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archer3-13 · 2 months

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impressions on the job questlines of FFXIV: A Realm Reborn

i was gonna put it off until i did the heavensward jobs, but those are different enough i feel confident in talking about these now. This is only impressions up to level 50 for each of these jobs and i'll be going over first how they all feel to play in a quick manner and then talking about the job questlines with a bit more depth on my opinions for them.

so, game feel. from best to worst, though spoiler warning i dont feel any one job feels outright bad to play.

monk. it benefits from pugilist being the most fun starting class to play in my opinion, is hurt a bit from stagnating when ya first get the soul crystal, but comes back around to being fun by level 50. well ya dont have any ranged poking options so when your avoiding attacks its either charge chakra or take a breather, the class more then makes up for it with how fun it is to get into a rythmn and when the chakra gauge starts autofilling after certain combos the whole thing is pretty much a lovely chefs kiss.

bard. this is about what i would want from a dps with buffing support elements and i find myself rather enjoying it. you have some nice debuff tools, some good buffing tools, and off ya go. its only issue i would say is that its basic attack rotation is... too simple.

warrior. aggressive tanking raar. well the starting tank classes start off near identical, when they get their soul crystals they begin branching into their own and i much prefer the warriors more aggressive footing.

dragoon. even at level 50 its kit just feels incomplete somehow, but other then that its a reliable useful class with good sound design and useful tools.

black mage. this one surprised me because thaumaturge is kinda a drag, but black mage really picks things up as a force of destruction thanks to its later tools being much easier to handle and use at successive rates.

white mage. ill never be super comfortable as a healer, but i do feel white mage is a pretty decent class to get used to healing on the whole. the levels ya get parts of its kit are rather inconvenient mind, but its kit is also just really useful on the whole especially when ya realize how valuable regen is.

summoner. it can feel fiddly at times, and parts of your kit feel kinda dubious. but on the other hand its fast and its kit can hit real hard once ya do get a handle on things. all around solid at the arr level of things.

scholar. well its faster and its tools more immediately useful, i actually find myself not liking this class as much as white mage once ya hit level 50. its certainly fast mind, but there are more parts of its kit i find redundant and it all feels a bit watered down on the whole.

ninja. i can appreciate what they were trying to do, but the mudras just slow everything down even if they are very powerful. plus a lot more of its kit ends up being redundant compared to other classes which especially sucks given rogue already had a shallower pool of skills to pull from.

paladin. im sure some people really like this class but the defensive tilt of the paladin just isn't for me.

so ya, theres the game feel. now as for the job questlines, we'll go from best to worst once more

dragoon. theres a good reason estinien got promoted to main quest relevant outside of the fact heavensward deals so heavily with ishgard. it tells a competent even compelling story, it has solid character writing, and it gets you doing things that feel unique or interesting enough. its all the strengths of what a job questline should be in essence, teaching you about the job in terms of how to use it but also the jobs relation to the world its suppose to exist in. all well still telling the story of a falling out between the dragoons golden child and his father figure mentor due to unresolved guilt and a lack of communication. as far as ARR goes this one gets the gold.

black mage. like the class this one ended up leaving a stronger impression then i thought it would. we start off strong with 'watch out for ye powers of hell, ye know not what ye trifle with' presentation and end with a naturally integrated 'the real power of hell was the friends we made along the way' kinda message involving beastmen friendships and the repentance of an old sinner trying to give his own comrades the peace they deserve. solid stuff. plus the quests themselves run the needle of fun, interesting and challenge.

white mage. i think what elevates this one is the quests which also run the gambit of challenging yet fun and interesting. in terms of story though this is good overall. nothing particularly revolutionary but i always enjoy a 'magic and spirituality relation' lesson, and it is telling a story about characters and growth, about long held traditions and culture and how beautiful it can be but also how it can restrict an individual or blind them with pride. with an appropriate if somewhat confusing conclusion of temporary spirit resurrection but hey it is white magic.

monk. i kinda enjoy this one as it gets more interesting and complex as it goes on, and windigart and erik become more interesting along with it. the problem is that the dragoon questline does what the monk questline does but better, both in a story sense and in a gameplay sense as well which is unfortunate. what does save the monk quest though is that it has a decent blend of humour to it and i like erik being the one to resolve things emotionally but also in defusing the situation by punching some sense into windigart something thats always tempting in stories like these. also windigart just gives you his shirt for the final piece of the outfit at the quests end which is hilarious.

bard. nothing particularly exemplary here but its still a good questline. you get a good appreciation for the jobs history, theres a working character arc for the job trainer that deals with trauma and ptsd in a respectful way. and well what your doing in the quests is kinda eh, its functional for getting the story across without being disengaging.

ninja. high production values and a ninja story send up save what is one of the more pedestrian stories. its fine for what it has going on, and as i said this is very much homaging ninja media in a fun 'ninjas but not in japan' kinda fashion. i think its problem is that karasu is its best character, tsubame is solid if ancillary, well the person whos suppose to be the 'main character' of the questline oboro is... the dim one. functional but not particularly exciting as a character either in what his journey as one is nor in terms of his personality. pretty fun in terms of what ya do mind, but again it has better production values on the whole.

summoner. this one rocks in terms of what your doing, with a strong flashy start and fun quests including faux primal fights with their boss themes kickin in and everything. the problem wit the summoner arr quests is that in terms of character and story its shallow as fuck. tristan presents some initially interesting questions until being revealed as just some asshole whos making deals with ascians, and other then him the story of the summoner quest is just focused on the learning how to use it as opposed to learning about it. i like the job trainer though even if i cant remember her name, shes fun.

warrior. your lucky that your kinda cute curious gorge. a whole lot of faffin about doing nothing of particular interest until a sudden last minute plot twist of gorge being more culpable for problems then initially appeared and taking the spot of your fight for the quest instead of the expected opponent. this quest is thankfully saved from being the worse by its characters being overall pleasant and for atleast not wasting time. though to an extent everyone involved in the quest almost comes across as too reasonable for whats happening.

scholar. ya do a whole lot of boring stuff for this questline in ARR right up until the end when suddenly a whole bunch of stuff about nym comes up and the tonberries. i definitely wish that was all more of its own quest and story stuff because its a lot more interesting then the job trainer who is just... so bland. wall paste bland. and as noted the quests themselves leading up to it are pretty boring themselves.

paladin. fuck the paladin ARR quests. they're both boring and actively infuriating at times with how stupid and irritating its job trainer is. and the quests themselves are equally boring, though thankfully not irritating.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #ffxiv arr #final fantasy xiv a realm reborn #impressions

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keefwho · 10 months

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June 24 - 2023 Saturday

10:18 AM

I feel like it’s possible that I could fall into the same slump as I did last weekend if I don’t watch myself. This is a valuable challenge though. This time there are some important distinctions. Firstly, I have the reassurance I need that friends and companions will not just disappear. Having that important conversation a few nights ago was very important in helping me realize that. Also the time I took exercising those first 3 ACT skills have helped get me out of my own head for now. I know it’s easy to slip up but right now I feel confident that with a little effort, this could be a fine weekend.

