#the plan to take marian with them was brilliant actually

[happy-emmdings]

The CS movie is everything. I love time travel plots so much. I love Killian’s logical approach and concern for preserving the continuity of the timeline. I love Emma’s reckless good heart and how she can’t let someone innocent die even if it’s technically history, because she’s not just gonna stand by and watch. I love this dynamic.

#the plan to take marian with them was brilliant actually #ouat 3x22 #cs movie #liveblogging

[lesbiangummybearmafia]

The Gilded Age season 2, episode 1: You Don't Even Like Opera spoliers...

First I have say I'm so happy The Gilded Age is back! I've waiting since they showed us the teaser for season 2, thought I'd lose my mind. But finally...

I'm so glad to see Bertha there in all her glory. Reminding, re-reminding, annoying, giving a headache to especially Mrs. Astor and showing them all they need to be falling under her reign. I definitely think that lovely surprise at the end of her dinner helped greatly. Mrs. Astor was squirming like worm on hook. Which I personally couldn't been happier about. Because some time in first season I completely fell under Bertha's spell I'm good with that still. It's not just that she's attractive because well duh, but it's that she's cunning, brilliant, devilish, crazy intelligent, 6 steps at least a head of anyone else, always has plan, suffers no fools, old money/new money she'll can take you down faster then you snap your fingers. But I do think she's a loyal friend and a good person to those who prove to that her too. So I have very deep affection for her character.

My heart went out to Peggy and her Mom that they didn't get to her son in time. That whole arch just put me in tears time and again. To get that close to her son only to lose him like that was just cruel. I really want to see happiness for her character. I still will never be ok with what her father did but I understand a little more why he did it. Especially back then, they have soften his character which helps to see where he may have been coming from trying to protect his daughter. It would be nice to see Peggy as some point have a relationship with her father again. Her father know the pain he has caused to both his wife and daughter. It's easy to the guilt and pain he himself is feeling.

Same for Marian after what happened last season, I hated watching her fall in love for first time to that low life who didn't deserve her. I doubt it would happen but I think her and Bertha's son Larry would make a wonderful couple. He definitely likes her, we seen that last season. I just like to see happiness for her. I really think Aunt Agnes needs get over Marian teaching water painting to upper class girls at a private school one day a week. Give me a break, it's so not a big deal. Even for back than it's shouldn't be a big deal.

I have such a I like her/I dislike her relationship with Aunt Agnes. All last season I was like this omg one moment I wanted smack her upside the head and next I was nodding my head agreeing with her. I feel it may be another season of that with her.

Then there's Aunt Ada in middle trying to keep to peace or keep the house from burning down. Their like sisters that got custody of an adult teenager which it basically was back then when you had an adult young woman in your house. But I really love Aunt Ada. I know she's always keeping the peace but she did say in episode sometimes yelling could be a good thing so. But she has such a loving heart and she truly wants everyone to find happiness. I'd like to see her get happiness also. I could easily seen her be a wife and mom. So she deserves her own amount of happiness.

Now I know, we all know there is no way that Bertha is going to allow Gladys to marry Oscar. But what I'm trying to figure out is this is that good or bad? Now I see Bertha wanting have what happened with Cora on Downton Abbey, with Gladys ends up marring a English Lord or Duke. Not Oscar Van Rhijn that's for sure. But what about for Gladys at first I was against the idea because shouldn't she find a man that actually want to be in love with her? With Oscar because he's gay that's never a true possibility. But after what Oscar said in episode it got me thinking. Because back then it wasn't like a wife square and equal partner in a marriage. Depending on husband it was expected for the wife to have the husband's opinions on things, to keep in line. Gladys being married to Oscar she would have freedom she most likely never have in any other marriage. But she would also never have romantic love, I definitely think she'd have love with Oscar. Now I'm a lesbian so it is different to say the least but some of my closest friendships have been with gay men. One I consider the brother I never had. So Gladys could have a very deep emotional relationship with Oscar that's love just not romantic. So I'm lost what to think, however Oscar would need to show that wanting to marry Gladys isn't just for his own selfish reasons.

Than the mess with the robber barons. Which I wonder is just ment to mirror so many CEOs, Executives, Studio heads and etc... that are fighting the unions in our own time? I don't know if labor unions started because of robber barons or not. However I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they did. At that meeting with George Russell and the other robber barons is having talking about workers wanting medical care, better housing, better pay, 8 hour work day. While they choke on their own wealth but don't want to give the very people that are making them that wealthy a better life should be definition of greed. Is this how America became the greedy horrible place we now live in? That's why I use the term robber barons instead of successful heads industrialists. One tell everyone plainly what exactly what they were. But in the show it hard to know where place my feelings. Because the show is based somewhat in reality but the Russell's are fictional. But say that George Russell had been a real robber barons of the time. A large part of me wants to hate his character, but the problem is I actually like his character quite a bit. I want to see him put in ethical workplace practices for his workers, I want you see him do the right thing for the people that work him. Now I'm somewhat fearful what the show will have them do. Most likely mirror history no doubt.

Because I'll attempt it I love seeing Bertha in all her gorgeous, insanely beautiful dresses. Their so many of her's I was drooling over in this episode along, (she has the best wardrobe of whole cast). But if we were talking realistically, where is all that money coming from to pay for those dresses and grows. Off the backs off works who live in poverty. Does now, just like then makes so much sense why all jobs and industries need labor unions. But perhaps ultimately that's a part of the show. Because those two very thoughts were fighting against themselves at the same time in US right then. I do like the idea of the Gilded Age making us really think about that.

I'm so looking forward to whole new season!

I'm 100% on Bertha Russell side. She's basically Regina Mills cousin to me, don't ever ask me explain that outside my own mind lol.

Oh yea can't wait to see all the gorgeous clothes.

#the gilded age season 2 #episode 1 you don't even like opera #spoliers #the gilded age #02x01 #bertha russell #marian brook #peggy scott #agnes van rhijn #ada brook #gladys russell #mrs astor #caroline astor #oscar van rhijn #larry russell #george russell #carrie coon

[rebelbyrdie]

I wish you would write a fic where ... Regina and Marian are bridge partners, and there's some cutthroat playing in Storybrooke!

Snow and Emma have joined the new Storybrooke Bridge Club and things get a little out of hand.

Building Bridges

“I don’t get it.”  Emma mumbled for the fourth time.  

Snow sighed.  David would have been a better partner than Emma.  She thought they could join the new Storybrooke Bridge Club to bond while David, Henry and Neal did “man stuff”.  Whatever that meant.

“Its an easy game to learn but impossible to master, Sweetheart.”  She patted Emma’s arm.  “You’ll get it.”

She would if she actually paid attention to her cards or their game.  Emma was watching a game three tables away.  She was specifically watching two of the players.  Regia and Marion were quite the pair.  They were at the top of the leader board.  They were playing against Granny and Marco.  It was a heated match, as Granny and Marco were sitting at a very close number two on the board.  

“Emma.”  Snow needed her daughter to focus on the game.  Not only were they losing, but Marge and Bea were getting annoyed.  

“Oh!”  Emma jerked her head and laid her hand down on the table face up.  Snow dropped her face into her palm.  “You weren’t the dummy hand this game.”  They were already past that phase.  

Emma picked back up her cards sheepishly.  “I mean yeah.  Uh.”  She glanced over the cards on the table and half-heartedly laid down a six of spades.  It wasn’t the suite they were playing or even the trump suite.  They lost the trick to Bea. They were being slaughtered because Emma was too busy staring at Regina to even try to play.  

“Why are they partners?  I thought they would uh not like each other.”  Emma was staring again.  “She’s mad at me, but best buddies with her?  How is that fair?”

Marge rolled her eyes.  Bea snickered. Snow wished that she were anywhere else.

Bea twisted around in her wheelchair to look at them.  “I think they make a good couple.  They bonded over what an asshole Robin is.”

Marge chuckled.  “Madame Mayor’s been hell on wheels lately but Marion can calm her down with a few words.  Her PA keeps her on speed dial.”

Snow felt her eye twitch.  This was not helping!

“Okay, yeah, sure.  I get that.  Do they have to be so buddy-buddy though?  I heard they both walked Roland to school.  Like suddenly they’re co-parenting!  Like divorced Mommies instead of girlfriend in-laws.   I had to fight tooth and nail to even see Henry for a year and I gave birth to him!”

Marge penciled in the scores onto their team cards.  She had a calm and unreadable face.  More suited to poker then bridge.  Snow knew that she was on Regina’s side.  She had been one of her biggest supporters in the Enchanted Forest.  Not that Snow held that against her or anything.  Bea was far more expressive.  She had been one of Regina’s advisors and made no qualms about it.  She looked like she was genuinely enjoying what was happening.  Like she was watching her favorite soap opera in real time.

Snow shook their hands and stood up to walk around a bit.  They had lost the match badly, again.  They were going to be at the bottom of the club.  Maybe not last since Grumpy was half-drunk and his partner, Anton, was too busy chatting with everyone to keep up with the game.

Snow sighed and checked the board to see who their next match was with.  She almost screamed and wondered if she could just forfeit now.  Emma would be useless sitting that close to Regina and Marion.

It took a few minutes for Marion and Regina to finish, and win, their match.  Granny looked sour and Marco disappointed.  Marion and Regina were arm in arm, laughing about something.  

Emma scowled as they walked closer.  Snow sighed.  This was going to be a long match.

For the first time since they’d arrived, Emma paid attention to the cards.  More specifically, she watched Regina’s hands shuffle then deal the cards.  Her fingernails and lipstick were the same shade of red as the back of the cards.  She was wearing black and red, like she had planned to match the cards.  Snow wasn’t blind, Regina was dressed to impress (more like torture and tease) today.  Several eyes, both male and female, had wandered her way.

Snow suspected that Regina had let Marion dress out of her closet too.  She was wearing a vibrant violet wrap dress and heels.  She looked very modern but comfortable, almost smug.  Regina was rubbing off on her.  They had been inseparable since they had both broken up with Robin.

“So you’ve adapted to Strorybrooke pretty quickly, Marion.”  Snow looked over her cards and hoped Emma was at least looking over hers.  “I’m so glad you’re doing well.”

As well as any out-of-time, out-of-realm, recently-resurected, almost divorcee could be doing.  

“It is my second chance.  I am so happy to be here.”  Marion flashed a brilliant smile at Regina. “There are so many miracles here.  I can’t imagine going back.”

Regina chuckled.  “Going back for a year was awful.  I’d forgotten how much I hated chimera and corsets.”

Marion giggled and reached across the table to touch Regina’s arm and spoke in a different language.  Regina’s eyes lit up with a mischievous spark and she replied in the same language.

Emma scowled, “Did you guys invent a special BFF language?”

Marion blinked and Regina cocked a brow.  “Have you never heard of Spanish, Miss Swan?”

“8 Hearts.”  Snow started off the bidding since no one else had bothered.  

“So you both just happen to speak Spanish?”  Emma squinted at them.  “Seriously?”  She shifted in her seat, “I didn’t even know you spoke Spanish.”

Snow did, though she had rarely heard her do so.  She also spoke French, Elvish, Latin and was passable at Agrahbani and Skailling (the language of the Northern kingdom that her mother had come from).

Snow had begged her stepmother for Skailling lessons, but had ultimately found them difficult and boring so she had quit less than two months later.  She had never been a good student and often wondered if Regina had cursed her to be a teacher just for that reason.  

She shook her head and focused on the game.  Someone on their team should at least try to play.

The bidding went fast and ended with Regina being the dummy hand.

“Well, Miss Swan.  I have all my cards-”  She spoke slowly and rubbed her fingers across the top of her hand as she laid it down.  “-on the table.”

Oh My God.  Regina was flirting.  With her daughter.  Right in front of her!  How was she supposed to focus on the tricks when Regina was trying to seduce her baby girl in front of the entire club?!

Snow looked over at Marion and the woman smirked and gave a quick nod.  Like she was in on Regina’s grand plan.  Like she thought it was a grand idea. They were doing this on purpose!

The rounds went quickly, but Emma was so focused on Regina that she rarely put down a card that helped.  Regina and Marion won the game easily.  Emma got the next deal and she shuffled the cards roughly, bending them and mixing them with some faces up and others down.  She corrected them with a grumble and finally dealt them out, counting to thirteen under her breath.  She slapped each card down hard and refused to make eye contact with anyone.

Regina and Marion upped their ante.  Not at Bridge, though.  They were playing an entirely different game.  Marion was intentionally trying to make Emma jealous.  Regina was putting on her best I’m not trying to be sexy I just am naturally irresistible act.  Snow could not believe Emma was falling for it.  The whole thing was middle-school drama club melodrama.  It wasn’t subtle.  For a master manipulator, Regina was certainly being blunt.

Snow wondered if she should stop them.  After a few calming breaths and a few sips of grape soda, she had calmed down a little.  

On the one hand, Regina had been the Evil Queen.  Her mortal enemy, the caster of the darkest curse in the land, etcetera etcetera.  On the other hand, Emma’s other suitor was a morally dubious pirate who drank five times more than he bathed.  

At least Regina was trying to redeem herself.  All Hook did was hang out on the docks, drink and make sexually charged passes at Emma (or any other female he happened to see).

Furthermore, Snow wasn’t deaf, dumb or blind.  Emma and Regina had been dancing around each other from day one.  She wished she didn’t know that, but she did.  In fact, she was starting to wonder if they had already crossed a line or two.   When she really thought about it, the signs were all there.

There had been the time that Emma had all but carried Regina out of the fire.  The way Emma had fought to save Regina from the wraith.  Then there was the way that Regina had been amazed at Emma’s magic.  How she had looked so devastated when Emma had accused her of murder.  They’d disappeared in Neverland a time or two with little to no explanation.  Then there had been the long and longing stars and stilted conversations when they were fighting Zelena.  Not to mention the fact that Regina had tried to remove her heart the second she was separated from Henry and Emma.  How she had spent a year ignoring her “soulmate” and staring off into the distance, like she was thinking about Emma had been more excited to see Regina than her and David.

She rolled her eyes, laid down her card, and gave Regina a small nod.  She wasn’t going to object, but it was not a full blessing either.  It was more of a we’ll see.  She’d leave the threats of bodily harm to David.

During the bids this time, Regina and Marion were far more tactile, leaning into each other’s touches and whispering back and forth in Spanish.  When Regina laughed, she threw her head back and her dark hair swished across her face.

Emma was gripping the edge of the table so hard that her knuckles had blanched white.

Snow looked around and realized that they were the center of attention.  Everyone was watching Regina and Marion torture Emma.  They were all obviously enjoying the show. 

“Nine Spades.”  Marion smiled and leaned over to take Regina’s glass of ginger ale.  She drank deeply.  “Thanks, Sweetie.”

Emma’s face twisted and she stiffened in her seat.  Three lightbulbs at the far end of the community center went bright and then blew out.  It could be a coincidence or Emma’s magic.  Snow bit her lip, but didn’t say anything.  Emma only became more agitated when people pointed out her magic being “temperamental”.

The game went fast but much differently than Snow expected.  They were winning.  Not because she was a particularly great player or because Emma had  suddenly started trying.  No, it was plain to see that Regina and Marion were intentionally throwing the game.  So there would be a third tie breaker game for the match.  They were dragging this out as long as they could.  It was diabolical and just a little bit cruel.  

Snow was pretty sure that no one else was playing.  They were all watching Regina and Emma.  There were the cards on the table and the entirely different game being played out with little smirks and furrowed brows.  The tension was so thick that Snow would need a battle ax to cut through it.

“Pardon me.”  Regina jotted down her team’s intentionally abysmal score on their card.  “I need to visit the powder room before our final game.  May I?”  She stood, not waiting for their answer.

Emma stood up too, faster and way less graceful then Regina had. Her chair screeched back and almost tipped.  “Yeah.  Me too.”

Snow watched Regina sashay towards the ladies room and Emma stomp after her.  Since Emma hadn’t taken a drink of her now warm soda all morning, Snow doubted that she needed to use the facilities.

“Whatever happens in there.”  Snow glared at Marion. “I blame you.”

Marion laughed, which was not the reaction Snow had expected.

“I don’t understand.”  She sounded like Emma now.  “What is going on with you and Regina anyway?”

Marion had been caught up in the war she and Regina had waged.  She would have been executed if not for Emma.  Not to mention there was the whole Robin situation.  Marion should hate Regina, or at the very least not be best friends with her.  

“I know what you’re thinking.”  Marion took a handful of the snack mix that sat on every table.  “I should hate the Evil Queen.”  

Snow nodded and grabbed a couple of chocolate covered nuts for herself.  “But you don’t?”

Marion smiled.  “We both know that Regina is not The Evil Queen.  She’s a completely different person.  Did you know that she came to me a few days after I arrived?”

During the two weeks that she had refused to speak to anyone but Henry?  During those same two weeks that Emma had been beside herself with worry and guilt?

“Robin tried to rush her off, like Regina was the dirty little secret I wasn’t supposed to know about.”  Marion shook her head.  Her voice was quiet and low, far less cheerful than it had been.  “Robin had taken mistresses before.  His code of honor is very flexible when he wants it to be.” 

Snow almost choked on her snack.  What?  

“None of them had dared to come talk to me.  To look me in the eyes.  She wasn’t there to talk to Robin, to convince him to leave me.  She came to talk to me.  I thought she was going to apologize.  I think if she had I might have hit her.”  

Marion looked over at the closed bathroom door.  

“She asked if I was okay.  If I needed anything.”  

Snow blinked.  Again, she hadn’t really expected that.

“Everyone was so excited about my sudden resurrection.  Robin had his wife back.  Rolland had his mother back.  Not a single person had asked me how I felt.  I-it-I cried.  I broke down sobbing and she comforted me.”

Marion picked up the deck of cards and started to shuffle it.  She was moving her hands and fingers, playing with the cards.

