel wasn’t going to give himself enough time to question this, though.

“You’re coming to the gala,” he insisted, gaze flitting wildly between her lips and her eyes before drowning in the ocean pools. “I’m buying your ticket. On our way home after this weekend we’ll go shopping for a dress. And no matter what you wear you will be the most exquisite thing there.”

Gwyn looked up at him, chest still heaving and eyes still wide, and nodded.

“And you’re coming to every dinner and event and anything else after that. Because, no matter what you might think, I don’t want to be there if you’re not there.”

“Az –“

“And when you’re there, you won’t think about money or crowds. Because I’ll be there. I’m going to take care of you and make sure you’re safe. Because I don’t just want you to be there with all of us. I want you to be there with me. Okay, Gwyn?” His eyes bore into hers, willing her to understand, to see what was in his heart.

“Okay,” she nodded. Her breaths had quieted, her eyes were warm, and there was a ghost of a smile there. And Azriel dared to hope that Nesta had been right, and all he’d needed was to take the leap.

“Can I kiss you again, Gwyn?” he asked.

“Please,” she giggled at him, smile widening. He leaned in, this time with much more restraint and care, slanting his lips over her soft ones and gently moving against them. When he pulled away his face was plastered with a shit-eating grin, which grew impossibly bigger when he saw her blushing.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he laughed, still not believing that he had done all that, and that it had… worked?

“I… I’ve wanted you to do that for a long time.” Gwyn sighed and then dragged her bottom lip between her teeth. “So… so just to be clear. You want me… to be…?” Azriel chuckled and ran his hands down her arms and then tangling their fingers together.

“I want to date you. I want you to be my girlfriend. I don’t want to aggravate any other single ladies. I don’t want to be an eligible bachelor. I just want you. We can go to fancy dinners or charity events or the finest fast food restaurants in the metropolitan area.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and then kissed her cheek. “Will you?”

“Yes,” she breathed. “Of course, Az.” He bent his head and kissed her again. He couldn’t get enough of it. It was like he was making up for lost time.

“As her holy highness Taylor Swift said, you belong with me,” Azriel grinned devilishly. “I can’t help but be suspicious that you planned that… planned to make me fall for your beautiful voice and how adorable you are.” Gwyn tilted her head back and laughed, nearly a cackle full of amusement and contentment.

“I did not plan it, but I’m not going to complain about how it turned out.”

[cockbiteproductions]

all prime numbers in the Misc section and all multiples of 10 in the other sections

we shall go backwards as the question list was posted backwards...... (and also why i rbed it.... why is it backwards? i dont know but i love it. edit: now that ive seen question 1 it looks to me like one of those forum profile copy pastes where you fill out the entire thing and put it in your profile.)

200: My crush’s name is: hmm...... well. i would rather not say!!!! they could see this post!!!!!!! and we do not want that happening.......

190: My 1st job was: lifeguard in the summer after 9th or 10th grade i think? it was decently fun. i grew up swimming competitively so the swimming part was a breeze. the remembering what to do if someone is drowning part? a bit harder. memory bad. what to do if someone has a potential broken spine/head injury when they’re in deep water? i don’t know bud. but it involves 3 whole people to get them out. 2 in the water, one person at all times holding their head in line with the rest of their body, the other one strapping them to the board (these two people in the water switch off, too) and then one person standing on the side of the pool looking very concerned. also don’t tell anyone but sometimes if i had like a 6 am shift i would get really groggy and almost fall asleep on the stand.

180: Marriage is: whatever people make of it but unfortunately bogged down with like a lot of societal expectations. to me it just sounds like hanging with your “best” friend until you die but a lot of other people interpret it differently.

170: What did you do yesterday? LOL wouldn’t it be nice if i remembered. wait no i do remember. i woke up “early” and watched a dnd livestream and struggled through buffering from my shit wifi. then i took a nap. then i had a chipotle burrito that was way too spicy. and i played a lot of minecraft. and i wrote a bit. and i also did like another 2-3 pages of the codecademy html intro course im working on.

160: Soul mates: nope. [taylor mason voice] i don’t believe in the concept of a soul. you are compatible with some people more than others and that’s based on your values and interests and personality. nothing Soul about it. it’s fun in fanfic and fiction though, but that’s because it’s fiction.

150: Blondes or Brunettes: brunettes..... i like brown hair! but blonde is nice too.

140: Mac or PC: clown face emoji. mac. It’s A Unix System. more convenient for me. my current mac is a giant piece of shit though. though i think that’s my own fault for keeping all my old files from my old mac. shoulda started over. i think i might try to get this one factory reset or something.

130: Wal-Mart or Target: idk walmart. i go there a lot during college. walmart just has a larger selection. i used to go to target a lot as a kid though because my mom liked it more. i think it’s like slightly more bougie?

120: Gay Marriage: fuckin go for it pals. sad that it took as long as it did to become legal.

110: My Neighbors: they are nice i think. the ones to the right are teachers or something. the ones to the left are.... idk. their kids were like maybe 5 years older than me and my brother when we were growing up though and sometimes they would indulge in us tiny annoying kids and hang with us

100: Cried in front of someone: when the finale of the clone wars came out a few months ago and i was sobbing and i ran into the living room to tell my roommate and friend that i was sobbing. i was sobbing. i also recorded myself watching the entire eps and i Sure Was Sobbing.

90: Texted: actual sms text, yesterday in response to a friend who texted me a tik tok. instant messaging like 20 minutes ago to milo. i havent responded yet because im answering this and i cant multitask for shit.

89: Who makes you laugh the most: me obviously. i think i’m fucking hilarious. me aside, @redvsblue​ is the funniest person on this planet. also my friend holly irl who shares my incredibly dumb sense of humor. also you!

83: The most difficult thing to do is: hmm........ in general or for me personally? idk..... a lot? i am not a very courageous person. so i guess being brave.

