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[♔ INSPECKTOR]

the plot!

I know what it’s like; you get out of high school and you think you’ve made it. Eighteen, and the whole freaking world is your oyster. Broadway dreams, becoming a doctor, or an author, running your own business...you forget about the hard work to get there. You forget about four years of college, studying some degree that you’ll never use again. You forget about medical school, or law school, about years of slogging away in the back row of the chorus where nobody knows who you are – and that’s for the lucky people who actually have some idea what they want to do with their lives. You forget about the fact that you’re not as big, or as grown up, as you think you are, and aside from those lucky few who surpass us all and get what they want straight away—it’s a lot harder to achieve our dreams than your eighteen year old self thought.

It’s not going to stop people trying, though; the new school year is well underway, holiday season is approaching, and in Albany, New York, the recruiters are out in force. If you have talent, this is the time to be seen. Whatever it is you do, whether you’re just starting out at college or nearing the end of your time, or even have passed that, and settled into a job that you hate (or maybe one you love), if you want to make it big and achieve those dreams, now is when you want to do it.

And in New York City itself—well, if you’re there, you’ve made it, right? Hah, you wish. It’s a little different to life where you may have grown up, faster paced, harder to really make your name heard, but it’s possible, if you try hard enough...and if you’re living here, you’re going to try. Even if you’ve got where you wanted to be, though, there is still more you could have, still things that you dream about – you might know what you’re doing with your life, good for you, but that doesn’t mean everything. Not if you’re doing it alone, not if you’re away from your family, not if you just feel as though something’s lacking.

I hope you find it soon. Otherwise you’re just going to be a LOSER LIKE ME.

[♔ BECCASAUR]

january, 2016

New year, new you! Resolutions are made, gym membership is bought, leftovers are eaten and that diet can begin. 2016 is going to be your year...right?

The snow storm that was here for two weeks over Christmas has passed, but that doesn't mean that the chaos is over. Public transport is still limited, there are delays at the airports, and the subway is jam packed. Power is still out in many parts of New York City, and the icy conditions mean that every hospital in the state is over crowded, with doctors forced to work far longer hours than usual.

The economy is on another downward spiral, with many people being forced out of their jobs (at least they waited until after Christmas?), and opportunities a lot harder to find. If you have a job, lucky you! If you're a student and you've already been handpicked by a future employer, you're one of the lucky few. Everyone else is going to be struggling to make ends meet, but who cares about them, right?

[♔ BECCASAUR]

february, 2016

Love is in the air! Valentine's Day is just around the corner, which means that now is probably the perfect time to find out that your boyfriend's been calling his ex again, or that the guy you like is sleeping with your best friend, or that the woman you thought was smiling at you was actually interested in the girl beside you. It's time for hearts and teddy bears, chocolates and flowers, romantic getaways...and heartbreak.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there has been a spate of homophobic crimes in Albany. Two teenage boys beaten to death by their peers for liking each other. A woman attempted to commit suicide after her apartment was ransacked and graffitied with anti-lesbian slurs. So much for being a LGBT friendly city; there are fears that these attacks will continue, that more people will die.

[♔ BECCASAUR]

march, 2016

Most people are well settled in to the year, now; those that still have jobs, anyway, as more people have been made redundant, and those exciting recruitment opportunities that you were looking for? Gone. Even those college students who thought they had everything figured out are struggling a little. But St Patrick's Day is coming, and everyone is going green in anticipation of partying all night! That's what everyone needs to focus on, right? The good things. There's more than enough bad, after all.

The Valentines Hate Crimes, as they've been dubbed, are far from over; only two people have been arrested in connection with them, so far, but all over Albany, people are being bullied and beaten for their sexuality - people are starting to claim that the police department is doing nothing. Media attention has grown, and hotels in the city are full of journalists trying to get the latest on the story. It's chaos. People are scared. No-one really feels safe.

[♔ BECCASAUR]

april, 2016

Four months into the year already; for those with money, it's whizzing by. For those struggling to find a job, it's more likely to be dragging. But what can you do? You try as hard as you can to get a job, and that's that, really. You get by, you manage to make ends meet, and of course it's difficult, but it's difficult for everyone. Maybe not the rich elite, swanning off to their parties and on their cruises, but this is New York. There are always going to be people who are lucky, just as there are always going to be those who struggle. It's unfair, but so is life.

After the freezing winter, it seems as though the bad weather is not letting up. It's a wetter April than most people remember, and while there are periods whether the weather in gloriously sunny for days at a time, once it starts raining, it seems as though it won't let up. Don't forget your umbrellas. The hate crimes seem to have lessened again, back to vandalism rather than murder, but people in Albany are still worried, and rightly so. To try and lift spirits, the city has ordered a giant Easter egg hunt, and the annual hunt in Central Park is also continuing - there may be a special prize for anybody who attends both, adults and children welcome.

[♔ BECCASAUR]

may, 2016

Gosh, is it May already? The year seems to have flown by, and it's not long before summer vacation plans are going to have to be made--if you can afford to take the time off work, at any rate, which is unlikely, in this climate. At least the weather's brighter now, so you can pretend it's summer, but you've still got to work hard to make sure that you don't get fired. You don't want to be a loser like that, do you? The fair is here, this month, which means lots of fun for everybody, not just the kids, and with people needing a bit of fun in their lives, it's planning on sticking around for quite a while, apparently. Just be safe; people are still being hurt or harrassed by the same people who committed the Valentines Hate Crimes.

[♔ BECCASAUR]

july, 2016

Summer is here at last! For those who are at college, this means a break to do whatever the hell they want (mostly drinking, one imagines). Those who work, though, aren't so lucky, because keeping their jobs is of the utmost importance, and they're really lucky if they can afford to take enough time off for a proper vacation. There's no denying that summer is here, though; the weather has heated up, air conditioning is pumping away, and the fair seems like it's well and truly here to stay.