I’m an artist. Not one you’ve heard of, though that may be changing soon. Being an artist is about creation, not about commercial success. I wouldn’t mind getting the occasional acceptance mixed in with the constant stream of rejection, of course, but it’s a process.
A long process. They say that most artists don’t become famous until after they’re dead. I’d always hoped that I’d make it slightly before that.
I graduated last year with an MFA from a relatively prestigious institution, along with a dozen other folks who convinced themselves that an insurmountable pile of debt was the best way to jump right into the starving artist lifestyle. We were, as mentioned, a small class, so we all went to each other’s showings and were generally supportive, but I was only really friends with two of the others, Jerrod and Albina.
The three of us ended up rooming together for the last year of the program, and we kept that going post-graduation. Having other folks in the house who look through the mail with the same mix of hope and trepidation is surprisingly helpful. Alone, it’s easy to simply look at everyone else’s filtered life and assume that you’re the only one failing. When you come down in the morning to find your roommate crying in her cornflakes because her last eleven submissions haven’t even gotten the courtesy of a rejection letter, it’s a little easier to see that this is just how life goes sometimes.
One of our favorite Friday night activities was going to local galleries to see who they had on display. There were a few reasons for this. One, it gave us a good idea of what they liked to show, helping us hone our own submissions. Two, it was very cathartic to be catty about what had been picked. Three, a lot of the galleries had free hors d’oeuvres and wine.
I guess four, we liked art, but honestly it was hard to remember that sometimes. Sometimes looking at other people’s finished canvases just made me angry. What made them able to decide that they were done? What made other people agree that they were worth hanging on the wall? What justified the astronomical price tags next to them?
I’m not saying that this was anything but jealousy. I’m just saying that art and I are in a complicated relationship.
About a month ago, we went to a newly-opened gallery, Souhait. It was the usual setup: tall glass windows in front showcasing the art placed strategically on bright white walls within. It had the standard mix of oddly angled separators allowing the patrons to wander slowly through the room and discover the paintings one at a time. Basically it looked like every other gallery, but as it was a new opening it had better wine than most.
I was taking a casual tour of the perimeter when Jerrod appeared at my elbow.
“Hey, congratulations!” he said. “You weren’t going to tell us? I can’t believe you managed to keep this a secret.”
“Sorry, what?”
“Oh, yeah, ‘what’ indeed.” He steered me around several corners to where Albina was admiring a painting. “‘There’s a new gallery opening, we should all go, no reason.’ Congrats!”
I stared at the painting in disbelief. It was one of mine.
I was certain that I hadn’t submitted to this gallery. I hadn’t even heard of it until Albina had mentioned that it was opening. I would have remembered receiving a letter of acceptance, and I definitely would have remembered delivering a painting. None of these things had happened.
And yet there my art was on the wall. It had my signature, and my name displayed next to it on a card. I knew the piece. I’d done it two or three years ago. It was good, very representative of my style at the time, but I’d moved on and had stopped trying to get it displayed a while ago. The last I had seen it, it was six or seven canvases deep in a stack of pieces that I had nowhere else to put.
It was fairly obvious that that was not the case now. The proof was on the wall in front of me.
Albina and Jerrod were both praising me, so I just smiled and made vaguely humble comments. I must have submitted it. It wasn’t like someone had broken into our apartment and stolen a single piece of my art. It was both confusing and concerning that I couldn’t recall offering it to this gallery, but it was the only explanation that made sense.
I was still trying to puzzle this out when another familiar piece caught my eye. I nudged Jerrod. “Oh, so I’m the one keeping secrets?”
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I pointed across the floor. His eyes widened as he saw the same thing I had: one of his paintings neatly framed and prominently displayed.
“I didn’t even know you’d finished that one,” I said. “I swear I saw you working on it like two days ago.”
“Yeah,” he said, sounding a bit lost. “I was.”
“How’d you get the gallery to take it before it was even done?”
“Oh my God, look!” said Albina.
In the back corner of the gallery, occupying an entire corner, was a small collection of Albina’s work. It was expertly curated. I’d watched her develop her style for years, and the eight paintings chosen here perfectly encapsulated the entire range. Clusters of people kept gathering in front of them, and I saw more than one slip off to speak to the gallery owner about purchasing a piece.
“Albi, these are amazing,” I told her after we finally managed to get close enough to see them all properly. “This—some of these are absolute perfection. I don’t think I’ve even seen all of them.”
“Seriously, when did you do all of this?” asked Jerrod. “Some of these are definitely new. Unless you have a secret studio you’ve been hiding from us?”
He narrowed his eyes at her in mock suspicion. She laughed, shoving him lightly, but behind her smile I saw the same confusion that I’d heard in Jerrod’s voice, the same that I’d felt myself. None of us knew that our work was going to be on display here. Something was very odd.
We didn’t talk about it then. Oddity or not, our art and our names were on display, and there were free drinks to toast with. We refilled our glasses, congratulated each other effusively, wandered the gallery for a bit and then did it all again. By the time we were walking home, all concerns had vanished from all of our minds. We were successful! We could figure out how and why later.
The next morning, Albina was dead.
I woke up late with a hangover. Jerrod woke up later, looking even rougher than I did. There was nothing resembling breakfast anywhere in the apartment, so we sat and sipped our coffee silently. Albina’s door was open, and I think we both hoped that she’d gone out to get bagels or something and that we would shortly be provided for.
She wasn’t answering texts, and Jerrod and I were just starting to get concerned when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a policeman asking if we knew Albina Shevchenko, and if we had contact information for her family, and if we could come identify the body.
It had been a hit and run. She’d been dead by the time witnesses had gotten to her. No one had seen the car’s license plate. The police didn’t even pretend that there was a chance of justice.
They gave us her effects, including what remained of a bag of bagels. Somehow that was the worst part for me. She’d gone out to get something to celebrate with us. It made us complicit.
At the funeral, the priest spoke about her giving spirit and her wonderful personality, but most of all he spoke about her massive artistic talent. He went on at length about what she could have created if she had not had her span cut short. The entire gathering nodded along with him.
Jerrod and I exchanged looks. It wasn’t that he was wrong. She was amazing, and eventually the world would have known about her. It’s just that that hadn’t happened yet. The three of us were, as far as we could tell, the only ones really aware of how much potential we had. If everyone knew this about her, why had she been scraping by in a dingy apartment with us, trying to get enough money together to buy more art supplies?
“We should go back to Souhait,” Jerrod said after the funeral. “The gallery owner probably doesn’t know. We’ll need to get her pieces back before he trashes them when she doesn’t respond.”
Our trip was unnecessary. The gallery owner had Albina’s obituary blown up to large size and prominently displayed next to a tremendous collection of her work. It covered entire walls of the gallery, each piece with an explanatory card discussing when and why she had painted it. Where the prices had been on the cards, every single one was marked “SOLD.”
I was looking around for the owner to ask where he was sending the money when Jerrod grabbed my arm.
“Look,” he said, half-whispering.
Arranged in a neat circle on one wall were a dozen of his paintings.
“I don’t know that I want to be on display here,” he said. He sounded frightened.
“Then take them back. They’re your pieces.”
“Are they?” He pointed. “I never finished that one. That’s how I wanted it to look, but I couldn’t get it right. I swear I never completed it. And there! I never painted that. I thought of it, I knew it in my head, but I have never put brush to canvas for it. Not even to start it.
“How could they have any of this? How could anyone?” His voice was rapidly rising toward hysteria.
“Hey, let’s get you out of here,” I said, putting an arm around his shoulders. “We’ll come back tomorrow and get them taken down if you want. We’re all running on fumes right now.”
Privately, I thought again about the piece that Souhait had of mine. I’d never gotten around to looking for it at the apartment. Things had been a blur since Albi’s death. I wondered how this gallery had so much of our stuff. I wondered what else had been taken.
Back at home, Jerrod rummaged through his artwork, hunting for something.
“See?” he said finally, holding up a canvas. “I told you. It isn’t done.”
He was holding up something that could have been an early attempt at one of the pieces we’d seen in the gallery. It was the same general idea, but the colors weren’t right and the composition didn’t gel. Also, as he’d said, it was clearly incomplete. Parts of the canvas still showed through in some areas. It wasn’t what was hanging on the walls.
“I told you,” he repeated. “How can they have art I never finished?”
I tried to get him to calm down. I sat him down on the couch and poured him a drink. We’d go back in the morning, I said. We’d find the owner. We’d sort all of this out. It was a problem for tomorrow, not for this evening. Not right after a funeral.
I thought I’d gotten him to agree with me. I poured us both another drink. Somewhere in the middle of that one, I fell asleep on the couch.
When I woke up, Jerrod was gone.
Just one of those things, the police said. Wrong place at the wrong time. He’d been mugged. His credit cards and phone were gone. He’d bled out in the street. He was almost halfway to Souhait.
I went there to get his art taken down, like he’d wanted. They’d already expanded the collection. His photo smiled down at me from the main wall, next to an obituary lauding his talent, his bold innovation, his novelty. The rest of the gallery was plastered with his work. I recognized some of the paintings he’d been rifling through at the apartment the previous day. Most had already been sold.
And on the back wall, in a small but well-lit section by themselves, hung six of my paintings. The one that I’d seen the first night was there, along with two others I was particularly proud of. If I’d been asked to pick three pieces to best represent who I was and who I had been as an artist, those might have been them.
The other three bore my signature, but I did not paint them. Not yet. Like Jerrod, I knew the subject matter in them. I had thought of them, conceived them, and even made some attempts to put them to canvas, but they had never come out like I’d imagined. I’d set them aside to try again later, when I had better supplies, when I was better.
Yet here they hung, complete and perfect, exactly as I had pictured them. It was a triumph of my craft.
It was beautiful to see what I could become, given enough time.
It’s just too bad that I don’t have it.
Most artists don’t become famous until after they’re dead.

