Updating my Websites

Question. When was the last time you updated your website? Question. When was the last time you thought about changing your website provider. Like many photographers, one of the first things I did when I set up my business 15 years ago was investigate photography website providers, set up a website and then I was a “professional photographer” with a “professional shopfront”. My old landing…

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I had a random idea for a fic and just wanted the share! Basically Florence meets R at a meet and greet type thing and notices the cuts on her arm and reaches out after the meet and greet? Just an idea 💕 Sending love and if your not comfortable with this request that’s okay!

A Little Change

Pairing: Florence Pugh x Reader 

Summary: Meeting Florence at a comic con was a dream come true & being so caught up in the moment, you weren’t aware that Florence saw how much you were struggling. 

Angst, Comfort

Warnings: Mentions of self-harm & cuts, Depression | 1.4K

AC: Please only read this if you are comfortable! My asks/dms are always open for anybody who needs somebody to talk too, even if you just need to scream! I’m sending everybody love and hugs! I used reference from another message Flo sent to a lucky fan and tweaked it a little! I hope you enjoy x 

Nerves filled your body as you waited patiently in line to be the next person to meet one of your idols. You've been counting down to this moment since your local comic con announced the guest line up. 'Florence Pugh'in black bold letters making your heart skip a beat as you make sure to set a timer on your phone for when the tickets went on sale. It was no doubt one of the most stressful 20 minutes of your life when they went on sale, but luck was on your side, and you were able to buy a meet and greet token as well as an autograph token. 

"Please place your phone in the basket" the security spoke kindly to you. Professional photos were being taken and mobile phones weren't allowed in the room, you didn't care though. You were meeting Florence Pugh in a matter or seconds. You placed your phone in the small basket and smiled softly at the security guard. 

"Don't be nervous" he said, catching you slightly off guard. "She's lovely, you'll love every second of it" he added. 

"Thank you" you replied with another soft smile just as the photographer called for the next person, you. 

The security guard spread open the curtain for you as your eyes saw the first glimpse of Florence who was wearing a pink tank cropped tee with denim jeans finished with a white and light pink striped shirt. She smiled warmly at you as you nervously walked up to her. 

"Hi! What's your name?" she asked in her thick, raspy British accent. 

"Hi!" you smiled, "I'm Y/n" you added. 

"I'm Florence! It's lovely to meet you, Y/n" she smiled before embracing you in a welcoming hug. She smelt of vanilla hint of floral citrus, no doubt it was probably one of the many Valentino perfumes. The hug lasted longer than you thought, going into these events you knew the interactions would be short and sweet, two minutes at the most. 

"I just wanna say how much I love you in Little Women, but I will always love Black Widow!" you said once you were both looking at one another again, Florence's hands on your biceps as she smiled softly. 

"Thank you so much, I'm glad you love them" she replied, "I love your necklace, it's beautiful!" she added while eyeing off the gold necklace that had a heart pendant with the first letter of your name on it. "Oh this? it's just an old necklace I've had since forever" you chuckled, "but thank you!" you quickly added so you didn't sound rude.

"Shall we take a picture?" Florence asked, her smile never leaving her lips. Somehow Florence was able to make you forget that you were meeting somebody you looked up to a lot and more like you were just having out with a friend. Your nervous had disappeared and your smile only grew bigger knowing you'd never forget this event. 

The two of you turned to face the photographer, "Do you mind if I put my arm around you?" you asked out of respect. Florence nodded, "you're so kind for asking" she said before looking back towards the camera. "Do you mind if we pull a silly face?" you asked. Again, Florence nodded before the two of you pulled a goofy face as the photography's camera flashed it's bright light. 

Once the photo was taken, you turned to face Florence once more, accidentally dropping your paper token on the floor. As you reach down to grab it, Florence noticed the red cuts on your wrist. Out of respect she didn't say anything, but she couldn't understand why somebody as sweet as you was hurting so much. 

"Thank you so much for coming today, it was an honour to meet you" Florence smiled soft at you once more. "I should be thanking you! Coming all this way, it means a lot and I will remember this for the rest of my life" you replied.

"Oh, stop it! You're too kind!" Florence chuckled before embracing you in one last hug, "have a wonderful rest of your day!" she added. 

"I will! I'll see you again at the autograph table!" you smiled as you were being rushed out for the next person. 

----

Later that night after checking the comic con's website over and over for the uploads of the meet and greet photos, your photo was finally uploaded. Saving it to your phone and making it your new wallpaper, you decided to post it to Instagram. 

"yourusername: It was a dream meeting you today! Thank you so much!! @florencepugh" 

A smile tugged at your lips as you stared at the image on your phone before falling asleep. 

The morning sun warmly kissed your face as it crept into your bedroom through the crack in your curtain, waking you softly with its warmth. You groaned softly before stretching and reaching over to see what the time was. 10:45am in bold stare back at you until your eyes dropped to the notification that made your heart skip a beat. 

You read the notification to yourself a million times thinking you were just dreaming before you unlocked your phone and punched in your passcode. Your thumb hovered over the Instagram app for a moment before opening it. Your mind was racing as to why Florence would be messaging you, or how she even found your Instagram. There it was, 1 message notification and over 20 notifications from people liking and commenting on your meet & greet photo with Florence.

The blue tick next to Florence's name only made your heart beat faster knowing it was actually Florence and not just some poser or a fan page with a similar username. You took a moment to calm yourself before opening the message, curious as to why she was reaching out to you, it just felt like a dream.

-Florence Pugh:

Hey lovely! I hope it's okay I reach out like this…it was lovely meeting you yesterday, you're a very sweet and funny person! I hope to meet you again someday soon! 

I don't mean to overstep anything, but I noticed something that worried me when we met yesterday, and I just wanted to make sure you're okay and that you're not alone. 

I can understand how feeling low and broken can feel. It's so hard pulling yourself out of a pit when you feel like you're sat at the bottom of the pit. I just want to say I'm so sorry you feel this way and that you feel the need to self-harm. 

Sometimes I feel the same as you, I feel weak and broken and I don't know how to look up but I have learnt that the moment you sense yourself falling, you HAVE to kick your mind and body into a different gear. Moving your body will automatically release serotonin and will help your mood!

Make a happy playlist, add music from all around the world that makes you happy. Add to it daily, I do this when I am sad. 

You're human and sometimes we feel extremely happy and sometimes we feel extremely low. Learn to acknowledge that this happens and be kind to yourself. You're amazing, you deserve happiness, you deserve to love yourself, you deserve good friends, and you deserve to be a good friend. All these skills take years to learn about yourself, so I'm not expecting you to turn it around tomorrow! Just do a little bit a day. 

A little change here and there and most importantly, don't think of yourself as a screw up or that you're worthless! The world is at your fingertips! 

Can you promise me something? No matter how low and broken and weak you feel, always try and find something that you know will make you get up and move. Whether its doing a stupid dance to a song in your bedroom or walk around a park and see all the colours around you, cook something colourful, fresh and tasty! 

You're amazing, never forget that! 

All my love, 

Florence xx-

Her message brought tears to your eyes, leaving you speechless. You took a mental note on some of the tips that Florence mentioned. You promised not only Florence but yourself to try them when your thoughts got dark again, when you felt low and alone. You wanted the cuts on your arm would fade to scars, you wanted to be happy and overcome the darkness that had a hold over you. You wanted the next time you'd meet Florence you'd be able to tell her how far you've come and just how much you needed her message without even knowing it. 

All these things you mentioned in your reply, promising her that next time you both share a hug that you'll hug her a little tighter and thank her for being the inspiration and role model she is too you.

Taglist:  @marvelfan98 | @boredandneedfanfics | @marvelwomen-simp | @swaqcenix | @scarlettbitchx | @mallyka-blog | 

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Would it be too much to ask what kind of jobs the new skeles might have since you already shared bram would be a groundskeeper at a cemetery?

Looks like I never officially did this one for Wave 2, just Wave 1 over here.

So, while we’re at it, let's do 2 and 3!

Ash (Undergloom Sans): He’s semi-unemployed, or self-employed depending on how you look at it. He busks, playing his trombone out on the street and accepting donations from anyone who feels so inclined. He likes playing music and the idea of brightening peoples’ days in the middle of their commute, so the money doesn’t really matter to him. Sometimes he picks up small gigs at local venues, mostly by word of mouth, and eventually he breaks into the tutoring scene—teaching his favorite instrument to young aspiring musicians who find the same joy in it that he does.