On the surface my immediate stress/general upsetness comes from wanting to spend time with people I have deep connection with but I currently cannot. I already talked about this last weekend, it’s perfectly valid that they are unavailable on the weekends. It’s up to me to have other contacts or be able to happily exist by myself for a bit. The biggest thing that helps me achieve that is believing they will always be back. Even if we’re apart, we are together. Thats the kind of reassurance I think is normal, as opposed to an unhealthy desire to know someone won’t leave. I was lacking basic requirements that were largely brought about by my own thoughts and beliefs. I’m good for now.

Now I have to figure out what to actually do with my weekend. I think I want to work on my next VRchat world and maybe play my Switch a little. If I feel more generally social, there are a couple people in mind I could try hanging out with. I also have the option to take a gummy which could be likely.

12:21 PM

Currently evaluating myself and how I feel right now, keeping in mind the exercises I did the past few days. I have thoughts nagging at me that aren’t true, making me feel bad about myself. It’s classic “Since I’m not prioritized, I am not wanted whatsoever.” This one happens way too frequently, so much so that it’s starting to lose its effect just when I noticed it. Like when I was struggling with anxiety and I would fear the same thing over and over but it would never happen. It’s starting to become goofy how often I feel this way but I’m always proven wrong. I also got a little perspective on myself and my relation to others. I’d say all morning I was in the mindset of trying to please or live up to someone else’s expectations of me, or what I think their expectations are. It’s easy to fall into because I feel like it’s the only way to keep people around. It has the opposite effect however. I become boring because I have nothing to bring to the social table, only echoing their ideas back at them. Then when I am left alone, I realize I have nothing to show for myself. It’s a hard thing to catch and break free of. Not all my problems come from self doubt though. The fact that I can’t be spending time with my favorite person does make me sad, and that is normal. It’s a feeling that has be lived with while I branch out and discover other ways to fulfill myself. It’s okay to feel this way as long as it doesn’t consume me.

I think I need to be more vocal with what I want from others. By that I mean openly asking if someone wants to do what I want to do rather than trying to prod what they want to do just so I can get any time with them at all. I always believe that it is selfish of me to do that, or that they don’t like me enough to oblige. The reality is they will likely be into my idea and may even do it if they are unsure how they feel about it just because they like me so much. And they will just say no if they really don’t want to or can’t. I catch myself sacrificing for others too much and it would benefit me to catch myself before going too far.

Im so ANGRY at myself, why can’t I just get over my own mind? I cause myself so much anguish for literally no reason and it makes others suffer too. I’m tired of it. I wanna chill and make lifelong friends and love myself and everyone around me. I just want to love honestly. Thats at the core of everything. I’ve suppressed myself for so long and developed many bad complexes and coping mechanisms.

Every time I think I’m starting to gain control of myself, the smallest thing sends me spiraling back down.

Sometimes I wonder is it really me stopping myself from believing I’m loved or do I really not get the time or attention that I need? How much is too much or too little? When is it a problem? It must be now because of how much I care about it. What should be done?

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brand-new-stars · 3 years

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Hewwo new writing blog 🥰🥰 could I request ritsu eichi and mika general dating hcs? Wish you the best of the best 🥰🥰

- rabbit "anon", im proud of u for this sweetie

B,,BB,,BB,,BB,,,YOUR BUNINESS??? ABASJNLANSFS omg im kinda honored rn asfaflnaf. also sorry they all might be ooc-

Sakuma Ritsu, Tenshouin Eichi and Kagehira Mika General Dating Headcanons!

"𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔟𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔶 𝔰𝔩𝔢𝔢𝔭. 𝔍𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔫 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔞 𝔫𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔫𝔞𝔭, 𝔱𝔬𝔬."

💤 expect being this vampire’s pillow. he will grab you and place you down before laying his head on your lap at any opportunity given.

💤 you’ll often be asked to take ritsu to knights’ practice. there are times where izumi is not patient enough so he makes his way and drags the boy to the practice while complaining about how slow you were being, while other times you successfully place him in a piggyback position and bring him to his unit.

💤 will definitely leave bite marks on your neck, so no one attempts to steal you away from him.

💤 lots, lots, lots of cuddles coming from this boy. he’s like a sloth that won’t ever let go of that tree branch. he will leech your attention and wants to monopolize it.

💤 he will have one of his genius nicknames (maa-kun, ecchan, mikarin, etc) for you, and will expect one back. will reject ricchan from you though, that’s for mao only.

💤 his unit is filled with mixed feelings about you dating ritsu. arashi and tsukasa think that it’s sweet, izumi doesn’t care in a mean way (or so he says), and leo somehow finds ways to embarass you through your relationship (although he usually just says them without thinking).

💤 while mao approves, he can’t help but to worry about the things ritsu makes you do, and it’s almost like you’re his second babysitter. you do admit that you do not mind though (and you can watch his sleeping expression for a moment, not too long because that might be creepy).

💤 will immediately keep you away from rei. ritsu does not want you to leave him like rei did during the war, and is secretly paranoid that rei might influence you. he will refuse to answer his brother’s questions about you.

💤 he is only suspicious, but you are already helping rei with getting back with ritsu.

💤 ritsu will definitely drag you into tea club activities and asks for you to feed him small snacks. there are times where he seductively takes your wrist, brings it close to his face, eat the snack in your hand and even lick the little crumbs.

💤 has once clinged onto you when sleeping in the same bed.

💤 “(nickname), I only want you to look at me, and only me~”

"𝔅𝔲𝔱 𝔫𝔬 𝔪𝔞𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔟𝔢𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔦𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔦𝔰, 𝔦𝔣 𝔦𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔰 𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔩, 𝔦𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔢. 𝔗𝔬 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔞𝔦𝔫 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔤𝔫𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔡𝔦𝔢."

☕ eichi is known by his poor health, so yes, there will be daily visits in the hospital.

☕ but when he is allowed to be out of it, expect him to spoil you rotten. this expensive looking object you’ve been eyes for a while? he will pay it for you. that delicious sweet displayed at that bakery? bought, and now you both are sharing it.

☕ you often fret about his health. he assures you that he’s fine, but you cannot help but to worry.

