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demaury · 6 years ago

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You and me both (1/2)

OR; Lucas meets Eliott's family for the first time and spends his first family weekend in ages. (ao3 link)

SAMEDI, 9:45

“What if they don’t like me?”, Lucas blurts out on their way to the Gare-de-Lyon, and he automatically wants to crush his face against the closest newsstand.

There’s a fine line between being insecure as fuck and being the whiny mess that always complains about it, and most days, Lucas is able to swallow it down until it’s just a churn in the pit of his stomach. Keywords being, ‘most days’.

Eliott spares him a glance, discarding his phone for a while. His grey eyes narrow as his body shifts towards him. “Why on Earth wouldn’t they like you?”

Lucas gives him a look. He doesn’t want to say it aloud, and he doesn’t think he needs to either. There are, in fact, a whole bunch of reasons why the Demaurys could decide on not liking him, the most obvious involving weed, a houseboat and their son running naked in the streets. Thing is, he knows that introducing him to his parents has been on Eliott’s mind for a while now, and- well, they’ve been together for a couple of months now, so it’s only logical for them to take that next step. Except that logic has nothing to do with one’s goddamn insecurities — that’s precisely why they can’t be treated with paracetamol and a gulp of water.

Eliott lets out a small sigh, and pulls him into a hug, wrapping his long arms around his shoulders and resting his chin on top of his head. “I know it’s hard but one day you’ll realize that people not liking you isn’t a default mode.”

Lucas snorts, but right now his face is pressed against Eliott’s collarbones and every single one of his senses is overwhelmed by a wave of Eliott. Thank God no one they know is around, or they’d never let him get away with that — the last time Eliott mentioned that Lucas started crying at the bus stop, everyone became extra obnoxious about it and making stupid jokes about him being a duckling or a baby koala, depending on the day.

“C’mon,” Eliott says, freeing him from the embrace, but cupping his face long enough to peck him on the lips, “time to go.”

Eliott picks up the Adidas travel bag he had set down at his feet, when they had first stopped to check on the time and their platform (seconds before Lucas opened his stupid mouth and made a fool of himself), and reaches to grab his hand. Lucas finds himself smiling, a bit shyly, as they start striding through the crowd. They don’t really hold hands that often, generally Eliott flings an arm around his shoulders and they roll with it, but there’s something both extremely intimate and casual about his boyfriend tangling their fingers together — something that makes him feel warm and protected.

The Gare-de-Lyon is packed with people taking off for the weekend, but they manage to make it on time, and to find a compartment that is as close from quiet as they can hope for. They’ve been sitting for five minutes when Eliott flips his sketchbook open and starts drawing, while Lucas fishes in his backpack to find his earbuds and play some music. Their train ride to Reims isn’t long, about two hours, and in the meantime, Lucas makes a point of remembering the things he knows about the Demaurys without freaking out at the thought of them being, technically, his in-laws — there’s something so adult and mature in these tiny words that make Lucas want to remind everyone he’s just 17.

The family had lived in Paris for most of Eliott’s life, but his father, who had been teaching History at the University of Reims for over a decade, suggested that the family moved there after Eliott had failed to take the BAC. “They thought a change of scenery would be ‘good for me’,” Eliott had explained once, mimicking the quotation marks, then he added: “They had just found out what was wrong with me, so of course after that they wanted to baby-proof everything. We stayed in Reims for the whole summer, Lucille was gone for a family trip abroad, my friends rather wanted me far than close, so… yeah, having my parents bugging me all day long kind of- fucked me up, I guess. They sent me back to Paris the following September and you know the rest.”

Lifting his head off the headrest, Lucas turns to Eliott, suddenly haunted by a thought that just crossed his mind. “What’s your sister’s boyfriend like?”

Eliott glances up from his sketchbook, his back resting against the window of their carriage. As usual, it takes a second for him to leave the little space his mind has gone wandering while drawing, then he shrugs. “Thomas? He’s okay, I guess. We don’t exactly hang out together, you know, because we’re in Paris and there’s this shit-ton of kilometers between us and them, but yeah, if Clémence likes him I think he must be decent on a daily basis.”

That’s so very comforting, Lucas cringes internally. Eliott isn’t really the most observant one when he doesn’t feel like he needs to be (details are overwhelming at times), so it can mean everything and its contrary at this point. He startles when Eliott pokes him on the cheek with his pencil.

“Don’t overthink everything, it’s going to be fine,” he says, grinning. “They’ve asked plenty of stuff about you, and I already told my dad to back off because History isn’t your thing.”

Lucas’ eyes widen in horror. “You’ve told him that I don’t give a fuck about the one thing he cares about the most?” Fuck he’s screwed, he’s not going to make it through the weekend. He wonders briefly what would be the penalty for trying to stop the train, but he guesses reluctantly that it’s probably not worth the shot anyway.

“Lulu, unless you’re saying that the Man in the Iron Mask was either Fouquet or Louis XIV’s twin brother, I very much doubt that it’s going to be enough for my dad to hate you,” Eliott adds nonchalantly, the faint sound of his pencil scrapping against the page of his sketchbook returning. Lucas blinks, and his fingers are already unlocking his phone and nervously typing away when Eliott glances up, eyebrows shooting up. “Oh my god, stop! You don’t have to go all Wikipedia now!”

“But what if it comes up somehow?”

Eliott laughs incredulously. “You seriously think it ever came up with Thomas ‘I work in retail for Kaporal’ Goncet?”

Okay, it seems fair enough to him, and Lucas locks his phone again. “If it does come up, it’s on you,” he threatens, eyeing him warily.

Eliott snorts and leans forward, tucking his sketchbook between his chest and his legs to kiss him on the cheek. He’s right, he shouldn’t be freaking out so much, and that’s a bit annoying, if Lucas is being honest. He just can’t help it, that horrible thought that keeps bubbling in his chest. He’s broke. He’s not able to take care of Eliott. He’s not on speaking terms with his dad, just barely starts making up with his mom, he’s younger and he’s a fucking boy.

It seems like Eliott is sensing that whatever he can say won’t do it, so he just spins around onto his seat, finally sitting correctly, and wordlessly claims one of his earbuds. Lucas’ head finds its natural place onto Eliott’s shoulder, and his boyfriend waits for a total of three songs before fussing to choose the next one, which Lucas allows with a fond eye-roll.

SAMEDI, 12:32

It’s not until after spotting Clémence Demaury and her mom waiting for them at the train station that Lucas realizes how relieved he is that Eliott doesn’t have a bunch of younger siblings.

Don’t get him wrong, kids are fine. But as an only child without many family ties (his mom’s an only child as well and his dad isn’t on speaking terms with his only brother), the closest he’s been from a kid in recent years is Yann’s younger sister (who’s old enough to punch him in the face for even stating she’s a child), and the family of three living two floors away from the flat share.

In short? Children are not exactly his forte, and if you ask him, they are mildly intimidating.

The first interaction with the two women doesn’t go so bad, mostly because they are busy hugging his boyfriend to death for the first five minutes or so.

“Can you- Can you not do that?” Eliott mumbles, trying to get away from his sister’s grip.

“I haven’t seen you in forever, that’s basically my birthright,” Clémence fires back, unapologetic to the last degree as she squeezes her brother even more.

Eliott gives Lucas a pleading glance that makes him chuckle, and instantly there are two more sets of grey eyes drawn on him. He doesn’t really know what Eliott’s dad looks like, but there are already a lot of things Clémence and Eliott have in common that Lucas can track back to their mom, starting with the hair and the eyes. It feels strangely overwhelming, because he’s never really paid much attention to that sort of thing before, but now he just can’t unsee it.

“Lucas, right? I’m Clémence, it’s nice to meet you,” Clémence says with a polite smile. It’s not one of those big-ass grins that make the Demaurys’ eyes crinkling, but right now he welcomes everything that doesn’t involve being yelled at or glanced over as a victory (self-esteem who?).

“Nice to meet you too,” he replies.

Eliott’s mom eyes him a split-second too long — long enough for his heartbeat to start picking up. “Caroline. Nice to meet you.” And without transition she turns to Eliott, her gaze softening before Lucas even has the time to blink. “I was worried you’d get delayed, I’m glad you made it in time sweetie.”

“Let’s get home, I’m starving and Dad will want to hear about the details anyway,” Clémence chimes in.

Oh fuck, that’s just the first half, Lucas thinks, barely holding back a groan. Eliott slings an arm around his shoulders, startling him slightly, and beams at him as they’re heading out for the parking lot.

The trip to the Demaurys’ sees Caroline and her daughter bicker about a variety of things, which allows Eliott and him to talk a little between themselves at the back. It’s the first time he’s finding himself in Reims (the first time in a while he’s leaving Paris at all, to be completely honest), so he just takes some time to glance through the window every now and then to ease himself a bit. Eliott draws soft patterns onto his knee in the meantime, and that’s almost enough to make him forget it’s just the beginning of a very long weekend of basically watching himself and behaving.

Eliott’s parents’ house is located about twenty minutes away from the city, in a quiet neighborhood that doesn’t spark much at first glance; the two-story house itself is rather big and modern-looking, with slate rooftops, white walls and sharp edges. When they climb off the car, a beagle welcomes them, bouncing and enthusiastically yapping.

“Maia, come here,” Clémence calls out, tapping at her lap, and immediately the dog hurries to her side. She pets her a little, then she follows her mother inside, Lucas and Eliott trailing just behind, up the pathway to the front door.

The first thing that shocks Lucas once he steps inside is the nice smell, which, along with the pleasant warmth of the house, hits him in the face in the best kind of way. The entrance is facing the kitchen from across the hall, with the living-room on the left side and a staircase leading up to the upper floor directly to their right. There are a couple of pictures framed on the walls, on the way to the kitchen, or set on display on a console in the main entrance, and Lucas is sure he can spot Eliott on several of them, but he doesn’t dare to take a close look since everyone is already flocking in the kitchen.

As it turns out, Eliott’s mom well and truly seems to be the scariest parent of the two, because when he’s introduced to his boyfriend’s dad, he finds a smiling man in his fifties busy preparing lunch, and who apologies profusely because he needs to wash his hands before greeting him properly. The table is already set in the living-room, and the four of them sit down while Clémence is gone searching for her boyfriend Thomas.

“What is he even doing in the garage?” Caroline asks, cocking an eyebrow.

“He said he had to check something on Clémence’s car,” her husband, Olivier, supplies as he takes a seat next to her at the end of the table. So far, the only things Lucas can pinpoint in him that belongs to Eliott are probably the cheekbones and the sharp jawline, but it’s not like he’s spending his time staring either.

“Let’s hope he’s better with fixing cars than fixing a clogged bathtub,” she mutters. “Did we receive the papers from the insurance already?”

“I don’t think we should be expecting them until next week at best.”

Lucas can’t help himself and his eyes fly immediately to Eliott, who stares at his mother in return. “Mom, don’t start now, Thomas is fine.”

She smiles at him, and it doesn’t take much for Lucas to realize it’s her very special ‘Eliott’ smile. “Of course he is. But let’s be honest, it’s not like Clémence is going to spend the rest of her life with him.”

Lucas’ hands tighten on the edge of the table. What the fuck is he doing here? He doesn’t even know if he should cry or laugh at the situation right now. Cry, probably. Because if Caroline doesn’t really bet on her daughter’s long-term relationship to work out when both she and her boyfriend are fairly close from adulthood, how on Earth would she bet on him?

She’s totally going to chew him and spit him out in a two-day span of time.

“Caro, they move in together in three months, get over it,” Olivier sighs, handing her the bread basket.