“She explained things to me that no one had thought to mention.  Offered to help me find a home.  She explained that here I could divorce Robin without losing Rolland to him.  She asked what I wanted.  She didn’t have any expectations or demands.  She really wanted me to have choices about my new life.  I don’t know what your life was like, Princess, but I’ve never been given a lot of choices.”

Marion paused and looked around the room briefly. “I get to be what I want here, and I want what she has.  A home, a job, a safe place for my son to live, learn and grow.  Love with no judgement.”  

Did Marion harbor love for someone?  If it wasn’t Robin or Regina, then who?  Snow was dying to know.

“So yes.  Regina and I are friends and-”  Marion chuckled.  “-she is a mess.  She is hopelessly in love with Emma.  She doesn’t even like Bridge.  She hates it.  She’s only here to see Emma.  I couldn’t take it anymore.  Even Henry is ready to lock them in a room together and throw away the key.  So we-”

A burst of bright light flooded the building.  There was a small earthquake and hundreds of butterflies suddenly appeared in the room.  They fluttered around and filled the room with a rainbow of colors.

“Well!”  Marion grinned.  “I suppose its mission accomplished, then.”  She looked over at the score cards.  “I wonder if they’ll let us team up since Regina and Emma aren’t going to be spending their Saturday mornings playing Bridge anymore.”

#cpark1899 #asks and answers #ficlet #swan queen #Bonus Marion and Regina #1st time I've written Marion

[especially-in-heaven]

HOW TO TAME AN OUTLAW - Allan A-dale/OC Fanfic

FANFICTION LINK | CHAPTER 1 |

Prologue: A Girl with a flower crown

8th September, In the year of our lord, 1183.

Wrap. Tuck. Pin. And hope for the best. Be careful not to prick your finger.

Or at least that was the advice Elaine had learnt to making a flower crown. Actually, choosing the flowers was the hard part as the colours needed to work together. Yellow daffodils for the base, Elaine Walker smiled with satisfaction, and for decoration, a bunch of lilac's threaded through. Once she tucked the last pin in place, she held it out to herself, turning and twisting to admire her work. The girls were already playing in the field. If she waited any longer, she'd miss the travelling festival through the village, going onto Knighton and with her mother's strict rules, she wasn't to leave the boundaries of Clun.

Three solid raps on the door followed. Sarah was outside. She always made the best crowns. pink roses intwined with ivy. Elaine was meant to ask where did she find such beautiful flowers inside the village?

"'Lainey, are you coming?"

"Just two seconds." She called back, firmly placing the crown on her head and twirling. Before she left, she caught her reflection in the edge of a kitchen knife. Lovely.

She was just about to leave when her sister hobbled up behind her. With sticky fingers, she grabbed the ends of Elaine's white cloak and begged in a whimper, "Can't I come?"

"That's up to mother." She dismissed.

"Mumma says I can come if you'll look after me."

"Ugh, Meghan. I just want to go to the festival. I don't have time to make another crown."

She could see Sarah waiting outside. They planned to go together; she didn't want to keep her waiting so shoved Meghan aside and fled. The festival music chiming from the hills where the cherry trees grew. In the soft wind, the air infested with a confetti of pink petals. For once, Clun Village was charmed with banners and music.

Arms wrapped between one another, her and Sarah giggled together until their legs beat their heads and they started racing to the top. Elaine won, only because Sarah's dress held her down. They joined the fray of other girls dancing merrily to the tunes. The long grass not fazing them, nor the mud already worn down on her white silk dress. Sarah was quickly dragged by the elbow, a nice man with a nice beard twirled her around. Elaine continued to clap to the beat, forgetting completely -as the band continued through the village, up past the cherry trees and into the trees - her promise to her mother.

"This is brilliant!" Sarah found her again, beaming merrily. Her face red from dancing with the stranger, and new addition of rose flowers prickled in her hair. "Why don't we have festivals every day like this."

"Because not every day is Prince Richard's birthday."

Flutes played - Oh god, how she loved flutes. Dancing to its mellow tune until she'd spun so much the world did also. Nothing felt better than the forest pines under her feet, watching as the leaves twisted in circles as she moved her body.

The trees parted and Knighton hall appeared on her left, Elaine jolted to a stop. She'd only just realised how far she'd gone.

Never had she travelled this far without her mother or father. They'd sometimes come to trade her father's crops for wool here. She recognised the market stand. The Apple tree looked familiar. And Maid Marian of course, everyone knew her. Rosy cheeked and gorgeous, merely thirteen years of age. She didn't join in with the dancing, simply observing with a smile until a young boy took her hand. Sir Edward, her father, rolled his eyes and she giggled, already swept away by the boy into the crowd.

Elaine turned her attention back to her current predicament. She hadn't meant to leave the village, but the music and dancing spun her thoughts away until it was too late.

Needling through the crowd of white, she found Sarah. Two men in either hand and spinning so fast it hurt Elaine's eyes.

"Can I steal her for a second?" She asked, fighting back the panic swirling through her head.

Sarah escaped and Elaine pulled her aside. She urged quickly, "How are we going to get back?"

"Back?" Sarah gaped, "I'm not going back, I'm staying with a friend in Nottingham once this festival ends."

"You never told me that!"

"I didn't realise you needed to know."

Elaine slammed her leg down, in a tantrum of frustration. "Well what am I going to do now? I told mother I wouldn't leave the village and I completely forgot! I don't know how to get back to Clun."

"It's easy. Just follow the path back." But the festival was already moved so far past Knighton hall that the forest edge had disappeared around the corner. "Or come to Nottingham with me and we'll travel back tomorrow with my friend's family."

"Mother won't like that."

"She'd rather you be safe," Sarah reasoned sensibly. Rather rushed, Sarah looked back at the festival. It's music and colour radiating the air, and Elaine knew she wanted to get back to it.

"I should start walking," Elaine decided. Already, she'd held Sarah back and her many suitors would be waiting to twirl her around again. The girls were moving fast into the age of trying to find husbands, and for Sarah it was paramount with her recently deceased father to secure financial safety.

"If you want to do that. Just please be careful."

Be careful. Yes – outlaws and beasts lived deep in the heart of Sherwood forest. Elaine wasn't sure what was worse. The tales of yellow eyes monsters, with fangs, leaching on the innocent. So many bedtime stories, that she didn't know if they were tales supposed to be about outlaws or animals.

Sarah was quick to dance back to the party, and Elaine turned with Clun in mind. The forest loomed closer with each step and so did the spike of her heart. Beating. Pumping. The image of outlaws with fangs and patchy skin came to mind. She was sure she saw one or two peeking around the edge of trees – no, that was just her imagination.

They hadn't turned any corners during the dance, had they? She truly couldn't remember and decided to carry on straight with each turn in the road. The forest grew in an arch above her and she couldn't even make out where the sun was to work out her direction. God. Was she lost? Breathe, breathe, breathe… the skies darkened, trees became silhouettes. The constant thought that her mother must be so worried about her, kept her moving. Every whistle of wind, rustle of leaves and owl hoot sent Elaine reeling. She surely hadn't been dancing this long, so why was she walking so far?

"Tom!" Someone hissed. A human voice. An angry human voice.

Elaine jumped. She hadn't heard anything but animal noises for the past hour. She spun, trying to work out where it had come from. She could only see trees. Green blurred around her as he eyes pricked to hear anything even slightly differently-

Something moved. Startled, Elaine stepped back. Without a plan, her body on instinct dashed to the side of path. Maybe if she got to the trees she could hide. Whatever it was, heavy footsteps followed after her. Pinching her eyes shut, preferring not to see whatever it was. Suddenly, a great weight slammed against her. She tumbled forward, head moving faster than her body. Rush of blood swam to her head. Barely managing to catch herself with her hands before she hit the mud.

Roughly, she was pulled around and something hard pushed against her throat. She wanted to scream, but a strange stillness took over her muscles, paralysing her in place.

"Give me all your money!"

"I don't – I don't have any money. Please."

The boy pushed the object harder into her neck.

"I said give over the money!"

He was only a boy, no older than Elaine. His hair ruffled and dirt smudged into his face. If he was an outlaw, he certainly didn't look like the pictures Elaine had painted in her head.

Behind him, another figure approached. I'm outnumbered, she thought in a stir of panic. Thump, thump, thump – was that the sound of another person approaching. No – Just the sound of her heart. She needed to think clearly. Scrunching her nose up to stop the pulsing, she focused on the scene in front of her.

The approaching figure looked similar to the boy, but older. Muscles more defined and beard growing through. Most noticeably, his eyes were a piercing blue. A brother, perhaps?

From the scruff of his neck, he tugged the younger boy on top of Elaine up, like a dog would their pup.

"Tom," the older one growled, "What are you playin' at?"

"What was I playing at?" The boy – Tom – echoed, "I was thinking about getting a decent bed tonight. Or do you wanna sleep on this floor again?"

"Oi, you were the one who ran away from home. I just followed."

Tom jabbed a finger at Elaine. It was then she noticed a knife hadn't been in his hand, but a very blunt stick. She'd been afraid for nothing. "Allan, we wanna live this way, we gotta steal from the people."

"I didn't want to live like this." the older one snapped, clearly irritation by his younger brothers' behaviour. "But she clearly don't have anything. Do you see a purse?"

Whilst they fought, Elaine considered crawling away. However, as the conversation turned to her on the floor, so did their eyes and soon both of them were staring back at her.

"We don't need money, maybe her cloak'll sell for something?"

"Tom, are you thick?"

"What?"

The older one groaned, his eyes popping from his skull. "She's a girl. How's it going to look if we go into Nottingham with a girl's muddy cloak and try and sell it."

Elaine clung the cloak around herself. Her mother had hand stitched this herself and was the most lavish thing she owned… but if it came to it, she'd gladly take it off and give it to them if it meant saving her life. Grabbing at the ties, she undid it and shook it from her shoulders. With trembling hands, she offered it to them.

Neither of them noticed for a minute, still bickering amongst themselves the way siblings do. Then, slowly Tom frowned and took note of the cloak offered to him. Viciously, he snatched it from her grip.

"Ah, see, the girls got some sense. She knows we'll kill 'er otherwise."

The older one snatched it back. "With what? A stick… here, take it." He offered it back kindly, his voice smoothing out as he spoke to her. "We don't want your cloak."

"Allan. That's good money there!"

Elaine shivered, "You're – You're not going to kill me?"

"No," Allan puffed a laugh as if the very idea was ridiculous and was now crouched in front of her. "My brother's the biggest wuss I know, I doubt he'd be able to hurt you."

Tom heaved a huff, "Shut up will you."

"Maybe don't go around, tackling teenage girls then, you idiot."

I just want to go home. Her father's warm embrace was waiting for her, as was her mother's carrot soup. She promised she'd keep it steaming for her. Edging up, she felt confident enough that they wouldn't harm her again, at least while the older brother was there. She made sure to keep him in between them as she rose from her knees.

But as she went to stand, her heel caught the back of her dress and she tripped again. Expecting the hard thud of the forest floor, Allan's arms instead caught her wrists and she remained standing.

"Uh – thank you."

"Look, I'm sorry about my brother. He's a right pain in the arse." Tom rolled his eyes and sulked off into the darkness of the trees. Elaine hoped to never see him again. "Just – uh, please don't tell anyone about this."

If she got out of here without getting killed, she'd be thanking them. Instead of saying this pathetic line, she simply nodded.

Allan mumbled a quite thanks and turned off the forest path to find his brother.

Almost alone again, Elaine spun in confusion. The fading light had gone now and all that was left was a shimmer of moonlight and stars seeping through the trees to guide her way. She didn't even know what way she'd come from.

"Do you…" Finding her voice, she tried again, "Do you know which way Clun is?"

Allan shrugged but looked around as if he'd find a sign that would give him the answer. "I'm sorry, I've got no clue. I'm not from around here. But there was a village just a bit down there that had these pink trees in it."

Delight sprung through her and every ounce of fear she'd just felt immediately evaporated. "Thank you so much!"

"Uh- don't mention it," Allan shrugged, his face darkening in shadow the further he backed away, "Good luck."

"You too," She sung happily. Not bothering to wait around to be attacked again, Elaine sped off, the wind ripping a thousand miles per hour across her ears. She had no intention of being attacked again.

As Clun Village sunk into her vision again, she looked to the sky and said a little prayer for Allan, the blue-eyed wanderer. His brother would surely get him in trouble if he wasn't careful.

#robin hood bbc #bbc robin hood #robin hood #allan a-dale #httao #fanfiction #myfanfic #myedits #how to tame an outlaw #elaine walker #alliene #aka my otp

[a-merman-not-a-guppy]

CHINESE HOROSCOPES 2020! Fruits Basket Style

The Rat - “You're done. Put that down and get out.” - Yuki Sohma

Other Rats: Lymantria Khan, Mateo De Alva

Congrats. It is the year of the rat. The Rat horoscope 2020 predicts that you may be filled with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction even though things will go quite well.He is loyal and devoted to his friends and rather protective of them. He is not really romantic and often is really good friends with his lover. At times he can be mean, stubborn, and narrow-minded in his view but it is merely his way of being a perfectionist and his need to live by his own rules.

Don’t listen, then, to the insidious little voice that will incite you to see things in black. Look at your life with serenity: You’ll realize that, in fact, you’ve absolutely no serious reason to complain or even to worry. Celebrate the many good things you’ve been given.

The Ox - “A mystery...” - Hatsuharu Sohma

Other Oxen: Perry Flynn, Merida Dunbroch, Berlioz Bonfamille, Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines, Charlie Little, Alana Triton, Keaton “Buster” Palmerteri 

2020 will certainly be a lucky year for those born in the Year of the Ox. You’ll be relaxed and feel good about yourself, The Ox chinese horoscope 2020 predicts that in order to amplify the good celestial influences of the year and lessen the negative impacts, it will be in your best interests to take stock of your life and to hatch out new projects. and this beautiful balance will have happy repercussions on your love life.

Some of you might accidentally encounter some supernatural events that are beyond one’s imagination. Whether such meeting is a good omen or not is to be established in the near future. But certainly it brings a new chapter into one’s life. As long as one has an open mind and does not keep thinking of negative consequences, then the situation should be under control. If still in doubt, then one can choose to totally ignore it.

The Tiger - “When I’m...with Onee-chan...I feel warm inside...” - Kisa Sohma

Other Tigers: Kanga DeRosa, Thomas O’Malley, Calliope Harper, Olafur Önnuson, Gregory Eeyore, Marian May, Sindri Dyrsson

Tigers are set to reap the benefits of the Year of the Rat; career and education, in particular, will be the areas to focus on for the next few months. Be confident in your abilities. Use your talents for good; loyalty and intelligence will get you far. On the other hand, health and relationships will not have such a positive outlook. You will need to be sensitive to your well-being and others’ if you want to have a good year.

The Rabbit - “But...I think...I want to live with all my memories. Even if they're sad memories.” - Momiji Sohma

Other Rabbits: Kiara Lyons, Shannon “Shock” Adamson, Bambi Basurto, Sora Hamasaki/Roxas, Reed Fisch, Elyon Brown

The Rabbit horoscope 2020 predicts that in general, the outlook is positive. However, the year will be marked with some tense configurations. In order to preserve your serenity, it would be in your best interest to adopt a well-balanced lifestyle at the very start of the year.Be careful about your diet, and think of getting more fresh air; indeed, you’ll tend to live too much indoors, forgetting to walk or to maintain contact with nature. There’s a whole world out there for you to explore.

The Dragon -  “No I was simply too amazed by your stupidity to say anything.” - Hatori Sohma

Other Dragons: Imelda Rivera, Sun Park, Roscoe Sykes, Jake Long, Marie Bonfamille, Deb DamselBu, Oliver Twistes, Fflewddur Fflam

The Dragon horoscope 2020 predicts that this year, you will become more sure of yourself and assert your originality, especially in your career, where your qualities will be acknowledged by your superiors and colleagues. But you’ll also have the tendency to adopt overly radical positions at times; try to be more moderate.Beware: By refusing to make concessions, you’ll antagonize even those who only want to help you! Expect luck to smile upon you.

The Snake - “So send me your desire. In the service of my fellow students, I am prepared to receive!” - Ayame Sohma

Other Snakes: Kristoff Bjorgman, Violet Parr, Isabel Flores 

The Snake horoscope 2020 predicts that your personal evolution will be highlighted by the Stars this year. You’ll discover new things that interest you and you’ll better understand the direction of your destiny. Many of you will be attracted by all that is related to spirituality. Your natural generosity will express itself usefully in the service of others. Think about this if ever you have an important career choice to make.

The Horse - “And if when everything ends, nothing is left in my hands...that's alright.” - Rin Sohma

Other Horses: Willis Tibbs, Marzel of Coronado, Marisa of Coronado, Gaston Lacarriere, Ralph O’Reilly, Lucius “Lock” Adamson, Ashley Spinelli, Mei Qin, Dash Parr, Haley Long, Urchin Owens, Ashle Boulet, Ashleigh Quinlan, Ariel Triton

The horse horoscope 2020 predicts that the year may be marked with important surprises. Now, as a native of this Sign, you abhor the unforeseen. Nevertheless, it will be in your best interest to act quickly if changes come to disrupt your career schedule. Given the favorable astral configurations of the year, such modifications will play in your favor, on the condition that you take up the challenge. Don’t be doubtful of your abilities; you’ll find the necessary resources within yourself to make the most of changing conditions.

The Goat - "STUPID WOMAN! Always stealing our alone time." - Hiro Sohma

Other Goats: Terra, Nala, Terence, Attina, Ella, Simba, Meg, Finn, Roo, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Ashlee T, Nemo, Wilbur

The year of the Rat will be full of highs and lows for Goats. Having enjoyed a relatively stable previous year, they should expect 2020 to be more dramatic.Goats will have to work harder than usual to capitalize on great financial opportunities during the first half of the year. These resources should then be saved to prepare for the difficult years of the Ox, Tiger, and Rabbit.