☕ he’s so excited to try new things with you, as he had spend most of his time being sickly. you tried to go to the amusement park once! he ended up being dizzy by most of the rides.

☕ “oh? is this what they call a hotdog?” you can’t help but to smile at how innocent and cute he was being.

☕ besides looking up to wataru, now he has you. you, who are so kind and patient with his circunstances, of what he has done in the past in order to be where he is right now. it’s almost like he has his own guardian angel.

☕ his unitmates are very happy to see you two together, although tori tends to act like an entilted brat and tell you that he is still eichi’s favorite, he notices that eichi’s expression brightens even more around your presence. yuzuru, as always, acts politely towards you, and will often point out things about eichi’s behavior to you as well. wataru? he’s already writting down a play inspired by your relationsihp together. he’s also the one who often lists advices towards his unit leader.

☕ meanwhile in the tea club, ritsu at first won’t really care and just demands your blood (eichi has stopped him), but afterwards you’re basically spoiling him like a mother to his child. how hajime acts around you is just the cutest. he’s trying his best to make you feel welcomed into the club, will make tea for you (you help him sometimes) and soon he’s like yours and eichi’s baby child.

☕ will sometimes use his status as the student council president to call you over to his office. but honestly, he just missed seeing your beautiful face. keito is annoyed by this, and mao can only chuckle nervously.

☕ also have I ever mentioned power couple?

☕ you’ll probably ending up being his executioner

☕ “my dear, wonderful s/o... I hope you can stand by my side until I go...”

"ℑ 𝔡𝔲𝔫𝔫𝔬 𝔱𝔬𝔬 𝔪𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱’𝔰 𝔯𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔞𝔫’ 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱’𝔰 𝔴𝔯𝔬𝔫𝔤... ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫’𝔱 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔪𝔶 𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔣𝔢𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰."

⏳ poor guy has no idea what to do in a relationship. heck, he never imagined that he of all people would be in one.

⏳ he will try his darn bestest, even though there were attempts that ended not as planned.

⏳ he might not be the smartest nor the strongest, but you’re dead wrong if you think that he won’t do anything for you.

⏳ also please don’t treat him wrong otherwise shu, arashi and nazuna will go after your head.

⏳ speaking of them... shu doesn’t really mind you two being together as long as you don’t distract mika for too long. he might say harsh things towards you both, but he’s secretly watching for you. and without realizing, he takes you under his wing.

⏳ at first, you were intimidated by mika’s oshi-san. but after the slow connection you’ve formed, you feel comfortable enough to stand up for mika when shu says some of the most absurd things.

⏳ arashi became a beam of energy once she found out that mika was dating you. words cannot describe of how happy she felt for you both. did mika went through with her advice? what was your reaction? she has so many questions for you two, and will sometimes trick you both into going dates with just you both.

⏳ yes, you’re both from the mika protection squad. that nasty oshi-san will soon learn his place.

⏳ there are times where mika will attempt to make dolls and gift them to you. they don’t look the greatest, that’s true, but you place them on your shelves nonetheless. it’s your boyfriend’s hardwork, after all!

⏳ calling himself a doll, mika is someone who needs lots of reassurance since he has no confidence with his own skills and capacities. tell him that he’s doing good, and he will be extremely happy.

⏳ mika is still a boy who’s learning about being his own self and being a significant other as well. the start might be rocky, but he’s the most loyal one you’ll ever know and will go lenghts to make you happy.

⏳ “(nickname)...thank you for everythin’ you’ve done for a failure like me. i swear I’ll love ya as twice--no, as thousand times as you do!”

#enstars headcanons #ensemble stars headcanon #enstars x reader #ensemble stars x reader #ensemble stars #enstars #tenshouin eichi #eichi tenshouin #ritsu sakuma #sakuma ritsu #kagehira mika #mika kagehira

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lutrain2020 · 4 years

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Meet the Creator!

Introducing: TallyAce or Tally/Lore!

Commission: Nah

Social Media: Discord: Tally#7660 AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TallyAce

Tell us a little bit about you!

My names Tally, but I go by Lore as well! I enjoy drawing and writing both, but I'm much more confident in my writing skills. I spend most of my freetime either playing videos games, writing, or sinking into the endless pull of YouTube.

Is there someone who inspires you and your writing?

I'm heavily inspired by authors like Rick Riordan and Brandon Sanderson. I love how vividly they can paint a world and its characters, and they make me want to create something as engaging as they do!

What got you into writing?

My dad is a really good artist, and when I was little he would make little story books with me. He would sometimes draw the pictures and I would write a story to go with them, and other times I would write the story first and he'd draw the pictures after. We started making these when I was around three years old (about the time I started to read and write properly) and I've been in love with writing ever since.

What's your favorite part of the writing process?

I have to outline things if I ever want to get anywhere with my writing! I'm so scatter brained and have a lot of difficulty focusing for prolonged periods of time. So if I don't have the framework laid out for me, I'm going to forget ideas I wanted to implement and eventually lose steam for the project.

What's your least favorite part of the writing process?

Im not the biggest fan of editing, since I have a lot of difficulty with trimming out the 'fat' of my stories. I like to keep too many things, paragraphs that don't need to be there or dialogue that doesn't fit in character. I get attached too quickly to things and don't want to cut them out in editing.

Whats your favorite type of scene to write?

I really like writing moments where characters finally realize something. Moments where all the pieces I've been scattering around click in place, whether that be for the audience or for the characters. Seeing everything culminate into that "AHA!" moment is just so satisfying.

What's the hardest for you to write?

I have a hard time with fight scenes in particular, just because I can never get a feel for the flow of the scene. Fight scenes are about breaking the writing rhythm to emphasize crucial moments, but I never feel I can quite nail it.

What's your favorite genre to write?

I actually prefer fluff, but I feel that I end up writing more angst in the long run. Fluff is so therapeutic, but angst is too in a difference sense.

What fandoms do you enjoy writing for?

The only fandom I've actually written and posted fanfic for has been Linked Universe. I've written personal pieces for Portal, Digimon, and BNHA in the past, and im starting to try and branch out to other fandom writing!

What's the work you are most proud of?

Oh gosh, I don't have many fics posted but I think my favorite is probably one of my one-shots? 'The Milk Bar' was really fun to write at the time, and I look at that one pretty fondly. And a more recent one-shot I wrote, 'Until the End of Time, I Will Love You,' is another personal favorite.

Is there a specific scene you are particularly proud of?

Hmm, the ending lines of 'The Milk Bar' are always something I've been proud of. they carry a weight to them that, in context, really drives the feeling of the overall piece home. ["Let's go. The bar closes soon." "How soon?" "One hour and twenty seven seconds."]