79: First time you had a crush: >:( not appreciating this line of questioning that lines up with the prime numbers/mult of 10. i will not be saying as they ALSO follow me on tumblr. though they don’t use it often. shout out to middle school.......

73: Tomorrow: hopefully wake up around 1 pm at the latest. make a plum smoothie. play some more minecraft and get more netherite (new update slaps). do more coding tutorials. get some writing done. the same ol same ol.

71: Next Summer: hopefully i will have a job lined up for the fall and the pandemic is Over. i would like to just [do nothing] for the last summer Ever before job starts. if i don’t have a job then it’s Job Hunting Time.

67: The person that makes me cry the most is: what the fuck...... like in a bad way? good way? cry of laughter? sadness? me, probably. my own damn brain be like “well it’s time to think about Yourself and be sad!” i know. very narcissistic of me. also dave filoni (director, producer, writer on clone wars).

61: My Car: not really mine. i just use it. beige 201? toyota camery. my brother tried to convince my dad he needed it more than i did last school year. my brother, who lived on campus in boston and flies to school from nc when he goes there, needs the car more than me, who lived off campus and drove to and from school to get back to nc, thinks he needed the car more than me. what a guy.

59: The movie I cried at was: last movie huh......... when was the last time i saw a movie? idk probably the rise of skywalker when leia died. i don’t know. i sure as hell didn’t cry at cats.

53: How do you like your steak cooked: i am vegetarian.

47: Who’s your best friend: @worthyghouls​ i guess. but also concept of “best friend” is so weird. No Best Friends. just lots of people i am good friends with. feels weird to all my other friends to pick One of them and be like “well i like you more than everyone else” :)

43: Do you have a 5 year plan: only in the vaguest vaguest vaguest sense. i would like to graduate with my bs degree. i would like to live in a city (doesn’t have to be a super big one. where im at rn is fine). i would like to have my first or second job i feel comfortable doing related to the degree i am getting. i would like to live in my own apartment (with roommates)/not with my parents. i would like to not be rent burdened. i would like my roommate to know how to take care of a cat or be okay with helping me learn how to take care of one. i would like to have a cat with said roommate. and that’s about it tbh. not very ambitious, i know. i just want a simple life......

41: Have you pre-named your children: bold of you to assume i will have children. no. if i ended up with child it would be like that tag on ao3 called “accidental baby acquisition” and i would name it on the spot.

30: Actress: hmm..... lauren marcus. lauren lopez. does fiona nova count if she’s going to be in rvb zero? also lindsay jones. aubrey plaza. idk. not many actresses i follow from project to project. it’s more i will see them in something and appreciate them in that role immensely. 

20: Holiday: halloween is pretty chill. just getting candy from strangers? dope. scary aesthetic? amazing. i also like christmas just for the sole fact that i get time off from [life].

10: Restaurant: a favorite restaurant??? who has one of those???? i sure don’t. and i’m not gonna say something cringey like olive garden or mcdonalds. i simply do not have one.

[mamerto8odld]

How Good Are BigCommerce’s Template Designs?

Best ecommerce builder for large and businesses that are fast-growing. Our independent research projects and impartial reviews are funded in part by affiliate commissions, at no cost that is extra our readers. What Are the professionals and Cons of BigCommerce? BigCommerce is a premier ecommerce platform makes it possible for you to definitely create an store that is online. It lets you set up your store, add products, and also make money through your site. But that’s not totally all. BigCommerce is a ecommerce that is specialized, meaning it’s designed to help you sell online. With tons of built-in features, data tools, and more, BigCommerce is most beneficial for large or fast-growing businesses. You won’t outgrow this platform any time in the future! BigCommerce’s clients include big brand names like Toyota, Kodak, and Ben & Jerry’s. For small businesses seeking to scale up, BigCommerce boasts an impressive average development of 28% for its clients year on year. That isn’t just hype. Here at Website Builder Expert, we carry out thorough research on all the builders we review. We put each one through hours of rigorous user scoring and testing. We compare, analyse and dig deep into every builder’s features, pricing, design flexibility, customer care, and sales tools. BigCommerce was no exception: we put the platform through its paces, and it came a solid third overall of the many ecommerce builders we tested (beaten only by Shopify and Wix). BigCommerce was also number 1 for website features, and was only behind Shopify with regards to stumbled on sales features. Could BigCommerce end up being the perfect ecommerce builder for you? Find out once we shine a spotlight in the quality of its features, ease of use, template designs, and much more. Time is money, so let’s get going! How Easy is BigCommerce to Use? As a company owner, you want to spend as time that is much possible caring for your prospects, shipping products, and watching your profits go up; you don’t want to spend precious hours trying to reformat a text box. That’s why ease of use is really so important, and just why we research it so thoroughly. So how did BigCommerce do within our ease of use testing? To be honest, it had been fairly average. BigCommerce scored 3.3/5 stars for simplicity of use, with people finding it 14% more challenging to use than Shopify. The reason that is main struggled with BigCommerce was its design interface. It’s split between two areas when you’re creating your store. One is where you add products and manage the "behind the scenes" areas of your store - for instance, discounts and shipping - while the other is where you edit your storefront. To combat this, we recommend setting up the inventory portion of your store first.

