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visit-new-york · 1 year

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100 Most Fascinating Facts About the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building, located in the heart of Manhattan, New York City, is an iconic skyscraper and one of the most famous landmarks in the world.

Construction of the Empire State Building began on March 17, 1930, and was completed in just 410 days, opening its doors to the public on May 1, 1931.

Standing at a staggering height of 1,454 feet (443.2 meters), including its antenna, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world when it was completed. It held this title for nearly 40 years until the completion of the World Trade Center's North Tower in 1970.

The Empire State Building has 102 floors, with 86 of them being used for office space, and it houses numerous businesses and organizations.

The building was designed by architect William F. Lamb, who worked for the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates. The design was inspired by the Art Deco style, which was prevalent in the 1930s.

It cost approximately $40 million to build the Empire State Building, which would be equivalent to over $700 million in today's money when adjusted for inflation.

The building's construction was completed during the Great Depression, and it was often referred to as the "Empty State Building" during its early years due to the difficulty of finding tenants for the office spaces.

To finance the construction, the Empire State Building was funded by a group of wealthy investors, including John J. Raskob, a financier and businessman.

The building's exterior is clad in Indiana limestone and granite, giving it a distinctive and elegant appearance.

The Empire State Building's famous Art Deco spire was originally intended to serve as a mooring mast for dirigibles, but the idea was quickly abandoned due to safety concerns and strong winds at such heights.

The building's construction progressed at a remarkable rate of four and a half stories per week, an unprecedented speed for that time.

During the construction, five workers tragically lost their lives, and they are honored with a memorial plaque inside the building.

The Empire State Building has a total of 73 elevators, including service elevators, and it takes just 45 seconds to reach the 86th-floor observatory from the ground floor.

The building's 86th-floor observatory offers breathtaking panoramic views of New York City and has been visited by millions of tourists from around the world.

Notable visitors to the Empire State Building include several world leaders, celebrities, and even fictional characters like King Kong in the classic 1933 film.

The Empire State Building was the location of several daredevil stunts and record-breaking feats, including the famous race to the top between a man and an elevator.

The building's official lighting system can be programmed to display various colors and patterns during different events and celebrations, making it a striking presence in the New York City skyline.

Every year, on Independence Day, the Empire State Building participates in the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks display, illuminating the night sky with a colorful show.

In 1964, the Empire State Building was designated as a National Historic Landmark, recognizing its cultural and historical significance.

The building's observatories are open to the public year-round, and they are especially popular during the annual Empire State Building Run-Up event, where participants race up the stairs to the 86th floor.

The iconic scene from the movie "Sleepless in Seattle," where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan meet on the observation deck, has become a quintessential romantic movie moment.

The Empire State Building has been featured in numerous movies, TV shows, and music videos, cementing its status as a symbol of New York City and an emblem of urban life.

On a clear day, visitors to the observatory can see up to five states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

The building has experienced several incidents of lightning strikes, but its construction materials safely disperse the electrical charge, keeping it relatively safe during storms.

The Empire State Building's Art Deco lobby is adorned with beautiful murals and decorative elements, transporting visitors back to the glamour of the 1930s.

A famous photograph called "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" was taken during the construction of the building, showing construction workers casually sitting on a steel beam high above the city.

The Empire State Building has appeared in various video games, becoming a recognizable virtual landmark in games set in New York City.

The building's famous spire has undergone several alterations and changes over the years, including the addition of a television broadcasting antenna.

An observation deck is located on the 102nd floor, offering an even higher vantage point for those willing to climb a few more flights of stairs.

During the annual Empire State Building Run-Up, the fastest recorded time for ascending to the 86th floor is just under 10 minutes.

The building's exterior lights are often coordinated to support important causes, such as lighting up in specific colors to raise awareness for charitable events and holidays.

The Empire State Building's lobby houses a scale model of the building, offering visitors a close-up look at its architectural features and design.

The Empire State Building's design and construction techniques were considered innovative for their time, and many of its principles have influenced the development of future skyscrapers.

The building's façade features intricate stone carvings, depicting various animals and mythological creatures, adding a touch of artistry to its exterior.

The Empire State Building was the first building to have more than 100 floors, making it a true marvel of engineering and architectural achievement.

The building's steel frame weighs around 57,000 tons, and the total weight of the building, including its contents, is estimated to be over 365,000 tons.

In 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building's 79th floor in dense fog, resulting in 14 fatalities and significant damage to the building.

The Empire State Building's architecture has served as inspiration for various skyscrapers and buildings around the world.

The building's height, including its antenna, is precisely 1,454 feet and 8 9/16 inches (443.2 meters), making it an engineering marvel to achieve such precision during the 1930s.

The Empire State Building has been featured in numerous songs, poems, and works of literature, cementing its status as a symbol of ambition, progress, and the American Dream.

The building's main lobby features a stunning ceiling mural titled "American Progress" by artist Roy Sparkia, depicting the rise of New York City.

A bronze plaque on the ground floor commemorates the visit of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who turned on the building's lights with a push of a button on May 1, 1931.

The Empire State Building was the location of a unique event in 1951 when Kathryn Johnston became the first woman to be married on the building's observatory.

In 1980, the exterior of the Empire State Building was designated as a city landmark, ensuring its preservation for future generations.

The Empire State Building's prominence as a symbol of American industrial prowess and architectural excellence was further solidified by its inclusion in the Great Seal of New York City.

The building has been featured on several postage stamps issued by the United States Postal Service, further showcasing its iconic status.

The Empire State Building played a significant role in numerous movie plots, and its imposing presence has served as a backdrop for memorable cinematic moments.

The building's immense height allows it to be visible from various points across New York City, making it a guiding landmark for many residents and tourists.

The Empire State Building was depicted in the 1983 video game "King Kong," where players climbed the building to rescue the titular character.

The building's observation decks have hosted numerous special events, including weddings, proposals, and even a high-wire walk by daredevil Philippe Petit in 1974.

The Empire State Building is an energy-efficient building, and it has earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for its sustainability practices.

The annual Empire State Building Run-Up attracts participants from around the world, with many athletes and fitness enthusiasts challenging themselves to conquer the stairs.

The building's 86th-floor outdoor observatory has been featured in movies like "An Affair to Remember" and "Sleepless in Seattle" as a place where couples can share special moments and breathtaking views.

The building's observation decks have been the setting for several world records, including the highest concert and the highest-flying paper airplane launch.

On a windy day, the Empire State Building sways gently, and the topmost floors can sway up to several feet due to its flexibility and structural design.

The Empire State Building has appeared in numerous comic books and graphic novels, often serving as a backdrop for superhero battles and epic showdowns.

The building's observatories are equipped with high-powered binoculars to allow visitors to get a closer look at various landmarks and attractions across the city.

The Empire State Building has been featured in various virtual reality experiences, allowing people from around the world to explore its heights without leaving their homes.

The Empire State Building's façade lighting is often used to commemorate special occasions, such as holidays, national events, and philanthropic initiatives.

During the Christmas season, the Empire State Building is illuminated with festive colors, and a large Christmas tree is displayed in the lobby.

The building's observatories are open until midnight, offering visitors a chance to experience the stunning nighttime views of the city that never sleeps.

The Empire State Building's central location in Midtown Manhattan makes it a convenient starting point for tourists exploring the city's many attractions.

The Empire State Building has been featured in video games like "Grand Theft Auto IV" and "Crysis 2," allowing gamers to interact with a virtual representation of the iconic structure.

On a clear night, the Empire State Building's lights can be seen from miles away, creating a mesmerizing sight in the New York City skyline.

The building's annual lighting of the tower in blue on April 15th marks the start of Autism Awareness Month, showing its support for autism-related initiatives.

The Empire State Building has been depicted in countless postcards, souvenirs, and artworks, becoming an emblem of New York City's skyline.

The building's iconic mast and tower were originally intended to serve as docking points for airships, but advancements in aviation technology rendered this idea impractical.

In 1947, a United States Army Air Force B-25 Mitchell bomber successfully made a round-trip flight between New York City and Bermuda, proving the feasibility of commercial transatlantic flights.

The Empire State Building was featured in the climactic battle scene of the 2012 film "The Avengers," where the superheroes fought off an alien invasion from the top of the building.

The Empire State Building has appeared in numerous disaster movies, where it is often destroyed or damaged by earthquakes, tidal waves, and alien invasions.

The building's observatories offer a clear view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Central Park, and other iconic New York City landmarks.

The Empire State Building's interior spaces have been used as sets for various film and TV productions, including commercials, documentaries, and music videos.

On special occasions, the Empire State Building's lights synchronize with music, creating stunning light shows visible from various vantage points around the city.

The building has served as a popular backdrop for fashion shoots, with models posing on its observation decks or in front of its grand entrance.

The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world when it was featured in the classic 1933 film "King Kong," where the giant ape climbed to the top.

The building's annual Empire State Building Run-Up attracts participants from various backgrounds, including professional athletes, firefighters, and fitness enthusiasts.

The Empire State Building has been a popular destination for marriage proposals, with its breathtaking views providing a romantic setting for couples in love.

The building's observation decks have hosted a variety of events, including live music performances, book signings, and art exhibitions.

The Empire State Building's design incorporates setbacks, creating a distinctive and recognizable silhouette on the Manhattan skyline.

The Empire State Building has been featured in numerous post-apocalyptic movies, symbolizing the endurance of human architecture in the face of catastrophe.

The building's height makes it an ideal location for various telecommunication antennas, broadcasting radio, television, and mobile signals to the city.

The Empire State Building is lit up in blue and white in honor of the annual International Day of Peace on September 21st, promoting global harmony.

The building's interior lobby and halls have appeared in several period dramas and historical movies, evoking the elegance of the Art Deco era.

In 1994, a Norwegian base jumper successfully parachuted from the top of the building, landing safely on the streets of Manhattan.

The Empire State Building has served as a focal point in various New Year's Eve celebrations, with its lighting being an integral part of the festivities.

The Empire State Building has been used in art installations and performance pieces, exploring themes of urbanization, identity, and human experience.

The building's observation decks have been visited by numerous celebrities and dignitaries, from movie stars to political leaders from around the world.

The Empire State Building's Art Deco style has inspired interior designs, fashion trends, and architectural elements in buildings worldwide.

The Empire State Building has been depicted in animated movies and TV shows, capturing the imaginations of younger generations.

The building's grand entrance features exquisite decorative bronze doors, with intricate reliefs and ornamental details.

The Empire State Building has been featured in numerous books and documentaries that explore its history, engineering, and cultural significance.

The building has been the subject of various art projects, including paintings, sculptures, and installations, showcasing its allure as an artistic muse.

The Empire State Building has served as a symbol of resilience, representing New York City's ability to recover and rebuild after the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

The building's observatories have been visited by prominent figures in history, including Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, and the astronaut Neil Armstrong.

The Empire State Building's annual Halloween lighting event sees the top of the building bathed in orange and other eerie colors, adding a spooky touch to the city's skyline.

The building's observatories have been used to conduct scientific research, such as atmospheric studies and meteorological observations.

The Empire State Building was featured in the 2005 film "King Kong," where the giant ape climbed to the top once again in a modern retelling of the classic story.

The building's exterior and observatories have been a popular filming location for various TV shows, commercials, and music videos.

The Empire State Building has been featured in the backdrop of countless wedding photographs, becoming an iconic symbol of love and commitment.

As one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, the Empire State Building continues to be a symbol of human achievement, architectural excellence, and the spirit of New York City. Its enduring appeal and timeless beauty ensure its place in history for generations to come.

#Empire State Building #New York City #new york #newyork #New-York #nyc #NY #Manhattan #urban #city #USA #United States #buildings #travel #journey #outdoors #street #architecture

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chiriwritesstuff · 6 months

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christine ➫ 38 ➫ HNL, HI / PNW (Seattle, Mostly) ➫ full-time baby girl, part-time feral gremlin. architectural designer by day, fanfic writer by night. This is an 18+ Blog, please, MDNI.

Chiri's Socials ➫ AO3 ➫ Pinterest ➫ Insta ➫ Spotify

➫ Recent Releases / WIPs:

Hometown Glory; 1. Back to the Old House │ Frankie Morales x F! Lawyer Reader 'Glory'

… in Every Universe; 1. Let Me In (Sneak Peek) │ Modern! Din Djarin x F! Reader

Constellations; From The Vault │ Lucien Flores x F! Reader One Shot / Drabble

The New Girl in Tinseltown; 3. Fake Smile │ Dieter Bravo x F! Actress Reader

The Girl in IT; 8. The Panic! in the Breakroom (Christine's Version) │ Joel Miller x F! Reader

➫ Upcoming Fics / On the Docket:

'My Wife in IT' (a 'The Girl in IT' Sequel!) - CEO Joel Miller x Wife! Reader

'Ghost in the Machine' - Marcus Moreno x F! Heroic Reader

'Return of Saturn' - a Pedro Boys! collective of one-shots inspired by No Doubt's Return of Saturn album

➫ Full Masterlist under the cut!