Is there something you had to work through that forced you to grow as a writer?

I think working through the strange pressure of having people enjoying my fics? When 'Forgotten Promises' blew up it kinda weighed me down in a weird sense, I felt that anything I did after Promises wouldn't live up to the 'expectations' people had created around me? Its silly to think about, especially since I highly doubt anyone had 'high expectations' of me! But it really got to me, and finally coming to terms with the fact that, "hey, maybe this next piece of writing won't be as well received and people might not like it, so what! Write what makes you happy!" really helped me come out of my slump. I still struggle with it a bit, as evident by my lack of posting any big fics not related to Promises, but I'm working on it! And I feel that's really helping me grow not only as a writer, but as a person too!

Do you have any fics inspired by real life stories?

None that I can think of!

Where do you post your finished works?

I mostly post on my Ao3 account TallyAce but I also upload many of my oneshots on my Tumblr.

#Meet the Creator #lutrain2020 #lu #linkeduniverse

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honeyedquiet · 4 years

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clueless

a small psa: im really bad at titles.

anyways, this is an imagine i wrote for my friend when she was sad so i figured i’d post it here as well. that being said, it has a name and not y/n because it was for her but feel free to read it however you’d like!

word count: 3.5k

warnings: not much, maybe a curse word here or there? possibly bad plot line, and a few typos

clueless- james potter

When James usually expressed how clueless he was, it was not entirely true. In transfiguration, when Professor McGonnagall went over a bout of hard-to-follow information and he said he had no idea what was happening, he usually had a slight idea, but just didn’t know if the idea was necessarily correct. When Filch, the greasy Hogwarts caretaker who always seemed to be on his and his friends’ asses, asked him who set off dungbombs near the Slytherin common room entrance and James told him of his innocence and cluelessness, he was far from being truthful. When Snivellous angrily asked James earlier that week where he had hidden all of his underwear, James confessed profusely that he did not know where his underwear went-- for the record, he didn’t; he merely stole the underwear while Sirius hid them. But, when he said he didn’t know how to handle the certain predicament that he was in currently, he truly meant it.

When James first realized he was in love with his best friend, Sirius’, sister, Diana, he tried to simply ignore the feelings. It was easy to do at first; she was a year below them and Sirius wasn’t necessarily keen on spending all of his free time with his younger sister when all of his friends were performing pranks, sneaking out of school, and torturing that poor, greasy Snivellous. James, at first, feared that this method of bottling and stuffing his emotions deep, deep down into the pit of his stomach would not work, but it seemed luck was on James’ side for once in his life. Diana obtained the opportunity to travel abroad, to Beaubaxtions, which was in France-- which was far, far away from James-- and prayed to the Gods that all hope of keeping his friendship intact with Sirius was not lost. Of course he was saddened and upset by the news-- he even cried about it when he heard, although he would never admit it to anyone no matter how many times Remus brought up him crying alone in the boys bathroom one night in attempts to talk about it-- but he knew it would most likely be for the best. Sirius never took kindly to those who fancied Diana; he was rather protective and would threaten the people that Diana showed romantic interest in-- without her knowledge, that is. So, he knew that Sirius would most definitely not take kindly to his best mate taking up a fancy for his younger sister.

The time that Diana spent away allowed a period of time for James to attempt to “heal”. He tried to forget just how much Diana’s smile light up even the darkest of rooms, how her laugh was so contagious he didn’t believe it was possible for anyone to remain frowning if she was laughing, how her voice was commanding and soft at the same time, how her eyes lit up when she was talking about something she was passionate in, how gorgeous she looked that one day where he, Remus, Sirius, and Peter went down to a lake near Sirius’ house and Diana tagged along-- she was wearing a gorgeous blue bathing suit that complemented her glowing skin perfectly-- In other words, he just tried to forget her. He knew it would be best for him, being as Sirius wouldn’t have a reason to kill him, and for their friendship, since friends technically don’t attempt to kill other friends.

He tried, he so desperately tried to look for someone else to pour his fancies into and occupy his late night thoughts, but he couldn’t find anyone that matched Diana.

Although he was having trouble finding a “replacement” for Diana, his technique of bottling and storing his emotions had worked fairly well; they only came out in longing thoughts as he lay awake in the Gryffindor common room, staring at the dormitory ceiling.

All of his progress, if you could call it that, vanished the moment she came back. It was the summer leading into his and Sirius’ seventh year, Diana’s six and she was coming back, finally, from France to return to Hogwarts.

Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter all were on the blank spot of grass in the Potter residence’s gardens, their brooms scattered about the neatly trimmed, flowering bushes. James was laying on his back beneath an old oak tree, his black hair plastered slightly to his forehead with sweat, a slightly frustrated look on his face, his chest moving up and down with remnants of heavy breathing beneath a black tee shirt, and, in his hand, resided a golden snitch that wriggled to get free of it’s captor’s palm. Sirius was hovering a few feet above the ground, his broom beneath him, with a quaffle in his arms and a stupid smirk on his lips. Like James, he was also breathing heavily. Remus was above James in the oak tree, serenely lounging along a sturdy enough branch. A book was in his hands and his eyes moved rather quickly across the pages and his eyebrows were furrowed in slight curiosity and confusion. Peter leaned his back against the tree, his plump red face adorned with sweat and an eager smile. He looked between Sirius, Remus, and James excitedly, awaiting Remus’ verdict on what caused Sirius’ confident smirk and James’ frustrated composure.

Remus sighed and closed the quidditch rule book, shaking his head before speaking. “Sorry mate,” Remus started, a light hint of his own smirk as he regarded the confident Sirius. “James was completely in bounds. There’s nothing in the rule book that says he can’t distract you.” He finished.

Sirius huffed in his usual “this is stupid, everyone here knows i’m right.” way as he descended to the ground beside James. “Don’t think that because you beat me you’re a better player than me,” Sirius pouted, of course just playing-- everyone knew James was the best player out of all of them and had beaten them all multiple times in two versus two to prove it. “I think you just pulled a blinder,” He huffed.

James rolled his eyes, a smirk just breaking through his feigned frustrated composure before he shook his head. “Not a blinder, just skill-- Which none of you, but my good ol’ chum Remus here, seem to have.” He gloated, letting the snitch free and fly a few feet in front of him before he sat up, caught it, and laid back down against the grass.

“Oi! I’ll have you bloody know that your mum was saying different last night when-” Sirius was cut off by the door opening to the garden and his life flashed before his eyes; he didn’t dare to turn around, fearing Mrs. Potter had heard him.

