#fastest international shipping

[pritam-2024]

Discover C3X - Your Fastest International Shipping Partner!

Say goodbye to delays with C3X, your fastest international shipping ally! Our streamlined processes guarantee swift delivery of your parcels across borders. Whether it's urgent documents or time-sensitive packages, count on C3X for efficient and reliable service. With our expertise in global logistics, we ensure your shipments arrive at their destination promptly and securely. Choose C3X for unparalleled speed and efficiency in international shipping – your satisfaction, our priority!Visit:https://www.c3xpress.com/services/international-courier-service-provider-in-dubai.ht

[tina-1233]

Unleash the Fastest International Shipping Services with C3X!

Discover a world of swift deliveries with C3X, your go-to courier and cargo partner. Our fastest international shipping solutions redefine efficiency, ensuring your packages reach their destination in record time. From seamless domestic deliveries to global shipping excellence, C3X caters to all your courier needs. Elevate your e-commerce experience with our reliable services. Experience speed, reliability, and convenience – choose C3X for the fastest international shipping that keeps your business on the move!

For  more information :- https://www.c3xpress.com/services/international-courier-service-provider-in-dubai 

[shopeyship]

Cheap International shipping calculator | Shopeyship

Looking for an efficient international shipping calculator? Your answer is Shopeyship! Shopeyship is a platform offering a comprehensive suite of global shipping services, including a user-friendly International Shipping Calculator. Seamlessly access this valuable tool for quick and accurate shipping cost estimates. Simplify your international shipping calculations with Shopeyship!

[mihirvora]

Streamlining Global Shipments: Bombino's Expertise in Custom Clearance

In the competitive world of international trade, efficiency in shipping and customs clearance can define the success of ecommerce businesses. Bombino, renowned as a leading custom clearance company, has streamlined the logistics operations for countless businesses, integrating services like fastest overnight shipping and partnering with international shipping companies for ecommerce. This article delves into how Bombino's expertise in custom clearance and shipping solutions significantly enhances the efficiency of global trade operations.

Custom Clearance Company: Navigating Complex Regulations

As a respected custom clearance company, Bombino excels in navigating the complex, often daunting landscape of global customs regulations. Effective custom clearance is crucial because it helps prevent delays that can be costly to businesses and frustrating for customers. Bombino’s role as a custom clearance company involves thorough documentation management, accurate duty assessment, and ensuring compliance with all local and international customs regulations.

Utilizing a custom clearance company like Bombino can drastically reduce the risk of shipments being held up at borders. This is particularly crucial for time-sensitive deliveries, where delays translate directly to lost revenue and potentially, lost customers. Bombino’s expertise ensures that all formalities are handled proficiently, allowing businesses to enjoy a seamless flow of goods across borders.

Fastest Overnight Shipping: Meeting Demand for Speed

Fastest overnight shipping is a service that has become indispensable in the ecommerce industry. Customers today expect quick deliveries, and Bombino’s fastest overnight shipping service meets this demand with exceptional efficiency. This service is especially beneficial for delivering high-priority items that require immediate processing due to their perishable nature or urgent demand.

Bombino's fastest overnight shipping is supported by an advanced logistics network that utilizes both technological solutions and expert human oversight. This ensures that every package is not only delivered within the shortest possible time frame but also handled with the utmost care throughout its journey. For ecommerce businesses, offering fastest overnight shipping can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and competitive edge.

International Shipping Companies for Ecommerce: Expanding Market Reach

Working with international shipping companies for ecommerce is essential for businesses looking to expand their reach across global markets. Bombino partners with top international shipping companies for ecommerce to provide comprehensive shipping solutions that cover a wide range of needs, from small parcel deliveries to large freight shipments. This collaboration ensures that ecommerce businesses can reach their customers wherever they are in the world, without having to worry about the complexities of international logistics.

International shipping companies for ecommerce must handle a variety of challenges, including managing long-haul deliveries, optimizing shipping routes, and dealing with cross-border trade laws. Bombino’s expertise and partnerships help mitigate these challenges, offering businesses streamlined logistics solutions that enhance global reach and operational efficiency.

Conclusion

Bombino's role as a leading custom clearance company, its capability to provide the fastest overnight shipping, and its partnerships with reliable international shipping companies for ecommerce collectively enhance its offering to global businesses. In today’s fast-paced market, these services are not just additional benefits but essential components of successful international trade and ecommerce.

Businesses looking to optimize their international shipping processes will find invaluable support in Bombino’s services, ensuring that their shipments are expedited efficiently and handled with the expertise required to meet both customer expectations and regulatory demands. With Bombino, businesses can focus more on scaling and less on the complexities of global logistics, confident in the knowledge that they have a proficient and reliable partner in their corner.

[betachon25]

Streamlining Freight Audit and Payment Services in the USA with Betachon Freight Auditing

In the fast-paced world of logistics, businesses rely heavily on efficient freight audit and payment services to maintain their competitive edge. Betachon Freight Auditing emerges as a trusted partner, offering the fastest and most reliable solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses engaged in FedEx international shipping within the USA.

At Betachon, we understand the complexities and challenges associated with freight auditing and payment processing. That's why we have developed a streamlined approach that combines advanced technology with industry expertise to deliver unparalleled efficiency and accuracy.

Betachon Freight Auditing is a team of experienced professionals works tirelessly to audit freight bills promptly and meticulously, ensuring that every transaction is thoroughly reviewed for accuracy and compliance. By leveraging cutting-edge software solutions, team automate repetitive tasks, minimize errors, and expedite the entire auditing process, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations without worrying about logistics and financial discrepancies.

One of the key areas where Betachon excels is in facilitating FedEx international shipping transactions. We recognize the importance of timely and cost-effective shipping solutions for businesses operating in the global marketplace. With our expertise in FedEx auditing and payment processing, we help businesses optimize their shipping strategies, identify potential cost-saving opportunities, and ensure adherence to FedEx's stringent regulations and guidelines.

Speed is of the essence in today's competitive business landscape, and Betachon is committed to delivering the fastest freight audit and payment services USA. Our streamlined approach significantly reduces the turnaround time for auditing and processing freight bills, enabling businesses to expedite payments, improve cash flow, and maintain strong relationships with their carriers and vendors.

Furthermore, Betachon's comprehensive reporting capabilities provide businesses with valuable insights into their shipping expenses, trends, and patterns. By analyzing this data, businesses can identify inefficiencies, implement corrective measures, and make informed decisions to optimize their supply chain operations and reduce overall transportation costs.

In addition to speed and efficiency, Betachon places a strong emphasis on accuracy and transparency. We conduct thorough audits to ensure that all freight charges are accurate and justified, eliminating billing errors, overcharges, and duplicate payments. Our commitment to accuracy not only helps businesses save money but also enhances trust and credibility with their stakeholders.

Betachon Freight Auditing stands out as a leading provider of fast, reliable, and cost-effective freight audit and payment services in the USA. With a focus on efficiency, accuracy, and transparency, we empower businesses to streamline their logistics operations, optimize their shipping costs, and achieve greater success in today's dynamic marketplace. Trust Betachon to handle your FedEx international shipping needs with precision and professionalism.

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @tinypaint

My name is Michelle Fus. I’m a Jewish, non-binary artist. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts for Computer Art and Animation in 2011. I’ve interned at Pixar and worked for a few years at Dreamworks Animation. Over the past ten years, I’ve self-published two books and have run three successful Kickstarters. I now work with Skybound (The Walking Dead, Invincible) in developing my webcomic, Ava’s Demon, as a physical book series for stores. I like hiking, cultivating plants, caring for my cats, and hanging out with my beautiful husband. You can read my webcomic at avasdemon.com.