In the second half, Goats may face some serious problems that can last a while. These obstacles will require strong persistence and commitment from them. However, they should see this as an opportunity to grow and bring out the best in them. As long as Goats remain optimistic throughout the year, everything should turn out fine.

The Monkey -  "I'm a complete failure. At everything I do, I'm absolutely worthless. I know this, and yet I continue to burden the human race with my presence. “ - Ritsu Sohma

Other Monkeys: Celia, Henry, Jake Rogers

The Monkey horoscope 2020 predicts that this year, you’ll have to make concerted efforts in order to get what you want. Important changes can take place at home or at work, so you need to be prepared. It would be ideal if you could remain confident when you actually feel like sweating. If you act rather than panic, you’ll find brilliant solutions and you’ll triumph over difficulties. Be convinced that life is made of renewals and that upheavals are useful because they allow you to make progress.

The Rooster - “I alone am free. I could go anywhere I please. I could love whomever I wish.” - Kureno Sohma

Other Roosters:  Marlin, Iseul, Adella, Belle, Artemis, Apollo, Jim, Sally, Georgette, Chase

The Rooster chinese horoscope 2020 predicts that this year, your focus will be on the sectors related to relations with others. Thus, it will be in your best interest to think of other people more. Whether in your work, love affairs or family life, don’t make any decisions without foreseeing its consequences on those around you. Good fortune will smile upon you if you put your family and friends first.

The Dog -  “Sometimes I think the whole world is conspiring to destroy my house.” - Shigure Sohma

Other Dogs: Reza, Hera, Minnie, Sarina, Melody, John, Elena

People born in the year of the Dog won’t have to complain about the stars in the year of the Rat 2020, for they will have good luck in most areas of their life. You will need to be patient and tenacious at work. If you’re wise enough to adapt yourself to new challenges that arise, you’ll strengthen your character and develop two key qualities — the art of negotiating and the ability to make sensible choices.

The Pig - “I will forgive him right after I kill him!” - Kagura Sohma

Other Pigs: Hercules, Dodger, Mitte, Jane, Wendy

2020 will be an extremely lucky year for all the people born in the year of the Pig.The pig has the last position among the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The Pig horoscope 2020 predicts that the astral climate will lighten. After a rather chaotic year, you’ll begin to feel better about yourself. However, there are still lessons to learn. First of all, show yourself to be extremely reasonable in all domains of your life. Next, vow to be more selfless. Finally, the more willing you are to modify your plans at the last minute, the better you’ll fare in all aspects of your life.

#bdrptask #i have no regrets #if i missed a character to list as any of these it's either they have a weird birth year or #idk #i missed em #haha i did my best

[hu-meow]

Gentleman Jack 1x02

Episdode 2! Episode. Whatever. It's like the opposite of episode 1, with loooots of Ann(e)s scenes! So, let's get into it, shall we? I mostly skip [over] the side stories, by the way lol...

1) Can I just say how fucking adorkable Miss Ann Walker is when Anne Lister shows up? (don't forget the little nod of the silent 'thank you james') She's nervous, excited, hides a damn newspaper behind the cushion! (which Anne finds later and I just find it hilarious). And then when Ann can barely say "give birth" like it's something dirty and horrible...TOO PRECIOUS. The only thing I love more than Nervous Ann is Hot Mess Ann (but that's not until later. heh.) And, there were two lip licks in the first ten minutes! (07:42 and 08:28)

2) Anne is pretty passionate about science and anatomy when she's explaining it all to Ann, who's literally just soaking it all in, but what got me thinking, is when Anne talks about the brain. She says it's her favorite, how complex it is and all. So I wonder, does Anne find Ann's mental health conditions well, not exactly a challenge, but you know. I suppose intriguing? Obviously she cares about her and wants Ann to get better, but I can't help but think, on some level, Anne was quite curious about Ann's mind in all aspects, and wanted to be there first hand for it all. I'm probably not explaining this very well, as I've went over it time and time again in my head, but hopefully ya'll get the gist of what I'm trying to say about it. And it's nothing negative, to be clear. So, likewise, I think Ann really opened up with Anne, and nearly immediately. As I said in the last post, Ann barely spoke in episode 1, but in this episode, she almost doesn't stop. I love it, and the chemistry between the two women (Suranne and Sophie) is phenomenal. Don't think we could have asked for better.

3) "What do you think Henry?" "Are you a man?" "I'm a lady woman." LOL fuckin kids man. Innocent and pure, and say it how it is. I don't have kids, but I do have nieces and nephews, and they just always crack me up. And they hear EVERYTHING. Henry wasn't talking, at all, and yet when Anne talks to him, he literally repeats everything Thomas Sowden had told him about the little wooden solider. It's a small scene, but I love it, as Anne doesn't interact with kids much throughout the season, but when shes does, she's usually pretty sweet with them. (Though she had just saw the other little guy and his father mistook the "is this yours" for the boy instead of the cart LOL) Also, can we see Anne sword fight in season 2?? For. Reasons??

4) "It is an old farm." (cow moos) LMAO that was just brilliant. Fuckin Marian. She even does a 4th wall break, she has a couple. Though hers are always "ffs, Anne." LOL But that "shed" Anne wants built, that is the same one she takes Ann to next episode, is it not? How da faq that get built so fast?? I mean, granted, it's probably been, maybe two months? Maybe?? So I don't know. The show is very loose with the timeline, well time flow? Random thought.

5) HOLY. FUCK. THE FUCKING. PAPER. FUCKING. KNIFE. Okay, it's not that exciting at first glance, but okay. Imma try to work this out without getting too crazy. SO. First couple times I watched this, I thought for sure, Anne totally broke it on accident. She is in her feels, Ann is about to take off (without her permission, da faq, right?) And Anne has a very strict, exact way she's courting Ann. Anne fidgets with her hands when she's upset (all encompassing word here), so it fell to reason the paper knife was just a product of all that. @/iredreamer had an ask that pretty much covered all that and I very much agreed; accident. HOWEVER. I just recently read another ask by @/thought-i-to-myself and she said hell no, totally a calculated incident. I thought, no, no way. All about the feels. And then I just watched the scene. I STAND CORRECTED. COMPLETELY CALCULATED. But, I don't think Anne meant to actually cut herself. But wow. Anne has game that is now a lost art. Okay, well, probably a bit Sally too, but you know. Damn. It was so good. Anne knows just how to say the right thing, or not enough or push just enough. It's truly amazing how fucking cool this chick is. And Ann eats it up like she's been starved her whole life. (which, I mean, is pretty accurate?) The scene leaves and then comes back, and that's when Anne really kicks it up a notch with the "have you ever kissed anyone" and damn. Poor Ann. She's in so deep and she doesn't even know it. And I think she was already there but again, didn't know it. She is totally "a little bit in love" with Ann, but can't understand the feelings. Well, les-b-honest, she's a LOT in love with Anne LOL. And then, good ol Anne, back peddles on the situation so it gives Ann time to process. And as Ann is looking out the window, smiling like a fucking adorkable fool, holding the bloody handkerchief, I s2g, it almost feels like Ann had a plan to pull Anne into her. Maybe it's just me, but either way, Ann is smug and satisfied asf. (there's a lip lick in one of those scenes, too)

6) Catherine Rawson and her "people" LOL Ann is so determined to know who these "people" are and she gets so damn defensive! (also, another lip lick, of course, because she's thinking about Anne). You stick up for bae, Ann!

7) LOL Anne giving the run down of the upper coal bed! I hate math but that was fantastic. Christopher Rawson is such a little bitch, making his brother Jeramiah do all the dirty work. And he doesn't even want to! But he can't go against his brother. Again, such a little bitch. But I do love his little dog lol Willy? Wally? I can't remember.

8) Blue dress! Again, I think it's the same one. I swear Ann only wears like, the same three dresses in the span of two years. But that's okay. She looks fantastic. I'm not complaining. And okay. so then Anne gives Ann the little gold gondola. It's so tender, and Ann is literally looking at Anne's lips like, the ENTIRE time. Bitch. Be. Thirsty. But, more of that later. She has so many feels and she doesn't even understand them. I can't love her enough, I swear. AND THEN. She lays those wonderful words of wisdom on Anne, and I shit you not, Anne looked like he was about to POUNCE. I honestly don't think Anne was expecting Ann to be nearly as interesting as she turns out to be. Which is why I think Anne falls so hard for Ann. Not just a pretty face, after all. ;)

9) Thomas, Anne's footman, lmao that boy. I swear every time he's called, he's having to fix his attire and he's nearly falling into the doorway. Bless that mess of a boy. He tries, but he's a long ways from becoming Thank-you-James.

10) I love the hat Anne wears to Vere's wedding. Same one she wears when she meets the Queen of Denmark? Unsure. Anyone know? Also, it got me thinking, I'm sure most people in this time, especially the wealthy, had their clothes made for him, yes? Anne's definitely would have had to have been custom made, right? And who dressed her before Eugenie? Wait, Elizabeth, right? But what about Ann? You only ever see Thank-you-James and the carriage driver (Name??) but does she not have a servant to help her dress? She's just unimportant? Hm. More random things I've (over) thought of.

11) Why no Lake District scenes??? That's more into episode 3, but still.. WHY?? Ugh why couldn't this season have 10 episodes instead of only 8. Boo.

RIGHT THEN. Thanks again for sticking around this overly long post of my ramblings. Okay wow this was stupid long. I truly apologize and I'll try to keep it shorter next time.

Counts:

*Anne's 4th wall breaks (ep): 5

**Total: 8

*Ann's lip licks (ep): 5

(07:42; 08:28; 30:36; 40:50; 49:35)

**Total: 6

(Bonus: 3 lip bitings from Ann...hnng)

#gentleman jack #anne lister #ann walker #1x02 #suranne jones #sophie rundle #scene breakdown

[prissyhalliwell]

Summary: Mr. Gold has been working for the dinner theatre company “The Enchanted Forest” for years, performing the same boring show every weekend. Nothing has ever changed, until Belle French joins the cast to play its princess.

~ Winner of Best Mr. Gold in the 2016 TEA Awards ~

Chapter One I Chapter Two I Chapter Three I Chapter Four I Chapter Five I Chapter Six I Chapter Seven I Chapter Eight I Read on AO3

Prompt: They're up on the lights together, both of them needing time away from the rest of the cast.

Prompt: Belle brings in an old photo of her and Gold after a show back when she was in high school and she stayed for autographs. He is delighted she held onto it, but it reminds him of how young she is and, most especially, how old he is.

Chapter Nine

Gold watched in half-amusement, half-concern as Belle paced back and forth in front of him, twisting her notebook in her hands.

They had a meeting scheduled at nine o’clock with Sidney to discuss Belle’s idea. It was only half past eight now, but Belle had made him promise to meet her early, so they could talk things over again. She’d claimed the extra preparation would make her feel better, but Gold was starting to suspect that the extra time was only making her more stressed out.

“What if he doesn’t like the idea?” she asked nervously, pausing to look up at him. “What if he thinks it’s stupid?”

“Then we respect his decision and complain about it in private later.” Gold winked at her, but she didn’t laugh. He reached out and laid a hand on her arm, stopping her before she could start pacing again. “Hey, it’s going to be fine. It’s a wonderful idea.”

When Belle still didn’t look reassured, he gave her arm a gentle pull. He needed to get Belle’s mind off the coming meeting and he had just the thing to do it. “Come along, I have something I want to show you.”

He’d had the idea the other day when he’d been helping Gepetto fix one of the lights. He knew Belle had probably been up on plenty of catwalks during her college theater days, since most theatre courses included some stage crew training.

But to his knowledge, she hadn’t been up on this catwalk.

“Where are you taking me?” Belle asked as he led her backstage.

“I think I know a way to make the meeting seem less scary.”

Belle gave him a skeptical look. “Really? And how are you going to do that?”

He gestured to the spiral staircase behind him. “Fancy a trip up to the grid?”

Belle’s eyes grew wide. “Now?”

“Nothing like being two stories up in the air to put a meeting with your boss in perspective.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but dug her phone out of her pocket, setting it and her notebook on a nearby table. “Alright, I’m ready.”

He set his own phone and wallet on the table as well. It was never a good idea to take any items up on the lights that you didn’t absolutely need. Any employee of the theatre was aware how dangerous a phone or other item could be when dropped from two stories above onto an unsuspecting crew member’s head.

As much as he wouldn’t mind if that person was Killian, he figured it wasn’t worth the lawsuit.

Grabbing a flashlight from the wall, he clipped it to his belt, making sure it was secure before he and Belle began making their way up the staircase.

With Belle following right behind him, he was distinctly aware of how close they were, making him rethink the wisdom of taking her up on the lights. Though it was more dusty than romantic, they’d still be up there all alone.

Suddenly, his brilliant idea didn’t seem so great, after all.

As usual, the stairs seemed to go on forever, but finally they reached the metal catwalk that served as the lighting grid. From there, they could see the arena below them, as well as the front of the stage.

Gold gazed down at the set proudly. No matter how many times he had been up here, he never got tired of seeing it from this view. He probably spent more time walking across that stage than he did in his own house. Far from being his home away from home, Gold realized that in the past ten years, The Enchanted Forest had become his true home.

He was glad he hadn’t quit, and not just because of Belle. Gold never would have forgiven himself if he had left and the company had gone under. He still wasn’t sure what he could do to help, but he would do whatever he could to keep his little theatre going.

He glanced over at Belle, who was busy taking in the view. They stood in silence for several moments, just enjoying the experience. Only a few people were in the building right now, leaving the theatre oddly silent. Most of the stage crew would be in soon, but for now, the two of them had the whole auditorium to themselves.

“It’s like another world up here,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I love the view. I find myself looking at things differently after being up here.”

“I’ve been doing that a lot lately,” Belle said, grimacing. “And that’s without the two-story change in perspective.”

“Anything I can help with?”

She looked over at him, big blue eyes searching his. “I’m...not sure.”

In the low light, he could almost imagine that the way Belle was looking at him meant more than it did. She looked so hopeful, as if he somehow held the key to her happiness.

But that was ridiculous. Only last week she had shot down Marian’s suggestion that they were a couple as a laughable joke.

If so, that didn’t explain why she was looking at him the way she was now. It was almost enough to make him believe that perhaps he had been wrong - maybe there was something there, after all.  

Either way, now wasn’t the time to act on it. If he was wrong, he’d only make things more stressful for Belle before their meeting with Sidney. If he was right...well, he’d hardly want to go to a meeting with Sidney when he could be making out with Belle.

Best to wait in either case until he could be certain. Being safely on the ground probably wouldn’t hurt either. If Belle actually returned his feelings, he could very well swoon to his death from this height.

“We should get going,” he said, breaking whatever spell had fallen upon them. “We don’t want to be late.”

Belle’s expression fell and she nodded. Gold’s heart gave a bit of a flutter. Perhaps he wasn’t just imagining things.

They walked back down to the ground level in silence, concentrating on where they were stepping until they made it safely to the stage.

“I forgot how dusty it is up there!” Belle frowned down at her clothes, brushing them off vigorously. “I look like a dust bunny.”

Gold chuckled as he brushed himself down. “But a very charming dust bunny.”

She shot him a mock glare. “If Sidney starts sneezing during this meeting, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

He held a hand to his heart. “I would deserve nothing less,” he replied solemnly.

Belle rolled her eyes at him, but there was no real annoyance behind it. Gold considered the adventure a success. If his suspicions about Belle’s feelings proved correct, he’d consider it a miracle, as well.

They had just enough time to get to the meeting without having to hurry. As they arrived outside of Sidney’s closed door, Belle grabbed his hand, giving it a quick squeeze.

“Thank you.”

The feel of her skin, soft and warm against his own, momentarily short circuited his brain. “For w-what?” he stuttered.

Her smile sent another wave of warmth through him. “For being you.”

Before he could think of a reply, she gave his hand a quick squeeze and then let it go, raising her hand to knock on Sidney’s door. At their boss’s yell to come in, Gold followed Belle inside, unsure of why he was suddenly much more nervous than he had been only a minute before.

The meeting went smoothly, with both Sidney and Tiana loving Belle’s idea, as he had predicted. He’d known Tiana would jump onboard right away and that she’d tow her father along whether he liked it or not, but Sidney was just as enthusiastic as his daughter.

Once she’d realized her audience was in support, Belle’s nerves had fallen away. They’d spent the rest of the meeting discussing the details and making plans to begin holding classes soon.

As they made their way back to the staff lounge an hour later, Belle let out a tiny squeal, twirling around in place.

“We did it!” she yelled, stepping towards him.

Gold raised his hand, thinking she was moving to give him a high five, and was taken back when she threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely.

“Thank you again,” she said, the sound slightly muffled by his hair.

“Glad to help,” he managed to say, still unsure of where to put his arms. His brain had several ideas that were incredibly unhelpful, so he settled on placing his hands around her lower back.

She pulled back a short time later, smiling sheepishly at him. “We make a really good team, you know.”

He swallowed. “I’ve noticed. Maybe...maybe we could - ”

August stepped out into the hallway, eyeing their embrace. “Practice is this way, folks.”

They quickly dropped their arms, ignoring the smirk on their director’s face and following him to rehearsal. Gold wasn’t sure if he should curse August’s untimely interruption or thank him for it. He wasn’t exactly sure what he had been about to say, which meant he most likely would have stumbled his way through it as usual. No, it would be much better for both of them if he came up with something beforehand. The day would be busy getting ready for the performance, but perhaps after the show had ended, he might be able to steal a few moments with Belle to finish whatever he had been about to say earlier.

