#&just take it w a grain of salt. as w a lot of our older figures he has standards for kānaka that are genuinely not feasible sometimes

[jvzebel-x]

"And so the Hawaiians look at all of nature as important, and they look at the signs of nature as messengers coming from their family who has passed on. Signs come in rainbows, double rainbows, odd forms of clouds, they read the roll of the waves and some of the waves are signs that they look at, you know. Those are things that the Hawaiian needs to be aware of in order to fulfill its connectedness to, you know, to its ancestors that have passed on.

So we cannot separate ourselves to the trees, we cannot separate ourselves from the waves and the ocean, from the clouds and its cloud forms, from the mountains and the hills, the animals from the limu, to the pipipi, to the kūpe‘e, you know, to the manō, to the pueo, to the ‘i‘iwi, to the ‘o‘o, all of these are all signs upon which we had better be aware of, because it is through them that we get messages from our ancestors."

"Oh yeah, sharks do. Sharks, the significance of a shark, especially with the niuhi, the tiger and the white shark, they were compared to as chiefs. Kamohoali‘i, who was the brother of Pele, was a shark. That was his form, his other kinolau or his other form was a shark. Because of the ferocity. The same kind of attitude of absorbing and taking all with no consciousness to end result, the main thing is to consume. The same attitude is compared, comparing the shark to love. It’s all consuming. To the point where one cannot think consciously to what is being done. And so the Hawaiians have a saying:

Kūpau wau i ka manō ka manō nui ka manō nui kūpau wau i ka manō.

And it means, “I am finished to the big shark, all consumed by the big shark, I am finished.” It doesn’t mean he’s dead because the shark bit him. It means he is so deeply in love that he doesn’t know how to think, you know? So shark has that other side of its attitude that is used by the Hawaiians to describe the all consuming idea, without consciousness. And that is funny that the Hawaiians would also compare that to love. But they did that because they knew nature. Hurricane ‘Iniki, all consuming, it has no bearing on who’s the chief or who’s the commoners, you know. It’s all consuming. Hawaiians understood that, and they used that kind of proverbial idea, and I just use that to illustrate the insight and connectedness with nature. But in relation to the shark, that is how it is really used."

x. Parley Kanaka'ole, "Hawaiian Waters: House of the Shark"

🦈

#:))) #so i found this interview from Hawaiian icon Parley Kanaka'ole&it made me so happy for so many reasons lol #so here are some of my favourite parts. :'))) the full interview actually talks a lot about the beliefs we have surrounding our 'aumakua #&is an incredible read. if you are kanaka reconnecting w the culture however i do have the warning that #he speaks rather definitively&heavy-handedly about how one can reconnect w your kūpuna+'aumakua #&just take it w a grain of salt. as w a lot of our older figures he has standards for kānaka that are genuinely not feasible sometimes #&its okay. it doesnt make you any less kānaka or make it impossible for you to commune&connect w your 'aumakua. #your geneology hasnt forgotten nor abandoned you for lack of attention+relation bc that isnt possible. #however w that one caveat in mind i highly reccommend reading the interview (&also the second piece by #Herb Kane who is a literal Hawaiian legend. his art is regularly used in classrooms to teach history&hes been actually dubbed #a Living Treasure of Hawai'i when he was alive. also he CAPTIANED the hokule'a. actual legend.) #ive been missing home. so much. #salt water cures everything. i have tears&sweat i just need the pacific lol. #♡ #yas

[whumpshaped]

anon i just got around to writing ur ask, and i wanted to give u some more stuff bc i too am insane abt languages. this is MY interpretation of these terms of endearment as just one (1) hungarian w limited personal experience, so take it w a grain of salt :)

angyalom (my angel): i think this one's kind of old timey too, between lovers. can be angyalkám (my little angel) which is like... idk i guess could be between lovers but i associate it with parent to child.

aranyom (my gold): veeery much between lovers, possibly parent to child too. maybe grandparents to grandchildren.

baba/babám (baby/my baby): i feel like this is common even between friends. girlfriends call each other baba a lot i think. oh this one has infinite dimunitives. baba, babus, babci- ok maybe not infinite. kisbabám (my little baby) is def a parent to child term though i think. but yeah the others kinda work in all contexts. two straight guys would Not unironically say it to each other tho lol

bogaram (my bug): iiiii am unsure? i'm not sure it works between lovers? maybe it does? it probably does. i associate it with a parent to child relationship. can be bogárkám (my little bug) or if you're my grandparents arany bogaram (my golden bug) kicsi arany bogárkám (my little golden bug)

cica/nyuszi/maci/csibe/etc. (kitten/bunny/little bear/baby chick): these and all the other cutesy animal names and whatever you can come up with- obviously works between lovers, sometimes parent to child. my mom sometimes called us kiskutyám (my little puppy). it's about as cringey as the english version of calling someone kitten, which is "if it works for you and you think it's cute, awesome, others will just associate it with daddy and his discord kitten"

csillagom/csillagfényem (my star/my starlight): very lovey-dovey, possibly parent to child. ALSO could be csillagvirágom (my starflower)

drágám/drágaságom (my precious, i'd also translate it to my darling in english): this is def one of the go-to cheesy married couple terms. drágám i mean. drágaságom is more... parent to child maybe? it's less married couple-y

édesem (my sweet): a lovers term mostly. it works parent to child too

egyetlenem (my only one): this one is very much a lovers term. no notes. it's sweet...

életem (my life): this one is also pretty romantic, could be parent to child tho

galambom (my dove): DEFINITELY old timey. this is the one you hear in older hungarian romantic folk songs. it's cute though. used between lovers

kedvesem (my dear): not suuuper common, can def come off as cheesy or trying to be old timey lol used between lovers

kicsim/kicsikém/picim (my little one): lovers or parent to child, i think. i don't think it works in any other context.

kincsem (my treasure): this is one i like.... also can be used as kicsi kincsem or kincsecském (my little treasure). can be between lovers, or can be parent to child.

szerelmem (my love): def can come off as cheesy lol it's like 99% of a lovers term, but i feel like sometimes it can be used parent to child. i must mention the phrase/word szívszerelmem (love of my heart) because it's adorable and i like using it. it's not really a term of endearment i guess, it's more used as like. soulmate maybe? whenever i use it i'm using it in a dramatic, exaggerated, and sarcastic way lol

thats all i can think of :) and yes, within all of them we MUST emphasise that the other person is ours <3 mine mine mine

szívem (my heart): common term of endearment used between lovers, married couples, family members etc. sometimes kicsi szívem/kis szívem/szívecském (my little heart). very affectionate

virágom (my flower): old timey, also one from the old romantic folk songs. def romantic

#asks

[mistleaneous-chaos]

I love the 'Meet the Demigods' Elden Ring AU so much! What a lovely mess of a dysfunctional family and I hope you do more.

However, not to be a nitpicky nerd. I saw your old blogs that mentioned about the relationship of Godrick and Godefroy. Based on evidences in game, Godefroy cannot be older than Godrick. (Even though I know it's a popular headcanon)

The reason that Godefroy cannot be older - is that Godrick inherited the Great Rune and the title 'The Golden'... Likely after Godwyn is killed. And if Godefroy is older it'd gone to him, because the moment when Godefroy was imprisoned is after the title (likely was given before the shattering) and the rune shard is given to Godrick.

In the end we won't know the truth yet unless it's expanded in DLC

Ok first off, I'm glad you like the AU!

And secondly, I'm going to be completely honest I keep forgetting Godefroy exists so that's actually really good to know, and holy shit you're smart as hell for putting that all together.

I think I should probably compile what I know about Godefroy and Godrick and try and conjure a guess at their relationship. This is probably gonna be mostly headcanon and inferrence so take it with many grains of salt(A salt shaker? Idk where this metaphor can go but w/e)

Ok so first off, we know that Godefroy likely participated in a War at some point, whether that was during the Shattering or whenever. He was then captured by Kristoff, which was a big deal since it allowed him an Erdtree Burial, meaning Godefroy had some renown

If Godefroy cannot be older, then I'm going to conjure a guess of the 2 of them being twins instead, or a younger brother but not by much if what I heard about twins being scorned in the Lands Between being true. Godefroy was likely the braver of the 2, whereas Godrick was a coward, as Godefroy made himself able to be captured, whereas Godrick is said to have hid in his castle from Radahn and immediately kneeled to his opponents if they proved too powerful

One line from Godrick that always stuck out to me was his last lines when he died and the end of his remembrance:  "One day we'll return together, to our home, bathed in rays of gold." This line just screams significance to me, as it just seems as if he's talking to someone. I think he may be talking to Godefroy, as he was likely completely gone mentally by the time of his death, and while other bosses speak directly to you after their death, Godrick sounds like he's talking to someone else, and if he's as cruel to his people as they make him out to be, the idea of him talking to his lost brother isn't that far-fetched

The 2 of them likely wanted to make something of themselves. This is proved by Marika's words to the demigods, telling them to at least try and make something out of themselves as to avoid being thrown away(Like her many, MANY kids in mausoleums). Godefroy was likely the leader of the 2, seeing as he was stronger, and a higher priority to catch considering that after he was imprisoned the Order just, let Godrick do whatever the fuck he wanted in Limgrave, possibly due to the fact that he was a shard-bearer, or the fact that he wouldn't have had the courage his brother did.

The 2 likely idolized Godwyn. This is mainly Godrick-centric but I feel as if it may be important to point out. Godrick bases himself a lot more off of Godwyn than he does Godfrey(Though he does idolize godfrey a great deal, don't get me wrong). But I think that the 2 of them are descendants of Godwyn, whether that be his children or grandchildren. And they knew of how amazing he was and just wanted to be able to match up to him. Which is why Godrick took the title of "Godrick the Golden", and why he idolized the dragon so much, because of Godwyn's dealings with Fortissax and the idea of the dragon being a "true heir" to that cult and the ideals of Godwyn and Fortissax

This last "point" is majorly head canon, but I think Godrick probably cared about Godefroy more than any other allies or family he had. The reasoning is because not only did he try and emulate his strength and everything, but his remembrance states also that "A feeble man sought power through the grotesque art of grafting". I looked at the other Remembrances and every one of them said their originators by name, but Godrick's didn't in that line. So, what if Godefroy sought out the art of Grafting first, and taught Godrick so that, in spite of the 2 of them having weak constitutions and diluted blood, they could make something of themselves as their ancestor intended, and Godrick tried to carry it on when he was imprisoned, keeping his memory alive so that they could go back to their home after being sent to the fringes. Also, it'd make more sense for Morgott to send a phantom to protect him, likely out of pity and sentiment due to knowing the feeling of losing a brother

Sorry if this answer is like, longer than it needed to be, it just really got me thinking and when I do that I just spew thoughts out of my keyboard. Also I lowkey really like Godrick angst(And all Elden Ring angst tbh) and wanted to put some of it out into the world, and your ask helped with that!

#elden ring lore #elden ring spoilers #godefroy the grafted #godrick the grafted #godrick the golden #elden ring godrick #morgott the omen king #godefroy #The Golden Order #elden ring #malenia #general radahn #starscourge radahn #malenia blade of miquella #godwyn #godwyn the golden #fromsoft #soulsborne #elden ring angst #elden ring speculation #elden ring theory

[sharkbait77]

The Sun Sets With You

Chapter One: The Season Begins

Summary: A simple yet despondent farm life suddenly sparks with new hope when an unusual traveler makes your town his latest stop and brings with him intriguing and promising viewpoints and no one to share them with. Until he meets you.

Pairing: Ezra Prospect x f!Reader

Rating: M

Warnings: Despondency, depressive undertones, death of a parent, grief, unsolicited advances, age old sexism, strained parent relationship, nosy neighbors, food, lmk if I missed any pls!

W/C: 3.2k

A/N: And here we go! The first chapter! Welcome & thank you for tuning in, it means the world, truly! As I mentioned before, this story may not be the best for some, so please heed the warnings & proceed with caution. The sadness will not consistently be in each chapter, that much I promise, but we have to get through it right away so we can understand our dear Reader’s mindset as of right now. NO EZRA YET, SORRY! And like I said before, this is probably not totally historically accurate, so take everything with a grain of salt pleeease. Other than that, enjoy!

Tags: @the-ginger-hedge-witch @asta-lily @honeymandos @pascalpanic @aliwritesfic @mandocrasis @hnt-escape @winter-fox-queen @barbossa2319 @sarahjkl82-blog @day-off-inkyoto @pedrocentric @astoryisaloveaffair @ezrasbirdie @danniburgh @foli-vora @lucrezia-thoughts @djarinsbeskar @chasingdreamer @quica-quica-quica @meesterblack @amandalovess @hunterofartem1s @pedro4ever @mishasminion360

Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Chapter Two

~APRIL FIFTEENTH OF EIGHTEEN SIXTY-SEVEN~

Your eyes flutter open on instinct as the sun rises against the pale blue of the sky, its ochre rays peering from behind the grassy hills and across the wheat fields while waking the birds. They start their day with a song, shaking their feathers and stretching their wings as they merrily fly through the air in search of their morning meal. The hens that found solace in their coops from the stark chill of night chatter amongst themselves as they roam around their pen and the lone rooster releases its shrill call, a signal for the day to begin. Beat you again, you think.

The sun rises a little higher now, the bright of day in full effect as it fills your room with its intense luminosity. You lie in bed a moment longer, watching the dust mites float through the air and dance in front of your nose with each exhale of breath you release. Signs of life all around you, from the dew drops that formed on your window in the early morning to the muscles within your very skin twitching as you climb out of bed. Every little thing teasing and taunting you of significance, of meaning just on the horizon, yet so far out of your reach.

This is your life. Each and every morning, day, and night is as repetitive as the last. Wake up before the rooster crows and stare into the minute cracks rippling through the ceiling, envious of the pollen that manages to escape through and longing for you to shrink microscopic enough to hide away as well. Fill your basin with cold water you had gathered the night before to wash yourself quickly before your father wakes. Clothe yourself in your underdress, long sleeved, blue work dress layered on top with the sleeves rolled up, an apron cinched at your waist, and dirty and worn, black boots laced up tight enough to prevent you from minding the ache they feel as the day progresses.

You look at your reflection in the hazy mirror as you braid your hair; the drabness of the glass only accentuates exactly how you perceive yourself. The girl staring back at you was but a shell of the one you knew before. Before, when you still had ambitions that would have led you far from this town. To a place you could live anew. Now, just an empty being as one day fades into the next. Eyes that no longer gleam, hair that no longer shines, skin that no longer glows.

You had given up long ago of any hope and dream of something more, surrendering to the bleakness and repetitiveness of this life when your mother passed. A promise on her death bed to help care for your father any way he needs. And this is what he needs. You, here on the farm, helping tend to the chickens and the cows and the small shop he owned in town. The one your mother ran that was unceremoniously thrust onto your lap. The organ within your chest beats solely to pump the blood through your veins and keep you breathing, if only for the promise you made to your mother.

You fasten the gold chain around your neck, a locket with a faded photograph of your mother hidden within hanging to your breast. You tuck it into your blouse to keep her close to your heart and head down the ladder, stepping lightly as to not awaken Pa any earlier than necessary. Your Pa, an old man now with hair white as snow, only having turned the shade since Ma left.

Wrinkles crease deeper into his skin and the bags under his eyes droop slightly to his cheeks now on his once chiseled face. His strength has dwindled within the last year, and with no other siblings to share the burden of the farm, you knew you could not leave your Pa to deal with it by himself. So your own dreams and goals were swiftly thrown into the dirt to be rained on and turned to mush, impossible to be picked up again.

As you finish grounding the coffee beans and throw them into the pot of already boiling water resting on the range, Pa begins to stir and soon after wakes up, the aroma of caffeine acting as his own signal to wake. Leaving the house to give your father privacy to dress, you head to the hen coop to gather a few eggs for breakfast.

You take a deep breath of the crisp morning air, the smell of apple trees at the front of the house, then the smell of grass with fresh dew, to the smell of hay and chicken feed as you get closer to the pen they are corralled in. As you head back into the house, Pa is already seated at the small, round table with his tin of coffee.

“Good morning, Pa,” you greet softly.

“Good morning daughter. Thank you for the coffee.”

“Grace to our health, Pa,” you say, as you always do when he gives you his thanks.

Financially, you and Pa were well off enough; you still couldn’t afford luxuries like sugar, but you were able to live comfortably with only the necessities and the occasional new pair of boots. You were grateful to have the farm and the shop, both reliable sources of income for your small family, and you were blessed that Pa was still able to work the fields, but you know as time passes and his joints weaken, you would then need to take over the labor. There was truly no path for you to leave this life.

The older women around town had begun to whisper about you, not necessarily trying to keep their gossip from reaching your ears. They were just as bad as the hens that cluck around their pen all day. A never ending chatter of you being stuck in the house or the farm or the shop, working as an old maid for the rest of your life.

You’re still fairly young, just over two decades of life in you; sure, the girls you once played in the streams with as children were all married women now and on their third, fourth, fifth child, but you didn’t feel the desire to find a husband just to bend to the simple mold of life this society has cast. If you were to still have any control of your life, it would, at the least, be that.

You crack the eggs into the beaten and tired pan over the range, letting them cook to completion before removing and plating them, along with a roll of bread and the butter you had just churned the day prior. You walk over to Pa and place his portion down before working on your own. Pa sends up a quick prayer and starts to eat. His prayers turned to letters to Ma, but he never failed to speak them before every meal or before bed, sometimes even when a sudden abundance of eggs were laid or vegetables had sprouted during the night.

“The season is nigh for corn and potatoes,” Pa mumbles and you feel your heart sink to your feet.

You had forgotten about the season, when Ma and Pa would work the fields together endlessly, sweating through their work attire to be washed every evening. You still feel the creak in your elbows to this day. It is the busiest season, bringing in the most coinage for the year, but now that it was only you two, you worry about juggling between the shop and the farm.

“Pa, how will we manage?” You voice your concern. Pa takes a deep breath.

“You will hang a notice in the shop when you go today,” he says matter of factly. “Ask Mr. Williams if you are able to hang one on his window at the post as well.”

“And what shall it say?”

“‘Seasonal laborer wanted – will provide lodging with pay’.”

“Where will he stay?” You inquire.

“The barn; we will provide him blankets and he will be free to use our wash basins when needed and we will offer him meals.”

“It will be a lot of money expended, Pa; will we be all right?” You ask as you sit at the table with your plate and coffee tin.

“We will make do, daughter,” he says, the finality in his voice signaling for this conversation to cease. “We will not be able to pay handsomely or feed him much, but we require the extra hand if we are to pass the season.”

“Yes, Pa.”

You lower your head and eat your eggs in silence. You don’t pray anymore, not necessarily feeling the need since your Ma was taken, as well as your aspirations. Pa finishes his coffee, leaving the dishes in the wash basin and grabbing his hat, walking outside into the fields to begin preparations for the season. You sigh; the tears that have long hidden in your ducts refuse to spill out to bless you with relief.

The last time you properly cried was for Ma; every day you feel them there, the pressure building in the corners of your eyes, but nothing ever falls. A mind trick, you suppose, to force you to focus on the more important things. You don’t have the time to spare to release them; your mind and body are now slaves to the farm and the shop.

After your breakfast, you walk to the wash basin with your dishes, hand pumping the water from the pipe just off the side and using the homemade lye soap you learned to make from your mother. Once the dishes are washed, dried, and put away, you walk over to the black safe in the corner of the room, turning the dial to its correct numbers and pulling out the metal lockbox from the inside.

It carried within it the sales ledger for the shop and the velvet bag for the coins. Pa empties the bag every day as he looks over the ledger, placing the coins into another metal box that only he has the key to. He gives you coin anytime you ask, as long as it is needed for the shop or food for the house and, occasionally, on special days.

You pick it up and take it with you to the front door, pulling your bonnet and fabric bag from the hook they hung on. You stick the lockbox inside your bag, as well as the key assigned to it, and head outside. Pa is already far into the fields, hacking away at the dirt and smoothing it out for the new growth. You don’t bother saying goodbye; he knows where you’ll be. Where you’ll always be.

Living alone with Pa became quite challenging, you were disheartened to learn. You’ve always had a loving bond with him since you were a child; maybe he expected the same from you as he did from Ma, but he still managed to make his lessons on the farm enjoyable, doting upon you as any loving father would. Now? The anguish you both have felt since losing the feathery soft and caring love of your mother strained the relationship between you two.

What was once a thick belt of leather that connected you now pulled further and further apart until it became as frail as rubber, threatening to snap at a moment’s notice. You love your Pa; of course you do, and you know he loves you too. If only you could grieve together.

Upon entering the town, the people are going about their normal routines. The baker stacking the fresh loaves of bread in his window, the shoe shiners along the streets working tediously on men’s boots, the hens clucking – the older women gossiping away passionately about whomever they desire. As long as it isn’t you today.

You reach the shop, key in hand as you unlock the brass keyhole and turn the knob, the small bell dinging above you as you enter. You flip the sign in the window from the side that reads ‘Closed’ to the side that reads ‘Open’ and you pull back the shut curtains, allowing the light of day to flow into the small room.

Heading back to behind the counter, you remove the lockbox from your bag and set it on the shelf underneath in its usual resting place. You barely have a moment to remove your bonnet when the bell dings and you look up to greet the person who has walked in. Wonderful.

“Hello, my sweet,” the man husks and you find it difficult to choke back the bile rising in your throat.

“Hello Silas,” you say flatly. “Is there anything I can help you with today?”

“Darlin’, you know exactly how you may be of service to me.”

Silas Taylor, a boorish man of thirty-eight years, has desperately been attempting to attract your affection for the past two years. He had the decency to respect you and Pa after your mother passed, halting his advances for all of one week. Considering his age, he did not show any signs of maturing, both in his looks and his brain. One might even label him handsome, were he not such a crude and overbearing personality.

Ma and Pa had bid you to consider his proposal, but in time came to understand he was not the best man you could have as a husband. Pa despises Silas, has even told him so to his face, yet it did not cause Silas to stray from pursuing you. Disrespectful, despicable, a generally awful person, Silas is.