I’m an artist. Not one you’ve heard of, though that may be changing soon. Being an artist is about creation, not about commercial success. I wouldn’t mind getting the occasional acceptance mixed in with the constant stream of rejection, of course, but it’s a process.
A long process. They say that most artists don’t become famous until after they’re dead. I’d always hoped that I’d make it slightly before that.
I graduated last year with an MFA from a relatively prestigious institution, along with a dozen other folks who convinced themselves that an insurmountable pile of debt was the best way to jump right into the starving artist lifestyle. We were, as mentioned, a small class, so we all went to each other’s showings and were generally supportive, but I was only really friends with two of the others, Jerrod and Albina.
The three of us ended up rooming together for the last year of the program, and we kept that going post-graduation. Having other folks in the house who look through the mail with the same mix of hope and trepidation is surprisingly helpful. Alone, it’s easy to simply look at everyone else’s filtered life and assume that you’re the only one failing. When you come down in the morning to find your roommate crying in her cornflakes because her last eleven submissions haven’t even gotten the courtesy of a rejection letter, it’s a little easier to see that this is just how life goes sometimes.
One of our favorite Friday night activities was going to local galleries to see who they had on display. There were a few reasons for this. One, it gave us a good idea of what they liked to show, helping us hone our own submissions. Two, it was very cathartic to be catty about what had been picked. Three, a lot of the galleries had free hors d’oeuvres and wine.
I guess four, we liked art, but honestly it was hard to remember that sometimes. Sometimes looking at other people’s finished canvases just made me angry. What made them able to decide that they were done? What made other people agree that they were worth hanging on the wall? What justified the astronomical price tags next to them?
I’m not saying that this was anything but jealousy. I’m just saying that art and I are in a complicated relationship.
About a month ago, we went to a newly-opened gallery, Souhait. It was the usual setup: tall glass windows in front showcasing the art placed strategically on bright white walls within. It had the standard mix of oddly angled separators allowing the patrons to wander slowly through the room and discover the paintings one at a time. Basically it looked like every other gallery, but as it was a new opening it had better wine than most.
I was taking a casual tour of the perimeter when Jerrod appeared at my elbow.
“Hey, congratulations!” he said. “You weren’t going to tell us? I can’t believe you managed to keep this a secret.”
“Sorry, what?”
“Oh, yeah, ‘what’ indeed.” He steered me around several corners to where Albina was admiring a painting. “‘There’s a new gallery opening, we should all go, no reason.’ Congrats!”
I stared at the painting in disbelief. It was one of mine.
I was certain that I hadn’t submitted to this gallery. I hadn’t even heard of it until Albina had mentioned that it was opening. I would have remembered receiving a letter of acceptance, and I definitely would have remembered delivering a painting. None of these things had happened.
And yet there my art was on the wall. It had my signature, and my name displayed next to it on a card. I knew the piece. I’d done it two or three years ago. It was good, very representative of my style at the time, but I’d moved on and had stopped trying to get it displayed a while ago. The last I had seen it, it was six or seven canvases deep in a stack of pieces that I had nowhere else to put.
It was fairly obvious that that was not the case now. The proof was on the wall in front of me.
Albina and Jerrod were both praising me, so I just smiled and made vaguely humble comments. I must have submitted it. It wasn’t like someone had broken into our apartment and stolen a single piece of my art. It was both confusing and concerning that I couldn’t recall offering it to this gallery, but it was the only explanation that made sense.
I was still trying to puzzle this out when another familiar piece caught my eye. I nudged Jerrod. “Oh, so I’m the one keeping secrets?”
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I pointed across the floor. His eyes widened as he saw the same thing I had: one of his paintings neatly framed and prominently displayed.
“I didn’t even know you’d finished that one,” I said. “I swear I saw you working on it like two days ago.”
“Yeah,” he said, sounding a bit lost. “I was.”
“How’d you get the gallery to take it before it was even done?”
“Oh my God, look!” said Albina.
In the back corner of the gallery, occupying an entire corner, was a small collection of Albina’s work. It was expertly curated. I’d watched her develop her style for years, and the eight paintings chosen here perfectly encapsulated the entire range. Clusters of people kept gathering in front of them, and I saw more than one slip off to speak to the gallery owner about purchasing a piece.
“Albi, these are amazing,” I told her after we finally managed to get close enough to see them all properly. “This—some of these are absolute perfection. I don’t think I’ve even seen all of them.”
“Seriously, when did you do all of this?” asked Jerrod. “Some of these are definitely new. Unless you have a secret studio you’ve been hiding from us?”
He narrowed his eyes at her in mock suspicion. She laughed, shoving him lightly, but behind her smile I saw the same confusion that I’d heard in Jerrod’s voice, the same that I’d felt myself. None of us knew that our work was going to be on display here. Something was very odd.
We didn’t talk about it then. Oddity or not, our art and our names were on display, and there were free drinks to toast with. We refilled our glasses, congratulated each other effusively, wandered the gallery for a bit and then did it all again. By the time we were walking home, all concerns had vanished from all of our minds. We were successful! We could figure out how and why later.
The next morning, Albina was dead.
I woke up late with a hangover. Jerrod woke up later, looking even rougher than I did. There was nothing resembling breakfast anywhere in the apartment, so we sat and sipped our coffee silently. Albina’s door was open, and I think we both hoped that she’d gone out to get bagels or something and that we would shortly be provided for.
She wasn’t answering texts, and Jerrod and I were just starting to get concerned when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a policeman asking if we knew Albina Shevchenko, and if we had contact information for her family, and if we could come identify the body.
It had been a hit and run. She’d been dead by the time witnesses had gotten to her. No one had seen the car’s license plate. The police didn’t even pretend that there was a chance of justice.
They gave us her effects, including what remained of a bag of bagels. Somehow that was the worst part for me. She’d gone out to get something to celebrate with us. It made us complicit.
At the funeral, the priest spoke about her giving spirit and her wonderful personality, but most of all he spoke about her massive artistic talent. He went on at length about what she could have created if she had not had her span cut short. The entire gathering nodded along with him.
Jerrod and I exchanged looks. It wasn’t that he was wrong. She was amazing, and eventually the world would have known about her. It’s just that that hadn’t happened yet. The three of us were, as far as we could tell, the only ones really aware of how much potential we had. If everyone knew this about her, why had she been scraping by in a dingy apartment with us, trying to get enough money together to buy more art supplies?
“We should go back to Souhait,” Jerrod said after the funeral. “The gallery owner probably doesn’t know. We’ll need to get her pieces back before he trashes them when she doesn’t respond.”
Our trip was unnecessary. The gallery owner had Albina’s obituary blown up to large size and prominently displayed next to a tremendous collection of her work. It covered entire walls of the gallery, each piece with an explanatory card discussing when and why she had painted it. Where the prices had been on the cards, every single one was marked “SOLD.”
I was looking around for the owner to ask where he was sending the money when Jerrod grabbed my arm.
“Look,” he said, half-whispering.
Arranged in a neat circle on one wall were a dozen of his paintings.
“I don’t know that I want to be on display here,” he said. He sounded frightened.
“Then take them back. They’re your pieces.”
“Are they?” He pointed. “I never finished that one. That’s how I wanted it to look, but I couldn’t get it right. I swear I never completed it. And there! I never painted that. I thought of it, I knew it in my head, but I have never put brush to canvas for it. Not even to start it.
“How could they have any of this? How could anyone?” His voice was rapidly rising toward hysteria.
“Hey, let’s get you out of here,” I said, putting an arm around his shoulders. “We’ll come back tomorrow and get them taken down if you want. We’re all running on fumes right now.”
Privately, I thought again about the piece that Souhait had of mine. I’d never gotten around to looking for it at the apartment. Things had been a blur since Albi’s death. I wondered how this gallery had so much of our stuff. I wondered what else had been taken.
Back at home, Jerrod rummaged through his artwork, hunting for something.
“See?” he said finally, holding up a canvas. “I told you. It isn’t done.”
He was holding up something that could have been an early attempt at one of the pieces we’d seen in the gallery. It was the same general idea, but the colors weren’t right and the composition didn’t gel. Also, as he’d said, it was clearly incomplete. Parts of the canvas still showed through in some areas. It wasn’t what was hanging on the walls.
“I told you,” he repeated. “How can they have art I never finished?”
I tried to get him to calm down. I sat him down on the couch and poured him a drink. We’d go back in the morning, I said. We’d find the owner. We’d sort all of this out. It was a problem for tomorrow, not for this evening. Not right after a funeral.
I thought I’d gotten him to agree with me. I poured us both another drink. Somewhere in the middle of that one, I fell asleep on the couch.
When I woke up, Jerrod was gone.
Just one of those things, the police said. Wrong place at the wrong time. He’d been mugged. His credit cards and phone were gone. He’d bled out in the street. He was almost halfway to Souhait.
I went there to get his art taken down, like he’d wanted. They’d already expanded the collection. His photo smiled down at me from the main wall, next to an obituary lauding his talent, his bold innovation, his novelty. The rest of the gallery was plastered with his work. I recognized some of the paintings he’d been rifling through at the apartment the previous day. Most had already been sold.
And on the back wall, in a small but well-lit section by themselves, hung six of my paintings. The one that I’d seen the first night was there, along with two others I was particularly proud of. If I’d been asked to pick three pieces to best represent who I was and who I had been as an artist, those might have been them.
The other three bore my signature, but I did not paint them. Not yet. Like Jerrod, I knew the subject matter in them. I had thought of them, conceived them, and even made some attempts to put them to canvas, but they had never come out like I’d imagined. I’d set them aside to try again later, when I had better supplies, when I was better.
Yet here they hung, complete and perfect, exactly as I had pictured them. It was a triumph of my craft.
It was beautiful to see what I could become, given enough time.
It’s just too bad that I don’t have it.
Most artists don’t become famous until after they’re dead.
X