However, it was not Mrs. Potter. The appearance of Mrs. Potter in the doorway wouldn’t have made James’ heart stop mid-beat with his mouth slightly agape. The appearance of Mrs. Potter in the doorway would not have made his hands clammy and resting knees weak as his mind began to race. And Mrs. Potter most certainly wouldn’t have caused such destruction on the glass jar that resided deep within him that housed the longing, perhaps dangerous, thoughts of Sirius’ sister. The appearance of Diana, however, most certainly would.

And it did.

It was like everything and nothing changed about her at the same time. She was still the same girl he knew since the end of first year and the same girl that he had seen off with Sirius on a train to France exactly a year ago-- but she was still different. The way she carried herself was more confident and airy, however even in the split second he saw her, he could recognize her ability to knock into anything within a mile radius. She seemed more refined and collected. Elegant and angelic. Ethereal. Thoughts raced his mind, going a mile a second as he tried to contain the cracking jar within his mind.

He felt like he was on auto-pilot mode as he greeted her, an appropriately wide smile on his lips, however he knew he jumped up too quickly and hugged her just a little too tightly. He asked her questions a little too excitedly, looked at her a little too long.

That night, he debated on writing his will.

He had it bad; he knew he did. Remus now knew he did as well, being as he forced it out of him just a day after Diana arrived and with every day longer that she was with them, the more the jar broke. He tried his best to play it cool around her, to simply act how a brother’s best friend should act. He tried, he truly did. He also truly felt guilty when he failed.

The more days that passed, the harder it got for James to act in a way that wouldn’t tip Sirius off to even a hint of James fancying Diana. Part of him hoped to be as far away from Daina as possible, so he would not make a stupid mistake of getting caught admiring her, while another part of him wished to be alone with Diana: to kiss her plump lips, to hold her cheeks in his hand, to moved his skilled fingers across the buttons of her shirt while he held her against--

“James! Did you not hear anything that I just said?” Sirius grumbled as he stood from the couch they were currently sitting on.

“Sorry, not really. I think I’m getting a bit of a headache.”

Remus made a face and James sent him a harsh glare. He didn’t need Remus fucking this up.

“I said that I’m going to go to Diagon Ally with Remus and leave you with the she-devil until we come back with her new stupid jersey,” Sirius huffed and Diana laughed from her spot on the couch.

Just hours prior, Sirius and Remus lost a game of Wizards Chess to Diana and were then obligated to get her new quidditch jerseys as a winning prize.

“Make sure she doesn’t tear up the place so mum isn’t mad at me. We all know how dogs can get,” Sirius’ laughter was broken by Diana getting up with an exclamation of distaste at Sirius calling her a dog.

James wished he would have taken a portrait of how scared Sirius looked at his sister before pulling Remus into the fire pit and using the floo powder to escape her wrath.

Now, the thoughtless side of James had gotten it’s wish. He and Diana were alone, only separated by a coffee table between them.

Over the next few hours, things were going fine. He had busted out some of his Firewhiskey to “add a little fun into the mix,” but it was mostly to calm his nerves. He didn’t know what he was to do. Should he ignore her or go to his room? Or should he do exactly what the thoughtless, careless side of him wanted him to do and indulge in his fantasies that he stayed up many nights forming.

The firewhiskey seemed to make that decision on its own once they both had a few drinks. They weren’t drunk or impaired, so to say, merely tipsy and very, very close now. James just realized how close they were exactly.

Diana was rambling about something to do with Beauxbatons, he didn’t exactly know what being as all of his focus was split into two things: her lips, and resisting the urge to place his lips on hers. Something else caught his focus and the three way split was too much for his jaded brain to handle so he lost grip on his control. As a consequence, his hands came up and cupped her cheeks, placing his lips on hers.

He had felt extremely guilty about kissing Diana that night, although not because she didn’t like it, he knew she liked it very much, but because he betrayed Sirius. Though the guilt subsided more and more with each time that found a spot to indulge in each other. They took a chance of any privacy they could get: midnight rendezvous, sweet early morning kisses, “quidditch lessons”, anything being as Sirius staying with James now left little moments of privacy to them where they had not feared of the tall, black-haired boy that they both adored to dearly walking in on them.

Now, being at Hogwarts, things regarding moments alone with Diana were easier and more difficult at the same time. It was easier to sneak away from Sirius under the guise of extra lessons, hanging out with another friend, extra studying, but yet it was harder because he also had to make sure he had the Marauder's map with him. They were officially dating now, and had been for a few months, but had chosen to keep it secret until they could find the right time to notify Sirius that his best friend was now dating his sister.

The predicament in question was brought along by a rush of passion, and carelessness. Diana had been teasing James all day relentlessly, sending him notes of what exactly she would like for him to do to her in the midst of class, mumbling in his ear in Potions as he tried to follow the directions that were scrawled on the board, putting her hand on his thigh during lunch, sitting on his lap in the deserted library during their shared break. All of this led to James ending the day with a large and very uncomfortable hard-on, which seemed to impair his judgement. He had rushed off after quidditch practice to go find the very girl that caused his problem, but had failed to check if he had the map.

James was able to sneak Diana into the common room and to the boys dormitory, being as girls can enter the boys yet not vice versa, and was pushing her against the wall in an instant. Lips, teeth, and tongues were all gnashing together passionately and needingly as he fumbled his way to the bed, Diana locked in his arms. He was on top of her the moment she hit the soft padding of the mattress, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on her shirt while hers were doing the same to his shirt. It was not long until they both were naked except for Diana’s panties and James’ boxers. James kissed down Daina’s body, admiring it and savoring it with each kiss before he reached the hem of her underwear. Without a second thought, his hand moved beneath it and tugged it down her legs, throwing it to the side of the bed before kissing up the insides of her thighs, nearing the crux where he knew she wanted him to be so desperately. His fingers worked small circles against her clit as he nipped teasingly against the soft skin of her thighs. His mouth slowly drew nearer to her slit and he slowly-

The door opened quickly and James almost threw himself back, nearly tumbling off the bed, and scrambled to grab hold of the blanket to cover Diana up. He straightened his glasses that had fallen in the scramble to see who was in front of him and his heart dropped.

Sirius. An angry, heaving Sirius, mind you.

This is exactly the predicament in question that he had no idea how to handle. ‘How do you explain to your best mate that you’re in love with his sister after he found you buried between her legs? Well, i’ll definitely find out tonight,’ he thought.

