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welcometophu · 3 years

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The Meaning of Home, Chapter 3

The Meaning of Home Chapter 3

Tags for all Welcome to PHU novels will be available at the PHU tag list on Pillowfort. This list is under construction as of Sept. 5, 2021.

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“You could have mentioned.” Pawel fills a bowl with chili from the slow cooker, then adds a scoop of spiced chicken and cheese, and tops it with sour cream. He hands it to his dad and points to the table. “There’s salad, too.”

“More meat, Dad,” Conor says, handing him his bowl. “Beans are weird. They have a really strange texture.”

“They’re also good for you.” Pawel doesn’t skimp on his son’s bowl; he’s seen just how much his kid can pack away. “And you need to eat salad, too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Conor mutters. He slides into one of the chairs at the tiny round table that sits between the kitchenette and living room. When all three of them sit down, there’s barely room to move. Pawel’s afraid he’s going to take a bite and end up elbowing his father in the nose.

Still, it’s good to have real food with them, and know that both of them are eating something healthy.

Pawel sits back a bit from the table so he doesn’t knock knees, and holds his own bowl in his hands. The chili isn’t as spicy as he usually makes it at home, but that’s probably better for his father’s stomach anyway.

“Could’ve mentioned what?” Dad asks.

He sounds so innocent.

“That the guy who takes in fosters and happens to work with you is Leo Papa. As in my ex-boyfriend Leo,” Pawel says dryly. “We bumped into him and Emma and another one of his fosters—”

“Jennie,” Conor supplies.

“—At the grocery store,” Pawel finishes, as if Conor hadn’t interrupted. “And oh, funny thing.” He glares at Dad, who blinks back at him, calmly eating. “Turns out Leo’s married to Colt Harrison. My other high school ex.”

“Emma’s dads are the guys you dated in high school?” Conor asks. “They’re really cool. Why didn’t you keep dating them?”

“Leo graduated and left. Colt and I went to different schools. I met your mom.” There’s a lot more to each of those stories, but Pawel doesn’t want to get into the details right here and now. He’s not sure he wants to talk about the drama of his teen life with his son in general.

Conor already knows enough of the details, like the fact that he was born while Pawel was still in school.

“Colt’s really calmed down,” Dad muses. “He used to have a lot of attitude when he was a kid. I remember when you first started dating him, and he’d look down at our house. He thought everything should be served up on a silver platter. Being a dad’s taught him a lot more about reality than anything else did, I think.”

“Are you telling me he doesn’t drive a Porsche anymore?”

Dad barks out a low laugh. “Where would he put five kids in a Porsche? They’ve got practical cars. Although if they take in any more kids, they’ll need one of those big vans, or a miniature bus.”

“Emma wants Dad to find her parents, so she can go home,” Conor reminds them. “She says she’s not staying. I’ll be sad when she goes, though. And her house is fun. It’s kind of chaotic. I mean, Duke’s quiet—he doesn’t talk at all—but Matt’s always saying stuff, and he keeps changing into different animals. And Duke and Matt fight, even if Duke doesn’t yell. He still seems to get his point across, and then he chases Matt, and yeah, it gets messy. You met Jennie—she’s cool, for a little kid, but she’s always eating. Nevaeh’s really pretty. She’s learning how to drive.”

Conor shovels food into his mouth, a spoonful between every sentence. His spoon clatters back into a mostly empty bowl, a few beans lingering in the bottom. “Can I go call Alan? We’re going to game tonight. I got my homework done while you were cooking.”

“Salad,” Dad reminds him, and Pawel’s thankful for the backup, even if Dad himself hasn’t taken any yet.

Conor puts just enough lettuce and vegetables into his bowl to satisfy the requirement, and finishes it quickly. He drops his spoon on the table. “Gonna go call Alan. Bye!”

The place is small enough that even though the door to the guest room bangs as it bounces closed, then open again, Pawel can still clearly hear Conor shouting a hello to Alan.

“How the hell do they have five kids?” Pawel can’t imagine trying to wrangle more than one.

“There are two of them. There’s a better adult to kid ratio, plus you know Leo’s family helps out.” Dad pulls the salad towards him, heaping his bowl full. “That’s what family does, and you know it. Ours is just smaller than most.”

Him, his dad, and Conor. Yeah. It’s a pretty small family.

Which reminds him, he should probably tell his dad about Chelsea.