She seems about to argue when the door leading to the garage opens on Clémence, a tall guy with dark hair and a grey button-down following close-behind. His faded jeans are hanging low on his hips, probably lower than Caroline and Olivier like it on their son-in-law, and maybe it’s this tiny detail, or the massive GUESS stamped on his belt, or the way his hair is styled, but all of a sudden Lucas has no trouble at all to picture him in a Kaporal store.

His face breaks into a grin when his eyes trail on Lucas. “Oh, hey. I’m Thomas,” he says, holding out his hand.

Lucas stands up, careful not to make a mess between his chair and the carpet on the floor. He smiles back, shaking his hand a bit awkwardly. “Lucas,” he offers a bit uselessly. He’s spent less than an hour with the Demaurys but somehow it’s not that hard to think he’s been the hot topic for quite a while. For better or for worse.

“What were you talking about?” Clémence inquires, visibly suspicious, as she takes her seat next to Lucas, and Thomas places himself between his girlfriend and Olivier.

Eliott picks up a piece of bread from the basket and he hands it to Lucas. “The train ride. Boring.”

The lie rolls off so smoothly that Lucas can’t help but find it a bit hot. Clémence hums in response. “At least you got here in time. Last time my train got delayed for four hours.”

“And that’s why we ended up driving for four hours to get here this time,” Thomas snarls.

Olivier passes around the crudités. “You should get your driving license too, Eli. The SNCF never stops failing, it could come in handy someday.”

Eliott shrugs. “There’s still the subway. And the bus. I don’t know what I’d do with a car.” And then he smiles, looking at Lucas who suddenly feels like his cheeks are heating faster than they should. “And I wouldn’t have met Lucas otherwise.”

Lucas knew it would suck to be at the other end of the table but he’s still unpleasantly surprised to feel so awkward under everyone’s glance when they all focus on him. He clears his throat. “We-uh, we met at a bus stop. After- uh, after school,” he explains, trying to keep his voice in check.

Eliott probably did it on purpose, judging by his bright grin that has nothing to do with the topic of the conversation.

“Oh, that’s sweet. So you didn’t know each other at all?” Clémence asks while she fills her plate.

“No,” Lucas answers honestly. “At least I didn’t, but apparently Eliott’s got some great stalker skills.”

Take that, he thinks, shooting a grin to Eliott. There’s something that glints into his boyfriend’s grey eyes and it makes his heart beat faster. “I bumped into him the moment I walked in, in January,” Eliott says nonchalantly, “I just kept an eye on him until we found ourselves together, is all. Besides, you came to talk to me.”

Lucas snorts, and immediately he swallows back his smile when he remembers where he is.

Thomas frowns. “Weren’t you still with Lucille back in January?”

The smile on Lucas’ face vanishes for good and it’s stupid, really, because it’s not like he never thought she wouldn’t be brought up at any point, ever. She’d been dating Eliott for the past four years, so of course it’s only natural that-

Fuck that, he just wants to crawl into a hole. The worst part? He can distinctively feel that his mind is torn between guilt at the thought of having taken Lucille’s spot in a family that apparently liked her very much, and being completely aware that Lucille wasn’t the right person for Eliott.

“It was complicated,” Eliott mumbles. “Too complicated if you ask me. Everything’s much simpler with Lucas.”

“And that’s what should matter in the end,” Olivier intervenes. There’s a second of silence, then he smiles at Lucas, gesturing at the plate Clémence had set between them at some point when they were talking. “Lucas? Will you take some?”

SAMEDI, 14:37

After lunch, he’s dragged along with Eliott in a very long, very tiring, and very intense shopping session in a shopping area nearby, which gives him massive war flashbacks from his childhood. He’s spent tons of afternoons like this, trailing behind his mom, occasionally whining because he was tired and wanted to go home while she kept filling shopping cart after shopping cart.

“Can’t we stay here?” Eliott asks after Caroline knocks on the door of his bedroom, literally five minutes after they got inside, to give them a heads up on the program.

“Honey, we barely ever get to see you. It’s going to be fun, you’ll see,” Caroline replies, and so Eliott caves in.

Since they can’t fit everyone in one car, Eliott and Lucas go with Clémence and Thomas, thus allowing him to catch a bit of a break.

As it turns out, shopping with his boyfriend instead of his parents is a bit more fun than he expected. It’s not the first time he’s going out with Eliott (aside from the occasional raid to the closest FNAC store every now and then, his boyfriend would sometimes drag him through all of his favorite record stores and Lucas would just watch Eliott rummage through them for hours without ever getting bored), but this time feels different, for some reason. They spend most of their time sharing jokes and decorating ideas while the whole family walks through IKEA.

“That kid is definitely called Stella,” Eliott says at one point when they walk by the nursery section, briefly stopping in front of a small area decorated with shades of pink and green. There are flowers laced together framing a round-shaped mirror, and plushy blankets in the white crib. “She lives with her single mom and her two aunts are always around to dote on her.”

Lucas quirks a brow, laughing. “Alright. What about this one?”

The following area is designed for a toddler, with a small bed instead of a crib and a tipi spilling toys on the floor in the corner. The various pieces of furniture are made of a light-colored wood that vaguely reminds him of bamboo. Eliott gives it a thought. “Esteban,” he says. “He’s been diagnosed with ADHD and his parents are always trying to follow him through all his activities even if they’re dying to get a quiet afternoon.”

Lucas huffs a laugh. “Okay, let me try.” Eliott gestures as if to say ‘be my guest’, and Lucas gets a look at the next one. The walls are painted light-grey, with wooden letters spelling the name Lola on one of them and a white crib in the center. The large carpet is white with small baby foxes playing. “Well, she’s called Lola-”

“You must be tired already,” Eliott snickers and Lucas elbows him in the ribs.

“-and her parents have a dog that she’s constantly petting. She’s got those extra-expressive eyes and she’s always laughing.” He turns his head to the side and Eliott grins at him. “It’s not that hard.”

His boyfriend pulls him closer. “You forgot the most important part though.”

Lucas cranes his neck up. “Which is?”

“She’s got two daddies.” Eliott winks at him and Lucas flushes while he’s already sauntering away, tugging at his hand as he does so.

After IKEA, Clémence and Caroline head for another furniture store but Lucas and Eliott decline to follow, opting to wander around on their own instead. They stop by at Subway to grab a drink and settle on a bench outside, which is probably not the best option regarding the temperature, as Lucas quickly realizes. “Are you cold? We can go back inside,” Eliott suggests when he sees him shiver a bit.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Lucas waves. Eliott slides a bit closer and wraps his arms around him, which makes him feel warm but for another, much sappier reason than mere body temperature. He doesn’t mind people looking at them anymore — it barely ever gets to him now. He’s just happy with how things are, and he doesn’t think he could ask for more than that.

“Sorry about my parents, they’re a bit overwhelming. They like to do tons of stuff like this,” Eliott says. “I guess they forgot I can’t always deal with it.”

Lucas turns around in his arms, worried. “Are you okay?”

Eliott tilts his head to the side. “Oh, yeah.” Then he smiles, cupping his face. “Yeah, it’s fine.” He pecks him on the lips, once, twice, before Lucas goes for a longer kiss.

Eliott’s dad texts him not long after to agree on a gathering point, and they head to the spot, where the Demaurys suggest that they should have dinner at a restaurant, which makes Clémence snickers as soon as they climb in the car. “Mom can’t cook to save her life, be grateful Lucas.”

“I already got food poisoning from one member of the Demaury family,” he snorts as Thomas maneuvers through the parking lot, “but thanks for the tip.”

Clémence turns onto her seat. “Eli, what the hell did you do?”

“Why are you throwing me under the bus?” Eliott complains and Lucas tugs on his arm to kiss him on the cheek. “I made it with love.”

“I’m just kidding. And your eggs are great, generally.”

Eliott snorts.

“Still better than mom,” Clémence observes. “Once she put eggs in the microwave, it felt like we were reenacting that scene from the Gremlins movie. Luckily we had dad growing up. Not sure we would have made it otherwise.”

#skam france #text #elu fic #eliott demaury #lucas lallemant #elu #mine #my fics

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medea10 · 5 years ago

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My Review of 22/7

How did I get into this anime? Fuck it! I picked a random anime to watch for the winter line-up. Let’s hit it!

22/7 is an idol group for real in Japan with one hell of a fanbase. LET’S GIVE THEM THEIR OWN ANIME!

Okay!

So, eight total strangers are picked by random to become part of an idol group. That’s essentially it! Eight girls who don’t know each other are told to meet some gorilla producer at a zoo and told to drop everything in their lives to become idols. What the literal and actual fuck?!

First of all, the concept of having all of these young girls being eyed and taken to some underground penthouse has Jeffery Epstein AND R. Kelly vibes ALL OVER THIS MESS! Although, I will give this anime some credit that these girls are at least high school age or older (but not by much)!

We’ve got a shy, introvert named Miu. Then there’s the blonde, cutie from America, Sakura. Nicole, the only one with an interest of becoming an idol. Junko, the spunky girl with butt-loads of energy. The no-nonsense and let’s get down to business, Akane. Miyako, the girl with sisterly love. The practical one, Reika. And Ayaka...she’s also in the group! These eight girls make up the group, 22/7 (a group name to this day I’m not sure why it’s called that).

They are then told to obey a wall…

OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE! A wall? Seriously?! A God-damned wall?! These girls and the people promoting 22/7 are to obey plates that are shit out by a wall! I know idol animes are notorious for fucked up storylines, but…I can’t even here! Becoming idols because it’s been your life-long dream like in Idolm@ster, that is fine! Becoming idols in order to save your school from being shut down like in Love Live, that is fine! Becoming idols because an eccentric necromancer brings you back from the dead like in Zombieland Saga, fucking awesome! A wall that must be obeyed when giving decisions on an idol group…what the literal and actual fuck!

Here’s what most episodes are set up like.

1. The Wall gives out an order. 2. One of the girls doesn’t want to do *insert activity here*. 3. Flashbacks play off and on for girl of the day. 4. You must do what The Wall says. 5. I don’t want to. 6. BITCH, DON’T GO AGAINST THE WALL. THE WALL IS GOD!!! 7. Pout, contemplate, and more flashbacks play. 8. Fine, I’ll do it. 9. Play the ending theme!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: This anime is licensed by the good folks at Aniplex (and possibly FUNimation). Crunchyroll added this one month after the initial release. If you’re all wondering why that’s happening to a lot of Crunchyroll-picked animes, yeah keep wondering. Sony has control over Aniplex and FUNimation and as a result Crunchyroll has a delay on several animes (including this one). It’s an inconvenience and just raises the rates of people downloading the episodes illegally. Once again, thanks for nothing, Sony! Give Crunchyroll some credit as they do give people in other countries streaming benefits. FUNimation is primarily U.S.

With that rant off my chest, on with the cast! Now this might just be first episode jitters and all, but a lot of the voices here seemed very bland. And you know it’s gotta be that bad if even I am riffing on the voices…FROM JAPAN! Well, much like many other idol shows like Idolm@ster and Love Live, the voices for the girls are only going to be known for their Idol group work. With the exception of two girls, this is everyone’s first official anime role. Here’s everyone!

*Miu is played by Nagomi Saijou

*Sakura is played by Sally Amaki (known for Betsy on Kaguya-sama)

*Jun is played by Ruri Umino

*Reika is played by Chiharu Hokaze (known for Silvia on Fate/Grand Order)

*Akane is played by Kanae Shirosawa

*Ayaka is played by Reina Miyase

*Miyako is played by Mizuha Kuraoka

*Nicole is played by Mei Hanakawa

FAVORITE CHARACTER: Miu.

