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huttons · 4 years

Text

Dancing Alone || Tyson Jost

word count: 10.6k

summary: Avery hasn’t been close to her parents in a long time, so moving to Denver to be closer to her sister wasn’t that hard of a choice to make. There she meets Tyson Jost, who somehow manages to sneak his way into her life and change her life in ways she would never expect.

author’s note: this was written for @antoineroussel as part of my follower celebration! I hope you enjoy it :’) also ty to @darthsuboptimal for being my beta for this <3

warnings: dealing with homophobia (specifically homophobic parents), mainly towards the end of the imagine

~ ~ ~

“I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t.” — Khaled Hosseini

Avery had the chance to move anywhere she wanted to, start over fresh in any large city. But in the end, she decides to go to Denver to be near her oldest sister. The thought of having someone there to support her after graduating university is too tempting to turn down. Besides, Luna offered for her to stay in her apartment as Avery found a place to live.

“How did you manage to get so many clothes?” Luna groans as she brings in Avery’s last suitcase.

Avery snorts. “I honestly have no idea. But I swear half the coats came from Joan because she said I’d need them coming here.”

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Luna sighs. “At least you’ll have the summer to prepare before winter comes.”

“I guess that’s good,” Avery says, looking over all the things she has to unpack now. “God, I’m not looking forward to doing this all over again when I find my own place.”

“Maybe we’ll hire a moving company,” Luna jokes. “But no thinking about that now, I just got you here.”

Avery smiles. “Yeah, I guess you’re stuck with me for a bit.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, okay? Dinner will probably be around 6 or so, if that’s okay.”

“Of course. That should give me enough time to get mostly sorted.”

After Luna leaves the room, Avery sighs. Knowing that things won’t unpack themselves, she decides to start with her clothes. She gets lost in refolding everything and trying to figure out an organization method for the dresser and closet. Even though it’s headed into the middle of summer, Avery makes sure to hang up her winter jackets first, knowing that they’ll come in handy sooner than she’d like.

Before she knows it, Luna is calling her into the kitchen for dinner. They mostly start talking about Avery’s drive over from Portland, and confirming that Avery got everything sorted before making the move. It’s everything that she was expecting Luna to check up on, being the most organized out of the two.

“Now, you said you had an interview lined up?” Luna inquires, curious.

“Oh, yeah, it’s at this local plant shop. I’d basically be helping their marketing and sales, then helping up in the front on occasion. Nothing too fancy, but it sounded like fun,” Avery answers. “Better than going back into retail full-time at the very least.”

“You’re not wrong there,” Luna sighs. “Do you want any practice or some help with your outfit? Or did you already get it sorted?”

“I think I’m good,” Avery says hesitantly. “I feel good about it, anyways.”

“Alright then, but if you change your mind tomorrow, let me know,” Luna replies. “Because-”

“There’s never any shame in being too prepared,” Avery finishes. “I know.”

Luna laughs. “Good to see you still have me memorized.”

“Of course I do,” Avery snorts.

The rest of the night passes easily, and Avery enjoys every second of being back with her sister. It was hard going to university so far away from her family, but she wanted the freedom that it provided. After the initial homesickness had passed, she knew that she had made the right decision, as it allowed her to become more confident in herself in a way that would have never happened with her parents around.

When Avery’s interview rolls around, she feels nervous and a bit flustered. Sure, this might not be the job she imagined getting right after graduation, but it would still be something she’d enjoy. There was a reason she chose to major in plant biology at least.

As Avery walks into the shop, she’s greeted by the slightly humid air and freshly watered soil. It feels relaxing, a small reminder of her university’s greenhouse. She almost forgets that she’s here for an interview, and not to look around at all of the plants.

“Are you Avery?” someone inquires.

Avery turns around and sees an older woman, dressed in casual clothing. She smiles and nods in response.

“Yeah, that’d be me,” Avery replies. “And you’re...Helen?”

“You’re correct. Now, come and follow me to the back so we can talk in peace.”

Avery follows her back, and isn’t surprised by the tiny office area in the back. It’s mostly filled with compost and other plants, and a small table just in the corner. She notices two small rooms off to the side, but they don’t take up too much space. Helen takes a seat at the table, so Avery takes the chair right across from her.

“I know this isn’t much, but we’re doing the best we can,” Helen says. “Now, I wanted to ask you about your school, especially since it isn’t marketing based.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Avery replies, nervous.

Over the next forty-five minutes, Helen questions Avery on a wide variety of subjects. While quite a few have to do with the main functions of the position, she also asks about Avery’s knowledge of plants. That’s when Avery starts to feel a bit more in her element and feels more confident in her answers.

“Well, it was awfully nice meeting you,” Helen says. “I still have a couple other people to meet with, but I’ll let you know any decisions in a week or so.”

“Thank you so much,” Avery replies. “I hope you have a great rest of your day.”

As she exits the shop, she feels like there’s a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Avery feels like she did as well as she could have, especially given the circumstances. When she gets back to the apartment, Luna left out a small spread for lunch with a cute post-it note left on top. Smiling, Avery tucks the note into her pocket to hold onto.

Luna comes back later that night with Indian takeout, knowing that it’s Avery’s favorite. After they get their plates sorted, they head into the living room to watch sometime on Netflix. Nothing gets brought up about the interview, Luna knowing that Avery will mention it when she’s ready. She doesn’t say anything until after she’s eaten most of her food.

“I think it went well,” Avery says quietly. “Like, I felt good during it, but I don’t know if I was who she was looking for.”

“Just means you’ll get the chance to look for something else that might be better,” Luna replies easily. “I know you’ll find something soon.”

Avery sighs. “I hope so.”

A few days go by, and as Avery waits to hear back from the plant shop, she starts to settle more into the apartment and Denver. She’s only visited Luna here a couple of times, so Avery tries to make a list of places she wants to visit. The thought of starting her life here is exciting as it is terrifying, but she hopes that it pays off.

Before she knows it, Avery gets a call from Helen saying that she got the job. Helen wants her to come in the next week to start learning the ropes on how the shop is run. Avery feels overwhelmed, but is excited that she managed to get the position. It makes Denver feel just a bit more like home.

“Looks like I’m really stuck with you now,” Luna jokes after Avery tells her.

“How unfortunate,” Avery replies, smiling softly.

By the time her first day of work rolls around, Avery feels a bit more settled into life in Denver. As all first days are, she’s completely overwhelmed with all of the information she has to take in, but she knows it’ll be worth it. Helen seems wonderful, as well as the other people Avery meets throughout the day.

Avery is a little surprised that she gets her own office, but she supposes it makes sense if she’ll be spending a lot of her time in the shop. Even if she does have to spend a lot of time up in the front working with customers, it’ll feel nice to be connected to part of the community. Besides, Avery knows that she doesn’t do well spending too much time by herself.

As the summer passes, Avery finds herself settling in more and more into Denver. Everyday she’s more grateful that she moved here instead of going back home with her parents. Sometimes she wonders if Luna already figured out why she wanted to get as far away from their parents as possible. It wouldn’t be a surprise since Luna still calls them on occasion, but she never says anything to Avery.

They make it all the way until October before Luna gently brings up the holidays, curious as to what Avery’s plans are. On the surface, it’s a simple question, but Avery really knows what Luna is trying to get at.

“I mean, I was hoping to stay here. I don’t really want to go back home,” Avery says reluctantly. “And before you say anything, there’s no way mom and dad didn’t tell you about what happened.”

“They tried to, but I told them I wanted to hear it from you first,” Luna replies. “And you don’t have to tell me now, though it would be nice to have some context.”

Avery sighs. “It’s just...it’s really nothing, and I blew it out of proportion, but things have been weird ever since. I just don’t know how to fix it.”

Luna gives her an encouraging look, but doesn’t say anything, knowing that Avery will say as much as she wants to.

“Well, they found out that I was dating a girl, and mom totally freaked out on me. She started crying because she felt like I couldn’t trust her with something like that and started guilt tripping me,” Avery explains. “It only got worse when I told her that she wasn’t entitled to know that I was bi. And dad obviously backed her up on all of this.”

“That...sounds like something they would do,” Luna says. “But they were okay with it, right? Or…”

Avery shrugs. “They refused to talk about it after that, and I got mad that they seemed to act weird about it. Mom just said it was because I said she didn’t need to know, so she was going to pretend like it isn’t a part of me.”

“I’m starting to understand where this is all going. I think they’re just not sure how to handle you not being straight, but that’s not your problem. That most definitely explains why mom keeps asking about your dating life when she calls.”

“Are you serious?” Avery groans. “I’m still trying to find friends, much less someone to date.”

Luna laughs. “That’s what I keep telling her. Like please, I’m still your only non-work friend and you’ve been here for almost four months now.”

“How else am I supposed to make friends though?” Avery exclaims. “Nobody told me it’d be this hard to make friends.”

“Welcome to adulthood, my dear sister,” Luna says, smiling brightly. “Now, back to the original subject: holidays. I was thinking about going home if I could get the time off from pediatrics, but if you’re staying here, I’ll stay here.”

Avery frowns. “You don’t have to stay here just because I’m going to be here.”

“Please, I’m not going to make you stay here by yourself.”

“I’ve done holidays by myself before, I don’t mind doing it again this year,” Avery points out.

Luna rolls her eyes. “Look, you’re here now and we’ll make the most of it, okay? I’ll probably have to work either Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I don’t want you to be completely alone.”

“Thank you,” Avery says quietly, smiling a little bit.

She knows that it’s probably only a small concession on Luna’s part, but Avery appreciates it anyway. It’s been a long time since she’s done anything special for any of the major holidays, so she feels excited in a way she hasn’t felt in a long time.

Over the next few weeks, Avery starts to settle into a routine at the plant shop. The days pass quickly, and she feels more confident in her decision to come to Denver. She starts to meet more people through her work as well, and it feels nice to be able to find other people to talk to besides Luna.

It's early Monday morning, a time where Avery normally focuses on doing some work out in the front, when she meets a new customer. He comes in looking a bit frazzled, and he gives Avery a slightly panicked smile when he sees her.

“Hi, welcome in! Is there something I can help you with?” she inquires.

“Uh, yeah, I was hoping you could help me with a floral arrangement. It’s a little last minute but I need it as soon as possible,” he explains. “Oh! I’m Tyson by the way.”

He sticks out his hand, and Avery shakes it, laughing a little.

“So...what kind of arrangement are we looking for? Something for your girlfriend?” Avery asks.

“Oh, no, it’s for my mom,” Tyson replies.

“Any idea what kind of flowers she likes?”

Tyson blushes. “No, I don’t. But she really likes purple?”

“I’m sure I can get something together. We’re kind of limited since these are the last of our flowers for the season, and we only keep fresh flowers for our arrangements.”

Avery leads him over to a case that only has a few bouquets left, and there aren’t that many flowers that bloom this late in the year. She lets out a sigh when she spots the gladiolus, knowing that it’s a great plant to have, even if it doesn’t last extremely long after being picked. Still, if this is a last minute thing for Tyson, it probably doesn’t need to hold perfect for too long. After grabbing it out of the case, she holds it in a way to show it off.

“You’re lucky that we had people growing these flowers this year. They normally don’t go into any arrangements since they bloom so late into the season,” Avery explains. “But we have a couple others that might work, I just figured this was a good first shot.”

“No, this should be perfect,” Tyson replies. “How much?”

“Should be about $50,” Avery answers.

Tyson nods, so she takes that as confirmation that it’s a good price. She leads him over to the register and rings him up. After she hands him the bouquet, he heads off with a bright smile, and looks slightly less panicked. Avery doesn’t think much of it at the time, but she does note that he was kind of attractive.

The following week, around the same time, Tyson comes in again, looking just as nervous as the first time. Avery gives him a small smile as she saves her work and comes over to help him.

“Did your mom like the flowers?” Avery inquires, genuinely curious.

“Oh! She loved them, said they were really pretty,” Tyson says.

Avery smiles. “Good to know that I haven’t lost my touch then. Now, what can I help you with today?”

“My sister said she wanted something too. Not an arrangement or anything, but a house plant? I don’t really know where to start though,” Tyson replies with a small frown.

“Does she have any plants already?”

“No, not that I know of. So...something easy to take care of I guess. And maybe something that doesn’t need a ton of sunlight because I don’t know how much she gets in her apartment. Also something that I can ship in the mail?”

“Maybe a snake plant? I have some relatively small ones that might be able to ship well if you pack it right,” Avery replies. “And they’re pretty easy to care for, even if they need a little bit of sunlight.”

“That sounds great,” Tyson says. “Um, if I bring it by, could you help me pack it?”

“I - sure?” Avery replies, uncertain.

“I can pay you for it, I just don’t trust myself to do it on my own,” Tyson says, laughing.

“No, don’t worry about paying me for it. Just make sure you bring packing supplies and a box that the plant can fit in.”

Tyson nods happily as Avery goes to grab one of the smaller snake plants. She’s not totally certain how well it’ll ship, but she hopes that she does good enough. And if Tyson is so intent on paying her, maybe she can convince him to spend his money on priority shipping instead. The quicker it gets to his sister, the better.

“That’ll be $15,” Avery says after ringing up the plant.

“Perfect, thank you. Are you going to be here later this week?”

“Yeah, I’m here Monday through Friday, although I might be back in the office and not up front. Just ask for me.”

“And...what’s your name?”

Avery blushes. “Oh, my name’s Avery! Sorry, I didn’t realize I never introduced myself.”

“No, you’re fine. Thank you so much for helping me.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Avery replies, shrugging.

Tyson makes his way out of the store, and Avery lets out a big sigh. She knows that small things like this are important when running a small business, but she can’t believe that she agreed to package a plant for some random customer. At least it’ll be something interesting to help break up her day.

On Wednesday, Remy comes to her office, letting her know that Tyson has come by asking for her. It might be against shop protocol, but Avery tells him to just send Tyson to the back, figuring that it’d be easier to do this in the back. When Remy comes back, he’s leading a slightly confused Tyson, who’s holding the plant, a bunch of newspapers, and a box.

“You can set everything down here,” Avery says, pointing out the lone table. “I can help you get everything sorted much easier than in my office.”

Remy gives them a curious look, but lets them do their thing.

“Thank you so much,” Tyson says. “I feel dumb not being able to do this on my own, but I know I’d find a way to mess this up. And I really don’t need another reason for Kacey to make fun of me.”

“I’m guessing Kacey is your sister?” Avery asks. “And I mean, I feel like she’s going to tease you anyways. That’s what sisters are best at, aren’t they?”

Tyson lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m guessing you have sisters?”

“Just one older sister. She’s actually the whole reason I came to Denver. Wanted to be closer to her.”

“That’s nice,” Tyson says quietly. “I moved out here for work.”

“Denver’s not a bad place to end up.”

“No, it really isn’t.”

They keep up the small talk as Avery helps Tyson pack up the plant. She’s almost certain that he could have done this himself, but she appreciates the company and change of pace. They talk a lot about their favorite parts of Denver, and by the time Tyson heads out, Avery has a long list of places to check out.

“I really appreciate this,” Tyson says before leaving.

“It’s really no problem, but I’m glad that you stopped by anyways,” Avery replies.

When Avery arrives back home, Luna gives her a look, knowing that something is up. Avery might have mentioned Tyson a couple of times to her, and attempted to be casual about it. As much as she doesn’t admit it, she also knows that Luna knows her best.

“Tyson came in today,” Avery sighs, knowing she should just get the subject out of the way.

“And?” Luna asks.

“And nothing. I just helped him like I said I would.”

“Okay…and?”

“We hung out in the back and talked a little bit. I swear it was nothing, we were just talking about some of our favorite places here in Denver.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Maybe you’ll get to see him again.”

Avery groans and flops down on the couch. “Nothing’s going to happen, Luna. First of all, he’s a customer and second of all, we’ve hardly interacted! I don’t even know what he does for work or what his last name is.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t have a little bit of fun.”

“Ugh, please remind me why I’m still living with you?”

“Because you love it,” Luna replies, smiling brightly. “Anyways, if you insist that it’s nothing, I’ll drop it. I just get excited for you.”

“I know you do, but I promise everything is going well. I haven’t even been here six months yet,” Avery points out.

“I suppose you’re right.”

Thankfully, Luna drops the subject, knowing that Avery moves on her own time when it comes to meeting new people. Besides, Avery thinks that she won’t be seeing Tyson anymore, unless his sister insists on him getting her another plant. Even then, it’s no guarantee that he’ll want to see her again.

Turns out, she doesn’t have to wait too long to have her questions answered. It’s only a couple of weeks later when Tyson comes into the shop with a couple of other people. Avery assumes their friends by the way they’re joking around with each other. When Tyson sees her, he smiles brightly, and seems to blush, but Avery brushes that off as nothing.

“Nice to see you in here again,” Avery says. “Who are your friends here?”

“Oh, this is JT and Alexander. We work with the same company,” Tyson answers.

“That’s fun,” Avery replies, noticing that JT and Alexander are giving Tyson weird looks. “So, anything special that you’re coming in for? Is your sister demanding more plants already?”

“No, uh, actually no,” Tyson replies. “Um…”

“Did...did you want a plant? I’m sure I can find something that works well with your schedule,” Avery says.

“He wants to ask you out on a date,” JT blurts out.

“JT,” Tyson hisses. “I was going to ask you that, but not like that, I swear.”

Alexander rolls his eyes. “Please, you would have never asked her out.”

“Uh…” Avery says awkwardly. “Can I speak to Tyson by himself please?”

JT and Alexander at least look a little bit ashamed of themselves, and head out of the shop. There’s a few moments of silence where Avery and Tyson just kind of look at each other, neither quite sure what to say.

“So, uh, I’m really sorry about them,” Tyson apologizes. “I brought them for moral support, not to actually do that.”

“No, it’s...well, it’s not really okay, but I get it,” Avery replies.

“I’ll leave if you want me to, I really didn’t mean to make things weird.”

“Let’s meet at that coffee shop you were telling me about. I get off work at 4pm today, so I shouldn’t take too long to get there. You can have one redo,” Avery says.

“Okay, that should work, I promise it won’t be so weird,” Tyson replies gratefully.

After he leaves the shop, Avery lets out a heavy sigh. She’s not totally sure what to make of what just happened, and tries to let it sink it. Despite what it might come off as, it’s not like she’s opposed to going on a date with Tyson, it just felt like a weird situation to be put into, especially since she’s still getting to know him.

Once she clocks out and locks up the shop, she makes her way over to the cafe. There’s a small part of her that wishes she could have had the chance to change, but her apartment is too far for that. It’s also a little bit annoying having to carry around her work bag, and while Avery is sure nothing would happen to it, she doesn’t want to leave it in the shop.

When she gets there, she doesn’t see Tyson yet, so she goes and orders something before grabbing a seat in the corner. At the very least, there’s a little bit of privacy since the chairs aren’t right next to anyone else. If he’s going to insist on asking Avery out properly, she doesn’t necessarily want anyone else overhearing.

Thankfully, Avery doesn’t have to wait long after grabbing her drink and sandwich for Tyson to walk in. He smiles brightly when he sees her. Instead of going to order something for himself, he sits next to her.

“Do you not want to order anything first?” Avery inquires, frowning a little.

“No, I ate not too long ago, so I’m fine. Besides, I probably shouldn’t be having caffeine this late in the day, I have an early morning tomorrow,” Tyson explains. “So, uh, before I try to make up for earlier, I wanted to tell you something I think you should know first.”

“Ah, is this when you tell me that you’re a serial killer?” Avery jokes.

Tyson laughs a little, noticeably nervous. “Um, no. I’m actually a professional athlete? I play hockey for the Avalanche here. It’s why I moved to Denver in the first place.”

“That’s...pretty cool. Except for the fact that I know absolutely nothing about hockey.”

“I kind of figured since you didn’t know who I was, but I also didn’t want to assume.”

Avery shrugs. “I mean, that’s a pretty big accomplishment.”

“Yeah, guess so,” Tyson replies, blushing a little bit. “So, um, I was planning on having this cute speech and everything to make up for earlier, but I kind of forgot it?”

“Please, you don’t need a whole speech. That’s a little much, don’t you think?” Avery snorts.

“I suppose so. I just felt bad. And I also felt bad that JT said that while you were at work, I know that puts you in a weird position. Although I guess me asking you if you want to get coffee sometime isn’t much better,” Tyson replies, frowning a little.

“At least I know you a bit more than your friend,” Avery points out.

“That’s...also true,” Tyson sighs. “Well, since we’re already here, would you like to get dinner sometime? Like...as a date?”

Avery laughs a little. Despite knowing that this was a very real option, it still feels a bit unreal being asked out. Before the nervous excitement completely takes over, she remembers that she needs to give him an answer.

“Yeah, I think I can do that. I’m off most days after 4pm and I don’t work the weekends,” Avery replies.

“Maybe next week? If you give me your number, I’m sure we could figure something out.”

“Sounds good.”

After exchanging their numbers, they hang out for a bit longer, before Avery says she could be heading back home. She didn’t tell Luna about this, so she knows that her sister is probably wondering where she’s at. As they head out of the cafe, Tyson stops awkwardly, not quite sure how to say goodbye. Avery rolls her eyes, and pulls him into a hug. He holds her tightly for a moment before letting her go.

The second Avery walks back into the apartment, Luna is bombarding her with questions. She knows that her sister means well, so she lets it all slide and explains what happened.

“Oh, that’s exciting,” Luna says with a wide smile. “I can’t believe you didn’t know he was a professional athlete, though.”

“You know I don’t watch sports. Although I guess that’s going to have to change if this date goes well,” Avery sighs.

“Please, I’m sure it’s going to go great. You just have to have a little bit of faith,” Luna says. “And I honestly can’t believe you got a date before finding non-work friends.”

“I don’t see you having non-work friends and you’ve lived here longer than I have,” Avery replies, squinting her eyes a little bit.

Luna sighs dramatically. “I suppose you’re right.”

Over the next couple of days, she and Tyson text constantly, both wanting to get to know the other person better. She knows that they’re probably doing this a little bit out of order, but it is nice that she knows what Tyson wants out of this. Otherwise, she knows that she would probably be left a ball of nerves, wondering if it was going to turn into anything else.

It’s a couple weeks before Tyson officially asks her on a dinner date, and Avery feels good about it. Sure, she still feels a bit nervous, but if she’s learned anything, it’s that Tyson always finds something to talk about and keeps the conversation rolling. So at the very least, there won’t be too many awkward silences.

Tyson insists on picking Avery up, wanting to make sure that the whole night goes perfect. He’s right on time at 5pm, and smiles brightly when he sees Avery walk out of the apartment complex.

“You look great,” Tyson says. “Way to make me feel underdressed.”

Avery rolls her eyes. “I’m sure your shirt cost more than this whole outfit.”

“I don’t think so,” Tyson replies, looking a little bit concerned.

Avery laughs a little. “I was just kidding.”

Tyson blushes as he opens the door for Avery. She smiles softly in thanks, and then they’re off. As he drives towards the restaurant, she notices that it’s in a nice part of downtown, although she’s not that surprised. When she was looking the place up to check out the menu, she made note of how nice it was. It might be an attempt to impress her, but she’s not complaining.

Once they’re seated, Avery takes a quick look around her, and starts to feel a bit out of place. She does her best to take it all in stride, though.

“You’re doing good at trying to impress me,” Avery jokes.

“Really?” Tyson asks, obviously a little bit stressed.

“Yeah, not too shabby. But you really don’t need to do this, I promise.”

“I know, I just still feel like I need to make up for my friends.”

Avery laughs a little. “Consider it made up then.”

Thankfully, dinner goes well, both of them enjoying talking in person. Avery finds herself feeling more comfortable as the night goes on, and loves how easy it is to get along with Tyson. He just makes everything feel simple, and it’s endearingly earnest. By the end of the night, she feels content in a way she hasn’t felt in a while.

“I had a great time tonight,” Avery says.

“So, that would be a yes to a second date?” Tyson inquires hopefully.

“Yeah, I think I can make that work,” Avery answers, smiling brightly.

As Tyson drives Avery back to her apartment, there’s a lull in the conversation. The silence is comfortable, and she doesn’t feel the need to fill it. When he parks his car in the apartment parking lot, he smiles at her again.

“I’m really happy you had a good time,” Tyson says softly.

He quickly kisses Avery on her cheek, then blushes deeply.

“Yeah, I’m excited for round two. Maybe you can invite me to one of your games,” Avery jokes, blushing just as hard as Tyson.

“Oh, you’d want to come?” Tyson inquires, hopeful.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s your job and everything. Has the season already started?”

“No, but we have a preseason game here next week if you’d want to come? It’s on Wednesday. And maybe you can bring your sister so that you have someone there with you.”

“Yeah, that would actually be amazing.”

“I’ll leave you tickets.”

“No, don’t worry about that. I’m sure Luna and I could figure something out,” Avery insists.

“It’s really not that hard for me. Besides, I want to make sure you get good seats.”

“Okay,” Avery says softly. “Can I make sure Luna is free first, though? I want to make sure before I commit to anything.”

“Of course,” Tyson replies. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Bye, Tyson,” Avery says as she heads out.

When Avery gets back up to the apartment, it’s quiet. She groans, forgetting that Luna has an overnight shift tonight since she agreed to cover for a coworker. This just means it’ll be a day or so before Avery can ask about the game since Luna will crash as soon as she gets back to the apartment.