Check out our interview with Michelle below!

How did you get your start in art, and more specifically, with Ava's Demon?

I’ve always been into art since I was very young. I started to gravitate towards it in first grade, where we were required to keep a daily journal. I found myself drawing in it more than actually keeping entries. From there, I got more and more interested in honing my skills as an artist. I started making my own comics for fun. I signed up for classes outside of school and put together a portfolio for the School of Visual Arts, where I majored in Computer Art and Animation. After getting my first job in the field, I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. After working my day job, I would come home and work towards building a career in comics for myself by creating and uploading my webcomic, Ava’s Demon.

What is one habit you find yourself doing a lot as an artist?

Looking things up to learn more before I make art or write. For instance, how many livable planets are in a Galaxy? What does a black hole actually look like, and can it give off light? How long would it actually take to travel through space if you had the fastest ship possible? I look up all of these things and then ignore most of them for the sake of writing a fun story and making fun art.

From idea to final piece, how long does it take for you to create something?

It depends on the feeling I want to convey. Sometimes I’ll work for a whole week on a drawing and then delete it because I just don’t feel good about it. Other times I’ll make something in a day that I absolutely love from beginning to end. Some drawings I never delete nor finish, and instead, the files just kind of sit in a folder. The time it takes varies a lot.

Over the years as an artist, what were your biggest inspirations behind your creativity?

I really love good stories. So movies and books with captivating stories usually motivate and inspire me; stories that stay with you permanently, with twists and turns that you can’t stop thinking about. I also love finding characters whose struggles I can deeply relate to. I try to hold onto those feelings and emulate them through my art.

What is the hardest part of your process?

Actually finishing a drawing. The anxiety of it piles on me sometimes. I’ll work for a while on a drawing and constantly ask myself, “Is this drawing really finished? What terrible things about it am I not seeing?”. My desire to avoid making something terrible can sometimes put me in a mental prison where I keep chipping away at a drawing until I no longer know what I am looking at.

What is one interaction you had from a fan of yours that has stuck with you over the years?

In general, I like letting young artists in middle school, and high school know that I wasn’t very good at art at their age (I really wasn’t, I didn’t have the same resources they have now, and I didn’t have any perspective on what it takes to have a career in art, it’s a different world). Kids have come to me at conventions with their work for critique and advice, and I have to tell them that they’re already miles ahead of what I could make at their age. I have to tell them that it’s okay if they can’t make what all the professionals make online, to know that they have SO much time ahead of them to work at what they love. If you love making art, do it often, study art throughout history, and over time you’ll be able to create everything your heart desires.

What is something other people find hard to draw that you find enjoyable?

I have no idea. Sometimes it feels like drawing anything is suffering, even if you like what you’re making.

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

@loish has been consistently inspiring me since my days in high school. Every new painting has so much grace and power and is so excellent to look at. Her skill in shape and form seems limitless, and I hope to someday achieve even a small fraction of her understanding of art. Seeing her new work on my timeline also makes my dopamine spike, so I’m always looking forward to updates from her.

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Michelle! Be sure to check out their Tumblr blog over at @tinypaint and follow their webcomic, Ava’s Demon, over at avasdemon.com.

[robinfrinjs]

Always There, Women in Motorsport: The fast women of la belle époque

Women's history in motorsport is rich, and that has always been the case. Most of these stories however aren’t well known and aren’t spoken about enough. Women have always been in motorsport and always will be.

Three French women, Hélène van Zuylen, Camille du Gast, and Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart are some of the fastest women from France’s La Belle Epoque (circa 1880-1914).

In 1898 Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1847-1933) (also known as the Duchess of Uzes) became the first woman in France to obtain her driver’s license. While getting out of the car she announced with delight that woman had just overcome a new barrier. Not long after she also became the first to be caught speeding for which she had to pay a five franc fine.

in 1926 she founded the first female Automobile Club, L'Automobile Club féminin de France (ACFF)

The Duchess of Uzes in 1927

Hélène van Zuylen (pictured on the cover image) was a French author but also the first woman to compete in an international auto race. Baron Etienne van Zuylen, her husband, was the President of the Automobile Club de France

She entered the 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris using the nickname Snail, while her husband used the nickname Escargot. She successfully competed the trail and entered the Paris-Berlin race in 1901 but was stopped by technical failure.

That year Hélène, a lesbian, would meet Renée Vivien with whom she would have an affair. Vivien's letters to a confidant revealed that she considered herself married to Hélène. Most of Vivien's work is dedicated to "H.L.C.B.," the initials of Zuylen's first names.

Just over a decade before she died, Hélène van Zuylen created the Renée Vivien Prize, Honoring the woman she loved and intending to give encouragement to female writers.

Hélène van Zuylen - Nouvelle Revue internationale illustrée, December 1908

Camille du Gast (1868-1942) finished 33rd (19th in class) out of 122 participants in the 1901 Paris-Berlin race. Du Gast, achieved the results despite driving her husband's 20CV Panhard-Levassor which was not designed for racing. She had to start the race in last because she was a woman. The race did mark 2 female competitors with du Gast and van Zuylen. She loved several extreme sports such as mountaineering, parachuting and frencing.

In 1902 she competed in the Paris-Vienna race and also wanted to compete in the New York-San Francisco but was refused entry because she was a woman.

In 1903 she would start the Paris-Madrid race. Which she would enter with a proper racing car, a works 5.7-litre de Dietrich car. It was a chaotic race with 207 competitors which unfortunately saw several deaths. Camille started in 29th and gained 9 positions in the first 120 km. She had climbed up to P8 before stopping to give medical aid to a fellow driver, Phil Stead (also driving a de Dietrich) involved in a near-fatal crash.

Camille du Gast in her 30 hp De Dietrich with starting number 29 during the 1903 Paris-Madrid Race

Later one of the leading drivers at that time, Charles Jarrot said that if Camille had not stopped Stead likely would have died. After an ambulance arrived she continued the race eventually finishing 44th or 45th in the shortened race.

The French government would stop the race at Bordeaux, as over half of the field (275 cars) had either crashed or retired and several drivers and spectators had died.

Open road racing was banned, so in 1904 Camille wanted to participate in the French elimination trial for the Gordon Bennett races, as the Benz factory team offered du Gast a race seat. But the Autosport Club France (ACF) banned women from racing. Du Gast published a letter in protest but the ban was defended as the ACF could not risk a woman getting injured or killed in a racing event.

Because of this she ventured to boat racing. One of those races was caught by a big storm which saw most competitors either abandon their ship or they sank. She was rescued and later declared the winner of that race.

Eventually she had to put a halt to her adventurous life when she survived an assassination attempt by her daughter. Nothing was ever the same for her after that. From that point she devoted herself to animals. She would serve as president of the 'French Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals'

NEXT UP > More female racing drivers from the early 1900s

[fandom]

Poles, podiums, and the best of the rest.

Who are all these handsome young men in colorful jumpsuits that seem to have taken over your dashboard this year? And where exactly are they going in those really fast cars????? 

Over the past few years, Formula 1 has spread into all corners of culture, and Tumblr is no exception. People around the world have learned about F1’s 70 years of history, its international circuits in cities like Monaco and Abu Dhabi, and its Grand Prix schedule of Free Practice, Qualifying, and the races themselves. Tumblr being Tumblr, though, it’s really all about the drivers: 20 of them per year, two for each of the ten official teams. Add in all the other assorted characters that orbit around the current grid, and you have quite the lineup to follow each weekend. 