'Hometown Glory' - Frankie Morales x F! Lawyer Reader 'Glory' 👀 ➫ In Progress!

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: You're thriving in your career, having established yourself as a sought-after family lawyer in the bustling city. But there's a pull back to your hometown, a longing for roots and a sense of belonging that drives you to open your own firm there. Just as you're settling into this new chapter, a blast from the past walks through your office doors. It's him—the man who unknowingly held your heart, the one you never quite got over. A face you swore you would never see again... and he's seeking your legal help for his divorce and custody battle from the girl you believed to be your best friend. You two never officially dated, but the chemistry between you was undeniable. Yet a string of misunderstandings and missed chances kept you apart, leaving you with lingering feelings and unanswered questions. Now, as you find yourself face-to-face with him again, old emotions resurface, along with memories of what could have been. But amidst the legal complexities of his divorce, you realize this might be the opportunity you've been waiting for—to finally address the lingering feelings between you and uncover the truth that has kept you apart for so long.

'... in Every Universe' - A Roswell-inspired Modern! Din Djarin x F! Reader Soulmates AU 👀 ➫ In Progress!

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: At five years old, you're found wandering alone in a weird town called Roswell and have no recollection of how you got there. 20 years later, you're working at your adoptive family's diner and you can't help the connection you feel with the town's bounty hunter, who just can't stop staring at you... what happens when you're on the brink of death and the man in question saves you in a way you can't explain?

'The New Girl in Tinseltown' - A Dieter Bravo x Actress! Reader PR Marriage AU 👀 ➫ In Progress!

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: What happens when America’s New Girl-Next-Door is caught canoodling with a semi-washed up actor who is on the verge of losing his next movie role? You strike up a mutually beneficial PR relationship, of course! It’s all pretend, right? It’s not like you could actually fall for Dieter fucking Bravo… or can he convince you to take a chance?

'Call it fate, call it karma' - Javier Pena x F! Reader 👀 ➫ In Progress!

Read it here!

Summary: Two broken people on New Years Eve.

'The Girl in IT' - Boss! Joel Miller x IT Specialist F! Reader 👀 ➫ In Progress!

The LIST │ Series Masterlist

Series Summary: When an IT specialist who feels behind in life stumbles upon a sexual bucket list on her boss's computer one night, what will she do once she finds out that it was written about her?

Meet Me at the Farmers Market - A Farmers Market! Joel AU - 👀 ➫ Updates Sporadic!

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: What does a Contractor do in his spare time? Sell his wood carvings at the Saturday Farmers Market, of course! A Grumpy x Sunshine Joel Miller series collective of one shots, coming this November!

The Impossible Man - Modern-Day Detective! Din Djarin x Witchy! Reader (Soulmates! AU) - 👀➫ On Hiatus!

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: For someone being born into a magical family, a curse placed on the women of your bloodline means you have mostly avoided witchcraft and its calling for the majority of your life. After a life-altering tragedy, you turn your back on your family and your gift and seek out a more normal, boring existence, devoid of magic, and mostly, of love. What happens when the ghosts of your past threaten your peaceful existence and you are forced to reconcile all that you have lost? Will you let the people you have abandoned in your past life back into your heart? Will the appearance of an impossible man you have unknowingly cursed yourself break the chains of love? Will you let him?

#chiriwritesstuff #masterlist

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k-evans-reads · 1 year

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In Living Color

Chapter 15 - Part One

Summary: When Natalie Marton, lead character designer for Buzz Lightyear, meets the voice of Buzz, Chris Evans, the sparks are undeniable. But when their work pushes them away from each other, both physically and emotionally, will the sheer differences between their worlds be enough to force them apart?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Pixar Animator OFC Natalie Marton

Word Count: 7,622

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None.

Previous | Main Masterlist | In Living Color Masterlist

November 21st, 2021

Nat held Lily’s hand tightly in her own as they made their way through the concourse, music pumping through the speakers over the chattering of the excited fans – and the excited kids around her. They were following Eric, Heather, Ryan, and Ella to their suite at the Seahawks game today, and with a glance over her shoulder, Nat smirked from behind her face mask at Chris. He was walking behind them, a hat pulled down over his head, sunglasses, and a mask on, but Carson practically vibrating next to him as he rushed to keep up with Chris’ long strides was a sight to see.

She and Chris had gotten into Seattle early the previous night, having flown from an airfield in Los Angeles. It had felt weird to Nat, not landing at the large international airport, the very one that’d welcomed her home each and every visit home in the last ten and a half years since she’d moved to California. But the one thing she still struggled to wrap her head around was the world she’d stepped into, the one where private flights with her partner had become a regularity and not a one-off experience, paid for by work for an international premiere, one where she was accompanied by other coworkers.

But as the only passengers on the plane, it provided them with the privacy that they needed, but it was a little laughable given where they were now, in stadium with tens of thousands of fans, one where nearly anyone could recognize the towering frame clutching her three-year-old nephew’s hand as Chris tried to navigate the busy concourse while also listening to the boy as he rambled about the fish he wanted despite his parents’ refusal, but Nat was thankful with every passing face that Chris seemed to be flying under the radar.

They slipped into the suite with little fanfare, and the door shutting behind them was barely noticed as the kids rushed over to the snack table as Chris slipped his sunglasses into his pockets and the adults removed their masks and tucked them safely into their pockets now that they were the only ones around.

Heather collected the kids masks before she and Nat began helping the kids get some food while the guys got everyone drinks, and before long she and Chris were standing at the high-top counter overlooking the field while her family got settled in some of the seats below. His arm was looped around her waist while he sipped at a beer, a sideways grin on his face as he caught her staring at him. She leaned up to peck his cheek before she turned back to her plate, taking a chip and snacking on it.

Heather stood from where she’d squatted down in front of Carson’s seat, pulling a knit hat over his blonde hair as the boy munched happily on some popcorn next to his grandfather. She walked up the short stairway to the main area of the suite, admitting, “I can’t believe we’re actually sitting in here. I feel like a celebrity.”

Her husband, Ryan, rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his plush seat next to his daughters. “The only reason we got a suite is because we’re with a celebrity,” he corrected her.

Nat leaned into Chris’ loose embrace, her side pressed against his firm chest as her eyes moved over the kids scattered between the adults below them until she glanced around the field in front of them, littered with players as the game got underway. “The real reason Chris got us a box wasn’t for privacy. It’s just because he knows that they’d sniff him out as a Patriots fan,” she laughed, tapping his chest with a grin as he laughed loudly.

Chris nodded, a smirk on his face. She knew it was all in good humor – the teasing, the ribbing – but he certainly was making an effort today, to do something with her family and make a big gesture like this, and it wasn’t going unnoticed. “It does go against my religion to be rooting for the Seahawks but I guess I can make an exception this one time,” he conceded, smirking below his baseball hat.

“You better, otherwise we’d have to ship you back to Boston for Thanksgiving,” Nat murmured as her hand slipped over his shoulder to rest on his back, a sideways smirk on her face as he met her eyes.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head, telling her, “I gotta make it more than a day before I get kicked out.”

Heather chuckled as she made her way back down the stairs and sat down next to Ella, handing the girl a water bottle as Nat pointed out, “Technically you haven’t even made it a day yet.”

“Thanks for that reminder, babe,” he muttered playfully as he rolled his eyes, slipping his arm away from her waist as he grabbed his beer with a small smirk.

Nat watched as he made the short trek down the stairs, going to sit next to Carson and Eric. “I’m just saying you still have plenty of time to get kicked out,” Nat called, crossing her arms over her chest.

But before he could respond, Carson turned to look at her, his little face screwed up angrily as he told her, “No! Chris can’t leave! He’s gonna play trains with me!”

A pleased, almost cocky look appeared on Chris’ face as he glanced back at Nat rested his arm over the back of Carson’s seat. “That is true, Carson and I have an appointment to play together tomorrow so that can’t be broken,” he grinned, the cocky look becoming genuine when Carson beamed up at him.

“Then I guess we’re stuck with you for at least another day,” Nat laughed, leaning her hip against the counter as she looked down at her father, Chris, and Carson, all together as they began explaining parts of the game to the boy. “Although I certainly hope that I’m stuck with you a lot longer than that.”

Chris didn’t miss a beat and his eyes met hers as he honestly said, “Me too, Nattie.”

She watched them for a few more moments, seeing the way Carson’s face would scrunch up in confusion and he’d point a finger at something, then the way her dad and Chris would easily explain what was going on to him. A fond smile was on her lips but soon she heard Lily ask her to come sit by them, and without a second’s hesitation she joined her nieces, sister, and brother-in-law.

“Looks like the boyfriend is trying to make a good impression with this whole Seahawks game, huh?” Ryan asked her with a chuckle, but she knew there was no harm behind his words.

She shrugged and took a sip of her seltzer, explaining, “He wanted to do something nice for everyone since we invited him for Thanksgiving.”

“I think the nicest thing he gave anyone was letting Alex and Zach stay home alone with the baby so they could actually rest,” Heather sighed as she leaned back in her seat, one hand holding Lily’s loosely as the little girl watched the game for a moment before she picked up a colored pencil and began coloring in a book on her lap. Nat knew Alex and Zach were a little bummed to miss the game, but they certainly had looked forward to an afternoon alone with Jack. He was almost three weeks old and she absolutely loved getting to meet the newborn the previous night, but between the chaos of the holiday season, having a three-year-old and a newborn, and Zach going back to work soon, the couple were definitely ready for a bit of a break.

“I think you might be right,” Nat told her sister, smiling as Lily showed her one of her drawings. “It was his idea to bring Carson so that they could have a break.”

Heather raised a surprised brow at her words. And Nat wasn’t lying – Chris had tried to think of a way to help Alex and Zach with this transition, coming up with so many, between them watching Carson for a night or two, going grocery shopping for them, really anything, but she was glad that this was what he landed on. “So he’s really trying to earn points, huh?” Ryan asked with a laugh.

“He’s already earned plenty in my book,” Nat assured them, unable to stop her eyes from drifting at Chris, catching him as he watched Carson talk animatedly with a smile.

She didn’t catch the pleased look Ryan and Heather shared, but when Ryan cleared his throat, she turned her attention back to them and watched as he shared, “This morning when we were getting the kids in the car he was telling me how much his family loves you, so you must have made a good impression on Halloween.”

Nat sighed, shaking her head as she confessed, “I sure hope so.”

She loved him – she knew that without question. But it was no secret how important his family, his friend group, and his hometown crowd were to him. She always thought that had things not gone perfectly, it would provide a huge strain on the relationship and possibly even end it, knowing that from her own experience with her family and how important it was to her to have someone who not only fit in with her family but loved them and that they loved in return. He had always spoken so incredibly highly of his family and friends, and couldn’t help but feel nervous showing up as a non-famous, slightly awkward, curly headed artist, wondering what they all would think of her and then relay to Chris. But in the weeks since her visit to Massachusetts, she’d felt herself being able to breathe deeper with each and every hour that passed without a hint of rejection, knowing she had passed the test.

Heather’s lips upturned into a smirk as she watched Nat, shaking her head as she sighed, “You’re in so deep for him, Nattie.”

“That’s what dad told me months ago when I came for Ella’s birthday,” Nat laughed, a faint blush warming her cheeks.

Ryan smirked, rolling his eyes as he listened to Ella as she whispered something to him.“Well it’s only worse now with that puddle of drool you have coming out of your mouth every time you look at him,” he told Nat.

“You can’t really blame her on that though, I mean look at that guy!” Heather laughed, but patted Ryan’s chest reassuringly as he looked at her in faux-shock.

“It’s a lot more than that. Chris is just…” Nat trailed off, shrugging with a smile.

Lily’s head turned to look at Nat as her hand paused, mid-coloring. “What is he, Auntie?” She asked Nat, her voice soft and innocent.

Nat smiled down at the six-year-old, her body angled towards the girl. “He’s wonderful, that’s what he is. And I love him a lot,” she told her honestly.

Ella leaned forward from in between her parents, asking, “Are you going to marry him?”

“I don’t exactly know yet, but I sure hope so,” Nat smiled, feeling her heart skip a beat at that – very real – idea.

Nat knew that it was still early on in the relationship, having been together just a little over six months with a couple of those being long distance, but even with it being early on, she knew that this was special. Never before had she experienced a love and connection on this level that felt so genuine and pure. Even in five years of being with Shane she couldn’t build what she had in just a few short months with Chris and when she saw Chris turn his head from where he sat and looked up at her, just shining that beautiful smile at her before turning back to watch the game, she knew what she felt was reciprocated.

Feeling the warmth in her chest, Nat couldn’t help but get up to walk down the few stairs and file into the row with her dad, Carson, and Chris, stopping for a moment to retie Carson’s shoe before she sat down in the empty chair next to the man she loved so deeply. Almost instantly his arm snaked around her shoulders, pulling her in a little closer to him as he pressed a soft kiss to the edge of her forehead and whispered a soft, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smiled, leaning her chin on his collarbone. “And I love that you’re here with me.”