Dad points his fork at him. “I’ll agree, though, I didn’t see it coming,” he continues. Pawel stays silent; Chelsea can wait if Dad’s going to tell him more about what the hell’s been going on while he was absent. “Leo and Colt were good together; have been since they first met. But when Leo came in and said he needed a few days off to go pick up a foster kid—almost four years ago, now—it was a hell of a surprise. Matt had a tough time of it, too. His parents gave him up, put him right into the foster system because he’d Emerged as Clan. If Lucy hadn’t gotten him out….” Dad trails off, shaking his head.

“Leo said something about Lucy and Rowan,” Pawel says slowly. “I have two students whose parents are in a triad, and two of those parents are Lucy and Rowan. I’ve spent time with their family in Vermont.”

“Likely the same,” Dad says. “Lucy’s a teacher, and she keeps an eye out for Talented kids who might slip through the cracks otherwise. Apparently she’s been doing it since before the Emergence; it’s just easier now. She’s got a network of teachers, and one of them knows Colt, and that’s how it all came together. Matt did so well with them that when Lucy found out about a thirteen-year-old girl who’d run away from her family with her baby sister, she brought them straight to Leo and Colt, too. Rowan’s a lawyer, and he’s the one who works to make sure the kids are safe, and aren’t going to end up back in bad places. Nevaeh and Jennie’s parents didn’t want a little girl who sparkled all the time, and they were a danger to her, so they were declared unfit.”

“Conor thinks they’ll adopt them. Since Jennie’s grown up with them.” Pawel’s still trying to assimilate it, putting “parents” into the same box as “ex-boyfriends” in his brain. He still sees them both as the awkward teenagers they used to be.

Colt would say he has never been awkward.

He might even be right.

“They’ve thought about it. I think Colt’s looked into it, but even with the parents out of the picture as they are, they’re still alive, so adoption becomes a tricky thing.” Dad picks up his empty bowl along with Conor’s and takes them over to the sink.

Pawel uses the freedom to stretch his legs under the small table. He’s barely eaten anything yet, so he starts working his way through his chili, letting his mind spin.

He should get in touch with Lucy and Rowan. They’ve talked before, more than once actually. Maybe it’d be good to let them know he’s aware of their efforts. That he knows Leo and Colt.

No, not like that. That makes it sound like he knows them better than he does. Until he ran into Leo in the store, he hadn’t seen him in more than a decade. It hasn’t been quite as long for Colt, but close enough.

Still. This sounds like something he should offer help with. Even if he can’t foster, he can help with Lucy’s ability to network down in Unity. He’s sure she could use that, and well, he owes her family for all the help they’ve given in the last year.

He scoops up the last mouthful of chili. That’s decided then. He’ll give them a call later. Or text them. Reach out, anyway.

“Bring me your bowl.” Dad waits until Pawel brings his dishes over before he adds quietly, “Never did figure out if you ended things on good or bad terms, but I know you moped about both of them enough to figure they weren’t easy breakups. They’re both doing well now. They’re good for each other. Leo’s a valuable part of my force, and Colt’s a voice to be reckoned with in the courtroom. They fight for Talented folks to be safe. So if you’re thinking of somehow getting in the middle of this….”

Dad’s voice trails off and he gives Pawel a look.

Pawel has no idea what Dad’s thinking. “Get in the middle of… no. What? I was just going to reach out and offer to be a liaison in Unity, if Lucy and Rowan don’t already have one. And thank them for all the help they’ve given us. And maybe talk to Colt and Leo about whether I can help Emma out. Since apparently people disappearing has become my specialty.”

Dad huffs and turns away. “Fine. Just don’t go making any trouble for them. They’re good folk.”

“I won’t. I’m just going to—” Pawel gestures at the couch, but that’s not really helpful for getting any distance or privacy. “Actually. Why don’t you go put your feet up. I’ll finish the clean up.”

“You cooked.” The protest is half-hearted.

“And I was home all day, so I can clean, too.” Maybe being home support is a good way to thank his dad for everything he’s done. It’s something Pawel can do, anyway.

The TV goes on loud enough that Pawel can hear it clearly over the running water. Pawel takes a moment to tap out a quick message to send to Lucy.

Heard you help find foster homes for Talented kids in need. My son’s met a few of the kids you placed in my home town. If you ever need a contact in Unity, I’d be happy to help.

He leaves his phone face up on the counter.