Prior to episode 11, it was more of a me connecting with this particular character due to having many introvert connections. But after Nicole’s flashback where Miu beats the crap out of a bully, Miu is best girl.

IDOL TROPES: So let’s see if 22/7 has the usual tropes normally seen in many other idol animes.

* A shy, introvert character (right from second one) * A bitch who thinks she knows all about the idol world (not as bad as Dia, but heavy on the bitch part, yes) * Shotty CGI for the dance scenes (right in the fucking opening) * Bikini episode (check) * One of the girls has a fuck-ton of siblings and is one of the most eccentric of the bunch (oh yeah) *A robotic character or IS A ROBOT (Akane is not a robot, but she’s monotone for like 96% of the series excluding flashbacks)

ENDING: It’s been close to one year since all eight of these girls were chosen for this “project” We’ve already seen back-stories/flashbacks of almost all of the girls (except for Nicole and Miu) and now 22/7 is about to prepare for their one year anniversary as a group. But then the wall gave out an order! And the plate simply read, “Disband”.

Could you be any more cliché?

Maybe it wasn’t obvious for you, but for me I knew that was coming. And no, this wasn’t a joke! There wasn’t smudge on the wall’s platelet. These girls are to disband, lie their way through a press conference explaining the disbandment, all the people a part of this experiment are out of a job, and the girls are to go back to their regular lives before any of this happened.

Can they though?

These girls just spent a whole year being thrust into a position they never expected to be in and leaving their families and future plans behind. These girls are late-teens; they’re trying to prepare for work or college! A lot of them even had to work through a lot of baggage weighing them down (particularly Jun, Akane, and Reika)! Then all of a sudden, the wall shits out an order and says to disband. There was nothing wrong with the higher-ups or the group. Everyone was now enthusiastic about doing everything possible to make 22/7 a household name. But because a fucking wall gave the command to disband, everyone’s gotta drop their shit, lose their income (which some people like Reika, Ayaka, and Miyako could use), and just pull-out of already planned events.

THEN, you make the girls lie their way through a press conference by giving vague answers to the media about the disbandment! In my opinion, the girls could have lied and said there was fall-out at the top and it was out of their hands. I know the girls can’t simply say, “the magical wall told us to disband and we can’t go against the almighty wall”.

Well, we’re about two episodes away from the finale and it’s about time to see the backstories of Miu and Nicole. Believe it or not, these two have a history that goes back a ways (though it seems like Miu doesn’t remember Nicole). Would you believe that Nicole was once a shy introvert with a stuttering complex? Yeah, it’s true. The character who was seen as a bitch from episode one was once a shy, introvert.

It wasn’t until Nicole was pushed to do something against her will and a little help from Miu that she was able to come out of her shell. But enough of the flashback!

It’s now one month since the girls were told to disband. And for one reason or another, all eight of the girls made their way to the old production building. I guess they were all feeling nostalgic for the one year they spent as idols. They have a good cry. And all of a sudden…

The wall spoke?!

The wall pretty much said that this was merely an experiment and when the girls asked to reunite, the wall denied them. So then Miu goes savage on the wall…

Okay, Miu is best girl of this series!

The other girls follow suit and break the wall, making an opening.

Once inside, the girls stumbled upon something quite disturbing. These girls have been tracked, not only throughout their idol careers, but before then too! There were shots of the girls when they were children! What kind of freakshow, One Hour Photo, Truman Show, fucked up shit is this?! This is all sorts of WRONG! How is this fucker not in jail? WHO IS THIS FUCKER?! No, I will not be quiet about this! Everything about this is so fucka wrong I can’t even! Who follows little girls secretly for most of their lives taking pictures of them? Let’s think about that…

*Perverts *Fucking perverts *R. Kelly *Oingo Boingo levels of perversion *State of Florida levels of perversion *Jefferey Epstein

New theory that goes along with old theory! Jefferey Epstein was killed in prison when his neck was snapped because AG Bill Barr sat on it. And before the devil sentences him to a lifetime of misery and woe, he gives him one last chance to atone for his actions. Instead, he stalks little girls in Japan. HOLY SHIT, THIS IS STARTING TO MAKE SENSE!

Medea…the review?!

Oh right!

The girls leave the disturbing room (never to be seen or talked about again) and I guess we’re never gonna get a clue on the identity of our pervert that hides behind a wall. They walk away and end up on a stage. And in the audience, were all their loyal and devoted fans. You see, they happened to gather on what was supposed to be their one year anniversary and their fans held out hope that they would still perform on their anniversary like they promised before the disbandment notice hit.

They performed. I guess 22/7 is back together. I guess we can disobey the wall just this once.

The wall shits out a new platelet saying add 3 more members.

We end seeing those three new girls that we may or may not see again. It depends on whether 22/7 was good enough to warrant a season two.

If the Jeffery Epstein rants weren’t an indicator, I was not fond of this series. Maybe I was just turned off at the concept of eight total strangers being told all of a sudden they’re idols because a fucking wall commanded it. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the storyline involving a wall and having to obey it. The songs were just okay, whenever we got to hear them. Unlike a lot of other idol animes, we really didn’t see a lot of performances from 22/7 outside of the opening and ending themes.

The one thing I was really invested in were surprisingly the flashbacks from all of the girls. A lot of these stories do lay on the drama really thick. But you really wish that everything’s gonna work out in the end. Like you really wish Miyako could see her biological father again or want a happy ending for Akane and her family. But then you get a back-story like Jun’s. Oof, that one was a gut-punch! I’m no fan of this show, but episode 7 is the go-to episode.

Now, I’ll watch 22/7 if it gets a season two. I try not to give up on an anime, no matter how much it annoys me. I like to see things through to the bitter end. But as for recommendations, there are far better idol shows to choose from.

Yes, I see that it’s a stretch to say there are GOOD idol shows. I know the stigma and hate that they get. But I am not one of those people. I thought Idolm@ster was okay. I liked Love Live just fine. UtaPri amuses me (and yes I count it as an idol show). Zombieland Saga, fuck yeah! This, not so much!

But if you want to watch, FUNimation has all 12 episodes available for streaming. And Crunchyroll has…a few as of this date and time. Again I point out that Crunchyroll couldn’t even get streaming rights to this until a full month after it began airing. Thanks again, Sony!

#anime review #22/7 #nanabun no nijyuuni #miu takigawa #sakura fujima #nicole saito #jun toda #reika satou #miyako kouno #akane maruyama #ayaka tachikawa

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papa-rhys · 7 years ago

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Mistletoe (Wheaty X Reader)

Note: I was gonna upload something else, but considering it’s christmas in T-minus 9 minutes, I figured I’d post something christmasy! So have some tipsy, santa hat wearing Wheaty to see to all your christmas romance needs. Enjoy!

Thanks for another year of great fun, guys. Best wishes and merry christmas! <3

Summary: Eli insisted that the Wolf’s Den would take some time off from fighting the cult to enjoy Christmas, so armed with a decent amount of alcohol and a sprig of mistletoe, he decides to set you and Wheaty up.

Word count: 1580

Warnings: None!

| Find more of my stuff here! | | Ko-fi |

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Wheaty says, shaking his head and throwing himself forward in his seat. “You’ve never seen Gremlins?” he asks in horror, holding his beer in one hand and adjusting his skewed Santa hat with the other.

“Nope; not a single minute of it.” You lean back in your chair and put your feet up on Eli’s table, which is temporarily free from maps and battle plans.

Everyone is sat around the table, dressed in as much Christmas merchandise as possible and slightly drunk on beer and terrible tasting moonshine that you’d found in the basement of a nearby cabin. Eli and Tammy watch on as you and Wheaty debate whether or not Gremlins is truly a Christmas movie; sipping from their cups and shooting each other knowing glances every now and then.

You find it hard to concentrate on Wheaty and his very passionately delivered arguments as you watch Eli out of the corner of your eye, peering at you through a pair of glittery red glasses that have stupid little reindeer shooting from wire springs on the corner of each eye. The sight of them bobbing up and down as he sips moonshine from his metal cup causes the corners of your mouth to creep up ever so slightly as Wheaty carries on talking.

“It takes place at Christmas, what more do you want?” Wheaty says, raising his voice and looking at you as though you’d just swung a kitten around your head and lobbed it into the forest.

“It’s about Gremlins… hence the name. How could that possibly be Christmasy?” You retort, leaning forward in your chair and putting your half-empty mug of moonshine down on the table.

“Oh my – How can you not see that it’s…” Wheaty grunts with frustration and curls his fist into a ball. “It’s very clearly a Christmas movie, you – “

“Okay children, that’s enough,” Tammy grins, swilling her moonshine around her mug before sipping from it.

“Yeah, it’s Christmas!” Eli cheers, raising his cup; those tiny fucking reindeer bouncing violently as he moves his head. “Everyone… should… be jolly,” he adds, speaking the words between the clinks of his cup as he goes around the circle toasting everyone.

“But I just –“ Wheaty protests, waving his hand around in your direction before being cut off by Tammy’s don’t-you-dare-talk-back-to-your-dad stare.

“Why don’t you two go and get us some more of this moonshine from the back room,” Eli suggests; although you’re sure it was less of a suggestion and more of an order. “It tastes like shit, but damn if it ain’t hittin’ the spot.”

“And you two could use some more Christmas cheer in ya by the sounds of it,” Tammy adds with a smile.

You give her and smile and finish off your cup – setting it down on the table before getting to your feet and squeezing past the chairs to join Wheaty as he also rises from his seat.

“I’m telling you it’s not a Christmas movie,” you mutter, leaning close to him and poking him in the ribs. He looks down at you with a blank expression that’s ever so slightly dusted with a frown and you laugh wickedly as you head down the corridor. Wheaty rolls his eyes and follows you, swigging from his beer as he walks.

“Do we just take the whole barrel or do we take a couple of jars instead?” Wheaty asks, kicking the barrel with his boot.

“Don’t do that,” you tell him, lightly smacking his foot away as you bend down to try and lift the barrel.

“Why not?” he asks, kicking it again.

“Stop it,” you laugh. “I’m trying… I’m trying to lift it and you kicking it isn’t helping.”

“You don’t like when I kick it?”

“Wheaty, this is heavy...”

“You want me to stop?”

“I swear to God if you don’t stop –“

You manage to lift the barrel a few inches off the ground, only to have it kicked out of your hands again; much to Wheaty’s delight.

“You’re such a dick when you’re drunk, you know that?” you tell him through bursts of laughter. “If you don’t let me pick it up then I’m just opening the tap and emptying it all out on your boots.”

“Go ahead,” he shrugs, smiling as he raises his beer bottle to his lips.

“Fine,” you smile, moving your hand to the tap.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop,” he chuckles, putting his hand on your shoulder and pulling you back slightly to prevent you from ruining his shoes.

“Yeah, I thought so, you fuckin’ wimp,” you smile. “Now will you do something useful instead of just standing there?”

“Yeah sure,” he says, moving to the door and opening it before standing in front of it to hold it open.

“What are you doing?” you ask, looking at him over your shoulder and blowing a few strands of hair out of your face. Admittedly, this barrel is getting the best of you and it shows by the dishevelled hair and slight breathlessness.

“I’m doing something useful,” he says, finishing off his beer and putting the bottle on the metal shelving unit behind him. “I’m holding the door for ya.”

“I meant help me lift the barrel, you dick.”

“Nah, you’ll be fine liftin’ that on your own.”

You shake your head with a snort and begin rolling the barrel towards the door.

“Ah, good thinkin’,” Wheaty says, folding his arms across his chest.