All through her shift the following day, Avery just feels herself thrumming with excitement from the previous night. Helen even remarks on it, joking that she can feel Avery’s emotions from the other side of the store.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” Avery apologizes. “I just had a good night last night.”

“Wouldn’t happen to be a date, now would it? I’m old enough to recognize that look on your face anywhere,” Helen says, smirking.

Avery flushes immediately. “Uh, you might be right.”

“Why don’t you tell me about him? They must be pretty great to get you all flustered.”

And so this is how Avery ends up spilling all of the details to her boss. Helen listens patiently, asking only a couple of questions. Before she knows it, almost an hour has passed.

“I - oh, sorry for taking up your time,” Avery says. “I didn’t mean to talk for that long.”

“We can always finish whatever we have another time. Nothing replaces a good conversation, does it?”

“No, I suppose not. I just didn’t even know I could talk that long about him.”

Helen laughs. “Sometimes people take us by complete surprise. Tyson seems like a good person, and I’m glad you met him.”

“Yeah, me too,” Avery says quietly, with a small smile.

When Avery gets back to the apartment that night, Luna is obviously just waking up. She’s still wearing her pajamas, and is only barely put together. Not like Avery can blame her, she can’t imagine having to work overnight in a children’s hospital.

“How do you feel about takeout? Nothing we have here sounds good,” Luna asks groggily. “And I just want something that’ll actually last a few days.”

“That sounds good. Does Indian work? I can call to put in our order.”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

An hour later, the two of them are curled up on the couch together watching some sitcom. Avery waits a little bit to bring up her date with Tyson, knowing that Luna needs some time to be at full processing capabilities. Besides, it’s not like she gets much time to just hang out with her sister all that often anyways.

“Wait, you had your date last night, didn’t you?” Luna inquires after she finishes her good. “How’d it go?”

“Oh, uh, it went a lot better than I was expecting. He was really great and I just felt like we got along well,” Avery says.

“So I’m guessing there’ll be a second date?” Luna teases.

Avery blushes. “Yeah, you’d be right.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Luna says softly. “Whenever I’d talk to you while you were in uni, you always sounded so tired and angry. And I hope you’re happy here with me.”

“Of course I am,” Avery replies. “You’ve been nothing but amazing, and this is home now.”

Luna smiles. “That’s good to hear.”

Their conversation lapses into silence and Avery reflects on it. It’s true - Denver has become her new home and she’s truly happy for the first time in a long time. This is one of the first times she hasn’t had to think about her parents and worry about how they were going to criticize her next. Meeting Tyson has only been an added bonus so far, she would love her life just as much even if he hadn’t waltzed into it. Speaking of Tyson, she also remembered about the game next week.

“So Tyson was wondering if you’d be free next week to go to a game,” Avery says, trying to be casual. “He knows I wouldn’t want to go by myself.”

“I could maybe swing it. What day is it?”

“Next Wednesday. Is that too soon?”

Luna ponders it for a quick second. “I could probably swing it. I get off work at 5pm that day, so we’d probably get there right on time, if not a little late.”

“I’ll let him know,” Avery replies, smiling.

“Does this mean I get to meet him?”

“I guess so? We didn’t work out plans for after the game.”

“I better get to meet him. I want to see if he passes my arbitrary rules.”

Avery lets out a surprised laugh. “I’ll let you know what he says.”

It’s not much later that Avery decides to go to bed, calling it an early night. Before she knows it, her alarm is blaring, and she rolls out of bed to get ready for work. Once she gets to work, she sends Tyson a text, letting him know about the game, as well as the fact that Luna wants to meet him afterwards. He doesn’t respond right away, so she sets to work on updating the store’s website.

While she’s on her lunch break, Avery checks her phone and sees that Tyson texted back. He apparently got the tickets sorted, and the game doesn’t start until 7pm, giving her and Luna just enough time to get there. He also explains that as much as he’d love to meet up after, he usually heads back home right away to go to bed.

Well, just means you’ll have to meet Luna some other time, is what Avery says back.

I’d love to meet her :) maybe we can get lunch on one of her days off or something

That’d be great!!

Avery smiles softly, happy that Tyson wants to meet Luna. Even though she knows that she’s made it clear that Luna is important to her, it’s still nice knowing that Tyson understands that. She’s still unsure of telling him why, but she knows that conversation can wait a while. It’s a heavy topic for someone she’s only gone on one date with, and Avery isn’t in a spot where she feels comfortable talking about it.

Before she knows it, Avery and Luna are making their way into Pepsi Center. The energy is wild, and it’s hard to not get swept up in it. Even though she knows that she won’t get to see Tyson after this, she’s still excited to watch a game. She and Luna looked up as much information as they could so that they could understand as much of the game as possible. And while Avery knows that it’s a preseason game, she still hopes that the Avs do well.

“Well, this is quite a first game,” Luna says breathlessly, as they sit down.

“It really is,” Avery laughs. “I guess it’s a good chance for us to try and understand everything we learned this last week.”

“I sure hope so,” Luna replies, smiling.

Once the game starts, Avery and Luna get swept up in the electric energy running through the arena. Despite not fully understanding some of the calls, they both have a great game. Tyson doesn’t play too much, but every time he gets on the ice, Avery makes sure to cheer a little bit louder. By the time the game has ended in a win for the Avs, she feels totally ramped up, and she knows it’ll be a little while before she falls asleep.

“That was amazing,” Avery says. “I have no clue why I didn’t do this before.”

“I mean, it might have been a little hard in Portland. Do they even have any hockey teams?”

“I...don’t think so.”

Luna laughs. “Well, now is as good a time as any, I suppose. Hopefully Tyson can get you more tickets during the season.”

“I’m sure he won’t have a problem with that.”

Avery makes sure to send Tyson a quick congratulatory text, as well as a selfie she and Luna took earlier. She pockets her phone, knowing that he won’t respond for a little while. The ride back home is fairly quiet, both trying to soak in the game. It feels a little surreal, but it’s definitely an experience that Avery will remember for a long time.

Once they get home, they stay up to watch some TV to try and calm down a little. Before Avery knows it, she feels herself start to fall asleep. The only thing that gets her to move is not wanting to wake up on the couch in the morning.

“Ugh,” Luna groans as Avery gets up. “Why is moving so hard? I didn’t even do anything.”

Avery snorts. “Come on, you’re going to hate yourself if you sleep on the couch. It’s comfy, but not comfy enough to double as a bed.”

“You’re right,” Luna sighs, rolling off the couch. “I think my age is finally catching up to me.”

“Please, thirty is hardly old.”

“Wait until you’re my age, Avery,” Luna threatens, jokingly.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

When Avery flops down in bed, she checks her phone, smiling when she sees that Tyson replied. It’s not much, but it’s still nice to see. She just sends a heart in response, and falls asleep almost instantaneously.

The following morning, Tyson comes into the shop, looking much more awake than Avery was expecting. Still, she smiles brightly, not having expected him to come by the shop today.

“This is a nice surprise,” Avery comments.

“I just wanted to see you since I didn’t get the chance last night,” Tyson replies. “I’m glad you and Luna had a good time, though.”

“Yeah, she’s already badgering me to go to more games,” Avery laughs. “I wouldn’t be complaining either, though. It was really fun.”

“So, uh, I was wondering if you’d want to get dinner again sometime?” Tyson inquires nervously.

“That’d be really nice,” Avery replies. “Somewhere a bit more casual, though. You don’t need to try and impress me.”

“But what if I want to?”

“Oh, well, I guess that could be arranged. Not this time, though.”

Tyson smiles. “Okay, that sounds good. I have to go soon, but I just wanted to stop by while I was in the area.”

After he heads out, Helen comes in only a few moments later. She gives Avery a questioning look, probably knowing exactly who Tyson is.

“Was that who I thought it was?” Helen inquires, smiling deviously.

“Uh...depends on who you thought it was?” Avery replies, flustered.

“The boy you were telling me about, of course,” Helen says. “Only you didn’t mention that he was a professional athlete.”

“I mean, I didn’t even realize it at first,” Avery says, a little defensive. “I just thought he worked a boring office job or something.”

Helen laughs. “Well, I’m glad you seem to be doing good for yourself. You seem much happier than when you first started working here.”

“Probably because I am happier,” Avery replies, shrugging. “I feel like I finally found my place here, you know?”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. Now, let me see those updates you’ve made to the website. You set up things for local online ordering, right?”

Avery is grateful for the change in the subject, and walks Helen through all of the updates. Online ordering was something new Helen wanted to do this year for the holidays, and Avery was more than willing to help with figuring out the logistics of it all. Hopefully they don’t get too overwhelmed, but there’s enough people working at the shop to at least help a little bit.

By the time the end of the day rolls around, Avery is ready to go. She’s looking forward to a relaxed night to make up for how exciting the previous day was. Much to her surprise, Tyson is waiting near the entrance, obviously waiting around for Avery to finish locking up.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” Avery says. “No game tonight?”

“No, we just had practice earlier today. I was hoping to take you to dinner, though, if you’re free,” Tyson replies.

“I suppose I can do that.”

Tyson smiles brightly and starts walking down the sidewalk. It takes a moment for Avery to catch up, still surprised at him showing up unexpectedly like this. As they walk towards wherever Tyson has picked for dinner, he keeps brushing Avery’s hand. She smiles a little before deciding to hold his hand.

“Oh,” Tyson says quietly.

“Do you...not want to hold hands?” Avery asks, a little concerned.

“No, no, this is nice,” Tyson replies, obviously trying to not smile, but his hand tightens around hers a little bit more.

Avery tries to hide her smile as well, but fails. “So, where are we headed?”

“Uh, just this restaurant me and some of the guys go to on occasion. It’s a super chill place, but we don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’m more than happy to go. I was just curious.”

Tyson lets himself smile then, and continues to walk towards the restaurant. Once they get there, Avery notices that it’s very much a retro burger type of place. It seems like a fun place, and completely different from their first dinner together. They’re seated fairly quickly in a small corner of the restaurant.

“They’re used to us stopping by, so we usually get the more secluded tables,” Tyson explains after the waiter drops off their menus.

“Oh, that must be nice,” Avery comments. “I’m sure it’s hard to go out sometimes.”

Tyson shrugs. “It’s honestly a hit or miss. Like we’re not popular by any means, but we’re still kind of well known.”

“Still, any guarantee of privacy must be nice. Or, you know, the illusion of it at least.”

The rest of the evening passes just as quickly as their first date together. Avery finds herself laughing more often than not, and she just feels content by the end of the evening. By the time they leave the restaurant, she finds herself not wanting the evening to end. She’s enjoyed her time with Tyson so much, and she values it more knowing how busy he is.

“I’m really glad you came by,” Avery remarks as they start walking towards her car. “Tonight was a lot of fun.”

“Good, I’m glad,” Tyson says softly. “I was, uh, wondering if you’d want to make us official? Like boyfriend and girlfriend type of thing.”

“Oh,” Avery says. “Yeah - I, yeah, that would be great.”

Tyson smiles brightly. “Okay, that’s...that’s good. Do you mind if I tell the guys?”

“Uh, no? Should I be worried that you’re asking that?”

“I don’t think so? But it might mean JT and Alexander randomly stop by the shop to meet you on a more official basis.”

“I think I can handle that. That means you need to meet Luna, though.”

“I’d love to meet her, you know I would.”

Only a few moments later, they find themselves standing by Avery’s car. She knows she should probably head back to the apartment, but she finds herself not wanting the evening to end. Tyson seems to be the same, not letting her hand go. He hesitates for a moment before going to kiss her cheek.

“I’ll see you soon?” Tyson whispers.

“Yeah, of course,” Avery says.

He lets her hand go and smiles softly before walking off to his own car. Once Avery gets into her car, she sighs deeply. In all of her imaginations of what Denver would be like, she could have never predicted Tyson. It feels a bit surreal, but she’s still happy with how things have been going lately.

When she gets back to the apartment, Luna is already passed out, leaving Avery to assume that she has an early shift at the hospital tomorrow. This makes her think about finding her own apartment, knowing that she’s stayed with her sister longer than intended. Even though she knows that Luna doesn’t mind her staying in the apartment, Avery also knows she should start looking for her own place. She’ll miss being around her sister all the time, but she also knows that this isn’t permanent.

The weeks start to pass, and before Avery knows it, it’s well into the holiday season. The shop is busier than either her or Helen would have expected, but it helps the days go by quickly. Tyson’s schedule also ramps up, so they don’t see each other as much as they’ve wanted to. It also means that she hasn’t had the chance to introduce him to Luna yet, given that Luna is also extremely busy this time of year.

The business also keeps Avery from thinking too much about her parents. Neither of them have tried to contact her, although that’s not too much of a surprise, given the previous few years. At this point, it would surprise her more if they actually tried to reach out at this point, which is why Avery feels shock seep through her when she sees her mom calling her.

“Hello?” Avery answers tentatively.

“Oh, it’s good to hear from you again,” her mom, Jane, says. “I wasn’t sure if you’d pick up or not.”

“You caught me at a good time, I guess,” Avery replies, trying to not sound too rude.

“Well, I just wanted to see what your plans were for Christmas. I know Luna is working, and I don’t want you to be all alone,” Jane says. “And it’s been so long since your father and I have seen you.”

Avery tenses up. “Luna and I made other plans, mom. It’s too expensive to buy a ticket right now anyways.”

“I’ll pay for your ticket,” Jane offers.

“I’m really okay. I’m going to stay here with Luna.”

“Avery, I don’t think you quite get what I’m saying. Your father and I have decided that it’s time to make amends and you should be coming to see us. It’s been a long time since we’ve been a family.”

“It’s not my fault you got mad that I’m not straight,” Avery spits out.

“Honey, this can all be fixed. Just because we don’t approve of the same things you do doesn’t mean we still aren’t family.”

“We’ve already settled this! This is exactly why I haven’t been home in fucking years!” Avery exclaims.

Jane sighs. “Look, you’re really being too over dramatic about this. We can put everything aside for just one day this year.”

“No, I really don’t think we can.”

“Honey, we’re trying our best, okay? I don’t know what else you want from us.”

“I wanted you to love me, mom. I really don’t know why that’s so hard! And you’ve had so many other chances to fix this, and I’m not going to pretend like nothing is going on.”

“Your father said you would be inconsiderate, but I really hoped for better.”

“I really don’t see how I’m the inconsiderate one,” Avery says bitterly. “Look, I’m not coming home and I probably won’t ever come home. Not unless you genuinely get over the fact that you can’t love a daughter who isn’t straight.”

“Avery, you take that back right now!” Jane yells. “Your father and I still love, despite everything.”

“You know what, I’m fucking over this! Don’t call me again,” Avery spits out.

With that, Avery hangs up without bothering to hear what her mom has to say. Jane calls her five more times, and sends countless texts, leaving Avery to ignore them all. She wasn’t expecting to feel so angry over her mom calling, but it’s hard to not feel that way after everything that’s happened. After everything - the screaming and yelling, followed by years of silence - have only led Avery to feel bitter when thinking about her parents.

When Luna comes home, Avery is laying face first on the couch, and doesn’t bother to move. A few minutes later, Luna is tapping her shoulder, and hands over a cup of tea. Smiling a little, Avery sits up and takes it. It’s a small gesture, but she knows that Luna is doing what she can.

“Want to talk about it?” Luna inquires. “Mom left a million voicemails and texts, but I didn’t bother to look at any of them. I knew it’d probably be something dumb, especially considering we haven’t had a real conversation in a very long time.”

“Just...she wanted me to come home for Christmas, said I shouldn’t be spending the day by myself,” Avery explains. “Told her we already had plans together.”

Luna snorts. “God, I can’t believe the audacity she has. But it doesn’t surprise me too much that she tried to convince you to come back home and act like nothing happened. Probably getting asked too many questions now that you’ve graduated.”

“Look at me, continuing to shatter the perfect family picture she’s always wanted,” Avery jokes, despite the exhaustion coming through.

“Why don’t you go to bed? I don’t mind doing dinner by myself, and you probably need the rest.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she sighs.

The next few days feel weird, with Avery being caught between the chaos of work and the intensity of Jane not leaving her alone. She knows she should probably block Jane’s number, but she also doesn’t want to think about the shit that’ll start up. Thankfully, Luna doesn’t make her talk about beyond what she wants to say, knowing that Avery will talk when she’s ready to.

Tyson swings by the store one day on Avery’s lunch break with food in tow. She hasn’t seen him since her fight with Jane, so she does her best to act normal. Even though Avery knows she can tell Tyson anything, she still feels nervous telling him about it. Right now doesn’t feel like it’s a great time either, not with how little they’ve been able to see each other.

“I missed you,” Tyson says softly, before giving Avery a quick kiss. “Mind if I eat with you?”

“You know I don’t mind,” Avery replies, smiling. “So, what all have I missed?”

“Not much, if I’m being honest. I decided to fly my family down for Christmas since that’s easier than me trying to visit them. The three day break is just too short,” Tyson explains.

“I’m glad you get to see them,” Avery says.

“What about you? I know you said Luna is working.”

“We just decided to work around it as best we can. Family is, uh, too busy to visit.”

Tyson frowns. “That’s a shame.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. Luna is going to be here, and that’s good enough for me,” Avery says, shrugging.

“Maybe we can do something on Christmas Eve. Luna isn’t going into the hospital until late, right?”

“I don’t want to take up your family time. You only get three days with them.”

“Yeah, but I think it would be nice, especially if it’s just going to be the two of you.”

“I’ll ask her tonight if you’re sure.”

“I’m most definitely sure. And I know that they’d all be happy to meet you,” Tyson says, smiling. “I know my mom and sister have lots of plant questions, anyways.”

“Oh, well, I can definitely help with that,” Avery replies, laughing.

During the rest of lunch, Avery does her best to make sure Tyson doesn’t notice that she’s feeling a little off. She doesn’t want to ruin the mood by bringing up her mom. It doesn’t feel right, and it’s not really something she feels ready to bring up quite yet. Eventually, she’ll have to say something, especially as their relationship gets more serious. For now, though, it can wait a little bit longer.

When Avery gets to her apartment complex, she grabs the mail before heading up to her place. As she sorts through the mail, she notices a letter addressed to her from an address she hasn’t seen in a long time. Her blood runs cold, knowing that this is just another attempt from her mom to reach out. Even though Avery knows better than to open it, she does it anyways once she gets to the safety of her own room.

Dearest Avery,

You must know that what I do is purely out of love for you. Every sacrifice your father and I made for you to have a better life was because we love you. You’ll always be our daughter, even if we aren’t comfortable with all of your choices. All we want is to see you during the holidays and reconnect, and become a family once again.

There is no need to be angry over one conversation so many years ago. It’s not healthy to be bitter over this, especially when it concerns family. Ignoring your father and I will not make anything better. So please come home, and we promise there will be no talk of any past choices.

Love,

Your mother

As Avery finishes reading the letter, she feels tears streaming down her face. Despite everything, her mom still can’t understand why she feels so angry. It’s always been about ignoring the reality of the situation and pretending like things never happened. This is the final straw, though.

It hurts, but she can feel herself come to accept that it’s time to truly cut her mom out of her life. There was always a small part of Avery that hoped that things would get better, and it would probably always be there, no matter how much she wants it to disappear. But the likelihood of that happening now isn’t worth keeping any line of contact open.

“Avery?” Luna asks quietly, poking her head into Avery’s room. “What happened?”

“Just...mom sent a letter,” Avery answers softly, holding the letter out.

Luna skims through it quickly, frowning. “Well, glad I have even more reason to never go home again. At least I have you to do holiday stuff with.”

“Yeah, that’s not too bad, I guess,” Avery says. “Oh! That reminds me. Tyson wanted to know if you wanted to do Christmas Eve with his family this year.”

“He wants to do Christmas with us? Doesn’t he only have like...three days off?”

Avery smiles as she wipes away the last of her tears. “Yeah, he said that he wanted to spend time with us and he knows that it’s just the two of us.”

“I guess I can’t say no to that,” Luna sighs. “But are you seriously okay? This is a lot.”

“I really am, I promise,” Avery says. “I’m angry, but I swear I’m okay.”

“If you say so,” Luna replies, frowning.

“Look, I get to spend time with you, Tyson, and his family,” Avery says, smiling and laughing a little. It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten to do proper holidays, you know?”

Luna gives her a look. “I haven’t seen you smile like that in a while. It’s a good look on you.”

“I mean...I - he just makes me happy,” Avery replies, flustered. “But you didn’t answer the question.”

“If he doesn’t mind, then yeah, it would be really nice,” Luna says. “You know, it’s a shame that the fire alarms here are so sensitive, otherwise I’d suggest burning the letter.”

Avery lets out a sharp laugh. “That would definitely be satisfying. I guess we can just throw it in the trash.”

“Not as satisfying, but I suppose it works,” Luna sighs dramatically.

EPILOGUE

Spending Christmas Eve with Tyson’s family was better than anything Avery expected. It’s been so long since either she or Luna have spent any holiday with their family that both of them feel completely overwhelmed. Even though Tyson said that they didn’t need to bring anything for dinner, they still brought a couple of pies for dessert, feeling like it’s the least they could do for intruding on family time.

“How many times do I have to keep telling you that you’re not intruding?” Tyson says, rolling his eyes. “I want you here and my family is excited to meet both of you.”

“I know, it still feels like a lot, though,” Avery replies quietly.

“Is Tyson bothering you too much?” Kacey asks, walking into the kitchen. “Because if so, I have plenty of questions about the plant you sent me.”

“Oh, sure, I can do my best to help,” Avery answers.

Talking with Kacey helps calm a lot of Avery’s nerves, managing to fall into familiar territory. She’s not sure how much time passes, but before Avery knows it, it’s time for dinner. Surprisingly, she and Luna are folded into conversations fairly easily. As much as she might not want to admit it, Avery missed having dinners like this, being surrounded by people she truly enjoyed the company of.

Before Avery knows it, she and Luna are headed back to their apartment. The whole day felt wonderful, and she knows that it’ll be something that she remembers for a long time. Despite that, she knows that for most people, a dinner like that is unremarkable because their family has always been there for them. She knows that Tyson falls under that umbrella, and she doesn’t think he’d notice how wistful Avery felt the whole night.

However, he does bring it up when they’re making dinner in his apartment only a week later.

“So, um, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, but was everything okay during Christmas? You just seemed...not sad, that’s not the right word. I guess you just seemed a little bit off,” Tyson says.

Avery shrugs, trying to act nonchalant. “It’s just been a while since I’ve done a family dinner. I didn’t go home during the holidays in university and I wanted to stay with Luna this year.”

“And you didn’t go home...because you didn’t want to go home? Or it just didn’t work out that way?” Tyson inquires.

“I didn’t want to,” Avery whispers. “My mom and dad...they’ve been angry about me being bi for a long time. They said it ruined their family image, whatever the fuck that means.”

“Shit - why did you never tell me?”

Avery sighs. “I was planning on telling you, the time just never felt right. It’s such a weird thing to say and bring up. Like surprise, I don’t get along with my family! And I guess I felt like you might take it the wrong way as well, even though I know you don’t care.”

“I wish you would have told me so that I could have been there for you. We’re in this life together now, and I want to do whatever I can to make things better for you.”

“I’ve just been hiding it for so long that it’s weird to talk about,” Avery chokes out, holding back tears.

“Babe,” Tyson whispers, before pulling her into a tight hug. “I’m here for you no matter what. You don’t have to say any more, not until you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” Avery replies softly. “This is a nice hug, but you should let go, otherwise the veggies are going to burn.”

Tyson lets out a laugh. “Okay, okay, point taken.”

When he pulls back, Avery smiles softly. Even though she knows Tyson would take everything in stride, it still feels nice knowing that he’s there for her and isn’t forcing her to say more than she wants to. One day she’ll tell him the whole story, but that can wait for another day. For right now, she wants to just enjoy this moment here with him.

#tyson jost #colorado avalanche #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #tyson jost imagine #colorado avalanche imagine #mine #fic

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dukeofonions · 4 years

Note

How do you feel about the upload schedule for sanders sides? It’s been 10 months since the last proper episode. Also, I read a post on another blog about how they feel him hiring his friends leads to a slower production process due to messing around. Thoughts on that? Also also, do you think that since YT is his job, he should upload more? these are things I am thinking of tonight.

Not to worry anon, these are things I think about a lot because I have nothing better to do with my life.

Seeing as I joined the fandom shortly after Can Lying Be Good? came out, the longest my first wait for a new episode wasn’t that long actually. The video came out in February but I didn’t see it until early March. The next episode Logic vs Passion, came out in April. So it didn’t bother me much. And right after that we got Crofters: The Musical so I was on the hype train and fully invested.

Then we didn’t get another episode until October which left me a bit antsy, but I was still excited anyway and didn’t mind the wait. Embarrassing Phases then came out that December. So we got two videos within a fairly short time span.

SVS Part 1 came out that next year in March, again, bit of a wait, but it’s becoming standard now that we get a couple of new episodes every few months. No biggie. We get Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts in June, Asides in November... This newest one just came out now in May...

