#might edit / add some stuff later on as i develop him / study more about the mob business but ! ! ! this is the basic of it ! !

[regarding-stories]

Rounding up is hard to do... Manga Edition (mostly)

While this is slowly changing, a lot of the time romantic manga series are more likely to get a single season if adapted to anime. So even if you might get into a series by watching it animated at first, you often have to finish it by getting into the print. Anime is still at times more of a promotional tool than anything.

So here comes stuff that I read at least partially in manga form.

Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You

This was a random find that I just got into because Kobo advertised it to me. While some of it is now collected as volumes, Bookwalker sells it by chapters for the start of the series, but never installments come as three-chapter books (and in the end, cheaper per page).

"Smoking" is a very sweet little slow-burn love story unfolding between a salarymen working in sales and much younger supermarket cashier. She stars in two roles - she's the young, super-friendly and wholesome cashier that he always lines up for due to her smile. But when not at work, she dons her private style - and he doesn't recognize her... (Thank God for oblivious manga protagonists.)

She ends up keeping the charade up, switching her name around for him. Both develop feelings for each other, but most of the time they simply socialize behind the store, a place where you can smoke freely - which is what by chance got them in closer touch.

Over time the cast grows to incorporate one of his coworkers, and all the staff at this local supermarket. Many of the people around her catch up with her two identities, and start rooting for her, especially her manager who wants to see some proper romantic developments, but both our lovebirds are too good at leaving things unsaid, and the whole Yamada/Tayama setup she maintains is not helping.

Given that this is about adults the slow-burn is even more surprising, barely progressing beyond touching at times and then taking at least one if not two steps back for each forward. Still, it's a very rewarding read to me. I do not want to label it "slice of life," but I guess you could call it that as well.

My Little Monster

Talk about a bad start! I really was put off by the male lead's first appearance, given that he was threatening the heroine. In the end, however, this seemed to be a fluke and didn't repeat. (Well, there are incidents but they don't rub me the same.) It left a sour taste for a while but I stayed with the series, and am glad for it.

She is obsessed with studying to an obscene degree, he is afraid of attending school and considered a delinquent, especially due to his threatening stare. In the end it they are drawn to each other, but their timing is at times horrible, they're not good at understanding their own feelings or each other's. Adding up to a surprising good, long read.

One thing that is good about the series is the humor, the quirks of the characters, watching their struggles is fun. Characters are indeed a strength of this series. We eventually also learn the psychological background why our leads are as they are. Mixed with a lot of high school slice-of-life, all taken together, "My Little Monster" is something you want to follow to finish.

The one thing that kept me confused was why Haru (male lead) was so strongly traumatized, and even after the end of the anime season you wouldn't really know - this part comes in very slowly, but it has to do a lot with abandonment, loss, and rejection - all from within his family as growing up. There are also hints of not being neurotypical on both leads, especially given that Haru is a sort of genius savant. (Still, I'd say, it doesn't all quite add up, so you have to forgive it and read on...)

But what makes you stay in the end are the characters, their unfolding stories, and their interactions. Which is why it's a shame that the last main book rushes through their last year of high school, and the later-added bonus book doesn't fully make up for it, even though it's meant to keep us in touch with all the side stories of the other characters.

Blue Spring Ride

Blue Spring Ride is much easier to understand, its only mystery are the family dynamics of the male lead, and this mystery will be finished by the time you're done with the series as well, probably more like halfway through.

Our lead couple had a blossoming love in middle school, but then he moved away. When they meet again in high school, many years later, he's a different person - his parents' divorce and his mother's death have left him scarred. She in turn tries to get away from being ostracized by pretending to not care about her (good) looks and maintains shallow friendships without authenticity. Their coming back together changes this gradually and a new circle of friends emerges.

Normally this would make for a satisfying story, and for a large part it does, but the last third is built on a "stretching out the gum" plotline that just stirs drama, is built on piling misunderstandings and bad timing, and generally wants to keep the reader around to see how this mess resolves. Thankfully, unlike "Rent-A-Girlfriend", this "keep making money" shtick is only done once. It was still unnerving and soured my impression of the series.

Insomniacs After School

I started reading this one because it was advertised for HiDive and I wanted to watch it there, but the service stopped being offered in my country before I could. I'm glad I did, I find this manga's art style especially evocative and well done, slightly less mainstream.

This is about two high school students who suffer from severe insomnia, the reasons for which will be slowly expanded upon later in the series. They end up reviving the astronomy club at school after being caught abusing the abandoned clubroom for naps and hanging out together. Sleeping in the same room, hearing another's voice (she podcasts for him)... it's a wonderfully intimate series, long before ever they start to act on their feelings in other ways.

As they discover astronomy and photography for themselves, the series expands their and our horizons through very detailed, realistic art. Both the characters also seem more real and less cute than usual, and especially the eyes in the books are amazing by themselves.

It does get quite dramatic at times, and the upcoming volumes to be translated will amp up that drama (I peeked), but in general, this series seems very real and original, definitely not something that regurgitates just tropes. Highly recommended!

#insomniacs after school #my little monster #smoking behind the supermarket with you #high school anime #romantic anime #anime series #manga series #blue spring ride #ao haru ride

[a-ladyman-in-waiting]

A Lady in Waiting (1)

[A story in the works]

I don’t know about you, but I think that some, if not all of us, want to be someone else. 

Especially in the realm of fantasy, where anyone could be as powerful as they could be.

But in this case, we just got to know the fellow before their transformation.

Otherwise, she’ll have no context.

Or us in that sense.

A Lady in Waiting

Chapter 1

“What a day.”

“I really want to buy something to eat”

“But I already ate, so why do I feel like buying snacks?”

“I traveled through whole crowds to get a limited edition Bakugan. That was the whole reason why I came here all this way for nothin, was to buy a special toy.”

The complainer over here is Brendon Rivera.

A college student, aged 22.

He often complained about stuff that happened to him.

Like the time he dropped a card onto a puddle of water.

[NOOOOO]

Or the time that he has to help out at work despite having no classes over the weekend.

[maaaaaaannnnnn]

Or the time that two buses passed by him.

[you absolute {beep-beep}, pieces of {beep}, {beep-beep}, I swear to lord I will {beep} {beep} {beeeeeep}.]

I’ll give him a pass for that. The bus system is a total mess.

Anyways, Brendon is walking around town moping about losing a toy that he didn’t need.

Until…he noticed a sign.

“Huh. That wasn’t there before.”

He takes a moment to read the sign.

Garage sale today. From 4/7 to 4/12.

Over on Gallon Road.

“Huh. A garage sale. Wonder if they have anything.”

This is where it began…ok maybe not.

It took Brendon five minutes to get there, mainly because he took his time walking.

But when he reached Gallon Road, he noticed a bunch of boxes, a couch, a few TVs, tables with several shirts, old big toys, shiny objects and oddly shaped objects.

“Huh.”

When he got closer, he saw a collection of toy cars, remote control cars, gold chain necklaces, even more shirts of different colors.

He also found lamps, vases, plates, a dark green couch with a patch of worn out red, a brown coat rack behind a pile of boxes and paintings.

“Oh dang.”

Then one object in particular caught his attention.

Two necklaces.

A pearl necklace fit for a lady.

And a necklace with a strange looking design, holding an egg-shaped white gem surrounded by six red gems.

Brendon found himself drawn to the large pearl.

He was bending over to get a closer look.

He developed an urge to buy them.

So he looked up and said,

“How much for these two?”

An elderly woman came over and told him,

“$120.34”

“Oh.”

[I mean…I was going to blow $250 on a limited edition Bakugan…]

“Ok”

[Welp, at least mom might like the pearl necklace.]

Brendon handed over 6 $20 bills, a quarter, and a dime, where he received a penny in return.

[I still have some money left over…but I better save it]

“Thanks!” Said Brendon.

“No problem!” The elderly woman chimed.

Brendon walked away with two pretty necklaces. An action that would change his life forever.

Now it begins.

It was a relatively uneventful evening at home.

After Brendon showed his mother the two necklaces, she was awestruck by the fancy necklaces and thanked him for the pearl necklace. Brendon put away his necklace to try on later because he has a lot that he should be doing.

Brendon helped with his sister’s homeworks (reluctantly I might add).

The family ate their dinner, took showers, and generally went to bed. However, Brendon decided to stay up a bit longer to check up on his necklace.

“Ok, let’s take a closer look.”

He picked up his necklace and studied it.

“Hmmm…oh dang…the white egg pearl is pretty big.”

“Like almost bigger than my thumb…”

“The shape of the gold looks like a fire fighter sign. There are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 rubies.”

“They’re also egg shaped.”

“It’s pretty heavy for a necklace, so I probably shouldn’t run with this.”

Brendon put on the necklace and looked into the mirror.

“Hmmmm….”

“Mmm…”

“I guess it’s nice.”

“…mmmm”

“I uh…”

“Umm”

Brendon doesn’t have any idea of what he bought.

Seriously, he has no fashion sense.

“I’ll keep it on for now. I might have an idea later on”

“Such as a plan for pumpkin spice latte.”

“Like how much pumpkin sauce should you use to keep it sweet but not too sweet.”

“There’s a coffee shop down the road, but it’s pretty expensive. But they do have croissants and pan dulce.”

“Man I could go for some pan dulce, maybe I can get some when I come back or such.”

“But I really don’t want to bump into Renaldo.”

“He’s rude.”

“Like the time that he sprayed me with water and I then slipped and fell from trying to catch him.”

“Or the time that he bumped me while I was dribbling the ball. Making me fall down.”

“Or the time that he put gum in my hair and I got in trouble for punching him.”

“Just unfair.”

That was years ago, Brendon.

“Like I’m just still mad over this.”

“Like I just don’t like him.”

“I hate him, honestly.”

“I hate his little goofy face.”

“I hate how he gets attention from everyone.”

“I hate how he gets away with shit.”

“I just don’t. Want. To. See. Him.”

He covers his mouth. And looks around.

“Oh shoot. I must’ve been pretty loud.”

“Sorry guys.”

He walks into the kitchen and looks at himself in the mirror.

“I honestly don’t like how I look like. I mean I’m messy. I stink. I’m generally the face of gross things…I wish I looked pretty. Like a dragon lady, with sexy clothes, a long tail, beautiful wings, and a voice that everyone goes ’Mama Mia’…”

Brendon snickers to himself.

“hehehe”

Then he takes a deep breath.

“Besides, I’m always the “quiet one.” Like I have stuff I want to say as well. Like for example, I like leotards….shit no…anything except for what I draw.”

“Never mind, I’ll probably just never mention that at all.”

“I sound like a pervert.”

“Ignore the part about the dragon lady stuff…”

Brendon sighs.

Then he went to the kitchen to clean the table to make space to draw his character.

He set the sketchbook down, opened up to a blank page and picked up his pencil.

He then put on his headphones to listen to his playlist of random songs that he liked.

“Ok, time to draw Madeline.”

Brendon proceeded to draw his character.

He drew the figure (body), he drew an overall leotard shape, he marked where the gloves and thigh highs would end, then he hurriedly drew a tail with fins.

Brendon stopped for a moment…

He started thinking…

Then he made quick shapes for wings, then sketched the fingers, the horns, the hair…

Along the way, he made a few mistakes.

Then he erased them.

Then he drew them again, made a mistake and erased.

This was how he usually draws…

He sketches the long skirt. Gotta have cover, I suppose.

He sketches the top part…

A…boob window…and a choker…

Oh boy.

The gloves…they’re baggy around the shoulders and tight around the wrist…

And he gave her a…rose…on the waist…

And…oh my…he’s drawing a vine pattern around the skirt…

how…complicated…

Anyways, Brendon’s eyes began to grow heavy. He stood up from his seat and began to yawn and stretch.

His piece remains as a sketch…

Smudges, furry lines, an overly simple face on top of a detailed body.

A front facing figure, hands that may not remain the same, multiple fabric folds.

Need I go on?

“Alright, that’s enough…” Brendon muttered.

He packed up his sketchbook.

Packed it into his backpack.

Brushed his teeth and tongue.

He hates the taste.

Then he went to bed.

OK…Now it begins.

#a-lady-in-waiting-story-post #New-story-home

[cow-stealin-gal]

A Lady in Waiting

Chapter 1

[something I should’ve written long ago]

I don’t know about you, but I think that some, if not all of us, want to be someone else. 

Especially in the realm of fantasy, where anyone could be as powerful as they could be.

But in this case, a fellow is about to discover a secret that few have been offered.

Probably because she grown tired of all of the rejection. Whoops.

Chapter 1

“What a day.”

“I really want to buy something to eat”

“But I already ate, so why do I feel like buying snacks?”

“I traveled through whole crowds to get a limited edition Bakugan. That was the whole reason why I came here all this way for nothin, was to buy a special toy.”

The complainer over here is Brendon Rivera.

A college student, aged 22.

He often complained about stuff that happened to him.

Like the time he dropped a card onto a puddle of water.

[NOOOOO]

Or the time that he has to help out at work despite having no classes over the weekend.

[maaaaaaannnnnn]

Or the time that two buses passed by him.

[you absolute {beep-beep}, pieces of {beep}, {beep-beep}, I swear to lord I will {beep} {beep} {beeeeeep}.]

I’ll give him a pass for that. The bus system is a total mess.

Anyways, Brendon is walking around town moping about losing a toy that he didn’t need.

Until…he noticed a sign.

“Huh. That wasn’t there before.”

He takes a moment to read the sign.

Garage sale today. From 4/7 to 4/12.

Over on Gallon Road.

“Huh. A garage sale. Wonder if they have anything.”

This is where it began…ok maybe not.

It took Brendon five minutes to get there, mainly because he took his time walking.

But when he reached Gallon Road, he noticed a bunch of boxes, a couch, a few TVs, tables with several shirts, old big toys, shiny objects and oddly shaped objects.

“Huh.”

When he got closer, he saw a collection of toy cars, remote control cars, gold chain necklaces, even more shirts of different colors.

He also found lamps, vases, plates, a dark green couch with a patch of worn out red, a brown coat rack behind a pile of boxes and paintings.

“Oh dang.”

Then one object in particular caught his attention.

Two necklaces.

A pearl necklace fit for a lady.

And a necklace with a strange looking design, holding an egg-shaped white gem surrounded by six red gems.

Brendon found himself drawn to the large pearl.

He was bending over to get a closer look.

He developed an urge to buy them.

So he looked up and said,

“How much for these two?”

An elderly woman came over and told him,

“$120.34”

“Oh.”

[I mean…I was going to blow $250 on a limited edition Bakugan…]

“Ok”

[Welp, at least mom might like the pearl necklace.]

Brendon handed over 6 $20 bills, a quarter, and a dime, where he received a penny in return.

[I still have some money left over…but I better save it]

“Thanks!” Said Brendon.

“No problem!” The elderly woman chimed.

Brendon walked away with two pretty necklaces. An action that would change his life forever.

Now it begins.

It was a relatively uneventful evening at home.

After Brendon showed his mother the two necklaces, she was awestruck by the fancy necklaces and thanked him for the pearl necklace. As for the necklace that she que 

Brendon helped with his sister’s homeworks (reluctantly I might add).

The family ate their dinner, took showers, and generally went to bed. However, Brendon decided to stay up a bit longer to check up on his necklace.

“Ok, let’s take a closer look.”

He picked up his necklace and studied it.

“Hmmm…oh dang…the white egg pearl is pretty big.”

“Like almost bigger than my thumb…”

“The shape of the gold looks like a fire fighter sign. There are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 rubies.”

“They’re also egg shaped.”

“It’s pretty heavy for a necklace, so I probably shouldn’t run with this.”

Brendon put on the necklace and looked into the mirror.

“Hmmmm….”

“Mmm…”

“I guess it’s nice.”

“…mmmm”

“I uh…”

“Umm”

Brendon doesn’t have any idea of what he bought.

Seriously, he has no fashion sense.

“I’ll keep it on for now. I might have an idea later on”

“Such as a plan for pumpkin spice latte.”

“Like how much pumpkin sauce should you use to keep it sweet but not too sweet.”

“There’s a coffee shop down the road, but it’s pretty expensive. But they do have croissants and pan dulce.”

“Man I could go for some pan dulce, maybe I can get some when I come back or such.”

“But I really don’t want to bump into Renaldo.”

“He’s rude.”

“Like the time that he sprayed me with water and I then slipped and fell from trying to catch him.”

“Or the time that he bumped me while I was dribbling the ball. Making me fall down.”

“Or the time that he put gum in my hair and I got in trouble for punching him.”

“Just unfair.”

That was years ago, Brendon.

“Like I’m just still mad over this.”

“Like I just don’t like him.”

“I hate him, honestly.”

“I hate his little goofy face.”

“I hate how he gets attention from everyone.”

“I hate how he gets away with shit.”

“I just don’t. Want. To. See. Him.”