“I have my moments.”

You keep rolling the barrel along the floor until you reach the doorway. Stopping to catch your breath, you stand up straight, stretching out your back as it seizes up from bending over for so long. You twist your hips until your back gives a satisfying crack that prompts Wheaty to wince. You open your mouth to tease him over his sudden and uncharacteristic squeamishness, but your thought is stopped in its tracks as you spot a sprig of mistletoe taped rather haphazardly to the top of the doorframe. “Did you see that there before?”

Wheaty follows your pointed finger to where the sprig hangs and immediately sighs. “No,” he answers. “Because it wasn’t there before!” he yells out into the corridor.

“I reckon someone’s tryin’ to set us up,” you remark, looking up at Wheaty through glossy eyes.

“Yeah, probably,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger out of what you suspect is embarrassment.

“I mean… it’s just a kiss, right? What harm could it do?”

“Are you… that was a joke, right?” he asks, looking up and smiling nervously.

“Do you want it to be?”

Theres a few seconds of silences as Wheaty swallows the lump in his throat. He looks down at his feet and scratches his ear and it’s very clear to you that he’s delaying his answer.

“Well?” you chuckle. “You wanna kiss me or not?”

“Yes! Yeah, I mean… if you want to, I guess.”

You shake your head and grin as he shrugs his shoulders, desperately trying to play it off as if he hasn’t been praying for this moment for months. “Wow, that was…”

“I sounded a little eager, huh?”

“Yeah, just a little,” you giggle, stepping closer to where he stands.

“I covered it up kinda well though, right?”

“You… tried. Really hard.”

“Damn,” he smiles, letting you pin him between yourself and the door.

Before you get the chance to tease him any further, he’s already leaning down and pressing his lips softly onto yours. You’re a little shocked by how hard your heart pounds as you kiss. You weren’t aware that you liked him quite this much, but evidently your heart had failed to clue you in somewhere along the way. It’s not long before he has his hands on your hips and your hands waste no time in wandering either as one settles on his arm whilst the other creeps up the side of his neck.

“You know it’s only supposed to be a quick peck on the cheek, right?” he says, breaking the kiss.

“Are you trying to talk yourself out of a make out session with the only non-senior citzen you know?”

“Well… no, but –“

“Well then I suggest you stop talking,” you tell him, kissing him again.

Seconds tick by and you begin to feel like you’re being watched. After a few moments thought, it suddenly dawns on you that you and Wheaty weren’t – and still aren’t – the only people in this bunker and your cheeks blush slightly as you come to the realization that the reason you feel like you’re being watched is probably because you are.

It doesn’t take long for Eli to give the game away, clearing his throat in hopes that the two of you notice him and Tammy stood at the bottom of the corridor. But you both ignore him and he clears his throat again, reinforcing your suspicions that it was the pair of them who set you up with the mistletoe in the first place.

“You two okay over there?” Eli chuckles. “That barrel givin’ ya gip?”

Wheaty steps away from the door, pulling you with him and taking special care not to break the kiss. And just like that, he swings the door shut, leaving Tammy and Eli out in the corridor, smug and completely booze-less; the little reindeers on Eli’s glasses dancing around as he chuckles with the delight of his accomplishment.

#im living for eli in glasses with little springy reindeer on them #man #what I wouldn't give to see that #anyway merry Christmas guys #hope yall have a good one #wheaty #far cry 5 #wheaty x reader #my writing #writing: wheaty

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rockmiyabideusexmachina · 8 years ago

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What do you think about the Megaman 11? It's better than Mighty No. 9? Do you prefer the game in 3D rather than 8-bit? What do you think about the interview of the game creators? Is there a chance that will be cancelled? Do you think that more things will come in the 30th Megaman Anniversary?

See, Roberto, like I’ve told you in many of your previous asks on the subject, I hadn’t lost hope.

Even two months ago,

“I still believe something will happen. It might be a week before Dec. 17th, it might be on the day, it might be in 2018, but regardless, something will be shown within this 30th anniversary year.”

and

“While I completely could be wrong, this feels more like a slow leak, leading up to an announcement at some point. We’re getting minor clues for what could be a new game with these art teases, but no major reveal yet.”

For somebody like myself with no connections to know, I think that was fairly accurate.

I had to leave for work, so I didn’t get to see much after the initial reveal video with the history rundown, so I can’t comment on the developers interviews. I saw a really short bit at the beginning of them, when @pstart‘s art was shown, with Ishikawa and Eguchi, but that was all.

It’s also really hard to have too strong of feelings based off of such a short amount of info from that reveal. I am happy with the artistic direction moving from 8-bit to something finally closer to current-gen, that’s for sure. It’s a step Megaman needed to take, when the franchise had fallen behind the Marios and Sonics of the industry.

The colors were vibrant, and the gameplay showed some depth, so I like that. The running animation was terribly wonky, and some of the jump and shoot animations didn’t quite seem right to me. Because this is in development, I’m not reading too much into it yet, but it needs work. Where as Smash’s Megaman matched up so perfectly to his classic sprite’s motion, Capcom’s reveal video makes it feel like they can’t pull it off for their own dang character!! But again, there’s time to work those kinks out.

As I was tweeting when it was revealed, it really does have a sort of mishmash look, combining Mighty No. 9, Megaman Universe, and Megaman Powered Up, at least graphically. While the Mighty vibes are there because that was our first real look at a Megaman-ish game in this style, they still look like they will be different enough. So to say today that it’s better than Mighty? I don’t know. I’ll tell you after I actually play Megaman 11.

I like the graphics to an extent at first glance, but I still feel the polish isn’t at the level it needs to be in 2018. The backgrounds looked pretty nice overall. BUT - it’s such an improvement and it’s an evolution…and heck, after ~8 years, it’s finally A GAME! So I’m really excited, but in a cautiously optimistic way. More than anything in this world, I live and breathe Megaman, so it kinda gives me some life and joy that’s been missing for so long.

I saw @catwithbenefits mention the desire for something new to the formula, some volume, and I’m in agreement with that, too. As Classic games evolved, we had new things introduced ranging from: the slide, Rush, charge shot, some games with 2 castles, Doc Robot stages, etc. But in the end, it’s always been the same formula of just 8 Robot Masters and Wily at the end.

It appears the gear meter and whatever it signifies is the new gimmick for this game, but is it enough to make Megaman 11 that different, in terms of evolving the gameplay? Will a short and simple 8 Robot Masters and a Wily Castle be enough in this day and age, without it being called just a standard Megaman game that finally got new graphics a decade too late? I too hope there will be more to it, whether that means sprinkling in old faves and updated levels from prior titles in this new style, or longer, more complex castle stages to add more value to the game.

Or, if these 8 Robot Masters are truly connected to Light, you have to defeat them first, only to then get swerved and have Wily unleash 8 more of his own Robot Masters (new or old) AFTER you beat the initial 8. Or maybe there are alternate castle routes and endings for a change; having certain secret items triggering bonus scenes, etc. Cameos like 10′s Weapon Archive boss are cool and all, but I feel like we need something bigger, badder, more jaw-dropping than that.

Storyline-wise, I hope we get more depth, whether that is through animated cutscenes, or something similar. I know there are enough gamers who don’t care and just want Megaman for the jump & shoot and skip cutscenes all they can. But I’d like more. So yes, depth. More than anything, I can only hope this game will give newfound DEPTH to the Classic formula.

The initial song playing for the video didn’t necessarily wow me much, but with any Megaman game, the music has a standard to live up to. I’d love to hear the game with tracks more like the Remastered/Arranged OSTs to start out with, but this track felt a bit…bland. ‘Course I’d rather just have a mostly rock-themed soundtrack by Masahiro Aoki, but I don’t see it happening.

I can’t see Capcom being stupid enough to cancel it under any circumstances, at this point. It would fracture the good will they are trying to show the fanbase and their consumers, and…well, it wouldn’t be pretty if that happened again. But I wouldn’t be surprised at a delay. One mention said Summer, another “Late 2018″. I can see this being closer to 2019, just to get it done right. And I’m fine if that happens, just to fix the running animation alone!

Yeah, this is a year with multiple anniversaries for the subsequent series after Classic. So I feel pretty good there will be more announcements over the year. I hope it’s just the start, and we’ll see more than just an X collection. Still won’t be surprised if there is a new series/reboot at this rate, to tie into the cartoon. And hopefully some of the others like Star Force, Legends, etc., get their time to shine with something special, too.

#Ask #Ask Miyabi Anything #Rockman #Megaman #Megaman 11 #Rockman 11 #Mega Man 11

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khukei · 8 years ago

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[BTS - Wings] Album Review

4 months late because I got busy with life but hey better late than never right? A mini album can be dissected in a day because there’s only 7 songs max, but in Wings we have 15 tracks to chew and digest. And that is my excuse.

ANYWAY

So my friend (who is the culprit behind my conversion to KPOP), talked me into joining this nationwide bulk ordering movement for BTS’ Wings album.

Wings is my very first physical Kpop album and honestly, I still feel a mild pang of guilt because I wanted to get SHINee’s 1 of 1 first since they were my first love in KPOP but Wings came in the mail first so okay. Forgive me, SHINee!

Now I understand why physical KPOP albums sell so much despite the dominance of digital downloads. I mean wow. HD pictures, posters, photo cards and other merch. I also noticed that the CDs are just casually tucked in a page like it’s just an afterthought. The albums are also quite cheap. You’re basically just paying for the photo book. But I do use the CD because I like me some high quality audio.

So here are my thoughts on each track: 1.Intro: Boy Meets Evil There are some interesting vocal effects/EQing going on here. Also the lyrics are really poetic. This is btw what got me into BTS in the first place, they sing about relevant issues and matters that young adults could really relate to. Memorable line: I threw my future away because I was drunk on dating

2.Blood Sweat & Tears

Ah, the title track. What else could I say? This is a masterpiece. The production is amazing. This was everyone’s jam in the last quarter of 2016. And V’s incredibly deep voice, wow. I like how they’re using the Spanish mode and incorporating trap hi hat things into the mix. Everyone’s using trap hi hat these days but this is the first time I’ve heard it used in a song with a Spanish beat and chord progression. It’s strange to me, but it works!

Memorable line: I wanna be addicted to your prison So I can’t serve anyone that’s not you Even though I know, I drink the poisonous Holy Grail 3.Begin (Jungkook solo)

The harmonization in this song is amazing. Kudos to the vocal arranger. And the lyrics are so meaningful and sweet. Jungkook’s singing is on point too, but that goes without saying. Memorable line: I feel like I’m going to die when hyung is sad When hyung is in pain, it hurts more than when I’m in pain

4.Lie (Jimin solo)

Blood Sweat and Tears is a music production treat, but in my opinion, Lie takes the prize in production quality. I like the incorporation of some Spanish elements in this album, it’s not a parody nor an imitation and it’s really well done. Also, before I checked the lyrics I thought he was saying Karina Lie. The real line is caught in a lie. I have a friend named Karina so lol #MisheardLyrics

Memorable line: Find the me that was innocent I can’t free myself from this lie Give me back my laughter

5.Stigma (V solo)

I’m going to mention again how much I am a fan of V’s deep voice. We take a sharp turn from a Spanish-y song to a more familiar RnB vibe on this one. And oh man, V’s high note genuinely surprised me The lyrics are once again very meaningful and vulnerable. This is really what sets BTS apart from other groups. Relevance. Relatableness. Authenticity. *applauds*

Memorable line: Deeper, deeper, the wound just gets deeper Like pieces of broken glass that I can’t reverse Deeper, it’s just the heart that hurts every day (You) who was punished in my stead, You who were only delicate and fragile 6.First Love (Suga solo) This one is a slow and mellow rap song. Well actually, if you ask me I’d call this a Spoken Word piece. It’s already very poetic just reading the English translation, how much more in its pure, unadulterated form. I really like how Suga’s voice is EQ’d here also. The overall vibe of this song reminds me of Kingdom hearts. I don’t know why. I find it hard to jive with Suga’s rap flow in this song, but that’s probably just due to the language barrier.