His time seemed to come later in the lobby that night as the lines of audience members began to dwindle. He made his way over to Belle, who was talking to the last three fans in her line. He recognized them as the teen girls who had visited previously, and silently hoped that they would be leaving soon so he could talk to Belle alone.

As he drew closer, he saw one of the girls hand Belle an open book. The contents of the book must have surprised Belle, because her eyes grew wide, her mouth forming a small “o”.

“What’s that?” Gold asked, curious about what had caused such a reaction.

Her eyes leapt up to his. “Oh, it’s nothing,” she said, holding what he now recognized as a yearbook closer to her chest. “You wouldn’t be interested.”

The blonde teenager snatched the book out of Belle’s hand and held it up to him excitedly, pointing to a photograph on one page. “It’s a picture of you and Belle!”

Gold’s eyes zeroed in on a teenage Belle standing next to a slightly younger version of himself, clad in his chancellor costume. She looked so young, beaming up at the camera, as the “younger” him, looking old enough to be her father, gave his typical perfunctory smile.

“Splendid,” he said, his stomach sinking. “I’m so glad you showed me this.”

Author’s Note: Apologies to whoever sent in these wonderful prompts! I think Tumblr ate the original asks, so if either is yours please tell me and I’ll give you credit. Also, huge thanks to @b-does-the-write-thing for teaching me about lights. She is the only reason anything in this chapter is accurate.

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #Welcome to the Enchanted Forest #wttef

[apartmentcleaninggxiy189-blog]

The 10-Second Trick For Office Cleaning

iframe width="560" height="315" alt="All about Domestic Cleaning" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tylMfUFB4jc" frameborder="0">

Participant Marian Smith of King, North Carolina, claims she's employed a number of cleaning business throughout the years, but constantly reviews testimonials on Angie's Checklist initially. "I inspect to see if any issues have been lodged, and I constantly ask if the firm is adhered and also insured," she states. Those questions, professionals agree, offer a good beginning.

In addition to recommendations, Ray Smith, owner of Environment-friendly Brilliant Cleaning Solutions in Clermont, Florida, recommends figuring out if the business carries out background checks on staff members, which is a concern our professionals say most property owners neglect. As well as be sure to ask if it will coincide staff cleansing your home every time.

I started a cleaning company business right here in my home community of Toronto back in 2006, it's called Tidy My Room that would certainly have thought!? Over the years, I've learned a great deal about this industry and I intended to answer an inquiry that I obtain asked a whole lot: Just how do I know which cleansing firm to work with? Whether you wish to work with a cleaning company to assist you with a one-off task, a yearly spring tidy, or something on an extra regular basis, there are a couple of things you require to inquire about prior to you choose.

7 Easy Facts About Office Cleaning Explained

" Yet, it's cheaper to hire an under-the-table cleansing lady for cash money!" is something I usually hear. Amusing sufficient, I always encourage individuals to work with that maid if rate is their major issue, and if things go well, keep her close. Yet, when points don't go well, that's when you generate a service firm.

So, right here are 10 things you should consider when you're aiming to hire a cleaning company firm. Start by asking family and friends that they use recommendations offer you a within check out what a business is all concerning not simply what they say on their site (let's be sincere, a business can write anything).

Happy people do not tend to create as several evaluations as miserable people who really feel forced to shower the globe with their terrible experiences. Bear in mind, usually, those evaluations are people utilizing it as a chance to vent, blow a tale disproportionate, or try to damage the credibility of the firm.

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No one is excellent. The other point to keep an eye out for is a company with an ideal rating. I know firms who pay customers to compose reviews for them, so certainly, they're going to be 100% ideal. Regardless, an excellent general rule is to stay clear of a business with all best ratings, prevent the firm with all horrible scores, as well as discover the ones with really consistent high ratings.

A firm should be willing to tell you if they have this protection and also offer duplicates of their policies at your request. Currently, be aware https://cleaning-click.co.il that this includes to the price of operating a solution firm, which is why the rates are higher per hour or per job. Nonetheless, this degree of assurance is valuable, especially when you're letting somebody into your home, and also can eventually be on the hook for something that fails remember, we reside in a litigious globe! For how long have they stayed in business for? Does the company have any kind of honors, certifications, or associations with expert companies? I such as to watch out for this because it makes me feel comforted that a business is credible and worried with their reputation.

These are things we have actually striven to obtain and also tout happily as a company. It shows our staff, customers, as well as possible clients, that we have done whatever we can to provide exceptional service. To give this a little bit extra context, there are a couple of companies below in Toronto that have a poor credibility as well as just fold and re-open under an additional name.

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Does the company take demands or offer a set solution? Just how detailed will they get? Relying on what you wish to be done, inquire regarding what level of solution is offered. If you can customize it as well as work with someone to come as well as tick a bunch of points off your to-do list, or if you just get the very same service each see regardless of what you wish to be done, or, if you can do a combination.

Make certain to ask about damage, damages, and also satisfaction guarantees a company needs to back up its work and its employees. If you're not delighted as a client, what are they prepared to do for you, just how will they make it right? It's just a truth of life points will damage.

This sounds insane, as well as I recognize many companies don't do this. They tell the customer to claim it under their very own house owner's insurance policy, or chalk it up to an inevitable error. If you're not happy with the cleansing, what will the business provide you? A touch-up? A free cleaning? Absolutely nothing? Companies have different plans about this so figure out what choice you have if you're not happy with the degree of solution you have actually received.

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Generally, agreement workers don't appreciate the very same advantages as employees do, neither do they have the exact same kind of oversight. While they're normally less costly to employ, they are most of the times inconsistently trained and are not as trustworthy because the reality is they're "changeable" to a large extent by that I mean that there is little to no investment in their real work product by the firm outsourcing the job, so they can swiftly relocate on to one more contractor while having actually lost little to no investment (training, taxes, advantages, etc.).

Staff members likewise pay tax obligations and also have tax obligations paid on their part by the company, which supports the province or state and also nation you live in. These 2 classifications as well as the legislations bordering them will certainly vary from nation to country. In Canada, I recognize the regulations inside and also out, and our personnel are workers because it is much better for them (regretfully, more expensive and much less lucrative for us!), as well as far better for the nation.

Do they utilize their very own cleaning supplies and also tools, or do you have to supply your very own? We require our clients to supply their very own and, certainly, assist them establish specifically what they require. We offer kits or offer them with a shopping checklist based on their details demands.

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Further, each residence has various needs; pets, individuals, finishes, and whatnot. I'm a huge proponent of utilizing the ideal products and also devices on each surface area, as well as I believe it is far better to offer your very own to reduce as well as decrease cross-contamination as well as potential harm to surface areas. Learn what the policy for terminating or altering your service is.

Many firms charge a cancellation fee since it can be tough to reschedule cleaners in the nick of time, and the business needs to cover off their shed wages. So, if you recognize this information, you can better plan and plan for any scheduling concerns.

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Keeping a house clean can be a perpetual job that consumes much of our leisure time. If life appears to focus on wiping, vacuuming, cleaning as well as altering bedding, employing a professional housekeeping solution in your area may be the solution. This guide covers whatever to get out of a housekeeping or house cleaning solution consisting of package alternatives, what questions to ask and also what they charge.

Fascination About Professional House Cleaning

Depending upon your place or the firm you make use of, these solutions are referred to by numerous names: house cleaner, cleaning solution or housemaid. "House maid" historically described a salaried, live-in staff member of well-off houses who ran the household a lot like a butler. Today, it's just an additional name for a housekeeper. Picking the best solution is a straightforward process of research study and asking the appropriate inquiries.

Find out what services cover. Establish your budget plan and also what you actually need done. Interview solutions and also ask the ideal concerns. Understand what to anticipate when the service begins. Before you select a housekeeper, ask yourself if you truly need it. If what you're trying to prevent is a chaotic mess, you may wish to choose an individual coordinator.

Housemaid service are different and specialized. The majority of service business begin with a base plan after that relocate into specialized continuous or one-time solutions for your details needs. Special home cleaning company are often available for larger tasks such as garages, post-moving or post-construction. Housemaid solutions, staffed by skilled expert cleaner, are available in a wide array of choices including: Regularly set up regular check outs.

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One-time aid on unique occasions. Demanding jobs such as garage or cellar cleansing. Occasions before and also after. Some business likewise offer gift certifications. Residence cleaning up requirements differ significantly based on your house size, place as well as what you truly want and also require. With many large business, you can expect a basic plan with optional services.

Single visits often tend to set you back twice as much as an on a regular basis arranged recurring see. Yet how much is your leisure time worth to you? The average American invests regarding doing chores. House maid services expense a standard of. For independent maids, expect to invest in between considering that they charge between.

You might be priced quote much more per hour for an expert business, yet they usually operate in groups to do the job promptly. Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Regular monthly. Complete Cooking Area Cleansing Complete Shower Room Servicing Vacuuming Dusting Altering Linens Cuisine Addons to the typical package if you require something specific. Laundry Moving furnishings Polishing woodwork Ceilings & light fixtures Window Drape Furniture Flooring waxing Carpet cleansing Consists of anything from common and optional services in seldom used locations or before special occasions.

Fascination About House Cleaning Services

You can also employ a local house maid recommendation network for a mix of both. Independent housekeeper deal with references and referrals offering a reliable service on a budget. You ought to still have these professionals finish http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection&region=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/cleaning company a background check before working with. Bigger organizations evaluate their employees ahead of time. Exact same person whenever Personalized service Prices much less without above Uniformity gradually Guaranteed as well as adhered Background checks completed No employment documentation or tax obligations Dependable Not normally guaranteed Employment kinds to submit No history check Expensive Big crews many employees in your house per hr for someone per hr generally for a group of 2 Similar to any kind of solution that will certainly enter your residence, you'll intend to adhere to a couple of standards.

Prior to working with a service, meeting firms or individuals. Inspect out the questions listed below that you can ask in the meeting Make certain to collect referrals as well as call them. After all, they will have a great deal of accessibility to your home, and you ought to be comfy with them. If they give previous client call details, ask those referrals how satisfied they were with the service specialist's: Punctuality or routine availability, Cleansing abilities and tools, Mindset or job ethic, and Professionalism and trust or trustworthiness.

In some instances, a solution will certainly ask for to use the home owner's materials. If somebody in your house has allergies, consult your cleansing service to discuss particular products that may be advantageous. Prior to any work begins, figure out the exact scope of the services you require. You may likewise intend to discuss added duties over a normal cleansing routine, like laundry.

The Definitive Guide to Cleaning Services Prices

Think about co-creating a checklist of assumptions and responsibilities of the solution. Be extremely details as well as do not expect the professional to know exactly how you desire something done. Spend a couple of minutes reviewing locations you want cleaned up frequently. If it is very important that specific locations obtain special interest each see, direct them out.

See to it you discover a service that is open to personalized demands. Prior to each browse through, be sure to leave a list of trouble locations. The kind of home you own may affect service sees. Accessible car parking locations and coded entrances may produce access barriers that enhance travel time as well as therefore costs.

[onceland]

How 'Indiana Jones' Set the Model for the Future of ABC's 'Once Upon a Time

Showrunners Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis talk with THR about the big risk they're taking by reinventing the ABC fairy tale drama in its seventh season.

Perhaps one of the biggest swings this fall on among the broadcast networks is ABC's big bet on veteran Disney drama Once Upon a Time.

The fairy tale drama lost six core cast members at the end of season six and closed, in show terms, volume one in what's (hopefully) going to be a multiple-volume Once Upon a Time series. On Oct. 6, showrunners Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis will open a new book with a largely fresh cast (and a handful of returning favorites) as the show jumps forward to follow the adventures of an adult Henry (now played by Andrew J. West). That also includes a new version of Cinderella, a new persona for leading lady Lana Parilla and returning favorite Colin O'Donoghue.

And while the ratings for Once — like many other aging broadcast shows — have seen better days, the series boasts a loyal (and vocal) fan base and massive international audience as the show remains a key brand extension for the Disney-owned network.

So while reinventing the wheel is a big risk after losing fan favorites Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison and Josh Dallas, among others, in success, the rejiggered drama could pave the way for another multiple-season run as Once looks to take a page from the Indiana Jones playbook and follow its new hero on multiple adventures.

What's more, the optimistic show about finding goodness in everyone also provides a key piece of counterprogramming to heavier dramas with political undertones (see Scandal, Designated Survivor, among others). "There has to be one place where people can go that it's unabashedly hopeful," Kitsis tells THR of Once. And with a move to family-friendly Friday nights, ABC hopes to have found a way to keep its beloved franchise going strong for years to come.

Below, Kitsis and Horowitz talk with THR about the future of the franchise and inspiration behind its reboot.

Rebooting a show in its seventh season is a big risk, perhaps one of the biggest swings of the fall TV season. Why do this now? Was this always your plan?

Kitsis: We were coming from Lost and Lost was six years and that just felt really perfect. It felt like that was the plan because six felt like what a show ran.

Horowitz: It's not like we ever put a number on it.

Source

And season six is when initial contracts and licensing fees are renegotiated …

Kitsis: We always planned for six years. You look at Marvel and these reboots we were like, "Why can't fairy tales be rebooted? Why can't we be the new Wonderful World of Disney?" Because I love these stories. If we do one version of Cinderella, why can't we do another one seven years later? So for us, it's an experiment but it's one ABC is allowing us to do and that is more exciting than losing half your cast and trying to pretend like we didn't and then say, "Hey it's still Laverne & Shirley, it's just we're in L.A. …"

Horowitz: Because the show deals with magic, it allows so many avenues to reinvent things but also to not abandon what we have done. It has allowed us this great freedom of taking characters that we have loved for years, to keep some of them and then to bring in new ones and mix it up and keep the essence and the spirit of the show alive but go in a new direction. It has been creatively invigorating for us, the writers, the cast and the crew. Everybody is excited; it's a fun, new adventure.

Kitsis: The reason we kept going was because it was still fun and we still enjoyed the world. We were happy to put the other story to bed and write to a finale but then it was still fun to think of, "What if they were in Seattle? And what if this character was this? And what if Henry met a new Cinderella?" We have children now that we actually watch the show with and it feels like there has to be one place where people can go that it's unabashedly hopeful. We're not trying to be cable; we're not trying to be anything other than a show you should watch with your kid. The message at the end is we may go dark but we are never bleak and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. It's just it may take four episodes whereas our audience wants it to be one act.

Horowitz: The show always started with this idea about being hopeful and optimistic. And that oddly felt like the one area in television that wasn't being serviced. That was the genesis of what Once would be. With Lost, in that third season when things were really bleak for all the characters, writing that episode where they found hope made us really realize how powerful a thing that was to make hope a central idea and concept.

As we cover more and more dramas that have an underlying political message in the Trump era — like Scandal ditching a story about Russians hacking the election because that actually happened and the overall concept of Designated Survivor, as well as just the daily news cycle, hope isn't something you see a lot of right now. Your show is very much an alternative to that.

Kitsis: Yes! The show is about the thing we love best about the world: there is unity if we find it and you have to work at it. Once is a show for everyone. And you're right, I am so bombarded by a day-to-day news cycle that is changing and the polarization of the country. You just want a place where everyone says at the end of the day don't we all want the same things? And that is to be happy and maybe there's a better way to get to it.

Horowitz: On a very basic level, the show says if the Evil Queen — the worst person in all of literature and storytelling — can find hope and happiness and goodness in her, and heal her heart, maybe everyone can. It's political without being political. We just want to find that in the world.

Kitsis: We never try to do black and white because the world isn't black and white. A villain can be a hero and a hero can be a villain. To us, the happy endings are the things you always have to fight for. We still love doing this but it was time to move forward. We don't ever want to repeat ourselves because it gets boring. It's a huge roll of the dice but I'd rather do that than just sit comfortably and not be excited about what I do.

Horowitz: We'd rather put a bow on the stories for some of these characters and try something new than just try to drag out their stories. And it felt like we had reached that point where we couldn't drag it out more; we wanted to put the bow on it, send them off in a hopefully beautiful way for the audience and then do something new.

As anthologies continue to become a small-screen staple, you guys have said that there are different multiple books in the Once universe. Is there an opportunity to do a different story each year?

Horowitz: The business has changed in a way in how people are consuming television and how they're consuming stories. Stranger Things, which is brilliant, is a show that when it drops, you're watching a multi-episode movie. You wait the whole year wondering what they're going to do in season two.

Kitsis: What's the sequel?

Horowitz: I love that in their marketing — where it's like Stranger Things II — they're doing it like a movie sequel from the 1980s. Now when we're doing 22 episodes a season, it's a different approach because we are still on every week. We have to walk the line of letting the audience live with these characters who are coming into their homes each week and being part of a bigger story but then also the individual episode stories. With this show, each season is about a new adventure and this new world — and finding a way to balance that with what's happening to these characters on an emotional level — that's how we hopefully can keep our audience invested and hopefully they'll come with us to any kind of crazy place. But it is unusual seeing how TV has changed over the course of our career. And one [formula] isn't better than the other.

So what's a potential season eight? Do Andrew J. West and Dania Ramirez come back or is it a new location again?

Horowitz: Should we be lucky enough to continue on to season eight and beyond, yes, Andrew and Dania, their story — if they survive the season! [laughing] — it would continue on as well. And as would any of our legacy characters.

Kitsis: We grew up Star Wars, Indiana Jones and James Bond geeks and the thing that people love most about our show are these characters. We're going to go to Neverland, Wonderland and then you can take them [somewhere else], which is much more of a movie thing. But then we have to combine that with the 22 episodes.

Horowitz: The Indiana Jones model is very apt. In the first movie he's with Marian, going after the ark. And then you drop him in with Short Round and then he's with his dad. If you think of those as seasons of television, you can see multiple stories with the same character. And then wonder where the next adventure is going to take you. That's the fun for us as writers is each season: seeing where the adventure going to take us.