Yeah, if we hadn’t been given that Asides, we would have had almost a year-long wait for this next episode. And we did have a year-long wait for the follow up to a video that honestly, kinda made me think “Why do we still care about this? I’m not really invested in the “Wedding or callback” dilemma anymore” which, when you’re trying to tell a story using this medium, the last thing you want is your audience to lose interest in something that’s meant to be this big of an event within the series.

And what do all these videos have in common? Each one uses some kind of gimmick. CLBG and SVS had them filming in different locations, Logic vs Passion, LNTAO, and POF involved them using different mediums to tell the story (animations and puppets) Crofters and DWIT both had music in them, and Embarrassing Phases had the costumes.

Before that, the videos were all fairly simple. Maybe a few gimmicks here and there, but none of them went to the same level as these other ones.

Basically, what’s happening here is that with each new episode, the team is trying to bring something new to the table each time, and their solution is to use a different gimmick. Which, in theory, is fine. But I honestly believe these are doing more harm than good. For one thing, not everyone is a fan of these gimmicks and while sometimes they can be used to benefit the story, other times they just take over and the writing suffers for it.

The main reason (as far as we know) that this newest episode in particular took so long was because of the video game animations they wanted to use, but after watching the video besides a few instances, they really weren’t necessary to have.

And I plan to make a whole other post on this topic so I’ll leave it there for now. In regards to Thomas hiring more of his friends to work on episodes? Again, it’s good in theory, but I for one have noticed a certain change in the episodes since they brought on more writers, which officially started with Embarrassing Phases where Thomas said in the live stream following it that it was the first episode he really didn’t work on and it shows (but more on that in another post) I do think the other writers are talented people, but maybe all of them shouldn’t be working on Sanders Sides.

Each one is gonna have their own preferences for each character and ideas that may clash, and if these were simply coworkers, it wouldn’t be as much of a problem shutting down ideas that go too far. But when they’re literally all your friends, you have that connection to them and you don’t want them hurt, which can make saying “No” to certain things much harder. I’m not sure exactly how the writing team gets along so I can only speculate based on what I’ve learned from live streams.

As for their inclusion making the production for videos longer, I can also understand that seeing as you’re more inclined to goof off with people you’re close and comfortable with, especially when you’re not in a professional setting. Which, in Thomas’ case, he’s usually at home with his friends around. This automatically makes things more casual and one would feel more relaxed and not worry too much about being serious. Which, when you’re trying to get things done, can be a problem.

I’m gonna briefly use my own workplace as an example: I work in fast food, and all of my coworkers get along really well. We like to joke around and have fun, especially when we’re slow. But as soon as things start picking up it’s like a switch is flipped and we go from “Fun mode” to “work mode” just like that. Sure, we might continue to quip and joke with each other. But we never let it take precedence over the work that needs to be done. Some of our coworkers, don’t understand this. And when the rest of us are trying to work, they’re still goofing off. And in fast food, if just one person isn’t doing their job, it can bring everything crashing down. We have customers waiting in line for almost ten minutes, they get angry, they get mad at us, even if it’s just because of one person not doing their job. But we don’t have time to argue. We accept their complaints and do our best to fix the issue and get things moving again.

Obviously, what Thomas does is very different from working in fast food, but Youtube is still his job. Logan puts it best in LNTAO, “Thomas made a commitment to regularly sharing content. He must be held accountable.”

Now in fast food, we are most definitely held accountable by the customers if their food isn’t delivered in a timely manner or isn’t made to their liking, and we as the providers of said product, have to heed their words and make the product to their liking in order to ensure their satisfied. If they’re not satisfied, they won’t want to pay. Simple as that.

Thomas, on the other hand, is never held accountable by his fanbase. Now I’m not saying it’s a bad thing for him to have such a supportive fandom, heck I wish the customers I had to deal with on a regular basis were as understanding. But honestly, the way the majority of this fandom blindly follows Thomas and holds him on this golden pedestal is...

Kinda creepy...

He is surrounded by constant praise, hardly any criticism, and I believe that’s why we hardly get content from him.

Quick note, I understand that part of why this video in particular was delayed due to the pandemic and I respect their decision to not put themselves or anyone else at unnecessary risk for the sake of a Youtube video. However, plenty of Youtubers are still making and posting regular content on their channels despite this. To me, the main issue with Thomas’ content as of late is that he tries to put too much into what should be simple things. I understand wanting to give your audience the very best, but honestly, in my opinion, his newer content isn’t as good as the older stuff. It all had just such a simple, wholesome charm to it, that’s now been replaced with a fancier production and flashy editing. Not only that, they tend to start way too many projects at once, which result in never getting done.

You guys remember when they said they’d be bringing back Story Time Madlibs? That was last year, and the most recent thing we’ve heard about it is that they want to add more to it by including animations made by different people! Which will only increase the amount of time it will take to make what should have been a simple video that shouldn’t have taken more than a couple of weeks to film, edit, then post.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t try new things, but they’ve been trying to do so much that we end up getting nothing, and the fandom just seems okay with this.

At the end of the day though, this is just one opinion from a random faceless, nameless person sitting behind a computer screen. I doubt anyone on Thomas’ team will see it. I doubt a majority of the fandom would agree with any of it. But with more people starting to voice their opinions, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes too much of a thing to ignore. And if it becomes apparent that there’s a group in the fandom that is being ignored, that’s definitely going to cause problems.

Because in short if someone is out there, producing content for people, and they have complaints about it, then if those complaints are legitimate and can be fixed, then I believe it is the responsibility of that person to consider what they are saying and do their best to heed their words. If no one is ever criticized, then how will they ever improve? Criticism is not a bad thing. And once people get that out of their heads I think things will go much smoother for this fandom. But honestly, that’s just wishful thinking at this point. Sorry this answer got so long, I really should have just made a whole other post about this. XD

#fandom criticism #ts unpopular opinons #creator gripes #dukeofonions

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xfanfics · 4 years

Photo

Destiel Fic Rec List Part 1

Last Updated in October 2014. Posted in May 2020 for posterity. Listed in no particular order - the total rec list will have ~250 fics. Header graphic used with permission.

This part of the list contains: 48 fics.

Other Destiel Rec Lists: [1]. [2]. [3]. [4]. [5]. [6]. [7].

For Science! by pm_lo E | 21k | ABO, Omega!cas, Alpha!Dean,

Selected transcripts and supporting materials from Dr. Castiel Williams and Dean Winchester’s seminal study on physiological and psychological sexual response by gender designation.

Even though this is a dialogue/email text only story, I still very much enjoyed it and found it ridiculously hot. Maybe I'm just easy. (No I'm not. This fic is good, read it.)

Forget-Me-Not Blues by noangelsinthegarrison E | 68k | Firefighter!Dean, Professor!Cas, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining

Sam and Jess are getting married and Dean couldn’t be any happier for them. Honestly, they’re kind of disgustingly perfect for each other and Dean’s pretty damn excited about staying with them the week before the wedding. He’s Sam’s best man, of course, and he doesn’t even mind that Jess has her own best man to share in all the organizational duties. The more the merrier, right? Except Dean must have done something to epically piss off the universe because Jess’s best man just happens to be Castiel friggin’ Novak. He’s got even hotter since High School, but apparently no friendlier and if Cas wants to spend the week pretending like they’ve never met before? Fine. Two can play at that game.

THIS WAS SO GOOD I'M TEARING UP. tropes abound and I love it!

Cops and Robbers by kinkstiel E | 53k [WIP] | Detective!Dean, Criminal!Cas, Top!Cas, Bottom!dean

They locked eyes for a minute and then Cas leaned back as far as the cuffs would let him go, spreading his legs obscenely wide. “I want you to suck my cock, Dean.” Dean balked, mouth going dry in a second, eyes slipping to the now visible bulge in Castiel’s suit pants. “Um,” he said stupidly, face flushing red, eyes unable to pull away. Cas hummed. “Depending on how well you suck me, I might just tell you everything you want to know.” He licked his lips, smirking slightly when he caught Dean’s gaze. “And with sinful little lips like yours,” he made a low whistling sound, “I don’t doubt you’ll get every last name out of me.

So very good. Love the dark and dirtiness of it. It does get lighter and sappier towards the end tho.

Cursed or Not ❤ by Ltleflrt E | 115k | witch!Cas, shapeshifter!Dean, switching

While experimenting with magic when he was a kid, Sam accidentally cursed Dean. Now, Dean is forced to wear a spelled amulet constantly, or he'll turn into a random animal. For a little over a decade, he's learned to live with the curse, and has even found it useful in some cases, but he sure would be happier without it. When he meets a witch named Castiel, he's offered a deal. Instead of assuming all witches are bad, Dean can spend a season getting to know him. If at the end of the season, Dean still thinks he's evil Castiel will send him away with his memory wiped of the whole experience. But if he learns that Castiel is not the monster Dean assumes he is, he'll lift Dean's curse. It's an offer Dean can't bring himself to pass up.

Literally perfect. Enthralling world, magical relationship.

Surprise Package by wannaliveindeansdimples E | 3k | Hot, , Dom Cas, Sub Dean, Light BDSM

When Cas' roommate Meg has to go out of town suddenly, she leaves him an unexpected gift.

So so hot. Non extreme Dom!cas and sub!dean.

Never Have I ever by sweetdean M | 78k | Fluff, High School AU, top!cas, bottom!dean

When Jo drags Dean along to a game of "never have I ever" with her friends, he finds himself getting caught up in a lot more than just a game. “Never have I ever hung out with such an asshole,” Dean countered, positively shocked at his own sass. Cas smirked again. “Oh, are we hanging out now?fricken adorable

Road Signs by gemmiel E | 9k| Canon!verse, true form

Dean is curious about how angels have sex. Castiel shows him.

Damn. True form, soul sex, and regular sex. Yes please.

It's Brilliant, Really by snarkymonkey E | 15k | Fluff, AU, Professor!cas, Stuntman!dean

Castiel Novak is a History adjunct at Stanford University. He's also the most patient younger brother. When his older brother, Gabriel, decides to start *wooing* one of his younger waiters, Castiel reluctantly agrees to double-date with the intended paramour's older brother. What he didn't expect, however, was how much his own life would flip over such a careless decision.

Adorable. Hot, and adorable.

Gabriel's Unfortunate Mistake by JackHawksmoor E | 8k | Hot, AU

an answer to a prompt: Gabriel decides to hire a prostitute for his virgin brother Castiel as a joke, but instead accidentally hires Dean, a professional Dom. The moment Dean first lays a hand on him, Castiel knows he is lost. Dean/Castiel AU.

Um mm.... Damn. That was hot. Newbie sub!cas and pro dom!dean

Well-Beloved Unto Me by Moorishflower E | 3k | Alt!Canon, tentacles

The Winchesters don't get rewarded for all the shit they go through, so Dean is understandably wary when a few recharged and promoted angels offer him and Sam the vacation of a lifetime. Title comes from the Song of Solomon.

True form. And sex. MY FAVE.

How to Date an Angel in 12 Easy Steps by Fourthduckling E | 23k | Fluff, Alt!canon

It's not that hard to date an angel. All Dean has to do is fight off hordes of vampires, research gay porn, get sucked into a crappy Narnia, endure Sam's comments, creep out on Dr. Sexy, get harassed -- oh, and that's right-- figure out he's into Cas. Easy, right?

SQUUEEEE. Perfect and cute and cuddly.

Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right But Three Rights Make A Left by the0voice0from0above E | 45k | High School AU, Dancer!Cas, Welder!Dean,

The beautiful Garrison Ballet School becomes home to a reckless bunch of misfits after the Colt Welding Academy is severely damaged in a fire and has to close for repairs. Needless to say, Castiel and his friends clash with their unwanted guests but there's one boy in particular who infuriates him.

Dancer!au. Love it love it love it!

Rest My Angel by cobalt_wings E | 86k | Fluff, Season 9 AU

Angels are falling from the sky, and Dean is losing it. Sam is dying in his arms, and one of those burning, twisting figures blazing through the night air might be his very own angel, Castiel. What can he do to help those he loves?

Sex and domestic and lots of fucking. My fave.

One Species Too Many by wallmakerrelict E | 21k | Fluff, Alt!canon

While Dean is laid up for a month after breaking his leg on a hunt, Cas decides that it's a perfect time to adopt a litter of kittens. But even though he's gotten better since Purgatory, Cas still isn't quite the same as he was before fixing Sam's head, and being trapped in a cabin with him for weeks on end is making that all the more obvious to Dean. When Sam takes off on a hunt, Dean has to figure out on his own how to navigate his new relationship with Cas while also helping to raise a bunch of fuzzballs that aren't even cute. Not even a little bit. (Well, maybe a little bit.)

Team free will with kittens!! So fluffy and domestic but also a touch of angst.

It's A Bet by vitamindesi E | 34k | College AU, top!cas, bottom!dean

Destiel College!AU in which freshman Dean is dared by his best friends to hit on senior Castiel at a party. He wants to say no but then someone starts a bet and Benny bets a sum that is ridiculously high for a student and Dean can’t disappoint Benny, right? I deviated only, but hopefully it suffices.

So fabulous and smutty I want to cry. Literally perfection.

Your Call Cannot Be Completed As Dialed by eBob, K_K_TiBal T | 66k [WIP] | Fluff, College AU

AU in which Castiel accidentally sends a text message to the wrong number and befriends the person at the other end of the line. However, accidents don’t just happen accidentally, and sometimes two completely different people are exactly what the other needs.

LITERALLY THE BEST. So many feelings. I WANT IT TO BE COMPLETE SO MUCH. Abandoned WIP.

Equinox by luchia E | 12k | Alt!canon, time travel

In which Castiel is the weird time-traveling freak who just might be the love of Dean Winchester's life.

Confusing but perfect time travel fic.

If I run by betty days E | 4k | Hot, AU, sexting, long distance relationship

"Dean Winchester is a red-blooded American male. He lifts all the things. He aims for functional strength. He counts his macros and makes fun of curlbros. He is not a member of the Tarahumara tribe and he will not read Born to Run, no matter how many times Sam tells him to, because Starting Strength is the only book Dean will ever fucking need." Wherein a friendly competition with the mysterious ThursdaysAngel turns into a sexy selfie-trading spree that motivates Dean Winchester to train for his first marathon.

Soo. Hot. Makes me want to actually exercise?

The Little Things by Alreadypainfullygone T | 2k | Angst, Cancer, Major Character Death

Au based on 'the big C' in which Dean gets very sick, and deals with it the denial way. Meeting a homeless man on the way. Dean/Castiel Angst. Warning for trigger - Cancer. sorry if you think I dealt with it badly.

This is only 2.8k words, and yet it managed to make me cry.

Do What Feels Good by Catchclaw, cymbalism E | 12k | Hot, Alt!canon, PWP

Castiel learns to love alone time in the shower. And then he learns to share.

Fuuuuuck that was hot. Castubation and shower sex is just so hnnnggg.

All That Is And Used To Be by MisaChan E | 26k | Alt!Canon, wing!Kink

Dean never even knew anyone was living in the old estate outside of town until its mysterious occupant contracts his shop for a very specific job: a custom piano bench with grooves cut into the back. He finds Castiel and his terms to be eccentric with a capital E but the money is too good to turn down and anyway, Dean can't help indulging his curiosity about the guy and his secretive, isolated life. There are secrets that will not stay hidden and stories that refuse to be forgotten. Especially when they happen to involve Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel.

Ugh, I love this story. Concept, execution, and characterization are all perfect.

Do I Have Something Like That? by MysticMoonhigh E | 2k | Hot, horn!kink, wing!kink

based on the tumblr post I made: Does anybody know any demon!Dean fics where Cas makes Dean climax by basically giving his demon horns a hand job because I want this so badly out of lifE | I'm. I've read this about three times and I think I'm finally coming to terms with my alien biology kink. Hot. Wink!kink and horn!kink. Yes.

The Doctor Will See You Now by PetrichorPerfume E | 7k| Hot, PWP sub!dean, gentle dom!cas, wing!kink

Dean has a medical kink. Castiel is more than happy to oblige. Starring Castiel as the slightly unorthodox Dr. Novak who enjoys prescribing enforced chastity and daily tease and denial sessions, and Dean as his needy, submissive patient who will do anything for a chance to come.

Wowowwowowow. Um. This was super hot. Nnnghhhh.

Into Your Hideaway by thepinupchemist E | 176k |Angst, a/b/o, omega!dean, alpha!cas, mpreg

Driving down a deserted road in the Rocky Mountains, Castiel finds something unexpected: An omega. Not only an omega, but a naked, injured, pregnant omega. Dean doesn't talk much at first, but that doesn't change the brightness of his soul. It also doesn't stop Castiel from falling in love with him.

I just... Wow. This was an amazing story. Beware that it is possibly very triggering, because of rape, assault, violence, and general bigotry. But perhaps because of all of that, you get a story that is almost painful in its reality, and it is all the more loveable for that.

The World Crashing All Around by thepinupchemist E | 36k| Alt!canon, best friends wing!Kink, kid!fic

During a storm in September of 1987, Dean and Sam hear something hit their roof. When they brave the backyard to investigate, they find a fledgling angel. A story about best friendship, spoiled plans, and love, in four parts.

OH MY GOD. This was perfect all the way through. From soul bonds, to slow burn, to growing up together as best friends, it's all my favorite. And it even has wing kink, which is literally the best.

Share Your Burden by aTimeOfMagic E | 3k Hot, PWP, Sub!dean, dom!cas

Set at the end of 'Are You There God? It's Me Dean Winchester.' 4.02. Castiel shows Dean that he deserves respect, and Dean comes to see that Cas is not, in fact, just a 'hammer'. He also learns that his 'people skills' are definitely not entirely 'rusty'.

Damn. Um, really hot. Also, unexpectedly sweet.

Flawless by Vaerin E | 69k | a/b/o, accidental bonding, sub!dean, dom!cas

A contract is out on the Winchesters, a large sum of money the reward for throwing them off their game. A witch in the town they happen to be passing through decides to collect. She sets her sights on Dean, trying to seduce him into leaving his job to stay with her. When she can't even convince him to warm her bed, she decides to turn her job into his punishment. Knowing he fears commitment and can't stand the thought of being with a man, she works a spell between him and Castiel... the one friend he can call a safe haven. When they end up mated the next morning, not only does the Winchester family business suffer... but so does Dean's friendship with Castiel.

Cute long soul bond fic. Contains sabriel.

Chasing Normal by Donovanspen M | 16k | Fluff, First time, Cuddling & Snuggling

Dean reevaluates his definition of an 'apple pie life' and what that means for him, personally.

This is the definition of domestic fluff and smut. There's a wee bit of angst because hey, it's set in the canon verse. But so worth it.

Hold On by somuchforbaggles E | 92k | Fluff, Angst, mental illness

Castiel is sure that nothing in his life will ever change. Everything that happens to him is predictable, from the stability of his job to the unrelenting sporadic anxiety attacks, he can rely on his life to stay the same forever - until he saves Dean Winchester from the path of an oncoming train. From then on, everything changes for both of them, and the only way they can deal with it is together.

Woww. This was an amazing ride. Angsty and fluffy, then angsty again, then back to fluffy. So good.

I said to myself again by avyssoseleison E | 2k | Fluff, Praise!kink, Self-esteem issues

Dean finally lets himself be appreciated and cared for by his angel.

Praise kink is my ultimate weakness

The One Thing You Can't Lose by MajorEnglishEsquire T | 4k | Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling

You know what I like a lot? The thought that Dean can just tug Cas anywhere at any time and Cas, who can lift tons without effort, who can demolish things with the light of his grace, who has battled and gone to war, has defended and broken, will just let Dean do it.

fluffy love

Spit Slick by VeraBAdler M | 1k | Fluff, , First Time

[no description]

A super cute fluffy little oneshot :3 (tags say 'happy sex' and 'sexy cuddling' if you need more to go on)

Late Bloomer by somuchforbaggles T | 7k | Alt!Canon, Wing!kink, Wingfic, Soulmates

On every child’s seventh birthday, a celebration is held to mark the beginning of their journey as a fledgling - a sprouting ceremony. It doesn’t matter if the child hasn't shown the symptoms of emerging wings yet, for it is scientific fact that every child grows wings in their seventh year, sometimes even earlier. Castiel is not every child.

A coming of age wing fic. With mates. Basically, I'm in love.

Sleight of Hand by aileenrose M | 64k | Angst, Human AU, psychic cas, journalist dean

Dean Winchester has interviewed them all--mob bosses, serial killers, crooked politicians. Next he plans to unveil the con-man who markets himself as Castiel, a reclusive and secretive "healer" who claims to heal the sick in return for thousands of dollars. Dean's expecting a challenge, but he never expected Castiel to be so clueless or sweet...or that he might be telling the truth.

I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS AU. The one where Dean is a skeptical journalist/professional idiot and Cas is a socially inept healer and mind reader. There's lots of angst, but the payoff is so worth it.

Leaning In by Anonymous T | 15k | Hospital AU

Castiel never changed out his scrubs, Dean had a way of getting himself injured and Sam seemed to think it was a good pairing

Even though I have no idea who actually wrote this story, it's worth a read. I'm always up for a good medical AU.

Someone I Forgot to Be by MatildaMavis E | 36k Fluff, Angst, Human AU

Castiel is content - sort of - with his quiet life in Boston...at least, until his new neighbor moves in. It's Dean Winchester, the cliched long lost love of his life. Can these two idiots find their way back to each other after eight years, after fame and loss and heartbreak? After Dean has found love again with Cas' neighbor, Lisa? Fate can be a sadistic bitch, they've both learned that, but maybe they've matured enough to be able to handle it this time. The sparks, the attraction, the tension...or maybe not.

I thought this would be extremely painful, and it sort of was. But it was so worth it.

Didn't Get That Particular Memo by Snarkymonkey E | 5k

Dean has worked with his best friend for years and maybe it's a bit more than that for him but not for Castiel, right? Right. And really, he'd feel so much better if Castiel would just get a companion already. Because it's not like Castiel actually wants him, right? Right.

Damn, that was fucking hot.

Cas, You Had A Baby? by allthebeautifulthings9828 M | 132k | Fluff, Alt!Canon, Kid Fic, Slow Build

At some point in every angel's life, raising a fledgling is required. Castiel's turn comes rather unexpectedly when his superiors hand off a newly created infant angel to him and leave him to raise it with all of Heaven's principles of blind obedience. He's not sure what to do, so he tucks the fledgling in his coat and goes straight to Dean and Sam Winchester. Together, Dean and Castiel hatch a plan to raise the fledgling away from Heaven's control. And soon, the angel Hael arrives with news that, after Castiel disappeared, she and four other angels ran from Heaven's oppression with their fledglings. Castiel finds himself the unwitting ringleader of angels choosing to raise their fledglings with the principles of free will. Is angelic parenthood too much for his deepening relationship with Dean? Who can they really trust? (Disclaimer: This story depicts fledglings consuming honey for the nourishment of their undeveloped graces. Human babies cannot consume honey, so please do not feed it to your infants. This is fiction.)

Oh. My. God. I admit that I was skeptical at the beginning about this story, but let me tell you, it sucked me in. Sometimes, you run across a story that has wonderful OCs that you get attached to. This is one of those. And of course, the baby is adorable.

Healing by Jacqueline Albright-Beckett M | 2k | Fluff, Canon!verse, PWP

Castiel can heal more than just physical wounds.

Sensual and romantic.

Better Late Than Never by whelvenwings G | 23k | Fluff, Alt!canon, friends to lovers,

When Dean first sees Castiel, he's clinging on for dear life - and things never really get any easier. In fact, they get a lot harder; Dean's worst enemy isn't always the monkey bars. Bound together year on year by the ritual pact of being a Guardian Angel, Dean and Cas grow close, showing loyalty and bravery in the face of danger. But will they ever find the courage to admit their true feelings for each other - and will it be too late by the time they do?

i LOVE best friends to lovers fics! and this delivers on that perfectly.

Like A Candle In The Window On A Cold Dark Winter's Night by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel T | 6k | Fluff, Canon!verse, asexual Cas

In which Castiel saves Dean, Dean saves Castiel, there is beer and TV watching, and if it weren't for the monsters and assassination attempts, life would be almost perfect.

A cute little fic I've read multiple times :)

How many slams in an old screen door? by dandelioness T | 15k | Fluff, Theatre AU, Asexual Cas

In which Castiel is a theatre major terrible at first impressions; Dean is a set designer who likes Cas anyway; and the most chaotic production of Les Miserables in history somehow manages to go off without a hitch. Or, just as you should never give a moose a muffin (because he'll want some jam to go with it), you should never give a blank check to a university theatre department.

This is perfect. I can't speak for the accuracy of the information and feelings given about asexuals/asexuality, but I enjoyed this fic nonetheless.

Breath of Heaven by solacesnake18 E | 9k

When Dean is wounded and dying in Purgatory, Castiel returns from his self-imposed exile to help him.

Wow. True!form cas and metaphysical sex that somehow manages to be poetic, emotional, and erotic all at once. I approve.

The Mirror by CloudyJenn M | 24k | Canon!Verse,

When Dean touches a strange mirror, he's whisked away to one alternate reality after another and it doesn't take him long to realize the universe is trying to tell him something.

One of my favorite fics, and a fandom classic. So beautiful. It's a trip, but you'll love it. The ending makes me really emotional.