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Chapter 88 - From All I Believed
​
Morning, Two days before Shel
Captain Setar suppressed a smile as she watched the Ops door close. “Well, that was interesting…Ce’lani is a little cranky.” The last vestiges of sleep clung to her as she settled down into the command chair. She felt worn out, but it was the cusp of dawn, and Pod Seven had only just turned over control. “Report on station?”
“The perimeter’s secure,” Jelki replied crisply, pulling up the map of the campus on the main screen. “Pod One is on station and reports twelve by twelve. Sgt Ma’reis is already complaining about janitor duty.”
“Ah, first pod problems.” Setar shook her head, rubbing her eyes and blowing gently on her mug of tea. “What about the objective?”
“The objective’s secure,” Re’lan piped up, already sounding chipper. The woman could have been priestess of Jrafell. Her unwavering cheeriness would have been a character fault if she weren’t so devoted. As it was, it was a damned penance for everyone else at this time of day.
Jelke finished running the obligatory shift change checks and stretched. Things wouldn't get interesting until breakfast, but watching the perimeter was a given. It didn't keep the curiosity out of her voice, as she cocked her head and glanced over. “What was interesting with Captain Ton’is, Ma’am?”
“Mm! Well… it appears she’s expecting a call from Professor Warrick today,” Setar drawled out, taking a moment to savor their reaction. “She felt a need to remind me she’s devoted to Hele, and that if Be’ona or I let her sleep through the call, she’s going to ‘fuck us up the ass with a lasrifle and pull the trigger’.”
Re’lan was probably blushing like a cadet, but Jelke shook her head ruefully. “I expect there's a ‘but’ in there somewhere, Captain?”
“Well, yeah, she said that’s where the rifle would go…” Setar sniggered before taking a long sip from her tea, and slid a bit lower in the command couch. Her eyes wandered to the traffic on the board. “She also made it clear what’ll happen if anybody listens in.”
Thoughtful silence descended. Setar almost counted to twelve before-
“We’re going to anyway, right Captain?” Jelke asked nonchalantly. “You know, for security’s sake?”
“Sergeant, that would be a base infringement of Captain Ton’is’ privacy, which is in fucking short supply for everyone in this bunker.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, watching the steam rise from her mug. “Deeps right we are.”
_ _ _
Lady Wicama regarded her guest with interest as their autocab plied its way about the outskirts of Prelitauri. While she’d been free and cheerfully able to accommodate Khelira’s request, Monsignor Santino Barcio, or Friar Barcio, as he preferred, was not at all what she’d been expecting. She supposed it was a matter of exposure…
The Palace had never quite been the same since Princess Yn’dara’s wedding. Yn’dara was one of those odd Royals who, though well-regarded, was seldom in the public eye. A perennial favorite of the Empress, indulging her unexplained absences passed as a matter of course for the Court. Widely known to be estranged from her mother, Princess Arduina, no one enquired either deeply or often, so when she suddenly resurfaced, her return would have equally passed without comment… if not for the wedding.
Yn’dara had shocked the entire Nobility.
While it was common for any woman to marry into an established family and become a kho, the wedding should have been singular for a Princess. Princesses didn’t marry into families, Princesses formed them. And while Yn’dara technically had done so, she’d taken on four unmarried women at the same time as her husband, who was a Human! Favorite or no, the wags in the court were agog that the Empress accepted Adam so readily! The Empress, however, had been adamant; Yn’dara and her family had her blessings, and were to be left alone.
However, time had proven to be on Yn’dara’s side as well as the Empress.
After a wedding seen across the galaxy, Yn’dara’s family settled into a life of public duty. They spent long trips away from Shil, and while quietly dismissed as ‘pleasure excursions’, her trips often showed the throne to the outer provinces. Although her public engagements were few, she’d become a vocal advocate of the Empress’ reforms against graft and corruption, and, gradually, the jealous mutters about scandalous excess and Human debauchery faded away. Her marriage remained an unusual footnote, but time had demonstrated the value of Yn’dara and her wives to the throne.
Then there was Prince Adam.
Rumor held the Prince had made a favorable impression on the Empress years before, at an event hosted by Yn’dara’s mother. While details had never been forthcoming, a more significant story about Adam wafted briefly through the ranks of the Golden Glaives.
Both stories had been effectively silenced, but Wicama knew who to talk to, and being Khelira’s guardian carried a certain clout all its own. Though that influence waxed and waned over the years, raising Khelira required being aware of events that could shape her future, and she’d proven herself to be discreet. Over time, doors had opened and words had flowed.
Time had been on Prince Adam’s side, as well.
As the years passed, she’d had an exposure to Prince Adam that few of the court and none of the public enjoyed. She’d been wary at first, but he’d been a good friend and mentor to Princess Khelandri before she joined the Marines, and however infrequent his presence, he always displayed a keen mind, a loving heart, and a steadfast duty to his wives. Privately, he absolutely doted on young Khelira and possessed a loyalty to the Empress that you could bend battlesteel around. The two got along famously - after all, he was a veteran.
Not Navy, mind you, but you couldn’t have everything.
And so, as Humanity began making forays upon the galactic stage, her first impression of the species had been favorable. She’d witnessed Adam mature into his role with the court, and while the issue of children remained unspoken, that faded as well. At the time, Yn’dara had been sixth in the line of succession. A year after the wedding, Kamaud’re became an adult, followed a year later by Khelandri, and the matter became largely moot.
As for a second impression on Humans, Khelira had provided enthusiastic reports about Thomas Warrick. While the Princess thrived at the Academy, Warrick seemed to be something special.
The absence of a father in her life had been a void that no woman could properly fill, but she’d done her best. Although she’d entertained a few qualms, as the months passed by, Warrick remained a positive influence. Khelira’s messages were infrequent by necessity, but she’d written about her distress over Warrick’s family and clearly been moved. Prince Adam carried his own scars, but what veteran didn’t? He hid them carefully around Khelli, and if Warrick had chosen not to, he’d provided a useful sense of perspective, instead. It was time for Khelira to grow up, and that meant facing the grist of differing opinions and ugly realities. That was what education was actually for, and Warrick seemed to be doing admirably well as a grindstone.
All of that was before the library incident, which settled her opinion once and for all. While erratic, irreverent, and capable of violence, Humans clearly could be a positive influence when channeled in the right direction. Yn’dara had shown what a good Shil’vati woman was capable of with Prince Adam, and Lady Pel’avon was following suit.
And at least the wags at the Palace wouldn’t speak of Yn’dara’s state wedding again. As a subject for spectacle, Miv’eire Pel’avon’s had put it to shame.
Still, it was good to see Warrick married. While Professor Ha’meres scandalous exploits had faded from the public eye, older wo… more mature women didn’t forget such things. The man had been a daring adventurer - and an inveterate gadabout - and an unmarried man around that many young women was too tempting for some girls. A wife or two… preferably more… resolved such idle fancies. If the Pel’avon ceremony had been somewhat… questionable in taste, compared to Adam’s, it remained legally binding. Warrick was willing to settle down, and by all reports his wife had a proper sense of decorum.
Human men seemed to be a trial from the Goddess, but hopefully she and her kho-wife could sort him with time, love, and kindness.
While exposure to only two Humans was not what she’d call a comprehensive sample, in both cases her impressions had been quite positive. And so, when Khelli asked her to escort a Human Priest about the city, she’d been entirely willing.
Thus far, it had been an enjoyable morning. While there had been occasional missteps, their conversation had been delightful as they traveled from property to property. Even so, she hadn’t expected to meet such a kindred spirit.
Admittedly she’d stammered a bit when he mentioned eating the flesh and drinking the blood of his redeemer. On the other hand, she compared it to the first time she’d bled into the ocean, mingling salt in her blood with the seas. He’d turned shockingly pale, so she changed the subject. It was a purely symbolic act to Drepna - just a cut on the thumb, for goddess sake...
She’d taken extra care afterwards. Barcio could be clearly a sensitive male, but diplomacy was part of her work. Even calling her role ‘work’ was deceptive. She’d raised Khelira in every way an Empress could not.
It was easy for other women to appreciate the prestige of her position, but few understood the depth of it - or the satisfaction.
During her career in the Navy, her flotilla had provided direct support for the Empress, and they’d come to work closely over three tours. After Khelira’s birth years later, the invitation came from the Royal Household to act as her guardian, and she’d never looked back. Competition had been fierce for the prestigious position, but applying had been the best move of her life.
Empress Kamilesh loved all her children and had spent as much time with each of them as she could, but her work was all-consuming, and after her husband’s act of… Well, the Empress had been there, but she’d born her pain privately. She had lost herself in her work for many years before recovering a semblance of her former self, and her absence had taken a toll on her children. Kamaud’re had taken it the worst. Khelandri had bounced back, while everyone doted on Lu’ral. Barely more than an infant, Khelira had been far too young to remember. Wicama had been there through all of it.
It was a good life, and the princess was a delightful girl. For Wicama, the absence of a man in her life was something she’d felt now and then, but she invested her life in Khelira. The Empress treated her as a member of the family in all but name… and in a very real sense, the child you raised was your child.
Looking back, some women might insinuate she’d given up her personal life to raise another woman’s daughter. They couldn’t have been more wrong.
She had her calling - just as Friar Barcio had his.
Yes, he was a priest, and his religious strictures were very unusual. A male priest in any of the Shil’vati faiths would never be placed under such restraints, and for a man to go unmarried was noteworthy…
But she understood having a calling. Oh yes, she understood that as few others could.
After discussing his needs, they’d set out to examine three properties around Prelitauri. The Friar’s individual requirements were deceptively difficult when taken as a whole. A complex coupling a generous auditorium, ample administrative space, and he clearly needed substantial grounds to properly convey a sense of aura. Such accommodations were seldom on the market, and since he expected his colleagues to arrive in weeks, his need was immediate.
Thankfully, urban renewal moved in waves. The tides of such fashions meant Prelitauri was once again an up-and-coming area. While difficult to find, three older structures had the potential to be suitable, and so it was that she’d enjoyed learning about her guest as they explored the tiny district.
The Monsignor spoke four other Earth languages fluently. He tended to break into his native tongue and hadn’t mastered contractions yet, but his Vatikre was passable and he listened carefully, seldom needing to ask about a word. After limiting her contractions when she spoke, their conversation flowed easily.
Barcio had shown little enthusiasm for the first two properties, but their conversation regarding other matters never waned. She expanded on her devotion to Drepna, Shil and the roles of each goddess while asking careful questions of his faith. His own inquiries proved thoughtful, and he was as avid in politely asking after her beliefs as explaining his faith.
After their second hour together, she’d taken the liberty of calling Prelate Hi’meta Merlamiss. As a priestess of Drepna’s second circle, Merlamiss had proven a valuable contact over the years. Well connected, she enjoyed a good relationship with many other prelates of the Divine Halls; she also got on well with Xinfess, the Rakiri’s Speaker of the Dark Mother on Shil. A meeting with Barcio would readily open doors for his group that might otherwise prove difficult to attain, and while Barcio’s accent strained now and then, it was clear the Monsignor and the Prelate shared a questionably low sense of humor.
Given a chance, they’d probably get on famously.
Certainly, that would be a blessing. Their hunt for a suitable facility had not gone nearly so well, and while Barcio had been conciliatory toward the first two facilities, she could tell he wasn’t taken with either. The last property wasn’t high in her expectations, so she found herself casting her head to the side when it swept into view and he clasped his hands in excitement.
”*È bella!* This is beautiful,” he exclaimed. “It reminds me a bit of my childhood home in Sacile!”
She looked out at the complex with its low gabled roofs, as their cab wound up from the entrance. Beside the drive, a small river meandered through the campus past the main buildings. She tapped the console to slow their ride and considered the place in a new light. “I’m… well, a bit surprised to be honest, Friar.”
“Please! We have been traveling for hours now, and I am not holding a service.” The Friar spared her a warm smile, before gazing back at the premises. “I would take it as a great kindness if you would call me Santino.”
“Very well - on the condition you call me Wicama.” It had been some time since anyone called her by anything but title or rank, and the informality was pleasant. Still, as their autocab closed on the end of the lane, she let such thoughts go and considered the location properly.
The buildings were low, sensible cubes, but that was largely an end to it. The architect had made some unusual choices in Helkam motifs that strained understanding. A long colonnade bordered the river, and that seemed nice enough, but the buildings! Forgoing purple was one thing, but they were beige! With unusual elements and the repressively bland color scheme, it was small wonder the clerk handling the property confessed that the space had lain vacant. Its original owners went into foreclosure. The exotic design had proven unable to attract interest, laying dormant ever since.
Barcio… Santino… seemed delighted, however, and she pulled up the specifications on her omni-pad. “This site has two smaller auditoriums besides the main one, while the central building has four floors. One is underground, but all the floors face an interior atrium.”
As the cab gently halted in the car park, she climbed out to hold the door but Santino had already scrambled out and was examining the gardens with evident interest. Tall stands of parago trees were losing the last of their fronds for the year, but she had to admit the grounds were substantial. Yesterday’s storm had left the morning air cold and crisp, lending the gardens an appealing aspect. Untended since the last owners, much could be done with them.
She had given up trying to escort the Friar anywhere after their first two stops, and now they fell into an easy pace side by side as they strolled toward the main building. She turned back to the property itself. “So, this reminds you of your home?”
It wasn’t exactly Helkam architecture - domes weren’t covering every possible surface - but the builder had clearly been nodding in that direction. A promenade wound to the entry, supporting white chevrons that arced into the sky. The bright morning sky shone through clever cutouts, making the unusual design at least look light, rather than oppressive and unappealing. With a decent renovation, the facility had possibilities, and the price was comparatively low.
“*Si!* Oh, not so much like home, but there is the sense of it. I was born near the sea, and this feels… similar.” He gave her a depreciating smile before rolling his eyes. “It may not please everyone who is coming, but ‘everyone’ is not here, so I am allowed some indulgence! Better to have something waiting than nothing at all. I confess, some of my colleagues thought we’d only manage when the bridge to Messina is finished.”
“You should not have been sent ahead alone! Surely your colleagues were not that worried about a poor reception,” she tutted. Priest or no, there were decencies about a man traveling alone to be observed. “You shouldn't need a bridge to find a place for your mission. I don’t know where Messina is, but I’m certain Prelate Marlemis wouldn’t stand for it!”
“Tch! Excuse my poor efforts! The older I get, the more I remember things like yesterday. Unfortunately, the yesterdays I remember so well were thirty years ago!” Barcio smiled wryly up at her as they walked. “The ‘bridge to Messina’ used to be a saying… People dreamed of building a bridge to Sicily, and it became something that never happened. My English friends would instead say ‘when hell freezes over’. *Un'espressione volgare*, but very much to the point.”
“Ah… I’m sure we can manage something, and this could be made presentable. Maybe change the beige to a pale violet?” she offered helpfully as she made it to the door first, holding it open. “The aura inside isn’t so bad.”
“You’ve said that several times, but I do not know what you mean?” He paused in looking around the entry, which had an open foyer exposing the two floors above and led out to the atrium beyond. “What is ‘aura’? I do not think I know the word as you mean it.”
“Aura is… Hmm…” Wicama paused thoughtfully and gestured at the atrium. The interior was in better shape than the grounds, and the architect had done something clever. Not yet noon, a bevel along the top edge filled the space with sunlight. “Have you ever walked along a beach and wanted to save a shell? When you are there, that is aura… When you take the shell home and think of the beach, that is aura, but… less focused. Diminished. You sense the beach because of the shell, but you are not at the beach. Places can have aura, but it is more than character. If you move through a place and find yourself experiencing it? That is aura.”
“Mhm! *lodevole!*“I like this idea very much. It would be right at home in the Vatican. Not everyone understands a space can move the spirit, or lend power to a message.” He nodded thoughtfully as he cast his eye about the open space. “With the right advice, perhaps we can lead others to these halls.”
“Perhaps. If you tour the Palace, I hope you’ll allow me to show you about? A lot of the real gems are hidden from the public.” She watched as he wandered toward the double-helixed stairways bordering the room. Those were definitely Helkam; walking up one side without meeting someone coming down the other was an interesting experience… once. After that, they could be an absolute nuisance. Spotting the elevators, she called him back. “The nice thing is this place is inexpensive! That will pad out your funds for a good remodel.”
Wicama quietly thanked the Goddesses that the builder’s had the good sense to install normal Shil’vati-style elevators. The sides were open, granting a wide view out over the atrium. The grounds were terraced to create a small park; that could make the underground space bearable, and the plans made them seem spacious enough. Not to everyone’s taste, but pretty. “I feel bad for asking, but can you afford the building? If the price of the first two bothered you, we can find others.”
“I would not hear of it! Thank you for your concern, but we are economical with our funds, and were sent with a generous sum. This is an important venture to everyone involved,” Barcio clasped a hand over his chest, as he shook his head. “I can not thank you enough for your help! You have surely spared me weeks, and I might not have found something half so suitable. As it is, the grounds are enough to gain me converts. Father Roscio and Pastor Weber will surely plant a vineyard before the inside is half done!”
“It’s not a problem. I have plenty of time,” she replied, dismissing the matter as inconsequential. “I work at the Palace, but with the Court away and my daughter at school, I’m a bit at loose ends just now. At the very least, I insist on helping you through the paperwork. I wouldn’t put it past some realty clerks to try and overcharge you… Someone from outside Shil, that is. I’ll ensure they stick to the listing.”
“To someone not from Shil… or someone who is not Shil’vati, perhaps?” His head canted slightly to one side, but he smiled as he said it. “*Certamente!* I would not dream of preventing you, though Rabbi Kleinbaum will be bitterly disappointed she has nothing to moan about.”
“I hope you won't take this badly, as I’ve only met one Human.” Wicama gave him a smile. She was long past girlish uncertainty, and the Navy had taught her a generous measure of professional poise to go with her skills as a markswoman. “You aren’t what I expected.”
“You know the professore, then?” He sucked in a breath and pursed his lips. “I am still deciding what sort of man he is.”
“No, actually, I know another Human but I’ve not… I have not… met Professor Warrick.”
“So. You mean that I am not *un barbaro*? I am here to make sure that we are seen as something more than savage warriors, *capisci*?” He studied her expectantly. “While the Imperium is doing good work on Earth, some still live in want. The Imperium provides enough for all to survive, but not all live in plenty. We need to present ourselves well.”
”That seems like a very secular outlook.” She offered, as they rode up to the third floor. Barcio asked for an explanation of the word, and by the time they’d made their way through the first offices he had the idea.
“My church has not always troubled itself with such things, but our holy father is greatly concerned with such inequalities. He takes it upon himself to address such matters with the Governess, when their time allows.”
“Your church has a good relationship with her?”
“È straordinario! The Governess adores our food, and while she was adamant about taking quarters in the Vatican, she has taken pains not to disturb us.” He shrugged dismissively. “*Cosa sai fare?* It seemed a small price, and we have endured far worse.”
“I used to hear terrible stories about red zones on Earth, though the Humans I’ve met don't seem the sort. It is good that your… pulp?” She tried the word and was rewarded with kind laughter and a gentle correction. “It is good that your pope concerns himself with the full welfare of the people and works with your governess. Our prelates share the same concerns.”
“I thought the Empress was the head of your church? Now, I find you have many…” he groped for a word, frowning, and gave up. “*Questo accento è una prova di fede!* ‘Denominations’ is not the right word, but she is the one revered, yes?”
“Of course! The Empress has to show all of our virtues and none of our faults, but that’s part of her role. To favor any divinity over the others could cause divisions. She has her personal preferences, of course, but never lets them be known.” Wicama explained carefully. “It would be in poor taste.”
“And poor politics, I think?” Santino gave her a long look. At his height it was difficult, but he managed. “This makes sense to me now, that the Imperium leaves matters of faith alone. *Una benedizione inaspettata.*”
Despite the serious topic, his fervent reply brought a smile back to her lips. “It seems your pope considers politics as well as economics.”
“People will always defend economic theories which assume that growth will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice. This has never been confirmed by the facts, and expresses a crude trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.” He said, stopping to clasp a hand over his cross. “Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”
“That doesn't sound like scripture.” She offered cautiously, as they made their way into a wider suite of offices on the second floor.
“*Esattamente* The words of Pope Francis, a good and blessed man who appointed me to my position. His successor, his holiness John Paul the Third, is much of the same mind.” Santino said quietly. “Our savior washed the feet of others and urged all to do the same. The hardest step is to be involved. To work together for change, as well as to pray. That is why I am here.
“*I pigri di cuore trovano sempre una scusa* Some Humans, they are yet angry with the Imperium. Now they have enough, they are bitter not to have plenty. For some there is never enough - the true poverty lies within their hearts,” Santino said a bit testily. “Our faith teaches us to find salvation in eternal life, but others? *Pigrizia!* They see it as an excuse from taking agency in themselves. Jesus washed the feet of others - he did not lay down and wait for someone to wash his!”
Wicama turned the unfamiliar metaphor over in her mind but decided she had the sense of it. “Sham teaches us that helping our families and one another is the same as helping ourselves. ‘The rising tide bares us all from the reefs’.” It was a matter of faith… but that was why it was faith in the first place. On the whole, it seemed like a mature perspective that explained the changes she’d seen in Prince Adam over the years. “You’re here to meet with others, but this seems as much about knowing yourselves.”
“*Sì, non è una brutta cosa avere umiltà davanti a Dio.* Human beings, while we are capable of the worst, we are also capable of choosing the good. Of rising up to make a new start. We are entering the galaxy.” He gestured out the window at the world beyond. “If not now… when?”
_ _ _ “So, when are you going to explain this masterpiece you four have been cooking up?” Marin asked. Sammi and Sam were barely awake but the twins had already arrived, bright-eyed and enthusiastic, and Marin cursed the resilience of youth. The room was acceptably warm, but Ayen had complained about the cold and used the excuse to slip back into bed. She was considering her options for joining him.
Somewhere, somehow, Sammi had found their rabbit pajamas again. “Sam, explain it to her? You do it better.” Sammi yawned, but Marin suspected it was an act. Once something got their attention, sleep was usually an afterthought.
“What, now?” Sam had barely stumbled into the room and blinked. Bleary-eyed and barely awake, he looked like he’d been ambushed, which was exactly the case.
“Pllllllleeeease…?” They sat back pulling the ears, giving their best Roger Rabbit impression. Luminous green eyes peered out at Sam, imploringly.
“Alright… I need coffee, but fine.” Sam trudged over to the kitchenette and poked listlessly at the instant coffee. It was getting perilously low, but Marin was sure he’d brought more on the ship. Eventually Sam gestured at the K’herbhal sisters with his mug. “So the girls want to create an artificial topological soliton. It's like a black hole, except where it isn't… It's sort of a kink in space-time.”
“Made you say kink!” Sammi grinned impishly and the girls blushed. Marin shook her head but paid attention. It felt far too early after another late night, but once everyone was up you had to hang on for whatever came next.
“So, what's that got to do with this… hole you want to use for power?” Marin raised her voice just enough to drag the conversation back on track.
“It’s more like a side effect. If it cuts the right angle, it goes into a realm of space-time we can tap for power. Think of it as an obverse of an energy drain, so it's like a white hole.”
“Let me guess.” Marin shook her head and grinned, holding up a hand to forestall the inevitable. “Except where it isn’t?”
“Ummm… pretty much.” Sam grumbled, blowing at his coffee. Marin glanced back at the twins. With Sam busy, the twins had gravitated to either side of Sammi. There was room left on the couch, and she wandered over to settle in beside one of them.
The Sams had been complaining for years about a lack of ‘focal power’ for their mass compression technologies, and while a rubber duck inside a diamond was impressive, they’d wanted to do something more - a lot more. She suspected if the twins were providing the means, then they already had something about to surface from the depths of their imaginations. Over the years she’d learned to pick a bit, rather than take their answers at straight value. “And if things don’t cut at the right angle? You remember how long it took to get rid of the Navy, when you started talking about making black holes?”
“It's not our fault they didn’t understand,” Sammi said defensively, crossing their arms and pouting at her before the rabbit ears fell over their face.
“Who didn’t understand what?” Akeimei yawned at the door. She cast a wink her way before wrapping her arms around Sam and gave him a quick hug. “What did I miss?”
“Umm… a parallel universe, if the math is right,” Sam mumbled from the depths of his coffee cup.
“What? Like identical versions of us?” Marin watched Akimei’s nose wrinkled at the smell before she slipped away from Sam. Slipped down beside her, they rubbed shoulders a moment. “Tell me, is there one where I get more sleep?”
“More or less identical… though it's not like you need to go into a parallel universe for that sort of thing. There’s already a ‘you’ out there somewhere right now, to say nothing of past and future ‘you’.” Sam scratched his cheek idly for a moment “It's just the math. The universe is so vast that there are exact physical cosmic twins of us out there somewhere, not to mention even more almost-twins.”
“Sam’s right!” Sammi perked up excitedly, bouncing on the sofa. “Then there are quantum cosmic twins - which gets weird because particles exist in multiple states and you’d sort of overlap… but the easiest one is probably just another us elsewhere in the universe right now! That's sort of the point where things are since the universe is bigger than you can imagine!”
“So exactly the same… or almost.” One of the twins giggled. “Just like us!”
“Pretty much,” Sam nodded, slowly emerging from the depths of his coffee. “Another you out there on another Shil, or another me on a whole Earth, even - just a little bit different.”
“What? Like an Earth that never met the Imperium?” Marin canted her head, tossing out the obvious. It was hard to remember her life before, and she didn’t want to contemplate the alternative.
“Oh, I don't like that idea.” One of the twins stuck out her lip. “We want to come to Earth!”
“Yeah,” her sister nodded, though she suddenly looked glum. “I don’t know if Professor Warrick would mind though. He’d be with his wife and daughter, there.”
“Oh…” her sister's face crumpled. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Well, don’t…” Sammi hugged them both a moment, though they held the first twin a bit tighter. “The point is, somewhere he’s with them right now!”
“Wow, I guess so.” she brightened. “Just imagine! A whole Earth that never met the Shil’vati!”
“I wouldn’t worry, sis.” her twin nodded. “I think Professor Warrick is pretty happy right now.”
_ _ _
“I am not happy about this!” Tom glared at his omni-pad before tossing it down in frustration.
Miv looked up at her husband.
“It’s an honor!” She tucked her chin in and gave him a long, considered look, “What is it that’s bothering you - really? It wasn't Monsignor Barcio. Are you certain this isn't the same sort of thing?”
“Yes, I’m sure!” he growled, looking away like a guilty child. “Alright, maybe… but this uniform is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ll look like a mushroom, and the hat only makes it worse!" Tom grimaced at the omni-pad accusingly, "They won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, so now I’m on the rolls as a Warden Captain - whatever that is - and this ceremony is ridiculous!”
“The ceremony is traditional. Very symbolic... Besides, they don't make wardens out of anyone below the rank of captain - I looked it up. You were one before, so it's appropriate to make you one instead of a Warden Major or Warden Colonel.” She smiled at him serenely. “Surely, it can’t be the worst thing you’ve ever done.”
He turned to wag a finger her way. “I’ll take that bet!”
“Worse than our wedding reception…?” She crooned, teasing him. “Or maybe pre-term night? I swear by the Goddess no one will pinch your ass, except for Lea and I.”
“Fine… “ Her smile grew wider as he grumbled, but he was calming down already and there wasn't heat in it. Still, he stubbornly clung on to the point a while longer. "It’s in my top five.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive, husband. Now then, I have meetings all afternoon, so why don't you finish reviewing the menu? You’ll feel better when all this is over and you can go back to cooking, chess, or starting that eeeyiy club… You might even give Ce’lani a call or message her?” She gathered her coat and smiled demurely, though it harbored nothing innocent. “If I’m not here you’ll have perfect privacy… Just don't promise anything you wouldn't promise to me.”
“It’s iai-do…” Tom groused, but he was already picking up his omni-pad.
She blew him a kiss and made her way toward the commons. Tom would probably stew a while, but he’d make the call.
There would be time to meet with Ce’lani on the common, before she had to come home for dinner.
_ _ _
Tom looked over the banquet menu as if it might reach out and bite him. The words stared up at him with perfect innocence.
Appetizer: Fruit and Cheese Platter - Slices of various cheeses and fruits on a platter providing a delicate mix of sweet, tangy and creamy to invigorate the dining experience. Serve with a selection of sweet and semi-sweet wines.
Soup: Choice of Tomato or French Onion Soup - Served with a piece of baguette and cheese.
Salad: Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing -- an assortment of greens and fruit with a balsamic grain dressing to cleanse the palate.
Entree: Cornish Pasty - This herb-infused meat and pastry dish provides a counterpoint to the tangy taste of the salad and soup. Served with a creamy buttered mashed potato (a vegetable, humanely prepared!) with chives (also a vegetable). Served with a selection of wines or ales.
Dessert: Chef’s Sorbet Surprise - A sweet treat complemented by a palate cleanser, ending the meal on a piquant note.
His last call with Bherdin had been a trial and a half. Omni-pads were the definition of ‘high fidelity’, and hearing the little Shil’vati hyperventilate for ten minutes over the plan was pointless. At least Melondi had easier going with Vedeem on her side... one way or another this was happening.
As a final consolation, he relented on wearing matching suits. Bherdin frequently bemoaned Tom’s 'lamentable' fashion sense, and he perked up at that, promising to get him some appropriate formalwear for the occasion.
Privately, he suspected his Shil’vati friend was looking for a convenient alibi if a riot started.
In fairness, it probably wasn't a bad idea.
“Too late to use it myself…” he muttered. It wasn’t quite noon, and Miv was probably right. Instead of Chess Club or starting Iai-do practice or just cooking out at Human Food, he was stuck here at home. Miv’s place was bigger, but most of his stuff was still in boxes; it left him listless and climbing the walls. If this worked, at least things could get back to normal.
…Mostly normal…
He flipped back to the picture of the Warden uniform on his omni-pad. It was bad enough, but the hat made the whole thing look like a blue toadstool in silver filigree.
He swiped the picture away like an act of revenge, but didn’t toss the pad back on the table.
…Miv was right... and I promised to call Ce’lani…
Tom centered himself, pulling up the number. The universe was always in motion and a good Taoist accepted their part in what came. That was the lesson of ‘the Vinegar Tasters’, and it held true… The painting showed three men standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and tasted it. The expression on each man's face showed his individual reaction.
The painting was an allegory for Confucius, Buddha, and Lao-tse. Confucius wore a sour look on his face. He believed life was out of harmony with the universe. As the second figure in the painting, Buddha had a bitter expression. Like the vinegar, life was painful and filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The last man, Lao-tse, was smiling at the taste. To him, harmony existed naturally and could be found by anyone at any time in any experience.
He thought about his buddy Dave. The old Marine would probably shake his head and tell him to ‘embrace the suck.’ It pretty much boiled down to the same thing.
Not that he was against calling. Miv and Lea had practically taken turns urging him on and giving their views on why it was a good idea. They hadn't harped about it, but he knew which way the wind was blowing. And Ce’lani’s message had been short, sweet in the literal sense, and the sound file she’d offered up had been…
…Pretty nice, really…
If he still said no, or decided he didn't like where this was going, they’d back his choice, of course. He didn't have a doubt in his mind… But with everything else in his life turned upside down, calling Ce’lani seemed like a calm in the eye of a storm.
…It's just a phone call. Leave the chaos at the gate…
He settled down on the couch to check his messages before giving her a call. It was nearly lunch…