The Truth About BigCommerce

Upload all your products, add items such as for instance discounts, then go directly to the storefront editor to personalize your storefront. The news that is good, BigCommerce has recently released a brand new and exciting feature in order to make designing your store easier than ever! The latest visual merchandising tool is called Store Design, and means you can observe the consequences of the edits. This new feature makes BigCommerce significantly more customizable. Something that remains a consistent problem with BigCommerce is its terminology. It’s very complex, and this makes it unsuitable for beginners. You should be familiar with the terms that are technical or else you might waste lots of time just finding out whatever they mean - which, let’s face it, is a lot less fun than actually building your store. BigCommerce is an ecommerce builder built to carry stores into big business. Think of it like a jumbo jet: it’s got all of the powerful tools necessary to take your online store on a long-haul flight, without you being forced to change planes halfway through. However, you won’t be able to fly it straight after passing your pilot’s exam! With great power comes great complexity, and BigCommerce is not perfect for anyone who’s not savvy that is tech. However, the recent launch of the Store Design tool is a great step. It shows BigCommerce is listening to its users’ feedback, and it is making its builder simpler to use. Inside our user testing, 56% of people said they were prone to recommend BigCommerce. Regarding the whole, they liked the effectiveness of BigCommerce’s features,the ease of this onboarding process, and the professional quality for the builder. "It supports you in having the job done and is incredibly professional. What people found tricky was the language that is technical BigCommerce favors. It took people longer to get to grips with because of the true amount of enhanced functions. "Yes it’s difficult, but you can see why. It’s because it’s basically there to operate your online business for you. They are things people that are real to express when they tried out BigCommerce. It’s not the quickest or easiest platform to create an online store with as you can see. However in the long run, its powerful features can make running your company super easy. BigCommerce has been named a solid Performer by Forrester Research in two recently released reports, one on B2C commerce suites and something on B2B commerce suites. These Forrester reports evaluate and score the most commerce that is significant, to be able to guide digital businesses in selecting the right technology because of their needs. Are you considering another satisfied BigCommerce customer? Test it for yourself free of charge and tell us how you found it!

So what are these amazing features we carry on on about? BigCommerce has the best in-house features of any ecommerce builder. These provide a high quality level and minimize the reliance you've probably on 3rd party apps. You effectively have everything you need right close at hand, as well as for no extra cost. BigCommerce could be the ecommerce that is only on the market which enables you to sell physical, digital, and service-based products and never having to use an app. All of these sales types are already built into the editor. This implies less hassle and less cost, since you don’t need to worry about using alternative party apps. As soon as you’ve got your entire products set up and ready to sell like hot cakes, you will need a way to get paid! Unlike various other ecommerce builders, BigCommerce doesn’t lock you into its own payment gateway. Better still, it doesn’t impose transaction fees on any of its plans. Instead, it allows you to choose your own payment gateway without imposing any extra charges or transaction fees. You’ve got over 65 integrated payment gateways to choose from. With one-click setup, mobile payments, and multiple currencies supported, BigCommerce does its better to get you paid fast. To assist you succeed, BigCommerce has generated relationships with payment providers to cut back your costs. For instance, all BigCommerce plans do not have transaction fees, and come with pre-negotiated rates for PayPal. The longer you stay with BigCommerce and upgrade through its price plans, the reduced your rates will go - in reality, they could drop from 2.9% all of the way down seriously to 2.2%, or sometimes even lower! BigCommerce offers you a range of shipping options. You may get shipping that is real-time, offer free shipping to your customers, and print shipping labels, all with BigCommerce’s third-party integrations. BigCommerce now offers its very own service that is all-in-one next-level shipping tools. Simply install the new BigCommerce Shipping app at no cost, and enjoy special discounts (up to 80% off!) with USPS, DHL, and FedEx. Keep your customers satisfied with shipment tracking, in-store pickup, and next day delivery, and also make your personal life easier by automating your shipping operations. BigCommerce Shipping is sold with a great deal of perks, however the main one is the fact that it is possible to manage your entire shipping from a single central hub. Shipping can be a challenge, but BigCommerce aims to offer tools that are powerful minimum fuss. BigCommerce has got the amount that is largest of built-in features of any ecommerce builder. This includes the all-important SSL Security certificate, which encrypts user data in order to make online payments safe. Almost as important as an SSL certificate is the selection for abandoned cart recovery.

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Government to business (G2B)

Mobile-friendly design themes with full control of CSS/HTML

1000+ channels reach

9:00 a.m. Aug. 26, 2020

7-step process (below) I suggested a week ago and apply them

BusinessWire - BZX

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[lilibetts]

The E(X) Files

S1E01: Descent Into Eldervair

“Welcome to Eldervair Court, please enter your code now,” the pleasant, computerized female voice prompted. Betty groaned, because of course she had stopped the white Toyota Highlander too far away to reach the keypad. In her defense, this car was given to her by the Bureau as a part of her cover and she'd only been driving it since this afternoon. The thought of the mountains of paperwork she'd have to fill out if she so much as scratched its paint filled her with dread.

“Please enter your code now,” the recording prompted again. Was it her imagination or did the recording sound exasperated? Betty cracked the driver's side door open a fraction and leaned through the window to punch in the numbers she had memorized the night before.

“Please enter your co-- Welcome home, Mrs. Fletcher.”

“I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that, do you, Snookums?” The sardonic male voice piped up from the passenger seat.  

Betty breathed through her nose, silently counting down from ten before she turned to glare at her pretend husband for the next few weeks. Agent Forsythe Pendleton Jones (“the third, unless you have a daddy or necrophilia kink”), aka Jughead, was partially slouched in the seat.  He no longer sported his ever-present crown beanie, though Betty wouldn't put it past him to have it stashed in a box somewhere. For someone who had his head covered most of the time, his hair looked criminally good.

And Betty had a right to complain- the humidity had made her hair wavy and frizzy. Inherit her mother's 'great hair' genes, she did not.

“Speak for yourself, Buttercup.”

Jughead wasn't Betty's usual partner, but Kevin was taking a well-deserved vacation. (His reaction, when he found out Jughead and Betty would be partners? “Oh dear god, there'll be no self-restraint there. None.”). Jughead didn't have a usual partner; he'd been heading up the X-Files division on his own in his tiny basement office.

She wasn't sure if she'd been partnered with Jughead because she was one of the few agents who didn't make fun of him, either behind his back or right to his face, or because her superiors were tired of her go-getter personality and quick close rate on cases.  Or they had decided 'who better to pretend to be husband and wife than two agents who used to be married to one other?'

Barely sparing a glance at her ex-husband fidgeting in his seat, Betty moved the gearshift back into 'Drive' and steered the vehicle through the now open gates.