He’s up to his elbows in suds, scrubbing the inside of the slow cooker, when his phone buzzes. He glances over to see a response from Lucy.

I’ve actually got folks in Unity and Valiant, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk. I already know you’ve got a vested interest in keeping Talented kids safe, and a larger network means more help. Just like we’ve been telling you with our family in Burlington: lean on people when you need them.

Even people who barely know him are giving him advice.

He lets the screen fade; he’ll reply later when his hands aren’t soaking wet. Instead he finishes filling up the small dishwasher and gets it started. As soon as the rumbling begins, Dad turns up the volume on the TV so he can hear over the rattling of the dishwasher.

It’s just too much noise for Pawel. He makes his way to the guest room, knocking on the half-open door before he nudges it wide enough to step inside. Conor waves a hand, and Pawel takes that as meaning close the door, so he does.

“What are you playing?” Pawel looks at the screen, but all he sees is Alan, who waves at him.

“We haven’t started playing yet.” Conor’s voice is too loud, his headphones still covering his ears. Pawel taps at them, and Conor removes them and switches the sound to the speakers. “We’ve just been talking. Alan was telling me about all the things happening at home. I really like my class and my teacher here, but I really miss home. Except for Marjorie. I don’t really miss her.”

“But you miss me,” Alan says, grinning. “Hi, Mister Szczek.”

They’ve known each other long enough that Polish names, along with the random few words Conor knows and has shared, roll off Alan’s lips like he’s part of the family. Well, he and Conor are schoolyard married, so maybe he is part of the family.

“Hi, Alan. Actually, I’ve got a question for you both.” Pawel sits down on the bed next to Conor, leaning in so he’ll be on camera. “I picked up tickets for SongFest out in Buffalo this weekend. I was thinking you could join us if you boys want.”

“You got us tickets for SongFest? Do I get to see Rory and Thorne on stage? What about that girl? Trish? Is she doing music there, too? You changed your mind! You said I was too young for concerts.” Conor bounces on the bed enough that the laptop wobbles. Pawel reaches out to stabilize it as Alan laughs.

“You’re too young for clubs,” Pawel says. “And this is going to be a long day, out in the hot sun, assuming it doesn’t rain on Saturday. But I figured we could give it a try, and since it’s outside, the music won’t be quite as bad on your ears. You already don’t listen to half of what I say.”

“Mom says my dad and me have selective hearing,” Alan volunteers.

“She’s not wrong. Sometimes it’s better to just not listen. Can’t get in trouble if you don’t hear it,” Conor agrees. His gaze slides sideways, as if he forgot Pawel is sitting there. “Soooooooo,” he draws the word out before his gaze locks back on Alan on the screen. “Can you go with us?”

“We’d be driving out on Friday,” Pawel clarifies. “The actual festival is in Buffalo on Saturday, and it goes late. We’d have a hotel for both nights, and come back on Sunday.”

The smile falls away as Alan shakes his head. “I can’t this weekend. It’s my cousin’s birthday next week, and we’re doing a big family thing this weekend in Boston. She’s my aunt’s miracle baby, and we always get the whole family together to celebrate her. She’s three this year. She’s my oldest aunt and my youngest cousin. I’m youngest, before her.”

Conor ducks his head. “Oh.” He pulls his blanket onto his lap, picking at the fuzz on it.

“We’ll have to find a different weekend for Alan to come out and visit then,” Pawel says firmly. The boys have been apart for two months, and that’s a long time in a nine-year-old’s life. “Then you can introduce Alan to Emma.”

“We’ve met.” Alan sounds cheerful about that. “She’s pretty cool. She and Conor call me sometimes. I think she should come live with you guys when you come home.”

Conor makes a low scoffing noise. “She’s not like a stray dog. We can’t just keep her. She’s already got foster dads, and besides, my dad is going to find her parents. Then she’ll have to go wherever her home really is. Which will suck, because I really like hanging out with her, but it’ll make her happy, so that’s cool.”

“Yeah, that’s really cool you’re going to do that, Mister Szczek,” Alan echoes.

It’s very cool, right up until the moment Pawel thinks about how that means figuring out a plan, and then interacting with Leo and Colt to enact that plan.

“I’ll do my best.” Pawel touches Conor’s shoulder. “Why don’t you guys do your game for a bit. It’s a school night, so you still need to get to bed.”