And you did it in reverse, where you started with Young Indy — as in Henry as a kid.

Horowitz: Exactly!

Kitsis: Yes! We just need to find the temple!

The show is exploring different versions of Cinderella as the character exists in, as you've mentioned, multiple locations. That's a big gamble. How did Disney respond to the idea?

Horowitz: When we pitched the show initially seven or eight years ago, we had to meet with the brand management people at Walt Disney. We have created a Disney cul-de-sac and a place where you can take these characters, bring them in, do different things with them — not mess with the canon of the larger corporate Disney and what these characters are — but it can play in concert with that and have some fun and do different things that feel a little different. There's always been this great license to experiment and they have given us great freedom to do that and to take risks. Is this going to work? We don't know if it will work. We didn't know if it would work when we put a sword in Snow White's hands in the first season, which had never been done before. You don't know.

Kitsis: You can't know if you play it safe. Around season three we started talking to ABC, saying if this show is going on, we feel like after season six, it's a reboot. We said this shouldn't be a 10-year show we're dragging out where Jared Gilmore is 40 years old. We'd been talking to ABC about this idea for three years. And they know this is a risk.

Horowitz: When we actually got down to it last season and sat down with [ABC Entertainment president] Channing Dungey and ABC Studios' Patrick Moran and talked about what we wanted to do and they were right there saying let's take the risk and let's be bold with what the show is. Because if you roll the dice, you can lose — but you can also win if you allow the show to continue and grow and become something new.  

Kitsis: And what we meant with the line was that there are different versions of all fairy tales, be it in Germany and Italy and France. But one of the things that I find interesting about this show is how international it is.

So six more seasons?

Horowitz: Right! Exactly!

Is that the plan for this Once 2.0?

Kitsis: I will be honest with you — right now it's just getting the plane up in the air.

How much does it feel like season one right now?

Kitsis: A hundred percent. We had to really change our thinking because once you get to season six there is an unspoken rhythm between everybody. Now we're back to like, "What does this character wear? What is this set? What does this story do?"

Horowitz: Six years into a show you're encumbered, for better or for worse, by everything that has come before — from wardrobe choices to story choices. Finding this way to rejigger the show has freed everyone from wardrobe to the actors to the writers to do the same show but do it a little differently.

You're moving to Fridays at 8 p.m. this season. Have you thought about leaning into the whole Wonderful World of Disney brand as you look at telling these new chapters?

Kitsis: We have always approached the show with the respect of Wonderful World of Disney. We knew we had their Sunday at 8 p.m. slot so we always carried that on. We are excited about Friday because that's the new Sunday in the sense that a lot of our audience watches the show as a family and they are home Friday. And Sunday now is a different world than it was six years ago. Now, you can watch with your kids before their bed time. And a lot of great genre shows do well there.

Horowitz: What we hope we can do is make Once Upon a Time its own brand that fits in the Disney culture that says when you see Once Upon a Time, you're going to get this kind of feeling. And whether it's with some of the characters you know or new characters, this is the vibe of the show and hopefully it'll continue on as long as people like it.

Once Upon a Time returns Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Will you be watching?

#ouat #ouat spoilers #S7 spoilers #OUAT S7

[lala-kate]

Game On

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12622869/1/Game-OnThis is my first entry for the @oqpromptparty:  Robin and Regina meet and fall in love in their fifties. I do hope you enjoy it, for there are planned additions to this verse as the week progresses. :D

You can read it here or on ff.net.

She’s there every Friday night, perched on the same bleacher in the same aisle, wrapped up in her blue and white blanket even though it’s rather warm for an October evening. He noticed her the first game of the season--how could he not?, what with that dark hair that just teases her shoulders, a strand of which she continually tucks behind one ear, and full lips that are always tinted either a warm burgundy or a deep red. She’s stunning, there’s no question, and he’d hardly be a man, much less a single man if he didn’t notice her.

But she’s a loner in a sea of faces, just like he is. And that’s what draws him to her most.

He really ought to say hello tonight. It wouldn’t take much effort on his part, a mere sliding down and over a few rows, a polite query as to if she’d like a cup of coffee or maybe a hot chocolate. But he holds back, cursing himself for his cowardice as she pulls the blanket even tighter around her petite frame. She’s cold. Perhaps his moving next to her would offer an extra modicum of body heat that would help her warm up.

Just do it, you dolt.

He inhales sharply and decides to make his move, laughing at himself as his knee protests a bit too loudly for his liking, feeling more like his teenage son with his first crush than a fifty-one year old widower who hasn’t been on a date in longer than he can remember. There are similarities, he supposes, and he promises not to laugh at Roland’s unrequited crush on that junior cheerleader again as his own face heats up and his palms begin to sweat.

Here goes nothing.

“May I join you?”

She looks up at him, her eyes such a rich shade of brown they arrest him on the spot.

“No one’s stopping you,” she returns, scooting over a fraction, allowing the leftover warmth of her own body heat clinging stubbornly to the bench to tease him through his jeans.  He’s careful not to sit too close, yet close enough to get a whiff of her perfume, something rich and spicy he suspects hints at her personality.

“My son is number twenty-nine,” he says, pointing towards the sidelines. “He’s a freshman, and new to the school, so he’s not getting much play time just yet.”

“Does that bother you?” she questions, a hint of challenge peppering her voice.

“Not at all,” he returns with a shrug. “Players have to earn their stripes, and Roland is still young and rather inexperienced. But he’s making friends, enjoys being a part of a team and already adores his coach. That’s what’s most important, in my opinion.”

She smiles at that.

“Coach Nolan is young and somewhat inexperienced himself,” she states. “But we’ve seen a major improvement in team morale and performance since he was hired two years ago. The boys like and respect him, and he’s an excellent history teacher.”

“Sounds like he’s the right man for the job, then,” he says, distracted by the manner in which she tugs that stubborn strand behind her ear again. It’s streaked with gray, he realizes, and something primal hits him right in the groin, giving him a partial boner rather embarrassing for a man his age. He crosses his legs, hoping she doesn’t notice even though he suspects that she does.

Yep. She’s smirking at him in a way that makes him want to simultaneously crawl under the bleachers and kiss her senseless. Shit.

One of their boys makes a run down the field, gaining over fifty yards and energizing the crowd. They clap, and he breathes in the cool air, thankful for a moment to settle his middle-aged hormones and get his lower anatomy back in line.

“I’m Robin,” he volunteers after the hubbub dies down. “Robin Locksley.”

“Regina Mills,” she answers, accepting his outstretched hand from beneath her blanket. “You’re not from Storybrooke, are you?”

“No,” he confesses. “My kids and I just moved here over the summer.”

“New job?”

“New everything.”

She raises an eyebrow, and he takes a deep breath.

“My wife died four years ago,” he states, amazed at how he can now speak those words without his voice and demeanor shattering. “Ovarian cancer.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, looking down at her blanket for returning her gaze to him.

“Thank you,” he returns. “We’re moving on with life, day by day, week by week. But it’s been hard on the children and me, and I finally decided it was time for a fresh start for all of us--somewhere new.”

“A second chance?”

“We all deserve one, don’t you think? Especially in a place…”  

He pauses, watching his baby girl clap her hands with her friends on the sidelines in front of the cheerleaders. Her braids bob up and down, and she tosses her head back and laughs, cinching his heart in a manner that lets him know they did the right thing by moving.

“Especially in a place where everything doesn’t remind you of what you’ve lost,” she cuts in, her words hitting home with precision.

“Precisely,” he says, looking at her with interest. “You’ve lost someone, too?”

“My fiance,”  she replies, looking out on the field as their team breaks out of the huddle. “But that was over twenty years ago.”

They’re interrupted by a touchdown, and they both stand and cheer along with the crowd. She’s closer to him when they sit back down, and he smiles, allowing himself to hope that it was a deliberate move on her part.

“Is that what brought you here?” he asks. “To Storybrooke?”

She chuckles.

“I grew up here,” she states. “But losing Daniel is what brought me back home.”

“You wanted to be near your family?” he muses.

“My dad,” she returns. “My mother and I had a somewhat contentious relationship, you might say.”

“Has she passed on?” he asks, noting her use of the word had.

“Three years ago,” Regina says.

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugs.

“It’s okay. I still have my dad, even if he can’t get out much these days.”

“I lost my dad when I was in college,” he offers, applauding after the kicker makes the extra point. “My mum passed right after Abby was born, so it’s just been me and the kids for a while.”

“Abby’s your daughter?” she asks, and he smiles, the way he always does when he thinks of his little girl.

“Yeah,” he returns. “She’s standing down there by the cheerleaders--the one with the messy brown braids and denim jacket.” She’s his sunshine, there’s no question, this second child they’d nearly given up trying to conceive.

“She’s adorable,” Regina says with a smile.

“She’s ten going on sixteen and looks just like her mum,” he returns, thinking of his Marian, thankful he can do so now without searing pain. “Both of my kids do, actually. You wouldn’t know they were mine to look at them.”

She smiles and leans slightly in his direction.

“My son doesn’t look like me at all. Then again, he’s adopted.”

He chuckles, edging a bit closer to her. God, she smells nice.

“Is he on the team?” he asks, scoping the field as the offence takes a break and the defense takes over.

“No,” she responds. “He’s in the band. First chair trumpet.”

The pride in her tone is unmistakable.

“Abby can’t wait to go to middle school so she can join the band,” he says. “She’s determined to play the flute, even though I still have my old saxophone and wouldn’t have to pay for a new instrument if she went with that.”

Her laugh is soft and decadent.

“Isn’t that always the way it is?  Henry wouldn’t touch my clarinet with a ten-foot pole. It was trumpet or nothing for him.”

He nods.

“If he’s first chair, he must be quite good.”

Her smile is broad, her teeth perfection.

“I think he’s brilliant, but then again, I’m his mom.” She pauses to give him an actual once-over. “What do you do for a living, Robin Locksley?”

He rubs the back of his neck.

“I’m a network engineer,” he states. “Currently in charge of electronic medical records across the state of Maine.”

Her eyes widen at this.

“Not that that’s important, or anything.”

He shrugs.

“Somedays it feels like more trouble than it’s worth,” he admits. “But I do get to work from home for the most part, which has been a lifesaver for me as a single dad.”  

She nods and licks those lips of hers, prompting his nether regions to take notice yet again.

“What about you?” he asks. She grins and gives him the side-eye.

“I’m the mayor,” she replies. “Of Storybrooke.”

Shit.

“Not that that’s important, or anything,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck again, his ears heating up at least ten degrees. “Well, I really fucked that up, didn’t I?”

Her devilish grin is delicious.

“You’re new. I’ll give you a pass this time.”

Her face is close now, so close he wants to reach out and caress that marble skin of hers, to lose his fingers in that sumptuous black hair, to press his lips against her temple and breathe all of her in.

“Does that mean I can make a pass at you?” he asks. “We are at a football game, after all.”

Her eyes narrow as she licks her lips again.

“That depends.”

“On?”

“On whether or not you’re prone to fumbling.”

His entire face gets hot in a flash.

“I prefer complete passes to fumbling my own balls,” he counters, figuring in for a penny, in for a pound.

“I’ll bet you do,” she hums, her brow creasing. “So you’re a player?”

“Not in the slightest,” he returns, all bluster deserting him just when he needs it most. “In fact, I’m rustier than I care to admit, especially to a beautiful woman like you.”

She’s quiet for a second.

“Been a while?” she asks, her pert nose just daring him to reach out and touch it. Somehow, he restrains himself.

“Four years,” he admits. “I haven’t wanted to be with anyone--to go out with anyone since my Marian died.” He clears his throat, swallowing hard. “Until now, that is. So this--flirting--is sort of new to me--really new for me, actually.”

She stares at him openly, quirking her brow just so.

“You don’t mince words, do you?”

He laughs.

“I suppose I prefer the bold and audacious approach. That is, if it’s working. If not, I’m game to try something else.”

“Worried I might toss a flag on your play?” she questions, the tease in her voice tickling his insides and squelching some of his concerns.

“I’d have to question the referee,” he counters. “I mean, to understand the reasoning behind the flag.”

“So you’re thorough?” she asks, nearly making him choke on his own saliva.

“Very much so,” he states. “At least I strive to be.”

“And you’re hoping for a touchdown on the first play?”

That hint of challenge is back now, tinged with interest and a wariness that’s only natural.

“No,” he confesses. “I think I’m just as much of a tease as you are.” She looks down and blushes, a sight so adorable it hits him squarely in the gut. “But dinner might be nice”

She blinks a few times, looking back up at him with intensity.

“Do you like Italian?”

“My favorite,” he replies. “Along with Mexican, that is.”

“My enchiladas are passable,” she says. “But I make a mean lasagna.”

He licks his own lips, his stomach fluttering at the turn of their conversation.

“I’ll bet your enchiladas are more than passable,” he grins.

“God, you’re a flirt.”

“Only when it comes to food and sex.”

She tries to squelch her chuckle, making it all the more attractive.

“Keep your chips out of my salsa, Locksley--for now, anyway.”

He grins, and she joins him, their fingers rubbing against each other, their pinkies finally linking together.

“You’re beautiful, you know.”

The vulnerability he’d noticed from a distance steals back over her in a flash.

“I’m getting old.”

“Aren’t we all?”

He pauses to applaud the team as the halftime buzzer sounds and the game comes to a temporary halt.

“I’ll be fifty-two in a few weeks,” he confesses, wondering once again where time has gone.

“So I know I’m older than you are.”

Her gaze is somewhat sheepish.

“I turned fifty. In July. I’m not exactly a spring chicken.”

“You’re gorgeous,” he states. “And I hope you celebrated turning fifty. That’s quite a milestone.”

“To middle age,” she sighs before scrunching her nose in distaste.  “And I had to celebrate, I didn’t have a choice. My family threw me a surprise party.”

Her expression is absolutely adorable.

“I take it you didn’t enjoy it that much.”

She sighs and presses her lips together.

“Too many people, flat beer and a lackluster band. Not exactly my idea of a good time.”

He grins, wishing he could have been there to make it better for her.

“I’m more of a small group kind of person,” he says. “Big crowds exhaust me after a while.”

“Same here,” she states. “Which is why I’m still having a difficult time forgiving my cousin for setting the whole thing up in the first place.” She sighs and leans a little more in his direction. “She’s dating Coach Nolan, just so you know.”

“Who?”

“My cousin Mary Margaret. That’s her, the woman sitting on the bleacher closest to the team with all the signs and noisemakers,” Regina continues, shaking her head. He spies the young  woman in question, her pixie-hair cut streaked with the team colors, holding a blue pom-pom in one hand and a cowbell in the other.

“She’s enthusiastic, it would seem,” Robin muses, earning himself a look he could eat.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Regina mutters.

He pauses, breathing in steadily before taking the final plunge into what could be frigid waters.

“And what about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

He nearly jumps out of his skin when she clears her throat.

“That depends.”

“On?” he questions, swallowing down his nerves.

“On whether or not you like my lasagna.”

He smiles in relief as the band begins moving into position on the sidelines.

“I’ve no doubt that I’ll like your lasagna. In fact, I’m quite certain I’ll want seconds, possibly even thirds.”

“Sticking with bold and audacious, I see,” she replies with a grin.

“That approach would seem to be working,” he returns. “So why fix what’s not broken?”

They sit in silence a few seconds, their pinkies linking once more, and he realizes how natural this feels, sitting here with her like this, watching football, talking about their families, flirting outrageously in public while nobody notices. She’s familiar yet exciting, a combination enticing every cell in his body, making him feel like he’s falling into a part of his life he now welcomes rather than dreads.

“Next Saturday night work for you?”

His pulse takes off before the rest of him can catch up.

“Next Saturday it is,” he manages, trying to hold on to at least some sense of composure. “Shall I bring some wine, or would you prefer flat beer?”

She chuckles before tossing him a glance he’d like to bottle.

“A good red would be lovely. A pinot or a cab, maybe?”

“I have a favorite zinfandel,” he returns, waving to Abby when he notices her trying to locate him in the stands. The girl grins when she spots him and starts to make her way in his direction.

“If you bring zin, I’ll make a chocolate dessert,” she states, casting a glance down to his lap. “Just no fumbling. And watch that tight end of yours.”

He laughs just as his daughter and her best friend begin bounding their way up the bleachers, certain she’s going to ask him for money for refreshments. He pulls out his wallet and retrieves a ten dollar bill before looking over at Regina with a sly grin.

“I’ll do my best. But you can’t blame me if I get carried away and attempt a pass. Especially when you call my almost fifty-two year old ass tight.”

Her resulting laugh makes him warm all over.

“Game on, Locksley,” she hums before standing to applaud as the band takes the field, a proud mother if ever he’s seen one. He grins as he hands the money to Abby, taking the time to introduce her to Regina before she and her friend Ella wave a hasty good-bye and dash towards the concession stand.

Shit, she’s beautiful, and classy, intelligent--is there anything wrong with this woman with whom he’s now sharing a bleacher? Regina tugs the rebellious silver streak back into submission before reclaiming her seat beside him, and he chuckles, thinking that perhaps these middle-aged years might usher in a time of new beginnings and plot twists rather than concluding chapters. God knows he’s ready for someone to shake things up, to add her own spice and challenge into what has become an all too predictable existence, and the brunette to his right would appear to have just the recipe he’s been craving.

Game on, indeed, Mayor Mills.

#Outlaw Queen #oq prompt party #Regina Mills #Robin Hood #Game On #Laura writes

[workfromhomeyoutuber]

You Need A Budget (YNAB): Humbly Confident Email Marketing Automation Specialist

Headquarters: Salt Lake City, UT URL: https://www.youneedabudget.com/

At YNAB, we build the world’s best budgeting software. But teaching people how to get control of their money and changing lives one budget at a time is what gets us up in the morning. In order to teach the masses the YNAB way of budgeting, it requires sending emails...lots and lots of emails (and messages, really). That’s where you come in!