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I don’t write a lot of reviews but there isn’t much info on the Alua properties which Hyatt bought last year and rolled into WOH early this year. So hopefully, my impressions will be of use to someone.
I just got back from staying at the AluaSoul Costa Malaga in Torremolinos, Spain. I spent about a week there in a Junior Suite. I am a WOH Globalist. I had a “Half Board” rate which included breakfast and dinner. I also had access to the “My Favorite Club” which serves refreshments all day (more on that later). Rates were incredibly affordable, around €80 per night for the junior suite. A regular room was just a few euros cheaper so I booked the higher category, I didn’t want to chance the lack of an upgrade given this is the start of the busy season. (the hotel was pretty full) I did not book a club room but was automatically upgraded to one. Points redemption was 12,000-15,00 per night for a standard double room so paying the rate was preferable.
Location: The hotel could not be better located for nightlife and food. You are in the center of town and surrounded by literally hundreds of restaurants and bars. You are also a 5-minute walk from Torremolinos’ main train station which connects directly to the airport, Plaza Mayor (large mall), and Malaga City. The airport is about 15 minutes via train, and Malaga is about 30. The walk from the train station to the hotel is an easy one with a wheeled suitcase. Escalator and smooth sidewalk. The hotel is also right next to the LGBTQ+ area, which is huge in Torremolinos. Lots of entertainment options and trendy places there as well. It is a walk down a cliff to the beach, but I found it very pleasant. There are 2-3 ways to take to the beach, and I found none of them boring. The town also offers an elevator to the beach at a rate of €0.50 each way, but I never thought to use it. An Uber from the airport to the hotel costs around €15-18 euros. There is a mini-mart 2 doors down, and another 5 doors down and there is a medium-sized supermarket a 3 minute walk away. There is a pharmacy next to the supermarket.
Check-in: The lobby is clean and modern, nicely decorated in a 4-star Spain way. Front desk staff were quick and efficient but the man who checked me in didn’t explain things so well, but I arrived VERY late. The female desk clerks the next day were far more helpful. Upon check-in, I was upgraded to a My Favorite Club room, and I was on the 10th floor (the hotel only has 11 floors).
Room: Room was ok. Fairly large but not a true suite. There is a sitting area with a couch long enough for a grown person to sleep on and a double bed that was 2 singles pushed together as you often find in Europe. The beds were not attached together, and the floors were smooth laminate, so they had a tendency to move, creating a gap in the middle. The bathroom was notably small, featuring just a sink, toilet, and shower. It's enough for 2 people, but just. There was also a small balcony with an ocean view, although also with many buildings. There were 2 large glass bottles of water on the table and the refrigerator was stocked with a few types of beer, a bottle of cava, and some sodas. There was a Nespresso machine and capsules and a boilekettle with tea supplies. This was complimentary. The room, and bathroom, were very clean but everything was about 10 years out of date. The TV was large, but didn’t feature any smart features and the HDMI cables were a bit hard to get to as it was firmly mounted on the wall. BBC News was the only English language channel (no regular BBC, and the guide showed CNN but it was not available) but they had several German and French channels as well as any Spanish of course. WiFi was good enough to stream and do video calls. The A/C worked great, shower pressure was good as was the hot water.
Club: My Favorite Club is basically their version of a Regency Club, except that it runs all day and is stocked with alcohol at all times. They had coffee/tea/soda, 3 types of beer, 6 types of wine, 8 spirits, and bottled mixers as well as 3 juices and milk. They also always had 4-6 types of tapas and they were refreshed often with different types. The spread was quite impressive and not many people had club access even though the hotel was full. That is good because the club literally only has 8 seats! I was actually amazed at how little the lounge was used given the hotel was busy.
Food: Meh. During my stay, I only ate breakfast 3 times and dinner 2 times even though it was included. That is mainly due to the fact that the food in Spain (outside of the hotel) is amazing and affordable. If you have to pay much extra for food options I wouldn’t. When weighing half board or all-inclusive places in Spain, Portugal, or Greece, consider the fact that local restaurants are incredible and usually cheap. The wine was €2-2.50 a glass for a generous pour at a restaurant. There were literally hundreds of places within walking distance. You could be better off getting a hotel with a nice pool, a great location, and perhaps a breakfast-only option. Even breakfast could be a waste as you often stay out late in Spain and would have to rush to shower and get ready just to eat some eggs, cold cuts, and a croissant to save €5.
Pool: Very nice pool with some shade and some sunny areas. Not huge but clean and relaxing. They feature live music at night, but end at about 11:00 pm to avoid disturbing guests. One night I had to go back to my room which was 10 floors above the pool, and the music was quite loud. Something to consider if you sleep early or get a low floor. People in club rooms also get a reserved area by the swimming pool with loungers, etc. This means a better chance of snagging a good chair. Poll was quite busy. Guests are a mixture of ages and nationalities. I heard Dutch, German, French, UK English, American English, Russian, and of course Spanish. There were college kids to retirees.
Edit: They were working on a rooftop bar when I was there, it looked nice, but it was not yet open. They were actively constructing it, so I suspect it will open in a few weeks. It will have basically the same view as my room.
Globalist recognition/benefits: As I mentioned above, my late arrival didn’t help. There was no verbal recognition upon arrival and check-in but I was upgraded to the club room.
Overall, I would say it’s a 3.5-star room, 4.5-star location, 4-star staff, 3-star food, 4.5-star club. The value is 4.5 stars, though. I would stay again based on the price for quality and the excellent location (for someone who likes local culture and food more than the beach).
Hotel site https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/costa-del-sol/costa-malaga-adults-recommended/ascma