He covers his mouth. And looks around.

“Oh shoot. I must’ve been pretty loud.”

“Sorry guys.”

He walks into the kitchen and looks at himself in the mirror.

“I honestly don’t like how I look like. I mean I’m messy. I stink. I’m generally the face of gross things…I wish I looked pretty. Like a dragon lady, with sexy clothes, a long tail, beautiful wings, and a voice that everyone goes ’Mama Mia’…”

Brendon snickers to himself.

“hehehe”

Then he takes a deep breath.

“Besides, I’m always the “quiet one.” Like I have stuff I want to say as well. Like for example, I like leotards….shit no…anything except for what I draw.”

“Never mind, I’ll probably just never mention that at all.”

“I sound like a pervert.”

“Ignore the part about the dragon lady stuff…”

Brendon sighs.

Then he went to the kitchen to clean the table to make space to draw his character.

He set the sketchbook down, opened up to a blank page and picked up his pencil.

He then put on his headphones to listen to his playlist of random songs that he liked.

“Ok, time to draw Madeline.”

Brendon proceeded to draw his character.

He drew the figure (body), he drew an overall leotard shape, he marked where the gloves and thigh highs would end, then he hurriedly drew a tail with fins.

Brendon stopped for a moment…

He started thinking…

Then he made quick shapes for wings, then sketched the fingers, the horns, the hair…

Along the way, he made a few mistakes.

Then he erased them.

Then he drew them again, made a mistake and erased.

This was how he usually draws…

He sketches the long skirt. Gotta have cover, I suppose.

He sketches the top part…

A…boob window…and a choker…

Oh boy.

The gloves…they’re baggy around the shoulders and tight around the wrist…

And he gave her a…rose…on the waist…

And…oh my…he’s drawing a vine pattern around the skirt…

how…complicated…

Anyways, Brendon’s eyes began to grow heavy. He stood up from his seat and began to yawn and stretch.

His piece remains as a sketch…

Smudges, furry lines, an overly simple face on top of a detailed body.

A front facing figure, hands that may not remain the same, multiple fabric folds.

Need I go on?

“Alright, that’s enough…” Brendon muttered.

He packed up his sketchbook.

Packed it into his backpack.

Brushed his teeth and tongue.

He hates the taste.

Then he went to bed.

OK…Now it begins.

#a story of an oc I designed p1 #a lady in waiting

[crowtold]

        -- HC. this is long time coming, but here’s a BIG hc post detailing deeper information about scarecrow’s group & businesses ( ie. what they do, their ranks, affiliates, business deals, y’get what i mean ) ! putting under read more ‘cause there’s gonna be a LOT to discuss here.

MAIN GROUP

offers various services for affiliated / neutral parties, all of which include;

illegal transportation between countries-- he’s willing to offer a passport, ID, money & a new life to those who can’t get it by legal means ( for obvious reasons ). though he keeps tracks of those he makes ‘ disappear ‘, it’s information that he keeps classified, out of respect for his clients.

contract killing / kidnapping / item hunting & theft / bodyguard jobs / torturing & obtaining information / etc.-- as long as he deems the job to be legit & sees the payment, he’s willing to pass on the jobs taken from affiliates over to C.O.R.P.S., where he assigns a team to a job & have them fulfil it. this service offer is pretty expensive, since the hitmen he hires are top-notch & efficient -- not to mention, the more difficult the mission, the more money he demands in return. but, given the high percentage of success, there are many satisfied clients that say it’s worth it.

neutral party between groups-- at times, he acts as a neutral party and / or witness for turf wars, when two dangerous groups butting heads and / or are forming peace-making pacts between groups, etc. his well-known apathy is largely the reason he’s entrusted this position, for he’d even sic CORPS on an affiliate & friends without a second thought should they back down on or break the deal that was made between the groups. 

money lending-- he offers the services to both, civilians in need for quick cash, or criminals who are in desperate need for money. the interest rates aren’t high in the least, part of why it makes the deal to enticing, & the debts can easily be returned ( should the other party be responsible with their spending ). in exchange, time / deadline extension ARE NOT tolerated in the least, punctuality being one of his trademarks. clients are warned ahead of time of the deadline, including a set time-- & should the debts not be repaid by then, well... there are ways to find out.

basically, rather than do crimes on his own with his group, his focus is more on helping / aiding other criminal groups do crimes with more ease, be it by lending them extra muscle, obtaining information & equipment they need, etc.

has villas in various countries that he’s constantly going back & forth from.

has made a deal with the local authorities / dirty cops, offering them information about his enemies ( & a bit of a bribe ) in exchange for them to look the other way whenever one of his men get caught. of course, that is, if said man is one he wants to keep in his group-- otherwise, they’re welcome to keep them, as he no longer has any use for them.

though he doesn’t have a moral compass, he DOESN’T touch the prostitution ( of both adults & kids ), human / animal trafficking, selling illegal drugs, gambling & money laundering side of the criminal world. it’s never clicked with him, & he doesn’t tolerate any of his men partaking in said activities behind his back either.

that said, they do take in the occasional runaway / orphan, sheltering them until they find their way home or decide to permanently stay with his group. the newer generation are their future, after all. it’d be a waste to let them rot on the sidewalk.

even though he has his own contract-kill firm, there are times where he hires independent mercenaries whenever his teams aren’t available ( such as people that’ve caught his eye, or people that’ve turned him down & preferred to stay solo ).

he used to do a lot of heists when first starting out his group, the money & reputation obtained from them being the foundation of what the group is now-- & he still holds a couple heists once in a while, whenever he finds something that catches his eye. he’s willing to have C.O.R.P.S. conduct heists at his affiliates regards, only if he deems it beneficial for himself ( aka, if he’s getting something good outta the entire thing ).

C.O.R.P.S. ( Contracted Organisation of Radical Professionals & Soldiers ) 

these are personal hitmen / mercenaries he’s hired. they work for him & him only, only taking jobs he passes along from his clients / personal jobs he wants them to take on. sure, though it makes it seem as if they’re chained down, they are paid extravagant amounts compared to solo / indie hitmen ( pay comes based on their achievements, of course ), are guaranteed a constant influx of jobs to take, & are presented with as many equipment as they desire.

C.O.R.P.S. members are personally scouted by him & colt, the two discussing whether they’re worth it or not before paying them a face - to - face visit. sometimes he asks the opinions of one of his higher ranking teams, ones who’s opinions he values in a high regard. after all, who knows more about mercenaries, than other mercenaries ?

C.O.R.P.S. is made up of different TEAMS of hitmen / mercenaries-- each team ranging from 3-4 members, with a single individual assigned as the group leader.

the rank of the team is decided by the quality of their work & the success of their missions. more efficient teams get more bonuses ( such as access to new facilities, better payment, equipment of higher quality & more ).

EVERY member has to wear a mask & don a code name. they are to remain completely anonymous to everyone apart from him & the rest of their group. for their real identity to be leaked / revealed to the world would mean immediate expulsion ( one with a heavy heart, as he does, in a way, care for them ).

agents are welcome to have a personal life, separate to their business life-- as long as their connection to C.O.R.P.S. isn’t revealed to the public and / or are going behind his back, he doesn’t mind what they do during their free time.

while he’s fine with in-quarrels & an accidental friendly fire ( after all, what’s wrong with a little competition / rivalry ? ), it is FORBIDDEN for C.O.R.P.S. members to kill each other, or anyone in the main group.

he has a secure building for C.O.R.P.S. teams to reside in-- each team gets the entire floor of a building. the higher rank the higher the floor ( & the higher the rewards / quality of their stay ). 

on the underground level of the building, there are various facilities for the agents to work with and / or sharpen their skills.

there are a couple private meeting rooms where each team can reserve for various reasons. as long as they sign in to the time tables to let everyone else know who is taking which room at each time, everyone in C.O.R.P.S. is welcome to reserve a room.

there’s an armoury, filled with equipment they can take whenever they want to practice or go out on a job. agents of every rank are welcome to take as many tools they wish to take with them. there is a room where only higher ranking agents can go in-- in it lie more rare technology & equipment, the type that are scarcer to get ahold of and are, in turn, special. the armoury is replenished every sunday at 6 a.m. on the dot.

holographic training facilities are also a thing, set up with the highest & most up to date technology scarecrow could get his hands on. in them, agents can train for various things in a complex fake setting; such as espionage training, bodyguard training, sniping practice, firing practice, close combat practice, & more !. all they have to do is set up the room to a setting, & it’ll recreated a virtual scenario that they either ‘ fail ‘ or ‘ pass ‘ based on the inputted settings. 

the vr facilities are in the lowest floor of the building, meaning only higher ranking agents are allowed in ( since, it’s pretty expensive equipment ).

normal training facilities are also a go ! there’s an entire floor designed as a personalised gym. agents can request specific machines if they’re not already there.

#( ☾ THE MAFIOSO // HEADCANON ) #oOF THIS GOT LONG #but also v important bc ! ! ! #it plays a bit part in his story and stinger's & colt's story too #i'm gonna link this in their bio's somewhere 'cause it's ! ! p important / a good way to learn more about what they do ! ! ! #might edit / add some stuff later on as i develop him / study more about the mob business but ! ! ! this is the basic of it ! !

[slyther-ink]

in response to @al-longbottom's post about what i would change if i wrote hp. here is the full explanation... (i might edit it a bit more later because this is a bit of a ramble oops)

1. more racial diversity and actually having that embedded into the story (having token characters with stereotypical names was very frustrating) i would definitely try and add more culture into backstories that influence even casual conversations etc.

2. more gender diversity especially with complex characters. more trans binary and nonbinary and honestly just well developed women characters too. we only had hermione as the main recurring character and i would love to explore her friendships with the folks in her dorm etc. as well as having some binary and nonbinary trans characters !!!! especially with the women and women adjacent side characters, they were portrayed quite shallowly sometimes. like the dislike of fleur, even though she was literally chosen from all of beaubaxtons, demonstrating her magical capability. it is possible to be feminine and powerful thank you. it was irrational of molly, ginny and hermione to all dislike her (for what seemed like her beauty?!?!) and i feel like it came back to the whole performative thing and that beautiful girls are always mean and the women jealousy thing or whatever and that was just ugh.

3. queer diversity of all kinds – deffo impossible that all the characters are straight and cis. sorry can’t accept that. i would write in my queers, lesbians, bis, pans, omnis, gays, aces, aros, demis, trans-mascs, trans-fems, nonbinary folk, genderfluid folk, sapphics, achilleans etc. etc. we exist sorry not sorry.

4. well developed character relationships. the golden trio independently making friends with other people. would love to see hermione and some study buds and ron playing chess with other folks.

5. give the full redemption arc to draco malfoy and not snape. it would have been so much more powerful to have draco redeemed (***not without him having to go through a gruelling self-discovery/self-reflection/my behaviours are wrong and i need to correct them and face the consequences of my bigotry***) because like harry, he was a child but on the other side of the war. i would write it in a way that away from his father’s shadow he gets to break out and unlearn the toxic stuff, even if that was ignited by voldemort's return (because the idea that you can unlearn your bigotry and become a better person is so so important). snape only did it because of lily and the whole toxic obsession thing, it doesn’t really count as unlearning bigotry imo

6. made it more explicit that dumbledore was a bad guy and the teachers very much enabled his behaviour. harry deserves some closure and its important not to romanticise asking a child to save the world. and also what happened with tom riddle and leaving kids abandoned until they reach hogwarts age is not ok. (i read a fic about it which i will recommend when i found it!)

7. showing mental health issues. even just school itself can be a struggle without all of the save the world pressure and only including mental health in ootp onwards where voldemort was invading harry's mind and then stuff happened. and also harry couldnt possibly be the only one.

8. having trans characters. sorry did i say that already? doesn’t matter. more trans characters please.

9. Maybe would’ve not had remus and tonks together *as it happened in the plot* because I feel like it was a little bit rushed so *if* I did keep them together then it would’ve been way more developed. however, I am slightly more partial to wolfstar so who knows….

10. show more explicitly that the houses aren't inherently good and bad!!!! that was honestly just so stupid.

#hp analysis #hp headcanon #what i would change about hp #anti dumbledore #anti snape #kind of

[washymylifeaway]

SunaOsa fanfic recs: valentines edition~~

SunaOsa is one of my all time favorite ships and this past month, there has been/was an exchange going on between writers (here is the link) and artists (separately) and because I don’t have a life (or maybe it’s just that SunaOsa is my life LOL), I’m here to tell you some of my favorite fics from the pile :D However, as much as I love a ship, sometimes fluff is too asajndajnd so mind you there will probably be a lot of good fics missing just cause I couldn’t get myself to read more fluff (or angst) LOL (IM SORRY but sometimes I also just can’t motivate myself to read a fic no matter how good it looks OOPS).

As always, please check warning and tags before reading any of these fics, and take care of yourselves!!!!

In no particular order (jk the order is last updated haha) tho my favorites will have *** next to them :)

***glass stained black by unrequitedangst (E) 31k // Mafia AU’s are some of my favorite kinds of fics, and this one did not disappoint! The character development of Osamu is really legit and despite being mafia, it’s not that heavy or angst of a fic (but you should still definitely read tags and warnings first). It’s an Osamu heavy fic, and if you’re into reading him being stupid, go right ahead LOL.

redux by catalysis (T) 2.3k // ngl I hate break-up fics with a passion truely (when you can’t handle fluff or angst what to do) but I liked the concept for this one hehe (so I made myself suffer LOL). It was short, but cute !!! and the unspoken words really hit me in the FEELS (so what I’m dramatic fight me LOL).

Impropriety by DeathBelle (T) 5.7k // royalty~ I love the banter between them in this fic and we DO stan respectful Osamu yes we do <33333 The relationships between not only SunaOsa but SunaAtsu (because even though it isn’t really SunaAtsu best friend agenda, I can delude myself into think it is okay :/) are done so well and so nice he’s mean Osamu is best Osamu.

***what are you waiting for? by Slumber (T) 3.7k // MIGHT BE MY FAV FIC FROM THIS EXCHANGE!!! It made me cackle and I love how they learn new things about each other!!!! Like the development is so good and Suna is really doing the MOST!! Also, I love recursive endings AHHHHHH!

agape by sketchedsmiles (T) 11.7k // soulmates, then they were SOULMATES! (ik that’s not how it goes but pls just humor me LOL) This fic really depicted Osamu’s insecurities/internal turmoil/overthinking really well and the realization he has vs Suna’s AHJAFKASFJ. I love confident Suna.

fireside by tartaglia (starkartifices) (T) 3.6k // we do love the subtle flirt flirt don’t we hehe ;) It’s short, it’s fluff, and it’s funny - what more could you ask for? Also whats a vigilante fic if there isn’t at least one pun about being a vigilante LOL.

Over and Over Again by tookumade (G) 6.4k // I would like to order one reassuring, reliable Miya Osamu for myself please and thank you :((( The way the relationship is so GOOD like both Suna and Osamu pick each other up and they know the other has their back ajfhkajdfl. I would purchase all the onigiri with the deal Suna was proposing ;) Onigirintarou.

from here to eternity by TheGlovedArtist (T) 6.6k // I for one am a big fan of mythology and stuff (heroes of olympus but like IDR any of the plot LOL) so of course I read this fic. The snark appearances of Sakusa and Komori gave me LIFE and the difference in descriptions from Astumu and Kita cracked me up. This is another respectful Osamu fic (yes I love these) and in this one it was a ‘I save you as much as you save me’ type beat LOL. Gotta love rings.

***Subtle Inarizaki Dating by sifuhotman (T) 15.2k // THIS ONE. Even if you don’t read the whole thing, I beg of you, please, I AM ON MY KNEES, read the SID for Astumu. It is worth the loss of all your brain calls I guarantee it. It made me giggle so freakin much. Suna might be an A-Hole but he’s OUR A-Hole <3

Forever Begins with 8 Seconds by subtlehues (T) 3.9k // FLUFF hehe, I love their dynamic in this one it’s very good and cute and everything great! Also, I am all for the head cannon that Suna cannot cook, yes pls. Also SUPERPOWERS whooooooooh.

***try again, and again, and again by rosegoldwriting (T) 2.6k // SOULMATES! If you ever wanted a specific soulmate AU! for SunaOsa look no further, it probably comes out LOL. I love this concept of them just being like ‘WTF’ everyday, it gives me life. Also, count how many soulmate AU’s you recognized because I just thought about it and I think it’d be fun LOL. (I went back and I think 11 but I’m not sure LOL)

let us burn by SilverMoonT (G) 13.5k // I am always up for a nice vampire Osamu and witch Suna (which believe it or not, is my second one because I read the other one by this writer LOL) This one is more Suna POV and it really goes into his fears and desires, and I like the way Osamu pushes him to live more freely.