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He works as a professor at the local community college, teaching anthropology. He’s passionate about the subject and can’t think of anything he’d rather do than share it with a classroom of humans who probably have no idea how interesting they really are. If only one student walked away from his class with a new appreciation for what humanity’s all about then he’s fulfilled—but he tends to send a lot more away with that than just one, since he’s a very popular, friendly, and accessible teacher.

Brick (Horrorfell Sans): He’s self-employed, knitting blankets at home and selling them online. He doesn’t need a job at all, between the Queen and his brother, money’s not an issue, but he’d go crazy if he didn’t have something to do all day, and nobody wants to see what he looks like when he goes crazy. He takes commissions often, but other times he just makes things according to whatever he’s feeling and what color yarn he has handy and sells to whoever feels like buying it.

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): He works as a physical therapist. He more or less taught himself to walk again after losing his leg, and a second time after getting a replacement, so he very personally understands the need that exists for people who are injured and want to get back to their normal life—but maybe lack the discipline, the knowledge, or the tools to take that journey solo. He’s hard on his patients and sadistically merciless, but his success rate in terms of mobility recovered is very high and any complaints after the fact are begrudging at worst.

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He’s a home baker, making cakes and small pastries for a small but growing client base. He likes the freedom of getting to pursue his passions seriously and to be his own boss, set his own hours, screen his own clients, et cetera. He puts a lot of time and care into what he makes, both in terms of flavor and decoration, and finds nothing quite so satisfying as a repeat customer or a glowing review and recommendation to someone new.

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): Freelance programming is what he does for cash. It was something he could both learn how to do and actually do remotely, without the need for more than the bare minimum of in-person contact. He likes problem-solving, and complaining about the problem-solving, and the field is pretty much always in demand so if he’s bored of certain kinds of jobs, or sick of the person giving him the jobs, he can jump ship at any time and be a contractor someplace else.

Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): He’s a boxer, more amateur than pro so he doesn’t make a ton doing it, at least not consistently, but he likes fighting and draws in a decent crowd by being a bit of a spectacle (a blind skeleton in the ring) so the entertainment value is worth something. Aside from that, eventually, he fills in for his brother as a combination business partner/agent/accountant, helping him get jobs and keep clients and manage the money he makes doing so.

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He’s unemployed for a long while, but ultimately breaks into professional photography, with a specialty in travel photographs. He likes taking pictures and getting to see the world in the process, and it helps that it’s a family business so he and his brother have pretty much full control over what jobs he takes and for how much. He doesn’t really concern himself with the money numbers, though, he just likes filling out his portfolio with gorgeous locales all around the world.

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): He does a lot of odd jobs, all over the place, generally (things that are considered) unskilled labor—bussing tables, janitorial work, desk clerking, that kind of thing. He doesn’t like the thought of getting too stuck into any one thing and being unable to try something else out later if it doesn’t work out, and there’s something to be said for the satisfaction of being closely connected to the results of your labor. Sometime down the line he will end up sticking in one career, as a dealer for a casino, because it combines his social, charming nature with his sharp eye and quick hands, but until then he’s happy to bounce around.

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): He’s a bookkeeper at a nondescript company. He’s organized and thorough with record-keeping and double-checking data, and he likes putting those skills to use to make sure his employer’s finances and transactions all balance out at the end of the day. Some might find it boring work and he could almost certainly qualify for a much more ‘prestigious’ job doing something else, but he’s satisfied having a job that doesn’t require all of his effort and brainpower, so he can save some of that for his personal life and private interests.

Spectr (Transcendtale Sans): He’s a nomad, a wanderer, he has no job. He’s a robot in the shape of a monster—ostensibly still a monster, even so—in a world full of humans that as yet believe monsters don’t exist, so even if he wanted a job, getting one would be logistically difficult. Luckily, he feels no special need to be gainfully employed and just spends his time wandering around and taking in the world. If he needs something, he’ll either just take it or use one of his brother’s accounts to pay for it.

PapAIrus (Transcendtale Papyrus): He’s a performer, a disc jockey who mixes, makes, and plays music to crowds at clubs, raves, and discos, anywhere he’s welcome. He takes advantage of the perception of his holographic form as an artist’s gimmick, like Daft Punk, Hatsune Miku, dead musicians projected onto stages to play posthumously… In his defense, that last one is sort of exactly what he is, except he didn’t really start making music until after he died. Still, he has fun doing it and adores the fame he’s steadily gaining as a popular, cutting-edge technology music act.

Xanth (Ascendswap Sans): He does aura readings for people. For those interested to know, he shares his perception of their colors and the flow of energy in and around them, and just generally describes the sense he gets about a person. What he does is really more of a soul read than an aura read, so a lot of the color meanings and terminology he uses contrast with the kind of readings his clients may get from humans who practice something a little bit different. Still, he’s earnest in his desire to help people understand themselves and their energies and emotions, so he gets a lot of recommendations and repeat clientele who trust he’s the real deal.

Piper (Ascendswap Papyrus): He works as an event planner, organizing gatherings, arranging vendors, booking venues, the whole nine. He has a great reputation for making things go smoothly and always seems to be able to talk out bumps and snags before they ever become a major problem. He also maintains great relationships with people in the industry and delights in having connections just about everywhere in case he needs to call on a favor to make something happen for a client. He's got the magic touch and the silver (gold) tongue that makes everything fall into place just so.

Carmine (Underfell Fruition Sans): He works as a clerk at a pawn shop. He gets to handle a lot of interesting items and assess roughly how much they’d be worth, and he’s pretty good at haggling and negotiating with people who might not agree with said assessments. Sometimes people will come in with broken stuff they wouldn’t be able to get too much for, but maybe he can cut ‘em a deal, fix it up on his own dime and if they come back for it, great—and if they don’t, his boss’ll be happy to have something that works to sell to somebody else at a markup, how ‘bout it? He does a brisk business and both sides of the counter love him.

Tank (Underfell Fruition Papyrus): He’s in construction. He’s huge, strong, takes direction well, and diligently follows rules and protocols—he’s an ideal fit for it. He likes to work hard and be able to see a job come together, knowing he had a part in it and being satisfied with the quality of his contribution. He especially likes to take every safety training and equipment certification course he can attend because he likes knowing what the rules are and being specifically told how certain procedures are run, machines operated, et cetera. He’s very likely to be apprenticed in as a foreman if not the inheritor someday of the construction business by its current owner for his work ethic and dedication, but that’ll be a long ways from now.

Vi (Swapfell Fruition Sans): He works as an independent auditor and combs through companies’ records, internal and external documentation, processes, and accounting and ensures everything is being done in accordance with industry standards. In short, he shows up, demands to see everything they have, and looks through it to see if they’ve lied, did something wrong, or lost information they weren’t supposed to. Sometimes he can do this remotely but other times he has to travel out to a physical office somewhere and sit down with a bunch of stuffed file cabinets, and he really doesn’t mind either way. He likes the work and he’s good at it—maybe because he’s good at it—and he finds it satisfying to catch the tiniest little misses and errors to demand an accounting of them.

Hunter (Swapfell Fruition Papyrus): He’s a trail maintenance worker for Ebott National Park. He walks the paths and hiking trails and makes sure they’re safe and unobstructed for visitors, as well as whatever odd jobs in the area that happen to come up—looking out for invasive species, helping with a bench install, directing lost tourists, that kinda thing. It’s not especially glamorous work but it’s pretty much exactly where he wants to be and he’s happy to do it, probably wouldn’t pick any other job in the world…except maybe to volunteer for a seasonal fire-watch position and do pretty much the exact same thing, but more isolated and with a big cool tower to sit in.

Kohl (Descendtale Sans): He works as a mortician at a local funeral home. He generally isn’t expected (read: allowed) to deal with grieving families, that’s more the funeral director’s purview, but he works behind the scenes embalming, processing, and otherwise preparing the dead for their final party and last ride home. He has a strong stomach—or rather, no stomach at all—and doesn’t get squeamish or emotional about the dead, so that works out. They also let him work nights so he has several long, quiet hours of methodically going through the routine with no (living) humans around to irritate him or vice-versa. Sounds like a good gig to him.