Why he had you locked on to his sights, you weren’t sure. You never gave him the opportunity to court; staying cordial as to not make an outright enemy of him, yes, but never once have you made it apparent you enjoyed his attention. Nevertheless, he continued.

“Silas, please. I must ask you to leave my shop if you are not interested in a purchase,” you implore, hoping he will understand your position and take his leave.

“But, little one, I am very interested in a purchase. What must I do to make you my wife?” He grins, as charming as the manure out in the fields. In a flash, your vision goes red as you replay his statement in your mind.

“I am not for sale, Silas. That is the most offensive remark you have said to me yet,” you declare harshly, the acidic bile in your stomach turning into a burning rage.

“There must be something that can be done, my sweet. You name it; the most lavish jewels and dresses your pretty, little mind can dream of,” he presses on with a smile only found on masks to scare the children with.

‘Pretty’ and ‘little’, amongst his unwelcome endearments, are the words to send your mind into a downward spiral to declarations that you’d rather not say unless you were alone, lest he take offense and decide to wreak havoc on you and Pa. You put your foot down and grab his arm roughly, pulling him with you to the front door. He only laughs at the scene unfolding, rather pleased with himself that he’s ruffled your feathers so.

“Silas, I am no longer asking. Please leave,” you say as plainly as you can, doing your best to keep the tremble of anger out of your voice.

“Fine, fine,” he chuckles satirically. “Until our next meeting, my love.”

He pulls your hand to his lips, his strength surpassing yours and his thick, wiry mustache rubs harshly against the tender skin of your hand. You furl your lip and flare your nostrils, unable to contain the look of disgust on your face as he glares at you perversely with his black eyes. You tug your hand away and the bristly hair under his villainous nose scrapes you with the motion.

You stand with your jaw clenched and hands balled up in tight fists at your sides, your fingernails digging into the skin of your palm as you watch him walk away, leaving puffs of dirt trailing behind with each cocksure step he takes. If you were to only be allowed one person to despise in your lifetime, it would be Silas Taylor.

“Dear, are you well?”

A gentle, aged voice calls out to you from behind. You whip around quickly, your skirts twirling as you face the elderly woman that has hailed you.

“Mrs. Williams,” you greet, willing your fury from the unpleasant interaction to rest for the time being.

“Was that Silas Taylor you were speaking with?” She asks.

“Yes,” you exhale. “Yes, it was.”

“He’s a quite handsome lad, dear. It is known all over town how you have bewitched him. Why do you not accept his proposal?”

Adelaide Williams; the sweetest among the hens, but still a hen nonetheless. You sigh deeply to yourself, deciding not to engage in the conversation with the one woman who treats you with any shred of respect and kindness, even if her ideals still match those with the others in town.

“Mrs. Williams, while I have you in my presence, may I ask a favor?” You appeal.

“Why, of course, my dear!” She smiles, all thoughts of your personal affairs exiting her imagination.

“Do you suppose it would be alright to leave a notice at the post office? We are asking for help on the farm for the season.”

“Yes, dear, it’s quite alright,” she smiles, her wrinkly skin creasing along her cheeks and eyes.

“Thank you; will you wait a moment while I draft it?”

She nods and follows you inside the shop, slow in her old age. You quickly grab a sheet of paper and a fountain pen, inscribing the words your Pa informed you to write in large enough letters.

“I imagine this season will be most difficult without your mother. I am so very sorry, dear,” Mrs. Williams says as you write and your hand quakes slightly at her comment. “How have you and your father been managing?” Cluck, cluck, cluck.

“Not without difficulty, Mrs. Williams, but we manage nonetheless,” you say courteously, not wanting to relay any information that could be the next piece of news to travel through the grapevine. You finish the notice and hand it to her.

“Shall I direct him here or to the farm?” She inquires as she reads the note, perhaps looking for anything contradicting what you already stated would be written.

“The farm, more suitably, so he can speak directly to my father,” you reply. “Many thanks to you and Mr. Williams,” you end with a sweet smile.

“No thanks are required, my dear. Anything to help you and your father. Your mother was a wonderful being. I was proud to have known her.”

Another quake. You nod politely, letting her hold your forearm as you walk to the front door. The bell dings as it opens and you watch her while she walks down the wooden pathway to the post office. Once you’re sure she’s well on her way, you turn back inside and draft another notice for the shop window before you begin arranging the merchandise for the day, taking inventory of goods that are depleting, and checking order forms belonging to families around town for produce off your farm.

A most provincial and forlorn life, indeed, that you will have to bear until the end of your time here on Earth.

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Chapter Two

#ezra x f!reader #ezra x reader #ezra x you #ezra prospect x f!reader #ezra prospect x reader #ezra prospect x you #ezra au #ezra prospect au #ezra prospect fanfiction #ezra prospect fanfic #pedro pascal character fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #prospect #prospect fanfiction #the sun sets with you #tsswy

[faerielleart]

i definitely get the dislike because some aspects of the story are questionable like our morals are of course totally different to what it was to live in the 15th century. but i still like it so much regardless 😭 i always assume romeo definitely is closer to juliets age i believe that she is 13-16? i take it with a grain of salt because in the og she is around 16 while shakespeare makes her of barely 13-14? and romeo is also said to be very young. i think it’s a way to contrast two children to the rest of the characters who are grown ass adults. but romeo is def in her age range (which is 15-18)? paris is an adult (like mid to late 20s) and her family just. threatens to disown her unless she marries him so i definitely get why she did what she did. idk. and young people are dumb asf 😭 i am still fucking dumb even as a young adult but that’s just expected of me ig. even when people become of age i look at them and they’re just children? if i look at an eighteen year old to someone in their 20s it’s so different it ends up making me sad. also the death of mercutio pushing romeo to kill tybalt, i can’t condemn romeo for it bc it was done in his grief 😔 and tybalt should be around their age too if not a little older and you can’t hate him because they were all raised in a shitty environment. i can only hate all of the adults around them for existing ☠️lmfao but. sorry i brought it up 😭 i didn’t know you hated it! i was just very upset because i found people who would just minimize what they were all going through and saying things like they weren’t really in love or that they were so stupid to fall in love in three days and comparing it to stories written today and using presentism to look at the past (which i am also guilty of too often tbh). but also it’s just literature? we may all be bitter enough to believe love at first sight is fake but this is fictional and we’re just the third party looking at it how unlucky they are. but gosh i hate fiction too for not giving them a happy ending too. yes i’m also thinking of levi and hange ✋😭 what’s wrong with me!!! also remembering the 104th are barely adults hnng. except maybe eren who knows the future and everything. he’s like middle aged in my eyes ☠️ he acts old too. but he’s so stupid i can’t sympathize w him

actually my issues with the story totally stem from personal shit that happened with a person who some years ago happened to be obsessed with it and now my traumatized ass can’t separate the two things anymore 💀💀💀 i appreciate it a lot from the literary point of view tho #justenglishliteraturestudentthings🌈

ive always been drawn more to mercutio’s dramatic ass bc dude’s a different kind of dramatic bitch compared to romeo but i gotta be honest,,,, my personal beef with romeo most likely comes from my dislike for straight people AYYYY 🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤

but yeah if there’s one thing i’m not too big on is when people try to apply today’s principles to the past. like there’s no room for critical thinking and an actual discussion when that happens and it’s just either people lacking the common sense to make this very simple thought process aka “modern society is the result of millions of years of evolution and what is normal today wasn’t normal yesterday and viceversa” or just people wanting to sound smart and “morally superior” or whatever for upholding today’s standards to yesterday’s even if without yesterday’s “normal” having happened we literally wouldn’t have today’s “normal” but hey there’s no room for critical thinking here! only empty, baseless criticism is permitted on the internet and if you dare say you can’t compare the past and the present people will come for you bestie

we all do it, hell i do it too, but we should all be objective and rational when it comes to these matters skfjdjjsjd of course today our concept of what constitutes a good love story to read has VASTLY changed, but our present conception is the direct consequence of the existence of the past one? and acknowledging that doesn’t mean “justifying” a “bad” story? the two things can co-exist, we can look at romeo and juliet through our modern lens and claim that yes objectively these two are “dumb teenagers” by our modern standards of common sense, and we can also look at them and claim that they are a product of their time in which stories and characters like theirs were really ideally romantic AND we can look at them and recognize that many things happening in the story are kinda fucked up AND we can look at them and recognize that while being fucked up they are, again, a product of their time and, by yesterday’s common sense, “normal”. whoop there we go, would you look at all these things that can co-exist at the same time! but again people are really allergic to nuance LOL

like i am PRETTY sure if someone in my english course dared to unironically and seriously call romeo and juliet “dumb teenagers” in relation to our modern perception my teacher would (rightfully) whoop their ass for not keeping the context, the history and all that into account 😭😭

don’t tempt me with a romeo and juliet au levihan don’t tempt me don’t temp- oh no oh noo my hand is slipping i am opening the painting app oh nooo

i am laughing my ass off at the middle aged eren imagery bc yeah peak boomer who protests against masks and doesn’t believe covid exists 💀💀

#also 👉👈 i kinda feel like the writing is familiar… 🌴???

[proxylynn]

Underfell: File Name not Edgy Enough #27

Chapter 27: Burden

WARNING: I WANT NO RESPONSIBILITY OVER SPOILING THINGS FOR OTHERS. THAT BEING SAID, THIS IS HOW FILE NAME NOT FOUND WOULD FUNCTION IN THE AU OF UNDERFELL. BEFORE YOU READ THIS, UNLIKE THE NICE TIME OF UNDERTALE, THIS WORLD IS KILL OR BE KILLED. THIS STORY WILL BE GRAPHIC, GORY, USE SWEARS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS, AND DEAL WITH SENSITIVE SUBJECT MATTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THE FILE NAME RELOCATED SPOOF WILL KNOW HOW I PICTURE THIS VERSION OF LYNSIE COMING TO THE UNDERGROUND. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING DUMB. IT IS BECAUSE SHE CHOOSES TO END HER LIFE. SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I MADE IT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO LET SOME OF THIS EDGINESS OUT OF MYSELF. WHICH I GUESS MAKES UNDERFELL LYNSIE EVEN MORE TRUE TO WHO I REALLY AM. ANYWAY, ENJOY. ^_^

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[A quick recap]

My melancholy blinds me to my current surroundings. I only come out of it once a spotlight hits me.

"The hell...?"

Things look funny. No doubt it's a setup by Mettaton. But I'm unsure what this act is. I mean, it looks like a receptionist's waiting room. A desk and some random chairs.

"GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTS...!"

Mettaton zips in wearing a red suit and shoves me in a chair as he takes center stage.

"FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HERE AT MTTTV WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE LACK OF ME OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM. DUE TO THE LACK PREP WORK WITH MY COSTAR HERE, WE SADLY HAD TO FORGO A THRILLING ACT BACK IN LEVEL TWO INVOLVING HUNDREDS OF EXPLOSIVES!!"

I so freaking called it. I should let him have his moment...Nah!

"I thought you said that act was shit anyway?"

He extends an arm to cover my mouth.

"FORGIVE HER. SHE'S LOST A LOT OF BLOOD AND NOT ALL THERE MENTALLY."

I leer at him flatly.

"BUT...DARLING HERE IS GOING TO MAKE AMENDS WITH US ALL RIGHT NOW. IT'S TIME TO ANSWER SOME BURNING QUESTIONS."

I'm so confused as he lets go and leaps onto the desk, posing dramatically.

"IT'S TIME FOR..."

A large neon sign shaped like him drops from the ceiling.

"BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL WITH A KILLER ROBOT! THE LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOSTED BY YOURS TRULY."

Huh. Not a bad title.

"I thought you were working on a courtroom trial program?"

He scoots to now sit behind the desk.

"UNFORTUNATELY, WHILE I DO HAVE THE FUNDS, I DON'T HAVE AVAILABLE WORKERS TO MAKE SUCH A SET. SO...WE'RE DOING THIS INSTEAD."

"Heh...Must be hard to meet your expectations."

"DARLING, YOU HAVE NO IDEA."

A tense dramatic score plays.

"SO, DARLING...ARE YOU READY TO TELL ME EVERYTHING?"

Ah. I see now. Fine, Metta, have it your way. Just be careful what you wish for. You may not like it. Now don't get me wrong. I know my limits. I'm not about to tell him EVERYTHING. I'm not that stupid. But if he wants truth, he's going to get a version that's missing some characters and other junk.

"As you wish. You wanna know the truth? You want to scar the entire Underground? Sure. Why not. What else do I have to lose at this point since you exposed me? So congratulations! I hope you like the prize you've been longing to get. Because I sure as hell don't."

Let the show commence.

[Now our featured presentation]

"RIIIIGHT...ANYWAY...WHY NOT INTRODUCE YOURSELF. LET THE UNDERGROUND KNOW JUST A BIT ABOUT YOU."

I wave with a stupid grin to where I think a camera is.

"Howdy, monsters of the Underground. My name is Lynsie. Last I checked, I'm 5'8'', twenty eights years old, born November 7th, am a Scorpio, blood type A+, and enjoy long naps by the beach."

Am I introducing myself or recording a dumb dating profile video?

Mettaton whips out some cards from his desk.

"REALLY? YOU'RE THAT OLD? HUH."

"Yeah. Why?"

"YOU LOOK OLDER THAN THAT."

I sneer.

"It's the raccoon eyes. Insomnia is a hell of a slap to the face."

"THAT ASIDE...HOW ARE YOU FEELING? YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT SINCE THIS PROGRAM STARTED."

"I'm grateful to have this reprieve. It's nice to not be flung into fight after fight for a moment. I don't like fighting. I'd much rather avoid any conflict if able."

"SUCH A KIND GIRL. ARE ALL HUMANS THESE DAYS LIKE YOU?"

I eye him funny.

"WHAT?"

"Do mean 'kind' or 'stupid'? Because every monster has called me a fool for being nice."

"STUPID IS A STRONG WORD. NAIVE IS MORE LIKE IT."

I rumble lowly in my seat.

"But...To answer you properly, no. Not all humans are like me. Or...I'm not like most humans."

"OOOOH~, SUCH AN AMBIGUOUS ANSWER. FINE THEN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIKE THAT, I'LL HAVE TO BE MORE BLUNT IN MY QUESTIONS. LET'S SEE..."

He flips through some of his cards.

"OH! HERE'S ONE...HOW DID YOU COME TO FIND YOURSELF IN THE UNDERGROUND?"

Blunt? I'll give you blunt.

"Easy. I tried to kill myself."

[SNOWDIN: Skeleton House in present time]

The mood in the room sours as the human continues.

"Yep. You see, Mt. Ebott has a reputation, a legend dating back lord knows how long, that those who climb the mountain never return. This has made it a popular place to die. Not as bad as the literal 'Suicide Forest' of Japan, but it does the job okay."

Mettaton's screen blacks out.

"Don't give me that look. You wanted this. You wanted the truth. So take it. Take the blunt no holds bar truth of the matter. And you know what else? It wasn't the first time either. I can think of at least five other attempts. Each more pathetic than the last. But, if memory serves me right, I do believe my very first try was when I was still so very small. Somewhere around age six to eight. I had learned that apple seeds contain cyanide, a very toxic poison. Of course, there's not a heck of a lot in a single seed, but if you ingest a lot...well...Kid me didn't know how many were needed. Just that it was deadly. As you can see, I didn't have enough and I didn't try that form of suicide again. I don't try the same kind twice. I'm too fearful of messing things up the second time. What if it only partly works and I end up surviving? Heh...Trying to end it all only to live but in even worse condition? The irony would be such a hilarious joke. Then again, that's my life in a nutshell. One big cruel unrelenting joke."

Toriel's eyes water. She knew her child had her demons, but she knew not just how far back they spawned. Mettaton's screen relights.

"I...I WASN'T EXPECTING..."

"Yeah, no one does. No one expects me to be so dark. But what can I say? I do a damn good job hiding it."

"BUT...WHY THOUGH? WHAT WOULD MAKE A CHILD THAT BENT ON KILLING THEMSELVES?"

She takes a deep breath and lounges back in her chair.

"You ever feel guilty for something? Something you have no idea why you should feel that way for but you just do?"

She runs her hands over her face.

"I don't remember why I asked her that question. Maybe I was just morbidly curious. I knew my siblings were unexpected pregnancies. The eldest never came to be, so whether it was a boy or girl is forever unknown. My brother came about in the randomness of my mom hooking up with my dad. She married my dad because, well, she did like him but also so that he wouldn't be deported once his school visa ran out. He and his family escaped their homeland to start a new life...but did so illegally. Even on the surface, there's no true freedom. Four years into the marriage, I was born. Things only seemed to spiral from there. Dad would stay out drinking. Mom would be pissed. Bro and I would hide in my room and try to keep the fighting out. Mom gave up on him, someone else charmed her heart and would later be the father of my sister. Eight years into this world and they divorce and months later sis is born. She was unknown and with how old mom was at the time, she now suffers from spontaneous seizures."

The girl looks up in thought.

"So a few years ago, I asked mom...Was I unplanned like they were? Was I another surprise baby?"

She looks back down, her face holding a more cold expression.

"No, she told me. You were the only planned one. ...I should've stopped there. *sigh* I then asked...Why? She answered..."

Emotion leaves her.

"We had you in the hopes that you'd fix our marriage."

Silence. Dead silence.

"So much pressure. And to put that on a babe? How was I supposed to solve your problems? How is it my fault you couldn't stand each other when things got rough?! How is a kid supposed to make sure you don't start taking drugs and acquire sixteen felonies?! How is it my job to make sure you don't regret loving someone else?! How is that fair?! Why not take some fucking responsibility for once in your god damn life?!"

She becomes irate, grabbing one of the chairs and beating it into another one till both are useless before ending with a guttural roar that pains the throat in its harshness.

Toriel recalls similar words from her not long after they became close and she found her.

"Child? You're trembling. Is everything all right? Child, please. Just speak to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"I hate you! I hate all of you! You fucking pieces of shit! Why?! Why is it so hard for any of you to care?! I've been missing for days or weeks and none of you care! *sobs* Did you ever love me?! Why did you even bother having me if you don't even care that I'm gone?! *bawling* Why? Why? Someone tell me why...please..."

"I know this isn't the most pleasant of times to ask...But since we've come to know more about each other, I have been curious about something. The humans that fall down here...They tend to not fall down for the happiest of reasons. If it is not too painful...Can you share with me your reason? What made you come to a cursed mountain where none ever return from?"

"*hard sniffling* They used to care. I used to know what it was like to know others cared. I can't remember when they started to pull away. When I became invisible. I just want to know why. Was it something I did? Did I do something wrong? Did I not make them proud? I thought I did everything right. I was a good girl. *voice cracking* I'm a good girl. Aren't I?"

Even Grillby had memories of such talk pop into his head.

"You are an amazing person. You live in his cold place and open this bar to every sad face willing to cast aside their mean spirits for spirits of another kind. You put up with a lot of nonsense, a good bit came from me today, and I'm sorry about that."

"Where is all this coming from?"

"I'm not done. You have been nothing but nice to me. And doing that isn't easy in this world we live in. Since meeting you, you've shown me more kindness than I got from my own family, and this is only our second meeting. Heh, how pathetic is that? I fell into the Underground trying to die, only to end up wanting to live because of the few that showed me any decency. And for that, I give you my thanks."

"Pussycat?"

"I don't know if it was the punch or I'm just in a weird mood. I'm probably making things awkward. No one wants to hear someone ramble about lame junk when at a bar. This is a place people go to forget things. I know I've got a lot I want to forget. Like the three or four times I ran away from home but never had a plan and always had the cops take me back. Or the time I cussed out my grandma because I thought she lost my dog when it turned out my mom had dumped the pup at a shelter and told me it escaped. Or the suicide attempts..."

"Attempts?"

"Oh yeah, there was more than one. Hard to believe, but I'm a very sad person. No, that's being too nice. Depressed is more accurate. 90% of the smiles you see me do are fake. Just part of the mask I wear to hide how truly miserable I really am."

"God, I hate myself. I'm a sad pathetic mess."

Sans now gets a clearer picture of the baggage weighing on her.

"oh! and don't forget, you're making dinner. pap only let that slide because you were practically dead. so don't get any ideas thinking you can get out of it."

"Did you just really say that?!"

"the hell is your problem?"

"Did you really just insinuate she'd harm herself?"

"i dunno...maybe?"

"You can't say that kind of stuff to her!"

"why not?"

"You...You don't know how she came to the Underground, do you?"

"she told me that she fell."

"I'm not comfortable telling you this, seeing as she hasn't and I don't think it's my place, but I can't let you say idiotic things like that."

"okay, weed, you have intrigued me. if she didn't fall, then how did she get here?"

"Well...Falling is how she came to the Underground. But...She didn't fall from an accident."

"you're telling me she..."

"She fell on purpose. She...was trying to die. I don't know about her life on the surface. She doesn't tell anyone about that stuff, not even Mom. But I have been with her since the start and I can tell...Under all that toughness and pass the goofy dork innards...She's very sad deep down."

And that moment that recently happened at Grilbby's.

"enough with the act! you act all calm, with your little quips and remarks. making you look so well put together. but i know better. i know you're just as messed up as the rest of us. so why don't you get off your high horse and get out of my life!"

"You're right. This is an act. Every day, I wake up and I pretend to be this way. To play this role of the girl that never gives in and can smile through it all. I put on my mask and face this world as best that I can. But inside I'm dying. I'm being crushed by insecurities, doubt, depression, and so much negativity that I let myself fall into a pit hoping for the sweet embrace of death. I have attempted to end my life a good handful of times. Each more pathetic than the last. Even now, I'm just a few triggers shy of crumbling into a blubbering mass of tears. Yet there are few things that keep me from doing those bad things now that I'm here. And if putting on this act keeps me in, relative, ease...Then yeah. I'm gonna pretend my ass off that all is fine with me. Because I'm a fucking moron that is too afraid to open up to those closest to me and ask for help!"

Papyrus, of course, takes all this in as vital information he could use against the human. Her emotional and mental instability can be used to manipulate her. Grooming her to be more obedient to his will.