Conor shakes his head, as if he can shake off the blues. Maybe it works, because he’s smiling when he reaches for his laptop. “Okay, Alan. Let’s do this.”

Pawel is clearly dismissed.

He exits the room, leaving the door propped just enough that he can hear the rumble of Conor talking as he puts his headphones back on, and nothing else. Dad’s half-asleep on the couch, watching a show through his eyelids, so Pawel sinks down there and joins him. As Dad snores softly, Pawel grabs the remote and stops the show. Dad can get back to it later, and he won’t notice Pawel channel surfing while he snoozes.

Time passes in a haze of snippets of comedy and drama. Pawel can’t seem to find anything he really wants to watch, and Dad has no opinions as he naps. Pawel keeps one eye on the time, and he’s just about to call out when he hears Conor yell, “Got to go! Bye!” The sound of the laptop closing is clear enough to make Pawel wince, but he knows that machine has put up with a lot from his son already.

Conor emerges a few minutes later, already in his pajamas. He heads straight for the bathroom, and Pawel can hear the water running as he brushes his teeth and gets ready for bed. By the time Conor makes it into the living room, the noise has disturbed Dad, who sits upright and yawns.

“Bed,” Pawel says firmly, not entirely certain which one of them he’s talking to. Probably both.

“Goodnight son.” Dad squeezes Pawel’s shoulder as he stands. He reels Conor in for a long hug on his way by, then disappears into his own room.

Conor stands there, hands clasped behind his back, his lower lip drawn in between his teeth.

“You want something,” Pawel says.

“Since Alan can’t go and you said you already bought a ticket, can we bring Emma with us to the festival this weekend?” Conor blurts it all out in a rush, biting his lip again when he’s done. “I know you don’t know her really well yet, but she’s nice and we won’t be trouble and it would really be a lot of fun.”

If Pawel takes Emma all the way to Buffalo, he can’t see her foster parents letting her go alone.

Pawel slides his palm over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hears the soft, defeated exhale from Conor.

“Okay,” Conor says softly. “I get it.”

“That’s not—” Pawel hesitates, peeking between his fingers at where his son stands there, waiting for an answer. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll talk to her fathers. Foster fathers.” Even without Emma there to correct him, he corrects himself. He understands the importance of terminology. Sometimes you have to make sure you say things the right way. Words have power, even when you’re nine.

Words might even have more power over children. That’s why it’s important to acknowledge the ones they want to use.

Conor darts across the room, plowing into where Pawel is still on the couch for a flying, tackling hug. “Thanks, Dad. I love you. Can I tell Emma you’re going to ask? Should it be a surprise? When are you going to ask?”

So many questions.

So many complications to this one simple request.

Pawel wraps his arms around his son, choosing to just hold on for the moment. He pats Conor on the back, and Conor slowly disengages from the hug, bouncing on his toes as soon as he’s upright.

“I’ll talk to Leo and Colt,” Pawel promises. “But you need to give me time.”

“It’s already Tuesday,” Conor whines. “You said we’re going on Friday. That’s not a lot of time. Wait, what about school? Are you taking me out of school?”

“That’s one of the things I’ll need to talk to Leo and Colt about.” One thing among several. And this is coming out of the blue, after all these years of silence. Because of course Pawel’s son has managed to dump him into chaos. It’s what the Szczeks do.

“For now,” Pawel adds, “go to bed. Let me take care of the adult things, okay?”

“Okay. G’night, Dad!” Conor slams the door to his room behind him.

Pawel’s left on the couch—his bed for the summer—alone with his thoughts.

So. They’re taking Emma to the festival. He promised. If her foster fathers allow her to go.

There are so many ways in which this could get awkward.

It’s up to Pawel to take the first step, so he opens his phone and brings up a text to Leo’s number.

Okay. Dinner. When?

He presses send. There, that’s started. It’s in the hands of his exes now.

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#welcome to phu #welcometophu #the meaning of home

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thisweekingundamevents · 4 years

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GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2020!

Welcome to the Gundam Wing Holiday Gift Exchange!

As the ‘Holiday Season’ draws near, we get excited over possible snow, hot chocolate, hoodies, gaudy Christmas sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, large amounts of food, spending time with family, getting out of school for a few weeks, changing gears for the coming of the new year, and simply having fun.

Let’s put your imaginations to the test, and see how you fair creating someone else’s idea of what the Gundam Wing crew does during these wonderful holidays!