Memorable line: Even though I was gone for a long time Without repulsion You accepted me Without you there’s nothing After the dawn, two of us We welcomed the morning together Don’t let go of my hand forever, I won’t let go of you again either 7.Reflection (Rap Monster solo)

Here is one sad/creepy sounding song. The synth parts remind me for some reason of Creepshow. You know, Stephen King’s horror anthology films in the 80′s. The instrumental part after the first verse could really pass off as Creepshow’s soundtrack. The slow pulsing delays adds even more to the melancholy yet creepy vibe of this song. Mentioning Creepshow probably ruined the moment, but I can’t help it! But yeah, this song is really-- how many times did I say meaningful already?!

Memorable line: In the darkness, people look happier than the day

8.MAMA (J-Hope solo) This is my favorite track in the whole album simply because it’s upbeat and more cheerful compared to the other darker, more somber songs in the earlier parts of this album. I’m biased towards happy songs. The general vibe of this track reminds me of happy go lucky rap songs in the 90s and that’s because of the bass line. The short and subtle choir parts near the end was also a nice touch.

Memorable line: You were like fertilizer to a budding plant Now I’m a flower, I’ll be your flower path 9.Awake (Jin solo)

From upbeat hip hop we then transition to a sentimental orchestra fusion song. Because BTS is cool like that. This is my second favorite song. There is real tension and release going on here that will really take you up on a ride. Or maybe that’s just me. The melodic hooks really stick with you and touch your heart. The bridge is the best part here.

Memorable line: Maybe I, I can’t touch the sky Still, I want to stretch my hand out I want to run, just a bit more 10.Lost This song starts off with with the familiar Spanish vibe with the acoustic guitar and RnB chords but then when we get to the chorus it suddenly changes to this very loud, in your face Dubstep phrase that for some reason, works!

Memorable line: I didn’t know there were this many Paths I can’t go and paths I can’t take I never felt this way before Am I becoming an adult?

11.BTS Cypher Pt. 4

A very angsty song about the struggles of being an idol. This type of sound isn’t really my cup of tea. But the lyrics make up for it.

Memorable line: I’m sorry bae because I’m breathing I’m sorry bae because I’m so healthy

12.Am I Wrong

I’m not a fan of country music. And this song is kind of like a fusion. And even though it’s not completely country the main riff is annoying to me. Hill Billies suddenly come to mind. But as usual the lyrics is the redeeming factor so I still appreciate this song.

Memorable line: If what you see on the news is nothing to you If that comment is nothing to you If that hatred is nothing to you You’re not normal, you’re abnormal

13.21st Century Girls

Yey for women empowerment!! And here we go again with the Spanish beat! Did BTS go to Spain or something? Anyway, this song is too loud and aggressive for me. It does have its moments, but I wouldn’t put this on any of my playlists because I’m an old soul who prefers smooth grooves.

Memorable line: If anyone keeps insulting you (insulting you) Tell em you’re my lady, go tell them (tell them) Whatever other people say, whatever this world tells you You’re the best to me just the way you are

14.Two! Three!

I thought this was going to be another one with the melancholy feel but I’m glad I was proven wrong when the beat picked up after the intro. Thank you! This is like the cool down part of your cardio exercise as it is more toned down and less aggressive. Oh and the choir parts near the end are heavenly!!

Memorable line: Me, a shadow behind the stage, me, in the depth of darkness I didn’t want to show everything including my pain But because I’m still unaccustomed I just wanted to make you smile I wanted to do good

15.Interlude: Wings I was not expecting an upbeat party/club kind of song. But somehow it makes sense. After your cool down exercise you go straight to the club to end the day. I’m not the partying type, but that’s just the vibe I’m getting from this song. It’s makes sense as the closing song.

Memorable line: I trust myself, Since the reason why my back hurts Is so that wings can sprout

Final thoughts:

I’ve already mentioned this, but what the heck, I’ll say it again! What I really like about BTS is the authenticity in their lyrics. I may not always like their music, but the words always get to me. It takes a great amount of courage for young men to be openly vulnerable, and that, for me, is very endearing. The general theme of this album are: Depression, confusion, loss of innocence, young love, the yearning to return to happier times, mental illness... aka struggles of being an adolescent. Aka growing up.

Speaking of mental illness, I noticed that the ordering of the tracks have a kind of bipolar feel to it due to the sudden and contrasting mood transitions of each song. Without studying the lyrics the track order might not make sense to the listener, but it all comes together nicely when you look at the lyrics. I saw what you did there, BTS. Very clever. Kudos to you all.

For me what makes BTS very appealing to a lot of people is that they talk about very human experiences in their songs that everybody can relate to (especially adolescents). While a lot of other groups send you off to to dreamland with their perfection, BTS brings you down to earth with the harsh realities of our time and compel you to think about how you’re living your life. And that, is what I think sets them apart.

Rating: 8/10

#BTS #WINGS #ALBUM REVIEW #KPOP #army #bts army #philippines

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top1course · 5 years ago

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GREG MERCER & KEVIN DAVID – AMAZON FBA EXPLAINED! |TOP 3 SECRET JUNGLESCOUT TRICK

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We’re on YouTube live with Greg Mercer branded you who don’t know him he is the jungle Scout founder, yo I’m he’s probably be, for most knowledgeable person on Amazon FBA and my humble opinion he is the original mentor and, 10 person that I learned Amazon FBA from so many months ago, i’m so very excited to have him and we are going to be taking a super deep dive into product research, a much deeper than anything else out there I’m we’re going to be going into some of the very Advanced topics, i’ll just for you guys, we’re going to kick it off right now because we had a little bit of a technical delay but now we are getting, started so, the first question for Greg is, when you see a difference between a Chrome extension of jungle Scout and a jungle Scout web app, for the same product on what is going on there and I which data source, Should you trust, all right, extra question, i feel like I’m having deja vu, answer the scouts will let you know like where the, it’s like when you’re using the jungle Scout extension, big Data, is, golden Trek, from, if the pain is like directly from, so, what I mean when I say that is, extension, it is in real-time Gathering, all the information that it’s showing, and what is why I’m saying this is why does it say, kids in the product database which is inside the jungle Scout web app, it’s a little bit different there’s we have like, products, inside a virgin, inside the jungle Scout web app, and I guess, prairie Amazon’s app, bringing all that information to show you, results, so instead it takes it like, 24 48 hours, go through it, the product database that’s like cash., Where’s with extension it’s instantaneously at that exact second so you don’t like in the product database in my, it might say there’s only like 10 review, extension reviews is that okay, but that just means they got to, within the past day or, yeah that makes total sense so with the web app it’s one or two days behind just because they’re organizing, so much data is so much is coming in right hundreds of millions of different products available on Amazon right the Chrome extension is taking an act, tacori right so it might be, 24 to 48 hours a bit more accurate, does that sound right things correctly Greg, the second question, for Greg is a, is the jungle Scout product tracker 100% accurate unit with some of the other competitors out there I’m to Jungle Scout, you also have a product tracker feature, what’s the difference, between those, Two numbers that they might be showing.

And I could you just talk a little bit about the overall accuracy of the Jungle Scout product tracker, what’s think about, understand the accuracy so, if you don’t know about the price tracker to start its, inside the jungle Scout, and you can add, product, i need the stores, north America, whatever in on a daily basis in tracks, time I add glass to my product tracker, and might say today my inventories 900, it’s 900, here is, we’re asking Amazon to add 999., work hard, if it’s less than that it comes back and says hey, you can only add 900 so we know that person is, so if there’s only one seller, and they have less than 999, that particular method, it works extremely, rob it’s very accurate in that particular scenario, i’d say 99% the time, bang on and it’s very accurate, but there are some scenarios that, Throw it off and I’ll let you know, one would be, if there’s bolts, because now what time, is, different sellers are roasting, the Bible they have difference, particular scenario we just give, like a warning, that caters, a different seller is, rotating through the buy box so, look at the difference, isn’t accurately, and the same thing happens if, people have reserved, max order quantity, accelerate as a soda you say I am, what is the maximum, do this 9 9 9, once again in a particular scenario, we estimate sales by day, stop, i like, i’m pretty confident that ours would, editor’s out there because, as far as I know all the competitors out there none of them estimate sales based off PSR, scenarios for the 99 trick doesn’t work, okay cool yeah I know that makes perfect sense at all my students out there, i know all about Max order quantity and how to protect yourself as far as you know other competitors tracking yourself, I’m so it’s good to know what jungle Scout is doing to, to provide more active, chrissy and some of those other kind of one-off cases where the 999 cart trick might not necessarily, sara Lee work, i’m so thank you for that answer, so is it possible next question is it possible to use jungle Scout I’m kind of to identify trending prom, are you know those kind of up, incoming products right so could you have, i’m retrospectively may be identified fidgets or you know some of those products that, are super hot or they’re coming up and, you know if so how would you go about using a jungle Scout to identify kind of some of those, that’s a good question, what is a ways that I kind of like, This is pretty hard to do right, friends of course everyone would love to do it anything weather, soap, force nothing, you can start to get some like early, would you like a super hot product, one way to do that with, database, find, products, barry series, indicator letting us know that’s a very young, are young listing, lots of sales, free reviews, thousand sales today or whatever right, young, mustang, but it’s like selling like crazy since I got that like a pretty good, product, dad and combination, like I never looked at fidget Spinners on Google Trends, if I would have been like, flat like Siri, and then up to a hundred, super high Spike right, you can start to do it, field at 2 is perfectly, identify, trending products, yeah I know that’s that’s a great idea I’m actually never really thought about it like that, right low amounts of reviews with a super high sales especially like I’m within a short. Of time, Since the listing creation.

Is a great indicator and you heard it from Greg directly, so I’m you know it must be true, so next question, how do you see I mean you’ve been around for a little bit with the Amazon FBA seen right how do you see the Amazon FBA, landscape changing I’m kind of since you started and what can people do maybe to stay a bit a bit ahead of the, ahead of the Curve, good question I don’t like you said several questions you have your cabin cuz this is, little bit more like, thinking where can I buy Q to ask my pendulum, absolutely let’s do it, i’ve started out selling wholesale products then I got, private label thing when I first got to the private label thing, There weren’t very many, doing it, bluewater Lake open, it was like this pretty easy to Launch, products not other like private label sellers out there, french, an excellent opportunity, question was, you know what we had where do I say going out tonight like, you like smarter, more data-driven in like better, with any industry what it begins to mature it’s kind of like weeds out like, the people who aren’t really like putting any time or really sloppy or aren’t you, outright that that’s with any industry as amateurs, now we have to be smarter you know I’m a very like data-driven person and I’m like, as far as I can, the numbers understanding the numbers understand, working, what you sales, jungle Scout obviously helps with that because other sources that help with that a lot too, like I mentioned Google Trends you know I keep, great sources for like data-driven, Research for understanding of things, i actually don’t think it’s going to get, most warlike, adjective, then what it is right now, do you want my honest, amazon is like growing at a really fast rate, right now, education or public knowledge about the opportune, nBA right now, in my opinion it’s probably like kind of peaches words that, turn off that, going to try, watch webinars like this I am can understand what’s working right now on that kind of suffer, that’s going to kind of like stay the same substance, we got any like, getting more competitive, we just have to be smarter in, yeah I do the things I probably like all your students are the things that you were doing now like, get out like optimizing rppc like a happy life, pictures of small things that make a big difference at the, 44 years ago mine I’ve done it would have like one picture in, Father’s Day like, and is expecting to become a millionaire overnight right, something else it’s maybe worth pointing out here to guys is, you know the USA Market every kind of things that Amazon is like being this like worldwide B striping Amazon actually hasn’t, answered certain markets right so we still have, shooter massive expansion Amazon has big plans to enter the Australian market right which is millions and millions, the people so, as far as Amazon being you know over competitive or saturated or like an opportunity of the past, really you heard from Greg you heard it from me that is absolutely not true, there’s so much opportunity so many millions of different in a one-off niche products different markets in Amazon still has, an expanded into, and so it’s absolutely as much of a, opportunity maybe it’s not quite as easy as it was years ago before you know more people knew about it but by gnome, Means is it over it’s absolutely driving and there’s so much opportunity.