I never thought that I would get a need to make this post, but a certain cis white male Yugituber has invoked a recent push in the idea that Set Rotation is the solution to a majority of Yu-Gi-Oh's problems, and that it's very reasonable for it to be implemented, be it replacing the main format, or otherwise.
Before I explain my reasoning as to why this is a ludicrous idea, let's go over what Set Rotation is, and what it COULD potentially fix.
What is Set Rotation? (No it's not the card)
For the few of you who don't know, Set Rotation is the main gimmick of some other TCG's 'Standard' formats, i.e. MTG and Hearthstone. The idea is that the only cards that are legal in this Standard format are cards that have been printed in the past 2 or 3 years, and any sets that go past this timer 'Rotate Out', and become no longer legal for the format.
So, what would this potentially mean for Yu-Gi-Oh?
Slows Down Powercreep
This is the big one, and the main thing pro-rotation players hone in on as to why Set Rotation would be a step in the right direction. With every card being on a soft time limit, Konami would no longer have an incentive to make each set stronger than the last to drive in sales, and can instead sell sets on the notion of "This old set has less time to live, but this new set is on a fresh limit." This theoretically means that the rampant powercreep we've been seeing these last few years can be curved down majorly, and we can go back to the strategic back-and-forth gameplay we've been yearning for.
Curation of Good Formats
This next one is a little more nuanced. With the need to keep track of 10 000+ cards no longer on the menu, Konami can have an easier time designing exciting, interesting formats for the players to try out. They can print archetypes without the sorry that this random card from 2005 would break it, or that this random 2018 staple blows it out of the water. They could even pick and choose cards that have since rotated and reprint them in a core set, or as some have proposed, a yearly "Base Set", containing all the staples that have since rotated out of Standard.
And... that's about it! Those are pretty much all there is to Set Rotation, and how it could fix many of Yu-Gi-Oh's issues. And to be fair, curving down powercreep and the potential for fun gameplay experiences does look very enticing.
Let me explain why it isn't so simple.
25 Years of Fans for What?
Of the big 3 card games, MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! is the only one where its main format does not feature Set Rotation. It would be pretty disingenuous to say that a negligible amount of people were drawn to this game FOR its lack of Set Rotation, instead of DESPITE it. And a large amount of the playerbase, and TCG players in general, don't appreciate their cards being on a blatant timer. "Well, they were on a timer anyways thanks to powercreep!" Not to the staples, they aren't. Generic cards last a solid 6? 7 years of consistently good use until a new card takes its place? And while it's true that archetypes certainly face a large brunt of the powercreep problem, many players simply don't care. They want to keep playing that rogue deck they always liked, and it being no longer legal due to just being too old is a real downer on them. This leads us to...
It Can be an Alternate Format! Or Can it?
It's no surprise that Konami is absolute shit at managing alt formats. This, alongside some other points I'll get to later, is an example of Set Rotation simply asking waaaay too much out of Konami. If a Rotation format were to be introduced alongside the current, "Legacy" format we're all familiar with, if Konami doesn't push it out the ass and shove it down our throats, it's natural thanks to the past 25 years of its history that the Legacy format would be more popular. Simply adding Set Rotation this far into a game's life requires extremely careful planning from a company, and extreme customer loyalty. And Konami does not check either of those boxes.
I Like Money
You can construct this as an advantage for Konami, but if they don't want to heavily support two ongoing formats at the same time, the price of the game can become a major issue. The current price of the game wouldn't be going anywhere. If Kashtira, Purrely and VS are any indicators, just because cards are new and being opened a lot doesn't mean they'll be cheap. Now add on that you can only play these cards for all of 3 years maximum before you have to invest all over again into another deck core as well as all of this new format's staples. This could be one of the reasons why Standard in Magic The Gathering died out, alongside WOTC removing the primary incentive to play Standard in the first place.
Oops! Legacy Support!
This is probably the biggest physical hurdle that needs to be jumped if we want Set Rotation to be a thing. A huge amount of Konami's current product is the printing of support for archetypes much, much older than 3 years in order to push it into meta viability. This would, simply put, not be able to exist in a rotating format. A common counterpoint thrown around is that whenever Konami prints legacy support, they can just announce that the archetype its for is now in the Standard rotation!
There are many problems with this.
Firstly, this would probably be the nail in the coffin for TCG and OCG never being able to unify as formats. And the stick in the mud is VJump Promos. Every VJump magazine, the OCG prints a mechanically exclusive card into it, usually one that supports an archetype. If this would bring it into the Standard rotation, all of a sudden we have one format that has Sky Striker legal, and one that doesn't. Secondly, some archetypes are just too old or too big to be reprinted. If CYAC were to release with this Standard format in mind, we would be seeing a TON of old-ass Superheavy Samurai cards shooting up in price, cards in sets now out of print, so Konami wouldn't even be making any money off of those purchases. And if Konami were to, say, print the archetypes the new cards are supporting in some of of supplementary set, not only does that have the possibility to bring product fatigue, do you really want the entire HERO and Blackwing archetype again?
Simply Overhaul Your Game
This is another point in Konami just not being competent or trustworthy enough to pull something like this off. Set Rotation could be implemented, IF Konami heavily supports alt formats, IF Konami decides to overhaul their entire product design, IF Konami is willing to curb their powercreep, and IF Konami even wants to take this major, major risk in the first place. That's a lot of big ifs towards a company that can't even livestream their events half the time, and a company that made fucking Metal Gear Survive.
Other, Healthier Solutions
Many of the pro-rotation players argue that this is the way to solve Yu-Gi-Oh's, admittedly, large, Powercreep problem. I argue that there are other ways to solve this. Ones that aren't as large of risks for Konami, ones that don't overhaul the game as we know it, and ones that can reliably provide a good break from current Yu-Gi-Oh!, which is realistically what we all want.
Pretty much the only alternative formats Konami is willing to pour some attention to are Speed Duels and Time Wizard. GOAT and Edison appear to be doing the best out of the legacy formats we have, and Konami has even shown some interest in it with Hidden Arsenal Chapter 1, a set that printed a whole bunch of Edison cards and even gave us an un-errata for Armory Arm. All it takes is one or two sets to make either one of these formats a budget friendly option, and Konami can just sit back and not need to use that brain of theirs. A non-rotating, static format that you can always fall back on to have a good time when current Yu-Gi-Oh! is getting bothersome on you. Speed Duels are doing quite well, with Konami opting for single boxes, DUDE style, instead of the traditional booster pack format, and they once again give players a nice refresher when they're tired of getting Zone-locked for 9 or getting Kaiju'd for the tenth game in a row.
I hope that I've reasonably laid out my reasoning as to why Set Rotation, while having good intentions, is reasonably, and practically not possible for Konami to implement in this day and age.
TLDR: Set Rotation helps for Powercreep and making good formats, but IMO ignores 25 years of history, Konami's refusal towards alt formats, cost, and product design. GOAT/Edison or Speed Duels are probably better for something like this.