Participants will be asked to fill out a form listing the types of things they are okay with creating and receiving as creations.

It will work much like a Secret Santa, where we will gather up the forms, figure out who can do what, and who wants what, and then we’ll divvy out the assignments!

Adult themes can be asked for, I’m sure there will be people out there willing to write or draw it for you! That being said, this exchange is going to include both writers and artists, so be sure that your ‘Wishes’ can be granted by either medium, you won’t know which one you’re getting after all!

Schedule: 1 September 2020: Sign-ups Open! 30 September 2020: Sign-ups Closed! 1 October 2020: Participant list goes live! 10 October 2020: Assignments sent out! 3 November 2020: Check-in 1 3 December 2020: Check-in 2 3-9 January 2021: Post your Gifts! 15 January 2021: Full list of gifts goes live!

To maintain an element of surprise and avoid premature gift reveals, please do not share your gift or the identity of your recipient until January 3rd!

You will have a bit over two months to finish your gift (October 10, 2020 - January 2, 2021). Please plan accordingly!

Criteria: Please do your best to work with what your giftee has requested.

If you find you are having trouble or need clarification, please contact Mod Hel for help and I will contact the giftee to resolve the problem.

You will NOT contact your giftee yourself! Bring questions to Mod Hel, and I will get you an answer.

Fan Art must be at least 3x5 inches.

Both traditional or digital work is welcome!

Digital work should be at least 200dpi.

(If you want your digital work to be printable, do 300dpi.)

For traditional art, please provide a high-quality image via scan or photograph of your gift.

(If you would like to send the hard copy of traditional art to your giftee, you will need to discuss it with them after the event is over.)

Fan Fiction must be at least 800 words.

You can of course make it longer should you so choose (or the story gets away from you).

Please be considerate and do your best to edit for spelling and grammar. You may have a beta reader/editor if you feel the need, provided they are not also participating in the event.

There will be slots open for those willing to beta read and/or be pinch-hitters should someone participating drop the bat.

However! ALL works must be COMPLETED WORKS. So if it winds up being a chapter story, you need to have ALL of the chapters completed before the due date.

Please put forth the effort in your gift that you would like to see someone put into yours. It’s not about skill level, but about sharing a piece that you’re proud of and would be happy to receive yourself!

There will be two (2) check-ins for this event. Mostly just to gauge if participants will be done on time. If you finish early, simply let me know you are done during these check-ins. These will also be good times to ask any questions you may have about your gift if you are unsure of any of your giftee’s likes or dislikes.

Please be sure to have at least one element from your giftee’s suggestions in your fic or art piece.

DROPOUTS

Please get in contact as soon as possible if you need to drop out so your intended recipient can be reassigned. Life happens and there will be no questions asked.

If a check-in is posted, and you do not answer within a week of being sent the email, I will assume you are dropping from the event. So if something comes up, please be sure to get word to Mod Hel about what is going on!

Pinch-hitter assignments will be addressed on an as needed basis. If you feel, for any reason, that you can not create the gift you were assigned - please let me know and I’ll see about switching you with someone else. (I’ve never had it be an issue, but the opportunity is there should it be needed.)

POSTING

On January 3rd (whatever your timezone) you may begin posting your gifts! Please be sure to at us @thisweekingundamevents and have “GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2020” in your tags so that we can put all of the gifts into a comprehensive roundup on January 15th!

If you have not received a gift by January 9th, a pinch-hitter will step in to provide you with one.

Please feel free to contact Mod Hel at any time with questions! Messages to @helmistress, @thisweekingundamevents, or @thisweekingundamwing on Tumblr, @SaviorOfEos on Twitter, HelMistress on Pillowfort, or Talliya#0958 on Discord will get you answers!

#Gundam Wing #This Week in Gundam Events #GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2020 #Event Information

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missroserose · 4 years

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coronavirus meme

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Feel free to answer the questions yourself! I’d love to hear how you’re doing, and what better time to make something go viral...?