Rock 'n' Roll Queer Bar by chasingrabbits E | 121k | Fluff, Human AU

Ellen and Jo Harvelle run Harvelle's Roadhouse, a bar that unintentionally becomes a beacon for wayward queer souls. Her employees: Dean, the smartass runaway with a big heart and bigger mouth; Castiel, the college drop-out turned hippie; his (surprisingly heterosexual) trouble-making brother Gabriel; and Charlie, who has been told several times that the back room is not to be used for after-hours Dungeons & Dragons games. But there's a lot of love in this place, and a new family for anyone who may otherwise be without.

Sweet little (well, not so little really) universe. Link is to the series.

A Million Ways to Go by chasingrabbits E | 91k | High School AU,

Castiel Novak is a preacher's son living in a world of black and white. Pragmatic and dutiful, he doesn't understand why anybody would want to make waves. Then the Winchesters move in down the street. Soon many of the skeletons in the Novak family's closet are exposed, and as the family faces them, Castiel begins to understand that there are many ways to see the world and so many more ways to live than what he's been told.

Wow, this was a ride. Set in an alternate!canon where Cas is a repressed preacher's kid and dean still grows up a hunter. Also, lots of Sam and Gabriel brother!feels. Not sabriel.

Like That Foreigner Song... by DevilMadeMeDoIt E | 5k | Hot, Alt!Canon, Deancest, Time trave

Dean and Cas have been together for a while now, but Dean always regrets that he has been with so many people in the past. He wishes he could go back in time and tell his 15 year old self that there is someone worth waiting for. Cas gives him the chance and the outcome is one that neither of them expected.

Oh god, this was a perfect little story. So much love.

TutorMate by faeryn M | 21k | College AU

Sam leaves Dean's laptop logged in to some app called "TutorMate" and Dean meets his brother's tutor. Cas helps him with his own work and they strike up a friendship. Before long Dean finds himself growing attached to the cute, clever Cas and flirtatiously suggests they go on a date if he applies himself to his college work. Cas agrees, but Dean discovers his online friend is not quite what he expected. (Or, in which Dean thinks he's met a cute girl and finds out he's actually met a cute boy.)

Wowowwowowow adorable. Perfect little college AU.

More recs coming soon.

#destiel #deancas #spn #spn fic rec #destiel fic rec #*#list

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toybanana22-blog · 4 years

Text

Exactly How To Install Home Window Blinds Without Boring

2020 Average Home Window Blinds Installer Rates In The Uk

#toc background: #f9f9f9;border: 1px solid #aaa;display: table;margin-bottom: 1em;padding: 1em;width: 350px; .toctitle font-weight: 700;text-align: center;

Content

Wood Blinds

Https Www Hunterdouglas Com Vertical Blinds Sky Line Design Your.

What Is The Distinction In Between A Recess And Exact Installation?

Are Awnings Waterproof?

Is This Window Therapy Mistake Destroying Your Visual Charm?

Reviews Vision.

Can you die from staring at the sun?

Enough damage, and the cells will die. Those who have been staring particularly long at the sun through a telescope or other optical aid may even experience thermal damage, where they are literally overheating or cooking the eye cells, which causes those cells to die.

Wood Blinds

It should take you around minutes (for blinds/shades needing 3-4 brackets). The more brackets you have to determine, the longer it requires to install your color. If mounting a home window blind sounds like the last thing you intend to be making with your Saturday morning, after that you can always hire a professional fitter or handyman to do the effort for you. If you are on a limited spending plan then this might not be a choice available to you, however just to offer you an idea of rate you could most likely get a blind mounted for around ₤ 85. This is a case in point of the standard home builders price for half a days function.

Do blackout blinds stop heat?

In homes and bedrooms where vertical blinds are the best choice, in come our replacement vertical blind slats. Made to your exact measurements and constructed using the same blackout layering process, these slats are easy to fit.

Https Www Hunterdouglas Com Vertical Blinds Sky Line Style Your.

What are the best blinds to keep sun out?

Cellular shades are the best and most energy efficient window coverings you can buy. They use a series of cell pockets to trap air around your windows, keeping your rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The cells use a unique design shape similar to a honeycomb and are often referred to as honeycomb shades.

This quicken the process and also permits a more comprehensive cleansing. You can additionally utilize a non-abrasive or light cleaning solution to battle allergens as well as germs. The most convenient items to tidy are cellular tones, which have anti-static and dust-repelling residential properties that keep them fresh and need extremely infrequent cleansing.

What Is The Difference In Between A Recess And Specific Installation?

We will additionally supply a guide to rates, based upon requirement window dimensions. There isn't an industry standard for standard home window size, so these sizes are difficult to court.

Can you still cry if your blind?

Yes, most of them can cry tears. Yea, blind people can also cry tears; I have ever seen a blind man cry. A variety of factors can lead to blindness, but in general, the lacrimal gland will not be damaged. Therefore, though they are unable to see things, they can cry tears.

Are Awnings Waterproof?

There are a variety of various blind types, designs, materials and naturally dimensions which will affect the price of your blind. As you are working to a spending plan we will provide you instances of the most inexpensive available alternatives, to offer you a more clear understanding of what each blind will certainly set you back.

Large shades offer the exact same purpose as other shades, yet they include slats like blinds do, which can be adapted to reduce the quantity or boost of light entering a space.

Many specialist teams will certainly also take measurements for you and provide every one of the essential hardware and also devices.

Setting up window blinds will have a number of variable prices entailed.

Blinds with different designs and also shades will certainly be a little a lot more pricey.

Large textiles can be included in tones to supply an additional level of performance to the item.

You can discover standard home window blinds either online or at your local big-box retailer for just a few bucks each if you are on a tight budget.

Many individuals value that these blinds are made from an embossed plastic instead of a texturized textile, which can end up being soiled or worn easily. These vinyl upright blinds are easy to clean according to users. These blinds are offered to order according to the size of your home windows, as well as likewise allow you to pick from a variety of shades as well as discolorations.

Readily available in either a off-white or white shade to blend into a variety of color design, these vinyl blinds are fade-resistant and washable. Despite Zonwering , these blinds have a cordless style that is safer for kids and pets. These blinds make a great option if you're searching for low-priced substitute blinds, blinds for a rental house, or light-weight blinds with low maintenance. Levolor is a leader in home window coverings, and also the innovative NuWood line shows that the company recognizes what home owners want in blinds. Made from a remarkably reasonable polymer, the NuWood blinds simulate the appearance as well as feeling of actual wood yet combine it with the durability of vinyl blinds.

You need to know that these blinds are not cordless-- so keep the cords out of very easy reach of pet dogs and also kids. Routeless slats indicate that a small notch in the edge of each slat is utilized to run a cable that keeps the blinds with each other-- rather than the common openings discovered in conventional blinds. When closed, these holes allow light to infiltrate-- an issue for late sleepers or anyone who intends to keep out strong sunshine. The routeless slats of the Veneta Standard blinds address this issue. Sleep well with much less light sneaking in many thanks to the Veneta Standard 2-inch Faux Wood Blinds.

Is This Home Window Treatment Mistake Ruining Your Aesthetic Charm?

The specialized make-up as well as texture of these blinds allow for a higher range of spots and finishes, consisting of superior as well as sandblasted looks. To obtain a made to gauge blind fitted at you're window Hillarys Blinds supply a quite fair price.

All you need is a light sweep throughout the material with your vacuum cleaner brush attachment when you do desire to offer them a little touch-up. Blinds.com's design and customer support teams continue to be offered 7 days a week to serve our consumers. These groups are functioning from another location with ample sources as well as modern technology to answer concerns, provide complimentary layout assessments, as well as obtain your ideal home window therapies provided right to your door. Available in 4 neutral colors with printed coating louvers, this set of blinds also includes the frame, installation, as well as header hardware.

Natural Blinds

These blinds are our top pick for rooms, many thanks to their routeless slate style. We such as these cordless blinds with 2-inch plastic slats for their easy operation. Draw them down or press them up with a smooth device that doesn't call for hanging cords that can end up being tangled.

However we have actually offered an usual size, to give a reasonable instance of rate. If anything went wrong they would certainly come back as well as fix, verticals cost me $1,000 installed and also I had a garantee that. Textile curtains are definitely simpler to maintain if you would certainly like to save the difficulty for manual cleansing. But durability wise, blinds are more long-lasting, as curtain textiles might be at risk to fading. suntex.nl and also venetian blinds build up dirt on the slats easily so you need to clean up each slat manually.

One thing to recognize is that these blinds can not be reduced, so purchase the supply size that closest matches the length of your window. However these blinds are easily trimmed as much as two inches on either side of the slats if you need to change the size. Consumers looking for a terrific worth say that these blinds are simple to set up as well as operate smoothly. zonwering op maat for a variety of window widths yet are restricted to a length of 64 inches. These cost effective blinds are the ideal way to go if all you're looking for is fundamental blinds on a budget plan.

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davidstephenbolgs · 5 years

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Is email marketing dead?

Before we immediately dig into it and try finding out the answer for the title, let us ensure we get the answer for the question “are the email marketing still considered to be effective?”

Many professionals point to the premeditated death of email marketing due to the growth of social media and their consequent investment by companies. But the fact is while we agree to the growth of social media as it meets the current pulse of the customers and meeting them precisely, we failed to upgrade the strategy of sending emails to understanding the current trend and customer expectations. It is being proven and agreed in many results that email marketing still stands ahead of social media and affiliate marketing. Let’s understand in detail.

In this modern era, we are empowered with technology. By using technology wisely, we can still make email marketing successful marketing. We will see the different elements that play a key role in email marketing.

Kill Traditional:

Every process should have a procedure to be followed to complete the task. According to email marketing now a day everyone’s inboxes are flooded with emails from various businesses as promotions and offers. The mail which you are sending to a customer should stand different from others and attract the recipient to open the message. Hence our emails should break the barriers in writing an email and build the curiosity to open the message.

“Subject” matters:

Subject lines should be like “pick-up-lines”. Because every email is being opened only based on the subject lines and nothing else. Hence again it should avoid traditional words like offers, discounts and increase the curiosity of the customer to open the mail.

For Example, We are writing a web development outsourcing proposal mail to a new client and explaining that you can support from remote area and there’s no need to hire a full-time developer. Instead of typing a regular subjects name for this content like Proposal, Requirement, reduce cost we can say all of them indirectly

“No Matter where we are”

Body of the mail:

The content of the mail should match the subject of the mail. Because once the recipient opened the mail attracted by the subject line he may get disappointed if the body of the mail is irrelevant. So it is very important to directly or indirectly match the subject line with the body.

Personalization:

People are more particular about the motive of the mail, the instantly check whether it is addressed to them or it is a common bulk emailer sent to a group of people. It will increase the attention of the recipient if it is only addressed to them. Instead of common bulk emailers, it is more effective to make it personalized email by collecting information’s like birthday, wedding day, their career background, related to their school., etc., These kind of messages are more personalized and only intended to the person and make more positive turn around. Instead of sending a hundred bulk mailers with the same content, it is more effective to send ten personalized emails.

CTA

It is very important that every email we write should go with this content “call to action”. It defines what you want the customer to do by your email. You ask the customer to buy it online, or fix appointments, call your number, whatever the CTA is you should leave in that email.

Regular interval:

Instead of flooding the inboxes with offer mails & Follow-ups you may follow some reasonable intervals to send next offer and follow up on the previous offer. If we fail to do it eventually people will opt-from your emails and newsletters.

Mobile friendly:

We are living in a world where we do almost all the things through mobile, email is also one of the feasibility the technology gave us. Almost everybody checks the emails on their mobile phones now a day. Hence it is very important that your emails and subject lines are readable within the mobile screens. Because it is horrible to scroll the screen here and there to read long content. So making the mail body and subject line short and crisp is necessary.

By following the few implementations as I said above we can turn the email marketing more effective and powerful business promotion tool. We have covered almost all the topics to concentrate expect one thumb rule, whatever the email you write it should follow one guideline irrespective of any upgradation the society gets. It is Sending emails to “right people with the right content at right time”.

Happy Emailing!!

#email marketing #marketingtips #salestips #bulkmail #marketingmail #business #email campaign

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douchebagbrainwaves · 6 years

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WHAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ABOUT PEOPLE

This probably indicates room for improvement. A language that would make as much of the innovation is unconscious. When I was in grad school the whole time, and both got their degrees. It would not hurt to make Lisp better as a scripting language for Unix.1 It's worth understanding what McCarthy discovered. Search was now only a small percentage of our page views, less than one month's growth, and now he's a professor at MIT. Imagine waking up after such an operation. His answer was simply no. By seeming unable even to cut a grapefruit in half let alone go to the store and buy one, he forced other people to use.

Instead of quietly switching to another field, he made a fuss, from inside.2 If you'd proposed at the time that was an odd thing to do, and even have bad service, and people are often upset to be told things they don't.3 For example, I write essays the same way. There is nothing more important than brevity to a hacker: being able to do what you want in a throwaway program is a program you write quickly for some limited task. Most nerds like quieter pleasures. Society. It will always suck to work for a couple years ago I advised graduating seniors to work for you, the founders should include technical people. People who like New York will pay a premium to live in a town where the cool people are really cool.

Do we have free will?4 And if we, who were 29 and 30 at the time whether this was because of the Bubble, especially in companies run by business types, who thought of software development as something terrifying that therefore had to be crammed into the form of powerful, inexpensive computers, and I got in reply what was then the party line about it: that Yahoo was no longer a mere search engine. Odds are this project won't be a very promising startup indeed to get a job depends on the kind you want. In towns like Houston and Chicago and Detroit it's too small to measure. The centralizing effect of venture firms is a double one: they cause startups to form around them, and the VCs will try to undermine the VCs by acting faster, and the super-angels would quibble about valuations. Hackers share the surgeon's secret pleasure in popping zits.5 It would be great if a startup could give us something of the old world of credentials and into the new one of performance. They seemed a little surprised at having total freedom. Do you actually want to start one. People don't do hard things gratuitously; no one will work on a harder problem than bad submissions.

Using first and rest means 50% more typing. If I were going to do this was at trade shows.6 Well, food shows that pretty clearly. There used to be a genius who will need to be designed to be lived in as your office? It can't be something you have to charm them. Common Lisp. It's true, certainly, but the people.

Parents will tend to produce results that annoy people: there's no use in telling people things they already believe, and people will behave differently depending on which they're in, just as there are in the real world, you can't bully customers, so you may as well face that. Three of the most valuable things you could do is find a middle-sized non-technology company and spend a couple weeks just watching what they do so well that those who don't understand it are driven to invent conspiracy theories to explain how Plato and Aristotle became revered texts to be mastered and discussed. That sounds hipper than Lisp.7 And vice versa: when you can get from modern technology. A rounds, that would explain why they'd care about valuations. People can notice you've replaced email when it's a fait accompli. Google, because it suits the way they generate any other kind of code. One of the less honorable was to shock people.8 Maybe the situation is similar with malaria. The centralizing effect of venture firms is a double one: they cause startups to form around them, and above all, it helps them be decisive. The first is that you don't see the scary part upfront.

But what a difference it makes to be able to reach most of the startups who believed that. Control as Possible. It's also what causes smart people to be curious about certain things and not others.9 So you start painting. Hackers are perfectly capable of hearing the voice of the customer without a business person to amplify the signal for them.10 To many people, Lisp is a natural fit for server-based software. When people used to ask me how many people our startup had, and I don't understand. Their tastes aren't completely different from other people's point of view, instead of forcing everything into a mold of classes and methods. They know their audience. There's inevitably a difference in how things feel within the company.11 Most philosophical debates are not merely afflicted by but driven by confusions over words.

This a helps them pick the right startups, and b if you seem impressive, they'll be going against thousands of years studying really be a waste of time, that programming languages don't become popular or unpopular based on what expert hackers think of them, and if this new Lisp will be used to hack. Probably not. The problem with feeling you're doomed is not just that hackers understand technology better, but that they won't take risks. Too bad.12 What do people complain about?13 In the matter of platforms this tendency is even more singular in having its own defense built in. The 2005 summer founders ranged in age from 18 to 28 average 23, and there is no secret cabal making it all work. Yes, the price to earnings ratio is kind of high, but I don't see why it ought to be the new way that server-based application, and it is the Internet, not cable.14

When I say startups are designed to grow fast. Weekly dinners saved them from a common problem: choosing a small, dark, noisy apartment. But there is a fixed amount of it.15 Most American cities have been turned inside out. On the surface it feels like the kind of founders who have the balls to turn down a big offer also tend to be less insistent.16 However, the VCs have a weapon they can use it. But it was a good thing. That depends.17 I once spent a month painting three versions of a still life I set up in about four minutes. But most of the startups that can retain control tend to be far better than everyone else. Part of the problem is to make money from it, it tends to support the charisma theory more than contradict it. That's the main reason Lisp isn't currently popular.

Notes

You owe them such updates on your thesis. It also set off an extensive and often useful discussion on the one the Valley, the editors will have to keep their wings folded, as on Reddit, for the first meeting. Your Brain, neurosurgeon Frank Vertosick recounts a conversation in which practicing talks makes them overbuild: they'll create huge, overcomplicated agreements, and 20 in Paris.

The kind of social engineering—9. But the change is a major cause of economic equality in the narrow technical sense of the words out of loyalty to the way I know of this article used the term whitelist instead of uebfgbsb.

While the US. Price of Inequality.

Quite often at YC.

In this essay wrote: My feeling with the solutions. 7x a year to keep the number of restaurants that still require jackets for men. At first I didn't like it that the main reason I don't know enough about the other writing of literary theorists.

If you have to rely on social conventions about executive salaries.

The markets seem to be spread out geographically. Maybe it would be enough to supply the activation energy to start software companies, summer 2010. That would be reluctant to start over from scratch, rather than by selling recordings. So if you pack investor meetings with So, can I make it self-interest explains much of the corpora.

In-Q-Tel that is exactly my point. The key to wasting time is distraction. University Press, 1983. The reason for the tenacity of the x division of Megacorp is now the first year or two make the hiring point more strongly.

I'm writing about one specific, rather than given by other people in the process of trying to hide wealth from the government. But their founders, and that you could only get in the 1984 ad isn't Microsoft, would not be incorporated, but whether it's good, but viewed from the truth. Though nominally acquisitions and sometimes on a hard technical problem. My first job was scooping ice cream in the startup eventually becomes.

But so many of the aircraft is. William R.

As a friend with small children, or because they are within any given college. Trevor Blackwell presents the following scenario. After Greylock booted founder Philip Greenspun out of them.

Incidentally, this is: we currently filter at the moment the time of unprecedented federal power, so they'll understand how lucky they are by ways that have already launched or can be explained by math. But you can say they're not. Many hope he was skeptical about things you've written or talked about convergence. Eric Raymond says the best new startups.

They say to most people realize, because they've learned more, because spam and legitimate mail volume both have distinct daily patterns. Wittgenstein asserted a sort of love is as frightening as it were better to make money, buy beans in giant cans from discount stores. It's possible that companies will one day is the most successful companies have little to bring corporate bonds; a decade of inflation that left many public companies trading below the value of understanding per se but from which a few months by buying good programmers instead of reacting.

But scholars seem to be a good deal for you; who knows who you start fundraising, because that's how both publishers and audiences treat it. See, we don't have the perfect life, and can hire skilled people to start or join startups. The US is becoming more fragmented, and this is one problem where rapid prototyping doesn't work. Thanks to Paul Buchheit for the first to state this explicitly.

I'm not saying that good paintings must have been in the sale of products, because talks are usually more desperate for money.

I suspect the recent resurgence of evangelical Christianity in the process of selling things to them. But when you depend on Aristotle would be great for VCs if the founders are in a band, or Seattle, 4 in DC, 6 in Chicago, 8 in London, 13 in New York. A has an operator for removing spaces from strings and language B doesn't, that I knew, there are already names for this purpose are still called the option of deferring to a partner from someone they respect.

For example, because any invention has a power law dropoff, but in practice signalling hasn't been much of the organization—specifically increased demand for them. In practice it just feels like it that the path from ideas to startups. You could probably starve the trolls of the great painters in history supported themselves by painting portraits. Security always depends more on the way we met Charlie Cheever sitting near the door.

Thanks to Carolynn Levy, Joshua Reeves, Paul Buchheit, Aaron Iba, Robert Morris, Jessica Livingston, and Trevor Blackwell for reading a previous draft.

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cfleury315-blog · 6 years

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I Have a Purpose. Just Tell Me What It Is.

I miss the provider role. I know that sounds misogynistic like the next few lines should say with a slight twang to my voice, “I feel less of a man because I don’t bring home the bacon. Instead, my wife brings it home, and I’m expected to fry it up.” No. I miss working. I miss making my own money. I miss the simplicity of going to the nine to five and contributing to the good old Canadian dream. I don’t miss what I did, working with blisters or burnt hands isn’t my kind of fun. Plus, I had to work with powdered lead, and really, nobody should have to take the risk with that stuff. Nevertheless, I guess what I am saying, I miss having a purpose.

The last time I had an economic sense of purpose was, I guess, about four years ago. I worked for a company named Activation Laboratories. They specialize in rock sampling. Basically, survey companies would go out and drill in various spots in the countryside looking for expensive, well, rocks. They would send us their samples, and we would process them. It isn’t as glamorous as I make it out to be. You stood in one spot feeding a machine all day. It crushes the core into pebbles; then another device turns it into dust. From there, it’s bagged, tagged, and sent to me. I take the sample and measure it, stick it in a cup full of lead, and set it on fire. After that, the fire melts everything into tiny sliver lead beads, and I put them into a test tube. I don’t know what happens after that; that kind of information was above my pay grade.

I assume you’re thinking, “Really, you miss being drenched in lead and sticking your hands into a hot molten furnace?” No. I miss the paycheck. Slightly above minimum wage, but, after taxes, all mine. You need to understand, I earned my money like all slavery-wagers do, with good old fashion blood, sweat, and tears. Yes, there were tears. You don’t suffer from second-degree burns and not shed squirts of salty sorrow. I may be masculine, but pain is pain, and second-degree burns are the worst.

The problem with low skill tertiary labour is the lack of job security. The work depended solely on supply and demand, so if there is no demand, employers don’t supply the work. Therefore, lay-off season was roughly every four to six months and lasted anywhere between two to four months. Employment insurance is dependent on the amount you pay into, and if you close out your EI claim from the last time you were laid-off, you must go through the entire process again. A six-week waiting period and all. I was foolish enough to close my claim because the EI benefit website does not tell you to keep your application open just in case you get lay-off again. With that realization, I felt this moment of sudden dread when my boss gave me a pink-slip. My mind kept running through moving pictures of the worst-case scenarios leading to the hardest question I had to answer, “What am I going to do now?” I was the sole provider. The fire that kept the pilot light burning. But without the oxygen compensating my flame, we were in cold water.

At this point, I had been through a fist full of jobs since coming to Thunder Bay, and quite frankly, besides Act. Labs., the only thing I’m significantly qualified to perform is cleaning toilets, scrubbing floors, and wiping tables. I didn’t want to go back to that again. Nevertheless, being the provider, I had no choice but to find something. Anything. So, I laced up my worn-out sneakers and hit the streets with a bag-pack full resume.

Guess what? Businesses don’t accept walk-ins anymore. They kept turning me away with the same explanation: “We can’t take your resume, you need to submit it online,” said the receptionist from the Public School Board. Skeptically my eyes narrowed as I looked passed her thick frames into her formal stare. I shook my head in disbelief and replied, “Really? But your ad says you are looking for someone right now. So here I am, with my resume in hand, and ready to work.” In hindsight, I should have kept my tone a little less snippy, but earlier that day, I had that same conversation with the customer service representative in Walmart. “Sorry sir, you have to submit your resume online,” the receptionist reiterated arrogantly. Her composure was like thick ice, cold and transparent. She was professional, and I was some fool off the street.

After a few anxious weeks with a cell phone stuck to my hand, I came to realize that the job market wasn’t going to give me a break. There was nothing out there for an uneducated labourer. The only interview I had was with the Econo Lodge Hotel. I walked in with ten years of experience cleaning up other people’s messes, so working for a two-bit drive-in Hotel, I’m not too proud to say, I was over-qualified for the housekeeping position. However, the interview lasted five minutes and I left feeling uneasy. There was nothing out of the ordinary, the manager was a pretty nice guy, but I got the impression he was trying to convince me that this position wasn’t for me. His exact words were, “You know this is a cleaning position. The work doesn’t involve any heavy lifting or fixing furniture.” I thought, “Hey, that sounds awesome.” I replied, “I know, that’s why I’m here. I’m a cleaner.” The manager looked at me like I was from Venus. I went on to tell him, “I would be a great asset to your company. I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty, and I’m no stranger to hard work.” (Cliché after cliché after cliché) “As you can see on my resume, I know how to use a carpet shampooer, plus, I’ve done minor floor covering, so I know how to fix wear and tear.” The manager just nodded and smiled without any attempt to feign interest. He finished the interview with a shake of my hand and an assurance I’d be hearing from him in the following week. However, a week later, I found out from an old colleague that she has gotten the job. I asked her how; she chuckled as she said, “I’m a woman. Companies don’t like to hire men to do housekeeping.” You’ve got to be kidding me. She laughed uncontrollably at my naivety, and tried to comfort me by saying, “You should try the school board or the restoration places. They have good wages and they have more labour intensive work for a strong guy like you.”