Hi people of reddit,
After my Steamdeck fell out its case from the couch a small piece from the right trigger broke off, but works fine. for some reason the Left Bumper stopped working entirely, though.
I looked online on IFixit and saw that you can order the plastic parts to repair those. But sadly enough not the switches of the buttons themselves, as they are part of the main boards..
So I contacted Valve and prayed for the best. Also have seen them being pretty awesome online with cases like these. But well, let's just say they only said that it can be repaired for a minimum of 136 euro and it could cost at most 200 euro. Needless to say, that is a pretty hefty price to pay for something that already cost around 600 euro (512gb model). And it fell 1 time, from a height of maybe 40 cm, that should not break it like this, right??
Anyway, that sucks hard, especially now that I'm at home with a burnout and money is a bit tighter. But if that is the only way, so be it...
Well now comes the part where I really need help. They want me to do a factory reset before sending it in. So what would I need to backup? Games can be downloaded again and programs can be installed again.
- Mostly things that are harder to get again, such as my controller settings. Where do I find those?
- I use syncthing for my backups and savefiles for all of emudeck. Would it be better to remove the links beforehand and just make them again after a fresh install?
- Also can I just plug in my microSD card into the freshly installed Steamdeck?
- Maybe emu settings?
- is there anything else that I'm not seeing right now, that I should definitely backup?
TL;DR
Steamdeck fell, left bumper died. Need to spend lots of menu to have it repaired. Now I need help with backing stuff up before sending it in.
Thanks in advance:)

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Exploring the Realm of NFT Marketing

Since the inception of modern technology, our perception of marketing and advertisement has taken a complete 360, especially since the introduction of NFTs. Nowadays, companies have started amalgamating NFT marketing strategies and services into play, which has led to an increase in returns, but the question that still boggles is – how?

What are NFTs?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital assets transformed into unique, indivisible units using blockchain technology. By assigning distinctive identification codes and metadata, NFTs stand apart from other tokens, allowing for their authentication and ownership verification.
NFTs have gained prominence due to their ability to be bought, sold, and traded for monetary value, cryptocurrencies, or other NFTs.
The perceived worth of an NFT is determined by the market demand and the subjective valuation of its holders. As an example, imagine creating a token representing an image of a banana on a digital exchange. While some individuals may be willing to pay exorbitant amounts, valuing the NFT in the millions, others may consider it utterly worthless.
It’s important to note the distinction between NFTs and cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies are also tokens, but the key difference lies in their fungibility. Two cryptocurrencies originating from identical blockchains can be exchanged on a one-to-one basis since they possess similar values and properties. However, even though two NFTs may appear identical on the surface, they remain non-interchangeable. Each NFT carries its unique identity and cannot be substituted with another NFT, adding to its individuality and scarcity. At this point, we are sure that you know what does NFT mean? So now, let’s take a look at how they are created.

How to create an NFT?

The surge in popularity of these unique digital assets within the cryptocurrency realm has been remarkable, attracting billions in trading volume and garnering widespread attention through endorsements from renowned personalities. With NFTs taking center stage in mainstream media, it’s the perfect time to explore how to make NFTs and become part of this innovative trend. Creating your NFTs is a straightforward process that begins on dedicated platforms. These NFT platforms provide you with the ability to mint and upload your artwork directly onto a blockchain. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the necessary steps involved in crafting an NFT –
Figuring out the purpose of creation (what you want to create)
NFTs are commonly associated with digital art, which can take the form of an image, an audio composition (like a song), or even a brief video clip (such as an animated GIF). The primary objective is to generate an exclusive piece of digital media that can be sold, similar to the process of selling a painting in an art gallery. Creators derive value from NFTs due to their uniqueness, offering something that cannot be possessed elsewhere.
Choose an appropriate Blockchain
Numerous blockchain networks exist, each touting itself as the ultimate choice regarding scalability, distinct attributes, or capabilities. However, it’s essential to go beyond the buzzwords, rebranding, and marketing hype. When selecting a blockchain platform for development, it’s crucial to consider the characteristics that genuinely hold significance.
In all honesty, answering this question isn’t straightforward. The decision is influenced by numerous external factors, including the quality of documentation and the robustness of the community supporting the platform.
Set up your NFT wallet
When selecting a blockchain, it is essential to have a compatible digital wallet for storing your NFT. To set up a wallet, download the crypto wallet app, choose a username and password, and keep your private keys and recovery phrase offline for backup. This ensures the security of your NFT by aligning the blockchain and wallet and taking necessary precautions to safeguard your access to it.
Picking an NFT platform
With the increasing number of NFT platforms available, it’s important to note that the top-tier ones go beyond just NFT creation. They provide comprehensive marketplaces for listing and selling NFTs. These platforms offer a range of services that cater to the needs of creators and collectors, ensuring a seamless experience throughout the entire NFT lifecycle. By utilizing these full-service marketplaces, creators can showcase their NFTs to a wider audience, and potential buyers can explore a diverse collection of unique digital assets, fostering a vibrant ecosystem for the NFT community.
List the NFT for sale
Listing an NFT for sale is easy and usually free on most platforms. After creating and storing your NFT in your wallet, select the platform and set the desired price and duration for the sale. Fill in the sale details and create the listing by signing a few transactions in your digital wallet, which may involve paying transaction fees on your chosen blockchain. We now know what NFTs are and how to make NFT. Now we’ll talk about how NFTs can be used as a tool in marketing and the essence of it.

Why use NFT for marketing?

Investors possess numerous motivations for desiring to acquire assets that have been tokenized into Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Several benefits associated with investing in NFTs comprise the following:
NFTs give a chance to all
Tokenized assets offer accessibility to all, allowing seamless transfer of ownership worldwide. By converting assets into NFTs, ownership becomes more efficient and easily transferable, enabling anyone to engage in investment opportunities with ease.
The blockchain secures ownership
Leveraging blockchain tech enhances asset security and transparency, providing investors with a more secure ownership experience. Blockchain technology protects an investor’s assets by digitally signifying ownership. Additionally, it brings greater transparency to asset ownership, ensuring a transparent and accountable record of ownership transfers.
Increases customer engagement
NFTs are powerful tools for companies to enhance customer experiences and broaden their reach. They provide a fresh avenue for brands to engage with a larger audience. NFT holders with a vested interest are more inclined to support the business. As the company thrives, the value of its NFTs appreciates, further incentivizing investor loyalty and engagement.

What is NFT marketing?

NFTs are continuously evolving and have become essential for businesses to succeed. However, the challenge lies in effectively marketing one’s business to achieve desired outcomes. In such situations, it is wise to consider engaging marketing services from a reputable company to establish a leading position in the industry. The opportunities offered by NFT advertising are, reaching a wider audience, fostering trusted relationships, and boosting revenue by leveraging popular platforms and emerging trends. Now, let’s take a look at five ways how NFTs can be used for marketing –
Gaming
Games have emerged as prime platforms for NFT marketing, especially with popular titles like Fortnite, featuring intricate graphics and customizable avatars. This opens up opportunities to create and trade NFTs in the form of digital pets, avatar skins, and other virtual gaming assets. Since Fortnite and similar games accept cryptocurrency for in-game purchases, gamers are inclined to invest in these NFTs. Consequently, promoting NFTs within the game and establishing an NFT-centered business model can lead to substantial success. As NFTs gain mainstream traction, the gaming industry possesses a unique advantage to capitalize on this trend and reap its benefits.
Selling tickets
In recent years, the way people purchase goods has undergone a significant transformation. For instance, you can now acquire a ticket for your preferred concert or sports event using Bitcoin and NFTs. NFTs are becoming the go-to virtual tickets for various events like workshops, trade shows, and expos. Their unique and captivating content makes them highly appealing, attracting audiences effectively. Crafting an NFT for a music or sports event can generate immense enthusiasm among devoted fans, resulting in long ticket queues.
Fashion and garment industry
The fashion industry and NFTs might appear unlikely bedfellows, but they have the potential to form a perfect union. The fashion industry is primed to leverage the success of NFTs in gaming. Gucci collaborated with Christie’s to auction an NFT that fetched $25,000, while Burberry joined forces with Mythical Games to introduce their own in-game NFT called Shark Blanco. NFTs and the metaverse offer fashion brands and designers a colossal opportunity to create, market, and sell digital apparel to millions, even billions, of users who desire the latest fashion trends for their virtual personas.
Pre-ordering of products
Companies and entrepreneurs strive for increased pre-orders, benefiting their cash flow and providing a measure of public interest. Gary Vaynerchuk’s innovative employment of NFTs in pre-orders is an exciting example. Gary Vee presented an irresistible proposition for NFT enthusiasts in his latest book, Twelve and a Half. During a specific timeframe, every twelve books purchased resulted in receiving one of Gary’s highly sought-after NFTs. This strategy proved immensely successful, leading to such overwhelming pre-sales that the book’s release date had to be postponed by a fortnight.
As NFTs revolutionize the digital landscape, businesses seek innovative ways to leverage this trend for marketing success. At Skytrust, we understand the power of NFTs and their potential to transform your brand’s reach and customer engagement.
As a leading NFT marketing agency, we specialize in helping businesses navigate the dynamic world of NFTs and create impactful marketing strategies. Our team of experts will guide you through the entire process, from conceptualization to execution, ensuring that your NFT marketing campaign stands out in the crowd.
Whether you’re in the gaming industry, fashion and garment sector, or any other industry looking to harness the potential of NFTs, our tailored solutions will help you achieve your goals. We’ll collaborate with you to develop engaging NFTs that captivate your target audience and drive customer loyalty.
Be with Exploring the Realm of NFT Marketing, your trusted NFT marketing agency, to guide you through this exciting digital frontier. Contact us today to discover how we can help your brand thrive in NFTs and achieve unprecedented marketing success.

The other half of my recent trip was Italy, so here's the general breakdown:
AIC (Italy Celiac Association): get their app, it lists all of the accredited restaurants which makes life easier. There are other places that also offer gluten-free options, but the requirements for accreditation are very high, so not all places will have it, but in general, it was a quite helpful app and worth the subscription cost. As for the standards, I'm not sure what all is in there, but it includes stuff like different colored plates for GF items and such, so it's no small undertaking.
A couple of words in Italian (since most waiters speak English pretty well) is Celiachia and Senze glutene, those will get you the english printed menu, and usually the specific gluten free one. (Duo-lingo was not as helpful as I'd hoped), but even the waiters with the least english were very up to speed and that was enough to have a few places tell me that they couldn't serve me.
Rome: Easy mode. Lots of places to eat, full range of price and food options, gelato for days.
Fano (small town on the Adriatic coast): Somewhat more challenging, only a few options, but when your option is getting fresh pasta from a Michelin rated restaurant that also sells their stuff to make at home, life is pretty good. Only one celiac safe gelato place (Life is full of compromises) but for a small town, it was very easy.
Venice: Oddly tougher. Only two rated restaurants in the actual main city (make reservations), more on the mainland (but expect to drive or take a bus) there were a few non-accredited restaurants, but that limited selection on the menus, one place was down to only a couple GF dishes when we hit there for lunch. Also expect to pay Venice prices (avoid outdoor dining with table-cloths) While our one meal was a very great dinner for a date, and was actually worth the 150euro pricetag, most of the dining was a bit overpriced, and so for the couple days we were there, we tried to stick to cheaper options, but it wasn't easy and took a level of risk. It's an expensive city, so that is just a factor. The food was all quite good, just more expensive than it would be in most other cities. Easy to get a coffee or gelato for only a few euro, but harder to get lunch, and for our last evening I had to hit a Lidl for some food because there was nothing worth risking closer than the 1 km walk to get there from the airbnb. The compromise of staying nearer the airport (and for much cheaper) than out on the island.
Some other thoughts, there are a lot of approved GF beers in Italy, but you will want to decide if you are comfortable with their standards. They are tested to below 10ppm, but many are gluten removed. I had one that was a rice based beer as I didn't want to risk anything else at that point in time, but it's worth considering. I'm going to guess that given the number I saw, they are doing fine for most people, but as we know, people vary. I also didn't go to Italy for beer, so I mostly stuck to the wine and aperitifs. There are lots of what Italians call "supermarkets" which are really just corner grocery stores, so if you want to find something, it's easy enough to quickly look through a few of them to find everything you need, especially if you are in a city like Rome, since they are all over the place. I'd say that their packaging is a bit better than Australia, way better than the US and Canada, so even if you are not wanting to scan/translate every package, you can get by with just looking for the logos for the most part.
So far the ratings of easiest to travel for food are: 1. Italy 2. Ireland 3. UK 4. Australia/US/Canada (region specific) 5. Egypt