F1 and its fast boys have been appearing in our Week in Review lists as far back as 2020, and on last year’s Year In Review Athletes list, drivers took up a healthy 6 out of the top 10 spots. This year, the sport’s domination of the dashboard kicked it up a notch: There was an 18% increase in engagement with the Formula 1 tag in 2022 compared with last year, and Lestappen (aka Max Verstappen/Charles Leclerc) became the very first F1 ship to hit a Week In Review ships list on July 10, 2022.

A lot of this might have something to do with the growing popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries, which follows the twists and turns of each F1 season, shining a light on the personal lives of the drivers and their team members. Tumblr’s interest in the sport just feels natural: with all of its drama, excitement, and contained, charismatic, and frequently controversial ensemble cast, it seems tailor-made for Tumblr users who enjoy sports anime and adventure dramas. 

So, what’s the pitch for F1? Whether you root for the underdog or support the champion, there’s a storyline for you. The interweaving backstories of the drivers, many of whom have grown up driving together since they were kids, are like catnip to Tumblr’s love for characters with history. And, of course, there are the races themselves—high-tech cars going hundreds of miles per hour. What’s not to love? 

Or, as @gaslightgirlsummer puts it: these men are all millionaire tax evaders trying to kill each other and/or themselves in the fastest cars on the planet (that are worth more money than most people will ever have in their lifetimes) on a weekly basis.

Whether a longtime fan or newly interested, you’ve probably seen F1 around Tumblr this year, featuring in fan art, GIFsets, and a plentiful amount of very silly memes. But, in case you’ve ever been curious about who Tumblr loves the most, here are the top 35 Formula 1 tags in 2022, featuring not just current drivers but retired drivers, reserve drivers, upcoming drivers, race engineers, and team principals, too. 

Lewis Hamilton

Charles Leclerc

Daniel Ricciardo

Sebastian Vettel

Max Verstappen

Lando Norris

Mick Schumacher

Pierre Gasly

George Russell

Carlos Sainz

Yuki Tsunoda

Valtteri Bottas

Alex Albon

Esteban Ocon

Fernando Alonso

Lance Stroll

Sergio Perez

Toto Wolff

Kevin Magnussen

Zhou Guanyu

Kimi Raikkonen

Oscar Piastri

Antonio Giovinazzi

Nicholas Latifi

Nico Rosberg

Christian Horner

Michael Schumacher

Callum Illott

Jenson Button

Mattia Binotto

Nyck De Vries

Peter Bonnington

Mark Webber

Zak Brown

Nico Hulkenberg

And, because it wouldn’t be Formula 1 without a Constructor’s Championship, here’s the ranking of teams on Tumblr: 

McLaren

Ferrari

Mercedes

Red Bull

Aston Martin 

Haas

Alpine

Alfa Romeo

Williams

AlphaTauri

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the giant tube worm!

The giant tube worm, known by scientific name Riftia pachyptila is a common marine invertebrate. Unlike the common ship parasite of the same name, this animal is found in the deep sea, only discovered in 1977 when exploring the hydrothermal vents off the Galapagos islands in the rift nearby. The range of the tube worm is concentrated at rifts and trenches formed by tectonic plates around the world, and although they are theorized to possibly be in other areas of the world, they have only been recorded in the Pacific and Indo-Pacific oceans.  Living anywhere from 2,564 - 2,673 Meters of depth (8,412- 8,770 feet) these animals have a life that is irreparable tied to the hydrothermal vents they concentrate around.

Due to their scarcity, hydrothermal vents are often misunderstood. These are fissure vents along the sea bed near volcanic activity that emits extremely heated water and chemicals. This supports environments of bacteria and archaea in the deep sea that previously could not have managed in the cold waters, with the trade off that the waters near them are anywhere from 60-440 degrees celcius (140-870 degrees fahrenheit). This works particularly well for the tube worms, as they prefer to live in warmer temperatures. In fact, when there were live specimens caught in 1998, the captive worms were found to enjoy living in environments around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. These hydrothermal vents also foster the bacteria that keep adult worms alive, the Campylobacterota phylum.

The giant tube worm has a life cycle similar to many others within its family, worms start life as free swimming planktonic organisms, which swim weakly and move via rows of cilia along the outer layer of their skin. Once they find a hydrothermal vent, this is when they enter a sessile stage as a juvenile, where they will begin acquiring the bacteria around the vent within themselves. These worms have no mouth, and the bacteria is an essential part of the organism, acting as their only source of sustenance in a kind of symbiosis referred to as chemoautotrophic symbiosis. Once they are stably rooted into a colony around a vent, these worms will grow quicker than any other deep sea animal, breaking the ideas in 1977 about how slow life in the deep sea was. They can grow around 1.5 meters within less than 2 years, reaching a total or 2 meters or 6.6ft total, giving them the fastest growing rate of any marine invertebrate known.

The campylobacterota takes root in the tube worms similar to an infection, through the skin. This bacteria will then bloom inside of its host, starting at what was once the mouth and esophagus in juvenile and larvae worms, before taking place in the midgut. This bacteria will then carve out an area within the worm called the Trophosome cavity, and the remainder of the digestive tract fills in. This bacteria subsists off of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, from which it can create all organic compounds needed to sustain life, releasing sulfur as a waste product. It gains energy by oxidizing the inorganic sulfur in a cycle similar to the calvin cycle used for photosynthesis.

After the worm has settled into its home along the vent and has entered the symbiotic cycle with bacteria, the worm will begin growing what is referred to as a husk or a shalth around it. This is a hard chitin shell that is used to prevent predation on the internals of the worm, along with protection for the trophosome cavity within. Then, above that is the vestimentum, which are muscle bands that can be used to pull in a gill structure above in the presence of predators, this is also where the genitals can be found, and the heart. The most striking and visible section of the worm is the branchial plume. This plume is a bright red color due to the extensive hemoglobin chains within it, despite the presence of sulfides, which usually inhibit hemoglobins. These plume gill structures are used for extending into colder water where more oxygen is available, along with bringing in carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfides for the bacteria.

Reproduction of this animal is not reliant on a season or specific age, but rather to the volcanic tectonic plate activity around it. During a spawning event, males within the colony will release spermatozoa into the water, which will locate female tube worms, swimming within the husk structure and into the ovaries. In laboratory specimens, this process takes only 30 seconds, but in the wild it is thought to take much longer and survival of the spermatozoa to rely upon the hydrothermal vent. Once fertilized, eggs will grow within the worm for several months, and when the hydrothermal vent conditions are right, the eggs will be released into the water column, relying on deep sea currents and buoyancy to carry them to the pelagic layer. The life cycle begins all over again.

Have a wonderful day everybody!

[sadclowncentral]

you sail!! tell us more about that. i did a course and got a licence last year but idk what to do with it now except for go online and look up people going on those long as hell trips from gdynia to mallorca and Yearn

I sail indeed!! my dad and my brother have been/are professional sailors respectively, so that sport is taken very seriously around here, and i basically grew up on sailing boats. i never became as good as my brother, who does international racing and is a captain now, but I pride myself in being a good navigator and being great at anything on the foredeck except the spinnaker, so i can stand my own. me and my brother have this beautiful boat right here, the VILA!

she is a Cayenne 42, twelve metres long, an absolute beauty but definitely not built for high sea voyages we take her on throughout the baltic sea (we bought her from lake constance, where the wind is not that strong, so she was rigged for much fairer seas) and is therefore the ship equivalent of a nervous horse - one wrong move and she tries to throw you off - but once you get attuned to that, she is one of the fastest boats i have ever been on, and that is saying something.

we spend on average a month a year on longer voyages and go racing every wednesday, so i am definitively spending a lot of time sailing, but it's absolutely worth the money, sweat tears and pain of shipyard time, and general chaos, because there is nothing on this earth better than having a beer in one hand, sheet rope in the other, staring out at nothing but blue skies and bluer water, waiting for the next maneuver. nothing.