You are an HTML email-crafting savant on wheels. You scorn the decision makers at Microsoft for their implementation of Outlook 2003’s HTML rendering, but you also love the challenge and job security it brings. Also, it was a different time...who knew CSS would be a thing (everybody knew, but still)?

Even though you love getting into the weeds, creating and troubleshooting HTML emails and in-app messages, you also have never met a mind map that you don’t like. You’re building customer lifecycle messaging funnels in your sleep. You’re targeting, triggering and delaying like a procrastinating hunter! You’re fascinated by the user journey and you absolutely love finding new ways to convert, engage, and retain anyone and everyone who comes into the marketing automation orbit.

Requirements (these are real, actual requirements): 

You have a ton of experience using Marketing Automation platforms. We use Braze, but they all have similar rules (Marketo, Iterable, SFMC, Eloqua, etc.). 

You can take a messaging series strategy, develop the emails (we have designers to design them), implement all of automation details, troubleshoot, A/B test and optimize it to a degree that impresses everyone you know and have ever talked to.

You are a highly skilled HTML/CSS email developer. You can (and probably should) use a solid template as a base, but there’s no email client issue you can’t troubleshoot.

Oh, hey, also, it probably goes without saying, but you can make those same emails look amazing on mobile. Are we still using the word “responsive?” You get the idea.

That gives you a pretty good idea of the job, but first, you need to know if you’ll even like working with us. (We think you will.)

A Bit About Us

We build the best budgeting software around, YNAB or “You Need a Budget” if you have a lot of extra time on your hands. For more than a decade, people have been buying YNAB and then telling their friends what a difference it has made in their lives. (Google us, or read some of our reviews on the app store, and you’ll see what we mean.) We love building something that has a huge positive impact on people’s lives.

We’re profitable, bootstrapped, and growing. YNAB started in 2004 and we haven’t taken any outside funding—we’re in it for the long haul. 

We have one overarching requirement when it comes to joining our team: our Core Value Manifesto has to really click with you. If you’re nodding emphatically while reading it, you’ll probably fit right in, in which case, we can’t wait to hear from you! 

First, let’s talk about life at YNAB and then we’ll go into detail about what we’re looking for. 

Who you’d be working with:

Lindsey & The Gang aka the Marketing Team aka just a rag-tag but lovable bunch of underdogs who defy the odds—making budgeting software hilarious, emotional, and accessible—day in and day out. (Disney, are you listening?) 

We love musical theater, board games, stand-up comedy, the Enneagram, video games, and art, to varying degrees, depending on who you talk to first. Our internal Slack channel is so much fun, it has a growing fanbase. 

Lindsey, our Chief Marketing Officer, will be the first to delete something very important, but also the first to celebrate your wins—big and small. Ryan, our Digital Marketing Director, will quickly become your lifeline in any type of bracketology-related emergency and even under website-launch-level-stress, he can sneak in the jokes that make you feel like, “if Dad’s OK, we’ll all be OK.” 

And then there’s, Ben B. and Janelle, who lead out on Community Engagement and Social Media, respectively. They both have huge hearts, and a tangible passion for our customers, plus they are hilarious. Reema, our Marketing Production Manager, keeps all the balls in the air, while wearing many different hats, basically, if there is a need, yo, she’ll solve it (and yes, that was a seamless incorporation of Vanilla Ice lyrics). 

Plus, our brilliant creatives, Lauren and Marian (designers), Tristan (animation), Hannah and Ashley (video), and Rachel (writing) bring everything to life. They are a veritable idea machine who serve to make us look good on a daily basis. What more could you ask for?

More importantly, you get to work with Arturo, our brilliant marketing developer whose mult-lingual humor and je ne sais quoi (I don’t know what that means, but Arturo probably does) will restore all your faith (if you had lost any) in humanity on a daily basis. 

But wait, there’s more! As the sole Email Marketing Automation Specialist at YNAB, you’ll be working with Support reps to craft in-app messages and Product Designers to communicate with beta testing cohorts that help test new features in YNAB. Essentially, you will be the glue that holds together the YNAB email marketing machine (don’t ask us why our machine uses glue instead of, like, bolts and more-machiney-type things).

How You’ll Work at YNAB

We work really hard to make working at YNAB an amazing experience. In fact, we were recently recognized as Fortune's #4 best small company to work for in the United States! We have a team full of truly exceptional people—the kind you’ll be excited to work with. Here’s how we operate:

Live Where You Want

We’re a distributed team, so you can live and work wherever you want. Proximity doesn’t influence productivity. Taylor, our CTO, was traveling who-knows-where for a couple of years before he bought a farm. Up and move to France for a year? Sure, Todd did that. Don’t like France? How about London, where Janelle trotted off to. Tulsa Remote? Can do. Or if you just love LA or Baltimore or Buenos Aires, we’ve got people there, too.  Not all of us move around, but the fact that these folks have is totally okay because we’re all adults. Just make sure you have a reliable internet connection.

No Crazy Hours

We rarely work more than 40 hours per week. There have been a few occasions where things got a little crazy and people had to log some extra hours. But then they took some extra time off, so it all balances out. We work hard and smart but we’re in this for the long haul, no need to go crazy on the hours.

Take Vacation (Seriously)

We want you to take vacation. In fact, we have a minimum vacation policy of three weeks per year. Five weeks feels about right (plus two extra weeks for Christmas break). It’s important to get out and do something. We’ll look forward to seeing pictures of your vacation in our Slack channel, creatively named #office_wall.

The YNAB Meetup

We get the teams together once a year to catch up on spreadsheets and powerpoints in a Best Western conference room. Just kidding. So far, we’ve done Costa Rica, a gigantic cabin in the mountains, a beach house in the Outer Banks, a ranch in Montana, and most recently, Laguna Beach. We work together, play together, and reinforce the bonds we’ve made as a team and company. Every year, we leave refreshed, motivated, and excited for the year ahead together.

Up Your Game

We’re serious about helping you improve your craft. We budget for it (hey-o!). Think conferences, Lynda subscriptions, dedicated time away from work to learn something new… it’s really up to you and your manager. But we love to see our people growing.  

International is Absolutely Oka

If you are Stateside, we’ll set you up as a W2 employee. If you’re international, you’ll be set up as a contractor. Employee or contractor, it’s all the same to us. You’re part of the team. (We are spread all over the world: Switzerland, Scotland, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Canada, and all over the United States.)

If You’re Stateside…

YNAB offers fantastic health, dental, and vision insurance, where we cover 100% of the premium for you and your family. (No need to check your vision, you read that right, 100%. Although if you did need to check your vision, we’ve got you covered!)

We also have a Traditional and Roth 401k option. YNAB contributes three percent whether you choose to throw any money in there or not. It vests immediately. (Are you a personal finance junkie like our founder Jesse? He set up YNAB’s 401k to have the lowest fee structure possible, where all plan costs are paid by YNAB, not your retirement nest egg. The investment funds available are fantastic, passively-managed, ultra low-cost index funds. You’re not a PF junkie? Trust us, it’s awesome.)

Other Tidbits

Once you start, we DEMAND (in a friendly, ALL CAPS IS YELLING way) that you fill out your “Bucket List” spreadsheet with 50 items. (That’s harder than it sounds!) 

The bucket list really helps in deciding what we should give you for your birthday and the holidays.

We have a bonus plan based on profitability. You’ll be in on that from day one. YNAB wins, you win. That kind of thing.

We’re all adults. There’s no need to punch a clock, or ask for permission to take off early one afternoon to go see the doctor (health insurance premium 100% covered!). We look at what you accomplish, not how long you sit (have you tried standing?) in front of a computer.

We want you firing on all cylinders so we’ll set you up with a shiny new computer and replace it every three years.

Did I mention we make a huge, positive difference in people’s lives? You may not think that matters much, but then a few months down the road you’ll realize it’s made your job really, really enjoyable. Don’t underestimate this one!

If this sounds like your ideal environment, read on because now I want to talk about you. You will play a big, big part in helping YNAB customers achieve success. You will change lives. I’ll only say that six more times.

Now, back to you, our new Email Marketing Automation Specialist...

We’re educators and content marketers here at YNAB, and email and in-app messages are the principal way that we teach and engage with our users after they have made the decision to give us a chance. We feel like our content is something that sets us apart from our competitors in an extremely crowded space, so you will be on the front lines, delivering that content (precious cargo). We’re counting on you. You’re our only hope!

You’ll have all of the tools you need to deliver engaging, personalized messages to these new, budding budgeters as they learn how to gain total control of their money. We have writers and designers to help craft the content that you’ll develop. We have full stack developers who will keep all the systems functioning and keep all the data (for targeting) nice and clean.

Now, we need you to develop the emails/messages, set the targeting, configure the triggers and unleash the campaigns into the world.

You are our ideal candidate if you: 

Have at least 3-5 years of experience using Marketing Automation platforms. Braze is preferred, but experience with any similar platform totally works. This probably wouldn’t include some ESP’s like Constant Contact. We’re really looking for more powerful Automation platforms.

Have at least 3-5 years of experience developing responsive HTML/CSS emails.

Are comfortable creating strategies for all phases of the customer lifecycle (acquisition, conversion, retention, winback).

Have some pretty stellar writing skills.

Make us laugh. 

Manage your time exceptionally well and you are comfortable working remotely. 

Incredibly organized, flexible, and collaborative. 

Never met a deadline you didn’t love. 

Self-motivated and driven by nature, maybe even a little competitive. 

Stay laser-focused on the big picture, without losing sight of every. last. detail. 

Wildly productive and independent, but a team-player at heart. 

Bonus Points: 

You already use and love YNAB. 

You are familiar with webhooks and API integrations and might even know a little bit of JavaScript.

You write some pretty amazing email copy, or at least you know it when you see it.

YNAB is an equal opportunity employer. We believe diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences to be critical to our success and are passionate about creating a welcoming, supportive, and collaborative environment for all employees. All are encouraged to apply as we continue to grow a smart, hard-working, and diverse team who love working together to build something that matter

How to Apply

Apply here (https://ynab.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk0q69o) by 11:59PM on March 9th, 2020. Firm. It’s a real deadline. The kind you love.

Attach a pdf of your cover letter. In your cover letter: 

Introduce yourself and explain why this position is of interest to you, and why you would be a great fit. Please limit this section of the cover letter to 1.5 pages. 

On a separate page of your cover letter, answer the following questions (with each response being about a paragraph in length): 

1. What attracted you to this position? (This is not about what attracted you to the software.) 

2. What criteria do you look for when searching for your next company or position? 

3. What are your favorite and least favorite parts of your current job? 

4. Tell us about a time when you had to learn something new to excel at your job. 

5. Tell us about the craziest email client bug/issue that you’ve ever troubleshooted (troubleshot?). What was it? How did you discover it and how did you fix it? What do you do now to make sure you never have to fight it again? 

6. What are some of the differences between emails, messages, and automation strategies that you would implement to convert users vs. those that you would send to retain users? 

If you have a prepared resume, attach it in PDF form. If you don’t have a resume because you aren’t even sure you’re looking to change jobs, that’s fine! An informal list of your work and education history are all we’re looking for.

Please send all attachments as PDFs. 

P.S.  If you’re not interested in or available for this position, but know someone who is, we would really appreciate it if you passed this along!

To apply: https://ynab.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk0q69o

from We Work Remotely: Remote jobs in design, programming, marketing and more https://ift.tt/381DopO from Work From Home YouTuber Job Board Blog https://ift.tt/2VwQZ5M

#WorkFromHome #OnlineJobs #RemoteJobs #Entrepreneur #WorkFromHomeJobs #WorkAtHomeJobs #Self Em

[teefa85]

So...I figure I’m going to just put my thoughts down on how I rate the different battles with Hugo across all versions of the Tales of Destiny Story.  This rates both versions of the game, the Drama CDs (despite the fact that I can’t translate it...I can hear how the characters emote and I do know A LITTLE Japanese), and both mangas related to the Original game (as the only Remake manga is the DC one...and since that’s Leon’s Side that doesn’t have this particular fight to compare).

Under a cut since...I talk a lot...

5.  The Manga I just read.  Yes I know, it’s the most epic version of the fight: both sides have DBZ levels of stamina and recovery (maybe she was watching that as well as Slayers when she made it), they come up with awesome plans for fighting, the team is well in sync to help one another, and Marian actually jumps in to help fight at one point!  But that’s just it...the epicness is basically the big thing it has going for it. I really rate this fight A LOT on the emotional impact it has on me as a reader/player, and Rutee as a character.  When she enters the fight, there doesn’t seem to be much direct talk or mention of the connection (I don’t see the kanji for Father or Daughter anywhere), and his words after the battle are short as well.  Hell...I think the most emotional of them might have been thoughts rather than words, and even if they were said she was paying more attention to her injured comrades at the time and didn’t hear. Besides...Miktran doesn’t revive and Rutee doesn’t get to vent her anger out at him in the end!  Him possessing Marian just isn’t the same.

4.  The Remake.  It has a similar problem of exchanging emotionalness for epicness, but there’s still more emotion to it than the version I just read.  Sure, there is no direct familial mentioning before the fight, however Rutee doesn’t have an almost 1 on 1 talk/rant for it to be absent from.  And Hugo does at least give her some more direct words of affection in the end.  Still...the fact that it’s Miktran who explains more of what was going on than Hugo himself does knock some points off (I have the same problem about the pre-fight with Leon...liking it but preferring how the Original handled it, but that’s another conversation). It does get points for Hugo being weak to Water/vulnerable to Sleep, since it’s like he’s fighting back for Rutee or she’s just that pissed at him!

3.  The Original.  Miktran!Hugo tries to lure Rutee to his side...twice!  Well, one and a half, but still.  It’s creepy when you think that while this is her father physically talking to her, the person actually commanding those words is someone who has harmed him for years. Unlike the previous two, there is something resembling a conversation at the end of the fight.  Besides...Rutee running to grant Hugo’s last request just feels like it gives her more closure than those versions.  Not to mention her trying to pull out a healing spell when the reality of the situation finally catches up to her.

2.  Drama CDs.  Now...this and the Original might switch places if someone with better verbal knowledge of Japanese than me (I can only plug shit into translation software and having Kanji helps narrow it down) takes a swing and I hear what is really going on.  But what I can figure out from context and my limited verbal knowledge suggests it’s the better of the two.  So I’m going with that for now. First off, Rutee rushing in to save Marian and upon getting Hugo’s family revelation mention (regardless of whether or not it’s a “join me and let us rule as father and daughter”), she totally blows him away with a “yeah...Leon already told me that” and it is very amusing to think of King Douchebag groaning at this and Hugo’s trapped consciousness laughing.  Second, the fight includes pretty much the whole party.  Third...Flying Dragon!  His nameless recolor of the move is given the same name as Leon’s version to make that familial connection! Now the after conversation has shades of the Original in how it’s set up, but there are two big things that help to push it over.  One...Hugo brings up “Emilio” and “Chris” at one point which he doesn’t in the original.  Even though he’s concentrating on the one person still alive to apologize/confess to, he does make the time to mention the rest of their family.  And while his gasping final words might be wrong in my mind, I do think I hear “Aishiteiru” and “Musume.”  Ohgod...

1.  The other Manga.  Everything about this just COMBINED the epicness of Numbers 5 and 4, with the emotional impact of 3 and 2!  Of course it would end up on top! You’ve got Rutee appearing early and starting a stall-worthy conversation (while he doesn’t mention the relation exactly, the fact that Marian said he let her escape and he was planning to kill her mere moments before suggests Hugo is having a moment of clarity at the start).  Not to mention him asking Rutee if she’s happy, and the rehash of that CLEARLY shows a loving gaze like a father should have! The fight itself is basically won because of Rutee and her pendant, her photo of herself and her mother.  It gives Hugo some clarity and when Miktran has the brilliant idea of killing the one causing his vessel to resist...it only makes Hugo resist more.  HE FREAKING HELPS HER TO KILL HIMSELF RATHER THAN LET MIKTRAN HURT RUTEE FURTHER!!  That earns it a lot of points! The conversation in the next chapter is not only emotional, but it gives the biggest details on Hugo’s past that any version has given.  Plus, like the Drama CDs, he mentions his wife and son.  Including one of his regrets not having ever given Leon a hug...something the kid clearly needed!  Rutee also is shown reflecting before Miktran revives, which no other version really gives her the chance to do either!

So there you have it.  My ratings of all the fights with Hugo.

#teefa reads untranslated tod manga #using this tag because the manga inspired this convo

[apartmentcleaninggxiy189-blog]

The Definitive Guide to Home Cleaning

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No one is perfect. The other thing to look out for is a firm with an excellent rating. I recognize firms that pay clients to create testimonials for them, so of course, they're mosting likely to be 100% ideal. Regardless, an excellent guideline is to prevent a firm with all perfect scores, stay clear of the business with all dreadful ratings, as well as discover the ones with actually consistent high ratings.

A business should be willing to tell you if they have this protection and also offer copies of their plans at your demand. Now, be aware that this contributes to the expense of operating a solution business, which is why the prices are greater per hour or per work. Nevertheless, this degree of assurance is beneficial, specifically when you're letting someone right into your house, and might ultimately get on the hook for something that fails remember, we stay in a litigious world! How much time have they been in company for? Does the business have any type of honors, accreditations, or affiliations with professional organizations? I such as to keep an eye out for this due to the fact that it makes me really feel reassured that a business is credible and worried with their credibility.

These are things we have actually striven to acquire and tout proudly as a firm. It reveals our team, clients, as well as potential customers, that we have done whatever we can to use remarkable solution. To give this a little bit a lot more context, there are a few companies below in Toronto that have a bad credibility and also simply fold and also re-open under an additional name.