Eldervair Court was a massive, walled community in upstate New York— built into a partially cleared section of Fox Forest. As they began to make their way down the winding drive, the multitude of trees gave attractive cover, but nearly blocked out the sky entirely. Given that the weather that day was overcast with gray skies, Betty was immediately unsettled by how isolated she already felt from the world beyond the walls.

The trees faded away just enough to reveal rather enormous but attractive red-brick houses, each on top of a sloping grass hill, with stone steps and pathway leading to the front door. Georgian architecture, Betty thought. Maybe revival, maybe original. Just how old was this community? They hadn't been able to figure out when Eldervair Court was incepted.

The houses were all completely identical; the lawns perfectly manicured with attractive rows of rose bushes. Not a single speck of what might be termed 'character' could be found. They looked, for lack of a better word, perfect.

It gave Betty war flashbacks to her own childhood.

“These aren't houses,” Jughead muttered, right leg jiggling anxiously as he stared out the window. “These are mini-mansions.”

Betty frowned, the surrealism getting to her. “Yeah, I wouldn't say it's all very Stepford Wives, but...”

“More David Lynch's Blue Velvet meets Tim Burton?”

“Something like that.”

As she turned into the driveway, Betty spotted an expertly coiffed redhead in a black sleeveless blouse and red palazzo trousers standing up on the porch with a ruby-red grin on her face. Clearly she was the welcoming committee.

“Showtime,” Betty muttered as she plastered on the smile she'd learned from Alice Smith Cooper.

“It's almost like meeting your mother all over again,” Jughead groused under his breath, eyes trained on the woman on their new porch. Betty didn't even dignify that with a glare.

As they exited the SUV, the moving truck with two other agents backed up into the space next to them. The weather here was still warm for late September, so Betty had dressed semi-casually according to a popular Fall Fashion Pinterest board and Jughead wore a nice pair of new black trousers and a blue sweater that did fantastic things for his eyes.

(She'd given him that sweater several Christmases ago.)

The redhead sauntered up to them on towering red stilettos. “Bonsoir, Fletchers!” She trilled. Now that they were closer, Betty could make out the shape of the woman's broach— it was a spider.

"'Will you walk into my parlour?' said the Spider to the Fly.

She was met at the top of the driveway by a petite pink-haired woman, this one dressed in all black and floral platform ankle boots. Once she struck the perfect couples pose, the redhead addressed Betty and Jughead: “Welcome to Eldervair Court, we're the Topaz-Blossoms and yes, we're domesticated lesbians.”

“Cheryl,” the pink-haired woman scolded lightly, the soft smile on her face telling Betty she was used to her wife's dramatics.

“Sorry TT, I didn't mean to engage in bisexual erasure. 'Domesticated lesbians' just has a better ring to it. Forgive me, mon amour?” Their noses rubbed together in an Eskimo kiss before Cheryl remembered her new neighbors existed. “As you can see, EC is a progressive, open-minded community, as long as you keep your lawn up to regulations!”

Sensing that Jughead was about to make a sarcastic comment, Betty beat him to the punch. “That's wonderful! I'm Juliet and this is my husband, Holden,” she introduced them, patting a hand on Jughead's chest to warn him to watch his mouth.

And also sell that they were definitely a married couple, not a pair of divorced FBI Agents. Nothing to see here, let's move on.

“I'm Toni,” Pink Hair said with a small wave. “Cheryl and I live two doors down, next to the Andrews'.”

Cheryl clapped her hands. “Now that we've dispensed with the niceties, since you two took your sweet time arriving, we're going to have to hurry if you're going to make the six o'clock cutoff.”

“Cutoff?” Jughead frowned. Glancing down at her phone, Betty saw it was 4:51.

“The six o'clock cutoff? All move-ins must be completed by 6 PM. It's in the R&Rs.” Cheryl intoned, as if that ought to have been obvious.

Toni at least had the grace to look regretful. “Yeah, you're really going to need to brush up on the Rules & Regulations. They're the price we pay to keep this community successful.”

“We'll definitely read it through carefully,” Betty promised. “It's just been so busy lately, what with the move and all...”

Cheryl had already whipped out her phone and her thumbs flew over the screen. “I've conscripted some of your new neighbors into helping with the unload. With my superior delegating skills, we'll have you moved in in no time at all!” With a flip of her hair over one shoulder, she was off, barking out orders at the people crossing the street towards them; Toni made a beeline for the moving van.

Betty and Jughead shared a look before they made their way to the front door. In front of the columns on either side of the porch sat two statues, their grotesque features seeming to leer at her. Gargoyles. They were gargoyles. A shiver made its way down her spine.  Keep it together, Betty, she told herself as she slid the key they'd been sent into the lock.

From the entryway, the view of the home was magnificent, there was no other word for it: high ceilings, paneled walling, and tall windows that let in plenty of light. There was a sweeping staircase and the hardwood floors looked to be dark maple and wide planked.  Jughead curled a proprietary arm around her back, resting his hand on her hip.

“Now, Lambchop, what do you think? Is this the place for us or what?”

They'd lived in a tiny two-bedroom in Queens, a paradise before Jughead's undercover gang assignment destroyed them from afar.

“It's right out of a dream, Bugaboo.”

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Shaking off her sudden melancholy, Betty turned at the sound of heels on hardwood on to face Cheryl's approach. “This place is downright immaculate,” she pretended to gush. “I would love to send the previous owners a Thank You note.”

Cheryl made a disinterested noise. “Whatever suits your sensibilities, Juliet dear. You can give it to me and I'll send it on to them,” she said with eyes downcast, pretending to study a scuff mark on the floor.

No, you certainly won't, Betty thought with a vicious stab of satisfaction at catching someone in a clear lie. Because Dilton Doiley was dead and his wife, Ethel, had gone missing.

A steady stream of people with boxes started coming through the open door. In the distance, Betty could see their undercover movers unloading the first of their carefully selected furniture. Now, there was a job: join the FBI and use your interior design degree to stage undercover agents' homes to help sell their cover.