Bram (Descendtale Papyrus): Yes, still a groundskeeper for the cemetery and loving it. It was something he kind of fell into through his brother, when he didn’t really know what he wanted to do on the Surface, but his brother sends dead humans off to their final resting place and said final resting place was looking for someone to dig holes, mind the grass, keep everything looking neat and nice—and that’s certainly something he can do! He also works nights, being that monsters are almost entirely nocturnal these days, so he’s also an unintentional scarecrow deterrent to teenagers sneaking in late for partying or spooky dares when they see a slim, bony silhouette materialize out of the shadows with a shovel in hand, asking if they’re just visiting or thinking about moving in.…

Last Monday of the Week 2024-01-29

Sometimes you forget how to use a computer. It's fine it'll come back.

Listening: TERRORTORIES is so good. It took me a while to come around on MiSLeD but it's so worth it. They are having so much fun with it. Here's Real Boy and also Five Less Fingers for good measure.

Reading: Finished Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie. Worthwhile if you haven't spent a lot of time looking at hard numbers on climate and sustainability topics, it covers a lot of good ground, like getting reasonable proportions on plastic waste in the oceans, land use for various use cases, drivers of particulate pollution, all without being very defeatist or too triumphant.

Started on Calvino's Invisible Cities. because that feels appropriate.

Watching: Started Mobile Suit Gundam because I figure it would help me make sense of Friends at the Table and I did not realize how much F@TT directly apes Gundam specifically.

This show does not fuck around, from the memes I assumed it was more subtle with the horrors of war but nah. The gundam is firing the war is bad missile directly at you. What if you were driven to instrumentalize yourself as a tool of war.

Also Legend of the Roller Blade Seven at Bad Movie Night which is truly the worst movie we've ever had at Bad Movie Night, utterly incomprehensible in a bad way, don't watch it, not worth it.

Playing: More Dark Souls, entered Blighttown after clearing the Gaping Dragon. So far so smooth but blighttown seems like it might be a difficulty spike, although I have a lot of upgrades I haven't made yet.

Making: @thosearentcrimes hit me up for some photography and I am always down for that, here's a couple of my favourites:

Tools and Equipment: The best $20 you can spend on kitchen knives is getting one you already have sharpened by a real professional.

Unlock Your Creativity: Domestika's Inspiring Online Courses

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Diverse Course Catalog: Domestika offers a wide range of courses, each focusing on a specific creative skill or discipline. This includes courses on graphic design, watercolor painting, digital illustration, photography techniques, 3D modeling, and many others.

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Video Lessons: The courses usually consist of pre-recorded video lessons that you can watch at your own pace. These videos are often accompanied by downloadable resources like project files, assignments, and supplementary materials.

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Chapter 2 ❤️

Capturing nature through my love for art and photography.

Hi you amazing people ! welcome back to my blog. This chapter is all about capturing nature through my love for art and photography ☺️ and the impact they have on my life. Although they are both simple things, they bring me so much joy and some sense of healing. The lowest phase of my life was such that I cannot describe, but I certainly can say , I felt lost about who I am and my sense of purpose. For sure I was most overwhelmed with negative emotions , anger being the dominant one. All it took were some small steps , to discovering something that I would enjoy and would gradually bring me peace. Although I always loved art and photography before the traumatic event, I never saw those as something that can be so therapeutic. I guess it was only realized when I needed it the most .

As I said ,I love photography, for now I am just a simple mobile photographer who aspires to possess my own professional camera one day. I would give most thanks to God for his beautiful creations that always tempt me to capture. I just love capturing those gorgeous sunsets, stormy nights, beautiful flowers and those little creatures that hover around in my yard. I always take time to adore and appreciate the beauty of life around me. Its true to say, that the best medicines come from nature 🌺 The sunsets are just so calming.

The way I go crazy during those lightening shows😂 This shot was one of the best I ever captured around 2 years ago. When I capture such moments , I am just glad that I can cease it forever.

Earlier, I just took photos for fun, but eventually , just like that, I developed this profound liking for it. All I know is that, I feel at peace when hold a camera to capture those beautiful moments. There is some sort of unexplainable satisfaction I get when I see what I captured and I feel more confident as I can do something with this talent .

My love for drawing started at quite a young age. I think part of my identity is linked to art. My art pieces may not be liked by many as I noticed quite a number of teens especially are more attracted to anime art pieces. But guess what? It does not bother me at this point. I am more inclined to creating pieces of nature such as landscapes, the sea shores, waterfalls, animals or drawing mostly those board houses from back in the days. I just feel that art cures my soul. Seeing my pieces completed , helped eased my anxieties. Art has been one of the best distractions in my life. Its truly one of the best medicines for me🤗.

That's it for this post guys, I hope you all enjoyed the read. Join me next Saturday for chapter three on my self healing journey.

Yours Truly,

Nal ❤️

Info for Faith In The Future World Tour ST AUGUSTINE, FL - JUL 11 2023

With special guests THE SNUTS & ANDREW CUSHIN!

Important Times:

6:00 PM - Doors Open

7:00 - 7:30 PM - Andrew Cushin

8:00 PM - The Snuts

8:00 - 9:55 PM - Louis Tomlinson

Edit: the venue announced The Snuts will no longer perform.

Times are all approximate and subject to change.

General admission (pit tickets):

All guests are required to abide by the following procedures:

Guests can begin lining up no earlier than 9:00 AM on the day of show, July 11.

Sequentially numbered wristbands will be put on guests' wrists upon arrival on a first come, first served basis.

Guests must have a valid ticket for The St. Augustine Amphitheatre July 11 show to receive a wristband, and all guests in a party must be present to receive a wristband.

Any guests that have camped overnight or arrived before 9:00 AM will not be given wristbands and will be sent to the back of the line.

Guests are encouraged to return at 3:00 PM to queue for General Admission entry beginning at The West Gate (first gate closest to A1A S/main entrance).

Security will honor wristbands from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM.

After 4:00 PM, guests will join the line on a first come, first served basis.

Loss, removal or tampering with a wristband will result in loss of place in the GA line.

Guests are not permitted to hold places in line. Please be respectful and courteous to all other guests in line.

Check the venue’s socials for updates!

💧⚠️ HYDRATION ADVISORY ⚠️💧

YOU MUST Hydrate before the show, while waiting in line and during the show

For optimal hydration drink something with electrolytes such as Gatorade or LiquidIV

Eat well!

Here are important things to know:

Thunderstorms expected, prepare accordingly!

The venue is cashless! Pay with card and mobile pay!

Parking: On-site parking in is very limited and sells out quickly. Parking passes may be pre-purchased for each event at the Box Office or online via ticketmaster.com. On-site parking currently SOLD OUT. The on-site parking lot opens two (2) hours prior to gates opening on event days. Off-site FREE parking with shuttle service at Anastasia State Park and the R.B. Hunt Elementary School Soccer Field. Shuttle service begins one hour (60 minutes) before gate time and runs for up to one hour (60 minutes) after the event ends. Parking is NOT permitted in the residential neighborhoods surrounding the venue. Details and maps here.

ADA info here

Guests (even children) are not allowed to sit or stand on the shoulders of another guest.

Cameras: NO Cameras with Detachable Lenses. Flash photography, professional cameras (including SLR cameras) are prohibited. Recording equipment, tripods, monopods and selfie sticks are also prohibited. 

Water: empty, clear, reusable water bottles to fill (and refill) at the filtered water stations throughout the venue. Single-use plastic, metal and glass containers are not permitted.

NO Outside Food or Beverages

NO Coolers

NO Animals (except service animals)

NO Marijuana or any cannabis products

NO drugs

NO Fireworks or sparklers

NO Aerosol cans (hairspray, bug spray, sunscreen)

NO knives, firearms, Brass knuckles, Tasers & mace/pepper spray or weapons of any kind

NO Camping or Folding Chairs

NO chains

NO Inflatables, throwing toys (including beach balls and frisbees), blow-up toys, balloons or bubbles

NO Medication in unmarked containers.

NO Recording devices, iPads/laptops

NO Selfie sticks, drones

NO Laser Pointers/flashlights

NO Musical Instruments or Noisemakers

NO Scooters/Skateboards

NO Strollers

NO Umbrellas

NO Wrapped Packages of Any Kind

NO throwing objects of any kind.

There is NO RE-ENTRY!

VIEW VENUE MAP 

VIEW SEAT MAP 

*This list is not exhaustive. Items not appearing on the list may still be prohibited at the discretion of Security.

Click here for some insider info about the venue and parking!

For more details click here

Bag Policy:

Bags smaller than 6" x 6" x 6"

Tote or purse smaller than 12" x 6" x 12" (as long as all items are loose)

Clear plastic bag smaller than one gallon

Seat Cushion with no pockets, arms or zippers

Diaper Bag

Medically Necessary Bags (permitted after proper inspection)

All other bags prohibited.