"I'm sorry."

"DAMN RIGHT YOU'RE SORRY."

"No...I mean, I'm sorry for earlier. It was wrong for me to hit you. You just...*sigh* How do I say this without sound like a dweeb?"

"JUST...SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY. DON'T ALTER YOUR WORDS. THEY LOSE IMPACT THAT WAY."

"If that's true, then don't make a big deal out of this."

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"I am an emotional wreck and going through so much internal bullshit that it ain't funny. So know that the stupid things I'm about to say are true because this is making me feel very vulnerable and uncomfortable which I think you feel too."

By now the human was breathing heavily over the shattered remains of once recognizable objects, slowly regaining her composure. She stares at the mess for some time. Mettaton doesn't even try to do anything that could get her attention while in such a state. Eventually, she drops the bits in her hands and takes a seat in the chair she spared. Slumping in remorse and holding her face.

"I'm sorry. That...That was shameful. I'll pay you back for the damage."

"DO YOU NEED A MOMENT?"

She rubs her eyes of faint moisture.

"N-No...No. I'm fine. That...That was just a moment of venting weakness. I normally cry this crap out of my system. But...I'm so sick of crying. Yet...That felt good though. So much pent-up bullshit I don't or can't let out was just dropped like weights off my back. ...Does this count as therapy? Because this feels better than that child physiologist mom sent me to after I ran away...the first time."

"SOUND LIKE YOU DON'T CARE FOR YOUR PARENTS."

"You'd think that, but no. Don't get me wrong. I love my parents. They could've been far worse even with the flaws I've mentioned. Dad never missed work and made sure bills could be paid. Mom always made sure we could eat even if it meant she didn't and often broke the law to do so."

Her head lolls back as she lounges.

"It's easier to dwell in the negatives than the positives growing up. It can make for a bitter soul. This is just the tip of a massive iceberg, there is so much more crap hidden below. But now is neither the time nor place to dive deeper into those murky waters. I'll drown if I stay under too long. *sigh* I don't hate them for the life they brought me into. I'm just...disappointed. Disappointed by the choices they made and things they expected to get from them. Disappointed in myself for allowing all that to have so much of a hold on me. Disappointed...So very disappointed...*long drawn out groan* Could we please leave the personal questions for now?"

"VERY WELL."

He flips through the cards.

"YOU'VE BEEN IN THE UNDERGROUND FOR SOME TIME NOW. HOW HAS THAT BEEN? WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A HUMAN AMONG MONSTERS?"

This gets their attention. The human knows better than to tell all. But she's so far been extremely open. They hoped she was of sound mind enough to remember to keep some secrets.

"Even after all the attempted murder...I prefer monsters to humans. Because at least once the fighting is over, things can be somewhat normal. It's like 'hey, I know I just tried to kill you, but do you wanna maybe hang out for a bit?' and then that happens. It blows my mind how there's no animosity or spite afterward. After Humans fight with each other there's no calm, no peace of it being over, hell, a war might break out if it was bad enough. You never know how bad someone feels after and if the grudge they carry will make them go to extreme measures to make them feel better. Well...Except for the Irish. Those lads can tussle and then be all chummy after like it was a bonding experience. Nice folk. Always fancied them. Heh...Kinda like Monsters. A tough outside but nice inside. Maybe that's one of the reasons they were persecuted too. ...God, my kind is trash. All it knows is hate. We even hate ourselves. And one day...That hate will be the end of us."

She moves some hair from her face. A small smile coming to her.

"Moments like this...It's nice. Brief pauses of reflection and repose. Typically I end up doing this kind of thing in my head or I talk to myself. Funny how that works, the mind I mean. It is a self-aware entity in itself that can be both you and not you at the same time yet won't confuse itself by doing so. Probably why the imagination is such vital part of it. *pause* Heh...My bad. Lost myself for a moment. Back on point...Sure, this all began with you nearly killing me and it's probably just leading up to something else. Something good or bad. Yet till that happens...This is nice."

"SPEAKING OF NICE...YOUR LV HASN'T GONE UP FROM ITS BASE LEVEL. WE'VE SEEN YOU GO INTO FIGHTS, SO IT'S NOT THAT YOU'VE AVOIDED THEM COMPLETELY."

"As I've said...I don't like fighting."

"YOU MUST BE AWARE THAT PACIFISUM IS NOT A RECOMMENDED OR AN EASY THING TO DO IN THE UNDERGROUND. IS IT HARD BEING NICE FOR YOU DOWN HERE?"

"Is it hard for a fish to swim or bird to fly? Nice is my default. I don't have it in me to be genuinely mean. I can be rude or even a bitch, but that's only if that was how I was treated first. The real hard part about it is getting others to understand this niceness is real. Some pick it up with no trouble. But others are difficult. Going so far as to think I'm trying to lull them into a false sense of safety as part of an evil human trap. Can you believe that?"

Sans eyes Papyrus who rolls his sockets at his brother, both knowing damn well she meant him.

"EVEN SO, HAS THERE BEEN A TIME WHERE YOU WANTED TO FIGHT BACK? SURELY EVEN I PROBABLY INCURRED SOME IRE FROM YOU?"

She looks at the mechanical machination with a mix of confusion and annoyance.

"Ire is a strong word. True, I'm not happy about this situation. Exposing me for ratings. One of your goons bashing me over the head. The creepy stalking behavior by watching me through cameras. The needless puzzles and fighting. All of it wasn't necessary."

"I DISAGREE. EVERY BIT WAS COMPLETELY NECESSARY."

"Bull crap."

"NOW NOW, LET ME EXPLAIN. REGARDLESS OF YOUR INTENTIONS, YOU HAVE TO AGREE THAT YOU BEING HUMAN DOES CALL FOR CERTAIN MEASURES TO BE TAKEN. HUMANS DEAL PHYSICAL DAMAGE AND MONSTERS ARE WEAK TO SUCH ATTACKS."

"I know that. Get to your point, Metta."

"MY POINT? VERY WELL. MY DATABASE CONTAINS THE COLLECTED INFORMATION WE'VE GATHERED FROM THE PREVIOUS HUMANS THAT CAME BEFORE YOU. EACH WEAKER AND WEAKER AS TIME PASSED. YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE BEEN DISPLAYING STRANGE ABILITIES..."

A monitor comes down, displaying the human in her earlier distress and giving off that strange energy.

"NOT TO MENTION YOUR SOUL HAS BEEN CHANGING IT'S COLOR WITHOUT MAGIC INFLUENCE."

The monitor shows the many different colors her soul was throughout the show.

"SO, DARLING, AS YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN COMPLETELY NECESSARY. EVERY LITTLE OBSTACLE ALLOWED FOR MORE OF YOUR UNKNOWNS TO BE REVEALED. HOWEVER..."

The monitor goes back up.

"I GET THE FEELING YOU'RE STILL HIDING SOMETHING."

She glares at the robot.

"I repeat, this wasn't necessary. All you needed to do was ask."

She sits up straight and focuses. Her soul emerges...it is a deep dull blue.

"I don't know everything. Seeing as this whole 'soul' thing isn't known on the surface anymore. To use now, the soul is an intangible thing. It leaves when we die and does whatever since no one truly knows what happens after death. But...I do know my soul isn't normal. Not normal from what I've learned here anyway. I possess ten traits for which my soul can become."

Shock smacks them. Even Mettaton spits oil from some port.

"T-TEN?!"

She nods.

"Ten traits. Ten colors. Nine of which are completely fine."

Her breathing falters as she concentrates harder, forcing the soul to change color to her will.

"Blue, integrity. Cyan, patience. Green, kindness. Pink, passion. Purple, perseverance. Orange, bravery. Red, determination. Yellow, justice. White, hope. ...These are my main traits. The nine that make up my core personality. Yet...There is one, the last one, that I will not show you. No matter what."

A question mark appears on Mettaton's screen. Toriel and Sans know full well which one she means.

"WON'T SHOW? HOW COME?"

"That soul is too dangerous. One that I can't control. The black soul of relentlessness."

Papyrus sockets widen. Sans wasn't making it up after all.

"IF YOU TRULY EXPECT ME TO BUY INTO THIS BLACK SOUL NONSENSE THAN YOU BETTER FIND A WAY TO PROVE TO ME THAT IT'S REAL!"

"and how do you expect me to do that? have it triggered and let her kill half the town?"

"OF COURSE NOT! SHE'D NEVER GET THAT FAR INTO SUCH A SPREE ONCE I SLAY HER."

"YOU DON'T THINK I CAN KILL HER?"

"her? sure, you'd kill her no problem. she'd probably let you do it if things got really bad. but the black soul? that's a different story all together."

"YOU TALK AS THOUGH YOU'VE SEEN THIS 'BLACK SOUL' IN ACTION."

"..."

"YOU HAVE, HAVEN'T YOU?"

"that thing isn't something you want to mess with. don't go after something you can't handle."

"YOU DARE THINK THAT PITIFUL CREATURE CAN HARM ME?!"

"no! i don't think it would harm you! i know it would kill you!"

"I have no will over that trait. It consumes me utterly. Coldly targeting anything and everything as a threat, then calculatingly eliminating victims brutally with no remorse by any means. Pain doesn't phase it. It has no fear. But I do. I fear this soul. I fear becoming that...that thing. That beast."

The robot's screen blips.

"YOU MAKE IT SOUND TERRIBLE. IF IT'S AS BAD AS YOU SAY, HOW HASN'T YOUR LV INCREASED? SURELY A MURDEROUS SOUL LIKE THAT WOULD HAVE A BODY COUNT ATTACHED TO IT?"

"I have thankfully been taken out of that state when it happens. My brother down here, the flower you may have seen me with, he's the one that saves me. I don't know how he does it as I only barely register what happens when the Black Soul is in control. But it's one of the reasons why we stay together. He doesn't want to die and I don't want to hurt anyone, so it's a good deal for us both."

"AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT TRIGGERS SUCH A STATE TO HAPPEN?"

"I'm not 100% sure but I have a theory. The worst of times. Moments when I lose all hope or can't take the pain. Mentally and/or physically. It takes over when I can't deal with things. And I guess it tries to 'solve' the problem...by getting rid of it."

Her demeanor is becoming more unsettled as she continues.

"I...I normally am unwilling to share this information. I don't like being personal with strangers. But since this is a live broadcast, and I've basically torn open a can of worms full of my emo baggage, I want this to be known. I need others to understand the danger. Because you all seem to view me as an easy kill. The dumb nice human that doesn't fight back. It'll be easy to get her soul. Hell, if it weren't for the black trait, I'd have given this thing to you guys ages ago. But it's not worth it. There's no point going to the surface, otherwise I'd be more inclined to leave and be subjected to the crap I deal with. And trust me...You don't want to know what I deal with."

Her eyes get dark and her expression serious to the point it's unnerving.

"The death that can possibly happen if the black soul activates and isn't stopped could be limitless. As the bearer of this curse, I remain here. Not because I see less harm if it triggers around monster, hell no. I trust my death to you because I have faith in monster kind being able to handle it. It's because I don't want to risk it being weaponized by humanity. Magic...REAL magic like this is gone from the surface. If it were to be discovered now...Magic will be coveted like any other valuable resource. Blood and dust will be spilled over ownership. The experiments to find a better means of harvesting it, the torture, the suffering, the endless cycle of hate feeding upon the lack of morality. I have no doubt monsters wouldn't even be seen as people. We've done it to different creeds of humanity throughout history, hell we still do it. I...I don't want that for Monsters. Part of me is saying I'm overthinking it, but I can't that optimistic side of me knowing all the fucked up shit Humans do. I don't want you guys to suffer. I don't want to cause harm. I don't want to see any more death! Please!!"

Her eyes are watering and her body trembling.

"I...I-I hate this feeling. This h-helplessness. I'm caged. I'm useless. I'm nothing on the surface. I'm a danger underground. I'm my own worst enemy and I don't know how to fight. *struggling* Why? Why didn't the fall kill me? Why can't I just die? Why am I so weak? I can't even bleed to death!"

She's a mess, weeping into her gloved hands. But Mettaton dismisses this display and keeps going.

"WEAK? YOU SELL YOURSELF SHORT. CLAWING INTO YOUR OWN BODY ISN'T A VERY WEAK THING AT ALL. COME TO THINK OF IT...IN YOUR ENCOUNTER WITH MUFFET, YOU TOLD HER WHY YOU DID IT. CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEANT?"

A recording is played.

["I have just spent an ungodly amount of time trapped in that elevator over there having my soul violated by people that don't even exist anymore on this plane of reality. I have clawed my skin off to stop feeling their hands on me."]

Her face has the look of someone biting their tongue fairly hard to stay in control.

"What's to explain? I meant what I said and said what I meant."

"YOU'RE AVOIDING THE QUESTION, DARLING."

"No. You're refusing the answer."

"YOU SAID YOU'D TELL THE TRUTH!"

"I am!"

Agitation mounts.

"BULLSHIT! HOW THE HELL CAN ANYONE BELIEVE THAT?"

"I don't give a crap if you believe me or not! You weren't the one there!"

"JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!"

"It doesn't matter! You can't do anything about it! No one can! You can't stop people that break the laws of reality!"

Sans didn't like what he was hearing. And none of them liked that her still exposed soul was sparking with that strange energy.

"THERE ARE NO PEOPLE LIKE THAT!"

"How would you know?!"

"IF EVEN A FLY FARTS ANYWHERE IN THE UNDERGROUND, I KNOW ABOUT IT. IF ANYONE WITH ABILITIES LIKE THAT WERE HERE, THEY WOULDN'T BE UNKNOWN FOR VERY LONG."

"Did you not hear my words? They don't even exist anymore on this plane of reality! You can't find people that are outside time and space, you fucking idiot!"

"I'M THE IDIOT?! DO YOU NOT HEAR YOURSELF?! OUTSIDE TIME AND SPACE?! YOU CAN'T EVEN MAKE A CONVINCING LIE!"

"I'm not lying, you insufferable ego-maniacal narcissistic jackass!"

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!!"

"I did! Accept the fact there is shit in life you can't fathom or comprehend yet is true! Like Bigfoot, life on other planets, or stigmata! Unexplained phenomenons are the backbones of reality! Deal with it!"

"THAT'S NOT AN UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENON! THAT'S A PURE IMPROBABLE IMMPOSSIBLITY!"

"By who's rule?! Are you God?! Do you know every infallible law the universe runs on?! No! You know nothing! No one does! So stop digging for shit that isn't there before something bad happens!"

"THEN GIVE ME A REAL ANSWER!"

"Stop...Please stop!"

"DARLING..."

"I s̷ái͟d͝ s̷t̢̛o̧͘p̀͟!̵̕͜!̧"

A surge of energy bursts from her soul, the flash whites out the screen and hurts the eyes. While blinded they all can hear the garbled sounds of pain and the sudden thud of weight hitting the floor. Their sight comes back to see the human writhing on the ground and gripping her soul, teeth bared in restrained growling.

"DARLING?"

She struggles to make her body move. Just slightly getting her head off the floor.

"Th͜i͞s͠...͜T́h̴i̵s̸ ̛įs ̕y̕our ̛f́aul͝t͏..̢.̴I͜ ͟a͡ske͝d ͠y̕o͏u t̷o͜ ͜s̛top..̢.̵"

The energy courses from her soul over her form, a brighter than normal light emanates from her clutched soul. She weakly pulls herself up to be supported by her free arm and the reason for the light is made clear, a crack has marred her soul. But that is far from the worst part. Sans spots it before Toriel but she's the one that points it out.

"Oh no!"

"What's wrong?"

"The darkness!"

Indeed. Black began to appear in the human's heart. The darkness corrupting the white light and faintly leaking out of the crack. The girl feels this. Panic flashes in her eyes but she's in no condition to handle so much on top of what has already happened.

"Wh̸en̢ wil̡l҉ ̛yo͡u̶ le͘ar͜n.͞..̡Y͘ou ̴fuc̀kín͜g id̴iot.̸..W͢hén wil̡l yoų ́a̶l̢l͜ léar͘n that͏ ̵y͘our act̵i҉o͞ns ͏ha͡v̛e ͘co͡n̴seq͘uenc͘e̶s͘?͘!"

The distortion. The off tone. The malice that seeped out. Perhaps it was enough proof for the automaton to believe her earlier words. For Mettaton seems to be distracted one second and then takes it all seriously the next. One of his hands snakes under his desk and the next thing to happen is the floor beneath the human opens up, dropping her into the unknown. Glitched roaring echoes as she plummets. A sickening crash leads into dead silence.

"WELL...THAT WAS INTERESTING."

His nonchalance about the whole thing is upsetting.

"SADLY, MY CO-STAR SEEMS TO BE HAVING A BIT OF TROUBLE. NOT EVERYONE CAN HANDLE THE STRESS OF BEING IN THE SPOTLIGHT, LIKE MOI."

His flamboyance is rubbing them the wrong way.

"HOWEVER, DESPITE HER TEMPER TANTRUM AND LACK OF COOPERATION, I WILL ASSURE YOU ALL SHE IS NOT DEAD. I MERELY GAVE HER THE SMALL BREAK THAT SHE CLEARLY NEEDED."

It's likely that the break involved her bones or some body part.

"BUT...I CAN GIVE YOU ALL SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO...THIS WAS THE LAST PRELEWD ACT. THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE US TOGETHER, IT WILL BE FOR THE MAIN EVENT. THE FINAL BATTLE APPROACHES, MY ENCOURAGABLE VIEWERS. DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS HISTORICAL MAKE OR BREAK MOMENT."

The show shifts into a commercial break.

Toriel begins shaking. She can't deal with this much longer. Grillby does what he can to give her support, but he too has much on his mind. His pussycat unloaded a TON of things and a lot of it was incredibly concerning. Papyrus ushers his brother away from the other two as not to be overheard.

"SO...HOW LONG?"

Sans looks at him funny.

"uh...what?"

"HOW LONG WERE THE BOTH OF YOU GOING TO HIDE THIS PART OF THE SECRET FROM ME?"

"um...which part?"

"THAT POWER. SHE HAS TEN TRAITS, SANS. JUST HOW STRONG IS THAT GIRL?"

Sans scratches his skull.

"i honestly don't know, pap. i didn't even know she had that many. my main worry was always the black trait, so i never asked about others."

Papyrus folds his arms and shuts his eyes in thought.

"i swear, i ain't lying to ya."

"I KNOW YOU'RE NOT."

"then...what's wrong?"

"*HUFF* I DON'T LIKE THIS. I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF THAT WEAKLING BEING POWERFUL."

His eyes open but look at nothing.

"I SHOULD'VE KNOWN SOMETHING WAS OFF THAT NIGHT...THAT PUNCH...SHE WAS HOLDING BACK SO MUCH..."

Papyrus clenches his fists into tight balls of rage.

"THAT BITCH."

"ya know she didn't want to hurt ya."

"THAT'S THE THING. SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD HURT ME. HOW WEAK DOES SHE THINK I AM? THAT'S WHAT'S PISSING ME OFF MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW."

Sans sighs. One day his brother will taste humble pie and not like it.

[HOTLAND: LAB]

Undyne finishes off her sixth bowel of ramen and looks at Alphys.

"Well...That wasn't how I thought it was going to end. Was it really necessary to tell him to drop her?"

Alphys takes a few more notes and ponders.

"Would you rather there be no main event? Besides..."

She adjusts her glasses.

"If what the human said is true, then the Black Soul being triggered in an open area would result in mass casualties. The zone in which the ending will be shot in is, for the most part, closed and under my remote control. So even in the event of something going wrong, which the odds of such are highly unlikely, then any and all threats can be dealt with in an optimum manner."

Undyne nods.

"I guess that makes sense. Still...I don't what I saw. There was real fear in the human's eyes."

"Good. She should be afraid. She should be very afraid of what's to come."

"And what's that?"

"That would be spoilers."

"Damn it. *sigh* A human soul with ten traits...Sounds tough. I wanna fight it!"

"It does raise a lot of questions. One, in particular, is on my mind."

"What's that?"

"If a human soul, deprived of magic, possesses ten traits and begins gaining magic...What will happen when it attains 100% magic?"

A cold chill runs through the captain.

[HOTLAND: SOMEWHERE ON LEVEL 3]

I am getting so sick of this crap. Why can't I just die at this point?

"*muffled* Lynsie?"

The voice and light jostling is bringing me back to consciousness. Damn it. Here I go again.

My eyes weakly open to the sight of dirt and rock. Just an inch away from losing the ability to see. Like I need a handicap in all this.

"Lynsie? Are you okay?"

Ah, Flowey. It's about time we met back up.

"*groan* H-Hey, bro. I missed you."

He smiles sadly.

"Are you okay? Can you move?"

I roll over on my back and check myself.

[HP ██████████ 10/40]

[HEARTBREAK level ONE in effect]

I figured that's what happened. No wonder the Black Soul was triggering. Thank goodness for the fall knocking my ass out or things would've gone bad fast.

"I think I'll be okay. Sore, but okay. I'm sadly getting used to falling and possible brain damage."

My answer has him pout.

"What's with the face, bro? You know I'm a tough cookie. I'll be fine."

His face gets full of concern.

"I...I heard what you told Mettaton."

Yeah, you and the rest of the Underground.

"I...I understand now why you didn't talk about your past. Why you kept to yourself. I'm sorry."

God, he's too sweet for this place. I reach over and gently stroke his petals.

"I love you, bro. You have no idea how much it means to me that you care. But don't pity me. I do that enough on my own."

I wearily sit up, shaking my head of all that baggage I brought up for the show.

"I wasn't pitying you. It's just..."

He fiddles with his leaves in a shy way but I cut his words off.

"Bro, I get it. I do. It's the same feeling like when you told me your history. Yet, let's be honest here, you're more mentally mature than me and I'm still not completely okay after getting all that off my chest. We can talk more about it later after this ordeal is over. Maybe over mom's cheesecake? Deal?"

"...You mean it?"

"Yeah. I promise."

He smiles brightly.

"Okay. I'd like that."

I pick myself up and stretch, taking a look around at where we are.