“So,” Cheryl carefully enunciated. “What is it that you do?”

“Oh, I'm the social media manager for an event planning company in the city and Hols here is working on his third novel.” Betty beamed with pride at her pretend husband's achievements. Thanks to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, it was disturbingly easy to backstop Holden Fletcher's novelist career in such a way that it was believable that the couple could afford to live in Eldervair Court.

The Bureau hired out-of-work English Majors and MFA degree-holders to do things like this, too.

Cheryl made another noise, clearly not impressed by what it is that they do.

That's when it got a bit weird. A redheaded man, who had been introduced to them as 'Archiekins' by his immaculate wife in pearls and a dark plum sheath dress, shouted out the time.

“5:40!”

The stream of neighbors turned into frenzied rapids. Before they knew it, all the boxes were inside, as well as the furniture, if not in the exact room they belonged. By 5:58, everyone was exiting the house with words of welcome and half-formed plans to have dinner tomorrow night.

“We'll leave you to it. Toodles, Neighbors!” And with that, Cheryl closed the door with a flourish behind her.

“Dear god,” Betty groaned, shoulders slumping.

“Yeah, nothing weird going on here at all,” muttered Jughead before he turned away from the front door. “Hold on, you didn't let me carry you over the threshold—“

Betty simply rolled her eyes and made her way toward the kitchen. They'd brought two coolers full of food to last them until they could go grocery shopping tomorrow. The Bureau had only intended to give them one, but Betty had renegotiated the second, knowing what kind of appetite Jughead had. She wanted to get the perishables into the fridge before it was too late.

She stopped short when she caught sight of the two items on the granite countertop. “Ju-” she caught herself in time. “Sweetie, come see what our neighbors left us!” she called out.

In less than two seconds she felt the heat of him at her back. “Well, wasn't that nice of them?”

Next to the enormous, spiral-bound binder that proclaimed 'Eldervair Court: Rules and Regulations' on the cover, was an ivory box with two detailed black-and-white creatures stenciled onto it. Inside the ornate red frame, written in Gothic lettering were the words:

Gryphons & Gargoyles

[valentionline-blog]

Chemistry...

“No, this trick won't work... How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?”

― Albert Einstein

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”  

― Carl Gustav Jung

You always hear about “chemistry” between two people. It was always one of those things that I thought was just a myth... an old wife's tale. That “spark” between two people was simply a generic attraction.... UNTILL.... I met... let’s call him “B”.

It wasn’t until my early 30’s that I felt that “spark” that undeniable “chemistry” that, until then, I ‘d only just heard about...  Now, do not get me wrong, I’d had my share of relationships, boyfriends, one-night stands, heartbreaks, experimental conquests even... But nothing like what happened with B.  I had been in love... been hurt, been played, been cheated on, been heartbroken... I thought at 30 years old I had “done it all” ... Then I met B and he floored me... and I mean literally FLOORED me.  

I had recently moved to San Diego, CA and was having fun getting some attention on a site called Fling.com... Not even sure if it is still active but back then it was populated with mostly younger people... I think at 30 (although, I must admit, at 30 I could have passed for early 20’s) I was one of the oldest females on there. I honestly don’t even remember how I came across B but I did... He was also in San Diego and just turned 30. From the start there was a mutual connection with B, not only was he in San Diego but he was originally from about 30 miles from my hometown, he had an area code that I was extremely familiar with... the good old 707 area code- V-Town (V being Vallejo, CA)… He too had recently moved to San Diego and I felt that is was fortuitous meeting him.  

Anyhow, we texted back and forth for a few days and finally I agreed to meet him... A first date... A real date... Honestly, up until the I had never had a real first date... not even a real date... I guess you could say my relationship history and love life was pretty pathetic... Anyhow, we planned to meet close to my neighborhood at the South Park Abbey and Grill. They typically had local live bands and a pretty decent scene.  

I arrived on time in my 2007 white BMW 328i (I was quite proud of that car)…. He was late... So late in fact, I went home and came back. When finally, he arrived in his late model black Toyota truck, we went inside and found a table... there really wasn't much chance for privacy or intimacy as It was packed and very loud. B did most of the talking as I tend to be shy, I mostly sat and smiled at what he was saying but I couldn’t hear very well anyhow. We ordered a couple of beers and some hot wings... I do not eat hot wings... they are too hot (go figure)… But being agreeable, I went along with his suggestion. Now these were not just your average hot wings these were like straight from the devil himself EL SCORCHO hot wings... Immediately, I felt my face turn bright red as my taste buds melted... I was in pain...  

I was utterly amazed by how non pretentious and “real” B was, he was easy to be around and very laid back. I was off thrown by his petite stature as his Fling.com profile boasted a larger 6 feet height and in person he was maybe 5’9” at best... Surprisingly, this only made him more attractive, it was endearing. Conversation went on as did the evening and eventually it was time to go... He wanted me to go to his house which I refused... I did however, allow a kiss.... And this kiss was my magical fireworks in my head chemistry moment... I am not exaggerating when I say that it floored me, my knees were weak, my heart pitter-pattered and I went down... played it off as clumsiness but I was caught off guard. I was hit by that chemical spark for the first time in my 30+ years there in that parking lot leaning on the door of my car...  

Long story short, I blew it with B... I had the chance for something real and I failed. I ended up hurting us both... We will have that occasional, “happy birthday” or “Merry Christmas” text but that is all.... Which is ok because our lives have moved on, it was over 10 years ago... But dang did it hit me. HIT me HARD and I fell... and still he is still the man of my dreams. He is my “one that got away.”  

[evolving-kalopsia]

Chapter one rough

“Medic 17, you’ve code 3 traffic at 2765 N Locus Ave. 37 year-old male complaining of chest pain and anxiety. No further info.”

Drew looks across the cab of the ambulance at his partner and flashes him a grin. “That’s dinner, Junk.”