Hey guys, I just did a 10 day history/culture Nile cruise and wanted to share some of my celiac adventures now that the world is opening up again.
Some caveats, Egypt was just getting its tourism feet under it when the revolution happened in 2011, and then really started to push that again just before the spicey cough hit everyone. So it really felt like I was dealing with a lot of established businesses who had recently replaced a lot of staff, I suspect that a lot of the really experienced front of house tourism folks got hit really bad by it, so the overall institutional knowledge level was lower than what I'd otherwise expect. That said, everyone was super eager to please, most spoke 2-3 languages.
I'll try to break this up into some manageable chunks.
Egyptian cuisine in general: There are a lot of influences, so you get a big mix of foods that are now part of the culture. Breakfast may well have been called Breadfast, because of the number of pastries and similar dishes. But in general they do a lot of grilled meat (halal obvs) and veggies. Spices are pretty direct/simple not a huge number of sauces or dips, so in general lunches and dinners were easy enough, and I'm generally just a coffee=breakfast guy anyway, but heaps of fruit were pretty normal as well.
First hotel, New Cairo Hyatt: massive breakfast buffets, pretty decent lunch and dinner options, I did my usual of "What's the easiest thing the chief can do gluten free" and got a steak and roasted veggies. They really didn't seem to have much ability to do GF baking, or have many good GF options, but again, it's a very new hotel and the staff are trying to learn the needs of their market.
Last hotel Cairo InterContinental: Older hotel, obviously hired in staff from other places in Europe to bring up the training level, waiters had really good knowledge of celiac requirements, and overall had great procedures for dealing with that in the restaurant (had some other problems resulting from new staff, but seemed to be a training issue, and again a massive buffet with almost nothing safe for breakfast)
Train: We did a sleeper train on two legs of the journey. No really safe options for food, think airline meal, but only one option for dinner, and breakfast was three types of bread. Thankfully we didn't have to waste much of the food, as we were able to find folks who wanted it. It's worth mentioning here that while there is a lot of poverty in Egypt, and it's clear who's living kinda rough, there is both a sense of pride and community that meant we saw very few people just begging for food, they were more likely to try to sell something (anything) to a tourist rather than just beg, but we were able to give out the extra food, and it was both appreciated and shared. I don't want to make it seem like it was better than it was, but for a country that has functionally not had a working government for 60 years, they still make things work and get stuff done. It's by far not an ideal situation, but it is what it is, and I ended up with lots of packaged breadrolls to give away. I was able to pick up a few packaged food things that were from the EU so had compliant labels, and that was fine.
Cruise: The Nile cruise had pretty good food selections, pretty big buffet, and the worst day for me had only two options, some grilled chicken and sauteed veggies. Generally, I also had rice or roast potato, and sometimes an option of two proteins, just depending on sauces and such. Very limited breakfast options, and no dedicated deep-fryer, so that did limit some things. No desserts at all apart from fruit.
Food at sites/ restaurants: Generally pretty good options, very upscale places, so good knowledge, but again, lots of buffets, so not ideal, two places were just straight grill/bbq sort of things, so that was fine.
Overall: So as I mentioned earlier, most of the people were super eager to please, and very accommodating, they also tended to speak more than one language. That being said, even though I had a printed celiac info card in Arabic, and a very good guide, there were some times where it was hard to understand if they were just agreeing to be agreeable, or really trying to inform me, or if they didn't really understand my concern at all. I did get tagged out by something at some point. Given that about a third of our tour group got some sort of gut bug, which I think I also got (but who can say for sure) it's hard to know. I was as careful as I reasonably could be, but when dealing with buffets and potential cross-contaminations, it was challenging. That being said, would I recommend a similar trip for anyone else? Yeah, I would. You just need to know yourself, if you have debilitating symptoms, then probably not, but if you can generally manage, then it's likely worth the overall risk. The tour companies and people will get better with time. As I said, something got me, but have no idea what, and realistically it may not have been a gluten reaction, it's very possible that I got a bug early on in the trip and just toughed it out until I medicated near the end (I can be somewhat stubborn). That said, they do "tipped" toilets so having cash on hand for toilets is a thing, they like their bidets, which is kinda good when the guts are not great, and pack a lot of your own tissues/sanitizer. It was really hit-and-miss what places would have no TP, and there was no real way to predict it. The toilets were generally pretty clean when we found them, but again, not always. The general rate was 10EGP but ranged from 5-20 to use a toilet outside of the major hotels, and airport. It was a general annoyance to everyone on the trip, but not enough to be a major problem. I think everyone was more bothered about how many tips were needed that were not really explained by the travel agents, but it wasn't a huge cost factor. Also, we could have gotten away with just handling all that in Euro or USD, in fact, if we were to go again, I'd try to get all the tour costs priced in USD and take that, as it was harder to get EGP in Australia (but we are getting well off topic now).

Hey all. I have just moved here for 4 months now. My friends from Vancouver are visiting me and I’d like to show them what Edmonton is all about including the culinary scene. Pretty much everyone who I work with here in Edmonton has recommended Rng Rd. I am looking at their menu…..more specifically the steak and have a few questions.
How is the steak cooked? Sous vide? Charbroiled? Reverse? Baked? Grilled?
Is the steak dry aged?
How many oz is the steak? Been looking at pictures. Looooks pretty small.
Do you recommend anywhere else within Edmonton city limits where I can get “Alberta beef, dry aged, solid fuel/charcoal grilled”. Price is not an issue. Please don’t recommend the Keg.

I bought my OP1 secondhand on Reverb. Generally it is in excellent condition and had no problems with it until yesterday. The disk mode would not mount on my macbook and from researching forums, it seems this is a common problem. Charging works fine and I've tried multiple cables/computers. I read on a forum that a disk format may help but I didn't think about how I'd be stuck in the firmware menu void after doing so since it won't mount and can't install. Now all I can do is navigate that menu and hope it randomly connects. I've tried re-seating the flex cable and every combination of USB, USB 3 port possible. From all the research, it seems like the USB port is having the issues and most likely needing a new connector board.
Does anyone know of an easier fix before I scour the depths of hell for one of these or wait months for iFixit to restock? OR does anyone have one for sale at a fair price?

Let me preface with I am not a professional game designer, I've been a player for near thirty years and over that time have picked things about games up via osmosis.
The Good:

1. The sound design for this game is phenomenal. I made a post about it in another thread, but i dont think it can be said enough - a large portion of this game's sound and music is up there with companies like Ubisoft. Its obvious that sound libraries were pulled from, but the way those familar sounds are used, morphed and mixed is masterful.
   
2. The game looks and feels execellent! Fourtuna III really seems like an alien world humanity tried and failed to tame. The verticality does a lot for immersion and is used exceptionally well. Bright Sands especially feels well balanced between being reasonably traversable and geographically challenging; there are areas that are deliberately risky from a tactical stand point, but there are also multiple ways to approach or circumvent them as well as shortcuts to provide escapes should the need arise. Once I finish my business there ill be able to better evaluate Crescent and Tharis. Prospect Station is a decent homebase. Very practical in that it does everything its supposed to do without being underwhelming nor does it distract the player from going back planetside.
   
3. This will be controversial, but the movement is decent considering the game. Obviously it can be cleaned up, vaulting/climbing especially (though these are more so map optimizations). But for what the goal of the game is and the engine its running on, its not bad at all, even part of why its so immersive.
   

Note: I know most FPS players will balk at this, but movement doesnt need to be sick nasty in every game. This is not just from a competitive standpoint or a purist standpoint. Games like Cycle, Tarkov, Hunt: Showdown become completely different if players can slide cancel, chain hop, or wall jump around at the speed of sound. The maps become smaller and instead of looting, missions and exploration, it becomes a one and done TDM. It nullifies the tension of wondering if killing that Jeff is going result in a fight or not, or if your're going to get out with the purple/orange/red gear you found and replaces it with the knowledge that its not if, but when are you going to fight. Extraction Shooters, from their inception, are based on that "if". The uncertainty of player interaction is what makes the genre special, but its a delicate thing and if a major component of the game is catered to TDM, it will turn that uncertainty into expectation and change the entire atmosphere of the game. Limiting or maintaining rigidity to the mobility of players in a way preserves what the game intended to be.
The Bad:

1. The amount of minor annoying bugs or missing QoL optimizations and the length of time theyve been around is both aggravating and worrying. Whether its your inventory showing duplicated items randomly, graphical assets of weapons randomly disappearing or parts of the map that feel like they were meant to be traversable but either arent entirely or require a separate action to navigate (looking at you, half foot ledge that i have to jump onto for some reason) - it feels like these issues shouldnt have survived the first few months after release, yet a year into the game theyre still here. Its not only annoying for players to have to deal with these, but its also a terribly uninspiring look for Yager. It makes it feel like the developers dont intend for the game to be around long enough for fixes to these small issues to be worth making. Like a having a crafting timer showing what is currently being crafted and how much time is left in the top menu of the forge or generator is a no brainer and its already half in the game, but after a year its still missing? Yikes.

2: Balance and Narrative-to-gameplay synchronicity is also lacking. Much like the minor bugs and missing QoL improvements - the weapons balance in this game feels super primitive. Shotguns and SMGs really dont seem to have a place while ARs and DMRs dominate everything from close to long range. Snipers and pistols dont even seem worth mentioning as their dps just doesnt feel relevent when compared to ARs and DMRs. Following this, is there a reason Osiris is just objectively the best faction? They offer the strongest weapons at the earliest reputation levels making both the ICA and Korolev completely irrelevant until late game when you've maxed out all of your faction levels. Speaking of which, its really underwhelming that the factions seem to normalize late game. Even if the game was perfectly balanced theres really no reason to pick one over the other and no faction really caters to a corresponding playstyle or drive players to go to a specific faction because their equipment does something the others dont. Feels like wasted narrative to develop three factions with their own gear, style, and cosmetic look only to end up being indistinguishable in performance.
3: The lack of commitment to a monitization strategy. Is it cosmetics or is it pay4convenience? It feels like its both and neither at the same time and that in turn makes it feel like a deseperate attempt by Yager to squeeze players for as much money as they can, which ironically makes me less willing to spend cash for either. Im a firm believer that the strongest monitization strategy is cosmetics for cash and, in addition to that, a stable availability of said cosmetics. Apex Legends proved two things: that players are much more talorant of microtransactions when the only buyable items are cosmetic and that there is no worse way market those cosmetics than manufactured scarcity and selling by the bundle. Especially in Cycle where you can mix and match components of your outfits (which its great), the fact that the cash store only offers full outfits for high prices and that it operates on an arbitrary rotation of available items instead of a list of cosmetic components that are always available is just a foolish decision. Its more likely that player would spend $5 on a specific cosmetic component than it is that theyd spend $30 for the entire set that component comes from. Additionally, theyre even less likely to spend money if they know that said set will be delisted in a week with zero insight as to when it will be available again. The shop is clearly catering to whales, which would make sense if the game had a massive playerbase, but it really doesnt. The monetization strategy should be catered to volume of purchases rather than the size of individual purchases ($100 skin pack? Who are you marketing to?)
And as far as the pay4convenience (read also as "pay to not wait") Aurum generation makes that an irrelevant model. Dont get me wrong, i really like the premium currency being able to be genrated by play time, i just dont see how anyone would expect to make money from players buying Aurum to expedite crafting when you can literally print the currency needed. Pay4convenience is generally a very weak monitization strategy anyway and generally only works for companies that dont care about the longterm success of their game as it tends to weaken even the strongest communities' tolerance for monitization changes that are more invasive and detrimental to gameplay...which would be required to continue in order to see monetary gains...which coincidentally would drive away more players thus yielding less and less overtime. Even if the big spenders didnt have problem with it at first, remember whales migrate too.
Tl;dr -

• The sound design is awesome.
  
• The level design is great and game is incredibly immersive
  
• The movement fits the games objective, you might not like it, but its true.
  

However...

• The longstanding minor bugs and lack of polish in the QoL department are real annoying and dissolves confidence in the developer's outlook on the game as a whole.
  
• For as hard as the narrative works to entrall the players, its not well reflected in the balance of weapons and factions feel too similar.
  
• The monetization seems to waffle half heartedly between two strategies (one clearly better for the long term health of The Cycle than the other). Because of this uncertainty, it fails to convince players to spend consistently if at all.
  