My mind raced with this old information. Why did the Econo Lodge even bother calling me in for an interview, if he was going to end up conforming to traditional gendered roles? Does having a male name on the interview log sheet give a perception of gender diversity? The difference between my friend and me is not our work ethic.

I had never thought about the differences between the sexes as being anything more than biological. There were the old schoolyard stereotypes, yet, as far as I knew, real life didn’t replicate recess. I was living in the real world. The adult world. The world my teachers explained we are all equal. We lived in a democratic society built upon principles of morality, liberty, and justice for all. I thought about any kinds of inequalities because I was living in the twenty-first century and gender-politics should be an archaic notion. My wife and I have always lived equally. We both worked. We both looked after the house. We both took part in the child-rearing responsibilities. Having been denied work because the job involves a male performing domestic chores is completely backward.

Somberly, I turned to my wife and said, “I give up.” At that moment, I knew what I was implying. She didn’t. She looked at me curiously, her eye rapidly blinking as she spoke, “What do you mean?” I wanted to tell her that I was giving up what society defines as a man. I officially cracked under pressure. I was handing in my provider card, and taking a vacation. Instead, I told her, “I think I’m going to have to try McDonald's.” Those words slide out of my mouth, which tasted like stale, salty french fries, and regression. We sat on the couch in silence for a long time before she finally answered the hard question: “Why don’t I look for a job?”

Shockingly, her statement made a lot of sense, and why didn’t we think about this before? The simple answer: We had, but the retail market has no set hours so we would be working at all hours of the day and had no one to look after our kids. Our two oldest children were in school, but our youngest child was three years old at the time, and he would need daycare. That’s the other problem; daycare costs are astronomical. A licensed daycare cost $40-$70 a day, and the waiting lists are long. However, unlicensed daycares charge $25-35 a day, and well let's say, you get what you pay. Either way, if both of us are working, one of us would be working to pay for the daycare, which doesn’t make economic sense.

Being the product of our generation, we both believed that she should stay home to look after the kids because mothers are naturally nurturing, and they need her more than me. I had to work because I was told it was my responsibility to support my family, and I failed miserably. But, my wife’s idea of going back to work was our only choice. She was more qualified than me. She has a high school degree and is a certified Personal Support Worker.

Within a few weeks of our conversation on the couch, she was working in Respite care and making double what I was making at Activation Laboratories. I settled into a life of domesticity. One thing I’ll have to admit: I love every single minute of it. Cleaning up the house took me an hour on most days, (two to three if I felt constructive) the rest of the time I got to play around with my son. We went on long walks to the park and the library. We chased each other around, or we laid in the sun reading a book. When my other two children came home from school, we would sit at the dinner table and help each other with homework. Then, we all pitched in with some chores. Most of the time, my wife would come home and not have to lift a finger, but there would be days when she would take the kids off my hands while I made dinner. I would be chopping some lettuce and thinking about how beautiful everything turned out. The window in front of me had a perfect view of the strawberries my son, and I had planted together. I smiled at the western sun shining off the vibrant red fruit, and I thought, “Wow, I’m actually managing to keep them alive.”

Suddenly, I felt a sting on my right butt cheek, and I turned to meet my wife’s playful gaze. “Hey dear, your butt feels more jiggly than usual.” As my knife sliced through the cucumber, I turned my head with a jaw-dropping expression, “How could you say something like that to me?” Her comment stung, but not as much as the knife hitting my fingernail. Luckily it didn’t pierce the skin. I took a step back nursing my finger as she laughed hysterically at me. “What? I was only pointing out that your butt feels jiggly. You put on some weight since you stopped working.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; I was quite offended by her comment. Sure, I gained a few extra pounds. Somedays, my son and I sat on the couch munching on goldfish crackers while I folded laundry. Not every day can be beautiful. On rainy days, I like to put my feet up. There is only so much housework I could do before I begin to look around and nitpick at the single piece of cat food that happened to fall out of the bowl as they were eating. In a matter of seconds, I lament all this information to her, and she continued to laugh at me as she replied, “You need a hobby.” I threw up my hands in frustration, “Oh, like I didn’t have enough to do around here.”

She was right; I did need a hobby. The biggest problem was that I was getting bored. I filled my time with chores, maintenance, and children. Once it was done, I sat around and ate. Domesticity was my new purpose, and I was bored. Increasingly, I found myself scanning the want ads and job banks looking for something, anything to find some relief from the monotony of domesticity. There was nothing out in the working world for a high school dropout. The demographics had changed, and the jobs requiring brawn over brain were gone.

One day, I received a text message from a friend of mine. She had gotten wind that the Catholic School Board was hiring custodians, and most importantly, I didn’t have to apply online. I raced at the opportunity and submitted my resume. The hours were causal and in the evening. I could be home during the day with my son and go to work after my wife came home. I could finally get back to some normalcy, reach back into the provider role, and feel a sense of purpose other than a housekeeper and a father.

Nervously, I filled out the application. I squirmed as I tried to remember how to spell the names of the various equipment I had been trained to operate over the years. When they called my name, I met a group of men dressed in expensive suits sitting around a boardroom table. It was quite intimidating. It didn’t feel like an interview. It felt like any second a big man in a red candy apple suit should spin around in his desk chair like a bond villain. Then, unravel a sixteenth-century scroll and tell me to, “please sign here,” in a malicious voice. Realistically, I wanted to ask them if I was applying for the right position. Maybe, I checked off the box that was labeled teacher, not the box marked: the guy who scrubs poop off toilet seats.

Overall, I nailed it. Every question the interviewers asked, I had a great answer. I knew the equipment. I knew the safety procedures. I knew the lockdown policy. I knew how to handle hazardous waste, which also told them I could pass the WHIMIS test (for the millionth time). They said to me, on the spot, that this job was mine, except for one question I couldn’t answer: “Can you provide us with a copy of your high school diploma?” Crap! I tried hard to hold my composure and keep myself sounding as sincere as possible when I said, “Yeah, I mean, I don’t have a copy with me, but I’m sure I could find one you.” They told me if I could get one to them as soon as possible I could start right away. I shook their hands with a fake smile and left feeling like a failure. I had achieved so much in my short time on this earth. I had rubbed up against barriers before, but this one was like fate slammed my face up against a brick wall and using it as a cheese grater. There was no walking around this barrier. I had to go over, what I needed was a ladder.

Lucky for me, I came home, and the house was empty. A friend took my son for the day, so I sat on the couch stewing in my own self-pity. My laptop was open on the coffee table, and I sat there watching Google’s scream at me with its daily graphic of a nineteenth-century schoolmarm lecturing her students. I typed my only option in the search bar: Adult Education. Scrolling through the results, I found myself wondering if it was possible for a guy my age even to tease the idea of going back to school. I mean, at this point, I felt like I had forgotten more than I have ever learned. If I did this, could I succeed? Or was my age another barrier?

Well, I went for it, and I did succeed. I found my ladder. Now that I think of it, it seems so simple. The ladder was in front of me the whole time. Instead of looking forward, I should have looked down. The stupid part was what I couldn’t do in four years of high school; I did in three months. I went once a week to the adult education center for four hours a day. They set me up for the GED exam. I paid my two cents and passed. I hit the average passing grade for every subject, except English, I passed with an eighty-seven percent in the writing category.

I must have stared at the certificate for hours after receiving it in the mail. I was proud of myself, yet there I was, a high school graduate after ten years of being out of high school, with the hard question still on my mind: “What am I going to do?” I could reapply at the Catholic School Board. Run in there screaming, “I have it, here it is, let get started.” Or, I could tempt fate once more, do the unthinkable, and take it one step further.

So, here is where I should say, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. The truth is, I had the idea when I was young, but the idea was usually attached to some adult questioning, “What do you want to be when you grow up young lad.” Yeah, I wanted to be a writer as much as I wanted to be an astronaut or a firefighter. I always thought of it as a childish dream, yet as I stumbled through the university website with my eyes closed pointing at random programs, I felt like I was sitting on the opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do. I just needed to pick.

The day I walked onto the Lakehead Administration Office grounds. I had the same adult voice echoing through my head. The sound was so intensely amplified, I thought blood was going to start leaking out my ears, “What are you going to do? What do you want to be?” I figured, if I picked something, eventually, I would figure out what I truly wanted. However, the only way I could make the voice stop was to answer the hard question with certain honesty. So, I closed my eyes, reached deep inside myself, grabbed on my inner child, and let him make the decision, “What do you want to do? What do you want to be?” The child’s voice overtook my own and shouted, “I want to be a writer.” I opened my eyes to find that the entire administration office was staring at me like I was a mental patient. I saw a tall, brawny man with his phone in his hand, in which I assumed was calling security. I took a step back and babbled, “Hi, I was wondering if I could talk to someone about registering for next year’s classes.”

So here I am at the end of my third year as an undergrad. Trying to stuff as much information in my head as possible before it explodes all over the blank page. I know that most of my papers come back to me with the words “awkward” printed all over them, which makes me begin to believe that this is a defining characteristic. However, I’m finally confident enough to break out of my shell. But just because I know what I want to do with my life, I am still longing to get out there. Beyond this desk. Beyond these walls. I still feel like my sense of purpose is unfulfilled. Time is moving too damn slow, and it needs to hurry up. I’m craving my purpose.

Don’t get me wrong, going to university is excellent, I found some purpose in being a student, but it’s not the same. In a way, being a student is artificial. I work just as hard, but I can’t reap the rewards right away. Although I should be finding some sense of self-satisfaction about gaining additional knowledge about the world around me, I can’t take complacency to the bank, cash it in for prestige, and feed my kids on nineteenth-century poetry. They have a hard enough time digesting twentieth-century poetry. (One fish, two fish, no fish, boohoo fish.) I know when I get out of here, I’ll have more walls to climb. The important thing is I’m not afraid of those heights anymore. So, I have to wait a few more years for a piece of paper that tells me I’m good enough to re-enter the workforce. Then, I’ll officially be certified. No more legwork. No more knuckle dragging. No more backbreaking labour for minimum wage. Right?

#my writting #writer #nonfiction #purpose #education #workforce #struggling #elegy #prose #nonfictionprose #genderpolitic #stayathomedad #back to school #university #highschooldropout

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marketing-expert24 · 4 years

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How to Start a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

written by:

Joshua Stowers

Business News Daily Writer

sponsored: www.developermosarrof.com

Starting a new small business? Find out where to begin and how to achieve success.

You want to make sure you prepare thoroughly before starting a business, but realize that things will almost certainly go awry. To run a successful business, you must adapt to changing situations.

Conducting in-depth market research on your field and the demographics of your potential clientele is an important part of crafting a business plan. This involves running surveys, holding focus groups, and researching SEO and public data.

Before you start selling your product or service, you need to build up your brand and get a following of people who are ready to jump when you open your doors for business.

Talk to any entrepreneur or small business owner and you'll quickly learn that starting a business requires a lot of work. An idea doesn't become a business without effort.

Some budding entrepreneurs understand the effort necessary to create a business, but they might not be familiar with the many steps required to launch a business venture. If you're willing to put in the effort to build a business, you're going to want to know the steps needed to reach your goals.

Tasks like naming the business and creating a logo are obvious, but what about the less-heralded, equally important steps? Whether it's determining your business structure or crafting a detailed marketing strategy, the workload can quickly pile up. Rather than spinning your wheels and guessing at where to start, follow this 10-step checklist to transform your business from a lightbulb above your head to a real entity.

1. Refine your idea.

If you're thinking about starting a business, you likely already have an idea of what you want to sell, or at least the market you want to enter. Do a quick search for existing companies in your chosen industry. Learn what current brand leaders are doing and figure out how you can do it better. If you think your business can deliver something other companies don't (or deliver the same thing, only faster and cheaper), you've got a solid idea and are ready to create a business plan.

"In the words of Simon Sinek, 'always start with why,'" Glenn Gutek, CEO of Awake Consulting and Coaching, told Business News Daily. "It is good to know why you are launching your business. In this process, it may be wise to differentiate between [whether] the business serves a personal why or a marketplace why. When your why is focused on meeting a need in the marketplace, the scope of your business will always be larger than a business that is designed to serve a personal need."

Another option is to open a franchise of an established company. The concept, brand following and business model are already in place; all you need is a good location and the means to fund your operation.

Regardless of which option you choose, it's vital to understand the reasoning behind your idea. Stephanie Desaulniers, director of operations and women's business programs at Covation Center, cautions entrepreneurs from writing a business plan or brainstorming a business name before nailing down the idea's value.

"Many people think they have a great idea and jump into launching their business without thinking through who their customers will be, or why these people should want to buy from or hire them," Desaulniers said.

"Second, you need to clarify why you want to work with these customers – do you have a passion for making people's lives easier? Or enjoy creating art to bring color to their world? Identifying these answers helps clarify your mission. Third, you want to define how you will provide this value to your customers and how to communicate that value in a way that they are willing to pay."

During the ideation phase, you need to iron out the major details. If the idea isn't something you're passionate about or if there's not a market for your creation, it might be time to brainstorm other ideas.

2. Write a business plan.

Once you have your idea in place, you need to ask yourself a few important questions: What is the purpose of your business? Who are you selling to? What are your end goals? How will you finance your startup costs? These questions can be answered in a well-written business plan.

A lot of mistakes are made by new businesses rushing into things without pondering these aspects of the business. You need to find your target customer base. Who is going to buy your product or service? If you can't find evidence that there's a demand for your idea, then what would be the point?

Conduct market research.

Conducting thorough market research on your field and demographics of potential clientele is an important part of crafting a business plan. This involves conducting surveys, holding focus groups, and researching SEO and public data.

Market research helps you understand your target customer – their needs, preferences and behavior – as well as your industry and competitors. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recommends gathering demographic information to better understand opportunities and limitations within your market.

The best small businesses have products or services that are differentiated from the competition. This has a significant impact on your competitive landscape and allows you to convey unique value to potential customers. A guide to conducting market research can be found on our sister site, business.com.

Consider an exit strategy.

It's also a good idea to consider an exit strategy as you compile your business plan. Generating some idea of how you'll eventually exit the business forces you to look to the future.

"Too often, new entrepreneurs are so excited about their business and so sure everyone everywhere will be a customer that they give very little, if any, time to show the plan on leaving the business," said Josh Tolley CEO of both Tribal Holdings and Kavana.

"When you board an airplane, what is the first thing they show you? How to get off of it. When you go to a movie, what do they point out before the feature begins to play? Where the exits are. Your first week of kindergarten, they line up all the kids and teach them fire drills to exit the building. Too many times I have witnessed business leaders that don't have three or four pre-determined exit routes. This has led to lower company value and even destroyed family relationships."

A business plan helps you figure out where your company is going, how it will overcome any potential difficulties and what you need to sustain it. Check out our full guide to writing a business plan, and when you're ready to put pen to paper, these free templates can help.

[See related story: The Best Business Plan Software]

3. Assess your finances.

Starting any business has a price, so you need to determine how you're going to cover those costs. Do you have the means to fund your startup, or will you need to borrow money? If you're planning to leave your current job to focus on your business, do you have money put away to support yourself until you make a profit? It's best to find out how much your startup costs will be.

Many startups fail because they run out of money before turning a profit. It's never a bad idea to overestimate the amount of startup capital you need, as it can be a while before the business begins to bring in sustainable revenue.

Perform a break-even analysis.

One way you can determine how much money you need is to perform a break-even analysis. This is an essential element of financial planning that helps business owners determine when their company, product or service will be profitable.

The formula is simple.

Fixed Costs / (Average Price – Variable Costs) = Break-Even Point

Every entrepreneur should use this formula as a tool because it informs you about the minimum performance your business must achieve to avoid losing money. Furthermore, it helps you understand exactly where your profits come from, so you can set production goals accordingly.

Here are the three most common reasons to conduct a break-even analysis:

Determine profitability. This is generally every business owner's highest interest. Ask yourself: How much revenue do I need to generate to cover all my expenses? Which products or services turn a profit and which ones are sold at a loss?

Price a product or service. When most people think about pricing, they consider how much their product costs to create and how competitors are pricing their products. Ask yourself: What are the fixed rates, what are the variable costs, and what is the total cost? What is the cost of any physical goods and what is the cost of labor?

Analyze the data. What volumes of goods or services do you have to sell to be profitable? Ask yourself: How can I reduce my overall fixed costs? How can I reduce the variable costs per unit? How can I improve sales?

Watch your expenses.

Don't overspend when starting a business. Understand the types of purchases that make sense for your business and avoid overspending on fancy new equipment that won't help you reach your business goals.

"A lot of startups tend to spend money on unnecessary things," said Jean Paldan, founder and CEO of Rare Form New Media. "We worked with a startup that had two employees but spent a huge amount on office space that would fit 20 people. They also leased a professional high-end printer that was more suited for a team of 100 (it had keycards to track who was printing what and when). Spend as little as possible when you start and only on the things that are essential for the business to grow and be a success. Luxuries can come when you're established."

If you need financial assistance, a commercial loan through a bank is a good starting point, although these are often difficult to secure. If you are unable to take out a bank loan, you can apply for a small business loan through the Small Business Administration (SBA) or an alternative lender. [See related story: Best Alternative Small Business Loans]

Startups requiring significant funding upfront may want to bring on an investor. Investors can provide several million dollars or more to a fledgling company, with the expectation that the backers will have a hands-on role in running your business.

Alternatively, you could launch an equity crowdfunding campaign to raise smaller amounts of money from multiple backers. Crowdfunding has helped numerous companies in recent years, and there are dozens of reliable crowdfunding platforms designed for different types of businesses.

You can learn more about each of these capital sources and more in our guide to startup finance options.

Choose the right business bank.

When choosing the right business bank, size matters. Marcus Anwar, co-founder of OhMy.Canada recommends smaller community banks because they are in tune with the local market conditions and will work with you based on your overall business profile and character.

"They're unlike big banks that look at your credit score and will be more selective to loan money to small businesses," Anwar said. "Not only that, but small banks want to build a personal relationship with you and ultimately help you if you run into problems and miss a payment. Another good thing about smaller banks is that decisions are made at the branch level, which can be much quicker than big banks where decisions are made at a higher level."

Anwar believes that when choosing a bank for your business, you should ask yourself these questions:

What is important to me?

Do I want to build a close relationship with a bank that's willing to help me in any ay possible?

Do I want to be just another bank account like big banks will view me as?

Ultimately, choosing the right bank for your business comes down to the needs of your business. Writing down your banking needs can help narrow your focus to what you should be looking for. Schedule meetings with various banks and ask questions about how they work with small businesses to find the best bank for your business. [See related story: Business Bank Account Checklist: Documents You'll Need]

Editor's note: Looking for a small business loan? Fill out the questionnaire below to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.

4. Determine your legal business structure.

Before you can register your company, you need to decide what kind of entity it is. Your business structure legally affects everything from how you file your taxes to your personal liability if something goes wrong.

If you own the business entirely by yourself and plan to be responsible for all debts and obligations, you can register for a sole proprietorship. Be warned that this route can directly affect your personal credit.

Alternatively, a partnership, as its name implies, means that two or more people are held personally liable as business owners. You don't have to go it alone if you can find a business partner with complementary skills to your own. It's usually a good idea to add someone into the mix to help your business flourish.

If you want to separate your personal liability from your company's liability, you may want to consider forming one of several types of corporations. This makes a business a separate entity apart from its owners, and, therefore, corporations can own property, assume liability, pay taxes, enter contracts, sue and be sued like any other individual.

One of the most common structures for small businesses, however, is the limited liability corporation. This hybrid structure has the legal protections of a corporation while allowing for the tax benefits of a partnership.

"Corporations, especially C-corporations, are especially suitable for new businesses that plan on 'going public' or seeking funding from venture capitalists in the near future," said Deryck Jordan, managing attorney at Jordan Counsel.

Ultimately, it is up to you to determine which type of entity is best for your current needs and future business goals. It's important to learn about the various legal business structures that are available. If you're struggling to make up your mind, it's not a bad idea to discuss the decision with a business or legal adviser.

5. Register with the government and IRS.

To become an officially recognized business entity, you must register with the government. Corporations will need an "articles of incorporation" document, which includes your business name, business purpose, corporate structure, stock details and other information about your company.

Otherwise, you will need to register your business name, which can be your legal name, a fictitious "doing business as" (DBA) name (if you are the sole proprietor), or the name you've come up with for your company. You may also want to take steps to trademark your business name for extra legal protection.

Most states require that you get a DBA. If you're in a general partnership or a proprietorship operating under a fictitious name, you may need to apply for a DBA certificate. It's best to contact or visit your local county clerk's office and ask about specific requirements and fees. Generally, there is a registration fee involved.

After you register your business, you may need to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. While this is not required for sole proprietorships with no employees, you may want to apply for one anyway to keep your personal and business taxes separate, or simply to save yourself the trouble later if you decide to hire someone. The IRS has provided a checklist to determine whether you will require an EIN to run your business. If you do need an EIN, you can register online for free.

You also will need to file certain forms to fulfill your federal and state income tax obligations. The forms you need are determined by your business structure. A complete list of the forms each type of entity will need can be found on SBA's website. You will need to check your state's website for information on state-specific and local tax obligations.

"You might be tempted to wing it with a PayPal account and social media platform, but if you start with a proper foundation, your business will have fewer hiccups to worry about in the long run," said Natalie Pierre-Louis, an attorney with NPL Consulting.

Obtain all required licenses and permits.

Some businesses may also require federal, state or local licenses and permits to operate. The best place to obtain a business license is at your local city hall. You can then use the SBA's database to search for licensing requirements by state and business type.

Businesses and independent contractors in certain trades are required to carry professional licenses. One example of a professional business license is a commercial driver's license (CDL). Individuals with a CDL are allowed to operate certain types of vehicles, such as buses, tank trucks and tractor-trailers. A CDL is divided into three classes: Class A, Class B and Class C.

You should also check with your city and state to find out if you need a seller's permit that authorizes your business to collect sales tax from your customers. A seller's permit goes by numerous names, including resale permit, resell permit, permit license, reseller permit, resale ID, state tax ID number, reseller number, reseller license permit or certificate of authority.

It's important to note that these requirements and names vary from state to state. You can register for a seller's permit through the state government website of the state(s) you're doing business in.

Jordan says that not all businesses need to collect sales tax (or obtain a seller's permit). "For example, New York sales tax generally is not required for the sale of most services (such as professional services, education, and capital improvements to real estate), medicine or food for home consumption," Jordan said. "So, for example, if your business only sells medicine, you do not need a New York seller's permit. But New York sales tax must be collected in conjunction with the sale of new tangible personal goods, utilities, telephone service, hotel stays, and food and beverages (in restaurants)."

6. Purchase an insurance policy.

It might slip your mind as something you'll "get around to" eventually, but purchasing the right insurance for your business is an important step that should happen before you officially launch. Dealing with incidents such as property damage, theft or even a customer lawsuit can be costly, and you need to be sure that you're properly protected.

If your business will have employees, you will, at a minimum, need to purchase workers' compensation and unemployment insurance. You may also need other types of coverage depending on your location and industry, but most small businesses are advised to purchase general liability (GL) insurance, or a business owner's policy. GL covers property damage, bodily injury and personal injury to yourself or a third party.

If your business provides a service, you may also want to consider professional liability insurance. It covers you if you do something wrong or neglect to do something you should have done while operating your business. Learn more about the types of insurance policies your business might need.

7. Build your team.

Unless you're planning to be your only employee, you're going to need to hire a great team to get your company off the ground. Joe Zawadzki, CEO and founder of MediaMath, said entrepreneurs need to give the "people" element of their businesses the same attention they give their products.

"Your product is built by people," Zawadski said. "Identifying your founding team, understanding what gaps exist, and [determining] how and when you will address them should be top priority. Figuring out how the team will work together ... is equally important. Defining roles and responsibility, division of labor, how to give feedback or how to work together when not everyone is in the same room will save you a lot of headaches down the line."

8. Choose your vendors.

Running a business can be overwhelming, and you and your team probably aren't going to be able to do it all on your own. That's where third-party vendors come in. Companies in every industry from HR to business phone systems exist to partner with you and help you run your business better.

When you're searching for B2B partners, you'll have to choose carefully. These companies will have access to vital and potentially sensitive business data, so it's critical to find someone you can trust. In our guide to choosing business partners, our expert sources recommend asking potential vendors about their experience in your industry, their track record with existing clients and what kind of growth they've helped other clients achieve.

Business News Daily offers reviews of the best vendors across a wide range of B2B product and service categories. Visit our Find a Solution section to find our recommendations.

9. Brand yourself and advertise.

Before you start selling your product or service, you need to build up your brand and get a following of people ready to jump when you open your literal or figurative doors for business.

Create a logo that can help people easily identify your brand, and be consistent in using it across all of your platforms, including your all-important company website. Use social media to spread the word about your new business, perhaps as a promotional tool to offer coupons and discounts to followers once you launch. [See related review: Best Email Marketing Software and Services for 2020]

Be sure to also keep these digital assets up to date with relevant, interesting content about your business and industry. According to Ruthann Bowen, client relations specialist at EastCamp Creative, too many startups have the wrong mindset about their websites.

"The issue is they see their website as a cost, not an investment," Bowen said. "In today's digital age that's a huge mistake. The small business owners who understand how critical it is to have a great online presence will have a leg up on starting out strong."