Nat took in the sight of tenderness on his face before he connected their lips for a soft kiss that said all the things they were both feeling. She stayed warm curled up against his side with his arm still resting around her while the game went on.

Carson began to doze during halftime, and stayed asleep while Chris carefully passed him over to Nat. Before long, Ella and Lily joined their aunt, cousin, and Chris down in the first row while Eric moved back to sit with Heather and Ryan. Eventually, the cold wind was too strong to ignore as the kids' cheeks and noses turned pink, and before long the adults decided to head home, knowing that lasting three quarters was a success in itself.

With their masks back on and Chris in his sunglasses as well, Ryan carried a sleeping Carson through the club-level concourse as the Martons made their way towards their car in the reserved parking lot. With the game going on, the hallways and stairwells were relatively empty, but with tired, cold kids, they still moved slowly.

“Auntie Nat, I’m tired,” Lily complained as they moved down the flight of stairs, their voices echoing in the space.

Nat gave her a small smile, knowing she was telling the truth. It’d been an exciting day and she was feeling worn out herself, but Lily had been overstimulated and was feeling it. “I know honey, but you could take a nap in the car. It’s a little bit of a drive back home,” she assured her niece.

The little girl’s stride stopped as they reached the landing of the stairs, a frown likely on her face. “Will you carry me?”

Nat sighed, knowing they still had two flights of stairs and a long walk through the parking lot. “Lily, I don’t think I can. It’s still a long walk down to the car,” she admitted, her heart breaking at the sad look on the girl’s face.

Chris’ hand landed on the small of Nat’s back as he reached the landing, his voice low as he asked, “Do you think Lily would be okay with me carrying her? Or I could take Carson so that Ryan could carry her.”

Nat pursed her lips as she thought over the options, but as she looked at Lily, she realized something. “Why don’t you ask her?” She asked Chris as she glanced over at him and down to Lily.

“Hey Lily?” Chris asked as he kneeled down to be eye level with the shy girl, his voice tentative and soft. “Would you be okay with me carrying you?”

Nat watched her niece’s face, knowing that this would be a big step for her. Lily had struggled with anxiety and being comfortable around other people, but Nat thought that this would be a good opportunity to give the sweet little girl a choice and she couldn’t help but smile ear to ear when Lily just nodded softly.

She watched Chris’ thick arms reach out to scoop Lily up gently, holding her against his chest while her tired head laid on his broad shoulder. Nat reached out to tuck a piece of Lily’s soft hair behind her ear before they started walking to catch up with everyone else, but with Nat just a few steps behind Chris, she couldn’t help but melt at the sight of her sweet little niece wrapping her arms around Chris’ neck to hold onto him as she closed her tired eyes. Although it was a big step for Lily to accept Chris’ offer, Nat almost figured that she shouldn’t be surprised with the aura of comfort that Chris seemed to exude. He had a way of putting people at ease and was always willing to meet everyone with understanding and compassion, and Lily was no different.

Her eyes were practically glued to him the entire journey to the car, watching him use one of his hands to rub Lily’s back comfortingly before he carefully buckled her into the carseat. It wasn’t surprising to her how good he was with kids, knowing how much he enjoyed them, but actually getting to watch the way he took care of them, listened to all their chattering, and played games with Ella on the way back to the house, allowed her to see just what a natural he was and made all kinds of emotions stir inside her.

By the time they’d made it back to the outskirts of Kirkland, Carson and Lily had woken up from their nap and were happy to climb out of the minivan behind Ella before they ran toward the house. Ryan and Heather were following behind but Eric veered off to go feed the chickens until Nat waved him off and told him that she’d take care of it.

A pair of footsteps could be heard behind her and she instantly knew who it was when a warm hand came to rest on the small of her back and she could smell his musky cologne before he chuckled, “You know, it kind of doesn’t surprise me that your dad has chickens.”

“That he got just for fun,” Nat smirked, leaning into his touch as they made their way towards the fenced in chicken area.

Chris’ left hand was shoved in the pocket of his jeans as they walked, shaking his head as he told her, “That sounds like a very you thing to do.”

“I got it from somewhere,” she shrugged simply, a slight frown on her face as she thought. “And from everything I know about her, my mom was normal so I definitely don’t take after her.”

Her comment hung as she slipped out of his grasp and stepped into the chicken area, grabbing the bag of feed and spreading it on the ground. The chickens came running out to eat, but one – the latest chicken to join the Marton family, along with Erwin – made its way around the group and to Nat. She bent over, picking up Matilda and smiling at Chris’ surprised chuckle from the other side of the fence. She turned with the hen in her arms as she faced Chris, posing with a laugh as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to take a picture.

Once the picture had been taken, she put the hen back down. The couple were silent as she stepped back outside of the coop area, both of their eyes watching the animals in amusement. She was surprised when Chris’ arm slipped around her waist again but relaxed in his embrace and took the chance to tell him, “...They really love you, you know.”

“The chickens? How can you tell?” Chris laughed, his nose scrunching with the action as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Not the chickens you idiot,” she corrected, swatting at his chest as he kept laughing. “My family.”

“Do they?” Chris asked, his voice genuine and a bit quiet. He waited for her nod, then shrugged and confessed, “I’ve honestly been kind of stressed about it. I can tell your dad likes me but I don’t know everyone else well enough to read them.”

“They really do, I promise,” she reassured him, turning in his embrace to face him. Both of his arms were now wrapped around her waist, while her hand hooked over his shoulder as she looked up at him with a soft smile.

“I’m so fuckin’ relieved,” Chris shook his head while he half-smiled. His shoulders relaxed under the reassurance and he quietly admitted, “I was stressing at the game with what Ryan was saying about the box and me being famous. I had thought the game would be a nice gesture but then was freaking out and thought that maybe they all just thought I was just some asshole bigshot trying to just show off or win them over or something.”

Nat gave a sympathetic smile, knowing she’d felt the same only weeks ago. “And I thought the exact opposite when I was in Boston,” she told him.

“What do you mean?” He asked, his brows furrowing with confusion as he looked at her.

She’d kept this fear deep inside of her for a while now, never wanting to make anyone think differently of her if she were to share it with them. But here now with Chirs, she felt safe, she felt loved, and she knew he wouldn’t judge her at this point – he knew and had seen far too many worse and crazy things from her for this to be the thing that scared him off. “I was so afraid your family and friends would think I was just some gold digger or social climber because I’m just a normal person,” she informed him as she shook her head at herself.

“Everyone who met you loved you instantly, and told me so themselves,” he assured her, a frown on his face at the implication of her words. She knew he likely was more upset over the insecurity laced in her confession rather than any possible dig to any friends or family back home, but no matter what, he clearly didn’t like that confession from her. “I love who you are Nat, and I love that you don’t care about the shit that comes along with me. I love acting and I’m so thankful for the opportunities I’ve gotten to have but one day, and I hope this day is sooner rather than later, I don’t want all of that. I want to just have a normal life. I want to be able to come home to my wife and drive our kids to school and decorate the Christmas tree and have barbecues in the summer. I want my own family and I care more about that than any film or project that comes across my desk.”

An emotional smile on her face appeared as she listened to him, hanging onto every last word. He could always do this, quell any lingering anxieties or fears with a simple reassurance, without hesitating. It meant so much to her and she truly didn’t want a future without him by her side, no matter what it looked like – struggling to scrape together money or living life without any worries about their security. As long as they were together, it was worth it to her. “I feel like we’re getting a little bit of that now,” she couldn’t help but point out to him.

“We are, and I love it,” he grinned, his hands splaying across the small of her back on her black turtleneck. “It means a lot to me that you invited me here, Nattie.”

Her lips pursed a little as her hand moved from his shoulder to the back of his head, running through the hair at the nape of his neck slowly. “It means a lot to me that you wanted to come,” she admitted to him.

“Nowhere I’d rather be but with you,” he assured her, his grin turning into a wide smile.

And Nat felt that to the core of her being when he pressed his lips to hers lovingly, before his arm stayed wrapped around her as they made their way back up to the house. All of this just felt so right. Nat was here with the people she loved most in this world, and Chris just seemed to slot in so perfectly, as if he had always belonged there and that spot had been waiting just for him.

Her focus was pulled off of him once they were back in the house and Alex was handing baby Jack over to her while Alex made her way to the bathroom, but Nat certainly wasn’t complaining. She hadn’t gotten the quality time with Jack that everyone else had the past few weeks since he’d been born with her still being in California, but she was soaking up every bit of it now that she was here and just nuzzled her face against his soft cheeks before going over to the couch and sit down with her tiny nephew in her arms.

They spent the evening like this, with the kids all playing in the house that their mothers and aunts grew up in, surrounded by their uncles, grandfather, and Chris. They enjoyed their pizzas as they spread all over the kitchen, with the kids at the kitchen table with Eric, Alex, Zach, and baby Jack, who was sleeping on his dad’s chest, while Heather, Ryan, Chris, and Nat hung near the kitchen island, a few beers on the counter around them as they all talked loudly.

Nat could barely contain the emotions she felt as Zach passed Jack to Chris so that he could have a break and eat his dinner. The sight of that little infant in Chris’ arms as he laughed quietly and listened to the stories the kids were telling about the latest happenings at school, was almost too much to handle and she was thankful for the reprieve when Heather took Jack, offering to get him ready for his bedtime soon.

The kids had moved into the family room and around the television with the rest of the adults while Nat and Chris put away the leftover pizza and started tackling the dishes, but soon some tiny footsteps trailed down the hallway outside of the kitchen and came to a stop in the archway. Nat glanced to make sure it wasn’t Carson needing something or wanting Chris, but she was surprised to see Lily hovering nervously in the doorway.

“Hey buggie, looking for something?” She smiled at the girl, reaching for a dish towel and drying her hands off.

“Um…” The little girl trailed off, eyes nervously glancing to Chris, who was reaching for a dishwasher pod below the sink before he put it in and turned on the dishwasher, and back down at her hand, which was furled in a tight fist.

Nat raised an eyebrow, moving to crouch down in front of Lily. “What is it, Lils? Do you want a snack?” She asked, pointing back at the pantry from over her shoulder.

“No,” her niece said, a deep blush settling on her cheeks. She opened her fist as she explained, “I…I…made this.”

Nat’s jaw dropped open a bit as she looked down at the large rainbow beaded bracelet in her hand. “This is so sweet, buggie,” she told Lily, her eyes moving over them, seeing the variety of beads on them, her eyes lingering on the ones that spelled out his name. “Chris, I think you should come take a look at this bracelet.”

“Oh I’m coming. I can’t miss out on this gorgeous jewelry that Lily is making,” Chris laughed from the sink, shutting the water off and drying his hands. Nat picked Lily up, putting her on the counter next to them and standing in front of her as Chris came to join them.

“Do you see the name on this bracelet?” Nat asked, pointing a single finger at the bracelet in Lily’s left hand.

His brows raised, an excited look on his face as his eyes twinkled. “Lily, did you make this for me?” He asked her, his voice soft and touched.

“...Your bracelets aren’t sparkly,” Lily murmured as she nodded, wide eyes as she reached out to lightly touch his red bracelet, one of the ones he’d shown her in September.

“That is true. They look so lame compared to this gorgeous bracelet,” he agreed, his hands twitching a bit. Nat knew he probably wanted to hug the girl, knowing how much his heart must be bursting from the gesture by Lily, but that he was trying to not make her feel uncomfortable. “Can I wear it right now?”

Lily’s little head nodded, a shy happy smile on her face as she held her hand out and Chris took the beaded bracelet, sliding it on to stack it with his other thin bracelets. Nat almost wanted to laugh looking at the rainbow beads on Chris’ wrist but she knew how much this moment signified, loving to see her shy niece show the deep affection she already had for Chris. She kept watching as Chris gushed over and over about the bracelet, pointing at every tiny detail and assuring her how much he loved this gift and just how talented she was.

Nat knew that any child would have loved the attention but it ran so much deeper with Lily. She was so shy and reserved, struggling so much with her anxiety that it made it hard for her to warm up to new people, so for her to be this attached to Chris already was a sign of just how much she liked him and nothing touched Nat’s heart more.

“Lily, I love this so much. Can I give you a hug?” He asked, waiting for her response patiently. At Lily’s shy nod, he wrapped his arms around her, holding the young girl as he whispered, “Thank you for my bracelet, Lils.”

“I liked making it,” she confessed as he stepped back.

“Can we go show everyone my bracelet, or do you want to keep it just between us?” He asked, raising a brow but smiling reassuringly at her. Nat knew without a second of hesitation that he’d do whatever Lily wished, but she found herself hoping Lily was confident enough to tell everyone about the bracelet.

“I… I wanna show them,” Lily decided, her voice sounding more confident than it had before.

Nat kept watching as Chris wrapped his thick arms around Lily, balancing her on his hip while she wrapped her little arms around his neck to hold on. He easily held her with one arm while he held out his other one, showing off the bracelet as he walked into the living room and loudly announced, “Look at the present I just got!”

Even from the kitchen, Nat could see through the open archway to Lily blushing furiously as she clung to Chris but that smile of pride was evident on her face as Chris walked around to each member of her family to show off his new accessory.