[shopeyship]

Budget-Friendly Shipping Charges from India to USA

Exploring shipping charges from India to the USA? Shopeyship has you covered! Store and share essential information about our expansive global shipping services, encompassing transparent Shipping Charges from India to the USA. Seamlessly access a trusted partner renowned for efficient and dependable shipping solutions on this specific route.

[mihirvora]

Swift International Deliveries: Express Courier Services for Ecommerce

In the ever-evolving landscape of global commerce, the need for expedited shipping solutions has become paramount. Businesses operating in the realm of international e-commerce rely heavily on swift and reliable delivery services to meet the expectations of their customers. This article delves into the world of express courier services, highlighting their role in facilitating fast international deliveries for e-commerce businesses.

The Power of Express Courier Services

Express courier services stand out in the realm of shipping for their unparalleled speed and efficiency. These services specialize in expedited deliveries, ensuring that parcels and packages reach their destination in the shortest possible time frame. Whether it's a document, a small package, or a bulk shipment, express courier services prioritize speed and reliability.

Key Features of Express Courier Services:

Fastest Overnight Shipping: One of the hallmarks of express courier services is their ability to offer the fastest overnight shipping options. With overnight delivery capabilities, businesses can send urgent shipments and ensure timely arrival, even across international borders.

Real-Time Tracking: Express courier services provide advanced tracking systems that allow senders and recipients to monitor the progress of their shipments in real-time. This transparency instills confidence and peace of mind, as customers can stay informed about the status of their deliveries every step of the way.

Customized Solutions: Express courier services offer tailored shipping solutions to meet the unique needs of businesses engaged in international e-commerce. From specialized packaging options to personalized delivery schedules, these services adapt to the requirements of each shipment, ensuring optimal outcomes.

Enhancing International E-commerce Services

In the realm of international e-commerce, the ability to offer fast and reliable shipping solutions is a competitive advantage. International e-commerce services, powered by express courier providers, enable businesses to expand their reach and cater to customers worldwide. These services play a pivotal role in driving cross-border trade and facilitating seamless transactions across diverse markets.

Benefits of International E-commerce Services:

Global Reach: By leveraging international e-commerce services, businesses can tap into global markets and reach customers in different countries and regions. This expanded reach opens up new opportunities for growth and revenue generation, as businesses can access a broader customer base.

Speedy Delivery: International e-commerce services, powered by express courier providers, ensure swift delivery of goods and parcels to international destinations. This fast and efficient shipping process enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty, as customers receive their orders promptly, regardless of their location.

Streamlined Logistics: International e-commerce services streamline the logistics of cross-border transactions, handling tasks such as customs clearance, documentation, and compliance. By outsourcing these processes to experienced service providers, businesses can focus on their core operations while ensuring smooth and hassle-free shipping experiences for their customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, express courier services play a pivotal role in facilitating swift international deliveries for e-commerce businesses. With their fastest overnight shipping options, advanced tracking systems, and customized solutions, express courier services empower businesses to meet the demands of global commerce effectively. When integrated into international e-commerce services, these courier solutions enable businesses to expand their reach, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive success in the competitive landscape of global trade.

[loveyougoodbi]

Because my dash is full of it, I thought I'd give my own 2 cents to the Charles moving to RBR debate.

Short answer: I don't think he should. And he deffinitely won't. Under the cut is why.

First of all, I think everyone is just so so tired of Ferrari at this point that we are blindly hoping for what (we think) would be better for Charles, which at this point seems to be "anything but Ferrari". That is simply not true.

Charles signed with Ferrari for a reason. We know this. We've been saying this. I want everyone to not forget this! So ask yourself what would he gain now from moving teams right when the new regulations are about to start with so many unknowns?

Dreaming about Charles to RBR was fun last year because of Red Bulls dominant car and overall superiority to the rest of the grid. Last year moving to Red Bull was the safest option to get results. Or at least so it seemed. Last year Red Bull had a competent TP that was not in the middle of drama with one of the drivers fathers. At least not publicly. Last year RBR had the fastest car. Last year RBR had 2 more years of nailed regulations. Last year RBR had Adrian Newey.

Now RBR has internal conflicts that rival Alpine, the third fastest car, and, after this season is over, only a year with these regulations left (in which, again, they will not be the fastest car presumably. Fact is? We dont knoe and i wouldnt want him to move for an unknown, would you?), a different engine that frankly does not promise me much, and yeah, last but not least deffinitely not Adrian Newey.

So Charles would essentially be leaving a team that he has grown in, I team that has grown with him, a team that he pulled from the trenches and with his bare teeth from the hole they were buried in after the Binotto era. A team he has said time and time again he has faith in. We have seen him put his faith in. He has been saying this since the beginning of last year and guess what, the team has improved. Say what you will about this triple header, if we take this entire season into account, Ferrari is the second best acting team on the grid. With the fewest mistakes done, with the consistent fast pitstops, with really good strategies (yes, the strategies are amazing this year with some exceptions (2, both in mixed conditions) and if you don't agree you are wrong). Are they perfect? No. But neither are McLaren. Neither is Red Bull.

I get this looks bad. But praying for Charles to go to another team after each misstep is taking it a bit too far I think. Charles is in the perfect position right now team wise. He is in a team that keeps improving on all fronts. An upward curve is an upward curve even if there are some missteps. RBR however is on a downward slope and I can not stress this enough!!!! I don't know how to explain to you that I don't think Charles should be joining a sinking ship right now. I actually think MAX should be running away from Said ship are you kidding me?

What we should be praying for instead is for Ferrari to keep working on their vulnerabilities. Right now they are quite clear - understand the upgrades that make the car undriveable and work on the communication between Charles and the pit wall. (Don't forget this is Bryan's 6th race). Fred is bringing the changes but nothing changes overnight. Huge progress has been made. Let's be a little patient before jumping right onto a sinking ship yeah? Yeah.

[tcfactory]

Okay smartass how would you fix Bingqiu if you had your way?

If you actually want to know you could do to be less of a rude little shit about it, anon, but all right.

This is not about 'fixing' anything. Bingqiu is a wildly popular ship and a lot of people enjoy the exact kind of delusional insanity these two have about each other and that's honestly great. Love it for them. Not my cup of tea though.

I think the easiest and fastest way to make them sort their shit out and maybe put them in a position where I might actually be interested in what's going on with them is to take the protagonist halo away. Maybe the System short circuits, maybe it just gets automatically turned off after the extras, don't know don't care.

A lot of Shen Qingqiu's self delusions are fueled by his unshakeable belief that Luo Binghe, being The Protagonist, is Perfectly Fine the way he is. Binghe is the Protagonist, so when there are no character development or obligatory angst events going on he is happy and healthy and a slightly charred good boy and Shen Qingqiu is The Happy Wife who dotes on his hubby and Everything Is Right In The World. Endless honeymoon with their responsibilities only coming to bother them every once in a while. And it makes it way too easy for Binghe to cover up that he's still hurt, still unstable and still insecure by what went down because Shen Qingqiu is willing to take him at face value when he presents his insecurities as just being shameless neediness for his husband. Of course he happily indulges Binghe! But that isn't really helping with the core of the problem now, does it?

Like, Binghe takes steps towards ensuring Shen Qingqiu's mental wellbeing even at the cost of his own as soon as Maigu Ridge is over when he takes him back to the sect. Shen Qingqiu tries too, in his own way (the entire segment in the tombs is all about him putting himself in very real danger for Binghe's sake) but at the same time, this is a guy who completely missed the writing on the wall that Bingge was deeply unhappy in PIDW. As long as he can hold onto his internal picture that The Protagonist Suffered A Lot But He Is Fine Now I don't think he can really offer the right kind of emotional support for Binghe to actually heal from what happened to him and move on to a healthier frame of mind.