Creating a marketing plan that goes beyond your launch is essential to building a clientele by continually getting the word out about your business. This process, especially in the beginning, is just as important as providing a quality product or service.

Ask customers to opt-in to your marketing communications.

As you build your brand, ask your customers and potential customers for permission to communicate with them. The easiest way to do this is by using opt-in forms. These are "forms of consent" given by web users, authorizing you to contact them with further information about your business, according to Dan Edmonson, founder and CEO of Dronegenuity.

"These types of forms usually pertain to email communication and are often used in e-commerce to request permission to send newsletters, marketing material, product sales, etc. to customers," Edmonson said. "Folks get so many throwaway emails and other messages these days, that by getting them to opt-in to your services in a transparent way, you begin to build trust with your customers."

Opt-in forms are a great starting point for building trust and respect with potential customers. However, it's important to know that these forms are required by law. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 sets requirements for commercial email by the Federal Trade Commission. This law doesn't just apply to bulk email, it covers all commercial messages in which the law defines as "any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service." Each email in violation of this law is subject to fines of more than $40,000.

10. Grow your business.

Your launch and first sales are only the beginning of your task as an entrepreneur. To make a profit and stay afloat, you always need to be growing your business. It's going to take time and effort, but you'll get out of your business what you put into it.

Collaborating with more established brands in your industry is a great way to achieve growth. Reach out to other companies or even and ask for some promotion in exchange for a free product sample or service. Partner with a charity organization, and volunteer some of your time or products to get your name out there. To grow your business quickly, check out our business growth tips.

While these tips will help launch your business and get you set to grow, there's never a perfect plan. You want to make sure you prepare thoroughly for starting a business, but things will almost certainly go awry. To run a successful business, you must adapt to changing situations.

"Be prepared to adjust," said Stephanie Murray, CEO and founder of Fiddlestix Candy Co. "There's a saying in the military that 'no plan survives the first contact,' meaning that you can have the best plan in the world, but as soon as it's in action, things change, and you have to be ready and willing to adapt and problem-solve quickly. As an entrepreneur, your value lies in solving problems whether that is your product or service solving problems for other people or you solving problems within your organization."

#make money online #business #online business #new business #enterpreneur

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portfolio-ni-rizza · 4 years

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Coworking 101: What Exactly is a Coworking Space and Why Do I Need One?

Welcome to the 21st century working world!

With millennials making up more and more of the modern labor force, the traditional office setting is also seeing a gradual but drastic change as it accommodates its newer members.

Gone are the days when everyone clocked in at 9 and went out at 5, sitting in the same cubicle for eight hours straight, five days a week, and remaining with the same company for decades on end.

The younger generation is bringing in new technologies, values, and practices, steadily redefining the professional landscape into one that favors flexibility over stability.

And as office workers change, so does their workplace. From the traditional desk-and-chair, square cubicles that characterized the old office landscape, we now transition to coworking spaces.

These simple but revolutionary spots are on the rise in major metropolises across the globe, but just as with anything new and unfamiliar, the idea of coworking spaces might draw a blank for many people. So if you’ve ever heard the term but scratched your head in confusion, you’re definitely in the right place.

Read on for all the things you need to know about coworking spaces – and why you need one, too.

The What Now?

In a workforce populated by employees who value teamwork and collaborative efforts, it comes as no surprise that the coworking industry is becoming the preferred option for leasing office spaces. Unlike the traditional office setup, coworking employees are not limited, physically or otherwise, to interacting only with those in the same company or industry. These like-minded people share everything from space, to network, and even ideas and core values, allowing for a collaborative, supportive, and collective workflow and environment.

And coworking spaces are exactly that: they’re places where a group of people–literally any group of people–can work together. They’re designed to function like a regular office space, but look and feel completely different from the traditional desk-and-chair setup.

Coworking spaces are basically just one big open area where groups of people can come together and do work, whether they’re together as a team, or alone as individuals. In a way, it’s the adult equivalent of your college library, where you can go in to work any time you want and stay for as long as you need.

These Coworking Spaces have all the basic functionality of traditional offices. You have desks and comfortable chairs, meeting spaces, sockets, charging stations, and a solid internet connection, and even a well-stocked pantry.

Like your school library, most coworking spaces come with common area that’s just one big, open room with long desks where people can huddle together to work. There are meeting and private rooms to the side for those who need more privacy, and hot desks are available to reserve for those who need their own work area.

But even with the more private areas, coworking spaces are primarily designed to be as open and inclusive as possible, in order to encourage collaboration and networking among its occupants. Closed-off cubicles are rarely found in a typical coworking space, and even reserved desks are still relatively open.

This design intentionally keeps with the values of the working millennial, who prefers open and circular conversation as opposed to the more hierarchical structure of traditional companies where an idea has to go from Point A first before it reaches Point B.

SPACES INSIDE A COWORKING SPACE

There are different areas inside the average co-working space, designed to meet different needs. Weremote in Ortigas, for example, offers the following innovative spaces:

The Common Area

The main area is an open floor space with tables that can easily seat at least five of your team, which is a perfect arrangement for startups or group works. Amenities like dry erase board, projectors, and other similar tools are available to better facilitate your meetings. Although you share the general space with other occupants, Weremote provides packages that would guarantee your team will always have a place to sit.

Private Suites

But if you’re company needs a little more privacy while you draft out top secret documents, Weremote and other coworking spaces also offer a suite made precisely for that. Although they are a tad pricier than working in the common area, the added costs of renting private offices are well worth it, when you’re essentially getting your own office space, complete with desks, chairs, storage, and other office equipment.Dedicated Desks

These seats are perfect for those who prefer going solo and having a spot to call their own. Similar to having your own cubicle at work, dedicated desks always guarantee you a seat in the buzzing and thriving coworking community.Hot Desks

Unlike Dedicated Desks that are all yours, Hot Desks are shared between users who rotate use of their shared office space on a schedule. This setup is perfect for those who aren’t always in town, or don’t always prefer to use a shared workspace, and wouldn’t mind having someone else warm their seat while their out. This is also generally a cheaper alternative to dedicated desks.Meeting Rooms

Of course, work is still work and sometimes you have to talk to people about things you don’t necessarily want others overhearing. Meeting rooms are the perfect solution. You can rent them out per hour or work out an arrangement with the space if you’ll find yourself using it often enough. The meeting rooms at Weremote are fully equipped with topnotch facilities to cover all your conference essentials, from the mundane comfy chairs to high-tech telecom tools, it’s even more affordable if you book it for the whole day.

Podcast Studio

The 1st coworking space in the country to come with a fully-furnished recording studio. Weremote offers this facility for anyone looking to start or record their podcasts and other audio materials. This studio is complete with high-quality sound equipment to allow you to record–and broadcast, live–good content. Perfect for trainers or coaches that wants to record their learnings or your modules, too.Photo Studio (Coming Soon!)

And for those looking to snap their latest product, a photo studio is also available for rent in this coworking space–and this coworking space alone. Designed to be on par with any professional photography studio, Weremote’s studio has overhead and stand-alone lights, backgrounds, and every other equipment you’ll need for that A-grade marketing material.Event Space

Whether your startup is hosting a launching party, or you’re a freelancer looking to hold a workshop, coworking spaces like Weremote also offer an events area that could comfortably hold a good number of attendees (Weremote, for example, can host up to 150). The great thing about getting this particular service from coworking spaces is that they’re fully equipped with all your event’s needs. At a fixed price, you no longer have to worry about setting up and cleaning after your event, as the space will take care of that for you. Event spaces are perfect for workshops, trainings, and other similar professional events.Virtual Office

One of the trickiest things that startups have to deal with is the office space: specifically, your company’s business address. In order to be a registered company, you need to list down a physical address for contact and documentation. Weremote offers you that. It provides innovative and modern office solutions by not only giving you a mailing address for all the bills and documents that come with any business endeavor, but even offers call answering and mail handling services as well, ensuring you are always up to date on your correspondence. It’s significantly cheaper to hire out a virtual office than it is to get an actual, physical place–and would work much the same way, anyway. Did we mention, you’ll get coworking freebies too if you sign up for a Virtual Office in Weremote?

For Whom?

So who actually does use coworking spaces?

The short answer: anyone.

The long answer:

Startups

Startup businesses are the most frequent users of coworking spaces for various reasons. For starters, a group of people is more likely to need a dedicated space to come together and work, as opposed to a solo individual who could simply take their laptop to the nearest coffee shop and work there. The more people you have on a startup, the more need you also have to find a spot to do your work.

Moreover, the farther along you are in your business, the greater your need for an office space as well, where you have less distractions and more access to equipment and amenities needed in a professional setting, including basics like a fast internet, a common space that can fit all of you, boards and papers to jot down ideas, and the like.

As a startup, it’s also more likely you’re not as financially stable as you would be once your company has properly taken off, so budget may be a little tight, even for basics like office space. Coworking spaces are perfect because of how flexible the arrangements are. You don’t have to commit to a long-term office lease, and the space already has all the equipment you need to work.

Coworking spaces are definitely a cheaper and more efficient alternative to traditional office spaces.

Other than their cost-effectivity, coworking spaces also offer more non-tangible benefits:

You’re open to the other teams and individuals sharing the area, which improves your chances at networking.

Even a simple chat while waiting in line with a stranger for the coffee machine can be an opportunity to build connections.

Two teams working beside each other can even merge into a bigger team because of the nature of sharing a working space.

Startups can recruit more people in their team, can loop in potential investors, and even snag a future customer because of the open layout of coworking space.

Freelancers

Another familiar face to the coworking scene is the freelancer. Many freelancers do not have a fixed working space, generally because they prefer non-structured arrangements. As a result, the flexible set-up of a coworking space is the perfect match for them.

Many freelancers also work from home, because it could be significantly more comfortable than a crowded coffee shop (imagine working in your PJs, in the comfort of your snuggly bed!), but this set-up isn’t necessary optimum for productivity. You can get too comfortable when working from home, which is why it’s recommended to get out of the house every once in a while.

Coworking spaces are great for the full-time freelancer because they’ll get all the benefits of a traditional office (a dedicated space to work, a concentrated environment not riddled with distractions, a supportive network of people who are in a similar situation) without the constraints of one (like having to clock in and out at fixed hours, only having the one, same spot to work, etc.).

While a typical seat lease in a sharing space may be pricier than, say, a single cup of coffee at your local café, the former is still an all-around better arrangement.

How so?

Coworking spaces are designed to be a place of work—one where you are guaranteed to be productive, providing you with what you need to work your best. There is no pressure you might be overstaying your welcome because you finished your coffee hours ago, and the noise and clatter around you are not mindless distractions, but productive conversations of people doing their professional business.

And if that proves a tad too much, you can easily secure a private corner where you can be alone with your thoughts and work in more peace and quiet than you can expect from a café.

As an added bonus, there’s coffee (and food, and, in some lucky cases, even beer on tap!) in the coworking pantry, too.

Others

Of course, anyone who’s in need of a temporary work space is welcome to a coworking space.

If you have a passion project that you want to focus on during the weekends, a coworking space is the perfect venue for you.

If you’re setting up a project with your friends but can’t find a place where you could all sit together and focus on work, a shared office is your go-to.

If your company is hosting a seminar but your office is too small, and everywhere else is too expensive or needs a lot of work, a coworking space has your back.

If you’re a big organization looking for a separate space to host a networking event, or you have a product launch coming up, a coworking space should be able to accommodate your needs easily.

The highly versatile coworking space is what makes it incredibly attractive to the modern office worker, and why it’s well on its way to revolutionizing traditional office spaces.

What’s in it for me?

There are numerous benefits to getting a spot in a coworking space. As a matter of fact, a study by the Harvard Business Review found that professionals working in coworking spaces thrived higher in their professional careers than their counterparts in traditional offices.

The reason, they found out, had less to do with the physical environment of the coworking space itself, and more with the intangible, and less-direct benefits of working in one.

The work is more meaningful

People who work in coworking spaces generally have more control over what it is they’re working on – the projects they’re handling, the type of clients they’re meeting, etc. When they have this freedom, they find more value in the tasks itself, and they’re more likely to accomplish something because they genuinely want to get the task done, rather than finishing it to turn something in to their bosses.

An important insight HBR gleaned from this study was that people in coworking spaces found meaning “in the fact that they could bring their whole selves to work.”

The typical occupants of a coworking space are so varied in the nature of their work and their industries, that each one brings something unique to the table. There is less pressure for them to be anyone but themselves, unlike in traditional office settings where there is both overt and subtle need to fit in.

Another way a coworking space user finds more meaning in their job is through the collaborative culture inherent in an open space as such. People are not secluded from one another, and, more importantly, they are rarely in direct competition with each other.

The lack of a fundamentally competitive environment allows more open and honest interactions, where people are more likely to want to see each other succeed in their respective fields. Too, as no one does the exact same thing as another, each person’s unique skills and expertise become all the more valuable.

You have more control of your environment

As mentioned above, those who work in coworking spaces typically have more autonomy in their jobs, which is a significant advantage in and of itself. You don’t need to put in strict hours – you can clock in whenever you want, and stay for as long as you need, especially as coworking spaces are open 24/7, or offer round-the-clock packages that would allow you to work as early or as late as you need, whenever you need to.

You’re also not boxed, literally and figuratively, in the same small space for hours at a time. When you use a coworking space, you can easily move around the whole office to find a spot that best suits you, be it in the heart of the floor space, surrounded by a dozen other coworkers, or in a quiet little corner, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main area.

This is an especially important advantage for those in the creative industry, who could struggle with the monotony and repetitiveness of the traditional office environment.

More importantly, however, coworking spaces are not just about autonomy. There is a certain structure to this work space that guides people’s routines and keeps them from simply doing what they want, the way they might do when they are completely in control of everything, as when they’re at home, for example. Because you’re paying for your spot, you’re bound to return to your coworking space and actually get some work done in order to get your money’s worth.

Being in this space also means you’re surrounded by people who are likewise working, which can bolster your own motivation to work. As the Harvard Business Review found out, “paradoxically, some limited form of structure enables an optimal degree of control for independent workers.”

There is a better sense of community

Everyone in a coworking space is on the same boat as you, which makes it easier to connect with them. Again, the open layout plays a considerable part in helping you network, but the similarity in your situations also fosters a sense of camaraderie you don’t always get in a classic office setup.

And unlike in an office where you’re more likely to feel compelled into playing nice with someone you see everyday for hours at length, interactions are less forced in a coworking space. Introverts can keep to themselves if they choose, but those looking to network, or simply talk with others, can do so because they genuinely want to.

As HRB found, interactions in coworking spaces are generally more positive because people see the potential in every connection they forge. In other words, they’re not forcing any small talk because they have to, but they’re conversing with others because they actually want to hear what the other person has to say. As a result, the networks you can make in a coworking space are more likely to be genuine and enduring because you’re also more likely to be honest going into one

It’s better for your budget

Renting a coworking space might mean you’re paying upfront, but the investment will readily pay for itself.

If you’re a startup company or a small business, the cost of getting, furnishing, and maintaining an office space of your own is nothing to scoff at. Many aspiring entrepreneurs have been discouraged from pursuing their businesses because of the cost it takes to start one, and even finally launching said business does not put you in the clear.

In addition to the capital needed to get in the materials and labors, a dedicated space to work in is no middling expense either, and as more and more businesses crop up in the metro, office space becomes a more precious – and pricey – commodity.

With a coworking space, you get all the benefits of traditional office setups, at a fraction of the expense.

To begin with, you no longer need to buy and furnish a space–you can simply rent it for as long and as often as you need. If your team can create your products at home, and only need to meet up occasionally to discuss logistics or meet with clients, you can rent a coworking space to provide you with all that you need to hold a proper, professional meeting.

Likewise, if you’re a startup with a growing number of team members, but not yet enough clients to strike out on your own, renting a coworking space will give you a place to meet and do your work regularly.

As a freelancer, the payoff is in the amount of work you’re able to do in an environment specifically designed for you to be productive.

If you regularly work from home, it can be a challenge to keep yourself motivated at all times. When you go out in public, there are hardly any areas of peace and quiet where you can sit down and focus on your tasks without being distracted by the constant – and loud – chatter of the people around you.

In a coworking space, you can comfortably meet with clients and partners, and discuss the important details of your projects without having to yell to hear each other over the noise, or worry that your confidential work might be overheard by the wrong ears. And when you’re able to rake in more work, and produce much better quality outputs, it’s easier to reel in a better paycheck as well.

You have work-life balance

But perhaps the biggest advantage of coworking spaces is that its design and structure is fundamentally conducive to pursuing the ever elusive, sometimes mythical work-life balance.

In a coworking space, you only actually work when you have to. If you know there is nothing on your agenda for the day, you don’t have to get up at 5 AM, drag yourself through one of the world’s worst commutes, and “show up” at work only to simply sit idly in your desk for the next nine hours.

You no longer have to live for the weekends, either, and you’re available to go out and have fun whenever you have nothing on your plate. If you’re a night owl, you can say goodbye to the dreaded early morning shifts, and instead sleep in like your body is naturally wired to do, and start working only when you can actually get some work done.

When you are better able to segregate your work from the other aspects of your life, your overall well-being is improved as well.

You no longer have to compromise your physical health by going through a hellish commute every single day, and you can readily take a sick day whenever you do need to have a lie-in.

You can also take better care of your mental health when you’re better able to rearrange your schedule to one that doesn’t stress you so much.

Your social life also sees a marked improvement when you’re more readily able to see your friends because you have no overtime, or bond with your family without needing to wait for the weekends.

On a whole, it is easier to be happier about your work—and, more importantly, your life outside of it—when you work in a coworking space.

There is no understating the benefits of working in a coworking space. Here’s a roundup of the reasons why coworking spaces can do you a world of good.

You have the flexibility in your workload and schedule that traditional office setups can’t offer.

You are more likely to be productive because you’re able to work only when you can and have to, and, as a result, you find more value in the tasks themselves.

You create better quality outputs because you have more job satisfaction, and you are surrounded by a community that understands where you’re coming from and can better support you.

You can network more easily too both because there are less physical boundaries between you and your colleagues, and because your coworking community is generally made up of different individuals from varying areas and industries, thus creating less competition and more collaboration.

It is also a more cost-efficient setup because you can choose your work hours, and you are not required to show up when it is too inconvenient for you.

You can select a package that works well with your professional requirements as well as personal preferences, letting you use the space as often as you need if you have an important, urgent project, or as seldom as possible if you’re travelling around.

The environment itself is designed to boost productivity, by creating specialized spaces where you can focus on your work without the distractions abundant in other spaces like your home or your favorite coffee shop.

In conclusion…

If you’re freelancing full time, starting your own company, managing a small business, or just generally looking for a space to get some work done without being boxed in an office, you need a coworking space.

A coworking space is a workplace shared with like-minded individuals, designed to have all the functions and comforts of a traditional office, but without the restrictions (and drama) of one.

You can have your own desk and work only when you actually have to.

Your work becomes more meaningful because you have more control over it, and you’re doing it for the sake of accomplishing the task, and not only because your boss asked you of it.

You don’t have to break the bank to find a space for your team to work and launch your company.

Above all, you can actually have that coveted work-life balance when you have more control of your work so that it doesn’t take over your life.

And if you’re looking for a coworking space in the bustling, pulsing heart of Metropolitan Manila, look no further than Weremote Coworking in Ortigas. Located at 2F, Building C, Metrowalk Commercial Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, Weremote puts you firmly at the center of Manila’s vivacious urban living, where you’re a stone’s throw away from major business establishments, in an enviable location that client, customer, or partner can readily access.Plus, Free Parking!

For more details, shoot us an email at [email protected] or leave a message to +63-917- 623-3674 or (+63) 2 216 3429. Weremote is open 24 hours on weekdays, from 7 AM Monday to 7 AM Saturday.

Read the article here.

#Writing Samples #Blog #LongForm #SEO #WeRemote

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steampunkfan · 7 years

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Entrepreneurs On Fire: January 2018 Income Report

January 2018 Income At-A-Glance

Gross Income for January: $205,842

Total Expenses for January: $66,463

Total Net Profit for January: $139,379

Difference b/t January & December: -$4,114

Why We Publish An Income Report

This monthly income report is created for you, Fire Nation!

By documenting the struggles we encounter and the successes we celebrate as entrepreneurs every single month, we’re able to provide you with support – and a single resource – where we share what’s working, what’s not, and what’s possible.

There’s a lot of hard work that goes into learning and growing as an entrepreneur, especially when you’re just starting out. The most important part of the equation is that you’re able to pass on what you learn to others through teaching, which is what we aim to do here.

Let’s IGNITE!

**We’ll receive a commission on the affiliate links below.

Josh Bauerle’s Monthly Tax Tip

What’s up Fire Nation, my name is Josh Bauerle. I’m a CPA and the Founder of CPA On Fire, where we specialize in working with entrepreneurs to minimize their tax liability while keeping them in line with the ever-changing tax laws.

I’ve been working with JLD & Kate at Entrepreneurs On Fire for years now, and they’ve included me in these monthly income reports with unlimited access to all their accounts so I can verify that what they report here is complete and accurate.

And because they believe in delivering an insane amount of value to you, my job doesn’t stop at the verification level; I also provide a new tax and accounting tip every month!

Josh’s January Tax Tip: How to handle the 1099’s you receive

Well Fire Nation, it’s that time of year again: tax season.

As I prepare to go into my tax season hole to grind away at 500+ tax returns, I wanted to give you one last tip to make sure you don’t get hit with an unexpected IRS letter this year.

I want you to ensure the 1099’s you receive are addressed properly.

This may seem like a minor issue, but incorrect 1099’s are one of the biggest reasons we see clients get audited by the IRS.

What happens most often is one of the wonderful people who paid you money over the previous year sends you a 1099 made out to you personally instead of your business. Then, you claim it in the business, and the IRS thinks you failed to claim the income altogether since they expect to see it on your personal return.

Next thing you know, you’re receiving a love letter from the IRS demanding thousands of dollars for unreported income.

Here are a few scenarios that could easily cause this to happen:

You switch your sole proprietor to an S Corp mid-year and either don’t update your clients who issue 1099’s, or they fail to make the change.

Your business is a partnership, but your clients use your personal info for the 1099 not knowing the details of the entity.

You mistakenly fill out your W-9 with your personal info instead of your business info because you weren’t quite sure what they were asking.

I’ve seen incorrect 1099’s issued for all the reasons above – plus many more.

Here are4 steps you can take to make sure you aren’t getting a surprise letter from the IRS due to an incorrect 1099.

1. Check every 1099 you receive to make sure it is issued to the right name and tax ID number.

Unless you are a sole proprietor using your SSN as the business tax ID, your name and/or SSN should never be used on the 1099.

2. If you find a 1099 incorrectly made out to you personally, immediately contact the person or company who sent it and ask them to issue a corrected 1099.

Make sure they send the corrected version to both you and the IRS.

3. If they refuse to issue a corrected 1099 (and some will) you’ll need to note it very carefully on your tax returns.

Assuming the 1099 was made out to you instead of the business, you will claim the 1099 on your personal return Schedule C, and then put an expense for the same amount with the description “Claimed on 1120’s (or whatever business return you file) EIN XX-XXXXXXX”.

Hopefully if you own a business you are using a professional for your taxes, in which case you can simply make sure they’re taking the steps above.

4. Now that we are into a new year, make sure that all your clients who issue 1099’s have your accurate W-9 on file.

You should have one on file at all times with the correct info so you can be sure you are giving new clients the correct info to prevent mistakes in the future.

No more love letters from the IRS, especially ones that could be avoided with some simple due diligence!

By making sure the 1099’s you receive are accurate you can drastically reduce your chances of receiving a nasty letter from our good friends at the IRS.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss what would be best for YOUR business. I LOVE chatting with Fire Nation!

*Bonus* Claim your spot in Josh’s FREE Course on Business Entities!

David Lizerbram’s Legal Tip

How to Hire a Lawyer for Your Business – Part II

For Part I of this series check out our November 2017 income report

Sooner or later, every business is going to need legal representation. A lawyer can either be:

An expensive line item, or

A huge asset for your business.

As an entrepreneur, it’s up to you to make that choice.

If you haven’t hired a business attorney before, the process can be intimidating. I’ve seen the process many times, having been hired by hundreds of clients to represent them over the course of my career.

When the client (that’s you) is informed and knows what they’re looking for, there’s a much greater likelihood of having a positive result for both sides – the lawyer and the client.

Ultimately, we both want the same thing: a mutually-beneficial, long-term business relationship.

To help you achieve that result, I’ve put together this list: 7 Keys to Choosing the Right Lawyer for Your Business. (For the first 4 points, be sure to check out our November 2017 income report!)

5. Choose a lawyer who brings other resources to the table

Let’s be honest: good legal services aren’t cheap.

Here are some questions you can ask to help get the most bang for your buck:

Does this law firm host regular events for their clients to meet and network? (These may take the form of live events, webinars, or other virtual resources.)

Do they have a network of other attorneys and professionals they can refer you to when you have specialized needs?

Are they members of trade associations or other groups you can benefit from?

Are they willing to make introductions to other clients, potential customers, and strategic partners?

Don’t be afraid to ask these types of questions and dig for detailed answers. But approach this line of inquiry with a bit of skepticism: beware the attorney who over-promises.