It was a few hours later with the memory of the bracelet fresh in their minds as Nat confessed to Chris, “I think you might upstage me as Lily’s new favorite,” as she shut the white door behind them, the small bedroom a little cramped with the suitcases and backpacks piled in the corner near her dresser. Chris’ bag, obviously packed for his forthcoming trip to Disney in a few days made her heart clench, but she pushed aside those emotions as she focused on right now… at how perfect today had been, so much so that she’d wished every day could be like this. Happy, peaceful, relaxed, and their own little… thing together.

“Have you seen the way Lily looks at you? I don’t think I could ever upstage her precious Auntie Nat,” Chris smirked as he undressed down to just his boxer briefs and his new bracelet, climbing onto the creaky bed and laying against the wall. His eyes softened as he met her gaze, his voice nothing but honest as he pointed out, “All of those kids are so obsessed with you.”

She rolled her eyes fondly as she threw a sweatshirt over her frame and pulled on a pair of pajama pants, explaining, “It’s because I’m the out of town aunt so they just like that I bring them presents when I come.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not that,” Chris laughed, pausing as a long yawn escaped him. His left arm rested above his head while his eyes drooped a bit, but his voice was engaged and low as he added, “I think I can guarantee it’s that you make them feel so loved. You’re pretty fucking good at that.”

“It’s easy with them. I love those kids,” she whispered, sitting at the foot of the bed as she reached for her lotion, rubbing it into her hands. She silently offered him the lotion and with a shake of his head, she put it down next to her, massaging it into her arms and legs.

“Have you thought about how many kids you want one day?” He asked her quietly, his eyes locked on her.

“I’m not really sure,” she shrugged, looking down as her hands kept moving. “I know I want kids, but I don’t know how many though.”

“I want a couple at least, hopefully more,” he shrugged, his answer a little more specific than her non-committal one.

She arched her brow, looking at him with a smirk as she asked, “Are you the one having them?”

“Nat,” he rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at her comment, his tone turning more serious before he looked right at her. “What are your thoughts on kids in the future? I think it’s important for us to talk about.”

Having a family and children was something Nat had longed for deep in her heart for a long time, but had given up on that idea the past couple years. Once things with Shane were getting worse and then their inevitable breakup, she had given up hope on the thought of having a family of her own. Nat wasn’t stupid and knew that she was getting older and with a career like hers that she had dedicated so much of herself to, she knew that by the time she could even find someone to spend her life with, it might be too late for children… that was if she even found someone that loved her.

But here she was, being in love and being loved beyond her wildest dreams and having him express his feelings of wanting to have this - a home with their children running around - with her was something that made tears sting in her eyes. This wasn’t some far off fantasy anymore, this was something that was possibly on the horizon and knowing that he was thinking of a future together raising their family side by side was enough to have her heart flutter.

Nat pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she rested her chin on her knees. Although she was so happy to know that he was bringing up this possibility, she had stuffed down this deep want of hers for so long, trying to let it go that the thought of it being brought up again felt slightly terrifying. Nat couldn’t help but feel her mind wander to the what if’s, wondering how she’d be able to handle entertaining the idea only to have her hopes dashed in the future and although she didn’t mean to, Nat slipped into her coping mechanism of humor as she glanced at him sitting with his back against the headboard, only clad in those tight black boxer briefs on his toned tattooed body and she shrugged, “I mean, with you looking like that I wouldn’t mind having ten or twelve kids.”

But he didn’t laugh as he normally did to her jokes, knowing her too well and just giving her a look as he lightly nudged her with his foot, “C’mon, I’m being serious.”

“So was I!” She laughed, her cheeks turning a little pink at his prodding.

“Nattie…”

“I do want kids,” she reminded him, shrugging a bit as she looked around before she met his gaze again. “It’s just hard to think about.”

He nodded, his voice lower and quieter as he asked, “Because of your mom?”

“No, it’s more just that I’m afraid to entertain that idea and know it might not happen,” she finally confessed, pausing as she mulled over his suggestion. She still found herself struggling lately, even after Chris’ revelation about Shelly back in Massachussetts a month prior. He’d pushed her to finally admit the very thing she’d been scared to – that she felt no connection to her mother, and she struggled about where she fit in with her remaining family members because of it. And while she had been more open and honest about that with Chris since, it didn’t mean it still wasn’t hard. “And a little about my mom, I guess. I mean, I don’t know that I really know how to be a mom because I never had one.”

“I already know that you’re going to be an incredible mom because of seeing how much you love your nieces and nephews and how much they adore you,” he assured her, a tiny half-smile on his face. “And I really hope that I’m the one who gets to see you be a mom.”

“You’d want to have kids with me even after six months of finding out about how crazy I am,” she stated dryly, giving him a skeptical look.

Chris’ loud laughter echoed around the small room, loudly enough she began to worry he’d wake one of the kids as they slept happily down the hall. But before he could ruin the fun and allure of their week-long sleepover at grandpa’s, he stopped laughing to tell her, “Remember I knew you a couple months before we dated, so I knew you were crazy long before we got together.”

Nat smirked, pushing his foot off of her leg as she pointed out, “Hey, I was trying to be serious and now you’re the one being the sarcastic asshole,”

“I was just trying to make you laugh, but you’re right,” he agreed. His eyes moved over Nat as she sat at the foot of the bed, her legs bent at the knee as she rested her chin on her kneecaps. He raised an eyebrow at her as he sat up, hands hovering in mid-air. At her nod, he leaned forwards, gently unfurling her body and making her relax as they sat closer together, his hand resting on her leg, which was now straightened across the bed. “I’m being completely serious when I say that I want kids, Nat. And I want them with you. I know that we’re still getting closer and working on this relationship, but I really only see this relationship heading one direction because I love you so fucking much, Nattie.”

“I love you too,” she breathed, knowing she’d never hesitate to say those words to him, never questioning whether either of them meant it when they spoke them. “And I want all of that with you too.”

She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. His hand slid up her leg to her arm until it rested on her cheek, holding her in place until their lungs began to burn a bit. As they caught their breath once they parted, he looked at her up through his long eyelashes and confessed, “You looked so fucking good with that baby in your arms.”

“So did you. I didn’t think my poor panties were going to be able to stay on while you were holding Jack,” she laughed, running her own thumb over his bearded cheek as she smirked.

“Hey, I thought we were being serious.”

She laughed sharply, shaking her head. “I am being serious!”

“You’re ridiculous and I love you,” he chuckled, sliding a bit farther back up the bed as she moved over to the singular nightstand. “But you still didn’t answer my question… how many kids do you think you want?”

“Maybe two or three,” she shrugged, putting the bottle of lotion on the beat-up wooden nightstand, the one that had always been in her childhood room. “Probably four max.”

Chris nodded as they settled below the covers, yawning again as she turned off the lamp. “I think that feels like a good number. I want my kids to have siblings so I want more than one but somewhere between two and four seems just about right.”

“I want to be married first though,” she told him, her voice a bit firm. “I want that before kids.”

“Don’t worry baby, you won’t have to twist my arm,” he laughed, his voice dropping lower as she rolled over, resting her head on his chest. “I have no intention of letting you go.”

Her hand rested on the firm pec below her, a content sigh escaping her lips. “I have a feeling when the time comes for kids, we’ll know it,” she mused, knowing Alex and Heather had always spoken about having just…. known when they were ready to add to their little families.

“I think we will,” he agreed, his voice hardly above a whisper. “I just hope we know before I’ve signed onto anything.”

His words barely were cause for concern as she relaxed against Chris, quietly telling him, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“I know, but I don’t want to be that dad,” he confessed. Her eyes opened at those words, narrowing as she stared at the yellow wall next to him. Just as he’d earlier clocked her insecurity-fueled words, she was catching this, this self-hatred and fear he had about what was meant to be such a special time in the future for them both.

“What ‘dad’?” She asked, wanting him to clarify it for them both.

“The dad who’s always gone,” he explained, shrugging half-heartedly, causing his chest to rise and fall beneath her cheek. “I don’t want to be stuck filming for months somewhere while I miss out on my kid’s lives.

“You won’t be, Chris. You’re not like that,” she reassured him, shifting her body so she could look up at him. He had a scowl on his face, one that almost told her he barely believed those words, but she persisted and added, “And even if you are gone, you’ll still be involved because that’s who you are.”

His scowl became a frown as he pointed out, “I just already am going to be the older dad, I don’t want to be gone on top of that.”

She knew their family would likely look a bit different than most, no matter where they lived. They’d have family on opposite coasts, split time among Los Angeles, Washington State, and Massachusetts, but most of all, the biggest oddity would be Chris. His job provided him – and those around him, by default – with the security that came along with blockbuster contracts, royalties, and comic book franchises, but it also meant him going away for weeks and months on end, sometimes several times a year, having a microscope on his life, and being gossip fodder.

But none of that mattered when she looked at the grand scheme of things. She saw that it meant they’d never have to worry about having money to put any of their kids through college, they could take care of their parents when that time came, be generous, charitable, and use it for good. Sure, him being gone when they have a baby might have her eventually singing a different tune, but Chris…. Everything he was, kind, funny, smart, caring, crazily energetic, and most of all, a good person? That was worth anything, and it always would be.

“Age doesn’t make a difference in what kind of parent you are and in fact, I think being older helps you be even better,” Nat pointed out. She knew his age was something he’d grown to be insecure about as time passed without starting a family, but it would not be a crutch, not for a long time. “But let’s try not to worry about it now, okay? The future will take care of itself.”

His frown and deep worry lines relaxed as he shook his head in disbelief, telling her, “I still can’t believe how you can always do that. You can always cut through the noise and get right to my heart.”

“I’m kind of partial to that heart of yours,” she laughed, her eyes slipping shut as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers again.

As they settled back into the mattress to fall asleep, his heartbeat and breathing slowed beneath her cheek as the long few days of travel and chaos with her family caught up with him. She was close to sleep herself as her eyelids grew heavy, but a distant cry in the room down the hall brought her back to awareness as Jack woke.

And as muffled movements from Alex or Zach could be heard, Nat couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like when it was them waking up to their baby crying. She couldn’t help but think about when it would be, in two years? Three? But most of all, she wondered what their kids would be like, if they’d get their blue eyes or somehow get the brown eyes that her dad and sisters had. If they’d have Chris’ reserved personality or her crazy one, her curls or his rich brown hair, thick from toddlerhood.

But most of all, she couldn’t fucking wait.

A/N: We hope you enjoyed this part! We truly adore it. We are so so proud of so much in this story already, but ESPECIALLY this chapter. It just means so much to us, as does your support and comments! Thank you so much for reading!

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 months

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The Bezzle excerpt (Part III)

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TOMORROW in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and then SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

This week, I'm serializing part of chapter 14 from my new novel The Bezzle, which is out in stores TODAY (!!!):

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle

The Bezzle is a Martin Hench novel, the followup to last year's Red Team Blues – though each book in the series is designed to be read in any order, and to stand alone (RTB just came out in paperback):

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865854/redteamblues

Hench is a two-fisted, high-tech forensic accountant whose career spans 40 years of busting high-tech scams, from the earliest days of the PC to the white-hot center of the cryptocurrency bubble. Each book revolves around a single, central scam (in The Bezzle, it's the unbelievably slimy prison-tech industry):

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/14/minnesota-nice/#shitty-technology-adoption-curve

But each book also features lots of subplots that unpick different kinds of fraud. In this serialized excerpt, we get to watch Marty unwind a music royalty theft scheme, the kind of thing that Rebecca Giblin and I pulled apart in our 2022 book, Chokepoint Capitalism (also now in paperback!):

https://chokepointcapitalism.com/

Today's installment gets into one of the major tactics of any semi-respectable scam – simply ignoring the victim in the hope that they'll get tired and go away. Any of us who've been ripped off by a big company can surely relate.

I'm leaving on my tour for this one tomorrow, starting with a gig in Salt Lake City at Weller Bookworks (Feb 21) at 630PM:

https://www.wellerbookworks.com/event/store-cory-doctorow-feb-21-630-pm

From there, it's on to LA (with Adam Conover), Seattle (with Neal Stephenson) and many, many more cities – maybe one near you!

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/16/narrative-capitalism/#bezzle-tour

Here's part one of the serial:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/17/the-steve-soul-caper/#lead-singer-disease

And part two:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/19/crad-kilodney-was-an-outlier/#copyright-termination

And now, onto part three!

Stefon cooked Jamal another dinner and Jamal wrote another letter, this one more forceful, and addressed to Gounder by name. Two weeks later, Jamal wrote another letter without needing dinner because “that motherfucker went to Harvard fucking law”—Jamal had looked him up in the ALA directory—“and he knows you can’t make legal problems go away just by ignoring them. Time for that piece of shit to put on his big-boy pants and be a goddamned lawyer.”