What Does Office Cleaning Services Do?

Does the business take requests or offer a set solution? Just how comprehensive will they obtain? Relying on what you wish to be done, inquire regarding what degree of service is used. If you can customize it and also employ somebody to find and also tick a number of points off your to-do checklist, or if you simply get the exact same service each see irrespective of what you wish to be done, or, if you can do a mix.

Make certain to inquire about breakage, damage, and satisfaction ensures a firm should guarantee its job as well as its workers. If you're not delighted as a customer, what are they prepared to do for you, exactly how will they make it right? It's just a reality of life things will certainly break.

This sounds insane, and I understand lots of firms don't do this. They inform the client to declare it under their very own home owner's insurance coverage policy, or chalk it up to an inevitable mistake. If you're not pleased with the cleaning, what will the company supply you? A touch-up? A totally free cleansing? Absolutely nothing? Companies have various plans concerning this so discover what choice you have if you're not delighted with the degree of solution you have actually received.

More About Janitorial Services

Normally, contract workers don't enjoy the very same advantages as staff members do, nor do they have the very same type of oversight. While they're normally less costly to hire, they are oftentimes inconsistently educated and also are not as reliable since the reality is they're "replaceable" to a large degree by that I indicate that there is little to no investment in their real work product by the company outsourcing the job, so they can promptly go on to another professional while having actually lost little to no investment (training, taxes, advantages, etc.).

Workers likewise pay taxes and also have tax obligations paid on their behalf by the company, which supports the district or state and nation you live in. These 2 classifications as well as the legislations surrounding them will certainly differ from country to country. In Canada, I know the policies in and out, as well as our staff are employees due to the fact that it is much better for them (sadly, extra expensive as well as less lucrative for us!), as well as better for the country.

Do they use their own cleansing supplies as well as devices, or do you need to supply your very own? We require our customers to supply their very own and also, obviously, help them figure out precisely what they require. We sell packages or give them with a buying list based on their details demands.

The smart Trick of Commercial Cleaning Services That Nobody is Talking About

Further, each residence has different requirements; family pets, individuals, coatings, as well as whatnot. I'm a huge proponent of making use of the ideal items and also tools on each surface, as well as I believe it is far better to give your own to reduce and lessen cross-contamination as well as prospective harm to surface areas. Learn what the policy for cancelling or transforming your solution is.

Lots of firms charge a termination cost because it can be hard to reschedule cleaners at the last minute, and also the business has to cover off their lost earnings. So, if you know this details, you can much better plan and plan for any organizing problems.

Indicators on House Cleaning You Should Know

Keeping a home tidy can be a continuous job that takes in a lot of our leisure time. If life appears to rotate around wiping, vacuuming, cleaning and also altering sheets, working with a professional housekeeping service in your area might be the option. This overview covers everything to get out of a housekeeping or house cleaning service including plan options, what questions to ask and also what they charge.

The Best Strategy To Use For Cleaning Services Prices

Depending on your place or the company you make use of, these solutions are described by numerous names: maid, cleaning up solution or maid. "Housemaid" historically described an employed, live-in employee of wealthy residences who ran the house similar to a butler. Today, it's just an additional name for a house cleaner. Selecting the best solution is a straightforward procedure of research and also asking the appropriate concerns.

Learn what solutions cover. Establish your budget plan and what you actually need done. Meeting solutions and ask the appropriate questions. Comprehend what to expect when the solution begins. Prior to you select a housemaid, ask yourself if you actually need it. If what you're trying to stay clear of is a chaotic mess, you may wish to go with an agenda book.

House cleaning solution are different as well as specialized. Most service companies begin with a base bundle after that relocate right into specialized continuous or single solutions for your particular demands. Special house cleaning solutions are typically available for bigger tasks such as garages, post-moving or post-construction. House cleaning solutions, staffed by experienced professional house cleansers, are offered in a large range of options consisting of: Frequently arranged once a week check outs.

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Single support on unique celebrations. Requiring tasks such as garage or cellar cleaning. Events prior to and after. Some companies likewise offer present certificates. Residence cleaning up requirements differ significantly based upon your residence size, location and what you actually desire and require. With the majority of large business, you can anticipate a basic plan with optional solutions.

One-time brows through often tend to set you back two times as much as a consistently set up recurring check out. But how much is your free time worth to you? The typical American spends concerning doing jobs. House maid services price approximately. For independent house cleaners, expect to spend in between since they bill in between.

You might be priced quote extra per hr for an expert firm, however they typically operate in teams to finish the job promptly. Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Monthly. Complete Cooking Area Cleansing Full Shower Room Servicing Vacuuming Dusting Altering Linens Dishes Addons to the conventional package if you require something details. Washing Relocating furniture Sprucing up woodwork Ceilings & lighting fixtures Window Drapery Upholstery Floor waxing Rug cleaning Includes anything from conventional and optional solutions in hardly ever made use of areas or prior to unique occasions.

The 8-Minute Rule for Office Cleaning Services

You can also hire a local housemaid referral network for a mix of both. Independent cleaner service recommendations and also referrals providing a credible service on a budget plan. You ought to still have these professionals complete a background check before hiring. Larger organizations evaluate their workers beforehand. Exact same person every single time Tailored solution Prices less without overhead Consistency gradually Insured as well as adhered History checks completed No work paperwork or tax obligations Reputable Not usually guaranteed Employment kinds to file No history check Expensive Large staffs several employees in your home per hr for someone per hour typically for a group of 2 Much like any service that will enter into your home, you'll desire to comply with a couple of standards.

Prior to employing a solution, interview companies or individuals. Look into the concerns listed below that you can ask in the meeting Make sure to gather references as well as call them. Besides, they will have a great deal of accessibility to your house, and also you ought to fit with them. If they offer previous customer call details, ask those referrals how completely satisfied they were with the service professional's: Preparation or timetable accessibility, Cleaning up abilities and also tools, Attitude or job ethic, and also Professionalism and trust or dependability.

In many cases, a service will request to make use of the home owner's materials. If a person in your family has allergies, consult your cleaning company to review particular items that might be advantageous. Before any job starts, figure out the specific range of the services you need. You may also want to bargain added chores above a normal cleansing regimen, like washing.

5 Easy Facts About House Cleaning Services Explained

Think about co-creating a checklist of assumptions and obligations of the solution. Be really certain and also don't expect the expert to recognize specifically just how you desire something done. Invest a couple of minutes going over locations you want cleaned up consistently. If it is essential that specific locations receive special attention each go to, aim them out.

Ensure you find a service that is open to customized demands. Prior to each browse through, make sure to leave a checklist of issue areas. The kind of house you have may impact service check outs. http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection&region=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/cleaning company Available parking places and also coded gateways may create accessibility barriers that boost traveling time and therefore expenses.

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See This Report on House Cleaning Services

iframe width="560" height="315" alt="Some Ideas on Janitorial Services You Should Know" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SX96glRnTW8" frameborder="0">

Member Marian Smith of King, North Carolina, states she's worked with several cleaning companies over the years, but always reads evaluations on Angie's Checklist first. "I inspect to see if any type of issues have been lodged, and I constantly ask if the company is bonded and insured," she states. Those inquiries, experts concur, supply a great beginning.

In addition to referrals, Ray Smith, owner of Green Brilliant Cleaning Provider in Clermont, Florida, suggests finding out if the firm carries out history checks on staff members, which is an inquiry our specialists say most home Click for source owners forget. And make sure to ask if it will certainly be the same team cleaning your house whenever.

I began a cleansing service business below in my home town of Toronto back in 2006, it's called Tidy My Area that would have believed!? Over the years, I've learned a whole lot regarding this market as well as I intended to respond to an inquiry that I get asked a lot: Just how do I understand which cleansing firm to hire? Whether you wish to work with a cleansing service to aid you with a one-off job, a yearly springtime tidy, or something on a more regular basis, there are a few things you require to ask about prior to you choose.

The smart Trick of Residential Cleaning Services That Nobody is Discussing

" But, it's more affordable to hire an under-the-table cleaning girl for cash!" is something I frequently listen to. Funny enough, I always encourage individuals to employ that cleaning woman if price is their primary worry, and also if things go well, keep her close. But, when points don't work out, that's when you bring in a service business.

So, below are ten things you need to take into consideration when you're wanting to employ a cleansing solution company. Beginning by asking friends and family that they utilize references give you a within check out what a company is all about not just what they claim on their site (allow's be truthful, a business can create anything).

Delighted people don't tend to compose as numerous reviews as miserable individuals that feel urged to bath the globe with their terrible experiences. Bear in mind, frequently, those testimonials are people utilizing it as an opportunity to air vent, blow a story out of percentage, or attempt to harm the credibility of the firm.

Little Known Questions About House Cleaning Company.

No one is ideal. The various other point to watch out for is a firm with a best score. I understand companies who pay clients to compose evaluations for them, so naturally, they're going to be 100% perfect. No matter, an excellent regulation of thumb is to stay clear of a company with all excellent ratings, stay clear of the company with all horrible scores, as well as locate the ones with actually constant high scores.

A business ought to want to inform you if they have this insurance coverage as well as offer duplicates of their plans at your demand. Now, know that this contributes to the cost of running a solution business, which is why the rates are higher per hr or per job. Nevertheless, this level of guarantee is useful, particularly when you're allowing somebody right into your residence, as well as can eventually be on the hook for something that fails remember, we reside in a litigious globe! Just how long have they been in business for? Does the company have any type of awards, certifications, or affiliations with professional organizations? I like to keep an eye out for this since it makes me feel comforted that a company is reliable and worried with their online reputation.

These are things we've striven to acquire and also tout proudly as a firm. It shows our staff, clients, and possible customers, that we have actually done every little thing we can to offer exceptional solution. To give this a little bit a lot more context, there are a couple of firms right here in Toronto that have a negative credibility as well as simply shut down and also re-open under an additional name.

Rumored Buzz on Residential Cleaning Services

Does the business take demands or use a fixed solution? Just how in-depth will they get? Depending on what you intend to be done, inquire regarding what level of solution is provided. If you can personalize it as well as hire a person to come and also tick a number of things off your order of business, or if you simply get the very same solution each visit irrespective of what you intend to be done, or, if you can do a combination.

Make sure to inquire about damage, damage, and fulfillment guarantees a business should stand behind its job and its workers. If you're not delighted as a client, what are they prepared to do for you, just how will they make it right? It's simply a fact of life points will damage.

This seems crazy, and I understand several business do not do this. They tell the client to assert it under their own homeowner's insurance plan, or chalk it up to an inescapable blunder. If you're not happy with the cleansing, what will the business offer you? A touch-up? A complimentary cleansing? Nothing? Business have different policies regarding this so learn what choice you have if you're not pleased with the level of solution you've gotten.

The Of Professional Cleaners

Usually, contract employees don't take pleasure in the very same advantages as employees do, neither do they have the same sort of oversight. While they're usually cheaper to employ, they are many times inconsistently trained and also are not as trustworthy because the fact is they're "changeable" to a big degree by that I mean that there is little to no investment in their actual work product by the company contracting out the work, so they can swiftly carry on to one more specialist while having actually lost little to no financial investment (training, taxes, benefits, and so on).

Staff members additionally pay taxes as well as have actually tax obligations paid on their part by the employer, which supports the province or state as well as country you reside in. These two classifications as well as the regulations bordering them will certainly differ from country to country. In Canada, I understand the rules throughout, as well as our team are employees since it is better for them (sadly, more costly as well as much less successful for us!), and also far better for the nation.

Do they use their very own cleansing supplies and tools, or do you have to supply your very own? We require our customers to provide their very own and, obviously, assist them determine exactly what they require. We offer kits or provide them with a wish list based on their details demands.

How Home Cleaning Services can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

Even more, each residence has various needs; pet dogs, individuals, finishes, as well as whatnot. I'm a huge advocate of making use of the ideal products and also tools on each surface, and I think it is better to give your very own to reduce and lessen cross-contamination and also possible harm to surfaces. Discover out what the plan for cancelling or changing your service is.

Numerous companies charge a termination charge since it can be tough to reschedule cleaners at the last min, and the company needs to cover off their lost salaries. So, if you know this details, you can much better intend and prepare for any organizing issues.

Some Known Details About House Cleaning Services Near Me

Keeping a home clean can be a continuous duty that eats a lot of our http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection&region=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/cleaning company spare time. If life seems to rotate around mopping, vacuuming, cleaning and also transforming sheets, working with a professional housekeeping service in your location might be the option. This overview covers whatever to anticipate from a housekeeping or maid solution including bundle options, what inquiries to ask and also what they bill.

More About Cleaning Services Company

Depending on your place or the company you utilize, these solutions are described by a number of names: house cleaner, cleaning up service or housemaid. "House cleaning" historically described an employed, live-in worker of rich residences who ran the home just like a butler. Today, it's simply one more name for a caretaker. Selecting the appropriate service is a straightforward procedure of research and also asking the appropriate concerns.

Learn what services cover. Establish your budget and what you truly require done. Meeting services and ask the right concerns. Understand what to expect when the service starts. Prior to you choose a house cleaner, ask yourself if you really need it. If what you're attempting to prevent is a cluttered mess, you may intend to go with a pda.

House maid solution are different as well as specialized. A lot of service firms begin with a base package then move right into specialized recurring or single services for your certain requirements. Unique home cleaning services are typically available for larger jobs such as garages, post-moving or post-construction. Maid services, staffed by trained professional house cleansers, are available in a vast variety of alternatives including: Regularly set up weekly brows through.

Not known Incorrect Statements About Office Cleaning Services

One-time aid on special celebrations. Demanding tasks such as garage or cellar cleaning. Events prior to and after. Some firms additionally supply gift certificates. Home cleaning up needs vary significantly based upon your home dimension, place and also what you actually desire as well as require. With most big business, you can expect a standard bundle with optional solutions.

One-time visits have a tendency to cost two times as high as a consistently set up recurring check out. But just how much is your spare time worth to you? The ordinary American invests regarding doing chores. Housemaid solutions cost a standard of. For independent housemaids, anticipate to invest in between considering that they charge in between.

You may be priced quote more per hour for a professional business, but they typically work in teams to finish the job swiftly. Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Month-to-month. Full Kitchen Area Cleaning Up Complete Washroom Maintenance Vacuuming Dusting Transforming Linens Dishes Addons to the typical bundle if you need something specific. Laundry Moving furniture Polishing woodwork Ceilings & lighting fixtures Window Drapery Furniture Flooring waxing Carpet cleaning Consists of anything from typical and also optional services in seldom utilized areas or before unique occasions.

Not known Incorrect Statements About Commercial Cleaning

You can also hire a local house cleaning recommendation network for a mix of both. Independent home cleansers work with referrals and also recommendations supplying a trustworthy solution on a spending plan. You should still have these specialists finish a history check prior to hiring. Larger companies screen their workers in advance. Exact same individual every single time Tailored solution Expenses less without above Uniformity with time Guaranteed and adhered Background checks finished No employment documentation or taxes Reliable Not usually guaranteed Work forms to file No background check Expensive Big staffs lots of workers in your house per hour for a single person per hr typically for a group of two Much like any type of service that will certainly enter into your home, you'll intend to adhere to a couple of standards.

Before working with a solution, meeting business or people. Take a look at the inquiries below that you can ask in the meeting Make sure to gather referrals as well as call them. Nevertheless, they will certainly have a great deal of access to your house, and also you must be comfy with them. If they supply previous client call info, ask those recommendations just how pleased they were with the service specialist's: Punctuality or routine availability, Cleansing skills and also equipment, Mindset or work values, and also Professionalism or dependability.

In many cases, a solution will request to make use of the house owner's products. If a person in your home has allergies, consult your cleaning service to review specific items that may be valuable. Before any kind of job starts, identify the specific range of the services you need. You may additionally desire to negotiate additional tasks above a normal cleaning routine, like washing.

The Basic Principles Of Move Out Cleaning Services

Consider co-creating a list of expectations and duties of the service. Be very details and also don't anticipate the professional to recognize exactly how you desire something done. Invest a few mins going over areas you want cleaned frequently. If it is important that specific areas get special attention each go to, aim them out.

Make certain you find a service that is open to custom demands. Prior to each see, be sure to leave a list of issue areas. The sort of residence you have might affect service visits. Accessible car park areas and also coded gates might produce access barriers that boost travel time as well as thus prices.

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Cleaning Company Can Be Fun For Everyone

iframe width="560" height="315" alt="Not known Details About Housekeeping Services " type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/InKIetGhX2A" frameborder="0">

Member Marian Smith of King, North Carolina, claims she's worked with numerous cleansing business throughout the years, but always reads reviews on Angie's List first. "I examine to see if any kind of complaints have been lodged, and I constantly ask if the company is bonded as well as insured," she claims. Those inquiries, specialists concur, give a good start.

In addition to references, Ray Smith, owner of Eco-friendly Brilliant Cleaning Provider in Clermont, Florida, recommends learning if the company executes background look at staff members, which is a question our experts state most homeowners forget. As well as make sure to ask if it will certainly be the exact same crew cleansing your house every single time.

I began a cleansing service firm below in my residence town of Toronto back in 2006, it's called Clean My Room that would certainly have believed!? Throughout the years, I've found out a whole lot about this market and I wished to respond to a question that I get asked a great deal: Just how do I understand which cleaning firm to hire? Whether you intend to employ a cleaning service to assist you with a one-off job, a yearly springtime clean, or something on an extra regular basis, there are a few things you require to ask about prior to you choose.

The Ultimate Guide To Commercial Cleaning Services

" Yet, it's less expensive to work with an under-the-table maid for money!" is something I frequently listen to. Funny enough, I always encourage individuals to employ that cleaning woman if price is their primary worry, and if things go well, maintain her close. But, when things don't go well, that's when you bring in a solution firm.