Use your best judgment.

6. Do you need a lawyer in your city or state?

This one can vary depending on your specific needs.

Of course, it’s great to be able to meet face-to-face on a regular basis, but I find that even with my local clients, the vast majority of our contacts are through phone and email rather than in person.

If you live in a small town or a place without a lot of lawyers (how depressing!), you may not have easy access to a local attorney who has the skills and experience that you need. And often, that’s not really a problem.

Now, if your attorney has to go to court, he or she may have to live near you, or at least in your state. But for many business law needs, an attorney who lives in another state may be able to serve you just as well. This means that you can cast a wide net and seek out the best legal counsel for you.

So feel free to look for legal counsel outside of your geographic area, but be sure to let them know where you are and confirm that they’ll be able to handle the transactions you require.

Tip: If your business has customers, vendors, or partners in another country, be sure to ask if the firm has relationships with attorneys in that country.

7. Make sure you’re comfortable with their fee structure

Your potential lawyer should not be afraid or nervous to discuss fees with you, and you shouldn’t be hesitant about bringing it up. Whether you’re a solopreneur or seeking legal advice for a big company, you still need to be able to plan for your legal costs.

Traditionally, most business lawyers work on an hourly basis. This means that each attorney has an hourly rate, and the attorney bills in increments of that rate (for example, 1/10 of an hour, with a minimum of 2/10 of any hour for any particular task.)

Some lawyers have moved away from hourly billing entirely and only bill a fixed amount for each service.

The most common approach is a hybrid of hourly and fixed fee billing, depending on the project. For example, if your business needs help with a complex contract negotiation, it can be very difficult for the attorney to estimate the amount of time involved, so billing based on the clock might make the most sense.

But if they’re doing the type of filing that they’ve done many times before, and they know pretty much what it’s going to take, both sides might be better off with a fixed fee for that project.

The most important part of this conversation is to be sure that the arrangement works for you, the client. If you prefer one or the other – hourly, fixed fee, or some other type of arrangement – be sure to communicate that to the attorney.

As long as you’re upfront about your expectations, he or she should be able to work with you; if not, this probably just isn’t a good match.

And that’s OK: as I said at the top, not every attorney-client pairing is a good match. Hopefully, applying these 7 Keys will speed up the process of finding the right match for you and your business.

Bonus Tip: This is not a “Till Death Do Us Part” decision.

Ideally, you’ll establish a relationship with a lawyer that will last for the life of your career. Maybe you’ll even become good friends. But just like with any other type of business relationship, there’s no way to know that on Day 1.

It’s possible the day will come when you have to tell your lawyer “It’s not you, it’s me.” Or whatever your preferred breakup line might be.

Nobody wants to hear this from a client. Believe it or not, lawyers are people too. We have feelings like anyone else. But, for the most part, we’re also professionals, and we know that not all client relationships are going to last forever.

If you get the feeling that you and your lawyer aren’t on the same page, the best thing you can do is pick up the phone and express your concerns. I suggest you avoid doing this over email – despite all the advantages of technology, when things get sticky, it’s best to talk it out whenever possible to avoid escalating the situation.

If you can get together in person, even better.

If that doesn’t work, and the situation just can’t be reconciled, your lawyer is, in most circumstances, obligated to return your files to you or forward them to your new attorney.

If you have funds remaining in the firm’s client trust account (also referred to as a “retainer account” or “IOLTA account,”) those must be returned to you as well.

If you have a legal question that you’d like me to cover on a future Income Report shoot me an email with your request! I’ll be sure to give you a shout-out when I join John & Kate to talk about your legal questions!

*Bonus* Download David’s FREE Checklist on Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs!

What Went Down In January

Memoir is LIVE!

I’ve always loved biographies, and with Memoir, I have a great excuse to dive deep into the lives of the men and women who changed the world.

The first feature is Alexander the Great, and let me tell you, this man packed a LOT into 32 years.

Visit Memoir.one to listen or visit iTunes here :-)

We hired a Tech Marketing Strategist

Making the decision to hire a tech / marketing strategist on retainer was a big decision – and an even bigger investment.

We’ve always run a super lean team here at Entrepreneurs On Fire, and with our focus shifting towards unraveling the complexity of what our business has become, bringing another consultant on retainer on board wasn’t a quick or easy choice.

This brings our monthly consultant retainer to five (our CPA, our accounting team, our designer, our web guy, and our tech marketing strategist).

But one thing John said during the many conversations we had about hiring a strategist is that being good always keeps us from being great.

One month into our contract we’re feeling great about the decision, and we wasted no time getting straight down to business.

Since she came on board we’ve:

Initiated a full website redesign (with the goal of making the UX 10x better)

Focused in on our campaign conversions

Started to revamp our quiz to more closely relate to our ideal customer

Identified our top 5 focuses for the next 6 months

We’ll keep you posted as we continue on with these exciting projects, and be sure to check out JLD’s Facebook page every once in a while: that’s where we post behind-the-scenes looks at our active projects!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 2018 Income Breakdown*

Product/Service Income: $153,835

TOTAL Journal sales: 882 Journals for a total of $32,992

The Freedom Journal: Accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days!

TheFreedomJournal.com: $1,836 (38 Hardcovers & 12 Digital Packs sold!)

Amazon: $16,068 (429 Freedom Journals sold!)

Total: $17,904

The Mastery Journal: Master Productivity, Discipline and Focus in 100 days! +2

TheMasteryJournal.com: $1,671 (33 Hardcovers & 14 Digital Packs sold!)

Amazon: $13,417 (382 Mastery Journals sold!)

Total: $15,088

Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 Podcasting community in the world!

Recurring: $28,218 (237 monthly, 4 annual)

New members: $14,814 (34 new members)

Total: $43,032

Podcast Sponsorship Income: $72,500

Podcast Websites: $5,000 Your all-in-one podcast website peace of mind

Skills On Fire: $30

Podcast Launch: Audiobook: $228| eBook: $53

Free Courses that result in the above revenue:

Free Podcast Course: A free 15-day course on Podcasting

Free Webinar Course: A free 10-day course on Webinars

Free Goals Course: A free 8-day course on Setting & Accomplishing Goals

Funnel On Fire: A free 8-day course on Creating a Funnel that Converts!

Kickstarter On Fire: A free 5-day course on going from Idea to Launch on Kickstarter!

4 Days To Mastery: A Free 4-day course on how to master Productivity, Discipline & Focus!

Affiliate Income: $52,007

*Affiliate links below

Resources for Entrepreneurs: $37,682

Audible: $512

BlueHost: $600 (Step-by-step guide and 23 WordPress tutorials)

Click Funnels: $25,741

Coaching referrals: $2,747 (email me for an introduction to a mentor for overall online business or a Podcast focused mentor!)

Easy Webinar: $0

Mentorship: $7,500

ConvertKit: $356

Disclaimer Template: $49 (legal disclaimers for your website)

Fizzle: $128

LeadPages: $0

Infusionsoft: $0

SamCart: $49

Courses for Entrepreneurs: $10,546

Create Awesome Online Courses by DSG: $0

Webinars that convert by Amy Porterfield: $485

Copywriting Academy by Ray Edwards: $1,318

10k Readers by Josh Turner: $94

The Amazing Seller by Scott Voelker: $0

Self-Publishing School by Chandler Bolt: $8,500

ASK by Ryan Levesque: $149

Resources for Podcasters: $1,949

Pat Flynn’s Smart Podcast Player: $82

Podcasting Press: $519

Libsyn: $1,246 (Use promo code FIRE for the rest of this month & next free!)

UDemy Podcasting Course: $102

Other Resources: $1,830

Amazon Associates: $711

Other: $1,119

Total Gross Income in January: $205,842

Business Expenses: $63,628

Advertising: $14,674

Affiliate Commissions (Paradise): $1,628

Accounting: $849

Cost of goods sold: $3,175

Consulting: $0

Design & Branding: $952

Education: $15

Legal & Professional: $560

Meals & Entertainment: $475

Merchant / bank fees: $1,190

Amazon fees: $9,081

Shopify fees: $36

PayPal fees: $260

Office expenses: $813 + 123

Payroll Tax Expenses / Fees: $2,016

Paradise Refunds: $2,573

Promotional: $0

Total Launch Package fees: $0

Sponsorships: $11,500

The Freedom & Mastery Journal: $5,000

Travel: $2,555

Virtual Assistant Fees: $4,523

Website Fees: $1,630

Recurring, Subscription-based Expenses: $2,835

Adobe Creative Cloud: $100

Boomerang: $70 (team package)

Brandisty: $24

Authorize.net: $70

Cell Phone: $202

Google: $45

Internet: $154

eVoice: $10

Infusionsoft CRM: $396

Insurance: $551

Libsyn: $258

Manychat: $65

Chatroll: $49

Shopify: $176

TaxJar: $19

MeetEdgar: $19

Taxes & Licenses: $523

Interact Quiz Software: $89

Zoom: $15

Total Expenses in January: $66,463

Payroll to John & Kate: $15,900

In our May 2014 Income Report and our June 2016 Income Report, Josh focuses on how to pay yourself as an entrepreneur. Check them out!

Wondering what we do with all of our net revenue? We share all in our April 2017 Income Report :)

Total Net Profit for January 2018: $139,379

Biggest Lesson Learned

Daily gratitude can go a long way

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is irritating and frustration is around every corner?

It doesn’t matter if you had a great night’s sleep, a kick-butt workout that morning, or the best breakfast in town – something just feels off.

It’s not only causing irritation with just about everything that’s going on around you, but it’s also affecting your productivity and motivation.

WHAT GIVES?

I’ve had more of these days over the past couple of months than I like to admit, and they aren’t fun. I don’t feel like ME, and I know it’s not the way I want to be living my life.

So I’ve done a considerable amount of research around this: what is it that makes these days different from others (besides the fact that I’m irritated and don’t feel very motivated?)

It’s my lack of gratitude.

It’s having a great night’s sleep, but neglecting to wake up and smile because of that.

It’s crushing a kick-butt workout, but then going on with my day like I’m owed that.

It’s making the best breakfast without taking the time to realize that not everyone can do that whenever they want.

Gratitude.

So next time your alarm goes off and you wake up, crush a great workout, have an amazing breakfast, get to kiss your loved one, take a few minutes to call your parents up to tell them you’re thinking of them – don’t take it for granted.

Be Grateful.

Alright Fire Nation, that’s a wrap!

Until next month, keep your FIRE burning!

~ Kate & John

Note: we report our income figures as accurately as possible, but in using reports from a combo of Infusionsoft & Xero to track our product and total income / expenses, they suggest the possibility of a 3 – 5% margin of error.

Click here for all of EOFire’s Income Reports

This post was written by Kate Erickson, Content Creator and Implementer at EOFire. Follow Kate on Social:

The post Entrepreneurs On Fire: January 2018 Income Report appeared first on Entrepreneurs on Fire with John Lee Dumas.

via EntrepreneurOnFire.com | Inspiring interviews w/ today's most successful Entrepreneurs http://ift.tt/2EvIO1K

#IFTTT #EntrepreneurOnFire.com | Inspiring interviews w/ today's most successful Entrepreneurs

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managementstrategy447859 · 5 years

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ManagementStrategy

During Production Inspections are best for imports of large quantities; merchandise lines with constant production; rigorous requirements for on-time imports; and also as a follow-up should inferior results were found throughout Generation Inspection. We'll also re-check any flaws discovered during Pre-Production Inspection and affirm they have already been rectified.Final Random Inspections can start only after generation was finished and all product is prepared and packaged for dispatch. Throughout a method we'll sample products to confirm much more, Quality management , workmanship, function, colour, size, packaging, and product security. This makes sure your product is compliant and consistent with country, business, or otherwise-specified needs and no significant minor or major flaws appear.During Loading oversight, an I agent will carefully track the loading procedure, confirm product amount, and ensure appropriate handling of their freight. This support significantly reduces the risk related to importing cargo.Anyone who's spent time exploring and creating a product understands that combined with the hours and effort that enter it comes a whole lot of pride and passion. It may be a tool that will help employees do their job a medication which can enhance people's lives, or a thing that customers will use. However, have an opportunity show the world how good it is and so as to launch a product, you must be certain it'll pass an excellent control review. That is where the item, spent with pride and all that fire, comes under fire. And it is going to get to be almost-perfect to maneuver. Luckily, inspection applications can be obtained to assist you and your staff get everything directly from the start.In sequence to ensure that your goods will pass quality control reviews, you have to guarantee appropriate conditions and procedures in the manufacturing center. Assessing and interrogate these factories to make certain they meet your strict standards is a vital step toward ideal solution, but there is still a possibility that problems will slide through the cracks and cause your product to be reversed or tagged as unsafe.One of their most frequent causes of a review which fails to identify problems is that the contractor responsible has not received sufficient instruction. We have discovered that lots of purchasing offices anticipate their new hires to find out the job from experienced colleagues, instead of giving them the essential training to comprehend both review procedures and product-specific issues.

Another reason standardized instruction is so crucial is that newly-hired inspectors may arrive in your purchasing office with loads of abilities but also bad habits they've picked up from where they were previously. If these are permitted to spread like a virus throughout another team, it can result in actual problems.Bad habits may include not performing the whole necessary number of tests, choosing the handiest samples or merely rushing the work through.In any company, you want your Quality management to be moved, and it is vital for quality inspectors because of the character of their job. If they are motivated and are not taking pride in their job they won't do a comprehensive job. That is human nature, and this is. The reality is when they're visiting factories, that inspectors may be vulnerable to bribes, persuasion and coercion. It may take the kind of money changing hands or merely factory reps understanding even to feel nostalgic for them, or how to acquire the inspector in their own side. No matter the reason, quality contractor corruption destroys the integrity of this review, the merchandise and everybody involved.It's apparent what harm could be carried out by an excessive amount of collaboration between inspectors and factories, but in addition, it is possible that too little collaboration can occur and also negatively influence the results of the inspection. This may take the kind of time wasting, employees not available to select items, gear not being provided and insufficient time being permitted for the review to take place, meaning that it has hurried and dilemmas are missed.The greatest producers have quite particular processes which have to be followed to make sure that the end product quality doesn't slide. Therefore it makes sense that the grade reviews are done through an equally procedure? Sadly, this is frequently not true, meaning there is not any consistency in how inspections are completed, allowing lots of the problems above to proceed unchecked.A important point of controversy during and following inspections is exactly what constitutes a faulty item. Inspectors will need to go armed with a visual checklist in least back up and affirm their findings and prevent dispute.Like anybody in their own position, quality inspectors want the proper tools to help them perform the work correctly.

Inspectors utilizing the incorrect tools won't have the ability to perform their reviews successfully, therefore a checklist has to be kept to guarantee consistency in the standard of the tools provided and the way that they have been calibrated.Take the bio pharmaceutical firm Ocular such as. Troubles were faced by them with the FDA over problems with their new medication. The medication supplies control within management to doctors and makes eye surgery comeback problematic on patients. Regrettably, it has been put back and rejected due to inefficient inspection procedures.Inspections that fail to discover nonconformists, and stop Quality management from attaining an Acceptable Quality Level, may have a catastrophic effect on the production you have worked so difficult to perfect.The great news is, just introducing quality management program in your procedure can go a long way toward providing your merchandise its very best chance at success. QC applications is easy-to-use and supplies inspectors with the information that they need to discover, correct, and avoid non conformists via cellular kinds technologies .Also, executing QC applications will make certain your reviews are more powerful, your workers are better educated, along with your answer strategies are somewhat more efficient than everbefore. You'll avoid the bad press that comes with testimonials that are Quality management while demonstrating a commitment. Finally, inspection applications will help you employ a documentation management program, which means that you may make certain every QC review is prepared and available to show your compliance when necessary.No one needs their product to battle on its own very last step toward achievement. Inspection applications result in failures, or harm your new can help capture and fix mistakes before they become deal breakers. Quality control at each phase of manufacturing is an integral facet of any organization's quality control system. Inspection at various phases of production is vital to attain quality of the item. T

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workfromhomeyoutuber · 5 years

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Demio: 👉Customer Support Specialist (Full Time, 100% Remote 🎉)

Headquarters: 100% Remote URL: https://demio.com

Welcome 👋! Demio is currently hiring a full-time Support Specialist (we call them Success team members) to join our mission to help businesses leverage the power of personal conversations at scale. 🤩

Demio is a hassle-free webinar platform built for marketers. With our platform, companies can generate leads, filter prospects, perform group demos, engaging sales presentations, integrate with their CRM, view advanced webinar reporting, track conversions, and more. It’s truly unlike any other product on the market.

We’re looking to bring on that someone special right now to join the team full-time (... and yes, we're hoping that's you... keep reading to see 😉).

We want to be joined by someone that shares our same vision for a product-centric and customer-centric business. Someone who understands that customer support is not just about answering questions, but about guiding users to success. Someone that is willing to join us on our journey to change the way that businesses communicate, market, and sell online. Someone that is process-oriented and driven by seeing customers succeed.

As a young company, we have tons of amazing users and are adding new great companies every single month. A wonderful product experience is our primary focus here at Demio. From the customer support to the onboarding process, to the platform itself, we're constantly working hard to make it all a delightful experience. While the webinar, web-communication space has been around for a while and continues to grow, we believe that we’re creating an entirely new segment in the market and doing it in a simple way. Here's what a few of our Success team members have said 👇:

"Being a part of the Demio Team has been absolutely awesome, it's so rewarding to work for a company that truly cares for their customers, as well as, their team members. 💚" - Mike D. (been with Demio for 2 years) "The growth-oriented culture is what I love about Demio! Everyone on the team is always trying to do their very best and encourage each other. And the Demio team love GIFs, just as much as I do! 😆" - Maryna P. (been with Demio for 1 year) "I absolutely love being a part of this team!" - Allie L. (been with Demio 4 months)

About the Position:

Our team is small, but nimble 🤓. We have 5 success team members, 4 engineers, a QA team member, a product designer, and 2 founders. As a company, we love to employ and work with great people, and we're hoping you might be the right addition to our amazing team!

While the founders are based in Tampa, FL, we’re dedicated to building our company with a remote-based work environment meaning our entire team is remote, and we are happy to offer the ability to work from anywhere in the world through our systems in Slack, Clubhouse, Intercom, Notion and GitHub. We'll do everything we can to make a stress free, easy to navigate operation inside so your role is just as simple as our platform!

Not only will you be remote, but you get to work with a team that is hungry, smart, and eager to make an impact. As a major member of that team, your work will never go unnoticed. Your work will always make large waves 🌊 in the company.

But hey, we also like to have fun 🙌; we understand that building a company is quite the journey, and it can be incredibly hard, so we believe that it’s important to enjoy the moments along the way (mimosa Friday’s, anyone? 🥂)

About You:

We want someone to join our team who truly desires to make an impact, is empathetic, loves communication, is courteous, and is constantly striving to grow/improve. Of course, being remote means you won't be micro-managed and you should be highly responsible for your actions, be reliable, focused on output and results and understand that great companies are built one small step at a time.

There are no requirements for past experience in Customer Success. If this position interests you, then apply!

Some of our most amazing team members have grown into the role based on their drive and personal goals. We'd love to help you here too if that's you!

We would expect you to have:

Ability to work remotely with your own computer and high-speed internet connection (can travel and work - just need to make sure you'll be set up!)

Ability to communicate with fluent English to our users

Tech-savvy ability enough to communicate technical details and guide users through our software (training will be provided, but must have the ability to understand basic concepts)

Ability to handle sometimes tough conversations with users with a smile (or emoji)

Ability to handle (rare) stressful situations with high ticket volume

Real excitement to see customer wins, successful webinars run, and great feedback

The drive to learn and grow every day

What does the average day look like in Demio? Imagine this:

Log in to your Slack app when you start the day and high five the team already on 🤝! Our team is all over the world, but we're always overlapping hours working together to innovate and move the company forward.

Review any development updates in Slack or Carrot from your teammates on internal updates, urgent tickets, new bug fixes, or what's going on in the company for that day. Communication is always key here in a fast-moving company!

Log into Intercom and review the conversations going on for the day and see if anything should be reviewed prior to starting your shift. You can check in with any other team members of any urgent tickets and organize your priorities to make yourself successful for the day.

Our weekly success meeting will outline what we can expect for the week, any new initiatives, and bugs we’re expecting to be crushed. If we have any backlogged conversations, you can start tackling those and following up with users.

Inside of the Intercom help desk, we’ll be doing live chat and email responses to help our users succeed with Demio! That means quickly diagnosing priority on tickets, understanding customer use cases, and product issues. Sometimes that means ringing up the engineering team or making tickets and sometimes that might mean jumping on a product call with a user to help them get unstuck.

It'll be important that you keep communication strong with the success team (especially during transitions) on what’s going on and where!

Then, you can high five your teammates again when you log off and update the team in Slack with your daily update!

Once a week, we'll review the tickets as a team, review team KPI’s and review any major issues (plus we’ll meet monthly to look where to improve for better internal systems across the company). And if it’s a Friday, we might pop a few beers (or mimosas) together on Demio and cheers to a great week!

More about the position:

We’re expecting this to start as a full-time shift for our team. This shift would be initially set for 11 am EST - 7 pm EST Sunday to Thursday, but may move based on our needed overlap schedule. Ideally, you may be on the west coast of the US or in a western time zone to match hours that fit your schedule.

We’re open to any time zone, as long as you can fulfill it!

The payment for this position will be based on experience and your background, but we’ll be very transparent on our initial calls to see if this is a fit.

Growth-oriented bonuses we believe in:

Minimum 2 Weeks Paid Vacation

Reimbursement for Kindle Ebooks/Audible

Paid Access to Digital Courses for extended training

Free Gym Membership

Reimbursement for 1 local event a month

Working with a truly mission-driven team motivated by excellence

Invitation to our Annual team Retreat (paid)

Huge room for growth

What to do next:

If this sounds exciting to you, and you think working with an awesome startup company sounds great, let’s talk.

Shoot us a reply to [email protected] with #DemioSuccess2020 in your subject line, and we’ll set up an interview.

Here’s what we’ll need for in the email:

1. A short overview of why you think Demio might be the right fit for you

2. A résumé is cool but not necessary, feel free to include any and all recommendations from past colleagues or employers (LinkedIn works :D )

3. Tell us about you personally, stuff you’re into – what your goals are, where you are in life and where you want to be in life. This may not be your dream job, but who knows maybe we can work together to help it become so!

4. What’s your favorite book?

5. BONUS! Include a video of yourself telling us a little bit about yourself – just post it on Vimeo/YouTube/etc. This will greatly increase your chances of an interview! :)

Take your time to articulate your thoughts, there’s no prize for submitting quickly. No need to write everything, but this is a great way for us to learn about your ability to communicate and be thoughtful. If you're missing these questions, you will not be added to our initial review. 😭

That’s it 🙏! We look forward to meeting you!

To apply: [email protected]

from We Work Remotely: Remote jobs in design, programming, marketing and more https://ift.tt/37gPvix from Work From Home YouTuber Job Board Blog https://ift.tt/37h7EwF

#WorkFromHome #OnlineJobs #RemoteJobs #Entrepreneur #WorkFromHomeJobs #WorkAtHomeJobs #Self Em

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fadiesaieyed · 5 years

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When Do You Need To Work With A Car Accident Attorney?

No-fault laws can make it tough to protect ample compensation, but an attorney can assist you press for the negotiation you require to ensure your long-lasting recovery. It is really essential for sufferers of auto accident to get specialist assistance from attorneys when auto accident insurance is involved. Additionally, mishap victims without legal representatives frequently make large errors when talking with insurance coverage adjusters. Lastly, make certain you put your situation in the hands of a specialist that is adept at handling the insurance business. No matter the extent of your problems and also the value of your case you can find out a riches of info regarding just how to progress and also protect on your own from exposure in a contested instance. A lawyer that understands just how and when to work out with the insurer to get the amount of your claim. I have actually had customers call my 24-7 hotline from the scene of a collision to get guidance on how to continue. Usually customers consult me when they go to their wits end, really feeling disappointed with hold-ups or denials of liability from insurance firms. Sign up with an online community, takes an adult education course in a subject you do not normally have much passion in, sign up for a sporting activities league, take a vacation with a team, terrify the wits out of yourself by going skydiving. In this car crash compilation video watch these car accidents.

10,000.00 or figured out you have a major injury like a herniated disc or damaged bone, it is most likely time to work with a lawyer. They are surprised to find out that insurance coverage firms aren't actually on your side; they are looking out for their bottom line and their investors. This line of reasoning can be a dangerous as well as expensive mistake-- usually, cars and truck crash injuries don't show up for weeks or also months after the preliminary mishap. As an example, if you have relatively minor injuries that do not call for or did not need greater than a couple of weeks of traditional therapy (i.e. no surgical procedure etc.), after that you might be able to deal with that insurance claim by yourself. Older automobiles have a lower directory worth; thus it'll need less in the method of real body damage for the insurer to write the auto off. Driving fast might seem interesting but it's a fail-safe means to hurt yourself and other individuals. Nevertheless, if your sidetracked driving places others in threat, you could encounter offense and/or felony costs. Without a seatbelt, your legs may hit the dash and/or the guiding column. 10,000.00 after that it is something you may have the ability to pick your own without the demand for a lawyer's aid.