Sirius was angry, his eyes not looking at Diana as she didn’t dare to move from James’ bed, but they were rather fixed on James. Sirius drew nearer to James and he expected the punch before Sirius even drew back his fist. Just because he expected it, however, does not mean that it didn’t necessarily hurt which damn, it did. James stumbled back, holding his jaw, although he didn’t fight back. He knew he deserved it. He only fought back when Sirius took his wand out and James disarmed him, knowing that the last thing either of them wanted was McGonagall coming up, seeing them hurling spells at each other, James half naked, while Diana Black, a Hufflepuff, lay in James’ bed, completely naked. It would be too many detentions than what it was worth.

It took awhile for Sirius to calm down enough to stop squirming against the body-binding spell that Remus had to put on him. By this time, Diana was dressed and sitting on the edge of James’ bed, her fingers fumbling together anxiously as James rambled off apologies. Remus released Sirius from the spell but kept his wand away from him and a hand on his shoulder.

“What the bloody hell, James! You’re my best mate! You shouldn’t be shagging my sister,” Sirius yelled and James felt the same pit of guilt in his stomach as he had that first night him and Diana kissed.

“Look mate, i’m sorry, I am but-”

“There’s a but to this? You think I'm going to let you keep shagging my sister?” Sirius yelled in disgust.

“No! Well-”

“You have a lot of fucking nerve, Potter. Seriously, my sister!” Sirius outraged.

“It’s not nerve, I’m trying to explain-”

“I’m not asking you to explain, i’m asking you to stop shagging my sister and-”

“I’m not Shagging your sister, it’s-”

“What do you call being-” Sirius almost couldn’t get the words out over a gag, “literally buried between my sister’s legs?”

“I’m not saying that I wasn’t shagging her but-”

“So you were shagging her, this is ridiculous, i-”

This time, it wasn’t James retorting to continue the bickering, it was Diana finally speaking.

“For the love of Merlin, just stop! Sirius, I love you, but you can’t act like I'm yours to keep safe and take charge of. James and I weren’t just shagging,” She started and James felt nauseous. Diana took a gulp, looking at her brother’s angry face. “We aren’t just fucking. We’re dating.” She finished and the room fell silent. Even Remus was shocked.

“You two are dating?” Sirius asked, now completely breathless by the news.

James so greatly wanted to turn away and say no, to turn back the last hour or so and just take care of his boner himself instead of greedily and carelessly meeting with Diana unplanned. “Yes,” James finally spoke and he thought Sirius was going to pass out at once. We have been for a few months. We just didn’t want to tell you because,” He motioned to his now bruising cheek, “ We knew that you wouldn’t necessarily take it the best.” He reasoned, trying to rid his voice of anything that would cause Sirius to throw a fit again. “I’m sorry you walked in on us, it was careless on my part. But I promise I’m not just fucking her. I wouldn’t disrespect you nor her like that,” He said truthfully and Sirius, although still red in the face, was now listening. “It’s not just a short fling either,” James looked from Sirius to Diana and back to Sirius. He gulped slightly, knowing that the only way that he could make Sirius truly believe that he wasn’t just using his sister was to tell him something that he hadn’t even told Diana yet, although he knew it before the relationship.

“I love her.” He finally said and he saw Sirius deflate for a moment before sitting back up. He stayed quiet for a while and so did everyone else in the room. “You love my sister.” Sirius finally said, as if confirming it and James nodded, his eyes trained on Sirius. He didn’t want to see whether Diana was disgusted or accepting of his feelings. “I do, I really do. You know I won’t hurt her,” Those seemed to be the right words to say, being as Sirius gave a soft nod.

“Alright,” Sirius mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “I guess I can’t do anything about it, either then right?” He asked, as if he was hoping for one of them to say that there was a phrase he could say to undo the feelings that they both clearly had for each other.

“No, nothing,” Diana spoke up and James finally looked at her. Relief welled in his chest when he saw the bright grin on Diana’s face, telling him that she returned his feelings.

It was a long while and after an equally long talk that Sirius finally stood, not fully accepting of the relationship but he wasn’t mad at either of them. They had talked things through, mended the slight crack in the resilient friendship between James and Sirius, and repaired the slight crack in the wall left from Sirius pushing James into it before James finally walked Diana out of the common room and back in front of the Hufflepuff entrance.

He was about to bid her an exhausted goodnight before he was caught off guard by Diana’s kiss to his lips.

“I love you too,”

#james potter #harry potter #james potter imagine #harry potter imagine #writing #hp

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geirskogull · 4 years

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Steel Reign - Chapter 1: Urth’s Font

tldr gonna be a short series based around Danica and Odin since Urths Font ate five hours of my life once and This is how im getting back at it

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Rating: M

Count: 1.7 k

Leaves crunched under heavy, almost metallic, hooves. A sentry, high among the branches, snaps to attention, her white knuckled grip upon her spear tightening. Eyes narrowed, was this just another deer, wandering into the Font? Or some vain adventure not unlike herself seeking death and glory in equal measure? Or was this her target, her quarry, her hunt?

She held her breath, scanning the forest floor. Thinking back to the warm, dry rooms of the waking sand and the events that lead here this deep in the forest, alone save for the occasional squirrel climbing among the branches, curious what exactly the person shaped statue was doing in the trees.

“Pray, Lady Voss, art thee truly sure thee wish to go alone?” Urianger had asked her, not long after the two of them had finished parsing Lieutenant Scarlet’s urgent letter. Detailing the resurcents of the “Dark Divinity” Odin. The Primal so shrouded in myth, it was only fitting that he chose the Black Shroud as his hunting ground.

“What choice do we have?” She had asked back. “The others are busy with equally as important business, and It’s not like I don’t know how to call for backup.” Her voice had been sure, when in truth she had been far from the picture of confidence. Primals were group endeavors. Always the lot of them on the field together, not unlike the Company of Heroes. Or what was the group she’d been learning about recently? The Zodiac Braves? The Danica Voss of the present shook the thought from her head and focused back upon the sounds of the shroud.

It mattered not how she came to this situation, only that she was in it. Nestled among the trees, stalking the woods for sightings of the Dark Divinity with full intent to engage and hopefully dispatch him. At least temporarily.

In all honesty, she had very little faith O-App-Pesi’s plan to rid the woods of him forever was going to work. Especially with how little they knew about him. They knew not his origin. They knew not how he got his powers. They knew not who believed in him (though she had a theory on that one.) How were they sure that by killing him here that he’d stay dead? What made this place so special.

If the Padjal hadn’t been so adamant she immediately set out on her hunt, she’d have demanded she be given time to double check his research. She would have laughed, in another situation, even long after she had left the thaumaturges guild, it still had its claws in her in someway.

The forest was silent.

Dead silent.