“Fucking Albert!” Junk yells, putting the rig in drive as Drew hits the lights and sirens. “He’s not due to call for at least two days. Maybe he’s actually dying, for once. Don’t you still owe dinner from Margaret’s last call?”

“Nope. I got Thai for that one.” Drew says proudly.

“Fuck. Yeah.” Junk responds, slamming the shifter into drive.

The ambulance heads out of the parking lot and Junk hits the lights and sirens. Rush hour just ended, traffic is still a bit heavy. The ambulance weaves it’s way slowly through drivers that seem to have never seen an ambulance in their rear-view mirror before.

“Fucking Albert.” Junk repeats, gesturing at the Toyota in front of them. “And this fucking guy! Don’t stop, shit-head! Move the fuck over!”

The car in front slams on it’s brakes, pulling one of the three textbook panicked driver moves: brake slam, pulling to the left or staying the course, crawling at a slow crawl.

“Asian and female.” Drew says, upping the bet, “and I get dessert, too”

“Just because your Asian female can’t drive doesn’t mean they’re all like that.” Junk says as the car finally figures out that the screaming sirens behind it aren’t going around and pulls off to the right, halfway through the crowded intersection of stopped vehicles.

As the rig kicks forward again, they both look out the passenger window, “what the fuck” expressions already loaded on their faces.

The driver waves apologetically, mouthing sorry over and over as they pass.

The ambulance screams ahead, clear roads for a few more blocks. Ten per over the limit is what they’re allowed per company policy. Apparently Junk missed that page in the handbook.

“Well that was a surprise.” Drew says, looking in the side view mirror.

“Cute little white girls ain’t exempt from bad driving” Junk admonishes.

“Very cute.” Drew corrects him.

Junk looked sideways at Drew. “That’s creepy, old man.”

“It’s only creepy if I say it first.” Drew says, putting on his best creep smile.

Junk gives him a disgusted look and says “No, it’s creepy when you have that look on your face when you say it.” 

Drew feigns irritation, “It’s not a look, ok? It’s just my face, I can’t help the way I was born.”

“Exactly. Which is why everything you say is creepy.” Junk turns right onto Farley Ave.  Quicker than he should, jerking the wheel back to the left to avoid a dog in the street.

Drew barely glances up from his electronic chart, already halfway finished with it. He and Junk have been partners for seven years, Drew knows that Junk is all-pro behind the wheel. Seven years of fun and blood and guts, life and death. Buffoonery and bullshit. Seven years of betting meals at the beginning of the week, based on which frequent-flyer is going to call first.  

“Turn the fucking wheel, geezer!” Junk yells at the Buick ahead, the driver stopping halfway into the right lane.

“Shouldn’t assume they’re old. That’s profiling.” Drew says, chuckling.

“S’ a fucking Buick, man. Ain’t nobody under the age of sixty-five driving no Buick.” Junk says, waving out the window at nobody.

“Profiling.” Drew repeats

“Man, I am really not in the mood to smell Albert’s house today. Not at all.” Junk moans, thinking about what lies ahead;

Morbidly obese, 47 year-old diabetic, asthmatic, congestive heart failure, kidney failure, non-bathing rage-inducing EMS system-abusing Albert fucking Piffle.

As they pull up to Albert’s neighborhood, Junk kills the lights and sirens. The less people in this neighborhood that know an ambulance is sitting unguarded in the street, the better.

“Tonight’s the night. I can feel it” Junk says, pulling up in front of Albert’s trash-strewn lawn. “He ‘gon ride the lightning, we’re working him.”

“You keep saying it, and he keeps living. You’re jinxing us one way or another.” Drew grabs the computer off the dash as he gets out of the rig.

“Lock it, I’m not in the mood to go pawn-hopping on my day off.” Junk pushes his door lock down with his finger, the automatic locks long past working in this death-defying death trap of an ambulance.

They pull the gurney out, loaded with equipment they know they won’t need; Drug box, cardiac monitor, airway bag chock full of things they might use if this were a legitimate call. But it’s just Albert. He probably dropped his can of Spaghetti-O’s under the couch again. Or the TV remote is missing, stuck in a roll of back fat from the last time he managed to get moved from the couch and back under his own power. Or Albert’s just feeling extra bored and lonely. They bring the equipment even though they know they’ll be walking out of Albert’s shithole house, reeking of sweat and cat piss so bad they’ll change uniforms in the street before getting back in the rig.

They bring all that heavy, cumbersome equipment in because it’s got less chance of being ripped off in the house than out in the rig.

And the day they don’t lug all that shit in is the day they find Albert face-down in his own puke. Not so dead they can call it a night right there. They’ll find him just dead enough that they’ll have to actually work him. Roll his 400 lb carcass over and start compressions, cut his filthy clothes off and get him hooked up to the cardiac monitor, try to get at least one I.V. started, as well as call for assistance from another crew or two, just to get his ass on to the gurney in the event they actually get his ruined heart to start pumping blood again.

Junk leading the gurney, he doesn’t ring the bell or knock, doesn’t yell “EMS” into the house like he normally would. This is Albert. Junk just walks in, dragging the gurney with him as Drew pushes it from the rear, the wheels rolling across the stained carpet, a shade of some unnamable color distantly related to brown.

“Al!” Drew yells through his paper mask, donned by both of them automatically before reaching the porch. Not out of fear of catching anything, but from a lack of desire to smell the inside of Albert’s house. The masks barely do anything at all. Just enough to keep them from retching.

“Al!” He repeats, catching Junk’s quick glance back at him. It’s not like Albert to not answer.

Avoiding the piles of boxes and junk, they round the corner to the living room where they always find him; on the filthy couch surrounded by empty soda cans and chip bags and crusty food plates. Laptop opened on the snack tray, usually some Sci-Fi on the one large flat-screen tv, xbox or playstation on the other.  He’d always yell “Here guys!” when they’d call for him and it would make them grin, ever since Junk compared him to Sloth from the Goonies.

