My spoon clinks against the coffee mug as I stir in the milk, the dark instant coffee laden water swirling as it grows a creamy pale brown. My eyes glance over to the coffee machine in the corner of the bench, the rather nice appliance resting with a fine layer of dust after months without use.
Coffee, good coffee, was expensive and something I simply couldn't justify at the moment. Bringing the mug to my lips as take a sip, wincing a little at the bitter taste before adding another spoonful of sugar to try and cut the harshness.
Plodding along I wander over to the soft green sofa in my living room, my hand darting into my pocket before yanking out my phone with a little spin. I take a large gulp from my warm drink before dropping down into the seat, my eyes darting to the sloshing coffee as I try my best not to slip anything on the floor or myself.
Looking at my phone I quickly bring up the news, flicking through as I quickly read over various updates in the form of headlines without really delving to much deeper into anything as I swipe through.
Before long I close out of the app, bringing up another as I begin to play a video on my TV. As the room fills with the sounds of an overly exuberant let's player I slowly open up the Swap Clinic app, the lack of any notifications from it not really bothering me.
I hadn't set up any filters, no watch lists or favorites traits. Instead, rather than even looking for anything in the marketplace I simply navigated to my user profile to double check it as I had done for the past few weeks.
The Swap Clinic, while having a monopoly on their unique trait swapping technology, simply didn't have much of a presence when it came to developing good or usable apps. Despite their seemingly godly power over the human form and mind, their own website and later phone application simply failed on so many levels.
It seemed locked to the original concept of the Swap Clinic, singular trait for trait trades between one person to another. If a person wanted to trade, or simply purchase, just a single thing the website and app ran like a dream even if it was a little difficult to navigate.
However, if someone wanted to do a series of swaps either with the same person or across multiple it was an uphill battle. The website and app would schedule these swaps at all different times, even if they were with the same person, leaving would-be-swappers in half-finished states for up to months at a time. Secondly, as each was an 'individual' swap there were fees applied to each and every one.
Worst yet, while these issues could be solved with merely booking over the phone or in person, if a trait was listed on the website or app customers would simply be directed to 'self serve' using those systems even with all the issues therein.
Some, more canny customers, of course found a rather simple work around to all this. Years ago, back when the app was first set up, the Swap Clinic had dabbled with the idea of becoming a 'platform'. Basic details and pictures could be set to public, allowing others to even 'follow' or 'like' your profile back in the day.
While these more social features had been removed, the public information was left in place. While name as well as the users date of birth was generated from the ID users had to provide to register, an effort to keep only adults on the service, their 'Location' was a little more flexible. While the website tried to provide an automated system users could also manually enter their 'address', leading to this section being co-opted as a pseudo-advert.
While the formatting sucked it still did it's job, allowing people to provide a detailed explanation about themselves and what they were looking for. While the Swap Clinic website and app didn't allow messaging outside of the standard marketplace that fact didn't stop users of this method from communicating, most simply leaving a link or username to contact on an external messaging service.
Once things had been ironed out off platform, the two or more swappers would simply call in to their local Swap Clinic to book in their exchanges all at once and with the lower fees to boot.
I had made an account a few weeks back, my browsing on the Swap Clinic's app largely turning up nothing as I languished around the apartment. It had been a distraction while looking for teaching work, each sent out application being followed by a quick trawl though the app before returning to the job hunt.
As I pondered over the options available I slowly formed my own wants for some imaginary swap. Gazing out the window, the sound of traffic and trams on the street or Gracie and Steph's footsteps in the upstairs apartment I couldn't help but fantasize about something... quiet.
Maybe somewhere warm, by the beach, spending my off-days and weekends soaking in the sun or walking along the warm white sands with the sound of waves against the shore. Or maybe somewhere cool and cozy, misty mountain tops in the distance as I curl up inside with a nice coffee and a book.
In one of my more vivid daydreams, my mind's eye looking out over rolling fields of wild grass beyond a well maintained cottage fence, I quickly made myself a profile on the app. It was a bit of an outlet, something I had heard about on Reddit as an old yet still in use way of handling more complex swaps.
For me? It was a way to vent, though the limited space in the shoehorned 'Location' section making it hard to really convey much.
Name: Jordan Hughes
DOB/Age: 13/05/1994 (30)
Location: Latham City, but wanting a bit of a change. ------- Looking for a full swap ------- Body and life preferred ------- Live by myself (Single) in a two bedroom apartment in the city, but would be eager to swap with someone a little further out in order to get some peace and quiet preferably closer to nature of some sort ------- Unemployed, worked an office/teaching job but would be happy with something either boring/lazy or something simple ------- Happy to give over any of my degrees or postgraduate education as a sweetener ------- Six foot four and attracted to women (I know some people care about that) ------- Send me a message at the link....
Looking over the profile again I purse and pout my lips.
"Maybe I could get rid of some of those hyphens" I mutter to myself, wondering what else I could fit in if I did so. "Maybe tomorrow or something..." I sigh, sipping at my coffee as I place the mug down on the coffee table. "I'll tr and think of something tomorrow..."
Reading it one more time I close the app, opening the secure messaging app as I check for any responses to my profile.
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