The one thing Jamal wouldn’t do was file a lawsuit. “You need a lawyer for that,” he said. “I mean, I can help you with the paperwork, but a paralegal can’t file the suit. And you shouldn’t file your own suit, either. Those guys’ll just hire some blow-dried asshole from a big law firm and they’ll crush you like a cockroach.”

“Well, shit,” Stefon said. But it all made sense. Anyone doing business with Chuy Flores would do business like Chuy Flores—that is, crooked as hell.

“What you need is a contingency lawyer,” Jamal said. “Someone who’ll take the job for a piece of the action.” Which is how Stefon ended up being represented by Benny Caetani II, son of Benedetto Caetani, who graduated at the top of his Yale class, won a string of spectacular class-action suits, then got disbarred after someone leaked calls where he admitted moving money from one client trust account into another to cover a shortfall. No one seriously thought that Benedetto was stealing anyone’s money—he’d had receivables due within a week that let him make the trust account whole—but he was also clearly guilty.

Equally, no one seriously believed that the high-powered surveillance that led to Benedetto’s downfall was random. Benedetto had transferred more than a hundred million dollars from the balance sheets of America’s largest, dirtiest corporations— poison-peddling pharma giants, toxic-waste-dumping chemical companies, a global chain of botox parlors with some very loose syringes indeed—and they were gunning for him.

Officially, Benedetto was out of the lawyer game. Unofficially, he was the brains behind Benny, and the two of them ran a squeaky-clean shop, making sure that everything that an actual lawyer had to do, Benny did—while Benedetto did everything else. Father and son got along well and they were a hell of a team. When Benedetto called me in to audit Inglewood Jams’ books, I jumped at the opportunity. They were a delight to work for.

“They played tough,” Benedetto said, as his minions arranged the bankers’ boxes on the steel kitchen shelves he’d had installed on the long walls of the storefront he’d rented for me to work out of for the month. “At first. Told me they didn’t owe Stefon a dime, and that they’d rather bankrupt themselves in court than pay some broken-down, washed-up disco king anything. Told me his problem was with Chuy, not Inglewood Jams.”

“Well, to be fair, that Chuy guy sounds like a class-A piece of shit.”

“A broke piece of shit. Guy’s got a million-dollar nose and an empty bank account.”

“So you had to go after Inglewood Jams.”

Benedetto twirled around in his Aeron chair. He’d sent over a pair of them, asking if I needed more, because he had a storage locker full of them that he’d gotten as part of a settlement with a broke Santa Monica crowdsourcing company that stiffed its workers when it folded.

“I did. I went after them. That Gounder lawyer tried to bluff, then when that didn’t work, he tried to dodge service. Which was such a kindergarten move. Plus he was no good at it. Caught him outside the rub-and-tug parlor he went to every Friday after work. Handed him the papers. Wore a bodycam. Didn’t mention his wife. Didn’t have to.”

“You think he settled because he didn’t want his wife to find out he was getting hand jobs at a massage parlor?”

“No, he held out awhile after that. But I could see it preying on him, every time I was face-to-face with him. Eventually, he musta told his bosses that they were gonna lose, and so they offered a settlement. It was trash. I laughed in his face. He tossed out some better offers, but none of them even in the ballpark of what we would get in court. Finally, I told him to get serious or send his court suit out to the dry cleaner’s. That’s when he offered to make Stefon whole and pay me a little for my trouble on top of things.”

I suppressed a snort. I was sure that a little on top amounted to some real folding money.

“Even then he tried to pull a fast one, told me he’d calculate Stefon’s royalties and send a check the next week. I was like, ‘Hold up, there is no way you’re going to be able to make an honest accounting for Stefon’s royalties in a week. The dude’s samples are in hundreds of songs. The mere fact that you claimed that you could come up with a fair amount in a week tells me you were planning to pull a lowball number out of your ass and pass it off as the audited total, so tell you what, I’m gonna get the best forensic accountant in the state of California to come down here to LA and crawl all over your papers, and you are going to send him everything he needs to do it, or we’re going to court, motherfucker.”

“And he agreed?”

“Hell no. He refused. We went to a preliminary hearing. Judge turned out to be a classic soul fan. It didn’t go well for Gounder or Inglewood. The next day, he was back in my office, and now, well, here we are.”

ETA: Here's part four!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/20/fore/#lawyer-up

#pluralistic #the bezzle #martin hench #marty hench #red team blues #fiction #crime fiction #crime thrillers #thrillers #technothrillers #novels #books #royalties #wage theft #creative labor

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anewkindofme · 6 months

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Any Addison Montgomery Cg headcanons? she's so soft and I really enjoy her character and I feel like she would be great! (at taking care of me ofc)- @their-bby-dino

Ask me for headcanons on characters from my fandom list!

Ahhh! I love Addison so much. She really would be the best caregiver. (She’s already an excellent mom!)

I did set these somewhat in the Private Practice universe, but outside a couple, they apply to Seattle/Grey’s as well.

Addison constantly worries and second guesses herself as a caregiver. She really doesn’t want to be like Bizzy or the Captain.

She makes the effort to know every last detail about her Little, right down to their favorite pair of socks. She’s very detailed oriented.

Addison is the type of caregiver to wear stilettos and designer dresses to the park but also doesn’t mind if they get dirty.

She for sure has a designer diaper bag, stocked with every single thing you can think of.

I see her as the cloth diapering type if her Little drops that young. Along with putting bloomers on top.

Addison lets her Little dress however they want, but she does try to sneak in the cute, designer outfits. Again, if they get dirty, no skin off her nose. She just thinks it’s cute.

She’s not the greatest cook, but still tries to order “healthy” takeout. There’s a lot of vegetarian restaurants in LA, so she hits those up.

That’s not to say she’s not good for a good sweet. Ice cream is in great supply.

Addison spoils her Little. Anything they want, they get. They definitely have a decked out nursery/Little bedroom and a separate playroom. Even when they’re in an older space, Addison makes sure they have all they want and need.

She also pays for and indulges any activity they want to do. They want to learn to ride a horse? She’s buying a pony. They have a desire to learn Mandarin? She’ll get a tutor.

That being said, she’s firm. There are rules and boundaries. All very reasonable (bedtime, curfew, being respectful, doing chores, etc) but she enforces them.

Her go-to discipline method is a cool down corner. She’s the type to get one of those glitter water bottles and tell her Little to watch as it moves to the bottom, then they’ll discuss their actions.

If the Little goes to school, she takes education very seriously. She’ll help them study and do all she can to help them succeed.

Addison prefers hiring a nanny for when she works versus daycare. She feels it’s better for her Little to get one on one time.

She vets every single nanny thoroughly. No one with less than 10 years experience. They need a degree in Little psychology. Must adhere to all of Addison’s parenting philosophies. And she won’t hire any of them if her Little doesn’t approve.

The nanny (and Addison when she’s not working) takes the Little to playgroups and stuff so they can socialize.

Addison has a nursery/Little space set up in her office so she really only needs the nanny when she has a packed day at the practice or needs to go to the hospital.

Despite being a doctor herself, she freaks out over the slightest cold. Cooper is also specialized as a doctor for Littles and he has to tell Addison at least once a month to calm down.

Addison keeps up to date with all research regarding Littles and adjusts how she does things as recommended. She says she does the same as a doctor, so why wouldn’t she with the most precious thing in her life?

Addison initially doesn’t want to cosleep but if her Little needed it, she’d cave and let them sleep in her bed every night.

Addison pushes her Little to be independent if they wish to be, but if they need to be younger, she won’t hesitate to do everything for them.

#sfw agere #sfw age regression #sfw littlespace #sfw caregiver #caregiver addison montgomery #grey’s anatomy #their-bby-dino #asked and answered

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svrpcntine · 4 months

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( samantha logan, cis woman, she/her ) have you met bellamy forrester yet? you know, the 25 year old graduate student majoring in game design. ring a bell yet? every time i walk past their dorm i hear cigarette by alfie jukes blasting through the door. everyone who meets them say they're perceptive but can also be a little fickle. guess when you meet them you’ll figure that out yourself.

STATS

FULL NAME: bellamy grace forrester

NICKNAMES: belle

BIRTHDAY: november 12th, 1998

ZODIAC: scorpio

BIRTHPLACE: seattle, washington

SEXUALITY: bisexual / biromantic

HEIGHT: 5’7”

EYE COLOR: dark brown

HAIR COLOR/STYLE: black & wavy

BUILD: lithe toned

FAVORITE COLOR: emerald green

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: english ( fluent ) & italian ( conversational )

CLUBS: astrology, opinions columnist on grey wolf gazette, dj on radcliffe radio

MAJOR: game design

BAND: all systems red

BIOGRAPHY

if you were to ask bellamy, it couldn’t have been possible to have born as the sole daughter to two people with bigger brains. her mother crunched numbers like nobody's business and ran the finance department of a big law firm back in seattle, while her father practically knew how to code in his sleep and was contracted by companies to design their expensive protection systems.

growing up, bellamy caught on fairly quickly that her parents, despite marrying straight out of college, never shared the desire to desire to have kids . this was cemented by the amount of times she was referred to as a happy accident, or how her grandparents would say they were expecting the family german shepherd dottie to always be who they were babysitting when bellamy’s parents were busy.

her accidental birth aside, this never truly bothered her since she got along better than most kids her age did with their parents ( think olive in easy a with her mom and dad ). her parents’ intelligence was admirable to bellamy and even with the amount of effort put into studying for stem subjects, her stronger grades in history and english never cause a riff or an argument between them.

music always stood out as an interest to bellamy, going as far to take up the violin in her middle and high school orchestra, but it wasn’t until freshmen year in high school that one of her friends took her along to a local band playing in one of the iconic music venues in seattle that a lightbulb went off over her head.

from this point on bellamy threw herself into learning the guitar and was introduced to the band paramore ( to which she quite truthfully developed a crush on hayley williams ). pop punk would become her musical inspiration, her skills developing on the guitar her father got her for her birthday and the classes he signed her up for at the local music store, while she also learned to find her voice as a vocalist.

high school for bellamy was all about cruising. she kept up above average grades for her parents’ sake and knew that college was most definitely in the picture for her despite her true desire to find a band to belong in and try to make it big. college was to give her mom and dad peace of mind in case her music dreams fell short. high school has her in-between different bands, trying to fit in but never quite finding the people who fit her vision of what the type of music she wants to make.

her writing is important to her, the ability to craft a story within such a short time of three minutes or less, and she found that most of the bands in her area just wanted a girl as the singer for looks rather than any real creative input.

never one to hold back her opinion or mince her words, it definitely burned a few bridges and it’s one of her qualities that is viewed both positively and negatively depending on who you ask. bellamy has learned to stand up for herself and that if she doesn’t advocate for herself then no one else will.

even with no band behind her, she kept up her writing and it was her writing that proved as her strength to get her acceptance letter to radcliffe university after the encouragement of her mother to apply. the major of game design wasn’t initially one that crossed her mind as an option, but after speaking to some of the professors during her school’s college fair, it got her excited. bellamy’s penchant for writing pushed her along, but the creative aspect of creating a whole world in a video game is much different than songwriting.

it’s around her sophomore/junior year that bellamy meets who would become her best friends - the rest of her bandmates who would go to create their band all systems red with. thick as thieves with an undeniable love for music, they’ve been together since and within the past summer went on a mini tour in american for their first full length album.

bellamy keeps busy with her studies and band practice, ultimately hoping that she won’t have to put her degree to use after graduating but she supposes there are worse things to do than create video games.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

a rebound bc bellamy is still feeling the sting of her almost something/ex bandmate so she’s letting her freak flag fly !! so someone who is equally just in it for the hookups

maybe a lil study buddy who bellamy and your muse prefer to sit with at the library bc they know they’ll hold the other to it and can get shit down

alternatively, the non-studying study buddy who bellamy and your muse just end up chatting together and whispering to hold off the glares of students at the tables near them

highkey a bit of a nerd so someone who shares similar interests in video games and anime !! esp bc bellamy majors in game design so she probably invites your muse over to her off campus dorm to play video games and calls it studying bc technically it’s learning for her major

someone who mayhaps has a crush on bellamy just from hearing her as one of the dj’s for radcliffe radio or even from seeing her and her band perform. nothing has to come from it if you don’t want it to so fear not bc i think the obliviousness of bellamy and them could be funny

someone else in the astronomy club who bellamy gets along with and maybe the two of them are prone to oversharing heart to hearts bc the two of them oftentimes climb to the roof of the townhouse dorms and just lay to look at the stars

mayhaps a mistaken hookup that now the two of them just avoid one another for reasons we can plot out

someone who 100% stands on the opposite side of any one of bellamy’s opinions pieces so the two of them Do Not get along

in a similar vein, someone who got rubbed the wrong way by bellamy’s tenacious and outspoken tendencies and now the two side eye one another when they see them

an ex !! could be from early undergrad years and be multiple muses for exes that either ended on good terms, bad terms or now things are just atrocious and they run the opposite direction when they see each other

going off that … maybe even exes who still have a bit of chemistry and bc bellamy is going through a bit of a tough phase rn they’re hooking up even though they know they shouldn’t

i’m open to anything pls !!