Junk stops as the room enters his field of view and looks back at Drew with an unamused smirk. Albert is on the couch, Xbox controller in his hands and a brand-new set of expensive-looking headphones over his ears.

Drew stares at him for a moment, a similar smirk on his face.

“Albert!” he yells. It gets Al’s attention and he jumps, risks a glance away from the screen and then he’s back in sniper mode.

“Hey guys.” Albert mutters, focusing on the screen.

Drew walks over as Junk heads back outside, pushing the gurney and cursing the whole way. He pulls the headphones off Albert’s head and sighs loudly.

“What’s the deal, Al?” Drew asks, looming over Albert.

“I kept reading online about how much better it is if you have headphones, you know? Like to hear guys’ footsteps and stuff when they sneak up? So I ordered these, they’re really good, Drew!” Albert says, grinning like a great big man-child with too few teeth and too many comorbidities.

“No, Al,” Drew exhales “why did you call for us? Dispatch said chest pain. I don’t give two shits about your headphones or electronic addiction.”

“Oh yeah sorry. Fucker! Fucking campers.” Albert yells, distracted by Call of Duty again as his character on screen dies.

Drew steps between Al and the T.V. and for a second Al looks like he’s going to object, but Drew’s eyebrow raise squashes his momentary outrage.

“I’m sorry, Drew. I had some chest pain, but I think it was just some anxiety. The internet was out for like an hour and I was starting to lose it a little. I forgot to call back. I’m good now, though.” Albert says, simultaneously giving an apologetic look and trying to see around Drew, who shifts his weight and keeps his vision blocked.

“One of these days, I’m going to come in here and take all your controllers and leave. I’ll show you some anxiety.” Drew says, making hard eye contact for a moment.

Albert’s eyes go a little wide, unsure how serious the threat is. He fidgets and reaches down next to the couch, grabbing a fresh battery off the charger and starts changing batteries on his controller.

Seriously? That’s not even funny, man. I said sorry.” Albert apologizes almost sincerely, putting his controller down on the arm of the filthy couch.

The voice in Drew’s head is telling him to let it alone, to just get on with his shift. But he can’t. No matter how burnt out he is, he has to try every time. Even just a little “Samantha still your case worker?” he asks, knowing full well that she is.

Albert’s eyes light up at the mention of the pretty girl that comes to his house once every other month to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on his paperwork so his handout money keeps coming in.

“Oh yeah, Sam was here last week. She looked hot.” Albert grins like a lovesick child.

“Sure. Right now,” Drew says “her Grandmother is dying on the kitchen floor, just three blocks away. I could be over there helping, but I’m here babysitting you. Maybe I’ll get out of here and catch that call. Have enough time to save her. Or maybe next time you see Sam, she’s a little less bubbly because she’s mourning the death of her beloved Grammy because it took the next available crew twenty minutes to get to her.”

“Her Grandmother’s dying? Right now?” Albert asks, almost panicked.

“Jesus!” Drew yells. He grabs the controller out of Albert’s hands and gets down low, points at his face.

“Stop abusing the fucking system, Albert. I’m not coming next time, I mean it.” Drew exclaims, holding eye contact before turning away and heading towards the door.

“Come on, man! Give me back that controller! Please? I won’t call again!” Albert pleads.

“If I don’t see you for a month, I’ll bring it back.” Drew yells as the door slams behind him.

“Oh C’mon!” Albert yells to the empty house.

He sits for a moment, wondering if Drew was serious about Sam’s Grandmother. He reaches down next to the couch and grabs another controller, mumbling “Whatever, sucker. You’ll be back.”

Junk’s already changed into a fresh uniform and packed the gear back up, taking a drag off his vape and says “Did you kill him? Please tell me you killed him.”

“My name’s not diabetes.” Drew mutters, still irritated  as he kicks off his boots and drops trou on the sidewalk, then pulls off his shirt and grabs his backpack from one of the outside compartments, pulls out clean clothes.

Junk takes another pull and offers it to Drew. “Want some? Helps get the smell out of your nose.”

“No” Drew refuses “ But you do look damn sexy sucking that robot dick. I see a future for you in robo-porn. You could be a pioneer.”

“You’re about to become famous, yourself.” Junk replies, motioning up the street. A group of young clowns two doors down have their phones out and are snapping pics of Drew in his skivvies.

Drew looks back at them and waves. “I’d better not see those on Ebay!” he yells, pulling his pants on.

A combination of laughs and catcalls come back, as well as “Chicken legs.”

Drew mocks surprise, turns to Junk. “Do I have chicken legs?”

Junk blows raspberry-scented vapor at him and laughs. “Yep. Chicken from neck to nuts, too. Speaking of, it’s taco time.”

Junk gets in the rig and starts it up, starts to pull away as Drew jogs to catch up and hop in before he gets left in this shitty neighborhood.

[gizmologi]

Toyota Fun Code Gelar Kompetisi Programer untuk Generasi Muda

Toyota Fun Code Gelar Kompetisi untuk Generasi Muda

Kompetensi di bidang IT merupakan salah satu kunci utama untuk salah satunya merebut peluang bisnis di era industri 4.0. Hal itu dikatakan Anton Jimmi Suwandy, Direktur Marketing PT Toyota-Astra Motor (TAM) di sela-sala Toyota Fun Code di Jakarta pekan lalu (15/8/2019).

Tak hanya menggelar berbagai aktivitas pengembangan generasi muda seperti Toyota Dream Art Car Contest maupun Toyota Eco Youth…

[pravin1224-blog]

Once upon a time I used to know a 13 year old boy who was convinced that he was destined to become something spectacular in life .

Then one day, he grew up.

Soon, the day slipped into years . And the years into decades . Until one fine morning when he looked into the bathroom mirror and found a stranger in there. A stranger who reminded him of a typical non-hero character out of a Woody Allen movie, someone who was standing at intermission and unable to account for the thousands of days that had slipped by, taking all his innocent and absurd dreams with them.