Also thank you for that answer let’s go on to the next one so this is kind of a long-winded question but it’s one that I get all the time, i think it’s important to kind of understand the distinction, do you target, keywords rather than products and let me give you an example of what I mean, if you identify one strong product right through all the filters that jungle Scout allows you to write, maybe it has 20 sales with 30k of monthly sales, up when you search the related keyword you actually find at the first, page of the Amazon search results is full of Dino, thousands of reviews are people that have huge barriers to entry, I’m so can you discuss your thought process for once you, do identify a single product to see if it’s worth pursuing, yeah there’s a really good question I think, something that is, i think because I like him kind of get hung up on it right, i Target a particular like, product, and the reason for this, is, how are you going to know what all the keywords are that, so right here I have a camera lens right, if I find that camera lenses are good opportuned, how do I know whether p, people are searching, for what is this like the Sony camera lens or are they searching, or are they searching for like thirst dozens or if not hundreds of different, upon this particular camera, i do, try to find a particular, type of product, guess what like buy one or two, main keywords would be so, Today’s I probably guess, there are so many, camera lenses I’d probably guess when my make you were to this is like 50, millimeter camera lens, or if I had this glass, you know like clear pint glass, glass or something like that would you like my name, that’s where I’ve been gone, try to understand what, demand competition is like, i would encourage you not get to, what if my class isn’t the main, what are the truly this or that or the other thing there’s not very much to me and John, 12 pint glasses or something like that, starting to get hung up on that part just pink like the, what are two, what you think, the Matrix, and choose theirs and kind of gauged, humana competition off that, wreck that I mean that’s absolutely that’s great advice right so and there’s ways to kind of verify, Get on those gases like there’s their services out there like Merchant words right, and those are estimated keyword volume as all my students know right the only true source of a keyword volume is from, search engine you can further verify through Google Keyword Planner, right you want to make sure that you notice the discrepancies, between Merchant words in Google Keyword Planner as Amazon is a biocentric product search platform right and Google, is not necessarily geared 100%, right, so the next question, many of my students kind of ask me all the time about product research in the UK and sometimes other markets, so can you talk about how that is different from the USA product research and any tips or tricks you use specifically, play with jungle Scout I’m kind of to be able to do that International research, as it is I’m sure you know different in certain ways, Yeah absolutely so just a story people always asks is too slow to say is jungle Scout works for Aldean.

American Store says Canada us and Mexico, all the EU stores, if you see name at webinars with, or podcast or whatever else I’m often times I like talk about these criteria I look for like a certain, 1000 units of demand, uS tour, i just say like I’ll turn back my, mandan, or at the least popular Marketplace especially everything besides the, by far has the most amount of demand, was competition to like me personally to enter, 3000, i’m looking at glasses, foresters of beer near just water or not, shikamaru, later tonight later tonight, yeah I’m looking at there’s like, 3000, throughout the entire Niche on a monthly basis where if I’m looking on and one of the EU stores where there’s less demand, i’m going to be expecting list me as I might end of that Nation the, 1000, but I also expected to be less competitive, expect to see less listing reviews on the listings, recommend, right yeah and I mean it’s important to think about just the differences in culture two guys right, because you know you want to understand, what the market is like ready right if you live in England and maybe you know a little bit more about the culture you know that they might, ivy Moore, you know a tune to drinking tea or having tea products are you know whatever it is right so used, your personal knowledge, as you know an experiential Advantage for doing your product research in whatever Market you do, you want to enter right, so that’s great advice from Greg everyone’s so can you talk quickly next question can you talk quickly about, Spanish Hunter within jungle Scout, i’m in what specific benefit of jungle Scout user would get from using this feature, rather than just using the jungle Scout platform, ask a question so, if you’re not familiar with it Niche Hunter is one of the, pictures inside of the Jungle Scout web app so inside there there’s like three main fee, product tracker, there’s a product database and has been called that Niche Hunter, and, i’m just go real quick we kind of talked about the product tracker right that does like the 999 trick or estimates based, sellers rank in kenetrek products, magnifying glass over a certain time frame, the product database is a catalog, about Amazon products, with special filters with easier for us sellers, it’s a little bit different., where is the product database, we’ve rebuilt Amazon’s catalog into slow, products to let you search them that way, are we taking, Real customer Search terms these are real buyers in the search terms that, and, we’ve kind of like taking it a step further, taking that search term, edin weave, raided, that search term which is officially a niche right, regretted that search term, 4, beyond, the quality of the listings are so like are their whole bunch of high-end quality, is there or they like crappy listings, overall opportunities, another way to, dishes are typos, price to go into soap, shooters aren’t quite smart enough to like, just give, the absolute best opportunity on Amazon. Supposed to, today I’m waiting for then, we are starting to do some more machine learning stuff, different like dishes right like one might be a, t-shirt for an NFL sports team and you know like since you’re not licensed so I probably can’t really smell that, thurgood, we treat you like a lot of the way there right, How much do vans in their week.

The competition is, trust me the opportunity is so it’s just another way to look for, types of, dishes are products to go after, are so quick follow-up question on this on some of my students were asking me to ask, i’m so when you are evaluating Canada, competitive landscape, of a new potential nice that you are going to answer, what would you kind of rag maybe as like the top, three barriers to entry you know it with pictures description, reviews what would you say are the top three, most important things to be looking at, to be able to enter that market, unsub, like the things that I used to gauge competition up right looks so maybe you say like you know the number one thing that’s hard, artistic kind of coming to Market and beat is reviews maybe the next might be really good pictures, Right maybe the third might be, you know excellent lab, copy in their bullets, or something like that what you say is the number one most important kind of, barrier to entry to coming into these new niches and kind of trying to break in, yeah it’s really good question so, i don’t think I quite save like one particular, but I can give you kind of like the package that looked at, even better, yeah so like, number review, delivery reviews, like you can outrank, products that have, what’s higher like never, that isn’t necessarily in, age of like how well, we know there’s a class of, things are going to the A9 algorithm, absolutely, maturity of listing, and like how many, big picture right here, what we need to be successful on Amazon is we need to organic, Frank well, for a lot of, are a lot of research firms are buyers research, i just, thinking about, is what do I need to do to outrank those or like re 12th, is there rankings like if we reverse-engineer this it’s like what do we need to do to beat, people in their ranks, so, word would be, velocity, so our product needs to be, we know for a fact is one of the major things that Amazon takes into account, you need a good conversion rate, good pictures there’s a good title, product description, we need to write well, keyword relevancy, so we need to make sure that we’re, index plural, she wears that we want to be, knowing and understanding all that the things that we can, where to see whether or not there’s listen to, we need to be, what’s, their sales history Phil’s place be like, The number of reviews is a great gauge for that, we need to be saying you like how much Social, they have, which leads to a higher conversion rate, number Visa great one for that, aR, how good are my competitors listings because I want, pictures, that’s much easier for me, so, i’m looking at like how good are the listings how many reviews do they have, have you tried looking like how many sellers are there for this, like, a good indicator if I’m trying to, demonite the fight last night and on that page Amazon, the show me, irrelevant search results by search for pipe glass in Amazon, starting to show me, i’m just like little table coasters, emmys actress., a lot of what Amazon believes our relative price for a particular search are looking at that be like a good, indicator that it’s not a super competitive, And this that is incredible point that I will personally admit I’ve never thought about and I’m definitely going.

Thank you I do a lot of research on once we do and it’s 11 or so thank you so much for that has an incredible answer, very detailed answer so appreciate that, what’s going on so we have one more question and then we’re going to kind of take a little bit of a deep dive into showing you how, jungle Scout founder himself, does product research on the platform so this the final question, before we do that so definitely stay around, if you are interested in seeing that, so the question is, up with other software popping up Annabeth competition you know amazeowl unicorn Smasher viral until, agensys New ipotty Market intelligence, i’m can you talk about first, how some of these competitors can offer their platforms, Free and then second how you know jungle Scout differential, differentiate itself from some of the, these new guys kind of popping up, so, tritech research platform, it’s not really like super difficult, entry to build like a pretty like mediocre, volume by saying that, with like strong data integrity, is like, so much harder just to give you an idea like there is a must for the webinar, people not working at jungle Scout, who is a data scientist like his job is, working on, the accuracy of our sales estimates and the Integrity of our data and a lot of those things, you know knock knock like where you guys like all the time, . like the most important, kind of like work we do like behind the scenes make sure this data is like accurate, what you need economy, thinking about is, play for me personally at least like when I think about this like, Data, or like numbers that you’re giving, are free if they’re not act, absolutely, detrimental like blow to your business and advise give you an example like, what if I have my jungle Scout sunglasses here what is my guy I download like a competitors Friday, are someone else’s product that maybe has like pretty like four, they tell me that jungle Scout orange sunglasses are selling like 10,000, something you like sweet, then I’m going to clock down like $3,000 my own, capital so I can order like a few thousand of these I just got sunglasses, did I get in to find out that it’s actually, only like 10 units to mine instead of like 10,000, yeah you got the data for free for like I just wasted like $3,000, so that’s why I like I really encourage you guys in like honour blog, teepublic about, The science of a lot of things that go into it, and, we’re pretty transparent about that and I’d encourage guys ever think about some of the competitors, there are tall garbage but you guys like ask him to tough questions like, what did you do to, accurate, good at sales like, what’s your team like what’s made by some of the science behind it some of those things and, like what you find is its, pretty weak it’s kind of more so just like a rough estimate but then like they’re selling proposition instead of, the quality of the data and actresses, is that is free, listening or watching this, why she got there and ask him what other platforms to, tell you a little bit more about, what’s going on behind-the-scenes right now and this is this is exactly why when people ask me you know why would I pay in Alaska Mountain, Dollar Store jungle Scout when I could get.