"Don't tell me he dropped me back at the start."

"Nope. This is still Level Three. In fact...I do believe MTT Resort is just past this place."

"...For real? Is it a safe space?"

"Yep. There are shops and rooms to rest."

I hear a heavenly choir sing in my head.

"Finally! The universe throws me a decent bone!"

I regret saying that the moment it leaves my mouth. Flowey looks at me funny.

"Don't take that out of context, you know what I meant."

"I don't know. You and Smiley Trashbag are eerily close."

My eye twitches. Things I wish Gaster didn't show me try to pop into my head.

"Are you okay? You look like you're about to puke."

"Never insinuate something like that ever again."

He shakes his head at me. I try to change the subject before I have a heart attack on camera.

"So...Are you able to follow me to the resort? I'm sick of being separated."

"There's ground outside of it and parts I can reach beyond it, but the resort itself I can't get in without some sort of aid like a pot. Cement and tile flooring is a pain to break into."

"Damn, bro, you hella strong."

There's a deactivated reversed conveyor belt that's attached to the artificial platforms.

"Is it safe to cross? It's kinda giving me 'trap' vibes."

"You should be fine. This is normally the part where the colored tiles would be used again, but you know, stuff changed. It's probably off."

"Ah. Gotcha. I guess...See ya soon?"

"You bet."

He ducks into the ground so I take it as my time to leave this pit. The entire time I feel on edge. With my luck, the trap will turn on and I get screwed. Thankfully nothing happens apart from some jets of flame randomly going off in the distance and making me jump like a wuss. At least it got me to the stairs quicker.

After a quite the climb, I reach the top perturbed yet undaunted as a four-way crossroads greets me, though the two paths on the sides are blocked. More Royal Guards, a cat to the left and some kind of insect on the right, both in that imposing armor.

"Well if it isn't my best customer..."

The Ice Scream rabbit pops up from behind the cart I wasn't paying attention to.

"Fancy seeing you again."

As odd as seeing him here is, he's a familiar face that is a sight for my sore eyes. I approach.

"Hey, guy, what's up? Haven't been seeing you much in Snowdin Forest for a bit."

He leans on the cart like a cool guy.

"Yeah...Been moving around seeing if I can make mad gold somewhere where the weather isn't the same temp as my product."

"Any luck?"

"Waterfall wasn't so bad. Even started a new program with rewards cards. Turn in a card with ten punches and get a free doubling of your next order. Speaking of which..."

He reaches into his pants pocket and hands me a punch card. Some holes have already been made.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had the funds to get this far. So...Instead of starting your card full, I may have added your previous buys. Can't say I haven't gotten better at my wonderful salesmanship."

I can't help but smile. He's come a long way. I'm proud of him.

"Well then, wonderful salesman, I'd like to add some more holes please."

"Heh...sure. But I'm warning you, prices have gone up. 25G. Got to charge more here 'cause of the heat."

"Understood, my dude. Um...Just curious...Got fudge pops? Kinda have this hankering for something chocolate."

He shakes his head.

"Sold out. The Royal Guards bought those like crazy."

"Damn. Oh well. One blue, orange, grape, and blood. All bisicles."

He fills my order and I pay the 100G.

"Here you go. All five ready to enjoy."

I look at him funny.

"Five?"

"Yep. Five. I definitely didn't toss in a strawberry one because of customer loyalty. Nope. Didn't do it."

Must...resist...the urge...to HUG!!

"...Thank you. That...That means a lot."

He gives me a wink and I practically skip away up another set of stairs. I place the treats in my inventory for now. I know not what crap will happen from here, so healing items are a big help.

I am met by a large complex. Redbrick that's been tagged with graffiti, yellow-tinted windows with some broken, a gold MTT sign with two Mettaton images with devil horns, a black & white checkered awning over the door, two large plant potters that have dry withered flower remnants, and a blood-red or just stained that way rug embroidered with gold MTTs.

"Classy."

I'm about to head inside when something hits my leg. A paper airplane? I inspect it to find it's a note.

[Hey! Go up the creepy alleyway on the right for some great deals!]

"...I'm gonna get mugged, aren't I?"

It's against my better judgment, but this is a neutral zone, so I should be okay. I wearily creep around, following spray-painted arrows, to end up finding two girls gossiping among garbage. They notice me and straighten up.

"Hey! Check it out!"

"Yeah! Check it out!"

"So, like, what's up? I'm Bratty, and this is my best friend, Catty."

"I'm Catty, and this is my best friend, Bratty."

Oh no...More valley speak!?! Why is that a thing down here?!

Bratty is a tall, green alligator or crocodile monster that wears a primarily black shawl with yellow and red details on the sides. She has yellow hair that flows into curls and red lipstick.

Catty is a plump purple cat creature who wears a set of black overalls with yellow buttons and tufts of red fur with yellow highlighted tips coming out from under it on either side. She has black hair with a red streak in it and a yellow earring on her left ear.

"Uh...Hi? So...This is a shop?"

"Like, the best shop!"

"You should buy ALL our stuff!"

Catty gets this blanket out and opens it out to show me their items. They don't have much, just four things, but I can't turn away from these items.

[25G - Junk Food - Has a big bite out of it]

[350G - Rusty Revolver - Bullets NOT included]

[350G - Tattered Western Hat - ATTACK up when worn]

[600G - Mystery Key - Probably to someone's house LOL]

A gun...How the fuck is that here?

"Oooh! I know that look!"

"That's the look of some wanting something!"

"Bratty! We're gonna be rich!"

"Where did you find this stuff?"

"I mean, like, where does anyone get guns, or food, or..."

"We found it in the garbage!"

I so called it.

"It's GOOD garbage."

"It's like, really good garbage."

"Where do you get the garbage?"

"Like, the garbage store, duh!!! ...Waterfall mostly."

"I found a gun in a dumpster!"

I check my gold...I don't have anywhere close to 1,300G for their garbage.

"Um...Maybe we could work out some sort of arrangement?"

They glare.

"That's poor talk."

"You need WAY more money."

What I need is to get that stuff away from them. That stuff is bad enough with humans, I don't want monsters messing with crap like guns.

"Ladies, I'm sure there's something we can do. Shops run on trade. This is just a trade of a different kind. I can't give you the gold, but I can get you other things. There's gotta something you'd both want that I can fetch for you in exchange?"

They mull it over.

"Thanks, but we, like, don't really need anything."

"Oh my god, can you go get us some Dazzleburgers?"

"We don't. Really need. Anything."

"Wait! I'll pay you 1000G if you get Mettaton to autograph my butt!"

Catty seems to be the easier one here. Maybe I can work with this.

"While I do know the guy, I'm not sure I can get Metta to sign your butt."

"Damn."

"Wait...You know Mettaton?!"

Their eyes sparkle.

"...Yes?"

They squeal with fanatical glee.

"Oh my God. Mettaton."

"Oh my GOD, METTATON."

"He's like...My robot husband."

"Actually he's like...MY robot husband."

"I think we're like...both going to marry him."

"We're both like, ALREADY married to him. He just, like, doesn't know it yet."

They're insane.

"Okay...Can I ask what's a Razzburger? I could try to get that."

Their eyes widen in shock.

"You don't know what a Dazzleburger is?"

"Do you, like, live under a rock?"

Don't we all do since this is a mountain?

"Dazzleburgers are epic!"

"They're only sold in the resort."

Interesting.

"Inside huh? Let me guess...Very pricey."

Bratty nods.

"The stuff inside, is like..."

"TOTALLY wicked expensive."

"But, like, this stuff we found is like..."

"TOTALLY wicked cheap."

"You should..."

"Like..."

"TOTALLY wicked buy all of it?"

"Cheap? You're selling a random key for 600G!"

They giggle at me and I sigh. Bitches, man...bitches.

"So where inside am I gettin' them?"

"The MTT-Brand Burger Emporium."

"You have to get them from Bugerpants."

That name...That name brings back memories...as well as sore spots. Douche-cat...

"Burgerpants."

"Yeah, that guy from the store. Yuck, what a creep."

"Yeah! He's a creep! But he's kind of cute, too..."

"C'mon Catty, don't you have ANY standards?"

"Nope!!!"

...You need standers, Catty.

"Yeah, I met him. Not so much a creep but he is a massive prick."

"OK, like, the annoying thing is..."

"He'd be OK if he just treated us with some respect."

"But he just acts..."

"Really weird."

"And then acts like it's OUR fault he acts that way!"

"Like, when we asked him to get those Dazzleburgers..."

"He dropped them and ran away before we could even say anything!"

"We were, like, going to share them."

"Really? I wasn't."

"Catty!"

This zone is full of awful people.

"One last thing...How many you want?"

Catty waves her paws.

"So many! Enough to fill a dumpster!"

"The mega value pack should cover us."

I give Bratty a thumbs up and leave their shady establishment. Now I enter the main building and this time I'm greeted by someone for once. It's either very diamond-like or very origami-like, but above all, it's a tiny monster.

"Welcome to MTT Resort - Hotland's biggest apartment-building-turned-hotel! Whether you're here for a night or still live here, MTT Resort prides itself on a great stay! Just passing through...? Nice! MTT Resort prides itself on being passed through!"

"Interesting business model. Does it work?"

"Oh, indeed it does, human."

"You know what I am?"

"Oh yes! The staff has been informed of your coming and instructed on how to handle you upon arrival."

Oh god, what now?

"Over on your left, we have a dine-in restaurant complete with a stage which hosts a wide cast of live acts. Either comedy done by locals or Mettaton entertains when he isn't too busy."

"Neat."

"If you're feeling like you hate yourself, behind me is the MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Dazzleburger!"

Well, they know how fast food works.

"All further questions can be taken to my coworker behind the desk."

I scratch my head and shrug.

"Thanks."

I walk away and head for the other receptionist. It's not a bad-looking lobby at least. Red & yellow checkered tiles and the rug from outside continues forward into parts unknown. The obnoxious fountain of Mettaton is gaudy though. I reach the desk and the monster behind it is a weird one. It's blue and its head is a hand with very well manicured red nails.

"Yes, we know. The elevator music volume is super loud and the song is stuck on a three-second loop. We are working on it. Because of this incident, rooms are running at a special rate! 200G a room. Interested?"

Someone sounds grumpy.

"No thank you. I was told to come to you. I'm the human if that helps."

Their head fingers extend in alert.

"Oh! Sorry. I was instructed to inform you on where to go next."

"That would be helpful, yes."

It motions to where the rug is heading.

"If you follow the rug there, you'll be lead out back to the entrance of the CORE. Mettaton will be waiting for you at the top."

"Could I use the elevator instead? All this travel is exhausting."

"No can do. The elevator leads to the Capital and main residence of our people. You're not allowed to go there."

"Oh...That's fine. I didn't want to go there. Just trying to take shortcuts if able."

"*ahem* If you require a small rest, might I suggest renting a room?"

"I don't the gold, sorry."

"That's fine. Mettaton has pre-paid a room for you. One time only."

I'm stunned. Damn him! Why does he confuse me so much?! I want to like and hate him at the same time!

"Um...In that case, sure. Where are rooms?"

They motion again.

"Down the hall to the right."

I wait for them to give me a key or card but nothing is there except awkwardness.

"Is there a problem?"

"No...not really. But...uh...Isn't this the part you give me a room key?"

"What? Room...Key? No, we don't do that. If you leave your room, you'll have to pay again."

So if I enter I can't leave or else I'll have to pay? That's insane!

"On second thought, maybe later."

"Shame. Do let us know if you change your mind. Have a sparkular day!"

I'm getting the feeling they're being nice because they were told to be. Otherwise, I doubt I'd be given such a warm welcome. Oh well. Time to pay a certain someone a visit.

I stroll up to the emporium and find myself paused. I can go about this in many ways. The different choices and outcomes play out in my head super fast. After a few, I settle on something...something that'll leave an impression. I push the doors open. A digital bell sounds. I look at what appears to be a sadder version of McDonald's. And like a mindless corporate drone, he speaks while moping the floor before seeing "who" just walked in.

"Welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Dazzleburger. Sparkle up your day (TM)."

He begins to turn around.

"What can I do to..."

His eyes widen seeing me, grinning sadistically at him like a lunatic.

"Uh...help?"

This hurts my throat to do, but it really sells this whole thing. I deepen my voice to imitate Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget and just laugh. He is unnerved to say the least.

"*menacing* No one will help you."

"H-Hey now...Don't think of doing anything funny."

I walk up to him and he backs away slowly before leaping behind the counter.

"Stay back! You can't hurt anyone in shops!"

I keep the deep voice.

"*menacing* Hurt you? Foolish boy...Why would I do that? It's not like you put a cigarette out on my wrist and bashed my head with a bat!"

That last part was done a bit too harsh and I end coughing. All seriousness leaves.

"*coughs* Nah, man...*normal* I ain't gonna do anything. For reals. I was just messing with ya."

He eyes me funny.

"Riiiiiight...What do you want then?"

"Preferably, my phone."

He flinches, his eyes looking quickly down then darting back up.

"I..."

"Metta doesn't have to know."

"What do you mean he won't know?! He knows everything that goes on here!"

"Look, you either give me my phone, or I'm gonna go back there and take it."

"You're not seri..."

My dead stare shuts him up. He seems to freeze up now. I sneer and put my hand out. He looks at my hand and then starts sweating. I'm beginning to lose my patience.

"You have five seconds."

His fur stands on end and he suddenly slams his face on the countertop, giving himself a bloody nose.

"Sorry, (Ha ha) it's against the rules to talk to customers who haven't bought anything. And talking with you this long has put me in serious shit. If you want this 'exchange' to continue, you're going to make a purchase."

I'm not happy.

"...What do you have?"

[60G - Sorebet - Very popular food.]

[120G - Dazzleburger - Very popular food.]

[300G - Mythical Villain - Anti-Hero Sandwich. ATTACK UP in battle.]

[500G - Biltong Slab designed to look like Mettaton - Don't ask. Please.]

I huff through my nose and shell out the 60G.

"That Sorebet better come with my phone."

"Yeah yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"Fuck you. I wear boxers."

He eyes me with a blush before heading into the back. Might as well chat him up while I can.

"So...Do you know the chicks behind the building?"

"Huh? Oh...Them. Yeah, I know them. What of it?"

"They were talking about you."

"The girls were...Talking about me...?"

Hooked him.

"They mentioned you threw burgers at them and ran."

"Bullshit! That is not what happened."

He comes back to the counter with a glass of frozen dessert and my phone.

"Care to enlighten me?"

He sighs and lights a cigarette. I wonder if he can do that while on shift?

"Never interact with attractive people. Unless you're 'one of them', they're just gonna take advantage of you. Those two chicks asked me to sneak them some Dazzleburgers. And I, the naive teenager that I was, said yes to them. Bad idea."

"What happened?"

He takes a dag and lifts the collar of his uniform shirt open, blowing the smoke in there.

"Does that really keep the smoke from spreading?"

"It's worked so far. *puff* So I went out to the alley to see those two ladies, and uh...you know, see what'd happen next."

"Like...Naughty stuff?"

"...Maybe."

"Nice."

He blushes.

"Anyway...Then my boss comes out of nowhere, sees me, and demands to know what I was doing. I was so startled, the hamburgers in my pockets tumbled out onto the ground. Not wanting to lose face to the girls, I scrambled to pick them up! But, as I was bending down, the weight of the remaining hamburgers...*puff*...caused my pants to fall down."

He expected me to mock him. But I can't feel anything more than pity for the guy. This surprises him and he continues his story.

"Then the girls laughed at me. Everyone calls me Burgerpants now. It's gotten to the point I can't remember my name half of the time. It's even on my name tag for fuck's sake!"

Poor douche cat.

"I think you're the first to not laugh at me or that story."

"Why would I laugh? That's...That's messed up, man."

He takes another drag.

"You know something...I misjudged you, human. I know it ain't much, but, I'm sorry for being an ass."

I rub the back of my head.

"I'll be honest, guy...Since the bar thing, I've seen you only as a prick. The idea of you having hard times and lashing out didn't cross my mind at all. That's my bad right there. Sorry on my part for being a bitch."

He smirks.

"So...You're really not going to tell Mettaton about this?"

He hands me my phone.

"Dude, this stays between us. Besides, he's kinda been pissing me off lately."

"Yeah, he does that."

He takes a deep drag before putting the cigarette out on the bottom of his shoe.

"Can I give you some advice? I'm getting on in years, so take it from me...You've still got time. Don't live like me. I'm 19 years old and I've already wasted my entire life. I'll probably be trapped at this stupid job forever. But wait! There's one thing that keeps me going! If ASGORE gets just one more SOUL, we'll finally get to go to the surface! It'll be a brand new world! There's gotta be a second chance out there for me! For everyone!"

"Maybe. So, what did you want to do before this?"

"Oh...I wanted to be an ACTOR."

"Neat."

"When I first came to Hotland, it was my dream to work with Mettaton. Well, be careful what you wish for! God, look what that idiot has done here. This place is a labyrinth of bad choices. And every time we try to change something for the better, he vetoes it and says that's not how they do it on the surface. Oh! Right! Humans are always eating hamburgers made of RHINESTONES AND GLITTER."

"...I can assure you we don't eat that. Eating that would be very bad for our health. Maybe even fatal. Monsters don't really eat that...Do they?"

His eyes shift and I facepalm.

"And you guys think I'm gonna hurt ya?"

"You should probably get going. The boss will get his gears in a bunch if you take too long getting to the CORE."

"Fine."

I put the Sorebet in my inventory and remember my awkward side-quest.

"Oh! Before I bounce, can you help me with something?"

He tilts his head.

"What?"

"The chicks, Bratty and Catty, they have items I want but don't have the crazy amount of gold. They say they'll trade for a mega value pack. Any way you might be able to help make this trade happen?"

He sighs.

"Really? Do you know how much that is?"

"1300G close? Because that's how much I need."

"...What kind of shit are they selling that's worth that much?!"

I goofily shrug. He groans and rubs his face.

"I can't just give you that much for free."

"Catty thinks your cute."

"...For real?"

I nod. He fidgets, fingers tip-tapping and pitter-pattering.

"Okay, I'll tell you what...You score me a hook up with her and I'll give you the burgers."

Damn you rule of three in side-quests!

"Argh...I guess I can try. It won't be the weirdest thing I do today but it is on the list though."

His eyes light up with excitement. I can't mess this up now. How often does he actually smile like this?

"Thank you! *ahem* I mean...Cool."

I slink out of the emporium and head for the exit.

"Um, excuse me, human...The CORE is the other way."

I groan.

"I know. I'll be back."

Exit building, go into the creepy alley, and meet the girls again.

"Look who's back."

"Do you have the Dazzleburgers?"

I show my empty hands.

"Ha! I knew she'd blow it."

"Sucks to be you!"

"Hold up. He'll give me the goods. But..."

"But...?"

"Catty...Do you really think he's cute? 'Cause he thinks you're hot."

Catty's face flushes. Bratty rolls her eyes.

"For reals? He wants a date?"

"A date? A hangout? A simple meeting while he's working? I don't know. For all I know she can walk in, say hi, and that's it. All I need is confirmation and you get all those shiny burgers."

"Yes!"

"Catty...?"

"What a deal! A cute guy and free food! It's the score of a lifetime!"

"Catty, he's a loser. You hang out with him once, then he wants to hang out... All. The. Time."

"But don't you feel bad for him, Bratty? Poor Burgerpants...Think about how cool we are compared to him!!! We'd be saving his LIFE with our awesomeness!! His LIFE, Bratty!!"

"Uh, so?"

"Think of all the Dazzleburgers he could get for us!!"

And just like that, I feel like shit for doing this.

"...So is he free after work?"

"*huff* I'll be back...again."

Leave the alley, enter the building, meet up with Burgerpants.

"I don't like the look you have there. Did she say no?"

I can't lie to this guy.

"Dude, I'm really uncomfortable with this."

"What's wrong?"

"She said yes. But..."

"She said YES?!"

"I mean, she agreed, but please listen..."

"Ha! Ahahaha!! Yes!!! You've brought a tear to the eye of this old man."

I feel so bad.

"Dude, please...I'm, like, 100% sure she's gonna use you for free food and maybe gold."

"...So?"

I'm taken back.

"Look, you don't think I didn't think of that? I know she's probably going to use me. Everyone does. If it's for the food, I don't care. That's just another way I can stick it to my boss. Speaking of..."

He plops this cardboard case down on the counter.

"A deal's a deal. The mega value pack for the girl."

...Okay, they're made for each other. Everyone here is trash!

"So, uh, what time did she say she wanted to hang out?"

I hate everything about this!!

"I'll be back again."

Take food, leave, exit, alley. At this point, I nearly shove the shit at them.

"Oh my God!"

"Is that the mega value pack Dazzleburgers?"

"OH MY GOD!!! GIMME!!!"

"God, Catty. Try to have some self-control."

"Sorry..."

"'Cause they OBVIOUSLY brought the Dazzleburgers for ME."

"NO WAYYY!!!!!"

I point to the items.

"Trade. Now."

Bratty puts the key and gun into the hat before handing it over to me.

"Thank you."

I put the key in my inventory and equip the other two.

[You equipped the Tattered Western Hat]

[You gain 12 Defense and 5 Attack]

[This battle-worn hat makes you want to crew on straw for some reason. It also raises attack by 5.]

[You equipped the Rusty Revolver]

[You gain 12 Attack]

[An super old gun. It has no ammo. Must be used precisely, or damage will be low. Duh.]

[HP: 40 ATK: 62 DEF: 50]

I am becoming OP!!

"Oh! Give burger-boy this!"

Catty hands me a scrap of paper with her number.

"Fine. I'm just glad this is done."

Back to Burgerpants. I slap the paper down.

"Here's her number. I hope you don't regret this."

His face contorts in a weird way...Is he...Happy?

Sweet! I need to pick a spicy outfit for my little shindig later. Though, now that I think about it, I had to throw away all of my clothes to make room for the outfits Mettaton gave me."

"...What?"