If you take the protagonist halo away, then first of all Binghe can, you know, suck a little. Or a lot, actually. The world not making excuses for him and him being a little defanged would be good for him. He gets really nothing he actually wants from being the protagonist - Shen Qingqiu will love him anyway. Mobei-jun will still stick around to back him up and help him out, because he's still Shang Qinghua's favorite fictional son and Qinghua is happy to see Binghe happy, just, you know, somewhere way over there where he can't get jealous tsundere over Cucumber bro and maybe murder him about it. Sha Hualing is still going to be his buddy because he's her best source of human trivia and the writing inspiration for her girlfriend. Not having to be demon emperor and getting more time to spend with his husband would be a relief.

But he would have to be more aware of other people because he's not above them anymore. Maybe even forced to make a few new friends to get by. And his mask will fail and Shen Qingqiu will have to see him for what he is: just Luo Binghe, still hurt and still confused half demon, who loves him very much, but can't make sense of him and is afraid that he will be left behind or pushed away without explanation again and that's kinda Shen Qingqiu's own damn fault.

And Shen Qingqiu can't hold onto his delusions about The Protagonist. He can't willfully ignore that things are not fine with Binghe because he's not the Protagonist anymore and the world only allows that special privilege for the Protagonist. Binghe is just a guy now and he has so many heart demons he needs help with. His trauma from the abyss or Xin Mo can't be brushed off with 'oh that's just part of his blackening he's fine now' anymore. And it might need a little bit of adjusting to internalize that these problems have always been here just below the surface, but Shen Qingqiu genuinely loves Binghe and would want to help him become happier and more stable in any way he can.

Binghe becoming part of the world in a way that's one person among many - building a support network! maybe befriending new demons or actually getting to know and making up with the QJ disciples or finding common ground with LQG and becoming sparring buddies - rather than a protagonist in a sea of NPCs is a lot more interesting to me than whatever he has going on at the end of canon. And Shen Qingqiu can be there with him on that journey, because he already started unlearning the sense of unreality the System conditioned into him, but he still has a long way to go.

[neopuff]

always on my mind

chapter one: have an open mind ships: sasha/milla characters: milla, truman, sasha, oleander, sherri words: 5628 ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53435410

-

The Motherlobe was huge. Intimidating.

Milla wasn’t sure the last time she’d seen such a large building. It looked lovely - well structured, seemed safe…fire-proof, even - but the size of it made her nervous. Like she was entering the belly of the beast.

The last two years of her life had been harrowing. The Psychonauts had come to her in a time of desperation and she was so moved by the help she’d received that she wanted to learn more and become a part of the organization herself. Truman seemed excited, said she was one of the fastest learners he’d ever worked with, and quickly made arrangements.

But she didn’t share his confidence. This was an entirely new environment she was entering - she was familiar with a few faces and names, but to almost everyone she was a stranger. A stranger who spent a very long time in psychoisolation and still felt jittery around an open flame.

Being out of Brazil was helpful, at least. After high school, she and some friends had spent a summer in Miami, so she had a little bit of experience in America. It would still take some getting used to, but Truman assured her that there were other international transplants working there and they all adjusted quickly.

As he and a mostly silent coworker landed the jet, Milla took a deep breath. 

She was ready. 

She wasn’t ready. 

She didn’t have a choice on whether or not she was ready.

“Milla?” Truman asked, taking a step closer to her.

She glanced up at him from her seat and smiled - he smelled like coffee and had a worried look on his face. “I’m fine,” she answered softly. “Just nervous.”

“Understandable.” He turned and gave a quick wave to the other Psychonaut that’d been in the jet with them, then turned back to Milla. “And I’m sorry I don’t have time to show you around, but I’ve arranged for one of our best and brightest to give you a tour and make sure you feel welcome!”

“Oh?” She’d been under the impression that she was just going to be thrown into the ring. Having a tour guide sounded nice. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”

“Of course! The Psychonauts are nothing if not welcoming!” Truman said with a smile, sounding like he was practicing for a commercial.

He guided her out of the jet; Milla comfortably levitated herself to the ground and found herself staring up at the Motherlobe once again. It was even more intimidating up close. So intimidating that it took her a few moments to notice the lanky man smoking a few feet in front of her.

Truman patted the man on the back. “I see you got my message, excellent!” He opened his mouth to say something else, but suddenly paused and pressed two fingers to the side of his head. He hummed softly for a moment, nodded, then looked back up at the two of them. “Sorry, I’m late for a meeting. Nein, Vodello - Vodello, Nein,” he said quickly, motioning to each as he said their name. “I’ll see you at noon for our lunch meeting!”

The two of them watched him levitate away and the air between them became suddenly, awkwardly silent as they took one another in.

Milla noticed first that he was tall, his skin was a greenish hue, he was levitating a cigarette near his head, and his mind was completely, one hundred percent silent. She felt comfortable around him almost immediately because of that. “Um…hello! Is it…uh, Nine?”

He cleared his throat and stuck out his hand stiffly. “Agent Sasha Nein. And your name is Camilla, correct?”

She gave him a small smile - it wasn’t the first time someone had pronounced her name like that - Ca-mee-yah - and in other circumstances she probably would have corrected him. She'd corrected Truman the first time they met and he was happy to call her Mee-la as she preferred. But Sasha's voice was shaking oh-so-slightly - despite his cool exterior and quiet mind, Milla could tell he was exceptionally nervous. Something about his demeanor told her that he didn’t expect this assignment and probably didn’t usually do this sort of thing. So she decided she’d let it go this time, maybe mention it to him later if they ended up working together a lot.

“That’s me!” she answered with a bright smile, reaching out to shake his hand. His handshake was as stiff as she expected, which made Milla think about how different this man was from Truman. She could tell she’d be meeting a lot of very different people over the next few hours.

Sasha pulled away and brushed his fingers through his short hair. “I have to admit I’m a little unprepared for this. But Grand Head Zanotto requested I give you a tour and answer any questions you have until your lunch meeting with him, so…do you have any questions before we begin?”

Milla pouted as she tried to think. She had a million questions, obviously, but didn’t want to jump the gun or scare this poor man into thinking she was more excitable than professional. “I think I’m a little too overwhelmed at the moment to form a single question.”

He adjusted his glasses and nodded. “I understand. I felt the same way the first time I came here.”

She smiled at him and followed as he motioned towards the door. It opened automatically and inside there was a small lobby with a few tables and chairs, a desk in the middle, and a…something in the back. Milla wasn’t sure how to identify it. Some sort of tunnel, maybe.

“I assume Truman didn’t get you scanned into our Thinkerprint system.”

Milla tilted her head. “I’m not sure what that means, so…probably not?”

Sasha ran his fingers through his hair again - he seemed to do that a lot. “It’s our new security system, you’ll get your picture taken, an employee badge, and your brain will be scanned so you can immediately gain access to any rooms you should have access to.”

“Oh, a photo?” She played with her hair, still a bit insecure about how short it was. She’d had long hair for most of her life, but after recent experiences it was easier to chop most of it off than try to revive it. “I don’t remember the last time I had my picture taken.”

He stared at her for a moment, looking like he wanted to make a comment, but instead he just took a drag of his cigarette. “You can retake the photo every six months if you’re unhappy with it.”

Milla ran her long fingers through her hair, embarrassed. “I might just do that,” she said with a little chuckle. She hoped that didn’t sound vain, but also thought he didn’t seem like the kind of person to take note of things like that.