***reasons to microwave an elixir by spiritscript (T) 8.2k // THIS ONE. UGH I love, and it’s funny and cute and it EVEN HAS CRIME (kinda not really but yes)! I love the quiet moments they have and the PET AHHHHHHH! We love medic Osamu :DDDDD But also the betrayal and the sparring (and the irony at the end LOL) AJSKJNFK.

we fall between by stringendos (T) 14.7k // honestly the entire time I was just screaming at my computer, begging for them to hurry up and realize, but alas this is a ~slow burn~ for a reason and the tag ‘exes who act like theyre married’ really is the reason I read it and I do not regret LOL. Also bless Matsuda and stan her.

All the Time in the World by minie_ai (M) 8.8k // we love immortality! Denial! And Suna mentally filing away blackmail against people (namely Astumu) LOL. Running away from your problems is always the answer (I am saying this is a not sarcastic manner because I too, run away from my problems LOL) but ramen is ALWAYS a good answer. We love ourselves some emotional constipation LOL.

***none but you by broikawa (T) 7.2k // everything is a competition always LOL, not that I’m complainin but still LOL EVERYTHING. I really love this one because I love the progression and cock-block SakuAtsu hehe. I love them being synchronized idiots <3

it all comes back to you, (my home) by iritaescents (T) 4.5k // FOREVER, WE STAN FOREVER. Anyway, LOL this was is very very cute and fluff and not slow burn, it fast burn LOL. It’s a cute fic to read and it even has our favorite, now say it with me SOULMATES LOL.

Can't help falling in bed with you by tirralirra (T) 6.7k // here we see a 5 + 1 with points for the title (I think it’s very funny LOL my humor is bad ;)) Not that it really needs extra points because it’s a great fic in itself LOL but I really liked the title so I felt the need to share this with you all (OOPS). This was so cute, and the + 1 is HILARIOUS.

It’s no longer up :(((((( -> love's consequences by xginpuff (T) 6.5k // WARNINGS AND TAGS been a while since we had an angsty fic in this list (LOL the way I just tried to avoid all of them hehe). I read the tags but ngl I was still surprised later LOL maybe I’m just dumb, but anyway IK it starts out a bit confusing, but after you read more, you’ll get into it!

***sunagashi by bastigod (T) 9.8k // if there’s anything I like more than mythology, it’s folklore LOL. I love this fic and the plot is written so artfully AHDSAJN. Also the scene with the Ume-chan and her comment (so snarky I love). Also they way I went through so much trouble trying to figure out the kanji LOL (SPOILER it’s miyarin hehe)

catch me (while i'm still runnin') by lunarins (T) 4.3k // first and foremost, may we have a moment of silence for Komori and his eyebrows..... Continuing, this fic was so good because I love a good heist hehe. Their slight of hand abilities really doing the most LOL, and the ending OMG. I love the way the writer added in how they appeared to others during the heist, it really made it so good! Ugh to have a painting class and almost die LOL.

***if we get this right by Slumber (G) 5k // OLD FRIEND plsplspls I love this fic and I love how Osamu slowly relearns who he knew Suna as AHHH. The ending, again UGH, I really loved it and their banter with one another.

The Study of Suna Rintarou by DeathBelle (T) 6.1k // PLEASE the way Osamu kept getting offended omg. But also the effort Suna puts into getting to know Osamu, I was in ~love~. Read to me Osamu, READ TO ME. But also the Osamu is an oblivious MF agenda is alive and well within this fic hehe.

Take a Hint by pancake_surprise (G) 2.3k // ok so I had just read a tumbr post about the one bed thing and then I saw this fic. It was like the stars aligned okay? I was like, ig I HAVE to read it now hehe. But seriously read it, it’s cute and like everything else, of course there’s a challenge to be made LOL.

Heatwave by pancake_surprise (G) 2.1k // the way they were dating without knowing they were dating man. The tag ‘Didn't Know They Were Dating‘ more accurate than the ‘first dates’ one LOL jk but actually tho am I kidding? It’s the first official one IG. LOL anyway, we do love the doin of the defining of relationships. Yup.

If you made it all the way down here, CONGRATS LOL. Like I said, I didn’t read all of them (sadly) and these were the ones i did read LOL. I might add more depending on whether I can motivate myself into reading fics I know will be good LOL so we’ll see heh. Honestly, I thought I was gonna get word counted, but YAY we finished (for now hehe). Also sorry for any possible typos (is this no beta we die like men?) I’m running on 90 min of sleep so my engrish be strugglin LOL. Be safe and wear masks :)

#haikyuu fanfic rec #haikyuu fic recs #sunaosa #osasuna #do people even use that ship name? #I think SunaOsa superiority #it flows more nicely hehe #anyway #this is like the fifth time I made another post while making a different post #like #do I have issues with finishing one post at a time? #apparently #manga #fic #ficrecs #read pls #pls read them #is it worth it? yes #LOL #valentines #haikyuu #hq #hq fic rec

[douchebagbrainwaves]

AND YOU KNOW WHO GOT THEM

Smaller companies were increasingly able to survive as formerly narrow channels to consumers broadened. They seem to like us too.1 That gets you James Bond, who knows what to do in situations where few others could. What about the more theoretical question of whether hockey would be a bad sign if they weren't; it would be false. And partly a larger part than he would admit that he doesn't want to see.2 The problem is, a lot of the problems change. On the other hand, history is even fuller of examples of parents who thought their kids were wasting their time and who were right. Why didn't Henry Ford realize that networks of cooperating companies work better than a single big company? If you want to slow down, your instinct is to lean back.3

Meetings are like an opiate with a network effect. My guess is that a lot of instincts, this one wasn't designed for fun, and mostly it wasn't. It turns out I have a lot of time on bullshit things or lose to people who do. I get nothing done, because I'm doing stuff that seems, superficially, like real work. In most fields, prototypes have traditionally been made out of different materials. Now a lot of something. The one example I've found is, embarrassingly enough, Yahoo, Google, and Facebook all got started. Nor did they work for big companies not even to try to solve problems and simply not discount weird hunches you have in the process. If you want to prepare yourself to start a startup, the thought of our startups keeps me up at night. A physicist friend recently told me half his department was on Prozac. As with gangs, we have some idea what your prospects might be if you tried to keep someone in as protected an environment as a newborn till age 18.4

Aggregators show how much better you can do to help: Avoid distractions. In short, the disasters this summer were just the usual childhood diseases. And it does seem as if Google was a collaboration. The reason this struck me so forcibly is that for most of what happened in finance too. Buildings to be constructed from stone were tested on a smaller scale in wood. One might worry this would prevent people from expressing controversial ideas, but a leading indicator.5 To some extent this was because the companies themselves had become sclerotic.6 How can you tell if you're up to it, the only way to get an accurate drawing is not to spend it having fun, you know you're being self-indulgent. Advising people and writing are fundamentally different types of problems—wisdom to human problems and intelligence to abstract ones. In fact, we were surprised how much time I spent making introductions. What a solitary task startups are.

Apple are doing so much better than Microsoft today. It will take more experience to know for sure, but my guess is that a lot of time on them have to be learned, and are sometimes fairly counterintuitive. Having coffee with a friend matters. Notice I said what they need, not what they want. Palm and RIM haven't a hope. You can see it in old photos. They want to get rich. As one of the things startups do right without realizing it.

Developments in finance, communications, transportation, and manufacturing enabled a new type of company whose goal was above all scale. That form of fragmentation, like the chemical elements. That way we can avoid being discontented about being discontented. And that means other questions aren't. I began with, that it doesn't matter much; it will change anyway. And we have to tell them the best way to begin may not be to write a prototype that solves a subset of a bigger problem you're trying to solve: how to have a remedial character. So by studying the intended users include the designer himself.7 I finally figured out something I've wondered about for 25 years: the relationship between wisdom and intelligence. This article is derived from a keynote talk at the fall 2002 meeting of NEPLS. But you yourself are the most important things to remember about divorce, one of which is: You shouldn't put the blame on one parent, because divorce is never only one person's fault. In 1995, writing software for end users was effectively identical with writing Windows applications. Once an essay has had a couple thousand page views I feel reasonably confident about it.

You won't feel later like that was a waste of time. Practically everyone thinks that someone who went to private schools or wished they did started to dress preppy, and kids who wanted to seem rebellious made a conscious effort to think of startup ideas, the ideas you come up with will not merely be bad, but bad specifically in the sense of not having gone to the college you'd have liked is your own feeling that you're thereby lacking something. Within Y Combinator, which is more than they paid him. What was really happening was de-oligopolization. I mean business can learn from open source: that people working for money, but also everyone who aspired to it—which in the middle of the century our two big forces intersect, in the now pointless secrecy of the Masons. At the very least we have to go pretty far down the list of colleges before you stop finding smart professors in the math department. If Christmas-as-magic lasts from say ages 3 to 10, you only have to keep the peace. Good new ideas come from earnest, energetic, and independent-minded. If the world were static, we could just program in machine language. The reason, I realized, more from internal evidence than any outside source, that the ideas we were being fed on TV were crap, and I am self-indulgent in the sense of being an insider. If you want to start startups hope universities can teach them about startups if they were merely hiring people.8 100,000 people worked there.

Notes

The other reason they pay a lot of the whole fund.

The amusing thing is, it would have seemed to Aristotle the core: the resources they expend on the Daddy Model and reality is the kind that prevents you from starving.

Joe Gebbia needed Airbnb? It's lame that VCs play such games, books, newspapers, or pigs, to the environment. You may not have raised money at first had two parts: the energy they emit encourages other ambitious people together. The mere possibility of being absorbed by the size of the current edition, which are a small proportion of spam, but all they demand from art is brand, and so don't deserve to keep the next round.

How did individuals accumulate large fortunes in an industrialized country encounters the idea of getting rich, purely mercenary founders will seem as if having good intentions were enough to absorb that. So the cost can be times when what you're doing. Investors are fine with funding nerds. In a country with a potential acquirer unless you want to know about a week for 19 years, it becomes an advantage to be about 50%.

Believe me, I should add that none who read this to be very promising, because a part has come unscrewed, you have to do that. Mueller, Friedrich M. Ideas are one of the world. As well as good ones don't even try.

Few technologies have one clear inventor. I paint someone's house, the best new startups.

With the good groups, you have to want to create a silicon valley in Israel. For example, if you don't, you're using a degenerate case of Bayes' Rule.

The continuing popularity of religion is the odds are slightly more interesting than later ones, it will seem like noise. I'm talking here about which is something inexperienced founders. Letter to Ottoline Morrell, December 1912.

#automatically generated text #Markov chains #Paul Graham #Python #Patrick Mooney #relationship #startups #effort #matters #example #founders #Facebook #newspapers #designer #hope #evidence #way #sup #intentions #time #situations #till #instinct #disasters #parents #Developments #people

[sollitudde]

haikyuu & cafes (1/?)

bigass creds to @luvoikawa with this post that inspired me to write too much nonsense about nonsense

all my writing got deleted edition 🐸 also jesus christ sorry this is super long i just really like cafes and drinkys and coffys...

karasuno

ukai

for a guy who gets up early every morning coffee is a must. canned coffee is his drink of choice for getting up and it’s one of his morning routines before starting work. he actually dislikes cafes because they have an atmosphere he isn’t too fond of and likes bars (enjoys shit beers = enjoys shit coffee) more- but he could go to a cafe when asked by his friends or if he’s going on a date, just don’t ask him about what type of coffee he’d like specifically because all he wants is it to be hot and black, no milk no sugar. when he was younger he actually disliked coffee, but with age he learned to 1. not be fussy about it 2. just tolerate it to pick him up. it’s not like he dislikes the tastes of it but i don’t see him as picking up oh many tannin inteiciasies cause he’s not developed a pallete, also gets the cheapest no fuss shit. prefers hot over cold even in the summer

for food, he doesn’t enjoy completely western menus. likes meat and doesn’t order any sweets like pastries and whatever the fuck, not only is it too expensive but also he’d just rather have the coffee unless he’s particularly hungry. like i said he isnt a cafe guy but life takes you to a lot of places so ☕️

takeda

actually can taste tanins like some sort of a legend. still though on a teachers salary you’re not going to have an espresso machine at home so he settles for his drip brew. actually doesn’t like espresso too much either if hes working at least. but since he is a teacher and a club supervisor he drinks 2 (two) of those shits a day, one in the morning from home one in the afternoon from the teachers lounge- needs it to deal with the energy at practice. takes just milk in his coffee and prefers it steamed, but has that shitty milk foamer thing that takes so much time to get results out of he just ends up drinking drip w cold milk; the workingmans choice.

with cafes and food he still enjoys drip brew (this time fancier) coffee with milk. could ask to taste test the plain bean coffee if he enjoyed his first cup so much. LOVES a pastry with his drink, if he goes there to do work will get a coffee and a pastry of any kind, i think he likes cream so expect him to get a cream puff esp if on a date cause then he gets to share it and be cute 🥴 loves a cafe hangout with friends or an s/o

kiyoko

pre time skip she did not need coffee at all. like her face at first says either only black coffee or shes so well adjusted she needs nothing and i’d say it’s the latter though i could debate. though she was an enjoyer of canned coffee milk later in life before having to consume coffee for life energy in her adulthood. nothing too fancy either though, small coffee machine that only she uses (tanakas a pussy!) for making coffee, pours milk and adds a teaspoon of sugar into it- doesn’t really like flavors cause to her they taste artificial. busy lady! so she can pick up some starbucks or sit down for a brief second and get coffee wherever she is, thinks it energizes her and also is an enjoyer of the novelty of steamed milk. it actually doesn’t buzz her ever even when she first starts drinking it so rather than having to drink more coffee as the tolerance builds up she just has a plateau of coffee give me caffeine boost

for cafes she just gets whatever looks good to her. also not the biggest fan of sweets rather than a good bread, enjoyer of plain croissants and good bread if she gets a sandwitch. who doesn’t love carbs

yachi

the sweet sugary drink enjoyer has arrived. didn’t even touch coffee until her 3rd year at college, tried a sip of black coffee from her friend in junior high and became instantly afraid of it- managed to skirt by college with a good schedule until the junior terror seeped into her veins and now her early classes she has to drink coffee for. but like she still gets good grades so it’s only the morning she’s required to partake in bean water for- doesn’t even do anything on weekends if she doesn’t have anywhere to be. at home she has 2 syrups 5 milks and overloads her drink so much she’s barely drinking any coffee at all, still the sugar and the hot stuff in the morning has an effect (placebo lol)

loves a starbucks for its accessibility, but gets refreshers and iced drinks more often than any of their caffeine. not only does she think it’s not worth it if she can make coffee at home, but she has a tiny cafe she goes to to cram that serves a mean lavender rose vanilla latte (fucking ew?) that shes in love with. but it costs a lot and she’s a rare visitor, gets sweets and small sandwitches if she goes. w friends she doesn’t know that well she’ll get a flavored coffee to seem mature&cute, but with old friends she’d rather drink a milk tea or a seasonal drink rather than bother w a latte (since she uses it to get energy if it’s 5pm and her day is nearly done whyd she need it then?) no 7-11 coffee or vending machine coffee (junior high trauma) rather sweets and candy if she’s buying from one

daichi

courtesy to @sugardaddykenma, i think daichi oinking his way to the top ended after he had a midlife crisis- so he stops drinking coffee the way he would at the pig pen. sorry ok enough puns but yeah i think he was drinking way too much coffee in both college and at his “job” so coffee now messes with his stomach so much he thinks he might have a heart attack if he drinks more than one cup a week. i don’t know if that directly makes sense but too much coffee can literally kill you and since now he doesn’t fear the revolution here’s another thing for his mind. no coffee, maybe like once if hes at a cafe with his friends but really really prefers plain tea more- especially as he gets older. likes green white and black teas rather than herbal cause caffeine, and doesn’t put sugar in either cause hes #real and genuinely enjoys the flavors more that way

doesn’t go to cafes except for reunions or hanging out with the boys, always more of a “what do they have to eat” rather a “what’s new and exiting to drink” boy. i actually think the only reason he does drink coffee occasionally is because sugawara teases him and also sometimes it’s easier to order something to not be embarassing and to live up to the expectation of a dilf on the prowl rather than well like. dilf drinking tiny mug of jasmine tea. surprisingly an atmosphere enjoyer, people talking all around him is comforting- though if he were to go there frequently he’d grown annoyed

sugawara

king of looking fuckable at a cafe. literally can’t drink coffee black and hates it but still uses it for that energy boost in the morning. has a cheap espresso machine (like 2nd hand and super busted) with a milk frother cause he can’t even drink coffee with just milk it’s so repulsuve to him, he’s gotta fancy it up with syrups & steamed liquids to get anything out of it. but like i said hes king of looking fuckable at a cafe and that’s cause he goes to them all the fucking time. to study to hang for dates like part of it is the ambience is unparalleled but also i mean 1. he likes looking hot 2. he can study 3. man idk hes just a little bitch that wants to look smarter than he actually is. literally in love with the concept of a meet cute so hes in there like “wow... i look so pretty and i’m reading such a big book won’t someone come talk to me”enjoys smiling at other hot patrons and the nines. i think he’d start banter only if you spilled a drink though or something happened hes not that confident to go up to someone full force, and well while he is there sometimes for the hell of it he does actually study there too cause it forces him to do something rather than fuck around on the computer at home. win win system

frequent cafe flyer and frequent cafe snack enjoyer. he’d much rather go for the small snacks like chips and nuts rather than big meal shit cause since his stuff is there he doesn’t wanna get anything on it, and would rather lounge back at home while eating anyways. frequent buys you a sweet on a date type of move, asks if you wanna give him a small bite but doesn’t actually enjoy most sweets that much. ICE LATTE ENJOYER but only when hes on the go or it’s summer, they make a mess when condensation happens.