"Don't take it the wrong way. They're just all these...Weird getups. 'Promotional' costumes. For 'holidays'. Or 'specials'. Or 'because he felt like it'. The thing IS though! Most of the time I'm the only employee who has to wear this stuff! Sometimes he even calls me into his office just to...Make me put something on...Then he laughs and lets me go back to work as normal."

My pity meter is breaking.

"Anyways, I won't sweat it. I'll take it casual. NEVER let hot people think you care. That's how they GET you."

And the pity meter dropped dead.

"Good luck with that."

I leave on that note. Fuck this resort. Fuck this quest plot. Fuck this whole damn thing!

Wanting this shit show to be over and done with, I do as instructed by following the rug's path out some doors that have a giant sign above that says "CORE". Lazy-ass designers, I swear.

Weirdly this leads to a balcony. A balcony that has been opened and a walkway built that connects to the massive facility. The light from the resort barely shows half of the path as the CORE itself surprisingly gives off the faintest glow. The CORE is an entirely mechanical complex that is largely black and yellow with red accents. The blah colors aside, what gets my attention are the two monsters that were minding the entrance that slip inside when I show up. I don't like this.

"Flowey, you better be able to get here. I have a bad feeling about this."

Approaching shows more of this crazy thing. The CORE appears to be the most industrial and modern region of the Underground. Ozone, a byproduct of electrical power, is omnipresent below the floor level of the CORE. This could mean the CORE might be made of stainless steel, titanium, or platinum; as ozone is highly corrosive to most organic materials. If this is the case, they could use this stuff. The CORE could be a source of ozonated water, which cleans clothes, sanitizes food, and purifies drinking water. This also implies this might be the greatest source of oxygen in the Underground as ozone simply decomposes into oxygen at high concentrations and temperatures. The only hazard I can think of is that oxygen is a shitty thing to breathe. Breathing pure oxygen at high pressures can cause nausea, dizziness, muscle twitching, vision loss, convulsions, and loss of consciousness. Breathing pure oxygen for a long time can irritate the lungs causing coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposure may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs and subsequent death. Guess how much more O2 is needed to do this to a person? 20% more. God, Humans are so freaking weak. I'll need to be careful here.

The lobby of the CORE has an elevator to the north and two paths to the left and right. Not a bad looking place, very lavishly decorated, the floors are engraved with intricate patterns and multicolored neon tubes serve as wall ornaments and embellishments. I check the elevator, which is disabled, I'm not shocked at this point. Not much else to do, I go to the path on the right, which turns out to be a small room with a square platform overlooking a pit of fire. Not bad. I do enjoy looking at fire. It's pretty. Moving on! Going through the left path leads to a rectangular stretch of wall-less hallway with a doorway at the end.

"Hmmm...My bullshit senses are tingling. I'm willing to bet a random encounter/ambush is about to happen."

As if cued by my words, something cracks the back of my head and then hits my gut as I turn.

"*wheeze* Called it..."

My attacker appears and my dull cracked purple soul is forced out to play.

[Madjick pops out of its hat!]

Madjick has a typical appearance of a wizard. It wears a curved wizard hat, a pair of boots, and two rotating orbs emitting cross-shaped particles. Madjick has a sly smile on its face, but a pair of bright eyes are hidden just under its hat.

[FIGHT]

[ACT]

[̴͝SP͜͞E͡L̵͜L͟͠͏]͘͢

[ITEM]

[MERCY]

I wonder if SPELL will work on this thing? ...N-No. No. Can't chance it. Stick to normal tactics.

[ACT selected.]

[New options available.]

[CHECK]

[TALK]

[STARE]

[CLEAR MIND]

...The fuck kind of options are these?!

[CHECK selected.]

[MADJICK – HP: 190 ATK: 29 DEF: 24 – This enemy can only speak in magic words.]

Finally! My states aren't shit compared to my attacker. Also, only speaks in magic words is the most fucking adorable thing I've ever heard.

"Abra cadabra."

An orb spawns off to my left and rapid-fires crosses at me. I dodge and the orb tries to cut me off by going where I'm headed. It fires about eight times and moving around is not so great.

[HP ████████████████ 16/40]

Thank goodness my defense got increased during all this crap. I could've been really messed up.

[Madjick flaunts its orbs in a menacing manner.]

It snickers.

"A smug one. I like that."

[TALK selected.]

"You know...I can do magic too."

It looks at me intrigued.

"Yep. I can make your smile disappear."

It pauses before sneering at me.

"See? I made it vanish before your very eyes!"

It didn't seem to like my humor.

"Hocus pocus."

[Madjick begins chattering to itself. Its gibberish dizzies you...Your DEFENSE drops by 1.]

My head feels fuzzy. Did it just jinx me? Are there more types of magic than what I've been told?

One of the orbs begins to chase me while deploying harmful but immobile crosses. Yet due to the jinx, my sense of direction is ass-backward. Left is right and right is left. Up is down and down is up. However...much to Madjick's dismay...I'm used to being incredibly dizzy. My childhood was filled with countless hours of boredom appeased by spinning around till I couldn't see straight.

[HP ████████████████████ 20/40]

Ha ha...Suck on those magic balls, wizard-boy!

"*slur* Is that what you call magic? Boo! Disappointed!"

[Madjick whispers arcane swear words.]

"*slur* Oh...Someone needs to put some gold in the swear jar. I'm gonna tattle!"

It growls.

"Eh eh eh. It's not your turn."

I slap my face a few times.

[CLEAR MIND selected.]

"I wonder where Flowey is?"

[You think of pollen and sunshine. Your confusion abates. Your DEFENSE increased by 2.]

"...What?"

"Alakazam!!"

It tries to surprise me with that following orb trick. But now that I know that move it's not so bad.

[HP ██████████████████████████ 26/40]

Huh? Am I auto-healing faster? Sweet! Surely that only means good things for me.

[Madjick peers at you with strange eyes.]

"What? You scared? My sick moves and auto-healing too much for you? No worries, wizard-dude, we cool. I got you."

The hell did I just say? Am I magic high? Fuck it.

[MERCY selected.]

[New options available.]

[FLEE]

[SPARE]

[SPARE selected.]

It looks at me funny. Then it looks at my HP.

[HP ████████████████████████████████ 32/40]

It flinches.

"Please and thank you."

Madjick accepts my act of mercy.

[YOU WON!]

[You earned 0 XP and 120 gold.]

The fight ends, my soul returns to my body and I give my opponent claps of approval.

"Good show, buddy. Keep up the good work."

It seems confused but nods, hovering away behind me towards the exit.

"Well...That was weird."

My head still feels odd. Nothing a few brain sloshing shakes of the old noggin won't fix. Anyway, no time to question strange feelings or whatever. I gotta get through this so I can get back to Toriel. Onwards I go.

Continuing forward, I enter a room with a bridge that is cut off by a tesla coil. Wow. Hadn't seen that in a long ass time. How much do I wanna bet there's a convenient off switch nearby. Oh, look! A super obvious switch right there on the wall. Who could've ever had guessed! I flip the switch and lasers fire at me! First blue, then blue again, and orange. Thankfully they're slow, so once I triggered the first blue laser I easily hit the deck to avoid the others that pass by.

"Setting booby traps on top of other traps now. Geez, Metta, I'm starting to think you don't like me very much. Well, that's fine. I don't like me either! So come at me already and quit this pussy bullshit!"

Calm down. No need to get riled up. Get through this and go home. Then I can just stuff my face with Nanny's awesome cheesecake and pass out happy. I march on, doing my best not to look down or notice how some of the walls and floors are chipped away. Now I'm paranoid about if any other laser that turns up is functional or decorative.

The path leads into a crossroads with a path to my left and a path straight ahead. My bullshit sense is tingling when I look at the left path. Straight ahead it is.

This room contains a bridge with many blue and orange lasers followed by a massive wall of blue lasers.

"Nope. Just nope. Screw the rules! I have plot armor importance and common sense!"

Fuck this outfit. Fuck this shit! I have lost all my fucks! I get down on the floor and combat crawl the long as fuck cold metal catwalk.

"*muttering* Stupid bullshit. Why do I have to be nice? If I wasn't nice, I wouldn't have to put up with shit like this. Bitches don't end up in laser catwalk traps. But no...I have to be a decent person. *getting louder* I have to be a good girl. I have to not give in to the overwhelming urge to punch assholes for being assholes because that's wrong for dumb reasons! *shouting* Why am I pissing myself off?! This is extremely counterproductive given my current situation! Fuck!!"

I blame all this on Mettaton. That's a healthy way to look at it. Probably not. But I'm not a mental health doctor! The fuck do I know?! After crossing the bridge, I storm grumpily along another walkway only to reach something called "Core Branch".

Turns out the "Core Branch" is a four-way intersection. Fan-fucking-tastic. Man, my mood is fucking sour. Maybe the digital sign can be useful and give me directions.

[North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End.]

"*growling* This is so...FUCKING STUPID!!"

Nope. Not falling for anymore of this. I choose neither side and go straight. This middle path of the "Core Branch" has me entering a vertical room with a right path leading to the eastern portion of the "Core Branch". There's nothing to my left. It just drops into the ozone, so it's certain death. I'm so sure this place followed all safety measures. There is a sign on the wall that is telling me to "Get lost...And stay that way".

"Wha...Why have signs telling me to leave when you told me to come here?! Stupid metal moron giving me dumb mixed messages."

I hate everything. No monster better encounter me while I'm in this mood. I take out a gold piece and flip it. Heads for straight and tails for the right. It lands on tails so right I go. This has to be the stupidest designed building ever! What the hell was Gaster thinking?! Was he on the drugs? Because this seems like he was on the drugs! 'Cause now I'm at another four-way crossroads. Only now I have two digital signs.

[To the East! This is The End.]

[I cannot fight. I cannot think. But, with patience, I will make my way through.]

A third, and hopefully final, tesla coil blocks what has been established as the exit. This means there's a switch somewhere. F that shit. Know what? You know what'll piss everyone off? I'm gonna do what that sign said. I'm going to be patient. Because if I know Mettaton, and I know massive egos very well, he won't want boring content to be televised and eventually spice things up. I plop my edgy tush under the sign and...wait. Using this time to chill. Let this negativity go and...

*Clank-clank-clank*

Oh hell no!

A large monster ominously approaches. Knight Knight is a monster that wields a great staff with a sun symbol in her right hand. She wears a suit of black armor and what resembles a horned helmet with a crescent moon emblazoned on her forehead. The helmet's eyepiece occasionally widens and un-widens as if it is her mouth. Her torso is dominated by a dragon face whose beak occasionally opens and closes, revealing a small eye. It is unclear whether which face is the true face.

"Let me guess...You're here to make me move?"

"Yes."

"No."

She's confused.

"...No?"

"Did I stutter? I'm not moving."

She readies her spear.

"Then prepare for..."

"Let me stop you right there. I get that you're doing your job and following the law, and blah blah blee bloo, whatever. I have been through one of THE worst days in my life. My mind, soul, and charitable goodwill have been pushed to limits that are very VERY thin now. I am in no mood to deal with any more crap. So I'm going to say this once because I ain't fighting you or moving from this spot till this electrical blockaded is gone...Turn around and go home."

She doesn't take me seriously and laughs.

"Heh heh...You have no power to give me orders, human."

She takes a step closer and I snap.

"I͏͟ ̧̀̕W͝IL͘͡L̴ ̶Ŗ͟͜I͝҉P͘ ̵O͜F̧F̛͞ ̸̀Y̧͡O̡͢U̡͠R ͠H̸EA̶͏D͏͢ ̸̕A͜N͢D S̢̛͜Ḩ̶Į͢T̵̕ ͝D̶̀OW͞N̷̴͠ ҉͞Ý̸̢O̡͡U̡͢R ̸ŅE̴͝CḰ̡̧!͞͞!̧͢"

She stumbles back in shock. The strange energy sparks off me. I regret everything.

"I̵'͘͟͏ḿ͢͞ ̧̕͞so̧̨͡r̴̢ŗ̷͜y̧.̵̛.̢͞.̛p̢l͝ea̷se͢.͟.́͢.leave me. I'm so sorry."

I seem to have disturbed her. She slowly steps back and turns around when she's convinced I'm not going to move.

"Adieu...Human."

She leaves me and I let out a shaky exhale. It's getting worse. I'm losing control. I can't do this for much longer. I haven't been given any proper time to deal with this shit. My internal bottle has been shaken too much! It's going to explode! I...I...

"What the heck was that?!"

Flowey pops up beside me and I'm too freaked out to be startled.

"Sis? What's wrong?"

I hold myself in an attempt to squeeze into a tiny ball of self-loathing. This only worries him more.

"Lynsie?"

I...I can't...I need a break. If only I had my music. I could drown out all this. Lose myself in the lyrics.

"B-Bro..."

"Yes? Talk to me. I can help. Tell me what you need."

"...H-How fast can you get to Snowdin?"

He frowns.

"You want me to get 'him', don't you?"

All I can do is nod.

"I...I can help too. You don't have to turn to him."

My eyes dart to the blocked path. He puts things together. He is a smart boy after all.

"True. Mettaton is that way and the room his encounter takes place in is an elevating platform. I can stretch from my roots pretty far but not THAT far."

He pouts.

"*huff* I guess there's no other option. He does have experience helping you out when things get bad. And he can teleport."

I feel bad that I'm making him do this...again. Like in the dead timeline.

"I...I'm sorry."

"Wha...N-No! Don't apologize. I understand. You're worried. It's okay. We'll get through this. Family helps family. What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't do everything to help? Even if that means getting others to help when I can't."

"...I need a hug...please?"

It pains me to see him hesitate. But vines come out to wrap around me for a bit.

"Thank you."

The vines retract and he extends to nuzzle my cheek.

"It won't be like last time. I promise. You won't kill anyone. No one's going to die."

"H-How do you know?"

"Because you're strong. You just have to believe in yourself. I know I do."

...I needed that. I give him a smile.

"There we go. There's my sis. Now keep that smile. I'll get Smiley Trashbag and we'll be back home with mom in no time."

He really is too sweet for this world. He sinks into the floor and I forgot to ask how he was able to get through this floor. I mean, I guess he said he can get through cement so metal can't be too far of a long shot. Asriel sure is a super strong boy even as a flower.

*BUZZ*

The power to the coil suddenly is shut off remotely like I so knew it could be. Damn it. I was hoping to have more time. How impatient is Mettaton for this? Reluctantly, I get up and walk down this new road. Halfway along this bridge, I am blocked by three vaguely familiar monsters that look like tougher versions of monsters I see in the Ruins.

Final Froggit has spike-like protrusions on its head and eyelids, accompanied by a crown-like muff on top of its head. Its lips are marked with lines, as though wrinkled from age. Its "shoulders" are decorated with sharp excrescents, while the silhouette between its legs forms a face with a triangular smile and cross eyes.

Whimsalot has a more human-like appearance than Whimsun. Also, its antennae are thicker, and there is a muff on their head that branches in two. Whimsalot's appearance is also accompanied by a double-bladed spear and a knight mask. Its ghost-like torso is skinnier and shorter.

Astigmatism's body consists of a large ball and four spiked limbs. The ball is accompanied by two "horns" on each side. When idle, a large eye can be seen on the ball also with three eyelashes. However, it changes from this face to another where the eye hollow is changed with a smile. When having its eye closed, the two side eyelashes become Astigmatism's eyes, while the middle one simply becomes a marking.

I don't know what I must look like to them. Probably dreadful. Because they move aside with not a word being side. I nod in thanks, proceeding to the end which for all I know might be the most tragic moment of my life second to Grillby dying. No! Stop it! Do as Flowey said. Smile. Stay chipper. Think of something silly. Like how dumb this place is. Honestly, was Gaster high making this place? I'll have to ask him later. Nah...I'll ask Sans. Less hassle.

The bridge comes to an end, leading to a shadowy doorway and an elevator that probably would've been super handy but was out of order to pad out the length of this bullshit subplot. Augh...It's so much easier to think my life is a fictional story or internet abridge series. It's the only way my brain allows most of this crap to make any sense.

"So this is it, huh? The epic conclusion of this grand show. Heh...I want to feel accomplished for making it this far. Almost. But all I do feel is..."

I can't finish my sentence. The weight I thought I got off my back earlier begins pressing on me again.

"Nothing...I feel nothing. *sniffling* Damn it...Don't fucking cry!"

With a breakdown seconds away from happening, I enter the doorway to the room of darkness and a door shuts behind me then locks. There is no going back now.

Please...I made a promise...Please...Don't make me have to RESET...Please...I'm begging...Please...

#undertale #underfell #Anomaly #Lynsie #sans #papyrus #gaster #grillby #grandpa semi #flowey #Asriel #toriel #asgore #frisk #chara #undyne #mettaton #napstablook #alphys

[bloodgutsanchocolatecake]

Called my boyfriend a fucking asshole yesterday because he didn't put gas in my car and I got stranded at Walmart on my way home from work which is only 2 miles from where I live and I was soaking wet from pouring rain and running a fever from my vaccine.

He didn't take that well and honestly I was out of line to speak to him like that, it's not necessary to speak unkindly to people like that even if I'm frustrated. But highkey I think he's been frustrated with me lately and has been starting a lot of fights because of it bc he started a fight last night where he felt the need to tell me we're in different generations bc of our age gap and we're not. We're just not. We went through generational thing that my peers younger than me didn't and that shows. But he does this now and then it bugs me that he can't admit we're in the same generation? Like he has to other me bc he grew up on reddit and I grew up on tumblr and I'm more knowledgeable on social action and social justice for it, and specifically pursued social justice positions when I was in hs. It has nothing to do with "my generation" being more tolerable. Shit was not that much more accepting. We were all afraid to come out. There was not a single out trans kid in my high-school, and I can count the out lgbq people on one hand. Kids still get beat for being gay but he lives in this bubble like he thinks everyone is accepting now, or was accepting during my time, and it's not true. I understand what it was like when he was in hs. He puts it on Gen Z for this tolerability existing like he had nothing to do with it but it's our generation and the generations before us that did the work that allowed these things to make it into mainstream and Gen z is getting to grow up in a more tolerable world for it.

The pig headed-ness is really obnoxious and the need to establish some sort of other or intellectual superiority because he's older is freaky. Because I had called my mom earlier to ask if I was the asshole for calling him an assholeand she off-handedly mentioned my dad would start fights about him being older and therefore smarter and my dad is a monster...like my bf played it out exactly like my mom said my dad used to.

It freaked me out so bad when this argument started and then after it got worse and he just couldn't admit that I'm not fucking clueless or green to what it was like to grow up in the early 90s/2000s. It's bothering me so bad. I should let the whole.tjing go but it hit me I might be making a really terrible generational mistake if I we get married...

But also I'm dependant and I could never leave him.

It also got worse in which I called a break bc he knife handed me and that's a no no bc he hates when I'm knife handed and I won't allow hypocrisy. But when we cooled off he needed to find another example of how he's superior in something and this time it was childhood trauma. No I don't understand what it's like to have been beaten and I don't act like I do. But I was also touched and stuck with needles in places I was taught no one should touch me in w/o permission and it was all acceptable because I was sick and it was medically necessary but it fucked me up really bad.

Not to mention he had to reiterate that I have my dad's temper and he doesn't worry about me turning into my mom like I do but me turning into my dad. This is the 3rd time he's said this to me recently and I don't know if I should take it constructively or with a grain of salt because I felt a little manipulated yesterday and it freaked me the fuck out.

Not to mention when he says that to me I want to take a blade and slice up my skin and let all the blood I share that's his bleed out. Because when I say he's a monster I mean it... we're currently not speaking and won't ever again because I found out he was stealing money from me and that's not the worst things he's done. It makes me sick to think I could be anything like him. I'm scared of the parts of myself that are him. I'll kill myself before I end up like him and that's not a joke. I'm terrified of becoming a monster too. I'm terrified there's a darkness inside me.

I don't know whether to bring up that behavior to my bf and be like "listen if you're going to use my parents relationship as a means to point out red flags there are some red flags from last night that have me really freaked out" but I don't want to bring up our petty argument which he wouldn't admit that I'm not some green newbie to the world that grew up in some liberal accepting bubble. I don't want to argue anymore than we already have been lately.

I know he started that fight because he was still mad about what I'd called him and had some fight in him and didn't expect me to be like you're right, I should not have spoken to you that way and I'm sorry. Because after unpacking everything it all boiled down to the fact I haven't been very pleasant or pulling my weight recently bc I'm overwhelmed with everything on my plate. Which is totally valid but I'm really caught up on how everything that went down last night went just to get to that. I'm not ok with it even if I'd done something wrong.

Fuck this post is long. I'm so freaked out and I don't want to talk to him rn. I don't know if I should drop it for now and wait till my current stressors are gone and bring it up next time it comes up (it will),or if I should bring it up tn even though we've been fighting a lot.

[nerdspotco-blog]

Possible Avengers 4 Title and Leaks?!? (Possible Spoilers Ahead! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)

Hey everyone!  So it’s been a crazy week for Marvel related content. We got a look at Tom Hollands new suit in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, both Luke Cage and Iron Fist have been canceled, and a whole lot of supposed leaks and rumors surrounding the Avengers 4 trailer leak, and title had also been spread around the internet. On a side note, please remember that these are just speculations, and rumors for now. please take everything with a grain of salt, and don’t shoot the messenger!  Lets get to it! To start it all off, the Russo Brothers have had a history of loving to troll fans. Their latest gag to fans however has been causing quite the stir among the fans and media of the MCU... 

Fans have been thinking about the tweet and claiming that the title itself could possibly be in the picture. the next picture, which is a little more recent is just more proof of the Russo Brother’s love of trolling fans. 

Now i’m thinking this could be a light from the Avengers 4 set, but people have also been freaking out over this picture. In my honest opinion, I don’t think that this is going to be much to freak out about.  Here’s where everything starts to get really interesting. Fans like myself are still on the edge of our seats for the reveal of the long awaited title, but it seems like the latest rumor that seems to be sticking is that the title of the fourth Avengers movie will be Avengers: Annihilation. The title like it’s predecessors come from another Marvel Comics event, Annihilation. 