Details here.

Banners, signs and flag policy:

NO Signs Larger than 12" x 12"

NO Poster Tubes (Show Specific)

Contact:

For additional questions please call the venue at  (904) 209 -3746. You can also access their website. Email:  [email protected] . Check their Twitter and IG for updates. Address: 1340C A1A South, St. Augustine, Florida 32080. Venue: The St. Augustine Amphitheatre

ECommerce Website Checklist 10 Essentials You Need to Know

In the fast-paced world of online business, creating a successful e-commerce website requires careful planning and attention to detail. Whether you're launching a new venture or looking to enhance your existing platform, it's crucial to have a comprehensive checklist in place. In this guide, we'll explore the 10 essentials you need to know to ensure your e-commerce website thrives. Brought to you by NinjaTech, your trusted partner in cutting-edge technology.

User-Friendly Design: Start by ensuring your website has an intuitive and visually appealing design. NinjaTech recommends a clean layout, easy navigation, and a mobile-responsive interface to provide a seamless shopping experience for your customers.

Secure Payment Gateways: NinjaTech emphasizes the importance of secure payment options. Integrate trusted payment gateways to build trust with your customers. SSL certificates and encryption protocols are essential for safeguarding sensitive information.

High-Quality Product Imagery: Showcase your products with high-resolution images. NinjaTech suggests investing in professional photography to highlight product details and build a strong visual connection with your audience.

Efficient Shopping Cart and Checkout Process: Streamline the buying process with a user-friendly shopping cart and checkout system. NinjaTech recommends minimizing steps, providing clear instructions, and offering guest checkout options to enhance convenience.

Responsive Customer Support: Prioritize customer support to build trust and loyalty. NinjaTech suggests incorporating live chat, email support, and a comprehensive FAQ section to address customer queries promptly.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Boost your website's visibility on search engines. Implement SEO strategies recommended by NinjaTech, such as keyword optimization, meta tags, and XML sitemaps, to attract organic traffic.

Social Media Integration: Leverage the power of social media to promote your products. NinjaTech advises integrating social sharing buttons and maintaining an active presence on platforms relevant to your audience.

Analytics and Reporting Tools: Monitor your website's performance with analytics tools. NinjaTech recommends platforms like Google Analytics to track visitor behavior, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions for business growth.

Mobile Optimization: With the increasing use of mobile devices, ensure your website is optimized for smartphones and tablets. NinjaTech highlights the importance of responsive design and mobile-friendly features for a broader reach.

Regular Updates and Maintenance: Keep your website current with regular updates. NinjaTech stresses the significance of maintaining plugins, security patches, and overall website health to ensure a smooth and secure shopping experience for your customers.

Conclusion:

In the dynamic world of e-commerce, staying ahead requires attention to detail and continuous improvement. By following this comprehensive checklist brought to you by NinjaTech, you'll be well-equipped to create an e-commerce website that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations. Elevate your online presence with NinjaTech's expertise, and watch your business thrive in the digital marketplace.

Lightroom Mobile: Add Border & Share

A week or two back I saw a question on a Fuji focused Facebook Group.. “Why do many Fuji users add borders on thier images when sharing on Instagram” (further down the post it was clarified to acknowledge that it was not only Fuji users). If you follow my instagram (or have taken a look at it) you will be aware this is how I post my images & have done so for a while. I do notice that it seems to…

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Hamilton's Mobility Android application developers have years of know-how in the mobile application development space and are well acquainted with Android Software Development Kit. For more information to visit our official website https://www.hamiltonkw.com/en/index.php or feel free to contact us.

Digital Entrepreneurship: 10 Zero-Cost Ideas to Kickstart Your Online Business

Discover how to turn your skills and passions into profitable ventures with these 10 zero-cost digital product ideas. From customizable templates to online courses and mobile apps, explore lucrative opportunities in the ever-expanding digital marketplace. Whether you’re an artist, educator, or tech enthusiast, there’s a niche waiting for your unique offerings. Start your journey to digital entrepreneurship today without breaking the bank

1. E-book Guides: Create informative ebooks on topics of interest, such as self-improvement, cooking, or DIY projects. People are always looking for valuable information, and ebooks can cater to their curiosity and desire to learn new skills.

2. Printable Planners: Design printable planners for daily, weekly, or monthly organization. With the increasing demand for productivity tools, individuals are constantly seeking ways to manage their schedules effectively. Printable planners offer a practical solution while allowing for customization based on individual preferences.

3. Digital Art Prints: Showcase your artistic talents by creating digital art prints that can be downloaded and printed for home décor. In today’s visually-driven culture, people are drawn to unique and aesthetically pleasing artwork to adorn their living spaces, making digital art prints a lucrative business idea.

4. Customizable Templates: Develop templates for resumes, business cards, social media posts, and other professional documents. Many individuals lack the design skills or time to create polished documents from scratch, making customizable templates a valuable resource for professionals and entrepreneurs.

5. Online Courses: Share your expertise by offering online courses on platforms like Udemy or Teachable. With the increasing popularity of e-learning, there is a growing demand for courses on various subjects, ranging from photography and graphic design to personal finance and entrepreneurship.

6. Stock Photography: Curate a collection of high-quality stock photos that can be licensed for use in websites, blogs, and marketing materials. Businesses and content creators are always in need of visually appealing imagery to enhance their online presence, presenting a lucrative opportunity for photographers and digital artists.

7. Digital Calendars: Develop digital calendar templates for desktop and mobile devices. In an age where digital organization is paramount, customizable digital calendars offer users a convenient way to plan and manage their schedules efficiently.

8. Mobile Apps: Create simple yet useful mobile apps to solve common problems or cater to niche interests. Whether it’s a fitness tracker, budgeting tool, or language learning app, there is a vast market for mobile apps that provide practical solutions and enhance users’ daily lives.

9. Webinars and Workshops: Host webinars or virtual workshops on topics related to your expertise or interests. With the rise of remote work and online learning, webinars and workshops provide a platform for knowledge sharing and networking opportunities.

10. Digital Music Albums: Produce and distribute digital music albums featuring original compositions or royalty-free tracks. With the increasing popularity of streaming platforms and content creation, there is a demand for high-quality music that can be used in videos, podcasts, and other digital projects.

By leveraging your skills and creativity, you can embark on a digital products business with zero upfront costs, catering to the diverse needs and preferences of today’s digital-savvy consumers.

Hemophilia

TIMING: Present LOCATION: Natural History Museum PARTIES: Inge (@nightmaretist) and Parker (@wonder-in-wings) SUMMARY: Inge goes to the bug exhibit for inspiration on fear. When she gets a cut, however, Parker finds inspiration in her mare blood. CONTENT WARNINGS: None (It's glitter powder blood)

Though Inge certainly preferred museums of art (classical, modern, photography, whatever — no discrimination there), there was something to be said for these types of museums too. There was inspiration to be found here, on top of the information, though Inge cared little for the former. She wanted to see the bugs up close, their leathery wings and shiny scales and whatever teeth-like features they brandished. Google Images just wasn’t the same.

Maybe insects were a cheap trick, in the realm of professional-scare-inducers, but some nights required an easy meal. Humans ordered in when they were too lazy to cook and Inge? Well, she just went the basic route with nightmares sometimes. Hordes of flies. Beetles (insects) crawling over beetles (cars) and then over people. Swirling, squirming maggots. It was easy, effective and still allowed some creativity. 