asahi

hate to tell you folks, but you won’t find this guy in any cafes ever. if he needs to study in a public place he’d rather go to a library and if he can’t go there he’s just seriously gonna sit on the street if it’s the worst of it. can not only not handle cafes if it’s at full capacity, sugawara once shared his cafe strategies with him and now he overthinks whenever he steps foot into one. if he does enter a cafe it’s for a to go order of a cafe au lait (with soy milk, he got in the habit from ordering the wrong thing and never asking them to fix it) because espresso beverages give him anxiety, and add anxiety with a lot of people there it’s just no good and he becomes nervous. he does relax when his friends are there though, and a la p5 enjoys a quiet cafe at night the best. he like herbal teas without sugar (maybe some honey) and aromatic tea blends, but not refresher like beverages at starbucks

since he doesn’t sit down and eat at cafes hes not getting anything substantial, but has a pertulance for sweet stuff! nothing too big but if he gets something sweet with his coffee (and he does get coffee out a lot actually i feel i should clarify. it’s the devil wears prada influence and if you’re a fashion designer chance is you need to go somewhere fast so he needs the energy to power walk and actually ends up picking up coffee for his crew sometimes)

nishinoya

oh christ dude if he got coffee while in high school he’d go fucking insane. way too much current energy + caffeine is such a bad combination- but i think he’d never step into a cafe until his world traveling days. in which case i mean like first of all if you are traveling you’re going to have to keep a tight schedule unless you’re like rich as fuck and can afford to leisure around, and i think he does have some savings but at the same time if he’s himself he’s very likely running around- in summary, cafe visits very dépendant on the culture. cafe dates and cafe stops to get a pick up i think would be the most common stuff here, and coffee would be only used as a wake up i need more energy tool

with food i mean going to a great underground cafe is a right of passage if you’re traveling so i’m sure hes tried all sorts of shit and also hes a big eater, so i can see him getting whatever looks the craziest. big coffee ice cream enjoyer but like i said that’s just to wake up & i think there’s better places to get better juice (& international soda) than a hole in the wall coffee place. did someone say italian sodas or do i have to get my hearing checked

tanaka

man this guys a pussy. thinks starbucks is the fancy coffee place even though it’s a chain and can’t enjoy a non sweetened coffee- even sweetened coffees are a bust. honestly also is too concerned about caffeine being able to “hinder” him, it’s not going to kill you or make you crazy but probably saw someone go balls off the walls with it and is too pussy to try it himself because he thinks he’s so energetic already it’ll make him turn super saiyan. very big enjoyer of a juice, a smoothie, or a refresher again if we’re going from starbucks’ menu. actually yeah it the place offers smoothies he definitely gets that 100% no questions asked, cause it’s the one sweet he can permit himself because he actually thinks it’s healthy when the only reason it “is” is because it’s fruit. does not enjoy the vibes whatsoever and is kinda spooked by everyone drinking coffee in coffee drinking establishments. his wife is more of a man than him in that regard but he can take it

cafe foods aplenty though! likes to walk in and run to get smth and leave, cause it’s less effort than making something and more effort than going to a convenience store. actually has this thing where he picks wifey dearest up snacks he thinks she’ll like. before that he used to scoff at them but now seeing as shes a frequent patron and he is married to her he’s all like look at this treat i bought for you at (blank). it’s kinda sweet! plus he prolly gets a takeout drink for himself too so win win

ennoshita

physical therapy is a lot of work! sorry for the lack of substance for this guy but like a normal adult i think he is normal with his coffee consumption. aka- drinks it to get up, and when hes tired. i think he has a particular interest in trying new things though and will get whatever is interesting to him or something that is weird on the menu like a pumpkin chocolate latte or some shit like that that is unusual but still tasty. adventurous and also you can’t tell at all that hes had coffee, acts completely the same and people even tell him he should drink some coffee cause of the low energy. hes had two cups already and that’s enough!

kinoshita

i think this guy just doesn’t like coffee for whatever reason. he seems like the type of dude to just not drink it and instead go for something energizing in the form of tea or an energy drink but not bean juice, just a vibe! enjoys a cafe every once in a while but goes rarely, i mean hes just chilling! there is a place that hes gone to that he is now an irregular regular of that has a tea infusion of different berries and ingredients that’s meant to clear up your sinuses and calm you. they don’t sell it in packets and hes disappointed about that but the very reason it exists at all is because it’s made out of fresh chopped shit and spices, also it’s a gimmick. they serve them in tea pitchers and he stays there and reads until he finishes. it’s the little things!

kazuhito

writing got erased again but like literally just think of a guy. a guy that works at a company who has to go to work everyday so yeah he drinks coffee and the chances of it being instant are very high. actually doesn’t know that starbucks is a chain and just has the regular drip coffee machine at home, probably takes it with milk and sugar and whatever is there at the time. relaxed guy and relaxed preferences

kageyama

dude doesn’t even know what coffee is to be completely honest. well no that’s a lie he definitely tried some but it made him jittery and he can’t be jittery or else he’s not doing perfect tosses, so no can do. like i know the milk joke is old but i don’t think the habit stops at high school i genuinely think unless one of his teammates or someone with him is like no getting milk or they don’t just serve raw milk because who the fuck would he maybe gets a milk tea at most. honestly not a fan of sugary drinks such as juice or refreshers and whatnot nor iced drinks because well hes just a weirdo. if you take him to a sbucks or somewhere else either order him a london fog or water or a cup of milk if you want your cashier to have something funny to tell. he likes matcha lattes but since they’re high caf he only gets them on off days and like when does he have those? never. genuine weirdo

okay for food it’s anything goes but i think thr funnier thing to talk about would be the amount of time it takes him to read a menu. literally can’t decide on anything especially if a place is out of stock well hes gonna be out of comission for a few minutes as he reconsiders. asks what this has and what’s in this if it’s not listed so it’s really best to just pick smth for him, plain simple and he won’t have any complaints and just sit down w you.

hinata

actually got fond of espresso in brazil but still prefers juices and shit to actual caffeinated beverages. they don’t make them like they used to there 😔 but he does get lattes. LOVES coconut milk and nut milks cause they have an “oomph” (what?) but honestly anything goes kind of guy in where he can get coffee out of a machine at a convenience store starbucks a cafe anything anywhere no problem. thing is though he can only consume it in a short amount of time aka just the morning or else he’s unable to sleep at night, a thing that is most definitely a placebo but like he believes on it so insistently that he just doesn’t mess with it. is a fan of anything new and anything that catches his interest in coffee places, likes to pick stuff up rather than sit down cause he’s a fan of walking and talking and drinking

pastry guy :) or just anything breaded. again likes to pick whatever catches his interest cause he became more adventurous with food for sure, enjoys a sandwitch or some shit i mean you get the point i think. he’s just a funny little guy

tsukishima

honestly? cant fucking drink black coffee. i think it’d be so funny and well also fitting that if he does drink anything he does drink super sugary sweet stuff, like i mean we know he enjoys sweets anyways so why not push it further and say this motherfucker can’t handle tanins at all? and like by all i mean he has to have tea with milk and sugar no matter what it is (well not herbal tea 🍵 that’s an emoji of a green tea but herbal tea never should be enjoyed with milk) his go to is a hot matcha latte and a cold iced vanilla latte. cause both are sweet and make him look a little less pussy when ordering them. straight up will chug purely black coffee out of spite and suppress gags to seem cool, it’s okay tbough hes so far only worried about this happening in front of friends and it hasn’t yet. he has practiced at home though and he can so far not gag but still squint, which he’s thinking if he has to explain will explain by “well uh it tastes like shit so”

i don’t think he needs coffee to get up but instead does need something sweet. since cake doesn’t last a while i’d see him trying to buy some for himself discreetly like i know this dude isn’t a pussy but also imagine being so hard and then being made fun of for eating a cake alone by yourself in a cafe. doesn’t order sweets therefore unless hes in a private room or with a trusted friend. yamaguchi won’t tell on you bro in fact he’ll order the cake and let you have it. doesn’t like any savory thing on the menu for some reason, no matter the place he goes

yamaguchi

actually enjoys tanins but chugs cheap shitty coffee for energy no matter the time of day. he just got used to the lack of taste and definitely grabbed a caffeine addiction to add to his problems to worry about but it’s okay cause hey while he’d never say it he thinks it’s better to be able to taste them and enjoy a normal cup of good beans than to be like his unnamed friend. enjoyer of the whole menu, entirely dependent on the mood. focusing, straight espresso shots, reading, matcha or peppermint tea, vibing, lemonade or lemonade mixture idk you name it. very into cafe energy and feels good whenever he enters one, but doesn’t do it out of neccesity cause once he did actually have someone slightly hit on him at a cafe and he stopped going to it because he interacted with them very awkwardly. is sure the baristas heard and just can’t do it anymore. has pulled all nighters and 24-hr study sessions in internet cafes chugging coffees like a motherfucker. hasn’t yet poured a redbull into coffee yet but i mean it could be coming we never know (nah hes afraid of it)

not a fan of ordering stuff in cafes at all cause hes not there to eat. can be persuaded for a bite if friends are there but if not then hes avoidant of foods. you can’t blame him! it’s kind of awkward to order food at a coffee place anyways so he just steers clear

#obituaries☠️(headcanons) #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu headcanons #karasuno hcs #karasuno headcanons #genuinely do not want to tag tbis more at all. i am tired

[lyrazehedgieboiii]

SonAmy Stories I recommend!

Hey, so this isn’t a story, but this is something that I need to ask you.

If you know any good stories on Wattpad that are completed, please let me know, I need something to read during my breaks on studying.

But, I’ll show you some of my favorite books, but some of them aren’t complete. For some of the stories, the authors update every few days or weeks.

Engaged To My Enemy by: Eclipsa_Is_Here (NOT COMPLETED, AUTHOR UPDATES EVERY FEW DAYS/WEEKS)

This is a great story, because Sonic and Amy are kind of ‘rivals’ in school. Sonic, being the heir to Mexuis, which would mean he comes from a very rich family. Amy, who absolutely hates Sonic the Hedgehog, but their families are friends. They both have similar rings (I personally think they’re engaged because of the title)

Pinky (AU) by: XxSA_ChillidogsxX (ON-HOLD, AUTHOR HAS NOT UPDATED IN MONTHS)

I fucking love this shit. It’s an Alternate Universe story, with Sonic and Amy who are roommates. Sonic has a crush on Amy, while Amy had a crush on Sonic’s cousin, Scourge. (Scourge defended her from getting bullied by Sonic) Halfway through the story, Sonic confesses, but Amy rejected him. He bullies her for the next few months, but they become friends again. I think Amy’s starting to develop feelings for Sonic, if ONLY XXSA_CHILLIGOGSXX WOULD JUST UPDATE. She needs to catch up on her school work. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS STORY CHECK IT OUT! 

Breaking The Ice (SonAmy) by: 101Rosy (AUTHOR UPDATES EVERY FEW WEEKS)

This shit is also beautiful. Sonic is a demon that was handed his family’s company. He started to lose fun in life, but he fell in love with mortal Amy Rose. Amy also falls in love with him, and they start dating (In chapter 14, I think) This has one-sided Sonally and one-sided ShadAmy. (Sally likes Sonic, but he wants nothing to do with her) (Shadow seems to like Amy, but Amy only sees him as a friend) 

Trusting Him, (COMPLETED)

Trusting Them,  (COMPLETED)         

and Trust Him (Not COMPLETED, AUTHOR LOST INSPIRATION)

(ALL BY PotatoIsCakt)

This is an amazing series! Trusting Him is the first, Trusting Them is the sequel, and the third completes them as a trilogy, I guess. (Trust Him is basically takes place before Trusting Him)

In Trusting Him, Sonic is keeping his real identity from Amy. He doesn’t want Amy to know that he’s in the Mafia. She finds out once she and Blaze get attacked, and Sonic shoots him. Amy tries to break-up with him, and he panics, so he kidnaps her. A few months later, he marries Amy (She agreed to marry him) and they have a child named Dash.

In Trusting Them, Sonic is living his best life, but is trying to find his old mentor, who abused him (even tried to drown him once!) and Amy’s mother warned him about Amy’s father, who is actually Sonic’s old mentor. This shakes up a lot of family drama, to the point that Amy wants to divorce Sonic (LOL, Sonamy fans, don’t worry, it doesn’t happen) they also have a daughter named Rush.

In Trust Him, it takes place before Trusting Him, so when Amy and Sonic first meet. They meet in an airport, and someone was after Sonic. Sonic saw someone watching him when he was with Amy, so he kissed her. They started dating, Amy not really used to affection by him. Oh my fucking Chaos it’s not fucking completed because the author lost inspiration. Oh welp.

The Prophecy (Part One) (re-editing) by:  Anonymoustaco (COMPLETED)

Goddamnit I love this story. Yes, it has Sonamy in it. Sonic starts to crave Amy’s attention, and finds out that the Amy who was acting strangely calm the past few weeks. He finds out it’s a dog by the name of Lavender. Then he rescues the real Amy, and they after some consideration, Sonic decides to date Amy. Of course she would be ecstatic, so the whole team goes on an adventure to find some gems, and Tails learns how to control the powers of these new gems (they’re not chaos emeralds) and...(I don’t want to give spoilers) Yes, there is a part two to the story

The Prophecy; Fulfilled (Part Two) by:  Anonymoustaco (COMPLETED)

This story continues where we left off, to Vector being a creepy pervert towards Amy, to Sonic most likely losing his speed forever. The setting mostly takes place in a hospital.

The Dark Prince’s Return by: NikkiDollie (AUTHOR UPDATES EVERY FEW WEEKS)

Oh my fucking Chaos I love this author. The story isn’t fully completed that you understand what the problem is, as well as what they’re going to do about it. Basically, Sonic meets his mother (Queen Aleena) and he goes to the castle with Amy (Not dating...yet!) and yeah. Sonic is a perv in this story, and it most likely might have a lemon in the future. But check out the author, her stories have a lot of lemons, and sexual stuff, so read it if you’re allowed to. The stories are really good though!!!! I love them, and I hope you do too. 

My Part-time Wife by: Nurulbahsha (AUTHOR POSTS EVERY FEW WEEKS)

This is about Sonic and Amy having an arranged marriage. Sonic is only marrying Amy to keep his mother happy. Amy is marrying him because of her parents’ will. Sonic is acting like a little shit towards Amy, and what makes it worse is that Sonic is her professor. So far, it has been left at those two on bad terms, and Manic starting to hang out with Amy more. (I think he likes her!)

Love Pancakes by: NikkiDollie (AUTHOR POSTS EVERY FEW WEEKS) 

Sonic eats pancakes with a potion that increase his feelings towards Amy. A teenage rat snuck into her apartment and stole her garments. Sonic was outraged, so he killed the rat, and only Amy knows about it. The rat’s father is in constant contact with Sonic, because he was “helping” him out (Lmao the father doesn’t know that Sonic was the killer) Sonic gets Amy pregnant, and then they get married, and a few weeks later, she gives birth to triplets. (Lots of smuts and lemons involved :DDDD)

The titles have links to the stories. I might add more stories later on, please recommend more stories.

#sonamy stories #wattpad #see them on wattpad #they're not my stories #i love this shit #goddamnit it's beautiful #sonamy #sonic fanfiction #sonamy fanfiction

[scottedwardfowler]

Hey guys! In this post I’m to talk about the top three websites I’ve personally use to get work as a freelance video editor. If you’re just starting out, and you’re part time or on a budget, I’ve got a few places you can check out that won’t break the bank.

This post is a response to a question that I got on my last video, “How to Get Started Editing In Premiere.” Which you can find on my youtube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhj-GmQTgjs&t=1s

The question came from Izabela who asked, “Id love a video about getting started on becoming a freelance editor. What are the best freelancing websites to apply for jobs, tips, and suggestions for anybody who’s starting out. Thank you so much, great video!” 

I think that’s a really good one to ask, a lot of people (including myself) when they’re first starting out struggle with how and where do we find work.