She could hear herself breath if she focused hard enough. A smirk played at the edge of her lips, fools confidence. The time for waiting was over. The time for action was now.

Entering the clearing, she could see him. Armored from head to toe, atop a fiendish looking steed clad in the same black metal. The Master of the Hunt, perhaps about to be hunted. She watched him for a spell, barely breathing, committing every single movement - even those as simple as a roll of the primals neck - to memory. She found, over time, those same questions peaking into her minds eye, not as distractions, but as useful leads. How could she fight an enemy she did not truly know.

The Horsemen lead his beast towards the center of the clearing, and seemed to stall. Sheathing his sword unexpectedly and merely tilting his helm up in the rain. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was just a wandering knight of parts unknown, pausing to let the rain ease the stiffness in his old bones.

But he was a primal. An Unknown, perhaps even unknowable primal.

She, spear in hand, jumped from her perch in the trees to the wet grass of the clearing.

She would find out which it was. Knowable. Unknowable. God. Man.

Odin slowly looked down from the sky, following her path from the trees with obscured eyes. When she did not charge forward, he turned his horse to face her. Sleipnir she believed he was called, closer up he looked almost more voidsent than horse. Fiery red eyes, hair more akin to large feathers than a proper mane. She tore her eyes from the beast back to its rider, whose hand rested patiently upon his sword.

“Doth thou think yourself a worthy foe? Mortal before me.”

His voice echoed in the woods, the only sound for miles if she had to guess. His very presence breeding dread into the forest animals. She could feel that primal urge to flee into the night while she still potentially had a chance. Yet she stood firm. Yet she answered.

“I can’t speak for my “worth”” she started, her voice not betraying her shaken core. . “But I can speak for my curiosity. And if such a thing leads us to clash, so be it then ey?” She removed her spear tip from the ground, and began pacing around the primal. Far enough away she could retreat into the cloud tops if he advanced, close enough that she could watch him like a hungry animal.

If Odin could have, he would have smiled. Worthy prey indeed.

“Speak then, what is your query. Tis’ best to die without questions.” He kept his hand firm on the hilt of his blade. Helm tracking her movement, Sleipnir baying impatient. Part of her was disappointed that it need come to blows, another was surprised she saw any other outcome. She stopped her pacing, holding the primal at spear point.

“Who are you?”

The question rang out into the empty air, and the world itself seemed to come to a standstill. For the first time in their entire encounter thus far, Odin looked away. Odin faltered. With a smile on her face, she did not wait for his answer. Sailing through the skies with dragonfire in her veins, A hunter versus a hunter.

“Every Primal has a Story.” She spoke once more, diving backwards when his shield repelled her initial blow. Landing on her feet initially, she rolled to the side to avoid his mounts angry hooves.

“An Origin” Her strike rang true off the armor of the primal, a burst of aether signified. Yet one blow would not be enough. The primal drew his sword.

“Someone who believes.” She could not roll away, jump away, from his next series of blows. Thrown backwards by the force of Zantetsuken’s blows, all she could do was struggle to recover her footing. The blood trickling down her arm a sign of his own victory.

She stumbled back to her feet, taking a more defensive stance as the primal once again took note of her. The sword, she realized now, was beautiful. A massive curved blade of black metal that seemed almost to glow in the dark shroud.

“So tell me,” She began, as Odin advanced forward, fast. Realistically, he had the advantage on speed, but she had it on height. Jumping towards the edge of the clearing every time he grew close.

“Who are you, who believes in you?”

Those final words muttered, Odin once again faltered. His grip upon his blade less sure, less controlled. Yet, that made him no less Dangerous. What replaced the knights confidence was a feral rage as the Primal screamed at her.

Screamed at her and charged.

And thus, the fight began in earnest.

But thankfully, she was not upon her back foot. Charging as he did, Voss dodged the fell blade with precision and skill, looking for any gap in the black plate that might prove fatal. Rips? No the chest plate was solid. Knees? No the joints were welded with a masters hand. Helm? She couldn’t see his face beyond his...

Eyes, she’d aim for his eyes.

Jumping back, she landed hard upon the ground. The blood pooling at her feet proof of her mortality, proof of her humanity. Proof of where the primals blade had hit its mark. Her breath was coming heavy, apparently, in her search for weaknesses, she hadn’t realized the extent of her damage.

She would not stop now, not with an end so well in sight.

One for either of them. Perhaps even both of them.

The Primal raised his sword, high into the sky. Where it sparkled and gleamed with unholy intent. The Dragoons spear was held much the same, save her eyes were closed. The lights however, that congealed around both were different, antagonistic. Where one was a swirl of black and purple light, choking at her even then, the other was a brilliant blue. Taking the form of a Dragons head, as she leapt high into the sky. Hoping to find her mark.

Praying to find her mark.

When she once more opened her eyes, she was alone in the clearing, and her spear dug heavily into the ground as a cloud of aether quickly dissipated into the cool night air around her. Victorious.

Dropping the weapon, she let out a mighty cry, and it was as if all the forest cheered with her. Alive once more. Oh they would never believe this. She couldn’t wait to tell them all. The Scions. Haurchefant. Hells, maybe she’d even track down Estinien’s grumpy ass and tell him too.

She fell upon her butt, laying back upon the ground, and let out a content giggle. Gazing through the leaves to the quickly clearing night sky. At least until she heard the wet clatter of another blade than her own hitting the ground.

Jumping defensively, half expecting the primal to be lying in wait with some kind of fell trap, she was greeted by the sight of his blade. Strange, she thought, should have gone away with him.

Then again, most of the primals she’d faced before then hadn’t used weapons. Claws, fists, talons, but no weapons. Perhaps those stayed? Relaxing her pose, she remained curious. Strapping her spear to her back she approached the fallen sword, so much smaller now that the primal that held it was dead.

Should bring this in for study, her tired mind urged her, Urianger would probably have a field day. It glowed still, brighter now under the night sky. It was so beautiful. Waiting for its owner to return.

If only she hadn’t reached out, and taken it.

#ffxiv #ff14 #final fantasy xiv #Danica Voss #Odin #Chapter 1 #Steel Reign

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foursprout-blog · 6 years

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Money story: “I’m 21 and pursuing the path to financial independence.”

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/money-story-im-21-and-pursuing-the-path-to-financial-independence/

Money story: “I’m 21 and pursuing the path to financial independence.”

This guest post from Cody is part of the “money stories” feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success — or failure. These stories feature folks from all stages of financial maturity.

In January, I attended Camp FI in Florida. While most of the attendees were thirty- or forty-somethings pursuing early retirement, one young man stood out. We were all amazed at the presence of Cody Berman, a 21-year-old hustler who defies the Millennial stereotype. Cody works hard, saves tons, and has a vision for his future. I asked if he’d be willing to share his story with GRS readers. Here it is.