They took a few minutes to get her set up in the system - Sasha didn’t lie, it was clearly very new because the woman at the front desk was not confident about it. She stumbled over herself and Milla assured her it was fine, but the woman kept glancing nervously at Sasha while she fumbled with the little scanner and Milla could feel a wave of discomfort coming off of her.

It was an interesting thing to notice. Milla wondered if they had history or if Sasha just intimidated people. He was a very stiff and serious man, as far as she could tell. It wouldn’t be surprising if people were scared of him.

A few minutes later and they were in the lobby of the Motherlobe - Sasha took another drag of his cigarette while Milla took in…everything. There were agents floating around, dozens of people chatting both out loud and telepathically. There were signs for normal office building features, but then there was also a bowling alley and a hair salon and she felt the smallest bit overwhelmed by it all. Not overwhelmed to the point of anxiety, but, well. It was a lot.

As she floated and spun around to take in the room, Milla noticed her tour guide out of the corner of her eye. He was eagerly reading a printed sheet of paper and she wondered if it had anything to do with her.

She planted her feet back on the ground and clasped her hands behind her back. “I should’ve asked this before we started…do you have any questions for me?”

Sasha looked up at her, surprised. He quickly folded the paper back up and stuffed it into one of his jacket pockets. “Grand Head Zanotto gave me some basic information about you. But I wanted to check something…you’re from Brazil, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“We don’t have a base anywhere in Brazil, so…where did you learn to levitate like that?” Sasha asked, pointing down at her feet which were currently not in the air. “Just from working with Grand Head Zanotto?”

Milla tilted her head slightly, trying to understand the meaning behind his question. “Ah…yes, I guess so. Am I doing it wrong?” she asked, floating up once again.

He shook his head. “Not at all. It’s very impressive, actually. From what I understand, you’ve only been training your psychic abilities for a few months.”

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged, trying to find a humble way to repeat what had been previously said to her. “That’s true. Truman did call me a fast learner, but I don’t really have anything to compare myself to so I assumed he was being polite.”

“He’s not one for servile flattery,” Sasha said matter-of-factly. “It took me years before I was so comfortable with levitation.”

“I suppose it’s my specialty,” she added. “Truman showed me other psychic powers I could develop, but most didn’t come so quickly.”

He nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I’ve always been in tune with more offensive psychic abilities - PSI-blasting, pyrokinesis, that sort of thing. Are you familiar?”

Milla felt an unease come over her at his mention of firestarting and nervously played with her hair again. “Ah…I have trained on PSI-blasts. A bit. Not as much as shielding or telekinesis.”

There was an awkward pause between them before Sasha continued. “And what about pyro-”

“Outta my way, Nein!”

The two of them were interrupted by a short, orange-skinned man rushing through the lobby towards a door labeled Nerve Center. He paused in his rush as he noticed Milla, and took a step back to lift up his hat and introduce himself properly. “Hello, who’s this?”

Sasha scowled. “Morry. This is Camilla Vodello, Grand Head Zanotto’s newest recruit.”

Milla kept her face completely still as Sasha mispronounced her name again, and realized unfortunately that she’d just completely missed her opportunity to correct him without making it into a thing. She wasn’t exactly sure what to do about the situation, but decided there was no point in making a big deal. The way he pronounced it wasn’t unpleasant, so it was fine. She’d find an opportunity to correct him eventually. “Hello!” she said, waving down at the man.

“The name’s Morceau Oleander, nice to meet you, Camilla,” he said with a toothy grin. “I’d save you from Sasha’s boring tour if I wasn’t about to give the biggest presentation of my life!”

She was immediately curious and about to ask when Sasha cut in, using telekinesis to grab one of Morceau’s papers away from him and take a look at it. “What presentation might that be? Trying to steal important research funds for another one of your weapons projects?”

“Not this time!” he responded gleefully, taking a weight off of Milla’s mind that formed when Sasha mentioned weapons. “I’ve been reworking my summer camp program idea for the last few years, and it’s finally ready for Truman’s approval. There’s no way he’ll say no this time!”

Sasha shook his head slowly and Milla glanced between the two of them. “Summer camp program?”

“About five years ago, Morry here came up with the idea of starting a program for training young psychics to control their powers,” Sasha answered, interrupting an excitable Oleander. “The concept isn’t terrible, but he was rejected outright. There wasn’t enough interest or funding at the time.”

“But that’s all about to change!” Morceau added quickly. “There’s already talk about a teen intern program starting up, which means that’s all the more reason to start training even younger! Think about all the psychic incidents we can prevent if kids start learning how to use their powers before puberty!”

Milla tilted her head slightly. Though she understood his points, it was an odd way to phrase it. She didn’t quite know how she felt about the idea - anything to keep children safe was good in her book, but Morceau seemed very…intense.

“I’ve got a bunch of potential locations picked out - all in the middle of the woods, none of them too far from here that they’d be annoying to drive to.” Oleander reached out and grabbed the paper Sasha had taken earlier, stuffing it back under his arm. “After this presentation is over, Nein, get ready to lose your Youngest Psychonaut title! Maybe it’ll go to Abe’s daughter instead!”

Sasha shook his head. “It’s Ah-bey, not Abe. And Agent Bubai’s daughter is two.”

Milla pouted for a brief moment, hearing Sasha correct Morceau’s name pronunciation. She felt the urge to bring up her own name, but she still couldn’t do it. She’d waited too long and now he’d already introduced her to someone else, it’d be too uncomfortable. For everyone.

“Two, ten, what’s the difference? A psychic’s a psychic!” Morceau smiled again. “Anyway, can’t be late, stop distracting me, Nein! Camilla - don’t let him bore you to death, alright?”

“Ah…alright, I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” she answered awkwardly, not entirely comfortable with the level of banter between the two of them. She was honestly surprised that Sasha had such a relationship with anyone at the organization, considering how most people looked at him.

Oleander just laughed and continued to the Nerve Center, leaving the two of them alone again. Milla wondered if Sasha was going to circle back to the conversation they’d been having before, which she didn’t really want to go back to. She didn’t want to dump her traumatic history onto him in the first twenty minutes of knowing each other.

“I apologize for him. He’s…” Sasha paused, clearly trying to find a nicer way to say whatever was on his mind. “...excitable. But he means well. Generally.”

“It’s no problem!” Milla smiled. “I hope his presentation goes well.”

“Yes, well…Grand Head Zanotto is always open to new ideas. But Agent Forsythe will likely be there, too, and she’s more realistic about these sorts of things.”

“Has Truman been the Grand Head for long?” she asked curiously. “We got to know each other a bit over the past few months, but he didn’t tell me much about his history with the Psychonauts.”

Sasha adjusted his glasses and turned around, motioning one hand towards the sculpture in the wall. “I can give you a quick summary of our history.”

They walked over to the mural and Milla stepped close to take it all in while Sasha spoke. “These are the Psychic 6, founders of the Psychonauts. They came to this area in the 60s and opened the Motherlobe in early 1970. Grand Head Zanotto was recruited by the Psychic 6 before they’d officially opened, knowing they needed someone with his background to help.”

“His background?”

“He has an MBA and spent several years working at a large pharmaceutical company before this. None of the Psychic 6 were as…business-minded.” Sasha took another drag of his cigarette, frowning at the realization that it was almost done. He didn’t want to smoke as often as he did, but being thrown into a potentially stressful social situation had warranted it.

Milla nodded, looking at each person depicted in front of her. “Are they all still working here?”

Starting from the left, Sasha answered, “Otto Mentallis - yes, he still works here. His lab is across the Quarry. Compton Boole - his situation is complicated. He is still in the area and occasionally participates in Psychonauts-related activities. Mostly he spends his time in psychoisolation.”