1. Are you an essential worker? Nope. I have Opinions on who is and isn't classified as essential and how much they're (not) being compensated for their risks, but ultimately there's not much I can do about that, other than tip generously when I do things like order delivery. Regardless, massage is pretty low on the list of essential services, so I was laid off two weeks into quarantine. 2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started? Recently a friend asked what I'd been doing to cope, and the snarky-but-uncomfortably-truthful answer that immediately came to mind was "drinking". So I'll let y'all draw your own conclusions. 3. If you have kids, are they driving you nuts? No kids. 4. What new hobby have you taken up during this? Other than curling in an anxiety ball and constantly refreshing news and social media? Um. Well, I saw a post on Pillowfort about a local papercrafting store that was doing $50 grab bag orders where they'd stuff a box full of supplies and send them to you. Figuring now might not be a bad time to get back into papercrafting, I went ahead and ordered one; it came with a rather nice A5-size planner and a number of stickers/inserts/what have you. I've started browsing through the Instagram planner community and am working on a plan (hah!) to start my own account/YouTube channel...I figure, since creative work is all I can really do right now and my biggest trouble with consistently finishing creative work is the lack of structure, maybe this'll help me get my butt in gear? Or it'll become another project that disappears off the radar. But hey, at least it'll give me something to focus on in the interim. I'm pinkpunkplanner on Instagram, if anyone wants to follow along. I've also been cooking more. It's never been my favorite hobby but it's become weirdly calming. 5. How many grocery runs have you done? Two. So far we've stuck entirely to Trader Joe's, since that's where our cat food comes from and we've been able to get everything else we need there. I suspect a Costco trip is upcoming, however. 6. What are you spending your stimulus check on? Already dumped it onto our credit card, where it nicely made up for my lost income this month. We'll see if the Illinois unemployment office ever gets back to me about my claim. 7. Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine? Nothing that immediately comes to mind, so long as my family all stays healthy. I'm going to be rather upset if my mother or grandmother fall sick, though, given that I skipped visiting Alaska last year for financial/time reasons and indeed had plans to visit in April but...well. 8. Are you keeping your housework done? Ish? Enough to be functional, nowhere near what my mother would approve of. 9. What movie have you watched during this quarantine? Several, in fact. I saw The Birdcage and Her for the first time, both of which I suspect are going to become favorites. Jojo Rabbit I was slightly disappointed by; it was cute but didn't feel quite as narratively coherent as some of Waititi's other work. The new version of Emma was absolutely sumptuous. Brian and KC suggested your name. one night, which was stunningly beautiful. I've watched both Ladyhawke and Portrait of a Lady on Fire with friends via voice chat; the former is a perennial favorite and the latter also beautiful in a very minimalist way. Probably some others I've forgotten. 10. What are you streaming with? iTunes, Netflix, and Hulu, possibly with a little Amazon Prime and Crunchyroll mixed in. 11. 9 months from now is there any chance of you having a baby? A miniscule one, I suppose. 12. What's your go-to quarantine meal? I've made this roasted-root-vegetables-and-chickpeas dish a few times. If you don't have a NYT subscription, it's really simple: Take a pound and a half of root vegetables (I use sweet potatoes and carrots), chop into pieces of roughly equal thickness, pour onto a sheet pan, season with salt, pepper, thyme if you have it, add enough olive oil to coat generously. Stir together. Roast for 30 minutes at 350. While they roast, open a can of chickpeas, drain and rinse, toss with olive oil and whatever spice mixture that you've had sitting in the back of the cupboard intending to use (I have an Indian-flavored one that's been excellent). Add to the pan with the vegetables, give everything a stir, raise oven temperature to 425 and roast another 15 minutes. Mix together some yogurt (2/3 cup seems about right), salt, fresh garlic, and any seasonings you feel like adding; when the vegetables come out, serve them in dishes with yogurt sauce dolloped on top. Delicious, warm, filling, and reasonably healthy. 13. Is this whole situation making you paranoid? The problem with not knowing the extent of the threat is that we can't really know the line where anxiety becomes paranoia. This may be directly contributing to my current mental health state. 14. Has your internet gone out on you during this time? No, thankfully. RCN's been sending out regular updates about the upgrades they've been implementing, and I've seen solid evidence (trucks with workers, improved physical infrastructure) that this is the case. One building down the street from us has two junction boxes, one labeled "RCN" and the other "Comcast". The RCN one is neatly wired with everything aligned and secured and all superfluous cabling removed. The Comcast one...well, I'll let Adam speak for me on that one. 15. What month do you predict this all ends? See above re: uncertainty. One of the things giving me anxiety is the sheer fucking hubris of the people in power making noises about "acceptable losses" in reopening the economy before we have anything like a robust testing/contact tracing/protection system in place. Does the economy exist to serve humanity, or do humans exist to be ground up in the machine of economic progress? I suspect we're quickly learning where the bulk of the USA lands on that spectrum. 16. First thing you’re gonna do when you get off quarantine? It probably says a lot about my current mental state that I can't really picture it. But "make arrangements to go visit my family" is likely high on the list. "Spend some quality time with my boyfriend" is also up there, assuming we're still together. 17. Where do you wish you were right now? Somewhere in 2021 or 2022, so I could get the uncertainty out of the way, take stock of the situation, begin the grieving process, and work on putting my new life together. 18. What free-from-quarantine activity are you missing the most? Looking at other people as potential friends and loved ones instead of potential vectors. 19. Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer? Funny story—I signed up for a subscription about a year and a half ago from Who Gives A Crap, and in order to get the best price I just got the largest (48-roll) box and, when they email me about the next installment, I delay until we need it. So our latest box came in...at the start of March. As for hand sanitizer, I barely use it (I prefer hand washing, it's less drying if you have good soap), so the stuff we have will probably last for months. 20. Do you have enough food to last a month? Probably, although the cats would be pretty skinny.