From a young age, my parents instilled the value of saving into me. Throughout my early childhood, my father would match my contributions to my savings account dollar for dollar. This made me excited to save birthday money and miscellaneous earnings because the money would double. (Thanks, Dad!)

When I turned eleven, I started my first job working in the snack shack at my uncle’s local disc golf course; I earned five bucks an hour. Throughout middle school and high school, I worked various jobs and saved nearly every penny. At age sixteen, I bought my first car with the money I had accumulated over the years. I still drive that car to this day.

During high school, I took several AP courses and received college credit for them. If I had only known then what I know now, I would have taken nearly every AP course and CLEP exam available. When it came time to select a college, I was torn between Bentley University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I calculated that Bentley would have put me in approximately $80,000 of debt after four years but that I could attend UMass Amherst virtually for free. My frugality won. I chose the latter.

Making the Most out of College

Upon my arrival at UMass Amherst, I joined as many clubs and organizations as possible. Simultaneously, I obtained a job as a teacher’s assistant to financially support myself. After several weeks of attending dozens of meetings for multiple groups, I decided that the Investment Club, Fixed Income Fund, and Finance Society were particularly interesting to me. [J.D.’s notes: Where were clubs like these when I was in college?]

I soon realized that in order to get a leg up on my peers, I needed an internship. I applied to nearly thirty positions and heard back from only one. That summer, I worked in a low-tier operations role at a small branch of a major bank.

I came back sophomore year with increased confidence and a motivation to achieve the best internship possible. This time, I applied to nearly 35 positions and received responses from about 20% of them. Initially, none of my top prospects were interested in me.

Then, one day in early April, I received an email from a private equity company who asked me to come in for an interview. Three interviews later and the position was mine. That summer, I commuted two hours each way to my internship and worked long days. I thought I was on my way to become a rich, successful investment banker. What could be better, right?

Finding Financial Independence

During my junior year, I networked relentlessly and received offers from various top-tier investment firms. I knew that whichever firm I chose to work for following my junior year would probably be the firm I received a full-time offer from. I aimed for high-caliber, high-paying jobs in New York City.

It was during this year that I discovered the financial independence movement and realized something important: Time is more valuable than money.

Because of this newly-acquired perspective, I declined all of my high-powered NYC offers and chose to work for a financial firm that valued hard work, respected work-life balance, and compensated for overtime (extremely rare in the finance space). My friends and mentors all thought I was crazy for turning down the ultra-high-paying, high-stress offers, but I knew that I was making the right decision.

Once I discovered the financial independence movement, I was immediately attracted to the idea of a side hustle. I wanted to unlock an alternative income stream to allow me to reach my financial freedom quicker. I took steps to start a t-shirt company and tutoring business, but both failed due to lack of interest and commitment.

Eventually, I collaborated with James, a mechanical engineer friend of mine, and we created the ultimate side hustle: Arsenal Discs. Our company manufactures premium golf discs and equipment for the disc golf sport.

My passion for disc golf, coupled with my business mindset, made me a great fit to run the finance and marketing arms of the business. My business partner James, who loves to design and create, complemented my weaknesses perfectly by taking over the technical, engineering side of the business.

An Alternate Path

I see too many adults miserable in their jobs, complaining about money, and never having the time to do things. I’ve decided that this was not the life I wanted. I want freedom.

This yearning for freedom initially stemmed from my resentment of authority and being forced to perform tasks that I found neither useful or beneficial. Financial freedom grants you autonomy to work on projects that you’re truly passionate about. Once the need for a financial reward is eliminated, then altruism, passion, and authenticity foster motivation, not money.

My goal is to have a deep impact on society and, ultimately, the world. Whether this be through financial consulting, global volunteerism, or content creation, I strive to change others’ lives for the better. I feel that the typical nine-to-five job won’t grant me this satisfaction, and even if it could, I’d like to discover that career from a position of financial independence, not financial need.

I’d also like to help other young adults discover the road of financial freedom.

In my three years since discovering and advocating for the financial independence movement, I’ve had only one friend reach out to me for guidance. Most people in my peer group can’t be bothered with planning for their financial futures. They’re just finishing college. They may have just accepted their first job offer. The last thing they have on their minds is their financial situation ten years from now.

My advice to any college-aged reader out there is simple: Continue living on your college budget, even after you begin your career. As Jim Collins says, you can eventually reach financial independence by following one simple rule: “Save more than you spend and invest the rest”.

A single, twenty-something with no kids can easily live on $20,000 or less per year by making educated financial decisions. With the average graduate salary just topping $50,000 in 2017, a young adult can start with a nearly 60% saving rate! Using Mr. Money Mustache’s shockingly simply math behind early retirement, and assuming income grows at the same rate as expenses, that person could reach financial independence in eleven years. That’s incredible!

Plans for the Future

Luckily, I’m not alone in the path to financial independence.

My girlfriend Lauren, who is frugal by nature, is 100% on-board with my plans. It’s hard to argue against the idea of financial freedom in five years or less! Plus, I have my mom Ruth to thank. She’s turned me on to new blogs, podcasts, and other sources of information to add to my ever-growing repository of skills and lifehacks. She’s been extremely supportive in all of my efforts, whether it’s my studies, new ventures, or financial planning.

I’m a firm believer in creating multiple income streams to diversify risk. At this point, I have my high-paying W2 banking job, my side hustle, and miscellaneous side jobs and weekend jobs earning me income. I plan to further accelerate my wealth accumulation through real estate (e.g. house hacking, live-in flip, etc.). Developing these passive and semi-passive income streams will allow my saving rate to soar.

My hope is to work for less than three years in a traditional nine-to-five job. Instead, I’d rely on my (hopefully) successful side hustles and real estate ventures. Once I reach this point, I can put all of my time into passion projects, volunteerism, and traveling. I’m sure to make some mistakes along the way, but the goal of becoming financially independent at age 25 sounds too good to not pursue.

Nothing that I’m doing involves prodigious intelligence or tremendous abilities. I’m not a genius. I’m just a guy who wants to truly enjoy life and extract as much value out of it as possible. All it takes is a game plan, hustle, and ambition. The rest will follow. It’s never too late to take back control of your life.

Reminder: Please be nice. After twenty years of blogging, I have a thick skin, but it can be scary to put your story out in public for the first time. Remember that this guest author isn’t a professional writer, and is just learning about money like you are.

The post Money story: “I’m 21 and pursuing the path to financial independence.” appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

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