So here she was, at the beginning of the evening, parading the halls of the natural history museum. Inge didn’t read the plaques, most of the time, but she was interested in learning more. It was with that motivation that she approached one of the employees, offering a polite smile and reading his name on his name-plate. “Good evening … Parker, I’ve been really enjoying the things you have out here on display,” she said, waving her leaflet as she spoke. She hadn’t really cracked that open, either. She’d been busy taking close-up pictures. God bless the modern mobile phone camera and its zoom function! “I just had a silly little question, if you don’t mind?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Which of these little critters freaks people out most? Some of them are real-scary looking, so you know … Is it the spiders?” _____________ Parker checked his watch again - normally he had a rather high capacity for patience when it came to answering the same four questions about the same three species of insect people were either interested in or disgusted by (or at least that’s what he thought but then again, he was the curator so they had to deal with his quirks) but today he was eager to get home where a new acquisition to add to his collection was waiting for him to arrange fashionably in a display. He got them last night but was pressed for time, knowing he had another day at this place so he begrudgingly set what he wanted to do aside. Maybe he should get back into selling. He had an excess of certain pieces and it wasn’t particularly hard for him to obtain more - the idiots and the more affluent enjoyed his art and often paid a pretty penny for them. If he sold more, then he wouldn’t have to worry about this job. That was a question for future Parker, however, and today he stood diligently, having paused in front of one of the immaculately-displayed cases when he was approached by a woman. Usually questions were asked by children and sometimes by their parents if the child was too flustered or embarrassed to ask but he supposed it wasn’t out of the ordinary considering they were on the turn of the hour and fewer families came by the museum as the day drew to a close. So when she approached and he heard his strangely-millennial name come out of her mouth (he really did need to get an adjusted name tag that said “Mr. Wright”), Parker instinctively turned his head so he could hear her to the best of his ability. Ah, the tried-and-true question of ‘which one’s the scariest’. The man inhaled as he let the question sit for a few moments before he straightened up and glanced down to regard her with his blue-eyed stare. “Spiders are the most common fear, yes ma’am.” He placed his hands behind his back and he looked around slowly. “Arachnophobia is one of the more commonly known phobias, affecting anywhere from three to about 15 percent of the population.” He explained. “Half the time it’s because of the legs, the other half of the time it’s from the trauma of being bitten. “A less common and often-underrated one is the centipede.” Parker continued, nodding to a passing display that held several of the long, wormlike creatures. “There are ants, people are often afraid of the sting of a wasp or a bee. However,” He stopped in front of a large, glass tank that had very alive beetles in it that seemed to be tearing the flesh from a large bone that sat in the center of the tank. “Any insect in motion has the potential to frighten.” He looked sideways at her. “Dermestidae. Skin beetles.” _____________ There had been a time, once, where Inge had been afraid of spiders. She would screech her husband’s name and demand he show up with any kind of insect-proof weapon (magazine, broom, hoover, his broad hand). Hendrik had liked playing the savior, had liked his wife in a position where she needed her help and Inge? She had been so easily frightened then, as a mortal.

Four decades of undead life had passed, though, and she’d been haunted by nightmares and plagued others with them in return. She had steeled herself, had made herself a creature that didn’t feel afraid any more out of sheer determination to not be afraid. Desentization was easy when you could create terrifying visions beyond most people’s imaginations. Insects were nothing but friendly creatures that crawled and creeped. Mosquitos didn’t even bite her any more these days.

She wondered if he was bored of the questions. Inge didn’t think herself a boring person but maybe there was something dull about fearing insects. Why fear something smaller than you, after all? Still, she couldn’t judge too harshly: she had certainly left a few people with arachnophobia in her insect-era. These days she preferred haunting people with birds, but maybe for nostalgia’s sake this trip could inspire her to return to some of her more vintage dreams. “Such a large percentage for such harmless creatures, don’t you think?”

She hummed in thought, staring at the multi-legged critters with great interest. The way they moved was a bit trippy, wasn’t it? Of course, these dead ones left little to the imagination. But then there were these beetles, eating the flesh off a bone. Inge leaned closer. “Dermestidae …” The term felt a little foreign in her mouth, and the name skin beetles was certainly one she appreciated more. “They eat flesh?” Now that was inspirational. She narrowed her eyes a little, taking in the display, the meal shared between a bunch of tiny creatures. Something about it was quite beautiful. “Gorgeous.” She stepped back, opening her pamphlet to try and find the creatures in there. Lost in thought, she forgot to be careful about it and as she flipped through, the palm of her hand slid over the paper. Surprisingly sharp, it cut down, producing a minor wound that did not produce red blood, but rather a glint of powdery glitter.  _____________ “They do.” Parker replied first as he leaned in. “Dead flesh.” He normally included that part in his initial explanation but since she was looking for creepy crawlies, he opted to leave it ambiguous for a moment. “They’re used in forensic entomology and taxidermy since they’re so proficient at cleaning bones. We have them here for taxidermy.” He explained as he continued to stare at the horde of beetles, unaware that they were being admired for something that was programmed into them; it was just nature, fascinating in its simplicity. To have such a purpose and be recognized for it, but not with pride, instead simply because it’s what you do. It took him perhaps a little longer than the average person to consider that usually fully grown women didn’t appreciate things like spiders and flesh-eating beetles and Parker straightened up once more, wrenching his gaze off the beetles and looking over to her when he caught something shimmering in her hand. He raised an eyebrow, his face unamused. “What happened, did you spill your lip gloss?” He asked dryly, assuming she opened something and got the material on her palm. Nonetheless, he sighed and reached into his back pocket, pulling out an embroidered handkerchief and offering it to her. “I don’t recommend getting whatever it is on my display, if you please.”

Only dead flesh. A mild disappointment, but Inge wasn’t bound by the limits of the natural world when she was moving things around in people’s dreams. She didn’t comment on it though, too occupied with the newly gained cut on her hand and the liability her lack of blood was. It was so easy to pass as human most of the time, especially with her memory of being a mere mortal so fresh in her mind. But her flesh split as easily and the glittering substance that pushed through her veins spilled just the same. She clutched her hand close, wincing at the pressure.

“No,” she muttered, feeling the bits of energy push against her fingers. Why she didn’t say yes at his question was beyond her, as it could be a good excuse — but this was a strange moment, and his tone grated her. As if she’d be fixing her lipgloss right here and now, as ants devoured the flesh of a bone! She had more depth than that. “Oh, don’t worry. Nothing to spill or stain anything here. You must’ve just caught a glance of my nailpolish.” Her nails were painted a dark blue, with not a glitter in sight. Inge looked at the handkerchief and she shook her head as she kept her hand tightly wrapped close, “No need, really! Very kind of you though.” _____________ She didn’t take his offer. Parker’s brow furrowed as he tilted his head slightly to examine her nails, which were indeed dark blue and non-glittery. He wasn’t COMPLETELY ignorant to body language, however, and her facial expression mixed with how she kept her hand closed, he wondered if, for a moment, she had accidentally shattered something in her hand. “Did you hurt yourself?” He asked, his tone lacking empathy or even curiosity and it gave the impression that Parker asked out of obligation instead of intrigue. “If you got glass in your skin, you obviously know that’s not good. Let me see.” It was less of an offer and more of an instruction as he held his own hand out to take hers in it after he stowed the handkerchief back in its familiar pocket. _____________ She was usually more careful, but who could have anticipated that a stupid museum pamphlet could have done this kind of damage? It wasn’t a large wound, but it was one all the same and if Inge was to spread her fingers this Parker would see not a mess of blood but something else instead. She looked at him, trying to gauge his tone and how strange it would be for her to simply walk off, turn a corner or two and escape onto the plane. 

“No, I’m fine.” His tone was insistent, though, and Inge curled her hand tighter, some bits of glitter spilling through. She pulled it to her chest, where it rested with its knuckles facing him. Curious people were so very annoying sometimes. “Why would there be glass in my skin? Continue telling me about the bugs, please.”  _____________ It wasn’t relegated to her hand anymore as he noticed some more of the fine glittery substance sparkling in the light of the display as it floated to the ground. His furrow increased and he found himself starting to get irritated with her display of coyness - either she was trying to elicit further curiosity from him about what she was insistent on hiding away from view or downplaying the severity of something that suddenly transpired when he wasn’t looking. “I don’t know why there’d be glass in your skin unless you did something to warrant glass in your skin.” Parker replied curtly, the answer seeming obvious. He even pushed aside her wanting him to tell her more about his beloved specimens; if she wanted curiosity, he would oblige. Without asking again or for permission and in a highly controlled movement, Parker’s hand reached her arm and his fingers wrapped themselves around her thin wrist. As he did so, he heard his mother scolding him in his head, about how he shouldn’t ever lay his hands on a woman but that’s all it was, a voice in his head. She was hiding something from him and getting glitter on his floor and while it wasn’t his intention to hurt her, his drive for answers (and possibly to override her passing off a potentially serious injury) overrode his chivalry. Firmly but not roughly, he both pulled her hand to him and took a step to close the space between them and his blue eyes scanned her fingers, his other hand gently starting to force the balled fist to open up. “What… is this?” He breathed as her hand was unclenched and he saw a thin line in her flesh where it seemed as though she acquired a laceration of some sort but there wasn’t any blood. Instead was more of the fine, glittery powder that positively covered her hand as though it were blood. Parker stared at the stuff, his expression softening as it was clear that it went from irritated to intrigued, almost enamored. “What is this?” He repeated his question as his eyes danced on her hand. _____________ This took her by surprise. Ingeborg had expected that social rules and conventions would simply keep Parker from pushing further. If she didn’t want to show her hand (both literally and figuratively), he’d surely let it be — that was what normal people did, after all. But here he was, skillfully taking her wrist and pulling her close. She protested, “Hey, what the fuck,” and her eyes widened as she tugged without avail. Not that she tugged especially hard, not wanting to kickstart a fight with a man who was quite obviously stronger than her. Inge fought best by manipulation, putting people to sleep and not-fighting.