#radcliffeintro #this kept getting put off bc my attention span is that of a goldfish

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mariacallous · 9 months

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Over the past few decades, much of the media and policy debate around labor issues have focused on low wages. Labor issues related to work schedules have received far less attention. In fact, 17% of the U.S. labor force works on unpredictable or unstable schedules with short advance notice (Golden 2015). They are disproportionately concentrated in lower paid occupations in the retail and service sectors. According to a national survey on retail jobs, 87% of retail workers report hour variations in the past month with the average variation equivalent to 48% of their usual work hours, 50% report a week or less advance notice, and 44% say that their employer decides their work hours without their input (Lambert et al. 2014). The prevalence and the rapid growth of unpredictable and unstable schedules has resulted in many social issues, including difficulties arranging childcare and threats to households’ economic security (Henly and Lambert 2014).

The economic trade-off of predictable schedules and the ongoing policy debate

Unpredictable and unstable schedules are so prevalent in service businesses, because labor accounts for a significant part of the operating cost of service businesses, especially in retail, food, and hospitality services. Having just enough (but not too many) workers on hand is essential to balancing customer service and profitability. As firms try to strike that balance, many—especially those in the service and retail sectors—practice “just-in-time” (JIT) scheduling, which entails managers scheduling their employees “on the fly” based on immediate workplace needs. By using just-in-time scheduling, service firms mitigate the uncertainty they often face in customer demand and employee no-shows. This helps them reduce the labor hours needed and thus labor cost (Terwiesch and Cachon 2012). While JIT scheduling can be effective in reducing firms’ labor costs, it also leads to highly unpredictable and fluctuating schedules for workers, which negatively impact their quality of life, especially among low-income workers. In short, firms have been using JIT scheduling to transfer business risks to their employees.

Recent local and state policies aim to reduce this practice. Since 2014, one state (Oregon) and multiple cities (e.g., Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Emeryville, California), have passed various forms of “predictive scheduling laws,” sometimes also referred to as “fair workweek laws.” In general, they require employers to post work schedules in advance and provide additional pay for any last-minute schedule changes. Some versions of such laws, (e.g., the ones in New York City, Seattle and Emeryville, California), also require employers to offer part-time workers the chance to increase their hours before adding new staff (Wolfe et al 2018).

Service firms, especially those in the retail, food, and hospitability industries, argue that such requirements remove the staffing flexibility they need to operate their businesses effectively, which may lead to bankruptcy and eventually loss of jobs. Indeed, such policies have received strong resistance from employers in the service and retail sectors and are still pending or have failed to pass in many cities and states across the U.S. States including Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, and Tennessee even prohibit jurisdictions within the states from passing predictable scheduling laws. Predictable scheduling laws also differ in the level of advance notice they require firms to inform their workers about their schedules. For example, the city of New York requires 72 hours advance notice (for its retail workers) and the state of Oregon initially required one-week advance notice but later increased to 14 days, while most other cities require 14 days advance notice.

Is JIT scheduling really that beneficial to service firms?

In light of this debate, Masoud Kamalahmadi (University of Miami), Yong-Pin Zhou (University of Washington) and I conducted a study to answer whether and to what extent the flexibility created through just-in-time scheduling benefits the firm and how policy makers can better design predictable scheduling laws (Kamalahmadi et al. 2021). On the one hand, it is clear that just-in-time scheduling helps firms reduce their labor cost as explained earlier. On the other hand, the potential impact of just-in-time scheduling on the workers’ productivity, and thus the firm’s revenue, was not well understood. It was the goal of our study to seek objective evidence that can shed light on this important issue.

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graphicainc206 · 22 days

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Navigating the World of Seattle Design Firms

In the bustling city of Seattle, where innovation meets creativity, the demand for top-notch design services is ever-present. From sleek corporate branding to cutting-edge web design, businesses and individuals alike seek the expertise of Seattle Design Firms to elevate their visual identity and user experience. If you find yourself in need of design services in the Emerald City, you're in luck. Seattle is home to a plethora of talented design firms ready to bring your vision to life.

Understanding the Landscape

Seattle's design scene is diverse and dynamic, reflecting the city's vibrant culture and entrepreneurial spirit. From established firms with decades of experience to boutique studios specializing in niche areas, there's no shortage of options to choose from. Whether you're looking for architectural design, graphic design, industrial design, or digital design, you're sure to find a firm that suits your specific needs.

Key Factors to Consider

When searching for the right design firm in Seattle, several factors come into play:

Portfolio: Take the time to review each firm's portfolio. Look for projects similar to yours to gauge their expertise and style.

Expertise: Consider the firm's areas of expertise. Some may excel in branding and identity, while others may specialize in UX/UI design or architectural innovation.

Clientele: Pay attention to the types of clients the firm has worked with. A diverse portfolio with a mix of startups, corporations, and nonprofits can indicate adaptability and professionalism.

Collaborative Approach: Communication and collaboration are key in any design project. Choose a firm that values your input and is willing to work closely with you to achieve your goals.

Reputation: Research the firm's reputation within the industry. Client testimonials and reviews can provide valuable insights into their professionalism, reliability, and quality of work.

Top Seattle Design Firms

Teague: Renowned for its innovative approach to industrial design and user experience, Teague has been shaping the future of design for over 100 years.

Hornall Anderson: A multidisciplinary design firm specializing in branding, packaging, and environmental design, Hornall Anderson has worked with leading brands worldwide.

ZGF Architects: With a focus on sustainable design and urban planning, ZGF Architects is behind some of Seattle's most iconic architectural landmarks.

Substantial: A digital product studio known for its expertise in UX/UI design, Substantial helps startups and Fortune 500 companies alike create compelling digital experiences.

Heliotrope Architects: For those seeking bespoke residential and commercial design solutions, Heliotrope Architects combines creativity with craftsmanship to deliver timeless spaces.

Conclusion

Whether you're a startup looking to establish your brand or a corporation aiming to revamp your digital presence, finding the right design firm is crucial. Seattle's design landscape offers a wealth of options, each with its own unique strengths and specialties. By considering factors such as portfolio, expertise, and reputation, you can find a design firm that aligns with your vision and goals. So, dive into the world of Seattle design firms, and let creativity take center stage in your next project.

#Seattle design firms

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jwaseattle · 11 months

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Is your living space disconnected from the beauty of your surroundings? We can help you design a balance between the interior and exterior of your home so that you can feel connected to your environment. JWA Seattle specializes in custom progressive designs tailored to each client's needs! Contact us and Tell us where you live and how we can make it easier for you to connect with nature!

#Custom Home Design #Architectural Design #Home Design Inspiration #seattle architecture firms

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gsirvitor · 1 year

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You will get chipped. It’s just a matter of time.

In the aftermath of a Wisconsin firm embedding microchips in employees last week to ditch company badges and corporate logons, the Internet has entered into full-throated debate.

Religious activists are so appalled, they’ve been penning nasty 1-star reviews of the company, Three Square Market, on Google, Glassdoor and social media.

On the flip side, seemingly everyone else wants to know: Is this what real life is going to be like soon at work? Will I be chipped?

“It will happen to everybody,” says Noelle Chesley, 49, associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “But not this year, and not in 2018. Maybe not my generation, but certainly that of my kids.”

Gene Munster, an investor and analyst at Loup Ventures, is an advocate for augmented reality, virtual reality and other new technologies. He thinks embedded chips in human bodies is 50 years away. “In 10 years, Facebook, Google, Apple and Tesla will not have their employees chipped,” he says. “You’ll see some extreme forward-looking tech people adopting it, but not large companies.”

The idea of being chipped has too “much negative connotation” today, but by 2067 “we will have been desensitized by the social stigma,” Munster says.

For now, Three Square Market, or 32M, hasn’t offered concrete benefits for getting chipped beyond badge and log-on stats. Munster says it was a “PR stunt” for the company to get attention to its product and it certainly succeeded, getting the small start-up air play on CBS, NBC and ABC, and generating headlines worldwide. The company, which sells corporate cafeteria kiosks designed to replace vending machines, would like the kiosks to handle cashless transactions.

This would go beyond paying with your smartphone. Instead, chipped customers would simply wave their hands in lieu of Apple Pay and other mobile-payment systems.

The benefits don’t stop there. In the future, consumers could zip through airport scanners sans passport or drivers license; open doors; start cars; and operate home automation systems. All of it, if the technology pans out, with the simple wave of a hand.

The embedded chip is not a GPS tracker, which is what many critics initially feared. However, analysts believe future chips will track our every move.

For example, pets for years have been embedded with chips to store their name and owner contact. Indeed, 32M isn’t the first company to embed chips in employees. In 2001, Applied Digital Solutions installed the “VeriChip” to access medical records but the company eventually changed hands and stopped selling the chip in 2010.

In Sweden, BioHax says nearly 3,000 customers have had its chip embedded to do many things, including ride the national rail system without having to show the conductor a ticket.

In the U.S., Dangerous Things, a Seattle-based firm, says it has sold “tens of thousands” of chips to consumers via its website. The chip and installation cost about $200.

After years of being a subculture, “the time is now” for chips to be more commonly used, says Amal Graafstra, founder of Dangerous Things. “We’re going to start to see chip implants get the same realm of acceptance as piercings and tattoos do now.”

In other words, they’ll be more visible, but not mainstream yet.

“It becomes part of you the way a cellphone does,” Graafstra says. “You can never forget it, and you can’t lose it. And you have the capability to communicate with machines in a way you couldn’t before.”

But after what we saw in Wisconsin last week, what’s next for the U.S. workforce? A nation of workers chipping into their pods at Federal Express, General Electric, IBM, Microsoft and other top corporations?

Experts contend consumers will latch onto chips before companies do.

Chesley says corporations are slower to respond to massive change and that there will be an age issue. Younger employees will be more open to it, while older workers will balk. “Most employers who have inter-generational workforces might phase it in slowly,” she says. “I can’t imagine people my age and older being enthusiastic about having devices put into their bodies.”

Adds Alec Levenson, a researcher at University of Southern California’s Center for Effective Organizations, “The vast majority of people will not put up with this.”

Three Square Market said the chips are voluntary, but Chesley says that if a company announces a plan to be chipped, the expectation is that you will get chipped — or risk losing out on advancement, raises and being a team player.

“That’s what we’re worried about,” says Bryan Allen, chief of staff for state Rep. Tina Davis (D), who is introducing a bill in Pennsylvania to outlaw mandatory chip embedding. “If the tech is out there, what’s to stop an employer from saying either you do this, or you can’t work here anymore.”

Several states have passed similar laws, while one state recently saw a similar bill die in committee. “I see this as a worker’s rights issue,” says Nevada state Sen. Becky Harris (R), who isn’t giving up. “This is the wrong place to be moving,” she says.

Should future corporations dive in to chipping their employees, they will have huge issues of “trust” to contend with, says Kent Grayson, a professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“You’ve got to have a lot of trust to put one of those in your body,” Grayson says. Workers will need assurances the chip is healthy, can’t be hacked, and its information is private, he says.

Meanwhile, religious advocates have taken to social media to express their displeasure about chipping, flooding 32M’s Facebook page with comments like “boycott,” “completely unnecessary” and “deplorable.” On 32M’s Google page, Amy Cosari a minister in Hager City, Wisc., urges employees to remove the chip.

“When Jesus was raised, he was raised body and soul, and it was him, not zombie, not a ghost and we are raised up in the same way,” Cosari wrote. “Employees of 32Market, you are not a walking debit card.”

Get used to it, counsels Chesley.

Ten years ago, employees didn’t look at corporate e-mail over the weekend. Now they we do, “whether we like it or not,” he says.

Be it wearable technology or an embedded chip, the always on-always connected chip is going to be part of our lives, she says.

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edupunkn00b · 2 years

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Do Androids Dream of Electric Jam? - Ch. 1: Let's Kill Tonight

Let's Kill Tonight - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

Rated M: guns, mild violence, suggestive, swearing - WC: 3388

"Let's kill tonight! Kill tonight! Show them all you're not the ordinary type." - Panic! at the Disco

The Reckoning

2122-11-01 : 18:39 UTC-8

The streets of Old Seattle have been left in shambles. The now-annual hundred year floods that began around the turn of the century have gradually made everything south of Madison Street officially uninhabitable.

Officially.

While the traditional brick and stone buildings of Old Seattle crumbled and dissolved in the rising brackish, toxic waters, most of the mid-century steel and glass buildings, designed to withstand earthquakes but not hurricanes, fared reasonably well. Their realsteel and concrete skeletons did, at least. The glass windows were all long-since blown out, decades of storms working to grind the remnants of the actual silicate-based glass into sand that clogged the overworked sump pumps installed in the late 2060s and early ‘70s’s and drove the city’s richest residents to abandon downtown, if not the planet altogether.

The only life left south of Madison were the families too poor to move, green and grey koi rumored to be from the old botanical gardens, and the thick-skinned ballard bullfrogs that ate them.

And The Reckoning.

“You’re late,” snapped a voice from the dark as he slid the salvaged synthsteel door shut behind himself.