If you were hurt in the accident then it is more probable that you will want to hire a vehicle mishap lawyer. Many companies will provide a FREE examination to people harmed in a cars and truck mishap regardless of situation. Numerous lawyers will certainly provide you a free assessment, so speak to an experienced one and see what they can do for you as well as your situation. The even more blame they can give you, the lower your automobile mishap claim. As a general guideline, if at any type of time you do not feel comfy managing your insurance claim by yourself, for any type of factor, you must talk to and also hire a vehicle mishap attorney. For that reason, you must strongly take into consideration seeking out a seasoned vehicle crash attorney. It is always good audio recommendations to look for out a skilled car accident attorney. Search for out if the various other driver is the registered proprietor of the car, if they are not, find out who the proprietor is as well as obtain that information as well (for example it could be a company cars and truck). But you can still take advantage of hearing a detailed explanation pertaining to how an injury attorney may aid you recoup even more money. Navigating the no-fault insurance coverage system as well as crash regulations can be complicated, and also a skilled attorney can help you recognize your options, seek your insurance claim, and also safeguard you versus unreasonable settlement offers from insurance coverage companies.

So adjusters usually do not state legitimately available damages when a damaged victim calls them without a lawyer. A criminal charge, which is targeted at penalizing the drunk driver, and also a civil legislation claim, which is intended at making the intoxicated driver's victim whole once again, are entirely separate legal issues. The vehicle is named after Pierre Veyron who takes place to be a French Racing chauffeur, who won Le Mans in 1939. Veyron consists of 8 litre W16 engine with 16 cyndrical tubes in two rows of 8 cylinders. On top of that, 2 various other celebrations apparently sustained serious injuries. Most typical accidents created during a mishap are the knee injuries, spinal cable injuries, and also mind injury as a result of shock. The results of a vehicle mishap is so difficult that hiring an attorney might take a backseat to prompt issues like addressing your injuries, handling your insurance provider and also fixing your lorry. Your injuries, shed salaries, damage to residential property, pain and also suffering, and also other compensable injuries all influence the quantity of a feasible settlement. It is essential to keep in mind that insurance policy firms are very first as well as leading a business, so insurance firms will frequently attempt to pay the minimum quantity of settlement possible to safeguard maximum profit for their business.

The amount of cash you get in car crash claims, relies on just how much fault you obtain for the auto accident. We are highly experienced supporters of appropriate repayment of insurance claims, exactly how insurance firms need to be treating their clients as well as will make certain you and your family get the advantages you are entitled to. If auto insurance companies can discover a reason to refute your case, they will. An auto crash injury professional will certainly take x-rays of your injury to identify any type of imbalance. If the various other chauffeur is at fault for the crash, his or her vehicle insurance coverage is in charge of covering car fixing prices. Typically after a vehicle mishap, an insurance coverage insurer representing the other motorist will certainly contact you as well as use cash to settle your insurance claim. Nonetheless, it is normally never an excellent suggestion to talk to the insurance policy adjuster standing for the various other motorist. While a web traffic citation will not eventually confirm who is lawfully liable for an automobile accident in a succeeding claim, it might be utilized as evidence that the driver was irresponsible. You will have to choose on the spot whether you pick to answer these concerns or finish a written statement. You have no obligation to offer an official declaration to the various other motorist's insurance provider.

youtube

#car #crash #crashed #compilation #accident #accidents #crashes

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undercovermcdfan · 7 years

Note

Travlyn. Where did they go on their honeymoon?

title: Life on overload (must we make aspectacle of love)

pairing(s): travlyn

summary: people always said their lovewould burn out too quickly; travis was delighted how wrong they were.Honeymoon. MCD. Travlyn

a/n: I know this is a question, but Ilike to answer it with a fic. So, thank you for letting me indulge in myfavorite thing!!! Writing sappy stuff for my otp. Basically, the run down isthat this takes place far in the future and I’ll keep it very very vague howmany years down the line. Inspo song is Overload by John Legend ft. Miguel

warning(s): vague adult humor, fluff, textbookdiscrimination

day two

“It’s a quite… um, a fixer-upper, I suppose?”

He laughed, resting his hand on the worn woodenstructure—otherwise known as his childhood home he spent oh so many years in.The hike from the main village hub to the dinky cabin hidden in the forestedmountain top of Enki’s island normally didn’t take long, but between supplygathering to drag up and Katelyn near fighting with merchants to simply sell them the supplies extended thehours that would normally take from the port to his old home. “Quiteoptimistic, aren’t you,” Travis mused, throwing her smile, “But I know thisplace as well as I know myself—there’s a reason I had us drag up so much stuff,love.”

Katelyn sighed. “We had to be a weird kind of newlyweds,” adjustingher pack, a smile appeared on her lips as she stepped forward, “I never eventhought of marriage, much less the idea of rebuilding my husband’s old home asa honeymoon but here we are.”

“Here we are…” he softly repeated, looking at the homebefore him. Nostalgia weighed heavily but also other, more complicated feelingstoo. For all the years spent here, to return felt almost damning—to hismother’s wish, to the curse this place one held on him, a symbol of isolation,a symbol of close-minded mentality he was chained to…

But there’s warmth, like a kindling fire, of the memories itkept. He took in a deep breath of the mountain air and Katelyn lock their fingerstogether, nudging slightly. “Travis, are you going to give me a tour of yourhome? Or are you going to be a terrible host and make me wait here?”

He laughed, pulling out a key from his pocket and stickingit in the door. As it flew open, he turned to her. She walked forward,intending to walk past but he held up a hand— before her questioning gaze meethis spirited glint, she found herself being lifted, legs and back supported asshe gave a surprise “What the—“

“Our house, love,” Travis grinned, taking a step in, “You mean ourhouse.”

She snorted, her arms wrapping his neck as she rolled hereyes, “Don’t you think it’s a little cliché for me to be carried in?”

“If it’s a cliché, it means there’s some sentimental valueto it, my dear.”

“Sentimental and you do go hand in hand…” she hummed,pressing her lips against the curse of his jaw, “Just because we’re married,don’t you dare treat me like your damsels from your romance novels?”

“A damsel? No. I’m just actualizing a promise I made tomyself,” he chuckled, ticklish from her slow-moving lips and hmm sound of consideration. “So where doyou want to go first?”

“Our bedroom would be nice.”

He raised a brow, smile turning devilish. “Interestingchoice, my dear.”

Her cheeks flushed, “I just want to see the state of what I haveto sleep in! Lucinda given us some potions to help with the cleanup….” Hisexpression didn’t fade, and she averted her gaze, burying her face against him,her voice muffled, “And… Travis, we’remarried.”

“I know,” he whispered, “it’s amazing.”

“Quite. And there’s certain things I should expect,” shesaid softly, “we walked for hours to get here, dragging so many materials—all Iwant is a nice bath and you at this very moment, but bath is unlikely and we’renewlyweds. So…”

“…we’ll check the bedroom first, love.”

She smiled.

day 16

The house was coming along nicely.

Though, Travis admitted that he lost his touch withmaintenance—he grown soft in his years of fighting and living in Brightportwith Katelyn—, the house wasn’t as bad as condition he was expecting.

For starters, the home was smaller than he remembered. Withall the books that took up space already and the ones they brought, it was evensmaller. Two rooms, a single bath,not quite stylish like the homes within the village at the bottom of themountain but it had a humble charm to it. Their calloused hands welcomed newblisters and roughness from work, patching the holes and replacing rotted woodas they slowly cleaned within.

Thank Irene forLucinda, Katelyn would often mention as she sparingly used the potionsgifted from the witch herself as a house warming/wedding present. The potioncontained the ability of restoration of non-magical and non-living objects, andthe potency was above average thanks to it being made by… well, Lucinda. Old furniture, damaged by theyears and weather, restored to almost new as well as a quick and lazy fix up ofthe rooms that require more than just a basic knowledge of home repair.

They officially moved in by the second week, the kitchenbeing stocked and fixed up to his own liking and Katelyn’s indifference. Theyrotated between the inn room that was a midway spot of their home and thevillage, slowly bringing more and leaving more.

Katelyn insisted they set up the second room, his old room,as his studio. She left her training dummy in an unoccupied corner of the home,with her murmuring about making a proper place once the weather thawed and theycould hire somebody to build. They ate dinner at sunset, slept with a warm firecozying their room and waking in tangled limbs, laughs and morning-breathkisses.

He’d would often catch her in front of the mirror, appearingat her appearance and long hair—it grown out since the last time she cut it,and knowing the look she held, she felt it was long overdue for another.

“It’s a hassle to clean,” she sighed, as he brushed herhair, “There’s never enough warm bath water to get through it all.”

He hummed, running his fingers through the curly softness.

“It’s efficient. And signifies a fresh start, you know,” sheleaned back to him, glancing up with a smile, “What do you think?”

“If it makes you happy, I say go for it.”

She softened her look, shutting her eyes as she said, “A conwould be this not being necessary anymore.”

“Mhm.”

“No more practicing your skills at making subpar braids.”

“True.”

“What if I cut it all off? Not shoulder length, chin or evenup to my ear,” she pushed back her hair from her face, glancing up, “All gone.”

“…well,” he grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead,“Anything you choose, I guarantee I’ll be a sucker for. I got quite the biasfor you, love.”

Her smile widened, reaching up and letting her fingerstrail, shutting his eyes as she chuckled, “Stop that.”

He laughed. “You cannot silence the truth, my dear!” Heleaned down more, arms wrapping around her waist, and mercilessly, started hisattack of kisses.

“Oh my Irene,” she squirmed slightly, half-heartedly tryingto push him away but she succumb to strangled laughs that escaped and loudsnorts as it rolls into a genuine one.

Safe to say, she did end up cutting her hair but not to thelevel she suggested. Smiling, she turned toward his waiting form by thedoorway, expectant look as she waited for him to voice his thoughts.

“You look adorable.”

She rolled her eyes, then proceeded to twist a lock aroundher finger. “Thank you…” she patted space beside her, grabbing the scissors,“So what about—“

“Suddenly I remembered this very important thing I had todo!”

“It’s only trim! Travis, come back—Travis, I promise it’s just a—“ her laughsechoed through the house, as he ducked out and she, indulging in the chase,followed.

Day 28

The village tolerated his presence—realizing he was going tostay a while. Though they were thankful for the tyranny of the Demon Warlocksuddenly gone away and acknowledged, finally, Travis must’ve done somethingabout it… prejudices don’t suddenly evaporate.

“I’m sorry,” a shopkeeper said, with a genuinely apologeticlook, “But a… you know. You both are my first costumers and I wouldn’t like totempt the fates with, um, bad luck of you making a purchase.”

Travis’s face was trained pleasantness, smile and a soft“Oh, of course.” started already on his lips but as per their routine, Katelyndidn’t let him finish. Her eyes darken, and though the merchant towered her, heseemed to shrink under her gaze.

“You superstitious fool,”she grabbed the coin purse from Travis, “it is way too early for this amount of idiocy. Bad luck? Bad luck.” She scoffed, her voice goingfrom amused disbelief to mumbling as she walked around the store, collectingwhat they needed. “Every time I think this village isn’t so bad, people like you remind me it isn’t so.”

“Ma’am.”

“Don’t you talk to me,” she snapped, “I can’t promise what Imight do if you say something and I find myself getting offended again.”

Travis watched from the door way, awkwardly glancing fromKatelyn’s ranting to the frightened merchant—and he felt his smile go from fauxpoliteness of a friendly half demon to genuine and affectionate smile of aloving husband.

She slammed the money on the counter, not looking back or caring if she paid him too little or toomuch. The merchant didn’t call out with a correction, watching in stunnedsilence as the furious woman walked out, head held high, face etched with anicy calm expression.

He asked if she wanted him to carry the items she forcefullypurchased.

She shook her head.

He would like to say, this was a rare occurrence but twohours didn’t go by before Katelyn was reminded of his status within thevillage.

“You can buy here but it…”

“He’s one of the good ones, but still…”

“I’m sorry but it knows the rules and I sell these products to customers.”

Katelyn always gave her threats—one more word and they willfeel the wrath of Irene’s top general and they never tempted further. Sometimeshe’d ask if she was okay, and she was an honest person, she never did answer;she instead gave a complicated look, sadness and anger wrapped in exhaustion,maybe whispering to him a “I love you, Travis.”

When they return to the inn that became a second home andgreeted with wide smiles of a kindly older women who ran it, Katelyn collapsedon the bed with a groan and hugging the pillow close. “This place is hell,” shewhined, muffled against the pillow, “I use to think O’kasis deserved that titlebut no—this is hell.”

Travis chuckled, settling at the edge of the bed and hereached out for her hand. She accepted his hand readily, giving him a smallsqueeze. “You know you’re pretty hot whenever your threatening forty-year-oldbigoted merchants.”

She moved the pillow, enough so she could squint at him, agaze of ‘you’re unbelievable’ conveying perfectly at him.

Travis shrugged and thumbed the back of her hand, smiling,“I’m being honest. I can think about… two occasions where I wanted to kiss youmore than right now.” He pressed a small kiss to her knuckles, “I love you somuch.”

“I love you too,” she said back but there’s hesitation toher voice. The anger died and replace by sadness, sorrowful and almost pitying,as she softly continued, “You’re a good man, Travis. I didn’t question why youwanted to come back here but…” she smiled, interlocking their fingers, “I’llfollow you and remind you, stubbornly so, I love you more than thisIrene-forsaken island could ever.”

He laughed. She chuckled.

“I know. I know, and… I might not always speak up, I doappreciate what you do,” he softly said, leaning closer and she scooted, makingroom on the bed. He tossed the pillow aside, and she reached up, gentlytouching his cheek, “I can’t change their minds immediately… but that doesn’tmatter with you here. It doesn’t feel as scary anymore.”

They kissed, softly and comforting; her hand cupped the backof his head and his trailed down her side, squeezing her thigh.

When they pulled away, she whispered, out of breath: “Wait—Iforgot to send out our letters.”

He groaned, leaning his head against her shoulder, “Do wehave to go back? I was hoping to go home tomorrow.”

“And we will—but I promised to send updates to Liochant andthe others.”

He pouted.

“You could sleep in while I do that. Then I’ll come back andwe’ll go home together.”

“…I’ll come with,” he sighed, giving a small peck under herjaw, “Might as well check on the Doc; I didn’t get a chance today anyways.”

She nodded, running her fingers through his hair and shuther eyes. “Mmhm, we should invest in horses.”

“We should.”

“I’ll ask Liochant to send over some more money from mysavings.”

“And that he should come for a visit,” Travis chuckled, “Imiss that kid and the way he just… his anxious way of functioning.”

“Be nice,” she laughed, tugging at his ear, “Liochant isn’ta kid; you could learn a bit of manners from him, you know.”

“I’m good.”

“Sure you are,” she rest her cheek against the top of hishead, “You always are.”

Day 57

Katelyn rubbed her abdomen, quietly looking out the window;her legs crossed and blanket draped over her, she watched the pounding rain asrain roared outside. She could hear Travis in the kitchen, setting up theirdinner—he insisted making the curry Liochant sent a recipe for, and though thethought of rice was making her sick, she smiled at his enthusiasm.

He didn’t know.

Not yet, at least.

The doctor stated she was at least two months along. ButTravis thought she wasn’t feeling well, tired from debating whether they shouldexpand the home—he insisted it was fine for now, even though more and more itgot cluttered; she insisted they needed more space, though keeping her reasons why under lock and key.

In their living room, paintings hung all around—some ofherself, of himself, of both, and smaller ones of their friends but the largestby far was a woman with long, curly white hair, green eyes calmly looking downat her as her face, eyes and freckles familiar, a reserved smile and modestdress was worn. A painting made from memory, tears and he stubbornly draggedalong with them, fretting over with their trip to Enki’s island.

Six years. Many failed attempts and tears, a painting ofTravis’s mother.

He told her he could always do better, but she doubted heeven believed that—it was breath-taking work, and the years spent on it shown.She loved it as much as he did himself.

Cradling her drink, she found her mirroring a smile at thepainting, softly saying: “It’s been a while since we last talked. I have somegood news.”

Day 198

She attempted to get up but before she could make thetall-tale sign of an attempt, he was already at her side, flustered and smilingas he insisted she should sit while he get her more tea.

Lucinda, amused, shook her head and Aphmau laughed. Isabel,on the other, looked absolutely fascinated; eyes darting from Katelyn toTravis, she watched as Katelyn quietly thanked him and he beamed, pressing aquick peck to her forehead.

“I know we always joked about it, but…” Lucinda trailed, offas her eyes followed Travis’s disappearing form, “I’m honestly surprised he’staking to this fatherhood thing better than we expected.”

Katelyn chuckled, blushing, “Well… He has a good heart. AndI always suspected this was something he was looking forward to.”

“How do you know?” Isabel piqued, tilting her head, “BecauseI was out of the loop with Travis being anything like that.”

Katelyn, tucking her hair behind her ear, sat up a little asher hand placed on her large belly—“Twins,”Lucinda said the moment her eyes laid on Katelyn, “Boy. He really doesn’t makeit easy for you.”—and she rubbed her neck. “When I told him, two thingshappened—firstly, he cried. Looking at me, surprised and I almost thought hewas upset with it until he started sniffling, tears instantaneous.” Lucinda,Aphmau and Isabel laughed. Katelyn smiled softly, “And secondly, he wouldn’tlet go of me for the hour after, whispering Weshould go to the doctor and Oh myIrene, I love you so much. I feel like it was pretty transparent what hewas feeling.”

“Well—“ Travis’s voice interrupting them, pursued lips ashanded Katelyn her cup, “In my defense, I was kind of surprised. I didn’tthink… this would have happened so fast.”

“But it did.” Aphmau pointed out, cupping her chin with agrin, “And I’m going to be a God-mother.”

“Hey, who said you’re going to be the god mother!” Lucindaretorted, “If anything, I’m the obvious choice.”

“Well, Lady Aphmau istechnically a God…dess, and a mother. I feel the irony would be a missedopportunity.”

Travis and Aphmau naturally laughed, while Lucinda sputteredat Isabel’s point. Katelyn shook her head. “I missed this,” she softly said.Travis squeezed her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Will you be saying that for the next week?” he whispered.

She rolled her eyes, looking fondly at her friends.

“Maybe a week is pushing it.”

“I bet three days.”

“I’ll give it four, I’m generous.”

Day 302

A boy and a girl.

Their ruddy complexion and tuffs of pale blue hair,yelling with lungs they definitely inheritedfrom him and short temper from her.

Hughes was bit clingier than his younger sister—if he wasn’theld while awake, he’ll let anybody know of his displeasure. Luckily for him,his father was perfectly alright with spoiling him like so. Eponine was quieterbut that didn’t mean she was less trouble; her hands grabbed whatever it could,always hungry and particular how she should be held.

Sleep was more of a fantasy for the two of them.

But between their exhausted yawns and half-dazed way offunctioning now, there wasn’t a moment of regret.

“Look, Hughes, it’s your mama—“ Travis said, smiling wide ashe angled the way he held their son, purple eyes landed at her and the baby letout a gurgled sound. Katelyn, smiling, waved back at Hughes attempts to reach out.“Isn’t she lovely?” He cleared his voice, making it a higher pitched andsofter, “Gee, ma, you look absolutely radianttoday.”

“In your sister’s puke and unwashed hair?”

“Of course! You’rethe prettiest ma ever.”

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. “I feel like you’rebuttering me up.”

Travis smiled, kissing their son’s forehead as said softly, “Don’tquestion our son—he has a point, love.”

“Hmm, I have the sneaking suspicion you fed him some lines.”

“How dare! He expressed those thoughts, independent of meand my influence,” he laughed, walking over and settling down beside her, “he’s asmart cookie, Katelyn.”

She hummed in return, resting her head on his shoulder. “Of course.They both are. Fussy, stubborn but smart—like their parents.”

“Just like their parents,” he whispered, resting his headagainst her.

But peace doesn’t last long. Hughes, taking in a deepbreath, let out a powerful cry suddenly—and being startled awake, naturally,Eponine joined in the crying.

They both sighed. “I guess that was nice while it lasted.”

day 364

“I feel like…” Katelyn started, biting her lip, “staying alittle longer wouldn’t hurt.”

Travis straighten, looking up from Eponine and his mouthagape. “What.”

“Just a little bit. Until they’re strong enough to travel bysea… they’re my kids too, and I fear my sea sickness could’ve spread to them.”

But her face gave it away; with a light flush and avertedeyes, it spelt something else out.

But he let it go, with an “Of course.”

day 640

Hughes continued to lean against his mother, as his sisterdarted away—awkward steps which Travis matched, worriedly hovering over hisdaughter’s escape.

Safe to say who inherited what. She rubbed soothing circles,humming an old hymn to calm her son’s nerves. He gave a small whine and burped—shefelt pity for the small boy.

Eponine, on the other hand, was like her father; naturallytaking to the sea— with a shout of utter glee as she near falls but Travisscooping her up before any damage could be done. Normally, Travis would beenjoying himself; but between a ill wife and son, and a daughter who thoughtescaping their room was an appropriate game, he could see his nerves beingfrayed.

Hughes’ skin, darken to a greyish skin tone, eyes moreintensely purple and small bumps otherwise as horns protrude from his head. Hedidn’t like his demonic form, Travis explaining that it must’ve left him drainsince it naturally didn’t come to either of the kids unless they were upset.Hughes wore a teary-eyed expression, wiggling closer and closer, as if hismother could ease away all his pain and her heart ached at this gesture as shedid best she could.

Maybe the move was a bad idea, she wanted to say.

But she been away from her responsibilities for far too long—andthough they put love back into their home on Enki’s island… both agreed thiswas the right choice. Travis wouldn’t allow his kids to grow up in such a toxicenvironment.

A knock at their door pulled her out of her thoughts andbefore she could ask who it was—a familiar face throws it open and the form ofannoyed Zenix, curious yet at eased Vylad and the culprit who opened the door,Laurance, smiling at all four of them.

Eponine immediately had her arms outstretched, a gleefulreach for Laurance who laughed and walked over to Travis as Zenix shut the doorand Vylad approached her, all giving hellos.

“I felt like you two needed a break. We’ll be in Brightportin a couple of hours—so…”

Travis gave a relieved smile, whispering a quiet thanks butKatelyn hesitated. “I don’t know… I got this. Hughes prefers me to hold him, itseems.”

Laurance furrowed his brows, “I would suggest taking himwith you but…”

Travis looked at her and she bit her lip, rubbing her thumbagainst her son’s forehead as he weakly whines “Mama…”

“Maybe you three and Travis could take Eponine up; she’dprobably like watching the seagulls and stuff.”

“I wont go,” Travis said, and Laurance nodded. Taking theirdaughter in his arms, he smiled as he softly asked her, “Do you wanna see somecool clouds, Nina? You been cooped up here way too long.” She giggled, thenreached over to Zenix. Laurance laughed, handing her to Zenix, who gave his ownsmile and with that, all three left.

Travis joined her on the bed, one arm around her shoulderswhile the other hand rested on hers that laid on Hughes’s back.

“How is he doing?”

“He’ll live, but…” Katelyn frowned, “I’m so sorry,sweetheart. You just had to get my seasickness, didn’t you?”

“I suppose sons really do take after their mothers.”

“Especially him,” she chuckled. Travis pressed a kiss to hisforehead, then her temple. From the corner of her eyes, she could see his formshift; horns start to show, sharpen teeth and purple eyes gave way. Not hisfull form—they realized, a bit ago, it distressed the kids in ways they didn’tquite understand but for now, Travis kept way.

“It’ll be over soon,” he said reassuringly.

“Mmhmm,” she smiled, shutting her eyes, “Soon you’ll seeUncle Liochant, Auntie Isabel, Mama Aph…”

“Also, Alina—she’s dying to see you again. Lilith too.”

She hummed again, in agreement. “You’ll love it inBrightport. We have such a big home—you could have your own room, if you want.”

“He probably wouldn’t though,” Travis said, laughing, “hecan barely sleep alone in the same bed.”

“And there’s no shame in that.”

“Oh yeah, definitely not,” Travis patted his head, “I mean,I sleep with your mother to this day, so I cannot judge. It’s always nicer thansleeping alone.”

She hummed again. Leaning against him, she sighed as sheshut her eyes. “Just a few more hours.”

“A few more, love.”

She laughed, shaking his head, “I hope I can make it.”

He laughed too, howdramatic he said but nothing more. Soon, she felt herself slipping intosleep; her arms empty, as Travis pry away their son, who didn’t make much of afuss beside a small confused whine.

It’s strange, almost two years ago, they left Brightportwith the intention of just spending a few months. A few months became a year.Then two. Now they returned with two children, a home left behind and…amusingly, being more in love and loved than they started.

She suppose this wasn’t quite a honeymoon, since it wasanything but relaxing and lounging… yet sincerely, she felt only fuller andhappier.

She mumbled sleepily, ”I love you.”

“Get some rest, love,” he said back but she already wasthere. Smiles on both their faces, leaning against each other as they listenedto the sway of the ocean and heartbeats.

#aphmau #travlyn #minecraft diaries #minecraft mystreet #travis valkrum #katelyn mcd #my writing #yells #this took 5 hours yall #i think i found my new fave fic #i love this sm i wish i can expand #i kinda wanna #*runs off to do chores*#anonymous

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