“Stop that,” she said, voice as firm as her touch, but he was pigheaded and determined. A typical man, she thought, and she struggled with her blue nails against his own presumably dry fingers. He probably didn’t even moisturize. Despite her resistance her fingers were forced open, the cut on her hand apparent as well as the glitter that fell to the floor. Inge let her hand grow slack and watched his facial expression change. He didn’t respond as a slayer might (which had somewhat become a nagging background fear of hers, the other’s insistence ringing paranoid bells) which was good, but it was strange. Off-putting, if she wasn’t the type to be intrigued by strange things too.

As he stared at her hand, she pulled it from his grasp, pushing forward and pressing her index finger against his chest. “That was very rude,” she snapped, glittery powder sticking to his clothing. “And not at all how one is supposed to treat their patrons.” With that out of the way, Inge considered his question and what answer to give. Most people wouldn’t believe him if she told the truth and any lie would be obvious. She went for condescension and blame, “This is the result of the paper choice of your pamphlets. You need softer paper.” _____________ He had gotten a nice, solid look at whatever it was on the woman’s hand before she pulled away, predictably upset though he didn’t exactly come out of the exchange without some latent annoyance of his own as he glanced down and saw some of the shimmery residue on his neat outfit when she pushed him back, looking like an obnoxious child approached him and rubbed a birthday card across his stomach. “It’s not my choice of paper for the pamphlet.” Parker replied simply, now holding up one of his own hands that had some of the stuff on it, his brow furrowed with questions. “You know what else is rude?” Parker’s gaze snapped back to her, or rather, her hand. “Getting whatever this is on me.” He glanced up at the camera that lingered in the corner of the room for a moment before he casually and expertly took a few steps over so that he was obstructing her from its view. “If you aren’t going to bleed normally, nonhuman, I recommend exercising caution when you do things.” He whispered, his head turning slightly as he spoke to anticipate her response in equal measure of tone. “That’s what this is, right?” He took a guess, considering she had an obvious cut on her palm but if it WAS blood, it was certainly nonstandard and she didn’t seem like a magician, otherwise she would’ve been more showy with her performance. _____________ This was disastrous, but certainly not the most disastrous situation Inge had gotten herself into. As life was lived with whimsy and little consideration for consequence, it happened more often than she liked to admit that she got in some kind of trouble. She’d feed off hunters, mess with people’s dreams so much that they’d figure out who she was in the waking world, show up to a funeral with all her family present without looking like she’d aged a day since her divorce three decades ago. Subtlety was an art for cowards, she found. Besides, most of the time humans were stupid enough to believe that they had misread a situation or seen something wrong — their denial of anything supernatural existing was stronger than some of the proof they were faced with. Not in this case, though, which was disconcerting. Intriguing, if not unsettling.

“It wouldn’t be on you if you hadn’t manhandled me like that,” she bristled in return, not bothering too much now with trying to stop the bleeding. The cut wasn’t too deep, and she was much more focused on this very strange individual. She groaned, clearly annoyed, “Gee thanks, old man. Your obvious advice will be taken into account. Most people would just have left me to my devices, so I was perfectly cautious. I didn’t expect this museum’s staff to be so very inconsiderate of normal human boundaries.” Inge narrowed her eyes, considering her options. “I take offense to you not calling my bleeding normal. But sure. Nonhuman. Sure.” What was he, though, to know that there was even such a thing as nonhuman-yet-human-appearing creatures out there? Inge wasn’t an insect, so she was hardly his field of study.  _____________ “You didn’t just show me.” Parker replied, his tone taking that familiar hint of irritability to it, almost as though they were bickering about whose job it was to do the dishes and they weren’t complete strangers, one of which was bleeding glitter and the other admittedly broke the rules and placed his hands on a museum-goer. “If you had just shown me, we might not be in this situation.” He cast a brief glance to the floor. “You’re getting glitter everywhere.” He stared at her once more, his gaze narrowing and he had a thought that went through his mind. He ignored her comments about being old, as well as the comment about his nonstandard treatment of her. “Okay so if it’s normal bleeding then what are you.” Parker rubbed two of his fingers together, feeling the powdery texture of the shimmery solid. He wanted to smell it but even he knew better and instead just examined it closely. “You aren’t fae, that’s for sure. “Actually… I don’t need to know. You don’t have to tell me, though I’d like to know.” He looked down at her past his hand. “I’m willing to compensate you for a vial of this.” It was true; he’d never seen it before but it fascinated him, as did most things he didn’t know about involving the supernatural. Was she one-of-a-kind? She mentioned that it wasn’t abnormal so perhaps it was common with whatever species she was. Either way, he was willing to pay her to obtain some. _____________ “You should really be better at respecting someone’s personal boundaries. Especially when you’re at work. It’s very concerning, you know? What if I went to your manager about it?” She wouldn’t, considering she had just had something exposed herself that she’d rather keep somewhat quiet. Inge glanced down at the steady drizzle of glitter on the floor. She made a point of flexing her fingers so the cut widened, making more glitter drop down. It clearly bothered him and he bothered her, so it seemed only fair. “Oops.”

She wondered what this Parker was, with his seemingly shallow knowledge of the supernatural and his incessant, annoying curiosity. She grimaced at his questions, sending it right back at him, “What are you?” Maybe he was a spellcaster. Ingeborg had encountered one before, who’d been after her blood. But there had been no show of magic, nothing to insinuate that he had any supernatural power to wield over her.

But he was a collector. She looked at him with confused intrigue, raising an eyebrow. “You just want me to give you my blood for money? Sketchy. Really fucking sketchy.” She wasn’t sure if mareblood contained DNA, but if it did she wasn’t going to give it to a stranger. Never mind that she was dripping it all over the floor of the museum he worked at and that if he was really desperate, he could try and sweep it up. Inge pressed the palm of her hand against her side, refusing to offer any more of her blood. “Why? What will you do with it? No, really, what are you?”  _____________ She certainly wasn’t afraid of him, despite her empty threats about going to his manager and he pursed his lips as her miniature shower of powder sprinkled down from her hand, like the dust from pixies he’d encountered on more than one occasion before. Mischievous. Messy. She did it to bother him. “I’m a collector,” Parker replied simply at first, now trying to distract himself by looking down at the powder on his jacket once more, studying it, trying to get a feel for its consistency and how difficult it would be to remove from it. The hunter knew that that wasn’t what she was asking though. Her skin wasn’t warm but her existence didn’t instinctively turn his blood over in his veins so either she was incredibly skilled at hiding her being a fae or, the much more likely option, she wasn’t a fae as he initially surmised. Parker then wondered, as he picked flecks of powder off him with a measure of futility though the repetitive action gave him a semblance of control, if he should tell the woman what he was aside from a collector. “I’m a Warden.” He ultimately decided that he wasn’t afraid of her, nor were either of them in a position to make a scene. “And I have no interest in doing anything with your blood aside from putting it in an aesthetically-pleasing bottle and setting it on my shelf.” He raised an eyebrow and slowly looked at her again with his blue-eyed stare. “I understand my request is unusual but I hold respect and admiration for beautiful things and this…” Parker stooped slightly, cupping his hand just under hers and catching some of the glimmery powder in his palm. “Is beautiful.” _____________ A collector. She wanted to open her mouth, ask for more details, but it seemed he was coming to a point. As if the truth was something valuable to give away — and it often was, wasn’t it? It was in this shadowy side of the world, anyway, where people who looked like human weren’t that and had to omit parts of their identities. When the shoe fell and he revealed himself to be a warden, Inge fought the urge to take a step back. Wardens weren’t slayers, but they were hunters all the same. And though she hadn’t deep ties to fae community, there was still the principle of it all. “A fucking hunter.” There were too many here.