He sighed in relief when the door closed silently. The Bear must’ve oiled the bearings since the last time they’d used this space and the creaking door in the supposedly hermetically sealed wreck had drawn nosy residents. “I know. I had to lose my tail, brother dear.” He looked around the room at their small—and growing ever smaller—resistance cell.

The tallest of the group looked ready to leap from his perch on top of what must’ve once been a kitchen island. He tugged at his sleeves, an old nervous habit from what the military used to call ‘shell shock.’ “Are you sure you weren’t followed?”

His twin’s firm hand on his shoulder halted his pissy retort before it could even begin. “Final check-in. Does everyone know where they need to be tomorrow night? The news drones will be out to cover the ceremony and we all need to be in place before they start.”

He nodded, “I’ll be at HQ with The Bear”—The Bear grinned and gave him two thumbs up—”Ready to divert the Catcher’s attention if he gets too close.”

With a whisper of movement, the one on the countertop dropped to the floor, hefting a mean-looking tangle of wires protruding from a grey plastene casing. “I’ll be planting these babies all over the Quad.”

“Good. And I’ll be at Pike with my own batch.” They looked around the room. Two decades still hadn’t yet filled in the hole left by their missing comrade.

The late one now gripped the shoulder next to his. “We’ll keep him safe and away from the action.”

He blew out a sharp breath, rustling a tuft of his permanently unruly hair. “Yeah, I know,” he muttered, voice low. The room fell silent and The Bear wrapped his arm around him and gave him a squeeze. Finally, he looked up. “Meet up at Duke’s if you need repairs.” He nodded again.

“Let’s go.”

The Catcher

2122-11-03 : 07:15 UTC-8

Sharp, icy rain pounded against the synthsteel windows on the 219th floor. Noxious clouds gathered a hundred feet or so below, casting an eerie burnt orange glow over the upper floors that magnified and reflected the flashes of lightning from the storm. As dawn approached, the programming in the synthsteel took over, gradually shifting from an opaque matte silver to a translucent amber. Light strips embedded in the window frame gave the floor-to-ceiling panels a soft, warm glow, simulating sunrise.

As he slept, the diffused light began to illuminate Logan’s face and, after a few moments of the slowly increasing brightness, his eyes snapped open and he sat up, blinking against the light. He allowed his vision to adjust before fumbling at the nightstand for his visored eyeglasses, setting the frames in place and flipping back his blanket.

He stripped out of his pajamas, tucking the already disintegrating material into the recycler before brushing his teeth and changing into his more durable work suit. He knotted his tie with practiced ease and slipped through the door, his bed already made and folded back into the floor until nighttime. Out of habit, Logan touched the wall to deactivate the lights in his room before he realized they were already off, the room illuminated by the artificial sunrise streaming in through the windows. With a shrug, he double tapped the panel to open the door and join his brother for breakfast.

As the door slid open, the droning natter of the newsfeed vocaloid blasting from the dining room filled his ears. Janus must already be awake and listening to the news. For the countless time, he silently thanked the soundproofing in his room.

… “claim that the latest ash converter series now taking flight is expected to clear over 16% of the radioactive ash over parts of the Pacific Northwest, from as far north as Vancouver and south down to the former Bay Area. The effect on crashing bee and wasp populations is unclear. In related news, a number of civilians started a show of support for the artificial pollinators produced by RUR (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwif5MqGlcz5AhWeAjQIHYrcDsgQFnoECB4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FR.U.R.&usg=AOvVaw3YAkNn3UwvYOsZi052w8xa ) after the Human Kind Institute announced their findings that it will require an 89% reduction in ash to restore insect populations to their pre-Blast levels. Leon Resk, CEO of RUR Software Corp addressed the crowds. ‘We here at the RUR pledge to continue the production of our Flightsaver pollinators, ensuring support for the world’s food chains, with only nominal price increases for hive leases in order to maintain competitiveness and satisfy fiduciary responsibilities to our stakeholders and…’”

Logan rolled his neck as he made his way down the long hallway, wishing he could somehow turn off his hearing to avoid the corporate doublespeak. He did not understand how Janus could stomach it all, but his elder brother always insisted hiding from the news wouldn’t make it go away.

“… were met with protests when later that day the president of Evergreen Energy spoke during their observation of the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Blasts. Undeterred, she announced a new fifteen-year road map for the cleanup of the battery islands impacted on that historic day. ‘Evergreen Energy has never sought to point fingers or displace blame for the ecological impact of the American terrorists’ actions on that horrific day. On the contrary, EE takes its responsibility seriously and we pledge to Clean Up Our Mess and work to reduce precipitation toxicity by 13% over the next twenty years…’”

Logan rolled his eyes, wondering which came first, the vocaloid’s programming to uncritically replay these ludicrous public relations talking points or the loss of critical reading by the human reporters of the last century. Janus had shown him ancient recordings of humans reading the news. There hadn’t been much difference.

“And in other news, today marks the tenth anniversary of the Pike Place Massacre where three lives were lost during an artifice insurrection at RUR’s primary production plant. We mourn with the surviving families and credit the quick work of the loyal Model V artifices who responded with alacrity by physically decommissioning over 800 of the responsible artifices. Yesterday, a peaceful memorial was disrupted by the actions of a malfunctioning Model V that threatened the life of the Governor and her children. The artifice was quickly dispatched by one of the city's brave Catchers—“

The vid screen was filled with grainy over-zoomed footage captured by amateur and AI vid drones. It showed the Governor, bleeding and unconscious on the ground, an aide applying pressure to a gaping wound at her side. Two small children cowered behind a blurry figure dressed in black slacks and a jacket festooned with pockets, a dark indigo shirt peeking out. The figure grappled with a tall, heavily armed artifice dressed in black foam armor. The camera zoomed again, automatic facial recognition identifying the man as Sanders, L.

"House, news off, please," Logan instructed.

Janus raised an eyebrow over his data pad. "Someone woke up cranky this morning. Usually you get through your first cup before you've ordered House to stop playing the news."

"It's just the day," he muttered. "I hope you weren't actually watching that nonsense."

"Merely burning time until I had the opportunity to bask in the presence of my little brother, the brave Civilian Catcher of Seattle."

Logan rolled his eyes but smiled as he settled into his seat. He poured a cup from the teapot on the table and took a sip before leaning forward, sharp blue eyes peering at the tremor in his brother’s hand, the paleness on the unscarred side of his face, the long, dark shadows beneath his eyes. He took another slow sip of his tea and spoke into his cup. “I didn’t see you when I came in last night.”

Janus took a bite of his omelet and chewed slowly, swallowing with some effort. “I would characterize four AM as morning, not night.”

“So you did wait up.”

“Yes, he did,” Roman chastised, giving Janus a fondly admonishing look as he walked down the hall and settled into a seat next to him. Janus poured his tea. “Good morning, Logan,” he said brightly, shaking out his napkin and placing it carefully in his lap. He raised his tea cup in salute before taking a sip. “We were all relieved when you returned home safely.”

“Good morning, Roman.” Logan smiled at the artifice, his effusive words warming him as much as the tea. “Thank you.” He raised his cup in response to Roman’s little gesture and took another sip. “And thank you for managing to cajole my brother into eventually getting a bit of sleep.”

“‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.’”

Janus laughed, raising Roman’s hand to kiss his fingers. “I know you know what that’s from, but did you think I wouldn’t?” Roman’s only response was a laugh, then he gave Janus’ hand a gentle squeeze and took another sip of his tea. Looking up at his brother over his tea cup, Janus frowned. “That Model V was classed as a level 9 threat.” He paused, trying his breakfast again. “You take too many risks, Lo.”

Logan chuckled quietly, “I take every precaution.” He finished his tea and poured a second cup. “You know that… they’re your precautions. It helps to have a robotics master for a brother.”

“‘Master’ is such a distasteful word…” Janus made a sour face and stirred a little extra rice milk into his cup. He winked at Roman. “I’d graciously accept ‘expert,’ ’prodigious genius,’ ‘world-renowned—’”

“Don’t you need to be young to be considered a prodigy?”

“Now, now, now, Logan…” Patton’s cheery voice couldn’t sound stern even if he’d tried. “You know your brother’s sensitive about his age,” he chirped as he set down a plate of toast and jam in front of Logan.

“Is this—” Logan picked up the tiny jar of preserves and tapped the side of it. The impact made a rare, almost echoing ting. “This is real fruit jam. In a glass jar.” He looked up at Patton and tilted his head. “This must have been exorbitant. How did—” Logan caught Janus’ silent eye movement down toward his data pad. “No, Pat… That was a gift! Those credits were meant for you to spend on something for you… an upgrade or an experience or—”

“Something that brought me joy,” Patton grinned at Logan, eyes almost literally twinkling. Logan had been quietly relieved when Janus had reverted that upgrade, returning Patton’s irises to their factory original ice blue. Whether it was the artificiality of the tiny lights, the colder gaze it gave the caretaker he remembered more strongly than even his own brother, or merely the reminder that Patton was not human, the twinkling LEDs pushed the artifice solidly over the edge of the uncanny valley.

Seeing the hurt in Patton’s eyes in the rare few times that Logan could force himself to actually meet them had not eased his discomfort.

Still grinning with that disarming warmth, Patton winked and smeared a small scoop of the blueberry preserves over Logan’s triangle-cut toast and arranged them on the plate along with his two bean curd eggs, sunny side up, shaped in a rough smile. He patted Logan’s shoulder. “And seeing you happy, Kiddo, brings me great joy.”

“But, Pat—”

“Please don’t be angry with me, Logan. I truly bought what I wanted to buy.” He tilted his head, bright eyes scanning Logan’s features. He tucked a strand of hair away from his eyes and grinned again. “You have a big day ahead.” After Logan finally took a bite and his eyes widened in pleasure at the taste of the genuine, fruit-based jam, Patton smiled and moved to the other side of the table to refill Janus’ tea.

“So we know Logan will likely have an appearance at the press conference later today. If he doesn’t find a way out of it, of course.” Logan hid his blush behind his tea cup as Patton pointed with his chin toward Janus’ datapad. “What do you have planned today? You have first years this semester, don’t you?” Patton winked again, a quiet laugh behind his words. “Ready to torture the future programmers of the world?”

If Roman laughed, he hid it well behind his napkin.

Janus raised a hand to his chest, mouth falling open in utterly shocked outrage. “I’m as soft as a kitten on those first years.” His expression broke into a smirk at Logan’s raised eyebrow. “It’s my grad students who need to mind their step.”

Patton looked equally unconvinced and he shared a knowing look with Logan as he passed his seat on the way back to the kitchen.

"Have you been modifying his programming again?" Logan had waited until Patton had left the room, but didn’t look up from his tea, frowning into the still-steaming liquid.

"No, of course not."

Logan set down his tea and hefted the tiny jar of jam in the center of his palm. The label was hand-lettered, and Logan could only imagine where they’d gotten the ink. Perhaps home grown, along with the berries for the jam itself. With the tip of his thumbnail, he tapped the side of the jar and the old-fashioned button-top in the center of the cap. The jar was solid glass, and he didn’t need to take a sample with his watch to know the lid was realsteel.

"He has good taste." Logan looked up, surprised by Janus’ sudden comment. Janus shrugged. “You think very loudly, you know.”

“Speaking of good taste,” Roman began, tea cup cradled in his hands. “Are we continuing the Philosophiae after your classes today?”

“Are you actually enjoying it?” Janus brushed the backs of his fingers over Roman’s cheek with a gentle laugh. “You could recite Descartes in twenty-six different languages.”

“Twenty-eight,” Roman and Logan said in unison. This was far from the first time the couple had discussed the topic.

Laughing, Roman covered Janus’ hand and held it against his own cheek. “But it’s so beautiful when you read it.” He met Janus’ eyes and smiled. “Please?”

It didn’t take long for Janus to relent. “Of course, my dear,” he murmured. “Your wish is my command,” he chuckled before pulling Roman closer and pressing a kiss against his other cheek and returning to his breakfast.

When Logan had finished eating and Roman had excused himself for his morning cello practice, he stood to take the remaining dishes to the kitchen. He frowned at his brother’s half-eaten meal. “Are you feeling alright, Jan?”

Janus chuckled, “I’m fine. Just a bit of nerves. We’re interviewing for the new department chair all afternoon and I’m dreading the semi-human interaction.”

“Well, maybe take another bite of the omelet.” He jerked his head toward the kitchen entry with a little smile. “You don’t want Patton to think you’re getting sick.” He laughed, “Or worse, that you don’t like his cooking.”

“No, we definitely wouldn’t want that,” he murmured, taking back his plate for a moment and finishing two more bites of his breakfast.

Logan’s comm buzzed in his ear and he tapped it twice, watching Janus finish his tea, then unhook his cane from the back of his chair and maneuver out of his seat. As he listened to his day’s assignment, he eyed the way Janus leaned heavily on it, skin paling around the edges where he clung to the hand grip.