That 13-year old boy used to be me . Or maybe he used to be you. The you, you left behind – at misty bends and messy ends, as you went about earning your scars and chasing illusions you mistook for real life.

Time is indeed a queer commodity that is reconstructed in memories and deconstructed in regrets as it goes by. Most of us sleepwalk through our youth in trying to win some kind of identity . Then we stumble upon middle age & scramble to preserve that identity . And suddenly, standing at mid-point , we realize that somewhere in this medley of all the artificial races we were enlisting in, we have quietly let go of our greatness. Partly by default , partly by design. The first pangs of urgency hit us. We know this is no dress rehearsal. It is our own life that is gliding past. We straighten up and reach for it. 

In many ways, 2019 has been that year for me. The year of pause and reset. The year of recalibration so as to find my personal 2.0. Agree, it might not fetch me that Olympic medal or get me a phone call from Stockholm in this lifetime, but it should at least bring forth the best in the rest of me. Someone had written somewhere that one day in your journey, the you who you became will come face to face with the you who you could have been . This year, and in the years ahead, I have chosen to test this out with my personal toolkit, my realizations from having lived a life of sorts. At least I owe it to the 13-year old who I would like to see eye to eye as we shake hands on the other side of the finish line.

Here’s my 2.0. Do let me know if it matches with yours ?

Find your song – Like Rocky says, ‘Fighters fight..’. Likewise, painters paint. Poets write. You were born with your own song inside you, a song no one else can sing as well as you. Find it. Don’t show up at the finale with your song still unsung.

Toss it up – As we get older, we become suckers for conformity. We join the herd, and get trapped in time capsules that we legitimize as our rule book. And in the process, we lose our fluidity and edge. Find ways to toss your days. Every day is different. Each day has its unique flavor and rhythm. Discover it. Savor it. Live it.

Subtract your busyness – In today’s super connected world, it is very easy to get zombified by irrelevant chatter and numbed by FOMO ( fear of missing out). Get off the bandwagon of manufactured busyness. If anything really needs your attention, it will find its way to you somehow. You don’t need to check your phone every 30 seconds for that.

Be the best first hand You – When people talk of you in your absence, there should be 5-6 consistent things that they recall about you. That is your own personal brand. Work on it, nurture it and protect it. This is what should make people love and respect you beyond your day job title. In 2019, I de-linked my brand from my day job. Its not that I do not love my organization or my job. Far from it. But I prefer an identity that is my own. And I feel glad that I have so many friends, connections and well wishers out there who don’t care what I do as my day job.

Find your well – My favorite among Haruki Murakami’s many metaphors is the ‘bottom of a well’ thing , a place his protagonists often retreat into. We all need a well as we do our 2.0. This is where we need to disappear periodically, to lose ourselves in dark silence every day, so as to find ourselves better. You are not ready to deliver your swansong till you know all that you must know about you.

Don’t be the dinosaur in the room – Keep pace with trends & technology. There is no scientific evidence suggesting that our brains become less capable to embrace newness as we grow older. In fact, I think it is the reverse. We actually develop a wider perspective to apply new things as we have a larger platter of past experiences to draw from. Most people get stuck in the ‘good old days’ syndrome and squander off their precious 2.0 in cynicism and nostalgia. As the saying goes – The good old days were not that good. The good new days are here. And better days are coming.

Don’t be a corporate robot – Most people out there wake up, grimace at the morning news, eat breakfast, drive their Toyota Corolla to work , sit nodding in endless & pointless meetings, grumble about life's unfairness at the vending machine, ‘Like’ their boss’s stupid posts on social media, criticize Trump and Modi, go back home, watch TV and go to bed. Don’t be most people. Your 2.0 should be about finding your unique way to add value. To yourself, to your workplace and to the world you live in.

Find the smaller meaning of life – In pursuit of some unnecessary profound, we often miss the necessary ordinary. Each day is an opportunity to do our own small things for this world. Find few small things to do each day. If each of us took care of the small things, the big things will take care of themselves.

Stop chasing credit for the work you do - The world is a fair place. Every honest effort gets noticed, recorded and applauded in due course of time. Your time shall come.

Find your Zen - Human beings, by nature, are designed for stability and coexistence. This whole discourse on disruption is overrated and temporary . It will soon pass. And life will go on.

Get fit -If you miss your workout for a day, no one will notice. If you miss it for three days, you will notice. If you miss it for a week, others will notice. One of the things you need for an effective 2.0 is robust health. Respect your body. And it will pay you dividends as you slug it out there and compete in the relevance battle with people half your age.

Dress sensibly - Don’t buy skinny jeans. Donate your light coloured suits. No one might tell you so, but they make you look silly.

Decode love - In 2.0, you discover that love is not a few nice words from a Rumi’s couplet , but rather, it is a person we uncover as we grow older – in someone else, as well as in ourselves. Love during your first innings is often impulsive, hormonal & stupid. Love during 2.0 becomes something that grows & triumphs over time and circumstances. Make sure you love your partner. Also make sure you remember to tell your partner that you love her / him. Nothing silly in that.

Draw out your circle of dignity – Youth is about misadventures and compromises. Hungry to get an appreciative nod from the world, we keep making allowances. Each such allowance leaves us with a vague vacuum within, a discomfort we cannot explain . One of the things about 2.0 is plugging the vacuum by drawing your own circle of dignity, your personal code of conduct. This is the line you won’t cross, no matter how big the repercussions be.

The dude in the sky - Mark Twain ( in his 1916 classic ‘ The mysterious stranger ’) wrote – “Humanity has unquestionably one really effective weapon—laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution—these can lift at a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.” Loosen up. Every once in a while, connect with your eccentric friends. Or with your own eccentric self. You are but just a speck in the scheme of the universe which again is only a speck in the larger scheme of a drama being scripted by that brilliant playright in the sky . Don’t take yourself too seriously.

 Live fair. Stay kind. Have fun. Finish well.

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