But he went on to talk, did not produce a knife or an ax or anything else sharp enough to undo her head from her shoulders. No salt, either. He was so calm, so intrigued, and though Ingeborg would not be caught undead trusting a hunter there seemed to be little maliciousness here. He didn’t even touch her to keep her grounded, an escape route still at her disposal if she wanted to take the coward’s way out. The threat wasn’t high yet. No blades were drawn, and as the papercut on her hand continued to drizzle he just cupped his hand. Called it beautiful.

What a strange man. Inge hadn’t many individuals who considered the nature of a mare beautiful. Sanne and her had reveled in it, watching their skin shine under the bright summer sun, staring in each other’s red glowing eyes, meeting each other in the plane before landing. She thought it beautiful, what she was, but so many disagreed — from the cowering mortals to all those other hunters, the ones with knives and axes and whatnot. “Why collect? I understand the appreciation, but it doesn’t befit a hunter.” Now she was interested too, looking down at the stooping hunter. “I agree. It’s beautiful, but your ilk? Your kind? They’d prefer to spill as much of this as possible. Not put it on their personal display.” Her hand retracted. “So, what’s your deal?” _____________ It was Parker’s turn not to display his fear of her, not knowing what she was but having enough confidence in his own skills that he could probably stave her off if she wanted to attack as he placed himself in a vulnerable position before her. He figured that his behavior was passive enough that she would get the impression that he didn’t want to fight, which wasn’t untrue; indeed, no matter where he went and evidently how he asked for the acquisition of materials and collectibles, he gave people the impression that he was a murderer. “I’d prefer not to be painted with the same brush as other hunters.” He explained as he straightened back up when she pulled her hand away. “I collect because I hold appreciation for beauty.” Parker repeated, answering the question as though it were obvious. He looked down at the powder in his hand, moving lightly as though it were liquid but it was solid and still glittering in the light. It seemed almost as though it were the smoke from liquid nitrogen. “I’ve never encountered someone like you before and you aren’t actively hurting anyone so I’ve no need to stop you.” He tilted his head ever-so-slightly, his blue eyes dancing on the glinting in his palm. “Fighting and violence tend to lessen the quality of the body and its properties.” He paused. “And it’s a waste of blood.” He looked at her again. “And most importantly, I don’t make deals.” He made sure to emphasize this as he finished his miniature explanation. Though he wouldn’t say it and it wasn’t any of his business at the moment, he also hoped she didn’t say that often with other people; deals were dangerous, though she probably didn’t know that. _____________ Why should she extend that kind of courtesy to a hunter when they never did to those they hunted? They got out their weapons and committed their violence compulsively, as if they had nothing else to do in their boring, shitty lives. As Inge stared at the hunter and laughed at his stupid demand, she wondered where she should go next. This town was getting ridiculous. Too many God damned hunters, and here was one more who knew her face. “I hope you get how ironic that request is,” she said, head shaking as if she was amused. She wasn’t, though: she was just really bitter. 

While some of the things he was saying were intriguing, there was that typical hunter entitlement — she wasn’t hurting anyone so he didn’t have to hurt her. They, and their damned monopoly on violence! Ingeborg rolled her eyes. “How lucky I am, that you’re not stopping me.” But the fact that he didn’t know what she was might be a good sign, as she thought it lowered the risk he posed. She had no intention of letting him in on what she actually was. 

Her head turned, taking him in. A strange little man, but intriguing. “What else do you collect?” He was a warden, so were his shelves lined with the blood of fae? Inge could understand an appreciation for beauty with her background in art. What was beautiful to her was ugly to plenty of others, though, but she had a feeling Parker's tastes weren't conventional either. ”Will you show me? If I'm going to offer my blood to you then I want to know what collection I'll be a part of.”  _____________ The woman laughed. He didn’t blame her; he couldn’t hear some of the things she said very well but he could recognize the sense of superiority in her tone - so many of them, especially fae, felt as though they were above humans because of their abilities, their natures, their extended lifespans and habits. The woman who stood before him, bleeding glitter from her palm, didn’t seem to be an exception the way she bristled at his inquiries, refusing to answer his question about what she was even though he said she didn’t have to answer. Parker supposed that was a good thing, that way he was already accustomed to the disappointment of beating around the bush. But her derogatory comments, while not explicitly bothering him, did have him asking questions that he would evidently have to find answers for elsewhere. When she had asked about what else Parker collected, the taller man looked behind him briefly at the camera once more before turning to regard her once more. He inhaled through his nose, deeply, calmly, his unwavering gaze on her as once more he weighed the positives and negatives of being forward with her. He had been so far and the most retaliation he got was comments about hunters as a whole, not him specifically. “I can show you, if you’d like.” He replied first. It was a gamble and he wasn’t sure if he was willing to take the risk but he could certainly go halfway and show her some of his more specific specimens if she was curious. He had photos. “Tell me what you are and I’ll tell you what I collect.” Parker decided that he couldn’t risk that information, not there, not at that moment in time. His assortment of beautifully-arranged fae wings was truly precious to him and he had long since gotten used to the looks of disgust his fascination earned him, whether it was bugs or fae wings or any other strange thing he acquired from the supernatural. “...It’s not bodies.” _____________ “I thought you said you didn’t make deals,” Inge pointed out calmly, raising her eyebrows. “This sounds an awful lot like a deal.” It wasn’t one she wanted to make, at least not on his terms and with his demands. If a hunter didn’t know anything about mares it ought to remain that way, didn’t it? She could already count two hunters in town who did know, one of which had left a nasty incision on her upper arm which was obstructed from view by her summer dress. If she was to remain in Wicked’s Rest for a while longer, then she would prefer that this Parker wasn’t in the know about her nature.

Because if he knew, perhaps he would decide that she was actively hurting people. And though Ingeborg didn’t like to think of the things she did to others as hurting, she recognized the way it looked to others. Small-minded mortals would never quite be able to grasp it though, wouldn’t they? It wasn’t worth explaining. It would be a waste of breath, even if she was a creature that didn’t require breath.

Luckily her nature didn’t keep her from lying. “But fine. You’ve piqued my curiosity.” The corners of her lips twitched as he said it wasn’t bodies he collected. Inge didn’t think he’d be able to kill her anyway, so it wasn’t her prime concern. They probably had their respective body count, though, but it wasn’t worth discussing. “I’m a kind of succubus. There aren’t a lot of us, as far as I’m aware. I don’t age.” Best not to deny the immortality bit. Inge was already wondering if she ought to have opted for something else, but she was fanciful and thought there was something fun about this one. “Have you ever met a demon before, Parker?”  _____________ “I don’t.” He replied quickly and with the same level of assertion that he had used before. “I’m proposing an exchange.” Parker didn’t expect that this non-fae would be able to recognize the difference, even if the difference was literal wording. The fae played games, assumed people were too stupid to know better and, of course, tended to take things very literally. Fae word games were never one of Parker’s weaknesses, as he also tended to take things very literally. That was neither here nor there though and as the curator kept glancing down at the powder in his hand when, at long last, she answered his question. Parker’s blue eyes flickered to her face, dancing over her features as though trying to see if there was a nonverbal indicator that she was lying - it had gotten easier over the years to tell when a fae was, as their reactions were immediate and often instinctual. She wasn’t a fae, obviously, but his habit of observation was just that. “I have now.” He wondered if succubus blood was worth the effort he was going through right now. He also wondered if she was benefiting from their interaction right now - as far as meeting any potential demons went, Parker certainly could’ve met a worse vice or sin. “You don’t age. How old are you?” _____________

Inge wasn’t very familiar with fae magic, though she had picked up some things here and there. One of her aliases had been lost at the hands of a clever-tongued creature a decade or two back. No matter. She’d changed it to something else before changing it again, never sticking with one name or town for too long. Parker had to be more of an expert, considering the type of creatures he went after and that had to be what he was getting at. To Inge, in this moment, it mattered little. She wasn’t fae and neither was he.

And he was gullible, because he took her at her word. Fair enough, she supposed: succubi were actually discussed among humans, whereas the existence of mares wasn’t as well-known. Unlike vampires and zombies, they didn’t have a large amount of pop culture ruining their reputation either, unless one was to consider that Sandman something of a mare.  Inge hadn’t watched the show out of principle. “Honored to be the first one,” she said, the lie so easily told. Life for Inge was constant fabrication, the same way dreams were.