I’m honestly thinking at this point that the title will be released maybe a week or so before the trailer. For example, Marvel Studios decided to have some fun and put out a teaser video of both fan reactions, and clips of previous entries into the MCU. At the end of the video, announcing the first trailer to Avengers: Infinity War debuting the very next day. 

(Check out the video below to see what i’m talking about.) 

I honestly think the title reveal will come in the form of a video like this, and at the end, much like this video, we will get a confirmation of when the trailer will be released.  Now this past week, the internet has also been freaking out with trailer descriptions that were leaked to Reddit. The description itself was said to be going like this...  “The trailer starts off showing the damaged Infinity Gauntlet in a field on the farm planet. As the camera focuses in on the Gauntlet, we hear Tony’s voice: “We were destined to lose.” Epic music score starts. The Quinjet is shown landing in a Wakandan wasteland as we hear Steve Rogers say: “We have come so far.” Tony and Nebula step off the jet as the remaining Avengers approach. Steve has a look of relief and says: “Tony”. Tony, seemingly defeated, shakes his head and gives a friendly smirk back to Cap. Marvel Studios Logo appears."We get a glimpse of the Battle of New York from 2012 Avengers. Loki is shown looking shocked and baffled as he is on top of the Stark tower. There is a flash of a blue light as the camera pans back. (Cuts to black) Next we see the Wakandan throne with M’Baku at the helm. He’s surrounded by his new kingsguard. (A mix of the hill tribe and Dora Milaje). Shuri and Banner are seen working on a new project in the lab. Black Widow, in full gear, is in Hawkeye’s family home from Age of Ultron. Basically everything is thrown all over the place and broken. Nat is studying some type of map with multiple photos and locations on it. A quick shot of Thanos is shown with a long sword, walking down an alleyway in New York City. The next shot is a dark hooded figure with glowing eyes, aiming a bow and arrow before shooting towards the camera.  (1-2 visuals of the Quantum Realm) Scott Lang (no suit) is shown running through a park dodging explosions. (Shot of Space) Thor and Valkyrie are aboard a Kree ship. Thor says: “If the stories are true, you’re our universe’s last hope. If such a thing even exists anymore”. The next shot is an older, determined Tony Stark walking through the new SHIELD HQ (Avengers Facility in upstate New York). He’s in full SHIELD attire and carrying an orange briefcase. Banner (wearing spandex) is seen running from something, looking terrified. The next shot is Ant-Man appearing out of a flash of light and landing in a desolate place. We see it from his point of view from inside his helmet. He looks left to right and to his left again and says: “What in the-“."(Camera focuses on Vormir and its stars) Next, a shot of Rocket and Nebula modifying some new weapons in the lab. Rocket says “When can we try this bad boy out?” They both smile at eachother and fist-bump. We get our first glimpse of Iron Man in his red and gold nanotech armor. Hulk falls from the sky and lands in front of him. Thanos, in full armor, smiles. Hulk smiles back. The next shot is in Japan. War Machine, Nat, and Steve (in their full Avengers gear) are surrounded by The Yakuza. Hawkeye (Ronin) walks through everybody from behind them and approaches the Avengers. There’s an intense exchange of looks between Clint and Natasha. (Next shot is at the Sanctum) Wong is communicating with Dr. Strange’s soul via portal. (Cuts to black) Grey haired Tony Stark and Ant-Man are in a post-apocalyptic NYC. The screen flashes back and forth multiple times through multiple scenes. We see Captain Marvel floating with her fists on fire and her eyes lit up. Thanos in the soul stone with young Gamora screaming at him, Loki and Thor fighting off Chitauri together and Tony handing Steve a brand new shield in the Wakandan throne room. (Cuts back to Tony and Scott) Tony opens the orange briefcase as Scott hands him an illuminated bracelet. Tony asks: “How?… Is this even possible?” Iron Man and Ant-Man are shown travelling through the Quantum Realm. Tony and Scott are back in the battle of New York from 2012. The final shot before the title reveal is an Infinity Stone disappearing from Thanos’ damaged gauntlet. He abruptly gets up and puts on his armor. His face goes from extremely infuriated to a menacing smile."Title reveal: Avengers: Annihilation"Stinger: The Hulk is training at the new SHIELD facility with Black Widow and Steve. Steve notices that Hulk has been training non-stop as of late, so he asks why. Hulk responds in Banner’s normal voice with: “My rematch is coming real soon, I can feel it!”"  Like I said at the beginning of the article, take all of this with a grain of salt. The only problem I have with this description is this, WHERE IN THE HELL WOULD TONY AND NEBULA GET A GOD DAMN QUINJET?! I personally think it would make more sense for them to use the Milano that is still on Titan. (But that of course is just my opinion.  And lastly, another trailer description has been leaked to Reddit by a user by the name of  vfxgurudontmind who has claimed to have predicted the reveal of Spider-Man in the second Captain America: Civil War trailer. Here’s what the user had to say... “Sup, you guys dont know me. However few years ago I was the one who posted here on a throw away saying Spider-Man appears in the Civil War Trailer #2 (I told people to remember the word “underoos”But here's some info: Final Trailer is about 2ish minutes. But it starts with the 10th year logo, which zooms into the screen in logo fashion but it flashes all colors of the stones as it does. Thanos’ voice: “My Destiny is not yet fulfilled...” A shot of a battered Tony, looks as though he’s still on Titan, confused. “Greater threats arise to undo the balance I lost everything to achieve... and I.... will not... be undone” Shot of Banner and Cap with Vision on a table fades in and out... Shot of Quills ship lifting off. Fades. Tony: “Fury was right.” He’s talking to someone out of view in some type of normal house. This MIGHT be Aunt May, he’s glossy eyed, and the dialogue is spoken over the prior screen, not actually what’s he’s saying. “He was right since day 1...” black screen Tony: scene of him in some sort of garage looking place. In front of 3 different suits, they seem pretty normal? None are the one that was leaked, he has the housing unit in his hands. “I’ll do whatever it takes so that never happens again...” black screen Tony in SHIELD gear. He’s walking towards the camera with soldiers behind him. Shot of Antman standing in the Quantum Realm. Cuts to him surrounded by 3 tardigrades. He’s running, then stops at a green portal type thing. Fades to a shot of Scott in street clothes. Gray shirt jeans and a jean jacket.Scott: “ I think... I might have a way to help.” Not sure who he’s speaking to. Or if this is even the real dialogue lol. Doesn’t look like it matches.Shot of an empty throne in Wakanda, various shots of Shuri, M’Baku, and Okoye. Black screen“This was NOT our fight...” Shuri or Okoye couldn’t tell. Screen still black. Shot of Cap standing arms crossed with Rhodey, Rocket and Thor, in a room that looks like it’s still Wakanda.Cap: “We need to make this right...”Banner: “Cap we don’t even know where to start... Thanos is gone. He won.” Thor: “Well... then we had better get to work”Shot panning down slowly of the pager Fury had in someone’s hands. I’m almost 100% certain it’s in Tony’s hands. A shot of Rhodey suiting up very briefly, from the knees up to the crotch area lol, it’s not nanotech, but looks more or less exactly how Starlords mask materializes with a Thor voiceover: “Are you ready for this?”Rocket: “Well... if I’m not...” pause. Black Fades in to Rocket, music silences: “What more could I lose?” Bifrost shot w/ Thor, War machine, and Rocket. Various shots. Gauntlet, still damaged, being reached for, shot of Nebula (looks like the same place Tony was earlier) , and then shot of Banner. Black screen. Thor: “We need an army to stand against Thanos...” shot of Thanos putting on armor. “Yours is the only one formidable enough to give us a chance...” shot of Thanos wielding a big double edge sword. “So I ask of you...” Various shots of Black Widow, brief shot of Tony’s suit, Caps new chest piece (chainmail!!!) and banner putting on a purple skintight suit and a button up over it In front of a mirror. Fades to Thor, “Will you help us?” More various shots, including a broken gauntlet on the ground as someone (clearly Thanos) is walking away... same aesthetic and scenery as the one when it’s being reached for. (I think he throws it on the ground??) “It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Earth...” Music is getting louder as it crescendos to a shot of Captain Marvels chest panning up to her face. The scenery behind her almost looks like Xandar. Because it can’t be Earth (that would make no sense) but it’s blue skies and clouds outside a window... Captain Marvel: “Let’s go” Shot of her flying towards something angrily, she cocks back a punch, eyes glowing, flames surround her. She punches, then [Title Card] as Avengers theme plays.However it doesn’t actually have anything, it’s just a blank screen with the music.. Post theme cutaway stinger, Rocket is in a rolling chair looking at a few computer screens, has on this cool ass white bodysuit. Rhodey: “I’ve seen a lot of crazy things, but a talking Raccoon? (rocket looks up at him from chair) Definitely tops them all...” Rocket, going from Rhodey back to the computer screens sarcastically: “boy if I had a unit* every time I heard that one” cuts to a shot of Thor smiling with an off queue “Ha Ha Ha”. Trailer ends... This is actually a rough cut. There’s a lot of black screens in the midst of all these lasting 1-2 seconds. This trailer is still slated to debut on Nov. 21,28, or December 12th on Good Morning America. I'm not sure of the scheduling situation. Also, official extended trailer #2 for Captain Marvel will arrive right around Christmas.” I know that it’s a little much to take in. but do keep in mind, this is only a theory/speculation post.  With all this in mind, I do believe the trailer is close behind. With Avengers 4 being about 6 or 7 months away, it will make sense to have Marvel start marketing for the movie. Much like they are doing now for Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.   My advice, keep your eye’s peeled! I can almost guarantee we are all in for a surprise soon. Thanks for stopping by! 

#mcu #marvel cinematic universe #avengers 4 #avengers annihilation #marvel #spider man far from home #captian marvel #captain america civil war #russo brothers

[fairymango]

Asahi SR Feel Happy Card Story Translation

[Card Image] [Translations Masterpost]

Disclaimer: I am not fluent in Japanese, so take these translations with a grain of salt. Some lines may be inaccurate; please let me know if you spot any mistakes.

Story 1

Asahi: The Valentines live was a great success! Yoshimune: The new Valentines song was popular! Yes, the new Valentines song that I made! Misato: Getting into such a good mood now, it's not fair to only praise yourself, Yoshimune ((?? not sure about this sentence)) Kazuma: ... Well, I guess it's fine for today. Actually, our customer's responses were also good. Manager: Everyone, good work on the Valentine's live! Of course, lo~ts of chocolates came with the presents!

Misato: Yaaaay! Choco, choco~ Black and sweet and delicious choco~ Kazuma: ... Sweet things, whatever. I don't really like them. Yoshimune: It's here... an ikemen's unnecessary lines have come out! I'm really happy~! Yoshimune: As punishment for saying uselessly cool lines, Kazumacchi also has to eat all of it! This chocolate mountain! Kazuma: HEY....! Manager: Here, a big bouquet also came for Asahi-kun from all of his fans. Asahi: Wah, it's true! There's also a letter! Hehe, I want to read it right now... Asahi: .............. Asahi: Uwa, UWAAAAAAAAAAA!! Kazuma: !? W-what's wrong, Asahi!?

Story 2

Asahi: Ahhhh, AH--------!! EEHHHH~~~~~~!? Asahi: Haaaa...! Ah, ahhhhhhh....! Misato: He's so surprised he can't speak...! Asahi, just what is written in the letter in your hand!? Asahi: Ya, yaki, yakiniku nikuyaki, yakiyakiniku [[Yakiniku is grilled meat]] Yoshimune: S-scary!! Scary scary!! He broke, Asahi broke!! Kazuma: Here, drink some water!! Asahi: Gulp gulp.... fwah. T-thanks, Kazuma-kun. Ah--- I was surprised.... Yoshimune: No, no, it's me who's surprised. So, just what made you so surprised? Asahi: That, together with the letter... Meal tickets were included for that super luxurious grilled meat restaurant "JOJO Garden" ~~!! Yoshimune: Ehhhhh, seriously!? The one that first-class celebrities and politicians go to!? Misato: Fufu, as expected of Asahi's fans. They know the things that will make Asahi happy. Asahi: I'm... really happy. It's not just because I like grilled meat, it's because this is a gift with everyone's feelings put into it. Asahi: I'm singing to bring everyone happiness.... but the one who received that happiness, it's me. Misato: Asahi... Kazuma: ........ Yoshimune: Yup yup, a great story. I'm sorry to butt in and interrupt but-- Yoshimune: That meal ticket...isn't it a pair ticket?

Story 3

Asahi: Ah, it's true. This meal ticket is for two. Yoshimune: Well, this time, I made the new Valentines song, so isn't it fine if I accompanied you? Misato: Ehhh~~!? To be fair, let's decide with a game of rock paper scissors between me and Yoshimune! Kazuma: Oi, why am I not included in this? Misato: Well, Kazuma-kun is a year older than us, meat is a little difficult for you. Kazuma: I'm just 18!! I may not be comparable to Asahi, but I like grilled meat, so I also want to eat good meat! Yoshimune: Here the older should give to the younger! You know I made the new Valentines song!? Kazuma: If you're going to say that, aren't all the songs up to now made by me! Asahi:  E-everyone, for now, let's calm down a bit... Misato: Hey, who does Asahi want to go with!? It's me right!? I can talk about a lot of things with Asahi, it'll be fun! Yoshimune: No no, it's me isn't it! If Asahi only wants to eat the meat, I can come and eat all the vegetables! Kazuma: ...If you want to eat good meat, you have to make good songs. Yoshimune: Ahhhh! Not fair! Kazumacchi, that's unfair! Yoshimune, Misato: Not. Fair! Not. Fair! Kazuma: Ku....! Asahi: (Un.... Actually, there's two pair tickets here... With this, everyone can go) Asahi: (... But, this situation is funny so I'll stay quiet for just a bit more...)

#fairy april #banyaro #band yarouze #asahi #asahi ohtori #translation

[lesbianakaashi-archived]

a while back i said i was going to write out all the reasons i don't like melanie martinez and her music. well, here it is. everything is under the cut, but beware, this includes ableism along with abuse, suicide, and csa/rape mentions. also, uncensored slurs. be safe!

ill be going by songs, starting w the crybaby album, because i don't have much to say about melly herself. thatll be at the end. this is HEAVILY opinion based, so take it all w a grain of salt. 

- crybaby is ok to me, nothing super terrible. 

- dollhouse is the first song i don't like; it presents nothing new, because the whole "abuse/other bad things wrapped in a cute package" thing isn't a new concept. i also don't like the line "i see things that nobody else sees" because yes, while crybaby is a character, shes not said to be psychotic or have hallucinations, and i feel like that line was just thrown in to make her sound "crazy".

- sippy cup is like dollhouses terrible older sibling tbh. within the first verse, we have an ableist slur and plastic surgery shaming. real nice. also "silly girl, with silly boys" just rubs me The Wrong Way(tm). then theres what sounds like romantiziation of eating disorders, which as far as I know, mel doesnt suffer from (if youve heard otherwise, please send me an ask abt it!) sippy cup is basically saying "bad is still bad even if its presented in a good way!!!!" and its just...not good. 

- i don't have any strong feelings about carousel. tbh, it has a nice tune and its actually one of the few decent songs on crybaby. 

- confession time: i LOVE alphabet boy. if i had to pick a melanie song to listen to, itd be alphabet boy. its really catchy and fun to sing (plus im a slut for alliteration,) and i don't have many personal complaints. though i do detest the whole "baby" theme she has, esp in this song. 

- soap is just...eh to me. i really don't like the causal suicide line as someone whos attempted So Many times, and the whole fake-deep thing just amounts to "i fucked up, i feel terrible". 

- training wheels is a CLUSTERFUCK. as i said, i hate the "baby" theme, when mixed with adult stuff. this song is undoubtably about sex and relationships, but shes using things kids can relate to and its just...feels bad, scoob. "i love everything you do, when you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit i do" is a one-two punch of emotional abuse implications and a slur. its just...all around bad. 

- pity party is...decent. the "im laughing, im crying, it feels like im dying" lines are suspect to me, because they sound very bpd-ish and idk how i feel abt that. 

- tag youre it is just. BAD. mel herself had the ADACITY to say its supposed to be ~whimiscal~, such with crybaby being kidnapped by the "big bad wolf". that may be the story, but putting a song about your childlike character being kidnapped and implied to be raped? is so fucked up.

- milk and cookies is also fucking terrible. "im fucking crazy, need my perscription filled" nice job implying all csa survivors are crazy, melly babe. gg. 

- i dont have strong feelings abt pacify her. just that its some infantilizing bs as usual.

- mrs potato head is somewhat decent? i dont have strong feelings about it either 

- mad hatter, and i know everyone and their mom have said this, is an ableism filled fucker. from the first lines, when i first heard it, i thought it was a harmless alice in wonderland inspired song. cute! and then the next lines played. im gonna go line by line and say what implications/statements bother me. "now i'm peeling the skin off my face" as someone who has pretty severe skin picking issues, this rubs me the wrong way. its basically just there to make crybaby ~weird~ "'cause i really hate being safe" oh, bc safe is SUCH a bad thing to be? this is just a bad line. "the normal, they make me afraid, the crazies, they make me feel sane" holy ableism batman! the normal? like psychotic people arent ~normal~? also, i love (sarcasm) how she says "the crazies". mel, honey, you have no grounds to say that. "i'm nuts, baby, i'm mad / craziest friend that you've ever had / you think i'm psycho, you think i'm gone / tell the psychiatrist something is wrong" do you think mel even thought about how fucking assholeish and downright insensitive she sounds abt mental illness right here? because she sounds like she did one (1) google search about psychosis and wrote down everything she could. "oh, off the bend, entirely bonkers / you like me best when i'm off my rocker / tell you a secret, i'm not alarmed / do what if i'm crazy? the best people are" okay, so, im 99% sure mel is NOT psychotic in the fucking slightest. hey babe, youre not ~crazy~ and you dont get to appropriate our oft reclaimed slurs. this is just. so insensitive and fucked up. 

- cake isn't that bad. i find myself humming it a lot. 

- teddy bear is decent as well, kinda edgy tho. 

- now for the only one of her unreleased songs that bothers me: a million men. (major csa tw for that song) she wrote it after watching a documentuary about sex trafficking and csa, and while its not bad lyrically and a few lines are relatable to my csa survivor ass, but shes not a csa survivor, and i don't feel like she should have written and sang it. 

- my personal problem with melanie is that she has her "crybaby" image all the time. shes tweeted saying she broke her nail trying to open her sippy cup, she poses half naked in bibs with a pacifier, etc. it just feels wrong to me, as i had my childhood and innocence and childhood things torn from me and sexualized very early on in life. 

- so thats all! i may or may not update this if anything else comes up. thank you for reading this far. 

(please be aware that i do not hate melanie as a person, and that i don't wish her any ill will. i just have problems with things shes done. and i am not saying you need to drop her music completely; just be critical and use your brains. and be respectful if someone says it bothers them!)

#melanie martinez #ableism // #abuse // #rape // #csa // #captain screaming #pls rb...validate my hour or work #*of #if you have any complaints im glad to hear them just be polite

[ugdigital]

[FEATURE] JOURNEY INTO THE MIND OF ERICA ON 'THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS" WITH PRESILAH NUNEZ [ @PRESILAH ]...

We recently had the pleasure of featuring cast members from Tyler Perry’s The Haves and The Have Nots here at U.G. Digital. The current season is heating up, and in support of the show, we’ve taken some time to catch up with some of the cast to look at their roles in the show, in addition to some of the other things they have going on. 

 This week, we feature Presilah Nunez, who plays the role of Erica on OWN’s most popular scripted series to date. For the past few seasons, Erica was thought to be besties with Candace, played by Tika Sumpter, but in recent episodes, it was ultimately revealed that she’s not only against Candace, but a part of the big plot with recently-turned nemesis; Warwick, to take her for everything she has. The storyline has indeed gotten much-heated, and Erica sits down to chat with us about the show. 

  U.G. Digital Mag: Thank you ever so much for the opportunity to speak today. It’s one thing to interview a megastar like yourself, but it’s a completely different thing to connect with someone you admire, and watch every week on a television show. You’re amazing at what you do, and you play your roles so wonderfully. Thank you for not only entertaining us, but inspiring us. UGD is all about entertainment of course, but my side-mission in this is showing our youth, and even adults, that you can do what you love, and have a blast, all while making a decent living. 

 Presilah Nunez: Thank you so much…that means a lot!

 U.G. Digital Mag: What’s been your experience doing this show?

 Presilah Nunez: Straight off the bat, my experience was one of those Tyler Perry stories in the sense that the character was supposed to be that one interaction with Benny where she sold him the car…

 U.G. Digital Mag: Wow, that was my next question…

 Presilah Nunez: Yep. That was all they had written. Contractually, it was supposed to be three episodes, but two out of those three were phone conversations. For die-hard Haves fans, they’ll remember that Erica called Benny twice, and on one instance, Mitch is in the episode, and Benny is like “yo, this is that girl that sold me the car for $500”, so that was one episode, and you see Erica do the whole interaction. So it was supposed to be three episodes, and we’re doing our thing. Tyler Lepley and I are doing our thing, and we really hit it off. Tyler Perry came up to me and asked how long I had been acting, and I don’t know … he’s just a visionary. He just saw something, and from there he pulled me aside and said “I’ll see you soon”. I’m like Ok, I didn’t really know what that meant. You know, you’re in L.A., and a lot of people say stuff like that. They’re like I have a part for you, or whatever, and you never hear anything. That’s not to say I didn’t believe him; it’s just one of those things you chalk up as a grain of salt. Nine months later, I’m sitting in an acting class and I get a text message from this Atlanta number. I had also missed a couple calls. It was Mr. Perry, calling to say he was bringing me back, and how he had all these ideas for Erica. So we spoke, and I was freaking out [laughing]. You have to understand, I grew up watching Tyler Perry. My mom had The Diary of a Mad Black Woman on DVD, and she had two copies. She would keep one, and lend the other out to her girlfriends. I was like 15 at the time, and now I’m talking to Tyler Perry on my cellphone and it’s like an out of body experience. He just kinda went through the character. He’s always evolving characters and has ideas. He wanted her to go a certain way and said we would see what happens. He said my agent would have it on their desk the next day, and that’s how Erica came to be. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: That’s so amazing, and you speak of it being an out of body experience. Do you ever get to that point where it kinda becomes a regular thing and the excitement of getting the new part fades? Like, I’ve been in Journalism for 15 years, but anytime I connect with someone, I’m super excited about it. Are you just as excited with each new thing?