Is for free my answer is always the same thing because jungle Scout is giving you guys the most accurate data out there of any, software platform and I’m not just saying that because I’m you know talking with Greg it’s because I really can’t believe and it software, i was using jungle Scout as a user before I ever met Greg, right and so you really have to kind of way that benefits and cost of getting that you know incorrect, are potentially you know, data that’s not so you know, perfect as far as, the accuracy right because it’s so important to, establish that pattern of sales using the jungle Scout product tracker right using the 999 cart method, you can’t just take a look at like an immediate on sales, metric from any of these software right because it could be a giveaway that’s distorting the overall BSR of those, Monthly sales right so it’s very important, to look at a trend look at the product tracker, sales data for yourself right don’t make any rash decisions as far as part of research goes, because it’s a very long-term type thing right if you’re going to invest your own Capital you want to be sure in it and the way to be, sure is by having the most accurate data, and the way to get that most accurate data is by using the best software which in my opinion, is jungle Scout, let go into the most exciting portion of the training, we are going to actually show Greg performing, somaya jungle Scout research live so why ask you the question I’m going to go ahead and allow you to share your screen, so a common concern that I hear from all of my students is it was so many people you know on Jungle Scout on and, Amazon FBA now, sometimes our people could kind of be using jungle Scout with the same or similar filters, did a lot of the like Amazon you know people out there are, i kind of teaching right, and so, with all these people looking at maybe some of the same filters how can we be sure that we’re not all looking, at the same, products, would you if you’d be so kind take us through some of the kind of out-of-the-box creative ways to use jungle Scout, you know one or even maybe two steps, further than most people are using to identify product so we can really find those true diamond in the rough type, products, yeah absolutely, just to confirm can you see my screen, I can’t yet, so what am I looking at right now, what is the weather for I think I maybe have a little, product research, then maybe, what is the other like videos are Cyrus language, better if you guys are, turn this all kind of cover like me, exactly yet, you are talking about, what are the ways that like, what are things that I really liked, i would say this is like a Greek, definitely not enough, products, the first one, products that., so, i just think like, can get products, that are selling well, you know they have a crappy, this is an excellent opportunity, are you right to sell same thing, petSmart, even though the ratings less than, don’t you people trick your I’m going to say like 3, 3.7, stars, at 3, amazon round, when you, let me show you the one, amazon rounds winners, looking at, the number of stars he writes, Celery has 2.8 out of 5 but it’s like.

Usually, consumers, stars, hear this guy has 4, 2.7 but they’re seeing, 4 1/2, that kind of sucks cuz it looks like, pretty close to 5, that’s good to think about, when you’re searching, show me everything, 3.7 or less, because visually a consumer saying that three and a half Stars, the real quick, just kind of quickly, i like I said, know about this a little bit, rex, room here, these products, and, chad, bee sting like which ones, relatively simple that I can make, pretty simple product right here I can look at it on Amazon, can go down I can take, reviews, hannah what’s the reviews at the okay what do we need, make us think better, barely holding together, worst feelings ever for, fabric doesn’t stay on, doesn’t come, just have to read me that for, 10 seconds it seems like people are under the protection of the, Comes with, richard pretty easily, fruit that by just saying that, like maybe like rain that out in, very clear that all you, picture is the slang, brett saying was that this fabric, car doesn’t stay on, baby I asked my Factor, to like on the backside of this to put like a, a little bit of, rubber or like something else so it doesn’t like slide around as easily, correct, no definitely, yeah fabric quality super easy right side, that’s pretty, a super easy for that flight put something else on there, so wait what why have you a, question that my students ass all the time and it would hate me if I didn’t ask you, is if you want to if you want to Source a product from Alibaba but you want like some custom alteration, how are you going about doing that right so if you see a product and you want to make some changes to it, But maybe you know no factories is advertising that they do those exact thing, how are you going about making those custom changes and kind of you know making the product your own and adding that value, yes I just work with the factory, weed out the people, i just watched, product like 2 weeks ago, where I did this to, call jungle snugs, so this is like sticker fabric, my competitors right, editor’s, battery fuse is silly, fabric thickness is measured, gSM grams per square meter, there’s fabric was like 300 GSM stand there, bad reviews saying, that is like truth it right, alibaba, baby towels, cheese factories i said, looking for like a hooded baby towel the bamboo, everything and I want, lakers fabric, specifically specified, gsmst, what other Fabrics do you have, Like Mexican song factories were like, oh oh we have 300, gSM, what sticker, excuse like, affiliate, how do you roll a fabric pattern, what are the factors like, we actually do have a, roll up, gSF, okay sweetie, go ahead and, in your initial, yay, leave it like, fairly, if we go back to the example, noodles, instead of like, speaker fabric, are the thicker like sling, fairly easy, like I have your dude, available for that, but instead of saying like hey I want to put rubber on the inside of these, i probably start off with saying, what are the, floating out of noodle seats whatever, little seeds to stay on, and open it up with just like that, and maybe they already have an igr, maybe they already have it, or that they, if not you can say like, should you put rubber on inside of those so it’s like God has better traction than, Then I wonder whatever does so.

Perfect thank you, is the web apps that, will do, i don’t know why this is like a, a fantastic way to finally I’ve never would have, i’ve never seen, pool noodle seats before I know what I thought of that product, without it that’s like something, an interesting to look at two guys that Greg not using, you know 3.75, and he’s not using, 20 right because everyone out there humans it’s just human nature to make round numbers right you want to put in 3.75, you want to put in for you want to put in $20 so he’s changing that up, to see different products that you guys might not otherwise see by using those round number, yeah that’s a great point, something else that are commonly, do is use like a, quality settings, not familiar with this, Rank, all the, quality vaults, listings on, 1 + 100, i’ve actually just today I was working on new album, like this but so like, a score of, 35, like from what I know I don’t, a lot of people leave, light on. A like at least like, beatbox, what’s a estimated sales is, sting song A Thousand Years, what has a really, it’s about 18 bucks, what kind of sauce we have, i like some of these like, i’m not going to sell it, skip right over that I’m sure there are some products and I did, do that too, weed out a lot of, like, i never would have thought her right, right like necessity type items that people are going to buy regardless of whether you know the listing is, well made or not maybe, you could come in, create that we know that listening often, innovation that they’re not worried about doing cuz they know people are buying it anyway, Yes is crazy right this thing sound like 12, 1300, 4 months, it has one star, it has like, probably hardly, titles pretty sure, pretty sure, if I scroll down here like, just like a crappy product description rights like, three sentences, frankincense, things like easy, fully destructible, if this guy sign 1300, vermont, is really crappy listing it’s like, guys if you launched, please, door hinges would like a really nice listening, ensley steel pry like all his sales, exactly, so that’s a pretty cool way to use it. Like not a lot of, now that’s right yeah, yes that’s one, what, couple cool ways, extension that, is, i don’t like, i’m a huge fan of this but, i guess I don’t talk about you often in, really do it but you can go to a seller’s, put on the extension there, This is going to pull in all, products that, seller is selling right, i like doing this especially on, private label sellers, and they’re pretty, need to pick out what, what you kind of know, you’re doing, private label sellers right, yeah they’re doing like that the bullet points the first words all caps in, it’s kind of easy, stop picking your mouth, this guy looks like, just say, is like a private, stellar form I can tell, something but, but I really like doing this on a private label seller, sorted by estimate, sales, other sellers best-selling products are right, we can do it example real, what’s going on water private label, watermelon slicer, my students are laughing right now good cuz this is one of like the main product research methods, are one of the you know, few main ones in the course and what I kind of told on you to myself that I found so many kind of Diamonds in the Rough end, Yeah I know.

That because it works really well right and there’s so far down the rabbit hole to go through this is basically infant, yeah for sure this guy he only has one product but yeah so if you see this, fresh, infinite right, looks like a few might probably my favorite things that most people out there aren’t you, it really helped, artsearch, like, i wish jungle Scout had like, whatever, the number of, stop, is soda, tiny compared to, hey how many sellers on Amazon, how many customers are in Amazon, even if, even if we had like, very small fraction, what percentage of, how many sellers on Amazon how many fires are in Amazon, get out, they’re so alike, first-person abundance, abundance of opportunities on Amazon., i wouldn’t get too hung up on things, Not like everyone else is selling the same, plus it’s the watermelon slicer, or the garlic press, or the guy, okay cool so we have like 5 minutes left I have students that are absolutely dying to ask you to a couple, more question, if you’d be so kind, so, one of the questions that I get all the time is, you know I’m trying to kind of get my, feet wet in Amazon FBA but I don’t necessarily have you upfront Capital to get these like Big Mo, how to use write a thousand units 2000 5000, what is a kind of way that you found maybe to get that MF, down a bit before you know maybe new sellers are people who are on a little bit more of a budget with doctor, yes, is on, this is like a test order which that’s not even really like a liar right like, Like first worst kind of, what are often say is you like we like to go, i want to make sure that this like I’ll high quality, i’m going to start off like a hundred, if that works out I’ll have much, orchard Ware Smith Insurance, that’s not even a lie right cuz like you, are you sure you want to make sure that’s good quality and, and start selling on Amazon you are going to work, what’s the time, alright so one thing to think about, if you’re doing small mod, don’t expect, especially if I can, mold has to be made for this battle the other thing, so that’s one thing you, nevermind if you are, only have enough capital for a smaller MO, somebody else, and, i’ve been fortunate to get to go to chop into like China like three times I visited, Open up my eyes like, the difference of somebody’s factories, dude right like so big like a billion, and those types of, karnataka, false-color they’re not, run of 100, and I don’t have a roommate is like giant ones, they didn’t really want to, walmart, and you know it’s like a 2000 square foot like a small Factory, they’re doing like you smaller or, like those are a better fit, like, people who wanted you like smaller m, on Alibaba, information is garbage, turn themselves so a lot of it’s like not very accurate but, sad how much smaller capacity, and then after that it’s just kind of a, the small factories that only, working there and a small production line., they’re happy about, can I get order for like a hundred, but if it’s excuse bacuit 900, this is not worth it, production, doesn’t make sense, yeah I know that’s a great answer my I’m getting a bunch of messages again because I actually have a script that’s literally how to ask for a, Test order to test the quality before a larger order so.

I hope so I think my students would hopefully agree, we’re going to ask Greg one last question and then we’re going to give you guys a very special offer, to be able to kind of save some money getting jungle Scout getting the best product research, that’s who out there with all the most accurate data so, what I personally want to know is, you know could we maybe have any hands of a new software new features that we might see, she from the jungle scout team are we ever going to see like I’m merchantwords Type, clown Fork, keywords kind of in the you know platform and ecosystem itself or are there any hints that you might be able to, Give us as far as where you guys are going kind of in a few, oh yeah good question I don’t think I saw this, i don’t think I’ve ever shared like the general, first time so you go guys, play hard the past month on a brand new extension, bat, who’s actually like, the first Alpha version, what’s given to a ux designer today, to go through, signed picture is adequate, teamwork as before, you can probably expect that in the next couple, song is this, like they found, i’d like to get some like a nuke, where is the data that no one else is doing, a better user experience, 4 / 10, all updates are always in, you have another recession so I can provide anything else, what day is this, canoe, that’s really cool, excited about that, we’re not coming out with, The other song, platforms on anytime, as, you know we have, we have jump sandwich., automation, skechers The Profit analytics in accounting, where does four platforms and, what we decide what about like a, yirego as, building outdoor platform, is that, we really wanted to double down on, quality of everything that, doing a Zappos like expanding, a lot of our focus is on Jungle Sky up at Austin, we don’t want any just like, joker applique, everything, do we want to go, is without a doubt the best, the business, waverly been doubling, quality of everything that we’re doing, so I kind of the real thing that I have actually share with anyone else is, the earlier we talked about the sales estimates., we hired a new, engineer let’s see about like 2 months ago that was like, really good, with a lot of, how much for thinking like big data, Machine learning like artificial, belgian stuff, and what will work here right now it’s like, estimator sales is going, everyone else, it’s going to be like a very like dynamic, spell dustman’s like if you check most, the same date, it’s going to be a little bit different cuz it’s like always adjusting, not like you guys like, no we love it I love it, yeah like, literally if I practice can be processing, every single day, monitoring all the sales in all the different, categories in marketplaces through, like the days and seasons, advanced stuff like, did you guys like, that’s something that like I’m really excited about, hardon lately, yeah there’s just, we have 11 Engineers right now it’s like we’re constantly always, is doing lots of, small updates and small features and all kind of stuff like the big things I’m really excited all right now, Cool.