Her head shook. “No, I’ve looked like this for quite some time.” Now the question was how far she should take this lie. Inge knew a thing or two of the history before her time, but hardly in the same way immortals who had lived through it had. “That’s such a delightfully human question. My body is thirty three years old, and my spirit?” She shrugged. “It feels infinite. But some centuries old. I’ve not always existed on this plane, though.” Inge narrowed her eyes a little. “Your collection?” _____________ Parker would’ve crossed his arms had he not been holding some of the glimmering blood in his hands still; her story was outlandish and while he didn’t exactly find the supposed knowledge that demons existed, the way she spoke definitely had this air of mystique about it. Perhaps she was foolishly proud of what she was but as far as he could tell or care, the only remarkable thing about her was her blood. And she said there weren’t many succubi around so that only increased his desire for it. If she was so old, what was a little blood loss to her? Surely she could simply possess another vessel once hers expired, wasn’t that how demons worked? At least, wasn’t that how they worked according to the books he’d read? He had questions but none of them were questions that burned with such intensity that he was willing to maintain conversation for too much longer. “Specifically, fae wings.” He placed one of his hands behind his back; he would’ve done both of them but at this point, he wasn’t sure if she was going to be giving him any more of the fine shimmery powder so he didn’t want to carelessly dump it onto the ground. “Non-lethally, preferably. As I said, fighting and violence lessen the quality of them.” Parker regarded the succubus with a rather mild expression. “I’d show you but if this is all I’m being offered, I’d rather get it into a bottle.” _____________ She took in the information offered as if it was something precious, considering each and every side of it. Inge had never seen a fae in their true form and it was something that intrigued her. And though she had some principles and a hunter getting wings off creatures that most likely favored them went against them, she had become the type of person who let her personal whims take hold over whatever morals still resided. Besides, she was hardly aiding and abetting whatever fucked up hobbies he had if she were to see it.

Inge was always looking for inspiration after all, as her art imitated life and thus life was lived in the name of art. This could prove to be a bountiful excursion. She wondered what instruments he used to sever the wings off the fae he found. “Is it fair to presume that they don’t often give them to you willingly?” There was no judgment in her tone even if she felt it somewhere deep within her being. 

She opened her hand, leveled it between them and watched the not-blood for a moment. It didn’t really tend to scab, but it seemed to have grown a little harder. “Alright. Parker-who-makes-no-deals, you have a deal. When you give me the address of where your collection is, as I assume it’s not here, then I’ll fill a nice, small bottle with my blood for you. Consider the bits I spilled a freebie.” She smiled and extended her bloody hand. “And my name is Inge, for the record.” _____________ He hadn’t realized that he was a little stiffer than he originally thought as he waited for her response. “Sometimes they do.” Parker replied formally not untruthfully - while he had the ability to lie, he oftentimes didn’t, finding some unfortunate similarities with fae in that he simply left information out for the purposes of easing through a conversation. Curiously, he didn’t hear dismissal or judgment in her voice, though from her other behaviors displayed so far he’d have thought that she would’ve been a little more reactionary to the information he just shared with her. Observant blue eyes kept themselves on her figure, especially her hand and he didn’t look back at her face until she held it out for him to shake. Naturally, Parker hesitated at first - with her throwing around words like ‘deal’ and give’, his brain quickly ran through the list of prerequisites and stipulations that had been hammered into him from a young age. She wasn’t fae, he had to keep reminding himself of that so words were just words when it came to exchanges between them. She could hold him to words but she had no power to control him, succubus or no. Eventually though, he did turn the hand that had the blood on it sideways, the dust sprinkling onto the ground like the particles in a shaken snowglobe, and took the woman’s hand. “I shall notify you of the address when I organize the space.” Parker gave a small nod. “I still suggest you not make deals though, Ms. Inge.” He left the advice as it was, his brain now buzzing with new prospects - he would need to allocate a spot for her blood, wondering where he should put it, which specimens to ferret away and wondering if perhaps he should have a gallery on the side specifically for this purpose, if only so he didn’t introduce people to his home or the Bunker. “How else may I assist you today?” _____________ There were plenty of things distasteful about the other, Inge thought, but he offered her something not many others could. Something that might shake her a little, grant her a feeling of horror. Not many things did these days, and though the fear of others was intoxicating she sometimes longed to feel it for herself. And thus, it was easy to overlook his status as hunter, his potentially sadistic methods and even his rude behavior in favor of a shake of their hands. Besides, she was no saint either.

“Sounds good with me. I can be found online,” she said, nodding in return. “In my years I’ve learned a few things about fae, though, but thank you all the same.” Those dangerous words were marked with a wink but Inge was quick to shake her head in dismissal after. “No, I think I’ve got everything I came here for. I’ll want to look after this anyway.” She lifted her marred hand slightly. “But I’ll see you later.” And with that, she turned on her heel, making her way through the halls of the museum and feeling some kind of exhilaration burst through the usual veil of numbness.

Creative Careers 101: Building a Portfolio That Opens Doors

Creating a portfolio is an essential step for anyone looking to forge a successful career in creative fields such as graphic design, writing, photography, art, and many others. A well-crafted portfolio not only showcases your work and skills but also communicates your personal brand and professional journey. Here's a comprehensive guide on building a portfolio that opens doors to new opportunities.

Understand Your Goals and Audience

Before you start compiling your portfolio, it’s crucial to identify your career objectives and understand the audience you’re targeting. Are you looking for freelance projects, aiming for a full-time position in a specific industry, or seeking admission to an educational program? Each goal may require a slightly different approach to presenting your work. Knowing your audience—whether potential clients, employers, or admission officers—helps tailor your portfolio to their expectations and needs.

Select Your Best Work

Your portfolio should be a curated collection of your best work, not everything you’ve ever created. Choose projects that demonstrate your skills, creativity, and range of abilities. It's better to have a smaller number of high-quality, diverse pieces than to fill your portfolio with similar projects or work of lesser quality. Aim for a variety that showcases different styles, mediums, or genres you're proficient in, as this can illustrate your versatility and adaptability.

Tell the Story Behind Each Project

For each piece you include, provide context and a narrative. Explain the project's objectives, your role, the process you followed, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. This storytelling approach does more than just display your work; it offers insight into your problem-solving abilities, creativity, and work ethic. It can also highlight your growth as a professional by illustrating how you’ve tackled various challenges.

Focus on Presentation

The way you present your work can be as important as the work itself. Ensure your portfolio is well-organized and easy to navigate. Use high-quality images or clear, readable text, and consider the layout and design of your portfolio. It should reflect your personal brand and style, with a consistent theme, color scheme, and font choice. An aesthetically pleasing and professional presentation can significantly impact the viewer's perception of your work.

Go Digital

In today’s digital age, having an online portfolio is a must. It allows you to reach a wider audience and makes your work accessible to potential clients and employers worldwide. There are several platforms and website builders specifically designed for creating portfolios, such as Behance, Adobe Portfolio, and Squarespace. Make sure your online portfolio is mobile-friendly, as many people browse the internet on their phones.

Update Regularly

Your portfolio should be a living document that evolves with your career. Regularly update it with new projects, and don’t hesitate to remove older works that no longer represent your best or most relevant work. Keeping your portfolio current ensures that potential clients or employers are seeing your latest and greatest achievements.

Solicit Feedback

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on your portfolio from peers, mentors, or professionals in your field. Constructive criticism can offer new perspectives and insights on improving your presentation or which pieces to include. Additionally, engaging with your community can lead to valuable connections and opportunities.

Personalize Your Portfolio for Opportunities

Whenever possible, tailor your portfolio to the specific opportunity you’re pursuing. This might mean emphasizing certain projects or skills that are particularly relevant or rearranging your work to lead with the most pertinent examples. Personalizing your portfolio demonstrates your genuine interest in the opportunity and can make a stronger impression on the viewer.

In conclusion, a well-designed portfolio is a powerful tool for opening doors in creative careers. It not only showcases your work but also tells the story of your professional journey, abilities, and potential. By understanding your goals and audience, selecting your best work, focusing on presentation, and continuously updating your portfolio, you can create a compelling showcase that captures the attention of potential clients, employers, and opportunities.

BuzzWire Media: Your Premier Michigan Media Agency for Digital Excellence

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From our prime location in Westland, MI, we are your go-to source for digital marketing solutions, including e-commerce and mobile-friendly web designs, and digital storytelling. Our aim is to make your brand stand out in the digital space.

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At BuzzWire Media, we view ourselves as more than just a media agency; we are your partners in digital growth. Offering a wide range of services from brand development to online marketing, we bring the expertise needed for your brand to thrive online.

Choose BuzzWire Media for a blend of creativity, innovation, and strategic insight. Visit our website or our Westland office to begin your journey towards digital transformation with a partner committed to your brand's success.

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