 Presilah Nunez: I feel like I’m always just as excited. I feel like if you’re not that way about what you’re doing, why are you doing it, especially in this profession. What people don’t see is there is a lot more rejection. There’s a lot more no’s than there are yes. I have a lot of younger cousins who didn’t see me grow up because I’ve been acting since I was nine years old. All of my family that’s older knows I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid, but I have a lot of younger cousins who see me on TV and I have to remind them, you don’t remember coming to my shows? I have to break it down to them. I keep a spreadsheet of all the auditions I go out on and the opportunities I get. One side is the yes column, and the others is the no column. It allows you to never be complacent in this industry because you’re always fighting. Even the people who are on the covers of magazines right now, they’re fighting to maintain it. It allows you to remain humble. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I love the fact that you do a spreadsheet because it lets you see not only who said yes and no, but you see your success and all you can do and accomplish. Look at what people said yes to. I love what you’re doing, and especially what Tyler is doing, because it creates so many more opportunities for minorities. I absolutely love it, and we haven’t seen it before with a show like this to do the numbers it does. People are clamoring for what is to come. How do you deal with the crazy success of the show, and the way people have really taken to you even more as an actress because of your involvement?

 Presilah Nunez: What’s great is the show was already the number one show on OWN and cable on Tuesday nights. It’s easy to come onto a show when it’s already successful, but what’s been great is to be a part of it as it maintains that success. I think that the audience is able to see that Tyler added a few more cues to it when he added Erica and Officer Justin. It was great because we came onto this show and met everyone. I always tell this story because Tika Sumpter and I had never met. So we met and it was my first day on set, and we had to shoot this scene where I’m up in her room, and we’re talking about the whole house thing, the money she owes and the mortgage. I’m freaking out because I said War is really dangerous and he killed my sister, and all that stuff. I remember going onto set and we shake hands. Tika’s like “nice to meet you, I guess we’re playing best friends now”. I’m like yea, apparently we’re girls, and that was it. That was our first scene. What’s funny is the tweeting that came about when that scene first aired, and everyone was saying that we were definitely girls and you could see the chemistry. If only they had known we had just met. I say all that to say Tyler has an eye for talent and personalities. It’s almost like he does background checks because we mesh so well off camera. It really helped translate on camera, and it’s a big part of the success of the show. There’s a lot of chemistry so it’s been great. Renee, who plays Katherine, she is amazing, and hysterical. In the make up room, she’s always singing. There’s all these people my character never gets to interact with; Crystal Fox, who plays Hannah, she was hosting Barbecues every weekend. A couple of months ago, when we shot in Atlanta, we would hang out at her house. That’s what has allowed the success to permeate. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I’m glad you mentioned Crystal Fox because we ran a feature with her last week. I absolutely love the show and we’re working to feature everyone. Angela has done the cover for us, and we’ve also featured Ro Brooks. I think it’s great what everyone has been able to do. I also believe Tyler is a visionary. I’ve been in management before, and even in that, you have to be able to find people who not only can do that job, but people who also can work well with the people you already have. No one would have ever said that you and Tika had just met. It’s a testament to your talent and also hers. It’s huge and speaks to the credibility of you as an actress. 

 Presilah Nunez: Thank you so much. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Now getting right to the meat and potatoes, Erica is my type of character. She can turn the drama on and off at the snap of a finger. She can be a mess all the way, and then be an angel the next minute. Nothing would have ever said to me that she would turn against Candace and work with War. Where did that come into the role at? 

 Presilah Nunez: Look, you and me both. I had no idea. When you’re in TV, it’s different. I grew up in theater. Even my first couple years as a professional actress, it was all theater. What’s different about that is you get a script, and you know the beginning, middle, and end. Your job as an actor is to find the moments of excitement. Now that you know the whole story you have to make sure you don’t play the end too soon. If you know you’re going to die in the end, you have to make sure the audience doesn’t know that because you want that element of surprise. When you work in TV, the writers kinda help you in a sense because you never know what they’re going to write for the next episode. All you can play is what is in front of you. I remember getting that script for the episode, at the end of last season where Erica and David are in bed and War walks in, and I screamed, like me, myself, Presilah, reading it by myself in my hotel room. I’m like what!!, I remember saying to Tyler “you’re kidding me, like, me and War”? He was like, “it’ll be fun”. I thought it was interesting. Now, I have to play that in my mind. It’s like, you get added a few more colors. Now I have to play with this. I love reading the tweets because some of you are very insightful. You guys can see things and I never notice it. Some can see that Erica is a little shady. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: That was my thing…

 Presilah Nunez: Yea, then you’re one of those people who are really smart. I didn’t even know what was happening with War. That wasn’t until the next year that we filmed that. As an actor, there was no way I could play that at the moment because I had no idea where it was going. I just thought Erica was helping Candace get money. As far as her turning against Candace, I start to realize it and analyze it all as it is given to me. That’s when I start to piece it all together and realize that oh, she’s a lot more conniving than I thought. It’s a lot more fun to play. Angela and I have so much fun. Angela is a sweetheart. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s so weird that her character is so out there. When she visited the girl in the hospital and was slapping her around, I was floored. It’s crazy how she can play that so good, and meeting her in person, she’s the total opposite. Nothing like the character. 

 Presilah Nunez: Right. Nothing like it. So Erica came in a little slow, and what’s airing right now is when I began to realize there’s a lot more to it. Even as her relationship develops with David, there’s still a lot about her that Tyler hasn’t told anyone about. It’s like, where does she really come from, and what is her story. Why is she like this. These are all things that sometimes, you get told in the back story. When you don’t, it’s kinda freeing because you can make it up. It’s like you meeting Angela. Every time I shoot, I feel like I’m meeting Erica and learning more. I’m doing what’s written, but it’s so out of this world. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s strange because when you look at the past episodes, I’ll catch things, like when Erica and Candace were together and Erica spoke about what happened to her sister with War. Then to see them together, I was like, how could they be working together? It’s crazy to see it unfold. How is it for you, considering you shot all this a year ago. How difficult is it to sit on it without telling anything?

 Presilah Nunez: It’s hard because you’re excited. People ask and you’re like, if only you knew what was going to happen. It’s exciting to know, but I don’t get to see a lot of what is shot because I’m not in every scene. A majority of time, I with Peter Parros. I started working with Angela, Tika, John, and that’s it. I never see Benny anymore. All these other stories are unfolding that I don’t know much about. It’s fun to watch because I get to see what other people are doing when they’re at work. I know what I’m doing, but now I see everyone else. Like the other night, Christian, who plays Landon, had this whole elevator scene after my elevator scene, and I’m like excuse me, I wonder where he learned that from? He was laughing because we never see them. It’s exciting to watch with the audience because I’m seeing things I had never scene yet. Even this past week with my scene in the elevator…

 U.G. Digital Mag: Oh my God. I love both of your characters, so I was back and forth like get her Erica, and no, slap her Veronica. I loved it, and you two did an amazing job. 

 Presilah Nunez: Thank you. In that scene, we had a really good time shooting. Funny thing is all the shit talking was really us, but when hair was being grabbed, those were body doubles. So at that moment, Tyler had us step out and brought in the stunt doubles. They started actually fighting. They had this whole choreographed fight, because everything is choreographed to be safe, and he throws Peter Parros in the middle. He tells the doubles to just go at it, and Peter is supposed to keep them from touching each other. At “Action”, they starting going …and going … and going, and by the time they stopped, his tie is over his head, and Tyler is cracking up because Peter is breaking a sweat. These stunt doubles are jacked. Peter is trying his hardest to keep them apart, and looking at Tyler like, ‘Can you yell cut?”. Finally Tyler yells cut and is like, “Peter, you look a mess”. It came out so good. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: How into social media, are you? I ask because when you look at Facebook, there are a number of groups created for the show where everyone talks so much about the characters and what they think will happen next. Do you ever join in on comments at all?

 Presilah Nunez: I do, but moreso on Twitter. I definitely do, though. I’m not as active as others, mostly because I don’t feel like my life is that interesting [laughing]. I go to auditions, I go to Trader Joes, I walk my dog, like it really isn’t that interesting. But on Tuesday nights, I will tweet. I do it usually on east coast time. For them, it’s just premiering. I respond and it’s a lot of fun. Overall, this show has forced me to be a little more active. Otherwise, my Instagram, in my opinion, is a little boring. I think other people’s lives are interesting. Another bazaar thing about me, I watch family blogs on YouTube. There’s a family I watch from Wyoming, and I think it’s so fascinating to see the things they do. My boyfriend thinks it’s ridiculous but I like it. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I think it speaks to how down to earth you are and how much you relate to the average person. 

 Presilah Nunez: I guess that’s a good way to look at it [laughing]. Have you seen them?

 U.G. Digital Mag: I do watch a lot of YouTube. I haven’t want her them, but I know exactly what you’re talking about. Now you were recently in “Dear White People”. Can you talk a little bit about that? 

 Presilah Nunez: So “Dear White People”, my role is Kerry Washington. It’s a parody. When I first moved to Los Angeles, Scandal was still really big and everybody would be like you’re like Kerry Washington. I don’t think I look like her, even though she’s beautiful. I think they meant more like her essence. Erica is a lot more flirty, but my natural essence is a lot more grounded. So when I got this role, I loved Kerry Washington and now I had to make fun of her. The writing is so funny and it was a blast to be a part of. Dear White People as a whole is so monumental. The timing on it is really perfect. It’s great to be a part of it in a sense that speaks to the culture, gathering around to watch, and it was a fun little Diddy I did. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Also, what was your experience being a part of Rosewood?

 Presilah Nunez: Rosewood is interesting because my ethnicity is Dominican. I’m Latin. It’s funny that people from the east coast will pick up on it, because there’s a lot of Dominicans on the east coast, especially in New York and Florida, but other people, like here in Los Angeles, have no idea. Most think I’m mixed in terms of White and African American, which in a sense, I am. The Dominican Republic is basically a country made up of mixed people, half African and half European. I’ve never played a Latin role until Rosewood. America thinks Latin and they think Sophia Vergara, or Jennifer Lopez. They’re eyes haven’t been opened yet. It’s happening, like there’s a lot more roles for women of color now, and people of color in general, so they’re eyes are being opened. So people are realizing we are African, but we come from a country that speaks Spanish. With Rosewood, it was a cute role. I was like, I’ll go in , audition, a lot of girls will look like Sophia Vergara, and whatever. But it was different. I went in with my name plaque on, which is a very Latin thing. It’s like a gold necklace with your name on it. I wore that necklace, and did an accent. Naturally I don’t have an accent, but I have a lot of aunts who do. I spoke it from the time I walked in until I walked out. I got the role, and then went for the table read after I had been hired. I walked in and the producers are looking at me funny. Finally they go around the table, and then they take a break. They finally said they had no idea who I was. They were shocked that I could just do an accent. It was great and I felt honored to play a Latina because I never had. It was so much fun; the mannerisms, accent, and flavor I grew up with but never had been able to put into a character. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s really cool. Do you see yourself playing more roles that speak more to your ethnicity?

 Presilah Nunez: I think if the role is appropriate and if that’s what the role and character is about, then sure. It’s always important to be in touch with your ethnicity, background, your people and culture, but to be honest with you, it’s never something that I felt like I needed to force down people’s throats. I think when the time comes and when the character is there, then it’s great. I’ve just love to tell stories, which was why I wanted to be an actor. I love the details about storytelling. If the character necessitates that element in terms of her being Latin, I would love to play it, but if not, it isn’t necessary. With time, I know that because of the way shows are going and being diverse and showing what America is, and people being more accepting, it will happen. I have a lot of family who will be able to understand what I’m saying [laughing]. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: What else can we look out for from you? You’ve been put on a larger platform and people recognize you now…

 Presilah Nunez: “Dear White People” will be back for a second season. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: That’s amazing. 

 Presilah Nunez: Absolutely. It was a little bit of an experiment. That was another character that was booked initially for one episode, and it was expanded. That will be fun. We just filmed another season of The Haves and The Have Nots that will air next year. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I like that you mention filming more of The Haves and the Have Nots. A lot of fans, including myself, often look at various sites about the show, and I had seen something that kinda timelined you on the show as ending in 2017. 

 Presilah Nunez: Oh no, there’s more. There is definitely more of her, and it’s a lot of fun. That will air, and you know, we’ll see what else is to come. I just got a puppy. I didn’t realize it’s like having a child. No one told me. OK, correction. My boyfriend did tell me this, I just didn’t listen. But, I’m doing that. I’m on the show, and I’m grateful. People don’t realize that in our off-season, we still hustle. I still audition for things. I try to get the next job and gig. It helps that with all of these things, you ride the steam. You have to go with momentum and put yourself out there. I’m still hustling. That’s my job. The cake and batter is the audition. Getting the job is easy. The meat and potatoes is pounding the pavement. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Where can people keep up with you in terms of social media, and online in general?

 Presilah Nunez: All my social media is public and it’s all my first name, @presilah. My mom and dad were dating; she was like 15 and he was 19, but anyway, my dad wanted to name me Presilah. My mom said absolutely not. They argue, break up, get back together, have a daughter, and name me Presilah. My mom is like, you win, but I’m changing the spelling. She starts deciding, and comes up with my spelling. Phonetically, it’s actually how you say it in Spanish. All of that is to say that it’s all my first name because no one else spells it that way. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I think that’s great. You’re showing so many people that dreams really do you come true. I love it and thank you for that. 

 Presilah Nunez: Thank you. That means a lot.

#feature #interview #exclusive #presilah nunez #the haves and the have nots #HAHN #Erica

[brandyjanell]

Let's Get Cozy w/ LIV The Collection

Who is the Creator?

My name is Olivia Castro and I am born and raised in Cleveland. I am the owner of a sustainable, fine jewelry brand called LIV the collection and I am also a fashion blogger and stylist. 

What is “LIV The Collection”?

LIV the collection has been a lot of things and is currently developing into so much more! LIV the collection is a collection of rare, handpicked jewelry pieces that are vintage, antique and estate jewelry. Being "green" is really near and dear to my heart so I really wanted to start a jewelry line that utilized that aspect and was just good for our world. My blog is called LIV the look which is where I focus on modern vintage looks. That is truly the base of it all. I love to be trendy and on point but I also love vintage fashion. It's a great way to create a sustainable wardrobe and just simply have pieces that are truly one of a kind. I know that when I put together a look on my blog that no one will have seen it before because I am not just wearing Fashion Nova or Forever21 but timeless, statement pieces from the past. I bring that concept to life in my business. As of now, I curate a collection of vintage, antique and estate jewelry but this year we will also have a collection of my own designs as well! I am super excited to share this with you in this interview as I haven't really shared it with many people yet. 

How long have you been interested in building your own jewelry line and how important is it to you?

So my business hasn't always been jewelry but has more like evolved into it. I graduated from Capital University in 2016, got married and moved to California that same summer. It really was a crazy whirl wind experience especially graduating without a clear direction for what I wanted to do with my life. I basically took that year to figure it out. My amazing husband worked full-time and let me take time for myself (which I literally have never done ever). My greatest skill was always being a creative but I just didn't know what to do with it. As a girl, I wanted to be a fashion designer and I always wanted to have my own business so I just went for it. It sounds easy when saying it now but it was really hard and really scary. I felt like I couldn't fully put myself out there so I started with baby steps. I first opened an online boutique called Medusa's Vintage Boutique which turned into a Depop shop where I sold modern vintage clothing. Medusa's then turned into my first blog called Awaking Olivia which then turned into LIV the look where I focused on styling my own modern vintage looks. As I started to put myself out there more and more I decided to just truly go for it and in September I launched LIV the collection. It really has been the best thing I have ever done. It's only been open for a few months now but I have been met with so much love and encouragement from the community so I am super excited for the future and just to keep growing! 

Has any fashion icons, or any particular pieces inspired you?

I have a few fashion icons that basically formed my style over the years. The first is 90s/early 2000s Gwen Stefani. She was just such a bad ass and I loved her rebelliousness. I remember dancing in my basement to Just A Girl as a kid and feeling so empowered by her. As I grew up I would watch her videos and they were so creative and intriguing and it would just give me such a throwback fashion direction. I think she was the one who really made me start looking for vintage pieces. The next icon for me is Lady Gaga. She is a total icon all together and when I was in high school I was obsessed with her! She just was so cool and just a bold woman and that is how I wanted to be. I loved that she was edgy and a rocker yet totally wore classic, pieces that are as timeless. If you look close enough a lot of those pieces are vintage too! This may sound like the weirdest collection of fashion inspo but the last is Kim Kardashian! She really helped me become comfortable with showing off and loving my curvy, petite body. I remember watching the show and Kanye telling Kim that her body was her accessory. I had never thought of it that way so after that I started to simplify my style and make my body by accessory. Before Kim, tall, thin people dominated covers and the fashion industry; she was one of the first to break that barrier. I love being able to look to her for how to style a small curvy frame. I also just love that she is always on the cutting edge of fashion yet also is into neutrals as well. So from Gwen I got my vintage love, from Gaga I got my edginess and from Kim I got my sexy neutrals! 

What are your short term goals and where do you see your brand in five years?

This is such a great questions because I am a virgo and I am all about those goals! For this year I have two major goals for LIV the collection. The first is to feature my own designs! I am really excited about this and super nervous all at the same time. It take a lot of vulnerability to show your work and your art to the world, especially when you're expecting people to buy it and cherish it, so my goal is to launch my own designs with confidence and really put myself out there. The second goal I have for LIV is to do a city tour! Our plan is every couple of months to do a pop-up shop in a different city. As of now we have Washington DC planned as our first stop in the spring so keep an eye out for more details on our website and social media! In five years, I see my brand as a Cleveland powerhouse. I see myself having a working studio with a show room that I can rent out to local photographers and small businesses to use and a space for me to throw events and hold pop-up shops of my own. I also really want to give back. I would love to have internships and mentorship programs for women of color so they can get business experience (I just have to get a little more experience myself first!). 

On days where you aren't feeling motivated, what motivates you?

My family is what motivates me most. I come from really humble beginnings and I am a first generation college student, which are both things that I am really proud of. On days where I am not feeling it, I really just think of what a privilege it is to be where I am. I work from home, I have a dope life, a sexy husband, a kick-ass apartment and literally the coolest job in the world. The only thing in life I want to do is to make them proud and give back that opportunity to others. I will say though that this isn't always a good thing for me as a lot of times of do things for other people instead of myself and end of putting myself last. So although putting myself first is something I am working on, at the end of the day, all I want to do is be and do what the generation before be didn't have the opportunity to. That gives me all the fuel I need. 

What advice would you give someone that's interested in starting a similar brand?

1. Be authentic. You cannot create for a place that is defensive. You cannot create from a place that is insecure. People can sense that in your work and in your art. You have to be vulnerable and really put yourself out there. People respond to that and that is what will keep their attention. 

2. Only listen to your intuition. This may sound a little crazy but for a long time I would listen to other people. I always just thought they knew better than me and what they were talking about. I gave them credit simply because they were older than me or they were a parent or they were smart. Today I only listen to myself. My intuition is my guide. My gut is my guide. Yes I do take in advice from others but I always take everything with a grain of salt. At the end of the day only you know what is best for you and remember that your intuition never lies to you. 

3. Know that if you succeed, it will only because of you. That is the beauty of business. It is the greatest equalizer. You can be given everything in life and still not be successful at your own business. You can be given nothing and be super successful. Or even vice versa! The only way it can work is if you make it work. No one will help you. There is no right way. There is no guideline or cook book. There is only you, your tools and what you can do with them.

What do you do to stay cozy?

Cozy to me is all about a state of mind. As a fashion blogger I am usually styled in my favorite look. Some people may think I am overdressed, doing too much or uncomfortable but staying cozy to me is all about what you feel inside. Confidence is everything. I am cozy when I am confident. Whether that is when I am shooting styles for my blog, in full glam doing a photoshoot for LIV the collection or wearing sweats with my husband watching Netflix. As long as you are confident in yourself, you can be cozy anywhere! 

Social Media?

Blog: 

LIV the look

Olivia Castro (@littlelivslook) • Instagram photos and videos

littleliv (littlelivpinterest) on PinterestBusiness: 

LIV the collection 

@liv_thecollection • Instagram photos and videosLIV the collection (livthecollection) on Pinterest

#Fashion #Jewlery #livthecollection #blogger #fashionblog #fashionblogger #accessories

[judeblenews-blog]

Hands On: Google Pixel 3

I’m here at Google’s launch event for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in New York. Have they got a world-leading smartphone camera again? “People say last year’s Pixel 2 still takes the best pictures, even in a year with other great flagships,” boasts Rick Osterloh on stage. I’m a huge fan of Google’s latest Pixel phones. To me, they signaled a point at which Android competed with iOS. The cameras are world class, the software is butter smooth, and it sets the standard for other manufacturers. The iPhone is still the gold standard in my eyes, but the Pixel line has been nothing but a success. Google’s camera tech has been ahead of the curve for two years now, but will they get a third? Bear in mind that this year marks Google’s 20th anniversary. They’re announcing a partnership with Annie Leibovitz, stealing her from Apple. They also gave the phone to seven magazines to make covers: GQ, Glamour, W and others, with Ryan Gosling and Cardi B as subjects. Sure enough, the covers look great, and it’s a really cool rebuttal to Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign.

Initial Thoughts

The Pixel 3 feels like Google has done it again. If Android is your jam, then this is the poster child. Now if it only had a headphone jack. There’s a single camera on the back and front. That means all the tricks will need to be done with software, which so far Google’s been the only one to handle so well. Both the regular and XL models have the same camera setup. The notch on the XL is something you’ll just have to get used to. It seems pretty wide, but the, so is the iPhone’s. What might be more of a concern is the smaller version. It has the regular bezel on top, but also a chin on the bottom. It’s nice to have stereo speakers (which sound quite full-bodied when I tested), but it definitely loses part of the bezel-less feeling.