So, below are 10 points you ought to think about when you're wanting to work with a cleaning company business. Start by asking good friends as well as household that they utilize recommendations give you an inside check out what a business is everything about not just what they claim on their web site (let's be truthful, a firm can create anything).

Delighted people do not often tend to create as several reviews as unhappy people who really feel urged to bath the globe with their terrible experiences. Bear in mind, sometimes, those testimonials are individuals utilizing it as a chance to air vent, blow a tale out of proportion, or try to harm the online reputation of the company.

Professional Cleaners Can Be Fun For Anyone

No person is best. The various other thing to view out for is a firm with an ideal rating. I know companies that pay customers to write testimonials for them, so certainly, they're mosting likely to be 100% perfect. No matter, an excellent general rule is to prevent a firm with all perfect ratings, avoid the firm with all horrible ratings, and discover the ones with really constant high scores.

A business should agree to inform you if they have this insurance coverage as well as give duplicates of their policies at your demand. Now, realize that this includes to the cost of operating a solution company, which is why the prices are higher per hour or per job. Nevertheless, this degree of guarantee is beneficial, especially when you're letting someone right into your residence, as well as could inevitably get on the hook for something that fails remember, we reside in a litigious globe! The length of time have they stayed in business for? Does the business have any kind of honors, certifications, or affiliations with expert companies? I like to watch out for this because it makes me really feel reassured that a business is trustworthy and concerned with their online reputation.

These are points we have actually worked difficult to get and also promote happily as a company. It reveals our team, customers, as well as prospective customers, that we have actually done whatever we can to supply exceptional service. To offer this a little bit more context, there are a few firms below in Toronto that have a bad credibility and also merely fold and re-open under another name.

6 Simple Techniques For Office Cleaning Services

Does the firm take requests or supply a fixed service? Just how thorough will they obtain? Depending on what you intend to be done, inquire as to what degree of solution is used. If you can personalize it and employ a person to find as well as tick a lot of things off your to-do list, or if you simply obtain the same solution each visit irrespective of what you wish to be done, or, if you can do a combination.

Make sure to ask regarding breakage, damages, and also fulfillment assures a firm ought to stand behind its work and its employees. If you're not satisfied as a customer, what are they prepared to do for you, just how will they make it right? It's simply a reality of life points will break.

This seems crazy, as well as I know several firms don't do this. They inform the customer to declare it under their very own property owner's insurance plan, or chalk it up to an unavoidable blunder. If you're not satisfied with the cleansing, what will the business supply you? A touch-up? A free cleaning? Absolutely nothing? Companies have different plans regarding this so learn what recourse you have if you're not happy with the level of solution you've obtained.

Professional House Cleaning Fundamentals Explained

Commonly, contract workers do not take pleasure in the exact same advantages as staff members do, nor do they have the exact same kind of oversight. While they're normally cheaper to work with, they are commonly times inconsistently educated and also are not as dependable since the reality is they're "changeable" to a huge degree by that I mean that there is little to no investment in their real work item by the company contracting out the job, so they can quickly carry on to one more specialist while having shed little to no financial investment (training, taxes, benefits, and so on).

Employees also pay tax obligations and have actually tax obligations paid on their behalf by the employer, which supports the district or state as well as country you reside in. These 2 categorizations as well as the legislations surrounding them will vary from nation to nation. In Canada, I recognize the policies inside as well as out, and our personnel are employees due to the fact that it is much better for them (sadly, a lot more pricey as well as less lucrative for us!), and far better for the country.

Do they use their very own cleaning products as well as tools, or do you need to provide your own? We require our customers to supply their own as well as, obviously, assist them determine precisely what they need. We offer packages or give them with a shopping list based on their details requirements.

The 10-Minute Rule for Housekeeping Services

Further, each residence has different requirements; animals, people, coatings, and whatnot. I'm a big proponent of making use of the ideal products and devices on each surface area, and also I think it is much better to supply your own to minimize and decrease cross-contamination as well as possible harm to surface areas. Discover what the policy for cancelling or transforming your solution is.

Several companies charge a termination cost due to the fact that it can be difficult to reschedule cleansers in the nick of time, as well as the company has to cover off their lost wages. So, if you understand this information, you can better prepare and plan for any type of organizing problems.

The Facts About House Cleaning Services Revealed

Maintaining a residence clean can be a perpetual task that consumes much of our totally free time. If life appears to https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=cleaning company focus on wiping, vacuuming, dusting as well as changing sheets, employing an expert housekeeping service in your location may be the solution. This overview covers everything to get out of a housekeeping or maid solution including plan options, what questions to ask and what they charge.

Commercial Cleaning Services Can Be Fun For Everyone

Relying on your area or the company you utilize, these services are described by numerous names: housekeeper, cleaning solution or house cleaning. "House cleaning" traditionally referred to an employed, live-in employee of well-off homes who ran the household much like a butler. Today, it's just an additional name for a house cleaner. Choosing the best service is an uncomplicated procedure of study and asking the ideal questions.

Figure out https://cleaning-click.co.il ניקיון דירה חדשה what solutions cover. Determine your budget and what you actually require done. Meeting solutions and ask the best concerns. Understand what to anticipate when the solution begins. Prior to you choose a house cleaner, ask yourself if you actually require it. If what you're trying to prevent is a chaotic mess, you may wish to go with a pda.

Housemaid solution are varied as well as specialized. The majority of solution companies start with a base bundle then relocate into specialized recurring or one-time solutions for your specific needs. Special residence cleaning company are frequently readily available for bigger tasks such as garages, post-moving or post-construction. Maid solutions, staffed by skilled expert residence cleansers, are available in a wide range of options consisting of: Frequently arranged regular check outs.

The 6-Minute Rule for Office Cleaning Services

Single aid on special events. Demanding jobs such as garage or cellar cleansing. Events before and also after. Some companies likewise offer present certifications. Home cleansing demands differ considerably based upon your residence size, area and also what you really want as well as require. With a lot of huge business, you can anticipate a standard bundle with optional services.

One-time gos to often tend to set you back two times as much as a regularly arranged recurring browse through. Yet just how much is your leisure time worth to you? The average American invests regarding doing chores. House cleaning services expense a standard of. For independent housemaids, expect to invest in between given that they charge in between.

You may be quoted more per hr for an expert company, however they usually operate in groups to obtain the work done rapidly. Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Month-to-month. Complete Kitchen Cleaning Up Complete Shower Room Maintenance Vacuuming Dusting Altering Linens Dishes Addons to the common plan if you need something certain. Laundry Moving furniture Sprucing up woodwork Ceilings & light components Home window Drapery Furniture Flooring waxing Carpeting cleaning Includes anything from conventional and optional services in seldom made use of locations or prior to unique occasions.

Getting My Commercial Cleaning Services To Work

You can also hire a regional housemaid recommendation network for a mix of both. Independent home cleaners function on recommendations and also recommendations offering a trustworthy service on a spending plan. You need to still have these professionals complete a background check before employing. Larger organizations evaluate their workers in advance. Same person every single time Tailored solution Prices less without above Consistency with time Insured and also bonded History checks completed No employment paperwork or tax obligations Trustworthy Not generally insured Work types to submit No history check Expensive Huge crews several employees in your home per hr for one person per hr generally for a team of 2 Much like any type of service that will come right into your residence, you'll intend to comply with a few guidelines.

Before employing a service, interview companies or individuals. Inspect out the inquiries below that you can ask in the meeting Make certain to gather recommendations and call them. Besides, they will have a whole lot of accessibility to your house, and also you should fit with them. If they provide previous customer get in touch with info, ask those referrals exactly how completely satisfied they were with the solution professional's: Preparation or timetable availability, Cleaning skills as well as equipment, Perspective or job values, and also Professionalism and trust or credibility.

In many cases, a solution will certainly ask for to make use of the property owner's materials. If a person in your house has allergies, consult your cleaning company to go over particular products that might be helpful. Before any type of job begins, figure out the exact range of the solutions you require. You might additionally want to negotiate added chores over a normal cleaning regimen, like washing.

All about Professional Cleaners

Think about co-creating a listing of expectations as well as responsibilities of the solution. Be very details as well as don't expect the expert to understand exactly how you desire something done. Invest a few mins looking at locations you want cleansed consistently. If it is essential that specific locations obtain special interest each see, aim them out.

Make certain you find a solution that is open to custom demands. Before each see, make sure to leave a listing of trouble locations. The kind of house you possess may impact solution brows through. Available parking places and coded gateways might produce availability obstacles that enhance traveling time and also hence expenses.

[apartmentcleaninggxiy189-blog]

Not known Details About Domestic Cleaning

iframe width="560" height="315" alt="The Single Strategy To Use For Apartment Cleaning" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wri3FbnBpsA" frameborder="0">

Member Marian Smith of King, North Carolina, says she's employed numerous cleansing companies over the years, yet constantly reads testimonials on Angie's Listing initially. "I examine to see if any type of issues have been lodged, as well as I always ask if the business is bonded as well as guaranteed," she claims. Those queries, professionals concur, offer a good start.

In enhancement to referrals, Ray Smith, proprietor of Eco-friendly Brilliant Cleansing Provider in Clermont, Florida, suggests figuring out if the business performs history checks on workers, which is a question our professionals say most homeowners forget. And also make certain to ask if it will certainly be the very same team cleaning your house every time.

I began a cleansing solution firm right here in my residence town of Toronto back in 2006, it's called Tidy My Space who would have believed!? Throughout the years, I've discovered a great deal concerning this sector and also I wished to answer an inquiry that I get asked a lot: Exactly how do I recognize which cleaning firm to hire? Whether you want to hire a cleaning company to assist you with a one-off job, an annual springtime clean, or something on a more regular basis, there are a few things you need to inquire regarding before you choose.

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" But, it's cheaper to employ an under-the-table maid for money!" is something I often hear. Funny enough, I always recommend people to employ that maid if price is their major worry, as well as if points go well, maintain her close. However, when points don't go well, that's when you bring in a service company.

So, below are 10 points you need to take into consideration when you're seeking to work with a cleansing service company. Start by asking family and friends that they utilize references provide you an inside check out what a firm is everything about not simply what they claim on their site (allow's be straightforward, a business can write anything).

Pleased individuals do not have a tendency to create as many evaluations as miserable people that feel compelled to shower the world with their terrible experiences. Remember, sometimes, those evaluations are people utilizing it as a possibility to air vent, blow a tale disproportionate, or try to harm the reputation of the company.

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Nobody is perfect. The various other point to look out for is a business with an ideal rating. I know business that pay customers to compose reviews for them, so obviously, they're mosting likely to be 100% ideal. Regardless, a good general rule is to avoid a firm with all perfect scores, stay clear of the company with all horrible scores, and also find the ones with really constant high scores.

A firm needs to agree to tell you if they have this coverage and offer copies of their policies at your request. Currently, understand that this contributes to the cost of operating a service company, which is why the rates are higher per hour or per work. Nevertheless, this degree of assurance is beneficial, especially when you're allowing a person right into your residence, and also could eventually be on the hook for something that goes incorrect bear in mind, we stay in a litigious globe! For how long have they been in organisation for? Does the firm have any kind of honors, accreditations, or associations with specialist companies? I like to look out for this since it makes me really feel comforted that a company is credible and concerned with their reputation.

These are points we have actually functioned tough to acquire as well as promote happily as a company. It shows our personnel, clients, and also possible customers, that we have done every little thing we can to provide exceptional solution. To give this a bit extra context, there are a couple of business right here in Toronto that have a poor reputation and merely shut down as well as re-open under an additional name.

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Does the firm take requests or supply a set solution? Exactly how detailed will they get? Depending upon what you intend to be done, inquire regarding what level of service is provided. If you can personalize it and also hire somebody ahead as well as tick a bunch of points off your to-do list, or if you just obtain ניקיון דירות the very same solution each browse through irrespective of what you want to be done, or, if you can do a combination.

Make certain to ask about breakage, damages, and complete satisfaction assures a firm needs to back up its work and its workers. If you're not pleased as a customer, what are they prepared to do for you, exactly how will they make it right? It's just a truth of life things will damage.

This appears crazy, and also I recognize numerous business do not do this. They tell the customer to claim it under their very own home owner's insurance coverage, or chalk it up to an inescapable error. If you're not happy with the cleansing, what will the firm provide you? A touch-up? A complimentary cleansing? Nothing? Companies have different plans concerning this so learn what recourse you have if you're not happy with the degree of service you've gotten.

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Normally, contract employees don't delight in the exact same advantages as staff members do, nor do they have the same kind of oversight. While they're normally less expensive to work with, they are commonly times inconsistently educated and are not as trustworthy because the truth is they're "replaceable" to a huge level by that I mean that there is little to no financial investment in their actual job item by the firm contracting out the work, so they can promptly move on to another professional while having lost little to no investment (training, taxes, advantages, etc.).

Workers also pay taxes and have actually tax obligations paid on their behalf by the employer, which sustains the district or state and country you stay in. These two classifications and the regulations surrounding them will certainly vary from country to nation. In Canada, I know the regulations throughout, as well as our team are staff members due to the fact that it is better for them (sadly, more pricey and less profitable for us!), as well as far better for the country.

Do they utilize their very own cleaning supplies and also tools, or do you have to provide your very own? We need our clients to supply their own and, naturally, help them determine exactly what they need. We sell sets or offer them with a buying checklist based on their specific needs.

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Better, each home has various needs; pets, individuals, coatings, and also whatnot. I'm a huge proponent of making use of the appropriate items and also tools on each surface, and I think it is better to give your own to decrease as well as reduce cross-contamination as well as prospective injury to surfaces. Figure out what the plan for terminating or altering your service is.

Many firms charge a termination fee because it can be hard to reschedule cleansers in the nick of time, and also the business has to cover off their lost wages. So, if you know this info, you can better prepare and plan for any scheduling problems.

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Keeping a house tidy can be a never-ending job that consumes much of our downtime. If life seems to revolve around wiping, vacuuming, cleaning and also altering bed linens, working with an expert housekeeping solution in your location may be the solution. This overview covers every little thing to anticipate from a housekeeping or house maid solution consisting of package options, what concerns to ask as well as what they charge.

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Depending upon your place or the business you use, these solutions are referred to by numerous names: caretaker, cleaning service or house maid. "House cleaning" historically referred to a salaried, live-in worker of rich homes that ran the family a lot like a butler. Today, it's simply one more name for a maid. Selecting the ideal solution is a simple process of research study and asking the ideal concerns.

Learn what solutions cover. Establish your budget as well as what you really require done. Meeting solutions as well as ask the ideal inquiries. Recognize what to expect when the solution starts. Before you choose a housekeeper, ask yourself if you really require it. If what you're trying to stay clear of is a messy mess, you may wish to go with a pda.

House maid solution are different as well as specialized. Many service companies begin with a base bundle after that move right into specialized recurring or single services for your details demands. Special residence cleaning company are commonly readily available for larger tasks such as garages, post-moving or post-construction. Maid services, staffed by trained specialist house cleaners, are available in a variety of alternatives including: On a regular basis set up regular check outs.

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Single help on unique celebrations. Requiring tasks such as garage or cellar cleansing. Events prior to as well as after. Some companies likewise offer present certifications. Residence cleansing needs differ considerably based on your residence size, location and what you actually want and also need. With the majority of large companies, you can expect a basic plan with optional solutions.

One-time brows through have a tendency to set you back twice as much as a frequently set up persisting browse through. However exactly how much is your totally free time worth to you? The average American invests about doing duties. House cleaning solutions expense approximately. For independent maids, anticipate to invest in between since they bill between.

You may be priced estimate extra per hour for a specialist firm, but they generally function in teams to obtain the task done quickly. Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Month-to-month. Full Cooking Area Cleansing Full Bathroom Servicing Vacuuming Dusting Transforming Linens Dishes Addons to the conventional package if you require something specific. Washing Relocating furnishings Sprucing up woodwork Ceilings & lights Window Drapery Upholstery Flooring waxing Carpet cleansing Includes anything from standard and also optional solutions in seldom used areas or prior to special events.

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You can additionally employ a local housemaid recommendation network for a mix of both. Independent cleaner service recommendations and referrals giving a trustworthy solution on a budget. You should still have these specialists complete a background check prior to working with. Bigger companies screen their employees in advance. Very same person every time Customized service Expenses less without overhanging Consistency gradually Insured as well as bound History checks finished No work paperwork or taxes Dependable Not generally insured Employment forms to file No background check Expensive Large teams several employees in your house per hour for a single person per hr normally for a team of two Much like any solution that will enter your house, you'll intend to comply with a couple of standards.

Prior to working with a solution, meeting companies or people. Examine out the questions listed below that you can ask in the interview Make certain to collect referrals as well as call them. After all, they will certainly have a whole lot of accessibility to your residence, and you should be comfortable with them. If they supply previous customer get in touch with details, ask those references how satisfied they were with the solution professional's: Preparation or schedule accessibility, Cleaning up abilities as well as equipment, Perspective or work values, as well as Professionalism and reliability or trustworthiness.

In some instances, a solution will request to utilize the property owner's products. If somebody in your house has allergies, consult your cleansing service to talk about particular items that might be beneficial. Before any kind of job begins, figure out the exact scope of the solutions you need. You may also intend to bargain extra jobs above a normal cleansing regimen, like washing.

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Think about co-creating a list of expectations and also responsibilities of the service. Be really specific and also don't anticipate the expert to understand precisely just how you desire something done. Spend a couple of mins going over locations you desire cleaned routinely. If it is essential that specific locations get unique attention each visit, aim them out.

Make certain you find a service that is open to personalized requests. Prior to each see, make certain to leave a list of problem areas. The kind of house you own might affect solution check outs. Accessible vehicle parking areas and also coded gates might create access obstacles that increase travel time and also therefore costs.