“...is that so?” Milla responded thoughtfully. She was reminded of her own time in psychoisolation and how much she’d love to never go back.

“Ford Cruller - also still works here. But not as a Psychonaut. He was psychically injured in the Battle of Grulovia and can’t maintain his focus for very long. But you’ll likely see him around, in the bowling alley or the hair salon. Or the mailroom, even.”

Milla was confused by that, but kept her mouth shut. She knew bits and pieces about the Battle of Grulovia - she was a teenager when it happened and didn’t pay too much attention to world news, but the reports on that conflict were the first time she’d heard the word Psychonaut.

“Bob Zanotto - the uncle of Grand Head Zanotto.” Sasha frowned, knowing the full story of Bob’s departure even though he hadn’t joined yet at that time. “He no longer works here. Helmut Fullbear - died in the Battle of Grulovia.”

“Oh.” Milla’s eyes focused on the linked arms between Helmut and Bob’s images and she immediately understood what it meant. Her shoulders sank. “That’s terrible.”

Sasha adjusted his sunglasses again, realizing that Milla already noticed something that it took him several months to understand. She was definitely more of a people person than he’d ever been. “And Cassie O’Pia - no longer here. But we still utilize her methods.”

In a sudden mood change, Milla brightened. “Ah, she wrote Mindswarm, right? Truman gave me a copy of that book when we first met. It was eye-opening.”

“Yes, yes she did. She has an exemplary psychic mind,” Sasha noted. “I hope to meet her someday, if she ever comes back.”

They spent the next twenty minutes circling the lobby, Sasha explaining what he could about each location they could see and introducing her to anyone who came up to ask who she was. Milla thought back to the woman at the front desk who seemed helplessly nervous in front of Sasha and was happy to see that the agents they’d interacted with so far didn’t seem to have that same fear. A lot of them made jokes that led to Sasha’s frown deepening, but at least they were attempting to be friendly with him.

He guided them up a ramp and Milla was immediately distracted by a gigantic and beautiful fish tank to their left. She smiled at all the colorful fish swimming around. “This is lovely!” she said genuinely.

Sasha nodded, though he clearly didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm that she did. “The Psychonauts used to have some underwater locations. When they were closed, this aquarium was built to remind displaced agents of their previous offices.”

Milla chuckled at that. “An underwater office sounds a bit scary, if you ask me.”

“I agree,” he said.

The monotone in his voice made her think that he might’ve worked at one of those underwater bases for a period of time. Milla decided she would not be asking him about that, just in case it was a sore subject.

“My office is just up this way.” Sasha likely didn’t intend to sound proud, but it seemed like he had a pretty big office, and that was impressive for someone of his age.

(At least, Milla thought it’d be impressive for his age. She couldn’t completely gauge how old he was.)

They approached the end of the hallway and found three doors staring back at them. Milla glanced at each and turned towards her guide. “Some other offices, I’m guessing?”

“Agent Hollis Forsythe is in the office next to mine,” he answered quickly. “Though I doubt she’ll be here for long.”

“I’ve definitely heard that name before…iIs she leaving?”

“Not at all. She’s been with the Psychonauts even longer than I have, and Grand Head Zanotto has been discussing promoting her to some sort of Vice Head position. I don’t believe it has an official name yet.” He shrugged. “Grand Head Zanotto has been…struggling a bit. With balancing his work and home life.”

“Oh, yes, he mentioned that to me at one point,” Milla added. She understood at the time that Truman was just trying to relate to her and get her to trust him; she didn’t realize until much later that he’d been telling her the truth. “That he and his wife were, um…having issues.”

“Yes, well…” Sasha paused, not sure if the news was out yet, but also not really caring if he wasn’t supposed to say anything. “Now his wife is pregnant.”

“Ah.” Milla wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. She remembered all the things Truman had said about his relationship with his wife, and she didn’t think a baby would be able to fix their problems. Still…it wasn’t her business.

“Despite what Morceau thinks, Grand Head Zanotto’s child will likely be the one to take the title of Youngest Psychonaut away from me,” Sasha said with a slightly humorous tone.

“I wanted to ask about that…how old were you when you joined?” Milla asked curiously.

“Nineteen,” he answered quickly, like he expected this question to come up at some point. “I first learned about the Psychonauts after the Battle of Grulovia - I don’t know how well that was reported in Brazil, but I was still living in Germany at the time and Grulovia is only a few borders away. From there I earned enough money to come to America and sought out the Psychonauts myself.”

Milla nodded along, curious about the details but not wanting to pry. “So you weren’t recruited?”

Sasha shook his head. “My psychic powers manifested at a very young age, well before the Psychonauts were founded. Before joining, Mindswarm was the closest thing I had to a psychic instruction manual.”

She nodded again, not quite sure how to respond. Milla thought it was sad, the way he spoke sounded very disconnected and unemotional, but she wondered if that was his way of coping with something unfortunate. She knew not to ask, though, and kept those thoughts to herself. “Everyone’s experience with joining seems very unique.”

“Indeed.”

As she was about to say something else, Sasha guided her into his office - which turned out to be sort of a combination office and laboratory. Milla wasn’t surprised, he spoke very scientifically, occasionally using words that she had to think about for a moment before understanding.

“There isn’t really much here for me to show you. Many of my projects are classified and I’ve not been made aware of what you have access to yet.” He glanced around, eyes landing on his small office space. He used telekinesis to open a drawer and pulled out a new pack of cigarettes, bringing them over. “If you do ever need anything from me, you can generally find me here.”

Milla smiled brightly at that, more appreciative of the offer than he probably realized. “I just might take you up on that, Agent Nein!”

He ran his fingers through his hair again and tried to think of what else he could show her. “You may have seen that across from this wing there’s a lot of construction going on - previously it was just used for storage, but we’re adding more offices and a classroom down that way.”

They left his office while talking, headed back towards the lobby.

“A classroom? For the…teen intern program?” she asked.

“The intention is for use in Continuing Psychic Education,” Sasha answered, pulling out one of his new cigarettes and psychically lighting it without a second thought.

Milla twitched slightly at the sudden smell of fire, but quickly shook it off. It wasn’t the same.

“CPE is a new program, but important. Making sure that older psychics keep up with new abilities or skills that younger psychics have discovered or developed.” He took his first drag of the new cigarette, inhaling slowly like it was a significantly better experience than the last one. “No one is too old to learn new skills, after all.”

Milla had never smoked cigarettes herself. She smoked marijuana when she was a teenager, but quit all of that when she started working at the orphanage. The orphans were her everything - she gave up partying and anything adjacent to the party lifestyle when she was working there. It’d been the most fulfilling part of her life, by far.

She hoped that working with the Psychonauts would prove just as fulfilling.

The two of them made their way back into the lobby after Milla took another minute to admire the aquarium. As they entered, Milla noticed an older man handing out letters outside the mailroom and pointed him out to her guide.

“That’s Ford Cruller, one of the Psychic 6 I mentioned earlier.” Sasha stared at the man. “I could introduce you, if you’d like, but I can’t guarantee he’ll remember you.”

“It’s worth a shot, right?” Milla asked cheekily. “I like to think I’m pretty memorable!”

She floated towards the mailroom, and Sasha followed her after taking another long, long drag from his cigarette.

They were just a few feet away from Ford when two agents chatting nearby mentioned the time, and Milla glanced up at the nearest clock. “Oh, it’s already noon!”

Sasha followed her line of sight, almost like he didn’t believe her. “So it is. That was a quick two hours. But you should head to the Noodle Bowl for your meeting with Grand Head Zanotto, he probably has another meeting right after.”