#about me #covid-19 #mental health #memes

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promnisofficialer · 4 years

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Promnis Holiday Exchange 2020!

Welcome to our first Holiday Exchange! All of this information can also be found here: https://promnisofficialer.tumblr.com/PromnisHolidayExchange

Welcome our first Promnis Holiday Gift Exchange!

Let’s put your imaginations to the test, and see how you fair creating someone else’s idea of what the Prompto and Ignis do during these wonderful holidays!

Participants will be asked to fill out a form listing the types of things they are okay with creating and receiving as creations.

It will work much like a Secret Santa, where we will gather up the forms, figure out who can do what, and who wants what, and then we’ll divvy out the assignments!

Schedule:

6 September 2020: Sign-ups Open!

30 September 2020: Sign-ups Closed!

1 October 2020: Participant list goes live!

10 October 2020: Assignments sent out!

3 November 2020: Check-in 1

3 December 2020: Check-in 2

10-16 January 2021: Post your Gifts!

20 January 2021: Full list of gifts goes live!

To maintain an element of surprise and avoid premature gift reveals, please do not share your gift or the identity of your recipient until January 9th!

You will have over two months to finish your gift (October 10, 2020 - January 9, 2021). Please plan accordingly!

Criteria:

Please do your best to work with what your giftee has requested.

If you find you are having trouble or need clarification, please contact Mod Hel for help and I will contact the giftee to resolve the problem.

You will NOT contact your giftee yourself! Bring questions to Mod Hel, and I will get you an answer.

Fan Art must be at least 3x5 inches.

Both traditional or digital work is welcome!

Digital work should be at least 200dpi.

(If you want your digital work to be printable, do 300dpi.)

For traditional art, please provide a high-quality image via scan or photograph of your gift.

(If you would like to send the hard copy of traditional art to your giftee, you will need to discuss it with them after the event is over.)

Fan Fiction must be at least 800 words.

You can of course make it longer should you so choose (or the story gets away from you).

Please be considerate and do your best to edit for spelling and grammar. You may have a beta reader/editor if you feel the need, provided they are not also participating in the event.

There will be slots open for those willing to beta read and/or be pinch-hitters should someone participating drop the bat.

However! ALL works must be COMPLETED WORKS. So if it winds up being a chapter story, you need to have ALL of the chapters completed before the due date.

Please be sure to have at least one element from your giftee’s suggestions in your creation.

DROPOUTS

Please get in contact as soon as possible if you need to drop out so your intended recipient can be reassigned. Life happens and there will be no questions asked.

POSTING

On January 9th (whatever your timezone) you may begin posting your gifts! Please be sure to at us @promnisofficialer and have “Promnis Holiday Exchange 2020” in your tags so that we can put all of the gifts into a comprehensive roundup on January 20th!

If you have not received a gift by January 15th, a pinch-hitter will step in to provide you with one.

Please feel free to contact Mod Hel at any time with questions! Messages to

@helmistress or @promnisofficialer on Tumblr; @SaviorOfEos or @PromnisO on Twitter; HelMistress or via the Promnis Official community on Pillowfort; or Talliya#0958 (Or just @advisor or @promnisofficial in the Promnis Official Discord Server) on Discord will get you answers!

#FF15 #Promnis Official #Promnis Holiday Exchange 2020 #Promnis #Smoking Guns #Event Information #long post

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