“Congratulations on your successful completion of last night’s assignment,” the near-human vocaloid chirped into his ear. “You have been assigned a new artifice to locate and detain.” Logan’s visor projected a meter-wide image of the wanted artifice.

It was tall, with the lanky build and habitual slouch of a decommissioned Model V bot. Structurally, it was identical to the Model V Logan had fought last night, but this new one had been heavily modded, with implants around its eyes and joints, probably extra sensors and energy packs. It had also altered its hair, lengthening it from its military standard buzzcut until its black bangs hung over its eyes, shot through with a deep purple autodye. It wore synth armor over black pants and a heavy black hoodie with worn patches of patterned vid-scrambling paint.

The image appeared to have been taken at last night’s protests, and it caught the artifice throwing back a small EMP device toward an officer’s body cam before it could activate and disrupt its own systems.

“Do you accept this assignment?”

The automated recording waited in programmed patience for his vocal print to commit to the job. “What are the charges?”

After a beat, the vocaloid rattled off a long list of offenses, larceny, destruction of public property, unauthorized modification of an artifice, unauthorized self-modification of an artifice, trespassing… Logan interrupted its litany with a sharp, “Halt list.” He sighed. “Is this artifice charged with anything beyond property crimes?”

There was another brief silence followed by a short, almost disappointed, “No.”

“Who’s next on the list if I do not accept?” Logan scoffed when the program remained silent, awaiting his passcode. The roster of other bounty hunters was an open secret. Each had a code that would reveal their assignments to the rest of the group and they all tracked each other. It was the safest way to avoid encroaching on each other’s territory because the automated dispatcher was shit and everyone knew it. “Authorization Lima-Oscar-Golf-India-Charlie-November-Tree.”

“Authorized,” the vocaloid chirped. “Recent events have overtaxed the New Seattle Police Department’s Citizen Catcher program. If you do not accept this job, it will be offered to SPD Agent R. Deckard, badge number NEX-62019.”

“Fuck.” He finally looked up and noticed Janus watching his half of the conversation. “I accept the job,” he muttered at last. “Download the file. Out.” Logan tapped his comm to end the call.

Janus leaned against the doorway, one eyebrow raised. “And I thought you only collected bounties on murderers.”

Logan straightened his tie in the mirror as he spoke, unwilling—or unable—to meet his older brother’s eyes. ‘Deckard’s a sociopath. Last year he used a perception trigger on a Model C wanted for shoplifting. Fucker said he wanted to be sure its Asmov chips still worked and it wouldn’t fight back at decom.” Logan shuddered. The poor thing’s screams had echoed through the station and the rest of the cops had just ignored it. He checked his respirator, then his gun. “Better I take it in than some animal like that.”

“Very well,” Janus’ voice was even and calm. “Are you trying to convince me?” Logan scowled at his own reflection. “Or yourself?”

“I need to go. Clock’s started.” Logan moved toward the door, but then turned around, his expression softer as he bowed his head. “See you tonight?”

“Always, Logan. Be safe.”

“Always,” he responded, eliciting a small smile from the elder brother. He turned and left, the door sliding shut behind him with a soft whoosh.

Without a sound, Patton stepped out from the hallway into the dining room and met Janus’ eyes. The human nodded once and Patton opened a secure comm line.

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cadoutsourcingservicesindia · 1 year

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cvrsons · 1 year

Photo

INTRODUCING.

michael evans behling | he/him | cis man | Have you met CARSON WILLIAMS yet ? They’re the TWENTY-SEVEN year old HYDROLOGIST that lives around WEST POINT HOMES. I think they’ve lived in Seattle for FOUR YEARS. From what I’ve heard, they’re LAIDBACK but they can also be ANALYSTICAL if you get on their bad side. When I think of them, I usually think of LONESOME DAY BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.

HIGHLIGHTS.

27 years old but already a career switcher : formerly a software engineering major at google turned hydrologist at noaa — yeah the world works in interesting ways ; moved into west point homes TWO years ago ; laidback & easy going, quick to smile and always willing to extend a helping hand ; stress-baker bc stress running is bad for his knees.

THE STORY.

— born in fresno. dad is an OR surgeon, mom is a nurse. they had a busy work schedule but they made it work. when carson was about 5 they moved north to portland following an opportunity that allowed both his parents more flexible hours to spend more time with family, and carson. he spend much of his childhood splashing around in the ocean, hanging out on beaches, barely stepping foot inside, not even when it rained.

— but eventually the good weather waned and it wasn’t because of any emotional abandonment that carson found himself drawn to computers, but the family’s busy lifestyle certainly lend itself to carson entertaining himself when possible. that love for the digital only grew as the internet and digital era began its rise, seemingly right in tandem with carson’s own growth.

— it probably wasn’t surprising that carson ended up perusing a software engineering degree when it came time for college. what was surprising was he chose a school on the east coast. for someone who valued family ( and still deeply does ) and was a bit of a home-body it was a surprise, but carson figured it was time to step out of his comfort zone.

— had the usual college experience, graduated on time in 4 years and was lucky enough to land a position with a large firm right out of college. worked remotely, though said firm was headquartered in nyc.

— work however... was not nearly as full-filling or interesting as he would like it to be, even after landing a coveted position at google. he stuck it out for two years, helped along by a lucrative salary before he decided a change was much needed.

— it was visiting a friend back in seattle, seeing the ocean again, remembering there are much greater forces at work here. after some thought, he ended applying for graduate school, ultimately getting his masters in hydrology & hydrodynamics from the university of washington - seattle.

— graduated two years ago from the program, and started working for noaa in their seattle office not long after that!!

PRESENT DAY.

— carson moved into an apartment in west point homes in july 2020 ( 2 years ago ). before that, while he went to UW, he lived in the swindelbrook st apartments. from then it’s was easy to settle right in. the career change has done wonders for him --- it’s still a lot of computer based worked, but more data and modeling focused which he loves. he still dabbles in web design through his free lancing which is constantly growing --- especially with a surprising request from the kraken, the newest nhl team.

— works primarily at noaa’s office, not too far of a commute from his apartment. even so, he appreciates the quiet times in the morning and evenings. sometimes he employs his electric longboard, but most of the time he takes the bus. though occasionally, he does just work from the apartments where he has a pretty slick set up in his bedroom. he also sets up in various nearby cafes too. there are some perfectly fine mondays and fridays that he just can’t be bothered by the commute either lol. change of scenery is important for carson to work efficiently, otherwise he gets bored.

— stress baking was something that he clung onto early in his high school days and much more so when he moved to college. it reminded him of home and his mother’s baking —often with unique nigerian influences. carson is no chef, not like some of his friends, but he isn’t living on pb&j either. it’s not uncommon for carson to look up where a certain nigerian food truck is and hunt it down either.

— hobbies : baking, indoor rock climbing, various gym workouts, running, a bit of freelance web design, longboarding, people watching, karaoke ( not good but spirited )

— hangouts : various different coffeeshops near his aparment ( or near his office building ), nearby gym, a nearby indoor climbing gym, any park

— carson is generally very pleased with where he’s ended up now. it’s still far from having a life plan but steady income, a nice place to live, and a job he enjoys is definitely a good foundation to build more things on.

PERSONALITY.

— + laidback, adaptable, intelligent, helpful ; - analytical, disorganized, forgetful, hyper-focused or aloof ( rarely in between )

— carson is a friendly person whose presence often puts others at ease. he’s always quick to smile, even at those he doesn’t know. has a tendency to think of everyone as a friend until proven he should think otherwise --- or is biased based on his current friends’ opinions.

— definitely not high strung and likes to think he requires very little to be happy. easy-going, relaxed, even when under pressure. occasionally, his easy-going nature can be misconstrued as not caring but that is certainly not true.

— always meets his deadlines, though more often than not, the bulk of his work is cranked out directly before said deadline. good at multi-tasking but his time management could definitely use a little tlc, even still.

— extremely disorganized. not necessarily in a physical sense. his apartment is neat enough, and he doesn’t like feeling like his space is messy --- definitely not a help to an already disorganized mind. carson is incredible disorganized in his thinking and often in his execution. carson needs many things going at once so he can jump from one to another if he needs to. sometimes he can work for hours on one project, other times, it’s something new every 20 minutes. breaks are crucial for times like the latter.

— a helpful personality. doesn’t turn away from people in need and likes feeling needed : hence his willingness to constantly extend a hand to those who need one. seattle is a busy place and sometimes, people fall down. lots of people might walk by but carson will stop, even if he’s running late.

— likes to make friends, but that being said, when he doesn’t like someone he’s very internal about it. he believes in being polite to save face --- which sometimes is great, other times... not so much.

— a hard working himself, he doesn’t like when people don’t try to do their best ( regardless of the outcome ). he especially doesn’t like if someone says they’ll do something and then proceeds to not do it.

— level-headed to a fault. keeps things bottled up sometimes to “save face.” stress-reliever baking to the rescue ahaha.

APPEARANCE.

— 6′2″, 200 lbs, muscular from the result of a highly active lifestyle outside an “office job”

— hair often buzzed into a fade, stubble/scruff more common than not though he never sports an actual beard.

— 20/20 vision but uses blue light glasses while he works. consider this look.

— style : loves a good pattern and his shirts are often patterned or textured. slim fit pants, but not tight. clothes that are easy to move around in. loves all colors. loves all neutrals. definitely wouldn’t consider himself fashionable, but has decent taste.

— tattoos & scars : no tattoos, a large collection of various scars everywhere from an active childhood and an ability to try anything at least once.

— quirks : always moving in some way ( tapping fingers, a jumping knee, a tapping heel or foot ), has a tendency to look deeply focused, a “friendly” face that fits his helpful demeanor, quick to smile, very good at hiding when he’s displeased

— probably goes without saying but the look in all my graphics w the scruff & rainbow jacket is simply The Vibe. see this gifset.

MISC. HEADCANONS.

— certainly a home baker, nothing special or fancy. various cookies, brownies, various cookie bars, the such. everyone loves his brownies and says they’re the best ( irony is carson doesn’t really like brownies ). doesn’t care so much for presentation. not really one to sell his baked goods, though neighbors always know when they might be saddled with the consequences of carson’s stress baking when the fragrant aromas start creeping down the hall. doesn’t like being told what to bake. he accepts suggestions but they might not come to fruition until weeks later. it’s just a good stress reliever for him that isn’t as hard on his knees as running is. kinda wants to dabble in bread making. kneading sounds like it’d be a great stress reliever too.

— a messy baker though. the kitchen looks like a disaster when he’s through with it, but he’s very good with the clean up. it can be just as satisfying too.

— loves dogs but doesn’t want to commit to getting one. his past apartments didn’t allow pets anyway

— naturally an early riser dating back to college. his work schedule is notably flexible so long as he works his 8 hours a day / finishes his tasks. however, carson likes to keep a schedule and finish his work with plenty of hours left in the day to do other things he finds fun. never one to finally get on by 10 am, it’s not uncommon to see carson set up by 7 am for a finish time around 3 or 4, depending on how many breaks he took.

— has mild adhd. mostly manifests in small quirks and stretches of hyperfocus followed by unfocused periods. struggles to explain things in a logical way, though it is something he’s working on and had to work on for work. commenting out his code has helped him to find logic in his thoughts. doesn’t write things down, and was never the type to keep a planner. tries to keep to-do lists bc crossing things off is satisfying but it hasn’t taken quite yet.

— an analytical mind always likes to try to put things into a logical perspective, cause and effect, things like that. that being said, is in touch with his emotional side and rarely turns away from somewhere in need. it’s lead to a few times of him being taken advantage of but the fact hasn’t tinted carson’s life outlook.

— a very fast typist. in part a remnant of his software engineering degree, also in part due to a lifetime of growing up around computers. he had a typist job in high school too, something he kept up through college until he started landing relevant internships. carson can be very picky with his keyboards though, often opting for specialty ones with that make a nice clicky noise and feel solid to type and code with. had to see multiple laptops before he finally settled on one he liked ( a pc, not a mac ).

— lover of late 90s early 00s rock music. what he grew up listening to. it keeps him going during the work day and for most other things too.

— infinite iced lattes made throughout the day with the espresso machine that’s in his apartment.

— multi-sport athlete growing up : soccer, basketball, lax, football, track, hockey... didn’t play during college, just on various club or intramural teams. though he took his time playing seriously and loved it, he knew he was never going to be good enough to even consider going pro. religiously follows all the major sports in the seattle area and is always happy to go to a game. loves the atmosphere of sports games.

— still active. loves to surf, at the gym on a regular basis, trying new things ( one of which was indoor climbing which he loves now ), running though not too much bc his knees hate him for it. daily routine includes morning workouts/yoga session and evening walks ( no matter the weather ).

— engages a lot and surfs social media a lot, but rarely posts on platforms himself. more likely to post on his stories than actual posts themselves.

OOC.

hello everyone !! i’m o ( 21+, est, they / them ). just happy to be here and vibe <3. i started a list of flexible plot ideas HERE, so be sure to check those out. discord is my preferred contact method so feel free to reach out there if you have any ideas or are feeling inspired !!

#sewa.intro

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