There’s actually tons of freelancing sites online that you can search for and try out. So here’s a couple of Honorable mentions:

Guru & Freelancer - Best suited for beginner freelancers on a budget

There’s a Low cost to get started and bid on jobs, with a decent amount of various editing jobs available. I haven’t used them as much, because when I was first starting out, I signed up for a bunch of freelancing websites, and I ended up having more luck landing gigs with these other sites first, so the first one is

Fiverr - is a website that’s normally Best for one time, or short term gigs. It has it’s advantages of being easy to sign up and start using, because Unlike other freelance sites, you Don’t have to bid for clients. After some time, and you’re established, Fiverr pushes clients to you by listing your profile near the top of searches. And Fiverr makes tipping very easy, so you can make extra money on top of what you earned for the gig.

However the cons are that Fiverr takes a 20% Commission, and Most gigs are low pay. So that 20 percent really eats into your profits. You get to set your rates, and what kind of editing jobs you can offer and what the turn around time would be. However, there’s a strict policy on no contact outside of Fiverr, so you can’t make a deal with a client outside of the platform and cut Fiverr out of their commission. 

Now we come to UpWork, which is the site I’ve had the most success with. It’s the Most popular freelance site, and offers high quality gigs, as well as not so high quality. It sort of ranges all over the place. But once you’ve been on the platform long enough, you can sort of get an idea of what great job postings are before you even bid on them. I like to think of Upwork as a long term lead genitor, because I have several clients I met years ago who I still work with today. And it all started with one project. It can be difficult to get that first client however, because it is very competitive but once you do, it gets much easier to land future clients. 

You also have the the Flexibility of what kind of projects you can do, such as getting paid hourly vs project based. The negatives of UpWork are that it’s kind of Expensive to get started, you can sign up for free, but in order to bid on any jobs it costs 15 cents per credit. And most jobs postings range from 4-6 credits. So if you were to bid on a ton of jobs, that 15 cents starts to add up. Also, Upwork has a complex Commission rate, I’m not going to go too deep into it but essentially it’s 20% for first 500 you make per client. And roughly 10 percent after that first 500. And that’s per client, so every time you land a new client, UpWork takes 20 percent of your earnings on the first 500 dollars. 

Also, when it comes to disputes between freelancers and clients, Upwork almost always sides with the clients. So I would recommend doing hourly gigs, because typically hourly gigs tend to be more long term and Upwork has hour tracking features built into the platform that make it easier to prove disputes between yourself and a client over work done. 

This next one may surprise you, I’ve also landed some great clients from Craigslist. The cool thing out craigslist, is that the jobs are local to where you live. So you can meet the client face to face and discuss the job in detail at that point. Meeting in personal and developing relationships, really drives what the ultimate goal is which is to create long term client relationships. Plus, there’s no bidding on gigs, or commission rates getting in the way. You look for gigs on the site, reply to a posting, and hopefully you can connect with some great people. 

Now, on the flip side Craigslist does have a sketchy reputation for being a place where weirdos hang out so you have to be on guard there. Also, there’s no gig protection here so if a client stiffs you after you’ve done the job for them, that’s totally on you. There are things you can do such as ask for half of the project payment upfront, or even a quarter of it to protect some of your costs. But it’s definitely a risk you take. The last negative, is that it’s more of a time commitment to drive out and meet a potential client somewhere. If it doesn’t work out on a place like UpWork or Fiverr, oh well, you never had to leave your house. So those are some things to be aware of.

The thing about freelancing is, not everyone is doing it full time. Some may freelance as a part time- side hustle, others might be doing some every once in awhile as a hobby. And not everyone has the same budget in order to get started freelancing. So I understand that everyone’s situation is different, but I just wanted to list out my top three sites that I’ve personally used to get clients. There’s a lot more information I could deep dive into on each site, and Ill probably do that in future videos, so stay tuned for that, But I think those sites I mentioned are definitely a great place to start, if you’re looking to get into freelance video editing.

Ok so the next part of Izabela's question was about what tips and suggestions I have for getting started with freelancing. I think a great place to start is trying to have an understanding of what it takes to build a business. No one knows what it’s like to build a business when they’re first starting out, so you have to seek out sources and people who do have that information And I know it’s weird, especially when you’re first starting out, to think of yourself as a business. But that’s the reality, you have to go clients and try and sell yourself and your services in order to get jobs. 

So I think a good way of becoming more confident in building your freelancing business is to actively learn as much as you can from different sources. So the fact that you’re here watching my video, is a great thing already. I’m always trying to learn what other people’s strategies are, and how they became successful so that I can pick up a few things here and there to apply to my own business. 

In fact I recently just finished reading a book called “Three Simple Steps”, it’s by  Trevor Blake. And I think it’s a really good book to inspire people who are just starting out freelancing or creating their own business. Ill just quickly read the description blurb from amazon:

“Despite stock market crashes, dot-com busts, and the specter of recession, the author started a virtual company from home, using a few thousand dollars of his savings. A few years later, without ever hiring an employee or leaving his home office, he sold it for more than $100 million. As the economy slipped into another free fall, he did this again with a company in a different field. He accomplished this through no particular genius. Rather, he studied the habits of the many successful men and women who preceded him, and developed three simple rules that, if followed diligently, virtually ensure success. Using them first to escape poverty, then to achieve a life of adventures, he finally turned them toward financial independence...

Written in a straightforward and no-nonsense style, Three Simple Steps shows you how to take back control of your destiny and reshape your mind for increased creativity, serenity and achievement. While building on the wisdom of great thinkers and accomplished individuals from East and West, Three Simple Steps isn't a new age text or guide to esoteric fulfillment. Rather, it's a practical guide to real-life achievement by a pragmatic businessman who attributes his incredible successes to these very simple ideas. Three Simple Steps, a 2013 Small Business Book Awards winner, is a must-read guide for everyone who wants to achieve more, live better and be happier.”

The three simple steps in case you were wondering is, number one is to spend more time thinking positively about the things you do want, rather than thinking about the things you don’t want. For example, in our case as freelancers, no one likes having to bid for jobs or chase down clients, you could reframe that as the more jobs I bid for the better practice Ill have at understanding what clients want.

Second, spend 20 minutes a day (preferably in the morning) in quiet time by yourself so you can clear your mind and from that, creativity and inspiration for your business can spring from it. 

Third, the author talks about setting intentions rather than goals. The difference as the author describes it, as an intention is a goal but with the doubt of it’s attainment removed. So as freelancers, a goal might be I hope to make enough money this year to quit my regular job. An intention is, I know will make enough money this year to quit my regular job. You have to set your mindset to that intention everyday. Which is hard, but in the end that’s what will make it rewarding. 

I would highly recommend this book, I found it be really insightful about starting and growing a business from the ground up. But I will say, the first couple of chapters were kind of slow because they were mostly about the author's life journey, which did tie into the rest of the book in the later chapters. But it gets into some really great stuff after the first few chapters. 

So if you’re interested in that book, I’ll leave a link below that you can check out. And that about does it for today’s video, let me know in the comments below what freelancing sites you guys use or prefer the most? I’d love to get a comment thread going, so we can all help each other out on where and how to get jobs as freelancers.  Three Simple Steps (Book): Amazon - https://amzn.to/3bS5uao (affiliate)

#best freelancing sites #best freelancing websites #top freelancing websites #top freelancing sites #online career ideas #home based careers #best freelance website #upwrok #fiverr freelance #fiverr #freelancer #guru #guru make money #craigslist #make money on craigslist 2020 #work from home video editor #start freelancing if youre broke #how to freelance video editor #video editor home based #freelance jobs from home #freelance gigs #three simple steps book #book #best freelancing tips #freelancer 2020 #work from home

[meimikana]

My Tales of Vesperia fanfiction was written long ago (back in 2008), but seeing as how the fandom has had something of a revival thanks to the Definitive Edition, I might as well repost them for people’s enjoyment~

Overprotective: AO3 Fandom: Tales of Vesperia Pairing: N/A Rating: Teen Summary: Sometimes friendship is just something that has to be endured. (Post-Canon)

P.S. The fic is under the cut for people who don’t wanna go to AO3 for whatever reason. Cheers~

---

Even before he attempted to open his eyes, Yuri knew that things were off. For a start, his head was killing him. And on top of that, there was also the bed he was apparently laying on. His recollection was a little fuzzy thanks to the icepick of pure, undiluted agony that was trying to crack his skull open from the inside, but he was fairly certain that he'd been pretty far from any sort of bed when he'd last been conscious. Also, it was a really comfy bed. He usually couldn't afford this sort of thing. So what the hell had happened? And was he going to regret waking up?

Slowly, carefully, he cracked one eye open, and shut it an instant later, biting back an accompanying groan. He couldn't ever remember his head feeling this bad before. Hell, he didn't even think LeBlanc yelling into his ear for hours on end could make it hurt this much - not that he was keen on finding out. Just what the hell had happened?

"Yuri?"

Oh.

"Are you awake?"

Flynn.

Goddamnit. He remembered now. They'd been taking out one of the last remaining groups of Royal Guard. Stubborn bastards just didn't know when to quit. They still kept clinging to their "commandant's" ideals long after it'd been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Alexei'd been a Grade A lunatic. Yuri had tagged along with Flynn's knights for this particular operation. It was only fair since he'd been the one to figure out where those idiots were holed up anyway. Besides, he hadn't had a decent fight in awhile. That always made him antsy.

It'd gotten a little squirrely there at the end, but Yuri preferred it that way. It was so much more fun when things were hectic. And then Flynn had pulled his usual bullshit, pushing him out of the way of a strike he would have easily deflected without any outside interference. Yuri couldn't really remember anything after that, but with the way his head was pounding he could hazard a guess. He'd hit his head on something. Hard. Overprotective Flynn strikes again.

"You asshole," Yuri ground out as he levered himself up on the bed, gritting his teeth a moment later as his head decided to add a large dose of glorious nausea to the fray. Wonderful. Usually, whenever this happened he'd just bitch the idiot out and stalk off. There was only so much of Flynn's - well earned - guilt that he could take in one sitting, after all. Unfortunately, with the way he was feeling right now, Yuri doubted that there would be much stalking in the foreseeable future, and that was assuming he could manage walking at all. Frankly, he wasn't too sure about the merit of even trying at the moment. Ugh.

"I take it you feel like shit?"

Once he was certain that he wasn't going to puke just yet, Yuri opened his eyes to slits and glared across the room at his "best friend". Flynn, the jerk, was sitting over at his desk staring back at him with what amounted to contrite concern. Smart. He was out of range of strangulation, and a quick glance around Flynn's room produced no sharp or heavy objects within reach for him to chuck at the present bane of his existence. Damn it. "How'd you guess?" Yuri grumbled as he reached up and gingerly ran his fingers through his hair. There was a very distinct area of ow on the left side. That would most likely be where his head had connected with whatever had been in the way. Lovely.

"Ah well, you hit pretty hard and you've been out for a good long while," Flynn said sheepishly, giving Yuri a little apologetic smile before dropping his gaze down to the floor. His expression turned dark as he added, "I was starting to get a little worried."

Yuri grimaced. Oh god, here comes the guilt. Still, in this particular case, it was very much deserved. "This is entirely your fault, you realize?"

"I know. I'm sorry," Flynn at least had the presence of mind to look properly contrite, but Yuri knew damn well that he wasn't all that sorry about it. He was just sorry Yuri had gotten hurt - and definitely guilty as hell about his hand in that -, not because he had interfered again when it wasn't needed or wanted. God, why did he have to get stuck with such a mommy for a best friend? "I can't really help it. It's such an ingrained habit. Whenever I see you doing something stupid, I just have this automatic urge to save you from yourself."

"You're not winning yourself any favors here," Yuri said flatly as he leveled one of his patented glares of death at his friend. Flynn had the temerity to answer it with an outright grin. "I was doing just fine, thank you very much. In fact, I was enjoying myself until you had to butt in and nearly crack my skull open with your help." He cut his tirade short at the look that crossed Flynn's face thanks to that particular turn of phrase. "Oh god, don't tell me you did crack my skull open?"

"Not exactly." Flynn grimaced and fixed his gaze on a point somewhere over Yuri's head. "Hair line fracture. The good news is that the new mana formulas for healing are working out rather well. The bad news is that it's still gonna hurt like a bitch regardless."

Yuri would have rolled his eyes, but he just didn't feel like dealing with the repercussions. Trust Flynn to nearly kill him by simply pushing him out of the way of something he could have handled just fine on his own. Asshole. But that and their current location in Flynn's quarters in the castle did beg the question of what'd happened between then and now, and he had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly what had occurred. "Please tell me that you did not carry me the entire way back to the capitol." He made it more of a statement than a question, but he knew he was going to get an answer anyway, and one that he wouldn't like.

"Well, yes." Flynn sounded confused. Of course he would. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Yuri groaned and flopped back down, regretting it an instant later. Ow. He was never going to live this one down. Even if no one had really seen it - and of course they had, the Flynn Brigade had all been present for the operation -, then they would all eventually hear about it anyway because the knights just couldn't seem to keep their mouths shut where gossip was concerned. God, he could hear Tweedle A and Tweedle B mocking him about it already. Why couldn't Flynn have just let him die in peace or something? It would have been the humane thing to do.

"Here." Yuri blinked in surprise as gentle fingers grasped gently at his head. He hadn't heard Flynn get up. "Let me help with that." A moment later the touch turned cool and soothing, smoothing down the ragged edges of pain into something more bearable. "How's that?"

"Better," Yuri mumbled in relief, noting for the first time that Flynn wasn't wearing his armor. Must be pretty late then, he wouldn't have bothered climbing out of his tin suit if he were still on duty. "You're getting pretty handy with those new formulas."

"Well, you know how it is," Flynn muttered absently as he carefully ran his fingertips along the site of the wound, checking to make sure that it was healing up properly. "The commandant has to set a proper example for the rest of the knights. It wouldn't do for me to fall behind on the newly developed healing artes."

Yuri snorted. "Fine example you set what with nearly killing your best friend."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Flynn said breezily as he straightened up. "They all know how much of a stubborn ass you are. They probably think you deserved it."

"I hate you," Yuri groused.

Flynn chuckled in response before heading back over to his desk. "Love you too."

Yuri lay there comfortably in silence for a few minutes. His head definitely felt better after Flynn's little boost. It felt more like a rhinossus was dancing around inside his skull rather than an icepick relentlessly trying to stab its way out. It still hurt like a bitch, but there were degrees of bitches that he could deal with. He could definitely deal with this one. And while going back to sleep was a very, very tempting thought, he still had stuff to do. At the very least, he should let people know that he wasn't dead. "I should probably get going," he muttered dubiously after a moment's consideration. He really didn't fancy getting up, but some things just had to be endured - kinda like Flynn's cooking. Ugh. On second thought, it would be in his best interest to not think about stuff like that, or he really would end up puking.

"It's after midnight," Flynn said evenly, his tone brooking no arguments from the peanut gallery. "And I let everyone know that you haven't up and croaked on them. Everything's fine, nothing's going to fall apart in your brief absence, so just stay put for once."

Yuri rolled his head to the side and studied Flynn for moment, then sighed and closed his eyes. "Whatever." He couldn't see it, but he could easily imagine the triumphant little smirk his capitulation had produced. Jerk. Well, at least the bed was comfortable, and his head didn't really feel like it was up for much walking anyway. Still, there was one little thing that didn't quite fit. Sighing to himself, Yuri rolled his head back over and eyed Flynn skeptically before asking, "So where are you going to sleep?" He had a sneaking suspicion he already knew the answer to that.

Flynn stiffened at the question, then ducked his head down self-consciously. "Ah, well, I, uh, hadn't really thought that far ahead."

"It figures," Yuri grumbled irritably as he started scooting over. "You were planning to watch over me all night, weren't you? Idiot."

"Guilty as charged," Flynn chuckled goodnaturedly as he stood up and walked back over to the bed, taking the unspoken invitation for what it was. "In my defense, I was pretty worried for awhile there. You weren't waking up and that was a pretty bad knock you took," he added as he sat down and started to pull his boots off.

"You sure there are no chickens in your family's history?" Yuri asked conversationally as he held the blankets up, an amused grin plastered on his face. "You've got the mother hen act down pat and the hair definitely works in favor of that explanation too."

"Har har, very funny," Flynn muttered sarcastically as he lay down and draped the offered covers over himself. "Go to sleep, Mr. Comedian."

"Whatever you say, commandant." They both chuckled at that and shared matching grins before Yuri finally allowed his eyes to drift shut. He really was awfully tired and the pain wasn't helping with that any at all. Sleep probably was his best bet for the time being. Of course, there was still one last consideration to take care of. Not even bothering to open his eyes, Yuri reached up and grabbed the hand that had been reaching for his head. "Stop fretting."