“The Noodle Bowl…” Milla repeated, looking around. “Can you remind me where that is?”

He pointed directly behind them and Milla turned around to see the giant sign above the doorway that he’d shown her just an hour earlier. She smiled sheepishly. “Thank you, Sasha. Er, Agent Nein. Or…I’m so sorry, I never actually asked.” Milla felt terribly rude at that moment, though she had a distinct feeling that he didn’t care either way.

“Either is fine,” he answered, smoking again. “I hope your meeting goes well, Agent Vodello.”

Before she could really say anything else, he headed off - right back towards his office. She also noted that that was her first time being referred to as Agent Vodello, and she definitely liked the sound of it. Even though she wasn’t really sure if she counted as an Agent just yet; it was hard to know exactly where she stood until she talked to the person in charge. 

She caught one last glimpse of Sasha before he was gone. Milla thought he seemed nice, though not the most personable, and wondered in a brief bout of insecurity if he found the task of guiding her around annoying. She hoped he didn’t have a bad time, at the very least.

But rather than get caught in a loop of self-deprecation and anxiety, Milla took a few deep breaths and made her way towards the lunchroom. Truman was already seated inside and waved her over as soon as he noticed her. She floated towards him and took a seat, surprised to see that there was already a rice and veggie bowl sitting in front of her.

“I took the liberty of ordering for you - hope you like cilantro!” Truman said with a smile.

Milla didn’t get the chance to answer before he continued, though she was excited to eat since she did love cilantro.

“How was everything so far? Good? Interesting? Was Agent Nein helpful?” he asked, shoveling rice from his own bowl into his mouth.

“Ah…yes, it was very interesting! And Agent Nein was extremely helpful. He answered every question I had in detail, and helped me sign up in the Thinkerprint system.” She ate her food much more slowly - it didn’t take a genius to realize that he was probably already thinking about his next meeting. She couldn’t imagine having such a busy schedule.

“Oh good, that’s great to hear!” Truman smiled, a little bit of cilantro stuck between two of his teeth. “He’s not the most social, but I know how much you appreciate a quiet mind.”

Milla nodded thoughtfully. “It was pleasant, I couldn’t get a thought or feeling out of him. Almost made me feel like my old self again,” she said quickly. “And how was your meeting this morning?”

“Excellent! Exciting, even,” he answered quickly. “Well, first there was a not-so-exciting financial meeting with Agent Forsythe. But then another one of our agents came to me with a project idea that I’m really looking forward to working on. It’ll be a big undertaking, but certainly worth the effort if all goes well.”

“Was that Morceau’s summer camp idea?” she asked. “Sasha and I bumped into him earlier and he told us about it.”

“Oh, good, you already know!” Truman took another few bites, and then finally took a sip of his water. “We’re already in the process of building a classroom for training, but it’ll be more useful if we have younger psychics studying and training here.”

“Is it, um…” She took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Did Morceau’s plan seem…safe? For the children, I mean.”

“Oh, yes,” Truman answered, nodding. “Agent Oleander spent a lot of time talking about safety. Especially prioritizing keeping their brains safe, making sure none of the kids get overloaded by all the psychic exposure.” He took a moment to eat again, then added, “He comes from a military background, so I recommended he bring some…softer agents as other camp counselors. For balance, of course.”

She sipped her water slowly, thinking carefully about her response.

“I wouldn’t ask you to help, of course, not so soon after…but if you have any suggestions or recommendations for making sure it’s a kid-friendly environment, let me or Agents Forsythe or Oleander know! We’re still in very early planning stages, it’ll probably be several years before this camp is fully realized.”

“Thank you,” she answered, appreciating his discretion towards her situation. Part of her knew she’d really enjoy working with children again, but…she didn’t think she was ready. Maybe by the time they opened the camp, she would be, but who could say for sure? “I also…I wanted to say I’m sorry about your uncle’s husband.”

Truman froze, fork in his mouth, clearly not expecting that. He put the fork down and cleared his throat. “I appreciate that. Sasha told you all the details of the battle, did he?”

“Not exactly, but he did tell me about the Psychic 6 and showed me the mural in the lobby.” Milla took another bite. “He was about to introduce me to, ah…Agent Cruller, I think it was, but then we realized I was running late.”

“Ford, right. Yeah, he pops up all over the place. Something, something…his psyche was shattered, basically, during all that unpleasantness.” Truman recited the information with some disconnection; it was clearly a sad subject for everyone. “If you do want to learn more, Otto Mentallis is the best man to talk to. Sanest of the six and works just across the water!”

“Sasha mentioned as much, but it’s good to know!” Milla smiled. “I’ll try to focus on the present for now - perhaps I’ll talk to him another time.”

They continued to chat for another few minutes before Truman paused and put two fingers to his forehead, just like he had that morning. He grimaced and let out a deep sigh. “Sorry for cutting this short, but I think I need to go talk to my wife. Hollis is saying she’s on the phone waiting for me!” he said with an insincere laugh.

“No problem,” Milla answered, only halfway done with her food. “I’ll be fine on my own for a while!”

“Excellent,” he said with another toothy smile, cilantro still awkwardly there. “Introduce yourself around, Agent Vodello, everyone here is very nice. We’ll talk more when I’m free again.” And with that, he levitated out of the room.

She stared out of the Noodle Bowl, taking another bite of her food. After a moment, Milla realized she forgot to congratulate him on the pregnancy - but then decided it wasn’t necessary. He didn’t mention it to her, so she’d pretend she didn’t know about it yet.

“Hi there!”

Milla turned her head to find a woman with yellow skin and long red hair smiling at her. “Oh, hello!” she responded, taking another bite from her bowl.

The woman sat down next to Milla and leaned forward on her elbows. “You’re Camilla, right?”

Once again, pronounced how Sasha was saying it. Milla wasn’t sure she had any way to turn things around without making Sasha look like a fool. “That’s me,” she answered.

“I’m Sherri!” she said excitedly, running a hand through her hair. “I noticed you walking around with Agent Nein earlier - now, yeah, he’s a super smart guy. Very knowledgeable. But you seem cool and fun, and he doesn’t know anything about cool or fun. So I’d be happy to show you around some other areas of the Motherlobe when you’re done.”

Milla blinked a few times at that, not sure if she was offended on Sasha’s behalf or if she agreed. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who cared about cool or fun, but Sherri was right - Milla liked to have fun. It would be nice to get to know some other Psychonauts who shared some of her interests. So she decided to take the compliment and the offer. “Oh, yes, thank you - that’d be very nice.”

[shinonart]

SHOP UPDATE + FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING

I have some unused shipping codes that will expire on September the 16th so I am offering FREE TRACKED shipping within Finland until SEP 16TH or until I run out of codes.

IMPORTANT INFO

I currently have only seven codes so the fastest seven people who

order ANYTHING from my shop

use the code ADDTELNRO at checkout

include their phone number in the message section

will get free shipping.

Please note that while Etsy doesn't ask for the telephone number it is MANDATORY to include it, otherwise I won't be able to use the shipping codes and you won't be able to get tracking. I won't mail out any orders that use the code but don't include the number.

I will message people who don't include their numbers and if I don't receive a response and I have other people in line for the codes I will use the shipping code on the next order in line until codes run out.

I have also added the large mousepads/desk mats in my Etsy shop. I am currently only able to ship them to Finland due to their size but I will look into my options for international shipping after my vacation.

Just as a heads up, I will be traveling for the next couple of weeks so my mailing days will be different than usual. I will still aim to mail out orders once a week!

If you have any questions regarding my shop please send me a message on Etsy, I'm more likely to notice it there.