Features

Dual 8MP cameras on the front, one 12MP camera on the rear. The rear can record 4K up to 30 fps, and we have 1080p on the front. Both phones are getting “Titan Security,” which Google uses in their data centers. This will be utilized with a dedicated chip in the phones. They’re being very clear about security here because this week Google+ was shut down over a security breach. As before, the camera takes a burst of photos to create their “HDR+” images. From experience, they’re stunning and have stellar low-light capability. “Top Shot” is a new feature to avoid missing the shot. It’s not unlike Apple’s Live Photos system, but intended to just get the best image. They’re also using AI to suggest the best photo to choose. They’re using AI to get better digital zoom. Other brands have been trying this. One way of achieving a better image is using AI to sharpen text. “Night Sight” is a new low-light mode, and it looks awesome. Better yet, it will also be coming to older Pixel phones next month. Stay tuned for our full review on this. Worth noting that Huawei and others have been including a night mode for some time now, so I’m excited to see how Google looks side by side. The front-facing camera is wider than before, but doesn’t include portrait mode, unfortunately. “Playground” is their new AR sticker system for both cameras. It’s built into the camera app as before. I love these, and apparently, characters can interact with you better. They’ve got a Donald Glover character and some new Avengers (Iron Man, The Hulk). Coming to older phones too. Google Lens uses the Pixel Visual Core to bring their search engine to the camera. One example is the ability to recognize a brand of sunglasses used in a shot. You can now change the focus of portrait mode photos, the amount of blur, and even get selective color between your subject and background. Smile to trigger and motion-tracked autofocus are also included. Non-Camera Features Google Assistant will now be able to book a table at a restaurant in select cities, and ask a caller why they’re calling before you answer (mitigating telemarketers). “Flip to Shhh” will allow you to put the phone down on its face and have it turn over to silent mode. The speakers are apparently 40 percent louder, which is handy because the phone comes with 6 months of YouTube Music. I couldn't hear any distortion, but they can't pack much bass.

Unlimited Storage

The first Pixel devices famously had unlimited photo and video storage at full resolution, so long as it was uploaded from the device to Google Photos. That also included 4K video, which was a real treat and saved a lot of money in cloud storage. According to Diya Jolly, 1.2 billion photos are uploaded every day. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for the second generation. The Pixel 2 would get unlimited storage, uncompressed, until 2020. After that, your images and videos will be compressed. Not a big deal because Google’s compression is really stellar, and you still get unlimited storage. A little annoying if 4K video is your thing though. This year, we’ll be seeing free unlimited storage, but this time it will last until January 2022 at full quality. After that Google compress new photos taken.

Comparisons

The original Google Pixel’s camera was surprisingly great, and was subsequently outpaced by the Pixel 2. Now that the previous generation is considered the best smartphone camera available, can Google go any further? This time around the bells and whistles are largely software based. I'm a fan of the wide field of view on the front facing camera, mostly because you can zoom in. Portrait mode on the rear is a nice touch, although I prefer the look of the main camera. Unfortunately both the video mode and portrait mode have a pretty big crop factor. The first generation Pixel didn't have that for its portrait mode, because it required you to tilt up the phone and was sort of a pseudo portrait mode. On the note of clarity: the screen doesn’t appear to have any color cast issues that some people found on the Pixel 2. Of course it’s hard to tell in a controlled environment. Bringing up a gradient showed no major banding, as expected, so there shouldn’t be any issue with crushed blacks like some Pixel 2 users saw.

Other New Products

Google Home Hub is like a tablet mixed with a Google Home speaker, and both this and their other speakers can work with Nest’s suite of products. It deliberately doesn’t have a camera, to put your mind at ease. It will sell for $149. Google’s new Pixel Slate is taking on Microsoft and Apple. Trond Wuellner said “filmmakers that make movies in 8K rave about this display” but I’ll take that with a pretty big grain of salt. 8MP cameras on front and back, and portait mode on both. No headphone jack but 2 USB-C ports. $599 for the tablet, $199 for the keyboard and $99 for the pen. The Pixel Stand is a wireless charger, that turns your phone into something similar to the Home Hub. Retails for $79.

Final Thoughts

The regular 64GB model starts at $799, and the XL starts at $899. Add $100 if you want 128GB. They'll both be available next month on the Google Store. It’s not the most exciting phone, there were no surprise announcements – but it’s probably still the best Android phone you can get. Google are proving that their AI and software solutions are an alternative to adding more lenses. I’m looking forward to seeing it out in the real world, and honestly I can’t see why this camera won’t be in the top three smartphone cameras available. We'll have a full review of this in the coming weeks so stay tuned. Via: Fstoppers Read the full article

#Cameras #News

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Auto Detailing Austin LLC

What Is Car Detailing and Auto Detailing?

Automotive detailing, or car detailing austin auto detailing is a term that is used allot these days and it will possibly have completely different meanings to completely different People. For instance, in America the time period detailing often refers to most sorts of automobile cleansing, whereas in the U.Okay the time period 'automotive valeting' is more predominantly used to describe most car cleaning activities, with the term detailing solely fairly just lately being adopted to explain a more thorough clean auto detailing austin llc.

Typically, the correct definition for the time period car detailing is to meticulously clear, polish and protect all parts of a automobile from prime to backside, in and out, utilizing specialist instruments and products that might not usually be utilized by your typical automotive cleaner. It does not nonetheless, embody paintwork and physique repairs though generally mild cosmetic restorative work might be untertaken, for example stone chip contact ups and clear coat wet sanding, depending on the condition of the automobile and the detailer in query.

The primary area and purpose of automotive detailing is to totally enhance and restore the autos paintwork by eliminating light scratches and swirl marks which were inflicted over time and that reflect the sunshine in such a method that they provide an ugly cob webbing effect on the surface of the paint or clear coat. Earlier than this is undertaken though, the exterior must be totally washed and cleaned to be able to take away as a lot dust and as many contaminants as possible.

Step one of the outside detailing course of is often to foam the automobile completely and permit it to soak, this helps to soften up any dust and elevate it off from the surface previous to pre rinsing. Whilst soaking, a delicate bristled detailing brush could also be used to agitate areas just like the window rubbers, plastic grills, trim details and badges. The froth, together with the loosened dust and dirt is then completely rinsed off.

Before washing the paintwork, wheels and wheel wells/arches are normally cleaned as these are usually the dirtiest and most contaminated components of a car. Specialist brushes and wheel cleansing merchandise are used to remove grime and baked on brake dust from all areas of the wheels and wells/arches including suspension parts, brake calipers, around lug nuts and even from the wheel rears.

After the wheels and arches have been totally cleaned, the paintwork can then be washed from prime to bottom using plush wash mitts instead of sponges and smooth micro fibre towels instead of chamois leathers along side the 2 bucket approach and grit guards, which all help to prevent any harm (within the type of light scratches and swirl marks) from being inflicted. The complete wash course of including the wheels and arches can take wherever as much as two hours to complete, relying on the scale and situation of the automobile.

After washing, paintwork is clayed using a specialist automotive clay bar and lubricant which gently removes any bonded surface contaminants that washing alone can not remove. This is a vital step within the automotive detailing course of as these contaminants can hinder the polishing course of and forestall a top quality end from being achieved.

After the paintwork has been correctly cleaned and ready it's then polished to remove any gentle scratches, swirl marks, hazing, oxidation and different surface imperfections. That is often accomplished with a rotary or twin motion sharpening machine as they permit the polish visit this blog right here products to be completely worked into the floor and broken down and so generally create better results. Nonetheless, paintwork can effectively be polished by hand utilizing the appropriate products and great results will also be achieved with enough time and effort.

The polishing process is often a multi-step task, as differing abrasive grades of polish are used to right and refine the end and it can take numerous hours or even days to complete, car cleaning austin again, depending on the size and situation of the automobile. This is usually the most involving, labour intensive and time consuming part of the automobile detailing process.

After being polished and corrected of any imperfections, the paintwork is then protected and sealed. Some detailers select to make use of a pre wax cleansing product which prepares the paint for wax and ensurers it bonds to the surface properly. Top quality natural carnauba based mostly paste waxes and artificial polymer sealants car wash resources austin tx are used to offer months of powerful, lengthy lasting protection and create an incredible shine. Multiple layers of wax and sealant are often applied to ensure optimum durability and shine are achieved and it is not uncommon for high finish carnauba paste waxes to value a whole lot and even thousands of dollars.

Once the paintwork has been sufficiently polished, enhanced and protected, the opposite exterior parts are then dealt with.

Windows and glass are additionally polished and protected, as are any metal and chrome parts. Rubbers, plastics and vinyls are revived and dressed to assist bring them back to life and defend them from the weather. The wheels and even the brake calipers may also be polished and waxed utilizing designated merchandise which further enhance and defend them and give a stage of element beyond that of a traditional automobile clean.

The engine bay area can also be always correctly cleaned, polished, dressed and guarded during the automobile detailing course of, utilizing a variety of cleaning products and brushes, but it varies from person to person at which part in the course of it is undertaken. Some choose to sort out it first before the remainder of the automotive, whereas others could clean it after the outside has been detailed, before shifting onto the interior.

An inside detail includes of all upholstery being vacuumed and totally shampooed to remove any contaminants and stains, whereas additionally brightening and freshening it up. Headlining is cleaned, leather-based is completely scrubbed to take away any filth from deep in the grain and is then conditioned and protected. Plastics, vinyl and trim are cleaned and dressed utilizing appropriate products to revive and shield them from the sun, then the inside glass is also cleaned and polished to give a crystal clear, smear free end.

The interior detailing course of can be very involved and time consuming as every area including even the smallest vent and change are properly car cleaning austin tx handled utilizing a wide variety of brushes, swabs and micro fibre towels to remove the smallest dust particles from the tightest of areas.

The general apply of automobile detailing is undertaken to make sure that the vehicle is kept in as good situation as doable throughout possession. As soon as a full detail has been undertaken, mini details or upkeep cleans will be carried out frequently which is not going to be as concerned as a full element yet will assist to give all parts of the automobile that 'simply detailed' look.

Car detailing helps to retain much of a autos unique worth and it may possibly additionally add a considerable amount to the value of older more uncared for or abused vehicles which have never seen that level of care. General, automotive detailing is the method of thoroughly cleansing, enhancing, restoring and protecting best car window tint in austin texas all components of a vehicle, in order to hold it looking its best and retain a lot of its worth and a element differs out of your average automobile clean because of the degrees of involvement, the time spent, the tools & merchandise used and the quality of outcomes that are achieved by the end of the method.

Detailing your cars is probably the most important thing to do and the most effective methods to take care of your car, maintain its resale value preserved, and keep it looking presentable. The detailing course of includes exterior, inside, and engine detailing the place the automobile is cleaned completely from inside out. Exterior detailing includes cleaning the car from the skin to make it trying nearly as good as new, interior detailing includes cleaning the car from the within by way of vacuum, steam, and liquid cleaners to make it spotless, and engine detailing includes the usage of degreasers to cleanse under the hood. Though most of us imagine in cleansing our vehicles ourselves, common skilled detailing of the automobile after a certain span of time helps improve its life and efficiency.

Most of us get our vehicles detailed in spring autodetailingtx.com/ to organize it for the summer as a result of:

The detailing process adds safety to the automobile's paint eliminating the Social Network here for Auto Detailing Austin LLC probabilities that the colour will fade under the strong summer solar

Detailing helps you shield the leather/vinyl Auto Detailing Austin LLC upholstery in your car for solar damage

Detailing makes it easier to take away the pollen and bugs (current in huge numbers throughout Auto Detailing Austin LLC car cleaning summer season and spring) from the floor of the car and protects its paint from being broken

Detailing also helps to take away any salt from the automobile's inside and exterior Auto Detailing Austin LLC window tint tx in case the roads have been handled with salt brine throughout winter

Getting your automobile spring detailed professionally is not only good for your automotive; additionally it is good for the setting. Whilst you save the time and the money spent on the limitless provides to do the deed, you additionally shield the surroundings.

How? The oil, the washed away cleaning soap water, and the grime, will all circulate into the sewers and find yourself the lakes or the ocean to not point out the quantity of water that will likely be wasted. Skilled automobile detailers use lesser amount of water for the method and are extra careful in regards to the quantities of chemical compounds used. It has additionally been studied that hand washing your car can truly injury the paint and reduce its shine.

Getting your automobile spring detailed has another benefit, most of us can't discover the time to contribute to our neighborhood because of our hectic schedules, and always think of methods the place we would be able to do one thing without having to spend an excessive amount Auto Detailing Austin LLC auto tint of time or vitality... there are a lot of native applications organized the place the vehicles are detailed in return for some donation in direction of a cause, so you don't just find yourself getting your automobile detailed, you additionally help the community in a means.

So, give it a critical thought, your automotive wants its regular cleansing identical to you, identical to your porch, and just like your home.

You possibly can select from doing it your self, getting it done for neighborhood benefit while saving some cash and getting a decent cleansing job accomplished in return, or go to knowledgeable... both method, spring car detailing of your automobile gives you long run benefits, identical to with any machine that is maintained nicely.

Automotive detailing entails extraordinarily detailed cleansing and polishing after which waxing of the automotive from each inside and out of doors to show case a high quality detailing of the automobile. You are able to do the detailing for your private satisfaction or to prepare your automotive for any automotive rallies the place your automotive would be featured. Detailing not only improves the appearance of the vehicles, but also helps in preserving the automotive and thus the automotive can have increased resale worth.

You can contact anyone who's in the car detailing business to do your automobile detailing. The person would element your car from outside as well as from inside. In outdoors or the read more on wikipedia here exterior detailing your automobile is cleaned and a shine is dropped at the car's paint, the windscreen and the windows. Even the wheels and the tyres are cleaned and polished.

How is this done? While you take your car to the car detailing business shop, your car is taken to the washing bay, for correct care of the tyres, wheels, bumpers, doorjambs, grills, and all the other hidden spots of the automobile through the washing of the automotive. Then the exteriors and the tyres are cleaned to remove any bugs, highway tar and other things which can be trapped in them. The following step that the automobile detailing business individuals is the evaluation of the paint of the car to resolve the procedure as to how they are going to polish your car paint and buff it to make the paint end as unique as possible.

The car detailing enterprise store then makes use of various varieties of polishes with power buffer and foam pads to remove the scuffs, scratches, and every other minor imperfections present in the paint. The detailer decides the merchandise car detailing austin tx that he has to use depending upon the situation of the paint of your automotive. After a sequence of steps, you get a glossy, clean paint finish and your car exterior becomes nearly similar, as it was whenever you bought it.

The next step is to use quality wax on the surface to protect the paint from the grim and dirt. A single or double coat of polish is utilized to the exteriors by hand. The last step of the exterior Auto Detailing Austin LLC car detailing is to shine all the outside trimmings, and the rubber pieces of your car, together with the door handles, the windows rubber trimmings, and at last the polishing of the glass.

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Don’t Buy a House in 2018 UNTIL You Read This

It’s 2017 and that means it’s a GREAT time to start preparing yourself for buying a house in 2018

A lot of the people who are currently reaching out to us about buying a home, in our local market of Raleigh, are preparing themselves for a purchase in 2018. These folks are the inspiration for this article and my hope is you will be well prepared by the end of it.

In Real Estate it’s not uncommon for people to keep their eye on the market long before they become serious buyers and thus we are writing a how to guide for buying a home in 2018.

Buying a house requires preparation and the more prepared you are the more confident you will be heading in. Real Estate is one of the safest investments you can make, especially if you’re buying in a great location.

The biggest mistake people make is they buy nothing at all. They renew their leases and push home buying off for another year. If you ask the clients we work with ‘what is one thing you wish you did differently’ their answer would be ‘buy sooner.’

This guide has been prepared after consulting real estate experts and mortgage professionals. Their thoughts on what prospective home buyers need to do are discussed below in detail. Without wasting any more time, let’s get right into it

How to Prepare to Buy a House in 2018

Step 1: Check your Credit Score

This step is important if you are planning to take a mortgage or home loan. To qualify for a mortgage and get the best terms possible, you need to have a good credit score.

There are a lot of great websites online that can help you understand where your credit score is at, I personally use CreditKarma.com. The scores aren’t always 100 accurate so take them with a grain of salt. Using the mobile app on my phone I’m able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of why my score is the way it is. Try not to close your older credit accounts because these give you a good average length of credit history. 

A credit score is simply a representation of your credit worthiness. FICO credit scores range from 300 – 850. A higher credit score is always better when taking out a mortgage. You are bound to get the best interest rate (lowest interest rate possible) and best loan terms if your credit score is 740 or more. The interest you pay for your loan is important because it dictates the entire cost of the loan. Furthermore, getting a rate that is .25 lower can translate to thousands of dollars in savings every year for the entire term of your mortgage. 

I’ve seen people with a credit score in the high 500s turn it into a high 600s in just a few months. So if you need help improving your credit score, check out some resources online.

Step 2: No New Credit Cards

When preparing to buy a house, you should also stay away from new credit cards even if they come with irresistible benefits. This is highly recommended since opening new credit lines can hurt your chances of qualifying for a mortgage, and if by any chance you are eligible for a mortgage, you won’t get the best rate. New credit lines usually change mortgage loan application numbers. To make sure your mortgage loan application numbers stay the same, avoid new credit lines by all means. You should also avoid overusing existing credit going forward to avoid getting bad terms in the future. 

What are the benefits of the credit card? Can you call your bank and see if there is any way to get around using a credit card until you have purchased the new home? This will allow you to have the highest credit score possible when it comes time to get a mortgage.

Step 3: Find a Mortgage Lender

Before you start looking for a home to buy, you need to get a mortgage lender first. This step is critical because it lets you know the kind of home you can afford to buy. It saves you the time, money and headaches during the home buying process. It also makes sense to start a conversation with a mortgage lender well in advance of you buying a home because they can help prepare you for the actual application process.

Finding a good mortgage lender is easy, though it requires a lot of effort and that’s the hard part. You can start by asking your bank if you have established a good relationship with them what are the best steps you can take for a mortgage approval? Next, you will want to compare products. Each lender and bank will have different products they can offer certain types of people so don’t settle for the first one. Look at all of your options and choose the one that makes the most sense for you

Step 4: Get Preapproved

Serious buyers make a pre approval their first step when buying a home. This is because they are serious and know that if they are going to buy a house they will need it. As with most markets, if you try to buy a house in our market you’re going to compete with a lot of other buyers. Even in smaller towns like Clayton, which was once considered farm land people are having to raise their offers to a few thousand over asking

Before you can approach potential home sellers, you have to get pre approved which simply tells the seller you are capable of buying the home in question. Getting preapproved is easy. You just need several documents. Typically, you will require your tax returns and W-2 forms for the past year or two. You’ll also need your current paycheck stubs for three or more months as well as a list of your debts and assets. You also require other documents such as proof of mortgage/rent payments. Once you get pre approved, it’s important to avoid making big purchases, missing debt payments and changing jobs as you wait to get a mortgage to avoid altering information in your mortgage application. 

Step 5: Find A Great Real Estate Agent

Before you find the house you need to find a great real estate agent and this is more important now than in previous years. With so much information online it’s hard to believe what’s real and what isn’t. A great Realtor will help you navigate the world of real estate. Often people will be willing to see a house with anyone who will show it to them. Strong Agents are going to have tougher barriers that you need to break through because they are in high demand.

Often people will be willing to see a house with anyone who will show it to them. Strong Agents are going to have tougher barriers that you need to break through because they are in high demand. It’s worth working with someone who is good, that has good reviews, then it is working with someone random. Do your research.

When someone asks to see a home for sale in a competitive market like Cary, we typically require a phone call or in-person meeting beforehand to help learn if we are the right fit for that client. This is a benefit to the client as it is to us. We make a commitment to our clients not to work with too many clients at once because that would jeopardize our ability to work for them.

There are certain questions you should ask when interviewing Real Estate Agents and these will help you determine if you’re working with the right person. A home is a large investment after all.

Once you are pre-approved, you can get yourself a good real estate agent to help you find the perfect home for you. Real estate agents are easy to find today regardless of your location. You can use referrals, relatives or the internet to get the best real estate agent in your area. This step is important since real estate agents are knowledgeable about real estate. They offer useful support on all matters relating to real estate from finding the right house to negotiating and closing. 

Step 6: Find a Great House

Start with the location you want.

A lot of folks in our area are basing their home purchase in 2018 on school districts. Towns like Apex and Holly Springs are growing so fast that they are either capped or are constantly being rezoned for their school districts. Finding a great house doesn’t necessarily make you dependent on a school district, though it does make sense for families who make it a priority.

Determining your priorities is going to help you find a great house. Have a list of ‘must haves’ and stick to it while being reasonable. Understand that most homes are not going to have everything you want and if it does then you should act quickly. When you find a great house, don’t wait, make an offer on it because if you don’t, someone else will.

Step 7: Don’t Forget about the Closing Costs

Even if you are a first time home buyer with a 0 down payment loan you need to remember that bringing money to closing is often required. Most people don’t realize that closing costs can be around $5,000 when you include the attorney, lender, inspection, and other fees. Remember, as the buyer you don’t pay any Realtor fees.

If you’re buying a home in 2018 you should start the conversation now. Begin saving up for your down payment, your closing costs, and have a cash reserve for a rainy day

It’s also important to discuss with your agent on ways of reducing closing costs. However, if you hire a reputable real estate agent, you have nothing to worry about. 

Summary

Buying a house is challenging if you don’t understand the process. The above steps give a great overview to how best prepare when buying a house in 2018. The information may vary slightly depending on location as well as the mortgage lender you choose.

If you’re buying a home with a significant other you will want to start preparing for that as well. There are a lot of additional steps to take and the laws will vary by state on how it works. Consult with a Real Estate attorney if you have any questions on how to take title.

If you have any questions for us, drop us a note in the comments section below