"Fine fine. If that's how you want it," Flynn sighed, sounding very put upon as he lowered his hand back down to the bed. He didn't even try to shake it free from Yuri's grasp, but that wasn't exactly something he wanted to do anyway. "Goodnight, Yuri."

Yuri smiled softly in answer, loosening his grip on Flynn into something much more comfortable. "Goodnight, Flynn."

#Tales of Vesperia #ToV #fanfiction

[mymoonjin1]

My thoughts on Crimes of Grindelwald

I know there are loads of comments on this already but I too need to rant for a while. I’ll try to finish this off with some constructive criticism, though. (I’d like to add that it’s perfectly fine if you did enjoy this film, this is just MY opinion.)

I don’t even know where to start. Listen, I am a huge Harry Potter fan, always have been, even considering a tattoo. And I actually really liked the first Fantastic Beasts movie. It had its flaws, but overall it was a good story. But most importantly: the movie can stand on itself. It has its own plot. Newt arrives in New York and accidentally lets loose a few magical creatures. The goal: finding the creatures whilst figuring out who is causing the muggle attacks. Simple, fun. They mention Hogwarts and Dumbledore, stuff we’re familiar with, but not overly so. It’s done cleverly. Now. Cut to Crimes of Grindelwald. Oh, boy. From uncomfortable close-ups to just plain weird editing this film is a goddam mess, not to mention the nonsensical storylines. No matter how effing cute nifflers are. Let’s break it into themes. 

Grindelwald

The movie ended and I still had no idea what Grindelwald’s crimes were. He “escapes” (He had already switched places with Abernathy, so why was that whole scene even there? A dark, evil wizard like him surely would just call Abernathy's sacrifice necessary for the cause or whatever), his French sidekick kills a family in order to keep their house and then he gives a speech. That’s it. What were his crimes?! He’s already a “notorious" dark wizard, what has he done besides spreading the word? Also, what is his actual ideology here? I’m sorry but that speech was a bit lame and again, confusing. Is he opposed to World War II or is he gonna take advantage of it? Kill all muggles or only those responsible for the war? But most importantly, we see Grindelwald for like ten minutes during the whole movie, why is his name even on the freaking title? I liked when he held his wand like he was directing an orchestra whilst killing everyone with the blue fire. That’s pretty much it.  Also, I’m not getting into Johnny Depp’s controversy cause that’s a whole other issue, but I think it reflected on his performance, like he was being too cautious, or something, at least that was my perception. I mean, whatever the circumstances, you’re already playing the role, then play the goddam role. 

Queenie

*Sigh* I honestly do not understand how they managed to turn a sweet and caring character into this whiny and annoying person, doing things so out of character. The love potion crap. Are you freaking kidding me?! Why was this necessary? Never mind about Jacob’s consent when I can just roofie him, kidnap him and force him to marry me! I’m the victim here, I just want to marry the one I love! Just… whyyyy? Also, she’s a freaking mind reader. How could a mind reader get brainwashed into joining a dark wizard? Because he preaches... free love? Ummm, does he?! Also, why did she freak out on the street? It was never mentioned before that her mind could get overwhelmed in crowds. It would make sense, but it was so out of nowhere it came out weird, and that scene just takes too damn long. Then the movie forgets about her for like twenty minutes to suddenly show her at the French witch’s house, like sure, I’ll go for a cup of tea with a total stranger, why not? Ugh. 

Dumbledore 

Ok, I actually liked Jude Law’s performance. The issue is that he, just like Grindelwald, is barely in the movie. We already knew that their relationship wasn’t going to be explored in this film, but it was still disappointing. We only got a “we were closer than brothers” and some hand-holding seen through the Mirror of Erised, WHICH APPARENTLY CAN NOW SHOW MEMORIES TOO, BUT OKAY. And please explain to me how is a blood pact different from an Unbreakable Vow? I get the aesthetic but surely an Unbreakable Vow is more convenient since it can’t be undone. Dumbledore suggested at the end of the movie that he might be able to destroy the blood pact. Wouldn’t have Grindelwald made sure to not leave anything to chance? Also, when did they make this blood pact, before the duel that killed Ariana? Why were they able to duel then? It can’t have been after, they wouldn’t have been exactly on speaking terms after that. That blood pact storyline took away the complexity of Dumbledore’s motives about not wanting to go after Grindelwald. Why wasn’t it enough that he once loved him and couldn’t bear to confront him after all that happened between them? That was a perfectly good explanation. This whole thing completely downplayed their relationship, like “yeah, now I just need to figure out how to destroy this necklace and I’ll be free to duel and possibly kill him, yay!” *Sighs*

Leta and Yusuf

What was the real purpose for these characters? We were lead to believe that the Lestrange family history was going to have this awesome revelation/plot twist and it ended up going nowhere. Also, the (insufferably long) scene where they finally explain the whole thing was so overcomplicated and confusing AF. For some reason, Leta’s dad (a rapist) sent her and her half-brother to the US, but since the baby wouldn’t shut up Leta switched him with another baby who happened to look exactly like him, and that baby was Creedence. Uh…okay? But then Leta returned to the UK and studied at Hogwarts? Sooo was that meant to be only a cool summer abroad? And how did she know about her half-brother Yusuf? How did they meet? Who made that freaking prophecy? Yusuf made that unbreakable vow with… whom, exactly? Himself? Arrgggg. Yusuf seemed to be an important character, I mean he locks Tina and Newt in a dungeon (they escape immediately but ok), but no. He spends almost the entirety of the movie unconscious only to appear conveniently at the cemetery to reveal he’s Leta’s half-brother. Just. Why ANY OF IT if later on we’d find out Creedence isn't even a Lestrange? GOD. 

So, back to Leta. She switched the babies (in the Titanic?) and also befriended Newt at Hogwarts. What was her relevance in the present? Why wasn’t the whole "ending up marrying his brother" explained? That’s a flashback that would’ve been useful, unlike the other ones. It could’ve added so much more to the relationship between the three of them, specially Theseus and Newt. But it was never mentioned. Also, why was she hated by everyone at school? Were all the Lestrange hated or was it only her? And THEN, FFS what was she even trying to attempt when she approached Grindelwald? Was she like tempted into joining him but regretted her decision last minute and tried to kill him instead? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? I liked the part when she said “I love you” and you’re not quite sure if she meant Newt or his brother. That was interesting. Would’ve been even more interesting had it been developed properly. But the rest of it? What a mess.

Newt, Tina, and Jacob

I actually adore Newt as a character. He’s a refreshing male lead who’s unapologetically himself throughout the story. I read a Vox article that called him amazingly neurodivergent, and in an interview, Redmayne also said he thought of him as having Asperger's. What an extraordinary thing to see in a male lead in a multimillion-dollar franchise! He’s awesome and doesn’t need to change the way he is in order to be cool. And yet in this film, he’s sooo relegated. He could’ve done SO much more, instead, he’s just lost in the sea of subplots with no real purpose. As for Tina, she has absolutely no character development whatsoever and Jacob is just there for comic relief. Also, how did he get his memories back? I’m sorry, but “the potion only took away the bad memories” is lazy writing. They are great characters but did absolutely nothing in this movie. Totally underappreciated. 

Nagini and Creedence

I don’t get why they made such a fuss over this since she has like THREE lines in the entire movie?! Seriously, why was she even there? She brought absolutely NOTHING to the plot. She just stands there next to Creedence when she could’ve been a super badass character. I’m not getting into the whole controversy, but I mean, if it was already happening, she should’ve at least had a kickass introduction. A backstory. ANYTHING. Why is a woman turning into a snake a circus attraction when anyone in this universe can become an animagus with enough practice? She was sooo mistreated here as a character. I get that there’s gonna be three more movies but COME ON, you can’t just make a huge ass preamble to another film without ANY sort of character development. It needs to have a plot of its own too. Like each of the Harry Potter books/movies. GEEZ. Now, Creedence. How did he survive? We saw a little remnant of the obscurus at the end of the first film, but hey, a little more context would’ve been nice. I thought the host and the obscurus were different things. Care to explain?! Also, how did he end up in Europe working at a magic circus? That circus thing could’ve been a very interesting plot but it goes nowhere. Again. And then... the ending. I hope the theory going around that it’s actually Ariana’s obscurus that somehow got attached to him and not actually him that’s a Dumbledore (and that’s what the phoenix was attracted to) is real because otherwise IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. Kendra Dumbledore died in 1899. Crimes takes place in 1927. That’s 28 years. I HIGHLY doubt Creedence is 28. Why would he still be living at an orphanage at 28 then? Or did Dumbledore’s dad knock someone up in Azkaban? Just. So. Many. Plot. Holes.

Nonsensical stuff

-The lady guarding Leta’s chamber. What. The. Fork?! She lets them through even though she clearly knew Tina wasn’t Leta, and only after they’re already inside she unleashes those weird cat things with Leta being there, the actual owner of the chamber who clearly doesn’t have a problem with the “intruders”. Just… WHY? 

-Jacob being able to go through the statue. Ummmm?! 

-McGonagall. SHE WAS BORN IN 1935! WHAT?!

-Also, I get the whole 1920’s vibe and I mean no disrespect towards Colleen Atwood, because the costumes are actually gorgeous, but like… no robes? NONE? You can’t tell muggles and wizards apart. That was a key aspect of Harry Potter, at least with the older generations, so you’d think in the 1920’s they’d be even more traditional with their wizard clothing. I mean, Lupin wore both suits AND robes. Just saying. 

-Out of hundreds of people at the cemetery, the niffler somehow knew precisely what item to steal and from whom. Ok???? 

-Nicholas Flamel. What was the point of him? All he did was talk with a random woman through a book and then conveniently appear at the end to tell everyone what to do to control the fire. I mean, cool, but care to elaborate?

-And that blue fire eagle thing. It’s a very, very long sequence that could have been way quicker. It was time wasted on CGI, time they could’ve spent more wisely elsewhere. 

-Another thing that has been rubbing me the wrong way is the mention of Creedence’s nanny being half-elf. I know it’s probably stupid for me to be weird about it but listen. This is a universe with house elves and goblins, and that’s totally fine, I like the part they play in the story. But then we also have Professor Flitwick, who’s never mentioned to be either of those things; he’s just little. That’s it. And he’s a total badass. So why did the nanny had to be half-elf? I remember an interview with Peter Dinklage in which he said he didn’t like playing roles that cast little people as magical beings, which is why he loved Tyrion in Game of Thrones. Then why couldn’t the nanny just be a regular witch? Why half-elf? How did that come about? Think about it: a human witch/wizard… with a house elf? Which are, essentially… slaves?! I don’t even want to know. And I’m probably overthinking it, but seriously. It wasn’t a necessary detail to mention. 

The Fanservice 

Ok, I get that they’d include certain Potter related stuff. Nostalgia is fun, right? AS LONG AS IT MAKES SENSE. McGonagall being there makes no sense. RESPECT. CANON. PLEASE. I get retconning stuff like classes taking place on different floors at Hogwarts but dude. This was kind of an important detail. The Philosopher’s Stone casually being shown at Flamel’s house. I mean, fine. But we get it, we know who he is, it’s not like we are idiots who need reminding of this. Also, the music. I adore Hedwig’s Theme, but this is a different story. I get like a few notes here and there, but the WHOLE damn theme during that Hogwarts shot? It actually kind of threw me off a little. I couldn’t pay attention to what was actually happening. 

Conclusion 

Ok. I honestly don’t understand what went wrong. I don’t know if Rowling should just stick to writing novels or if it was the editing, the directing or-or… I just can’t even. JK Rowling is amazing at writing mystery. In all of the Harry Potter books, there were mysteries to be solved: who’s after the Philosopher’s Stone? Who opened the Chamber of Secrets? Why is Sirius Black after Harry? Who put his name in the Goblet of Fire? And so on. And in the first FB movie, the mystery was who was responsible for the attacks, and it made you believe it was Creedence’s little sister. That was still a good plot twist. Please, do tell, what was solved in Crimes? What did they actually accomplish? They spent the whole movie going in circles. Like I said, you can’t just have a huge ass preamble to a different movie. It needs to stand on its own, have its own arc. Otherwise, what’s the point? I genuinely wanted to like this film, but its narrativity makes it impossible to enjoy the actual plot, even with likable characters and appealing visuals.

Listen, I will forever be grateful to JK Rowling for the impact Harry Potter has had in my life. They are to this day my favorite books. I loved the original book for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as Quidditch Through the Ages and Tales of Beedle the Bard. They added fun details to the main story, a little peek into the Wizarding World. But then the whole expansion happened. And I used to get mildly excited whenever a new story was published on Pottermore. But eventually, I lost interest. And whenever someone said “I wish there was another book” I immediately cringed at the thought. Why ruin something that had ended in such a perfect way? The Harry Potter world ended with the seventh book. And that was ok. You need to let things go. That’s life. But then for money some reason, Cursed Child (aka That Which Must Not Be Named) was allowed to happen. And then, Fantastic Beasts happened, but it was a whole different story with brand new characters within the same universe, actually written by JK Rowling. Well, that actually sounded promising. Because it was a separate thing. A few references here and there. What could go wrong? Right. 

There are millions of reasons why the expansion hasn’t been working, but I think part of the problem came from social media. When we were kids we’d send letters to our favorite authors, but now they are just a tweet away. Which can obviously be wonderful. But you have to know where to stop. And I don’t think JK understands that. And I don’t mean it like she’s not allowed to have her own opinions and versions of certain things that didn’t come up in the books; she created the universe. But altering canon isn’t right. Forcing narratives that don’t make sense with what’s already established is weird. That’s why it’s important to leave things to the imagination/each reader’s interpretation. You want to write a different story within the same universe, that’s amazing, go ahead! As long as it’s properly developed and has its own merits. I genuinely want to like FB. And I did. But I don’t know what went wrong with this one. You’re capable of SO much more, Jo, I know you are. Sorry if I’m being too harsh. 

#fantastic beasts #crimes of grindelwald #crimes of grindelwald spoilers #rant #opinion #fantastic beasts movie #fantastic beasts and where to find them #jk rowling #twoheartedslytherinwrites

[my-wayward-son]

2 months on T-------------------> 7 months on T

I’m late with this post.  Again.  Because I’m doing really shitty.  Again.

First, let me address the obvious: yes, I’ve lost weight. (Well, if you wanna get technical, I weigh the exact same thing as when I started, which I probably shouldn’t).  But beyond that, I don’t want to talk about it.  That change is probably 25% due to testosterone and the tendency it has to aid in the development of lean muscle, and 75% due to other factors.

All the previous changes I’ve noted in these posts are still happening/happening more, such as still more body hair growing/thickening.  There’s really nothing new to report, except that I pass better when I have on glasses and teenage boy clothes (as opposed to professional clothes), but still get a lot of gender neutral and she/her designations mixed in with the he/hims.  

I had a dream last night about correcting my dad (his typical naming convention for me is Laura, I mean, Laur, she, I mean, Laur...) . So he’s trying when he’s in front of me, but it’s obvious he isn’t trying when he’s talking to my mom without me present.  I’m torn between being upset about it and letting it go.  My dad was diagnosed with Aspergers as an adult and he struggles with shifting his perspective.  This is something else I don’t want to talk about, but just know that my far-from-NT-yet-decidedly-allistic ass has a hard time reconciling it.

But anyhow, the transition is going great, and I have no reason to be upset about anything, but I’m upset about everything, and the rest is going under the cut because it’s going to be full of triggers (suicide and ED stuff).

For my whole life I never understood why anyone would want one of those dolls that you can customize to look exactly like you.  My thought was always, ‘what’s so special about me?  I kind of suck.’  I thought so little of myself and my live, even as a little kid, that I would rather pick the princess or the American Girl or whatever with the most interesting story and change myself to match.  Like I’d beg my mom for an outfit the same color as the character’s, or wear sunglasses with the lenses popped out, or only style my hair the same way as the character in order to adapt into that character.  

Of course all those phases were just that, phases.  They were highly tied to the media I consumed, and as I aged, that media changed.  So I was always editing myself to match my current obsession.  I never gave thought to what I was actually like, deep inside.  Like it didn’t matter what my actual personality was.  I hardly even thought about it until the end of high school, and then a series of traumas knocked me down a few pegs, and that sense of self didn’t come back to the surface until mid 2017.

In mid 2017, I went to a 2-week dance convention.  At that time I was living as female, had basically given up on the idea of transitioning, and was just trying to push through as a painfully shy 24-year-old who worked full time and danced part time with a local ballet company.  At the convention, I studied various styles of dance, realized I was extremely untrained in every field but ballet, and spent the entire thing on the verge of tears because I was with students over 10 years my junior in most of the classes.  It was an “all ages” program, but literally all the other adults were in professional level classes for all styles.  I was only in the professional level class for ballet.  I couldn’t wait for the convention to end.  I hated every second of it.  I had a chronic foot injury that made dancing painful (but not dangerous), but I’d always pushed through it because I loved it.  Now I could barely stand to go to class, even back with my regular company.  So I made arrangements to retire. 