Ive been having a lot of fun with The Cycle and I hope that Yager will do its best to see the game have a good long life as a title that caught the extraction shooter train early. There are a couple improvements to be made a lot of room for more content, but there is a solid experience so far - dont give up! Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Little background on my bartending experience before going into the conundrum at hand — picking between 2 bartending gigs.
I used to work at this local Japanese spot in a smaller city, and hosts there also needed to bartend for server’s tickets, or the servers would come behind the bar and make their own drinks. It was never just, like, a solo bartender behind the bar. It was always a host who bartends or server who bartends, and, well, I was both a host and server. I was always quick on my feet since this place was always understaffed, and yeah, I’d make drinks. But also, just to be upfront, it was a real rundown place so a lot of it was just simple 2-ingredient cocktails, literally liquor and mixer. That’s it. Then I continued to serve in a bigger city. I’ve served at high-volume restaurants with a pretty mid bar program that’s made for high-volume. I’ve served as a cocktail server at a craft bar with more of a high-end bar program. You get the gist. The background base knowledge is there, but nowhere near in-depth.
Anyhow, now I am fully bartending at a casual hotel bar. Not a huge or even a stellar bar program — but it does the job. I’ve been practicing my free pours, and pouring with jiggers. I’ve gotten fairly accurate. I am not really happy with the bar program here, or the management. To exemplify… I’ve had to do runs to the liquor store because management forgets to order liquors and mixers and cordials, pretty much every week. They also had me make up my own menus because they never have the liquors required for the corporate menu. They would supply me with 10 glasses at a time. I told them we’ve been out of flute glasses since March, & up to now we still don’t have any.
Sooo, with all the lack of support from management, I decided to shoot my shot and I applied to tons of other hotel bars and craft bars in my area. Long story short, I landed it in two different hotel bars.
First, is a hotel bar AND full-fledged restaurant. Amazing bar program. Top of the top. Nebbiolo, blabla, you get the gist. $75 entrees. Huuuuge space for a hotel restaurant. They also told me they marketed towards locals and tourists that may not even be staying at the hotel — and I could tell. Felt like a stand-alone restaurant, really. Their offer is 7.50 per hour in a 2.15 state, and I asked for part-time, which they said they can work out 3-4 breakfast/lunch shifts at either their lounge bar downstairs, or pool bar upstairs. If I wanted to do full-time, they said they can work that out as well.
Listing my concerns here: intimidating bar program (it’s a biiiig huuuge selection of bourbons, some wines I’ve never tried nor heard of, everything is done with jiggers and I’m working on that but still scary, I feel like I’m too slow but I know that jiggers are better, I just gotta get used to it), less hourly compensation (super important for a hotel bar, since sometimes the volume is pretty low compared to a restaurant, however like I said this place looks promising in terms of guest volume)
Listing my pros here: intimidating material but it would push me, definitely know that even if I make less hourly, I’d make more in tips, there’s table service from actual servers so they tip out the bar
Second, is another hotel, with a very intimate lounge bar downstairs, and an open rooftop bar on their top floor. It’s a much smaller hotel room count — about 50 suites compared to the 300 rooms at the first hotel — but the price point of each suite is similar to the first hotel. So… ranges of 300-400 slow season, 700-800 busy season. Same type of higher-end clientele. Their bar program is pretty solid for a very new hotel too. Their offer is 12.00 per hour, and I asked for part-time/full-time, they said part time would be about 2-3 nights, full time would be 4-5 nights, either rooftop or lounge.
Listing my concerns here: lower guest volume (director mentioned that they’re not focused on marketing to locals or other tourists, they’re definitely focusing on the hotel’s clientele), smaller food menu so less chance of a big check
Listing my pros here: lower guest volume may enable me to master accuracy over speed first, which I think is much more important to learn before going fast, smaller food menu would encourage a focus on alcohol with guests, it’d also enable me to learn more about wines and spirits (their wine selection is pretty good too, lots of old world wines there), seems like from what the director mentioned, all their new bartender hires (they just opened their bars) are entry-level, and I have more experience than most of them, which is a little bit less intimidating than the first hotel.
Sorry for the word vomit. But from experienced bartenders, I would really love some guidance as a newbie. Heeeeelp. Which one should I take?

This subreddit allowed me to plan our wedding. I am so grateful and found these breakdowns especially useful, and now a cathartic experience for me and hopefully a way to give back!
Photos
First step that helped us the most was deciding as a team early on what we wanted our wedding to bring to us and our future.
We were inspired early on by This Post and the comments.
We have both been through a lot of life and have a lot of gratitude for the people that have gotten us to this point and wanted to make space to celebrate with all of them in a big way. This inspired the rest of our wedding planning, committing us to a big guest list, requiring a big venue. We invited 304 people (154 households), 179 RSVP’d yes, and had ~10 no-show. Our family and friends live all over the country and some abroad, so we decided to pick a location close to us, but that had multiple houses on site to host our family/bridal party for the weekend (thurs-sunday; saturday wedding) so that we could have more time with those people closest to us.
Total: $69,407 (MCOL area)
Venue: $28,250 “Weekend Package”

• Indoor and outdoor space for ceremony/reception
• Lodging for ~60 people w/Lake access
• Rehearsal dinner space (same as wedding reception)
• Weekend coordinators
• Tables/chairs/arbor
• Additional costs - $1500: rehearsal dinner speakers/mic, bars, extra chairs/tables, late checkout, event insurance

Additional Lodging: $3965

• 2 additional houses near venue (lodging for 15 people)
• Because we were about 30min from the nearest city, we decided it was important to us to be able to have close family nearby, and rented out these houses as a gift for close family and friends. We debated a few different ways to have people rent the rooms back from us, but in the end felt like covering lodging cost was the better option.

Paper: $845

• Postcard STD ($60), Invites w/vellum paper + details/rsvp insert + personalized sticker ($298), Thank you cards ($25), Seating Chart ($20 - GotPrint, 24”x30” foam board, used coupon), Table Numbers ($35 - printed on shutterfly sale 5x7), Programs w/menu ($200), Postage ($207 - estimating on thank you cards, saved money with postcard stamps).
• I designed everything on Canva (free), and printed almost everything above through canva as well with a few exceptions. They were excellent. I had fun making my own wedding “suite” that suited our personalities and could be used from the invites to the table numbers.
• Program was a booklet that was made using x2 8x11 sheets printed as “letterhead” folded to have a welcome page, ceremony structure, wedding party, community vow, wedding day timeline, our love story timeline, the menu, and a thank you back page with a map I designed using SnazzyMaps with pins from every state/country people traveled from
• We did online RSVP through WithJoy and it was great. We also used GoogleForms early in the planning process to collect addresses that autopopulated into an excel spreadsheet.

Decor: $992

• Linens** ($360 - bought, (40 round, 10 rectangle) split cost as sharing with a friend. The cost to rent and have the linens transported to the venue would’ve been $2000. This was one of the toughest parts of the DIY wedding - happy to post more info if other people are also trying to do this.)
• Sign holders ($80 - 5x7 off amazon for 48 total), bud vases ($22 - most vases were borrowed from friends/family), Guest “book” ($180- we bought 4 nice photo frames with mattes and took the mattes out and had people sign them - came out beautifully), Bathroom baskets ($189), Glowsticks/Foam party sticks ($63), Sparklers ($97 - last minute add and I’m glad we did. It was special to have a “closing ceremony” of sorts - even though we all went back to the house at the venue for an after party)
• Photo backdrop and neon “good vibes only” sign - gifted

Florals: $2322

• Flower Moxie “Wildflower Package” with additional add ins ($2260) - these flowers were amazing. (photo of my bouquet in a vase - I’d had the flowers for 1 week!) We got buckets from Trader Joes for free. We had pruning shears and gloves on hand. We have a family member that has done florals for a few weddings and works at a plant shop. She gave us the amazing gift of doing our bouquets and bringing in potted flowers and ferns as well. She also designed a faux flower arbor accent for us based on our flowers. This work was incredible. Happy to answer more DIY flower questions.
• Grandparent charms ($102): both sets of my grandparents passed away. I had these designed from etsy with 3 charms including their wedding photo, kiss photo, and cake cutting photo. Absolutely worth it. Planning to re-purpose as a christmas tree ornament heirloom.

Food: $8133

• Wedding catered for 174 people, Chickfila for wedding day lunch (~70 people), PapaJohn’s Thursday night of wedding weekend
• Catering was buffet and “Heavy Hors d'oeuvres” style with a mac n’cheese bar and we heard only good things from everyone
• Included cake cutting service, coffee/tea/watelemonade, and sodas/mixers/ice for the bar
• Bride mom paid for costco snacks/sandwiches for the weekend
• Groom family paid for catered rehearsal dinner
• Bride mom mom paid for wedding cake ($75) also from costco which was amazing - we did 3 sheet cakes and 1 round cake for cutting. We had 1 entire sheet cake leftover.

Alcohol: $3752

• BeeWine for wedding and rehearsal dinner ($1557); wedding day bartenders x3 for 5.5hrs ($1950), personalized koozies ($245)
• Groom’s family had a contact and bought all the liquor for the rehearsal dinnewedding
• Our venue allowed BYOB, and some of this cost includes extra alcohol for the wedding weekend, though we also had friends BYOB
• Beer from Sam’s Club and Total Wine ($727) - mix of Miller, Coors, Ultra, Founder’s IPA, Stella (this is the only alcohol that ran out)
• Wine from Trader Joes ($830)- you can talk with someone about ordering cases in advance and it took about 5 days to arrive. We did not do a champagne toast, but I got 10 bottles of trader joe’s prosecco to have at the bridal party house for the weekend. We got 2 cases of red, 6 cases of white, 2 cases of rose and had between 6-12 bottles of each type of wine leftover. I only bought wine that we like, so plan to drink it in the coming months and did not ask about their return policy.

DJ: $1925

• Included ceremony speakers/2 mics, had a fun video display that rotated out photos of people dancing, and including lighting

Photography/Videography: $9839

• Photo ($4839) 10 hours day of wedding and an engagement session.
• Video ($5000) 9 hours day of and includes a short video plus we paid extra to have all the raw footage
• These were some of our biggest hype people! It was definitely a price point early in the planning process where we had sticker shock, but we are very happy with the decisions we made here. These memories are priceless and the day really does fly by. They made us feel so at ease and so comfortable just being ourselves and coordinating chaotic big families and making the day all about us being in love and celebrating our love.

Clothing: $3930

• Groom suit ($462 - mens warehouse custom, “lifetime” alterations - was a mess. Dropped it off 6 weeks before the wedding, they didn’t call and tell us it was ready, called them the week before the wedding and they said it was ready, the pants were not even hemmed and incorrect alterations had been done. We bought a “back-up” sale suit from J Crew that night for ~$300 and that’s what my husband ended up wearing- no alterations but fit and looked better than the men’s warehouse. Hopefully we get other uses out of both suits).
• Groom shoes, tie, belt, suit shirt ($180)
• Bride Dress ($2299- Stella York- included steaming, storage, preservation), alterations ($410- 7 point bustle, hemmed, shoulders shortened, felt added to shoulder straps, button loops added - was just a zipper, back taken in slightly).
• Bride Shoes ($99 - custom converse, wore several times again already!), Bra ($50- boomba, worked great!), accessories ($130), Veil $20 on amazon and perfect.
• Last minute also added in a new rehearsal dinner dress and short party dress that can be worn for other occasions. I loved my wedding dress and really wanted to wear it all night but about 30min into dancing I wasn’t able to party as much as I wanted to and was glad I had the party dress to swap into!

Other: $3349

• Wedding bands from Brilliant Earth: Groom ($1285- platinum), Bride ($1069- white gold)
• HMUA $125 for haimakeup/lashes- (was also $125 for the trial - glad I did it!)- there was also a travel fee as we had it done at the venue that I paid.
• Marriage License $85, Notary $60
• Officiant $300
• Groomsman Gift ($300)
• Bridesmaid Gift ($0- family friend quilted large tote bags for everyone)
• Bridesmaid/Groomsmen Attire ($0 for us - we had large bridal parties so did not cover this cost. Bridesmaid’s ordered their preference of Azazie dress - decided on bermuda blue to contrast the wildflowers- and groomsmen rented from Men’s Warehouse).

Tips: $770

• We tipped our day of coordinator $100, DJ $100 (owns the business, but did great!), HMUA 20% ($300 - I paid the entire tip cost for my bridal party but they paid for the HMU cost).
• Photo/Video own their businesses so did not tip- (leaving reviews!)
• Asked catering about tipping and they said they pay all staff a fair wage and it is not expected and gave a range of what people sometimes do tip. We ended up tipping the 9 staff/bartenders $30 each.

Our wedding was amazing for us. It felt like an event that truly encapsulated who we are as individuals and as a couple, and that chance to celebrate with so many people we love was priceless. It felt like all the spreadsheets we’d worked on for the last 2 years turned into reality. This is the main master spreadsheet I used:
Google Spreadsheet Wedding Planning
It’s created from all sorts of different helpful spreadsheets I found here and from other wedding websites. The “Checklist” really doesn’t start until I realized how easy it is to get lost in needing to capture so many personal little details that would keep me up at night feeling like they were slipping through the cracks. But if you’re starting from the beginning, you will need to include the big ticket “check boxes” that are in the budget portion. Hopefully it can help some others! Happy planning Weddit!