I retired from professional dance in May 2018 and had foot surgery in June 2018.  I could dance again, if I wanted to, but I’m not ready yet.  Eventually I might go back as a recreational adult dancer, just taking class from time to time.  But I don’t know.  

I still love ballet, but as of a year ago, ballet was the one thing hanging over me that I hated.  I hated the obligation; I hated the way it tore up my body; I hated the way it made me exhausted and ate up all my spare time. However, I was damn productive.  I wrote so many fics and drew so many pictures, and I went to therapy at least every other week, and sometimes to PT.  I was at the studio approximately 20 hours a week, on top of working 40 hours a week.  But I guess I was so busy and tied to my obligations that I quite literally couldn’t fall apart.  

My uncle died (suicide, marking the 4th attempt and 2nd success in my family) and my granddad died (heart condition), so I had good reason to fall apart.  I was freaked out and sad for a while, but I was also fine.  I was a robot.  When I look back, I realize that the last time I was happy was prior to the 4th of July 2017.  I call that the “Wonder Woman Moment.”  I did a photo shoot for a ballet personal training/nutrition service that dressed me up in WW-esque dancewear.  We blasted Patty Smythe and had a ball.  Even though it was a really feminine thing, it was so much fun, and I had no worries.  It was July 1st 2017.  Before my uncle died, and before my granddad died and before I went to the dance convention.  That’s my last happy memory.

After unpacking some acute issues with grief and anxiety, my therapist started talking to me about my issues with gender ID.  By November 2017 I was thinking about transitioning (I had thought about it before, but never felt it was feasible).  By December, I’d decided it felt right.  I sought out a doctor in January 2018 and had my first appointment in February.  I told my mom on Superbowl Sunday.  Then a month later at my Oscar party, she basically washed her hands of me.

I love film crit and the Academy Awards almost as much as I love fanfiction and ballet and coffee and all the other good things.  I’ve been on the edge of my seat waiting for the 2019 noms to drop.  I know a few of them just from the grapevine, but I haven’t looked them up yet.  I’m still working from my early prediction spreadsheet, even though the actual noms are just a few clicks away.  I’m scared of the feelings that’s going to bring up.

One year ago, all I could think about was getting through the next 6 months and reaching a series of milestones: my company’s production of Alice in Wonderland.  Moving to a new apartment.  My company’s production of Water for Chocolate (an original contemporary ballet choreographed on me and 14 other dancers).  Starting testosterone.  Retiring from ballet.  Foot surgery.  I thought my life would be so much better.

And in a way, it is.  I have the confidence to do random shit, like walk into Autozone and talk to the workers about what is wrong with my car, then help them fix it.  A year ago, I would have panic attacks over things like that.  But a year ago, my mom loved me.  A year ago, I thought I’d have my current job forever.  A year ago, I thought once I got on T, my eating disorder behaviors would go away.

I’ve gained personal confidence, but lost so much else.  Lost my family.  Gained a new one, but still, I lost my relationship with my biological mother and father.  Lost my job satisfaction, which makes me worry that at some point I will have to interview for a new job and integrate with a new company, which is frightening in the extreme.  T has changed my body shape in the way I like, but it’s not magic.  I’m still afraid of eating, and stress doesn’t help.  I’ve also had health complications that add pressure and make me feel run down.  Some is my own damn fault (Hi, I’m Laur and I abuse OTC medications like a rebellious teenager, which is apparently not advisable when also on several prescriptions).  Some is a fluke.  But feeling like shit while also mentally feeling like shit has destroyed me.  I hate my life.  I hate everything.  I don’t see the value in anything.   

I know there’s a Spider-Man: Far from Home trailer out there.  I haven’t seen it.  I don’t know what to expect.  I want to see it.  But I also don’t want time to move forward.  I like the MCU as it is (I like it pre-Infinity War, actually, but nobody asked me, so I won’t belabor you with my opinion).

And that’s a good metaphor for my life right now.  It’s a mess.  I can’t picture anything far in the future, so the light from my proverbial headlights is dim and dull.  I’m afraid of moving forward, so my tires are spinning in place, kicking up mud and dust.   I’m incapable of shifting side to side, so when I do roll ahead a few inches, I hit every obstacle in the path.  If I just changed the lightbulbs, twiddled the steering wheel, took a breath and let myself move, I’d probably be fine.  But somehow that seems like the most impossible choice.  

I could slam the car into one of the cave walls, triggering a rockslide and killing myself.  If I did that, I know it would hurt a lot of people in my life, but it would also fulfill all of my hopes and dreams.   Peace.  Calmness.  Stillness.  Not having to deal with a world that insists on moving forward with the passage of time.  

The most compelling reason is that I can’t find a reason not to.  I wish I was an undergraduate student again, because I want to get a degree in philosophy.  I don’t know why living is so highly valued.  I can’t figure out what makes this “will to live” the correct way of thinking and the desire to die the wrong way of thinking.  Right and wrong are subjective.  They don’t exist, really.  There is not value behind things and thoughts and actions.  They just are.  What’s to say that a lack of serotonin or whatever in a depressed brain is really not normal?  The non-depressed brain may have an excess.  Normal is relative.  Averages don’t mean correct.  Just because most people in the class chose answer B doesn’t mean that it is the right answer to the question.  Just because most Americans are a little overweight doesn’t mean that that’s the healthiest body type.  

Sometimes I really want to try to get well and forge ahead and get my life together.  Sometimes I want to say fuck it and take all the pills in the house and lay down and drift away.  I can’t decide which is better because neither is better, they both are just choices.  I can’t use other people’s reasoning to back up either one, for they are slanted for reasons I cannot understand.  They have a bias toward life.  I have to choose what I really want most, and I just don’t know.  I truly don’t.  My wants and desires-the deep ones in the core of my being- have been so long ignored, given up for what a character would do, or what my mom would do, that as an adult, I hardly know how to access the decision-making skills that most children have already mastered.  I’m a fucking goldfish; when I’m upset, I’m only upset, and I’ve always been upset.  When I’m happy, I’m only happy and I’ve always been happy.  I don’t know how to take a step back and see both at the same time.  I can’t hold contradictory truths at once.  I’m not wise.  I’m set up to fail because there are cracks in my foundation.

As long as I continue to not decide, I don’t take action.  I’m stuck in a holding pattern of “I don’t know,” and “what’s going to get me through the next 5 minutes,” and “just fuck it all, it doesn’t matter.”  

I’ve never, ever, in my life imagined myself as an elderly person.  I’ve thought of myself as a middle-aged adult, but never past 40 or so.  Sometimes I see myself as a woman, sometimes as a man, sometimes an NB person.  But that’s not what matters.  I don’t see myself living to old age.  Mortality is comfort.  The fact that this life doesn’t go on forever is one thing that honestly makes it seem ok to keep living.  But by definition, it also makes it seem like a good choice to die when things go wrong.  Because I will in the end.  

I see my life as a project, and I’ve always had this dilemma with projects: if I make a mistake, what point is too ruined to salvage?  What factors make it more worthwhile to backtrack and fix the mistakes vs. just throwing it away.  Fixing the mistakes shoes dedication and perseverance, but it’s frustrating.  Hot.  Angry.  Uncomfortable.  Embarrassing to show youthful ineptitude to the world.  Throwing it away is quick.  Easy.  Zen.  Brings immediate cool relief with grace and style.  But it’s selfish.  So fucking selfish.  

If you’ve read this far, please proceed to pour water into your ears and shake vigorously.  This was not meant to be imprinted on your brain.  This is for me to sort out my thoughts, which are, and shall always be, unable to be ordered.

#laur talks #trans #suicide tw #mental health tw #philosophy #death tw #family issues #eating disorders tw #ed tw #maybe do not read below the cut

[1987vampire]

Stiles Smut~ My Shirt

Word Count~ 2605 Rating~ R - NSFW - NOT APPROPRIATE Warnings~  Uh, smut and language Pairings~ Stiles x Female Reader A/N~ Hey lovelies, this is my first smut, so I’m sorry if it’s not good. D= Please give me feedback! It would be great. This is kind of just like a ‘hey I’m back’ kind of thing. I’ll be trying to put up at least one thing a night, but school is just a pain. It’s spring break right now so, I should have some stuff out. I don’t know. JUST ENJOY PLEASE!  Request~  Anonymous said:  17, 22, 35, and 44 please with Stiles Stilinski and make it smutty!!

P.S. I couldn’t fit the last one in. I didn’t know how to add it.

"does that feel good" "don't call me 'princess', asshole" "is that my shirt" "I'm not that flexible"

I groaned as I looked at the coffee stained shirt I wore.

Today has not been my best, that's for sure. First, some jackass spilled coffee all over me in Starbucks. Next, my car breaks down in the middle of the road. I am completely late for school at this point, so I'm probably just not going to go. Then, Sheriff Stilinski finds me and questions why I'm not in school which makes me stutter and act like a complete idiot. After that, a freaking storm starts for some unknown reason, I mean, seriously, it was completely sunny like five minutes ago. So, now we're in sheriff Stilinski's house because he didn't want to leave me in the middle of it all.

I sighed as I looked around the house. It was nice, that's for sure. It was already around twelve and I felt like breaking down.

My head snapped to the side as I heard Mr. Stilinski's voice.

"I have to go down to the station, something came up," he sighed and motioned up the stairs. "Stiles shouldn't be home for a while, but who knows with the child. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, though I doubt there's much. When the storm clears and your parents get home, I'll drive you home, if needed. I called a tow truck for your car. They said they'll fix it. Oh, and if you need a new shirt, I'm sure Stiles wouldn't mind sharing. His room's upstairs."

I nodded as I listened. "Thank you Mr. Stilinski, I really don't deserve this. I'll try to be out of your hair as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about it, Y/N. It's no trouble, and, please, call me Noah."

I smiled as I nodded again. He waved goodbye before rushing out the door. I took a deep breath before walking up the stairs. I peered through each room until finding the messy room, boyish room. A computer sat on his desk and his bed was near it, pushed up against the wall. Clothes and books were scattered around the pale room while cut red string seemed to lay all around. I shrugged my shoulders and moved towards what I assumed was his closet. I opened it to be met with clothes, obviously. I grabbed a random green shirt from his closet and sniffed it before nodding. At least it wasn't completely dirty.

I walked to the bathroom and quickly changed out of my stained shirt and into the baggy green one. I spun a little to make sure it didn't look terrible, even though no one would really see me in it. I nodded before stepping out, shirt in hand, and walking back downstairs towards the living room. I stuffed the shirt into my bag and pulled out a textbook.

Might as well study while I'm here.

…study…

I laughed quietly and shook my head at the ridiculous thought. Instead, I pushed it away and pulled out my phone. I scrolled through Instagram and Tumblr. My blog had gotten a few comments about the newest imagine. I responded to as many as I could with a small smile on my face while humming some song I had heard on the radio earlier today.

About two hours passed with just watching random edits and reading fluff when the door opened. Of course, it wasn't Sheriff. No, Stiles couldn't stay in school all day just once. He just had to come home early. I rolled my eyes as I watched the spastic boy run past the living room while talking to who I assume is Scott.

I honestly think they're conjoined at the hip. I see them with their little group all the time. They tended to skip class and go on stupid adventures. I guess being the son of the sheriff really did help his situation.

If he wasn't with Scott, he was trying to get the attention of Lydia Martin, even when dating Malia. I had actually liked him for the longest time. Ever since fifth grade when he got his head stuck in his desk. I really don't even know how, but he would never notice me. Still, I've fantasized about him. Dating him. Possibly more, but no one has to know about that.

He halted immediately when he saw who was laying on his couch. No, we had never talked. I don't really talk to anybody in school. People suck. I guess it was just the shock of a random girl in his living room that caused him to freeze.

"Stiles? Stiles! What happened?"

A worried voice rang out of the phone. I was correct, it was Scott. I rose my eyebrows as I watched him stare at me.

"I- I have to go. I'll talk to you later," he rushed out before ending the call and stuffing his phone in his pocket. "Y/N, why are you here?"

He must have seen the confusion on my face as he chuckled lowly while scanning over my body.

"How do you know my name?"

Stiles rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "I've had a crush on you since like the second grade, obviously, I know who you are," he said before his eyes widened as he thought of what he just said.

A blush ran over his face before he composed himself again. A smirk crept on his face as he stared at my clothes. "Is that my shirt, princess?"

"Don't call me 'princess', asshole."

"You didn't answer the question," he grinned devilishly.

"Yeah, mine was dirty. So what?" I ask defensively.

He took a few steps towards me with that stupid grin on his face. "You're feistier than normal."

I glared at him and sat up slightly to look at him. "What're you gonna do about it?"

"Oh, you're going to see."

He stepped forward once more and took my hand before pulling me up in one swift motion. His hand moved to rest on my hips as he looked down at me. He pushed one hand through my H/C hair with a satisfied smirk. My eyes widened and cheeks reddened as he looked down at me.

"So, a little birdie told me you might like me too."

This was not how I had imagined Stiles. He seemed way too sweet and nerdy to be this devilish and dominant. Of course, nerds always have a dark side.

"Is it true?" He whispered pulling me out of my thoughts. I stayed quiet and looked away. He hummed before leaning down slightly and moving cupping my face in his hand. My breath hitched as I felt his thumb move across my cheek. I looked up to be met with his soft whiskey brown eyes. His demeanor changing as he looked at me.

"Yeah," I whispered back.

A small light caught his eye as a goofy grin plastered on his face. He surged forward and placed his lips on mine. Chapped lips moved tenderly against mine as I reciprocated happily. My hands wrapped around his neck as I pulled him closer towards me. Lips moved on their own accord and a small moan left my mouth at the feeling.

He pulled away so we could breathe. A smile still taking over his face. "Gosh, you don’t know how long I've wanted to do that. Sorry about earlier, Scott said you were probably into, like, 'bad boys'," he said pulling finger quotations.

I giggled softly and rested my head on his chest. He pulled me as close as possible and bent down to leave soft kisses on the exposed part of my neck. My hands gripped his shirt as he reached the juncture between my neck and shoulder.

"Maybe we should take this to the bedroom," I said breathlessly.

He paused a moment before I felt him nod and grab my hand. He pulled me up the stairs towards the messy room. He winked at me before pulling me onto the bed, him laying over me. His smirk was the last thing I saw before he lunged down to my shoulder. My breath hitched as he sucked harshly on the skin before blowing cold air over it. He hummed from delight as he looked at my neck. My head tilted to the side giving him more room.

His hands played with the hem of my shirt before looking up at me for approval. I nodded and he slowly pushed the shirt up and over my head. His eyes scanned the new found area before he looked at me.

"God, I love you with my clothes on, but I think I like this a bit better."

I sat up slightly and he gave me a confused look while watching.

"I find this a bit unfair, " I whispered while moving my hands towards the bottom of his shirt. "I think this needs to come off."

His eyes widened before reaching behind him and pulling the gray fabric over his head and throwing it across the room. My eyes ran over his toned stomach.

"Like what you see?"

"What's not to like," I answer before pushing him over so I could straddle him.

I moved down before placing a long kiss on his lips. I then slowly moved down and over his stomach while his hand moved over my sides. A groan left his lips as my nose grazed over the patch of hair near his jeans. A satisfied look crept onto my face as I looked up at him. His eyes closed, sweat slowly developing around his hairline, and his hand moved up to grip the sheets. A could see a tent forming in his pants and I laughed lightly before looking at him again.

He opened his eyes and looked down towards me. My eyebrows rose in question of permission. He simply nodded and lied back again.

I hummed lightly before slowly placing the palm of my hand over his boner. He tensed quickly before slowly relaxing. I moved my hand lightly, teasingly, over it while I moved up to look at him.

"Damn it, Y/N, do something."

I laughed again before moving to pop a button on his pants. I slowly pushed his zipper down, then his pants and underwear in one swift movement. His erection sprang free and I looked at it impressed. My hand ran over the tip before slowly pumping it. Another groan, this one louder, rang out across the room. His eyes opened and his hand moved to pull me over to him. My hand still moved, slowly going faster each second. He moved to run his lips over my bare upper body, slowly sucking and biting a design into the soft skin.

My hand was now moving at an incredible speed and his breathing sped up. Soft moans and groans mixed together like the sweetest song. He grinded into my hand before muttering an 'oh fuck,' and coming with a loud moan. His face buried in my neck. His heaving breathing filled the room as he looked at me with a smile. I took my hand and licked the substance off my hand before dropping it down again.

"I find this a bit unfair," he said quoting me from earlier.

His hand moved towards my pants moving too quickly push them down my legs. His hand moved over the lacy fabric left over before flipping us again. He moved down to where his face was right in front of my underwear.

"So wet for me, baby."

I hummed softly as he moved his hand over it again. Next thing I know, he's dragging my underwear down with his teeth. His hands automatically moving to open my legs further. He looked up at me with a grin before diving down and placing his mouth on my clit.

"Does that feel good?"

A borderline pornographic moan left my parted lips as he moved his tongue quickly. Teeth grazed the soft area as his left hand moved to enter me. A soft scream rang from the room as he began to move quickly, two fingers moving quickly while his tongue did wonders. He pushed all the way in, hitting a certain spot in me, before pulling out and slamming back in.

"Stiles!" I screamed out as I felt the knot forming.

"That's right, baby. Scream my name. I want to hear you," he chuckled darkly before continuing his rapid movements.

Another moan left my mouth as my vision began to go white with stars. A string of curses left my mouth as I came, back arched and shaking profusely.

My hips bucked one last time as I tried to catch my breath. Stiles sat up, licking his lips, before smiling at me.

"You taste so sweet," he said before pulling me into a kiss. My mouth parted and he took the chance to stick his tongue in. I could taste myself lightly on his lips. He grinned as he lined himself with my entrance. "You don't know how long I've waited for this."

"Wait!" I yelled out before he could move.

"What, do I need to stop. Oh my god, are you okay?"

I laughed quietly, "you need a condom, idiot." (STAY SAFE YOU GUYS!)

Stiles nodded quickly before running off into the bathroom. He returned quickly, holding up the condom with a proud look on his face.

He moved back to in-between my legs and slid the latex on before dipping down to me again.

"I love you," he whispered with a goofy grin.

"I love you too," I whispered back as he slowly started to thrust forward. A moan left us both as he buried himself in me. My eyes rolled back slightly as a curse escaped me. Stiles stayed for a second, panting harder than before. He groaned again before placing his face in my neck and began to move.

He started with slow thrusts, trying to get used to the feeling. "You're so fucking tight, babygirl." A moan left me at the sound of his husky voice. He started to speed up with a soft groan. The sound of skin against skin and our heavy breathing filled the room. Rapid and unpredictable thrusts and moans rang out.

I mumbled out an 'oh fuck' as Stiles grabbed me, one hand on my ass and the other on the small of my back as he pulled me up to him. My back arched as he hit my spot. He took the opportunity to take my nipple into his mouth. A high pitched screamed echoed at the feeling of his tongue swirling over the sensitive nub.

I panted and clenched around him, nails digging into his back as I came with a groan. White dancing across my vision, my body went limp at the feeling. A spasm ran through my body as I felt Stiles let go too. He calmed slightly, moving slower as he ran out his high. My fingers ran through his hair with a soft smile on my face.

He looked up at me with a dazed smile on his face. He pulled out and pushed me over slightly so he could throw away the protection. After, he rolled over and pulled me into his arms.

"Saturday at five. Dress nicely," he mumbled out.

I hummed in questioning and buried my face in his chest.

"I want to take you on a date. Didn't think this would actually happen, and I don't want this to be a one-time thing."

I nodded with a dreamy look on my face. "I'd go anywhere, anytime, and do anything with you, Stiles."

#stiles stilinski #stiles #stilinski #stiles smut #stilinski smut #stiles stilinski smut #teen wolf #teen wolf smut #stiles x reader #x reader #smut #what am i doing with my life

[kayawagner]

Start-up Diaries, Santiago Edition> Chileans are Chill

If you are planning on coming to Chile for more than a week and you are going somewhere besides the Intercontinental Hotel and the U.S. Embassy, odds are, you’ll be meeting and working with some Chileans. If you had been paying attention to this blog, you would be studying Spanish by now and know that they are called chilenos (or chilenas if it’s a group of all women). Here are a few tips to help you adjust.

A full-time job is 45 hours. Full stop.

People work 9 hour days, which means they go to lunch later than you are probably accustomed, somewhere between 1 and 3. Also, rush hour, to go home, will be an hour or so later. You can still be in mad traffic in Santiago at 7 or 8 pm. So, Chileans work pretty seriously but usually, when they leave work, they leave work. You’ll rarely get any emails on weekends or holidays. Lots of stores and restaurants are closed on Saturdays and even more on Sundays. Unlike in the U.S., where banks, schools and government offices close on federal holidays and everything else is open, here, when it’s a holiday, the majority of businesses close. If you really need to find something open on a Sunday, find an American chain – Forever 21, Subway, Starbucks will keep closer to American hours.

People go on vacation here, for two or three weeks at a time, and they are actually on vacation. They don’t answer emails or return phone calls because they are on vacation. What a concept!

I’m trying to adopt some of these ideas, but very slowly. I’ve been logging the hours I work each week and I try to stop when I get to 50, even if it’s Friday at 2 pm. That means that I have started taking every Saturday off. I’m also planning a vacation next March. My daughters are taking bets it won’t happen.

The Most Chilean Thing Anyone Ever Said

As I mentioned in a previous post, drama is not a thing here.

I have never once, in the months I have been here, heard anyone yell out,

“This is f%%$$  bull$$$& !”

Which someone says at least once a day in my own house in California.  Of course, that’s usually me saying it, but not always.

In the co-work one day, I was joking with Matias, who is the voice of Manuel Rodriguez in our game under development, Siglo de Cambio. I said,

“No one hates Manuel Rodriguez. Well, of course, except for O’Higgins.”

He answered,

“He didn’t hate him. He was just jealous.”

I responded,

“Dude! He had him assassinated!”

I turned to the person next to us, also Chilean and said,

“Did you hear what he said? He said that O’Higgins didn’t really hate Rodriguez, he was just jealous.”

And she said

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 “He’s probably right. O’Higgins was probably just jealous of Rodriguez.”

It is rare to hear Chileans talk smack about other people. They do, but not nearly as often as in the U.S., as evidenced by,

“Let us not judge. Who among us hasn’t wanted to kill their political enemies?”

And then they named the main street in Santiago after the guy.

Chileans are impervious to weather

Do you think because it’s in South America it’s all tropical beaches?

That’s Costa Rica, Not Chile

  Here is the same week in Santiago and the daughter in that picture above was a bit miffed when she got here.

Despite getting into the 40s and 50s (that’s Fahrenheit, not Celsius), Chileans are very relaxed about the weather. I know this is what my North Dakota friends consider spring, but my California ass is freezing here. Lots of buildings don’t have central heating. My apartment doesn’t. When I told the landlady this was crazy, she bought me a space heater, which broke shortly thereafter. I currently have on a sweater, a space heater I bought myself and the oven turned on, and I’m still cold.

You’ll see loads of people sitting outside eating lunch when it’s in the forties and they can’t all be nuts, I don’t think.

I was driving in the pouring rain down a mountain road and this older man was out walking. I don’t know where he was going because I was just south of nowhere, but he had his umbrella and he was trudging up a dirt road. He’d decided he was walking to wherever and a little torrential rain wasn’t going to stop him.

For Chileans, however the weather is, they just get on with life.

Okay, so maybe I’m a whiny baby and I always want the thermostat to be within two degrees of a comfortable 76 Fahrenheit. Still, if I wanted it to be cold and foggy and always have to wear wool sweaters, I’d move to Ireland. They have a good start-up environment, too, and I wouldn’t have to learn a second language.

You can be too chill

If you’re an American, especially from one of the coasts, some “chill” will drive you crazy.

Whether it is opening a bank account, or God forbid any government paperwork like a visa or paying your taxes, it’s going to take you longer and involve more bureaucracy than you are expecting. You may as well marry a notary because you are going to be spending so much time with one.

Remember I said the heater broke? Things break more and stay broken longer because Chile is not as affluent a country as the U.S. This means there is less waste but it also means things aren’t being replaced as often and things you expect won’t necessarily be there, whether it is an  iron in your hotel room or central heating.

People are more accepting of things not working right. For example, I get a latte at this little coffee shop on my way to work most mornings. A couple of weeks ago, they ran out of lids. Yesterday, when I stopped in for coffee, they were still out of lids and now they were out of medium cups, so I had a cappuccino instead. Now, that’s not the end of the world, but there are a pile of experiences like that which will combine to make you a little less comfortable than you are in the U.S. – that is, assuming you’re not a poor American, because if you are, you’re probably kind of uncomfortable already. If you are a poor American, you’re probably not making it to Santiago because it’s expensive to get here.

The Bottom Line

As you might have gathered, except for the language, most of the differences between the U.S. and Chile, while they might be unexpected, depending on what you knew before you got here, are not huge. Now saying that, I realize I came from Los Angeles, where about 18 million people live in the metro area to Santiago, with around 17 million. If I’d moved from Pierre, South Dakota or to the Atacama Desert, I might have a different view.

Chile has less corruption, a better economy and a better educational system than a lot of countries in the world. The fact that it’s on the same time zone as the East Coast right now doesn’t hurt when it comes to doing business. (That’s another unexpected thing, because daily savings time happens on different dates, the difference in Santiago time and D.C. can vary from zero to two hours depending on the time of year.)

Anyway, taken altogether, my prediction is that the probability looks good for more American businesses expanding to Chile. After all, a lot of things are the same. That’s another post, though.

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  The post Start-up Diaries, Santiago Edition> Chileans are Chill appeared first on 7 Generation Games.

Start-up Diaries, Santiago Edition> Chileans are Chill published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

[douchebagbrainwaves]

I'VE BEEN PONDERING DANGER

For example, I doubt it would be closer to the truth to treat stuff as worthless. To most hackers, getting investors seems like a lot because it's compressed into a short period. Most people in America do.1 They are a perennial topic of heated discussion on Slashdot. The founders all learned to do every job in the company. Could civil liberties really be a cause, rather than the other way around.2 One of the worst things that can happen to a startup—so important that morale alone is almost enough to determine success. Because they're at the bottom of the file; don't feel obliged to cover any of them; write for a reader who won't read the essay, but really the thesis is an optimistic one—that hackers can implement software, but not as measured in press releases, but not random: I found my doodles changed after I started studying painting.3 One of the founders might decide to split off and start another company, so I figured it had to be prepared to explain how to make them look impressive, and b avoid the danger of fooling yourself as well as writing software, I had to add a new application to my list of known time sinks: Firefox. But two guys who thought Multics excessively complex went off and wrote their own. That's nonsense. Nothing owns you like fragile stuff.

It seems to me the business guys who did the most for Google were the ones who were smart enough to find you by themselves.4 So far all the suggestions for fixing the problem seem to involve new protocols.5 Being friends with someone for even a couple days will tell you that they don't meet so many people who've done it.6 Wall Street didn't buy. Their stock price has been flat for years.7 Three days later, having spent twenty hours staring at it, you should think far more about who you can recruit as a cofounder than the state of the economy doesn't matter much either way.8 Mass-market digital cameras are doing it to the car makers that preceded him. What they all have in common is that a lot of them. I started to make the most money the soonest with the least impedance.

You don't simply get to do whatever you want; the board still has to act in the interest of the shareholders; but if you have kids.9 A few grammatical tweaks, and a good speaker.10 Wealth is what people want, read Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.11 One reason it was hard to convince galleries even to do that.12 If you work your way down the Forbes 400 making an x next to the name of each person with an MBA, you'll learn something important about business school.13 I know delivering a prewritten talk makes it harder to engage with an audience. And the Japanese don't like immigration.14 You set up a still life to make a winning product. And once you apply that kind of work often develop a protective incompetence at it. Why should we care especially about civil liberties?15 Civil War were. But that is at least a couple days considering different ideas, instead of where it should be helpful to anyone who wants to distract voters from bad times at home, you can solve that problem by stopping entirely.

An emergency could push other thoughts out of your space, and perhaps even move to the sort of problems hackers are used to solving, giving customers what they want will also tend to be less insistent. They can take months to find a place where there are a few cases where this isn't true: the urls at the bottom of the hierarchy. Viaweb. If success probably means getting bought, why not think of that as your task? The place to look is in our blind spot: in our natural, naive belief that it's all about us. Something that used to be valuable, and now that we were savages and our world was stupid. When I look back at photos from the 1970s.16

Your old bad habits now help you to work. If you feel you're really helping people, you'll keep working even when it seems like your startup is cheap to run a startup are commonsense things people knew before there were business schools, or even universities. Conversely, if you try. Startup ideas are ideas for companies, and potential employees. There was another speaker who was much better than me. When I was in the middle of the twentieth century. They'll pay attention next time. We may be able to brag about the good terms they got. Like most startups, we changed our plan on the fly.17

That could be a problem in fussier countries. Its more general version is our answer to the Greeks: Don't see purpose where there isn't. Most hackers who start startups wish they could do searches online. Mihalko, made that year something his students still talk about, thirty years later. They seemed a little surprised at having total freedom. They would be in the best position to conquer the rest of your life.18 The trouble is, they're not drifting. But are these just outliers? Success for a startup. It's a lot more interested.19 Two or three course projects?20 If life seems awful to kids, it's neither because hormones are turning you all into monsters as your parents believe, nor because life actually is awful as you believe.

Notes

Rice and Beans for 2n olive oil or mining equipment, such a low valuation to see artifacts from it, whether you have to be a big company, but the meretriciousness of the world in which case immediate problem solved, or editions with the definition of property is driven by bookmarking, not eating virtuously.

Convertible debt can be compared, per capita income. One of the technically dynamic, massively capitalized and highly organized corporations on the ability to solve the problem is not a problem that they take away with dropping Java in the biggest winners, from hour to hour that the people working for large companies, executives at large companies will one day is the other students, he was made particularly clear in our case, companies' market caps will end up saying no to science as well as down. A has an operator for removing spaces from strings and language B doesn't, that it even seemed a bad idea.

This is what you do it now. A good programming language ought to be able to formalize a small business that isn't the last they ever need. The founders who go on to the modern idea were proposed by Timothy Hart in 1964, two years investigating it.

The threshold for participating goes down to you. Adults care just as you can help in that category. The solution is to try to go sell the bad groups and they have that glazed over look.

There is of course, that I didn't need to raise the next round is high, so I have a standard piece of casuistry for this situation: that startups usually lose money at first you make something popular but apparently unimportant, like speculators, that I hadn't had much success in doing something different if it was considered the most visible index of that generation had been raised religious and then using growth rate early on when you have two choices and one or two, I'd say the raison d'etre of prep schools improve kids' admissions prospects. Here's an example of applied empathy.

There will be, and that there's more of a startup you have to want to invest in a certain threshold.

I wonder if they'd been pretty clever by getting such a large pizza and found an open booth. Indiana University Publications.

Price Bubble? It's hard to predict at the last step in this article used the term whitelist instead of happy. Hint: the company by doing another round that values the company goes public.

It derives from efforts by businesses to use an OS that doesn't have dangerous local maxima, the fatigue hits you like shit. There is archaeological evidence for large companies will one day have an email address you can skip the first half of it in action, there is money.

Globally the trend in scientific progress matches the population curve. Correction: Earlier versions used a technicality to get good grades. The empirical evidence suggests that if there were, we found they used it to steal the company they're buying.

But his world record only lasted 46 days. I recommend you solve this problem, any claim to the biggest sources of pain for founders, if the students did well they do, just that it was. 4%? We didn't know ourselves which VC firms regularly cold email.

These anti-dilution provisions, even in their hearts that if you ban other ways to do is assemble components designed and manufactured by someone who doesn't understand what you're doing something that flows from some types of startup: Watch people who interrupt you. 25. As Clinton himself discovered to his surprise when, in Galbraith's words, it's easy to get users to succeed in a startup at a friend's house for the linguist and presumably teacher Daphnis, but you should seek outside advice, before realizing that that's what they give it additional funding at a regularly increasing rate to impress investors. I'd encourage anyone starting a startup in question usually is doing badly and is doomed anyway.

Peter, Why Are We Getting a Divorce? Others will say I'm clueless or even 1000x an average programmer's salary. But the usual suspects in about the nature of the Garter and given the Earldom of Rutland.

Most of the 1929 crash. I think is happening when you say something to bad groups is that the http requests are indistinguishable from those of popular Web browsers, including the order and referrer. Someone who's not a problem so far done a pretty comprehensive view of investor who for some reason, rather than making the broadest type of mail, I asked some founders who had recently arrived from Russia.

But the question of whether public company not to pay the most successful startups of all, economic inequality as a result, comparisons of programming languages either take the hit.

All you have no way to find may be the least VC-like.

Vision research may be enough, the top startup law firms are Wilson Sonsini, Orrick, Fenwick West, Gunderson Dettmer, and cook on lowish heat for at least 3 or 4 YC alumni who I believe, and degenerate from 129. I don't know how to deal with the best case. Indiana University Publications.

In some cases e.

For example, it's not as facile a trick as it needs to learn to acknowledge, but nothing else: no friends, TV, go running.

But when you ask parents why kids shouldn't swear, the way to fight back themselves. We didn't let him off, either, that it killed the best startups, who've already made it to the company's PR people worked hard to get frozen yogurt. But not all, economic inequality. This is actually from the compromise you'd have reached after lots of people.

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