Mega Man that’s what you want first of all in a software founder right he’s not charging you for the updates like, you know some people a lot of people do, and they’re doubling down on you know increasing the quality rather than trying to put out all of these different systems that aren’t necessarily quite, quite ready yet, and we got to never heard before a fresh from Greg’s mouth, about to know some of the Jungle Scout secrets, so you heard it here first guys, give them on the offer and Greg has been kind enough to extend an offer of the discount for junk, look out for everyone out there watching the offer is available you guys at www. Junglescout.com, flash Kevin, right and so if you guys are interested if you don’t you want to get into the Amazon FBA space, or you haven’t taken the plunge to get jealous. Maybe you’ve been using some of the free, Software out there but you want to get more serious and you want a kind of you know make sure that you’re getting all of the best available data, head over to www.scout.com, / Kevin I’m going to have it available in the description in the YouTube video, and again once we shared on Facebook so, greg thank you so much from the bottom of my heart it’s so amazing to be talking to you you’re the first person I found out my think of you, u.s. kind of my own Amazon Mentor I’m so thank you so much for joining us, absolutely Kevin thanks for adding me on it’s been a really good hour and a half, really appreciate, absolutely man so we will talk to you soon, alright sounds good.

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topicprinter · 6 years ago

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"So we capture movement all around the store and even from outside the store. We can see how many people pass outside the store and use that to work out the capture rate from outside.One of the really popular use cases is just A/B testing the window displays. If you can increase footfall, that will have a huge effect on your sales as well. You can test different products, different promotions in the window and see if you can capture more people from outside."I spoke to Aura Vision co-founder Jonathon Blok about how they're using computer vision to analyze conversion rates for physical stores. One of the most surprising things I heard was that a lot of shops are looking to test, or have already tested this and other similar types of technology - NathanWhat does AuraVision do and what is your role in the company?Aura Vision provides visitor analytics to retailers using their existing CCTV and security cameras. So it’s a little bit like Google Analytics for the offline world in that we describe what types of people come into a store, what people do there. We give the retailer an understanding of how their store is being perceived and how it’s performing in terms of whether they're targeting the right demographic. We look at whether people going to the areas of the store that the owners are expecting and spending enough time with the right types of products.My role is the chief product officer. So I'm in charge of charge of data visualization, data storage and the data retrieval side of things. I also interact with our customers about where they would actually use this data to affect their stores. The other cofounders are, Jamie who's the CTO and Dan who's CEO. Both have PhDs in computer vision, which is the technology we use under the hood. So our algorithms have come straight from their PhDs.Who uses this technology? Are you focusing on supermarkets or retail stores?We're focusing less on supermarkets to be honest and more on specialty retail. So things like fashion, homewares and mobile phone stores. We target stores where conversion rate is typically quite a bit lower than average.We come in to help retailers improve conversion rates. So, if you move this product here or experiment with changing a marketing display in the store or something, you can affect conversion rates. Even a 1% improvement can have huge impacts for a store.Aura Vision Founding TeamSupermarkets obviously have like crazy high conversion because you don't go into Walmart to not buy something. So it’s less effective there. We typically go after chain stores and specialty retailers. Generally, we wouldn't work with someone with just one store - we focus on chains.What can retailers understand from your data? Are you looking at their face so you can retarget these people?So it's all completely anonymous. We don't actually know who is coming into the store or their specific identity. We detect that in the video that a person appears to be a human and we're determining that age and gender. We don't recognize the individual people.What can they actually do with that though?So we capture movement all around the store and even from outside the store. So we can see how many people pass outside the store and use that to work out the capture rate from outside.One of the really popular use cases is just A/B testing the window displays. If you can increase footfall, that will have a huge effect on your on your sales as well. You can test different products, different promotions in the window and see if you can capture more people from outside.Wow and have you got any results that you can share on that?We did an experiment with a client last year and they saw 9% increase in footfall. We actually analyzed the direction of passing traffic outside the store and they had a huge digital screen that they just invested in. But their screen was facing people coming from the right, and 75% of people walking past outside were coming from the left, so essentially only one quarter of the passing traffic was seeing the screen. So they just moved it to the other side so that more people were viewing it and that caused more people to see it, which meant more people came into the store.And how do you find your customers? Where do you find these kinds of store owners?We typically sell to head office so we'll go to trade shows and events. We'll also try and find them on Linkedin to start conversations. We just try and reach people in places where they are rather than a pure sales play. We typically find that they're looking for something like this or they've tried something similar before. They might have tried Bluetooth beacons or Wifi tracking which doesn't really work so well and they haven't really got the end result that they wanted. These types of tracking use people mobile phones - they are only accurate to between 5-10m, require a lot of new hardware in the store, and also fall foul of new GDPR legislation, so we fix a lot of these issues.How much does it cost to try your service?So we charge an annual license cost per camera. We can just use the existing cameras though. So in comparison to other tracking solutions that need bespoke hardware in the store, it’s quite a bit cheaper. The actual price point depends on depends on scale and the contract length.I saw that you went through YC. How was that?Yeah. It was pretty revolutionary for our business. We were actually running the company for just over a year before we went to YC and had a small amount of funding from an incubator in London. That got us through last year.We went to YC to open access to the US market and to build up a better network. It was pretty revolutionary to our way of thinking. It's very no faff. So they don't let you waste time on things that aren't going to accelerate your business. It's very to the point.So you're based in London but you moved over to San Fran?Yeah, we were in San Fran for three months this year, January through March but we now operate the company out of the UK. We started in the UK and our cofounders live here as well.At the end of YC did you manage to raise additional money?Yeah. So that's again one of the big advantages of YC. They create a pretty fantastic ecosystem for getting funding into your business. We ended up raising $1.1 million which we are now using to grow the team and get more clients. We’re hiring more developers, salespeople and attending more trade shows and events.What did investors think on the privacy concerns? What made you not track faces?So we don't actually don't need to track faces. My cofounder, Dan, did his phd in computer vision trying to pick up features about people like age and gender without needing to use their face. We use everything else the system can see like hair color, size and clothing type, or if they're carrying a handbag, what kind of shoes they're wearing, they way they're walking. Anything really.The other advantage of our system is that we can use any camera. Actually most cameras are set up so that people are turned away from them. But even when people are turned away from the camera, we can still capture demographics. So when they're looking at products or they're talking to a member of staf, we can still capture the demographics because we don't need that facial recognition.Amazon is doing something similar where they track people in their stores and automatically charge customers. Is that something you're looking into?That works really well for convenience stores, but there's so many other types of products that we buy where it wont work. For instance, if you're going to buy a sofa, you're not just going to be able to pick it up and walk out with it. Or many other products like that, you still need a store, you need some interaction with staff. It does work great for groceries and it's another reason why we're not targeting supermarkets right now. We went into one of those stores in San Fran and saw they have a huge number of cameras. I don't know how the unit economics work out right now, but there's quite a big hardware requirement.What are the next steps in the development of your technology?We recently deployed staff detection for a few clients. That's basically where can train our system to know what a member of staff looks like. So essentially it detects uniform, but if the staff don't wear a uniform, we can train the system to pick up something else distinctive. For example, they can wear lanyards or something that groups them together.It's really useful for seeing where staff and customers spend time during the day. You can then exclude staff from your footfall accounts, which is actually quite a big problem for retailers. They're very reliant on footfall counts, but when the staff come in and out or they go out to lunch, it impacts the footfall counts and reduces the accuracy quite a lot. Once we've detected it and filter it out.Awesome, are there any on other developments you can tell us about?Yeah, we're moving to edge processing as well. So right now we upload the video to the cloud for processing and then delete the it which adds a bit of extra latency to the step. It means it's difficult for us to work in low bandwidth environments. What we're moving to is a processing step on the edge so we can work with hundreds of cameras on the same site. That'll be really, really key for us.So how long does it take to process the data currently? Say trading closed at five for a store, when would they see the data?Right now they'd get it the next morning. With this edge processing though, it would be real time. We haven't noticed too many issues with the delay as it stands but obviously we want to get that down.For running your business are there any apps that you find particularly useful? Are there any email providers or CRMs you use that other people might also find useful?We're going to be quite boring and talk about slack and G-mail. We've just started using notion, it is a kind of wiki-come-CRM which is quite cool. We use that a lot for note taking and it's really helpful for onboarding new team members. We have a source of information for all things about the company. So when people start, we get them to read through the information we have on that.Google hangouts is also really key for us when we're talking to clients. It's probably the best platform we've come across for video conferencing and screen sharing. So when we're doing a demo of the platform to a client it works really well. That's a huge enabler for us working across the UK and US.What tips do you have for people looking to get into this or looking to get into YC? Is there anything that stands out that you learned while being there that might help other people?Yeah. Be clear and concise and have an idea of what it is you're trying to get to and the steps that you need to get there. Then just try and cut out all of the stuff you're doing that isn't helping you to get there. Be really really focused. You always have a priority list, just ruthlessly prioritize and ensure only the very most important stuff gets done. There's so many things to do when running a business so anything you can cut out that isn't helping it's going to be really helpful.If you enjoyed the read, the original post is here.

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elizabethcariasa · 7 years ago

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Give yourself a holiday gift by making these 10 year-end tax moves

Don't let tax turkeys gobble up your money. Make these tax moves, a couple of which are related to recent tax reform, this November and for sure by the end of 2018.

South Park turkeys via Giphy

It's November! The start of the holiday season. Time to get into the festive spirit with some year-end tax moves.

"Whoa! Wait! What the what are you thinking?" you say. "I'm still adjusting to Standard Time and already have a huge to-do list to make sure my family has the perfect Thanksgiving. Then as soon as that's over, I've got to start with the plans for December's merriment."

I hear you.

But I also know you need to add taxes to the mix. Now. Before you get all involved in Turkey Day and Christmas or Hanukkah or Mawlid an Nabi or whatever holy day your faith follows these last two months of the year.

If you don't, all the other important non-tax stuff that demands your attention as the year winds down will suck up all your time and you'll miss out taking some tax-smart tax actions.

And several tax moves to make before 2018 ends are especially important because of changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

To help you get through your year-end tax revelries (we do revel in taxes, don't we?) quickly so you can turn your attention to those other celebrations, here are 10 tax things to consider and, where applicable, complete ASAP.

1. Fine tune your Form W-4. The TCJA changed tax rates and the income amounts taxed under them. If you haven't used the Internal Revenue Service's withholding calculator to do a paycheck checkup, then you're still relying on old tax law when it comes to the taxes taken out each pay period. That could mean you might encounter an unexpectedly large refund or tax bill. While the big refund isn't awful, it's still not ideal. You could have been using that money throughout the year. But a big tax bill is awful. So find out where you stand withholding wise and make and adjustments via a new W-4 ASAP.

2. Examine itemized expenses. With the new tax law's substantially larger standard deduction amounts, more folks will find that itemizing is no longer worth it. However, in some cases, it's still worth it to keep track of your tax-deductible expenses. That's the case, for example, for individuals who have unusually large medical costs. For 2018, the itemizing threshold for medical costs is still 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. It could be worth bunching as much as those health-related costs into this year to exceed the standard deduction and then claiming the standard amount is 2019, or vice versa.

3. Pay attention to passthrough issues. If you're a small business owner who's eligible for the TCJA's new Section 199A 20 percent deduction for passthrough entities. This is one of the most convoluted, confusing portions of the new tax law. Heck, the IRS is still deciphering its many permutations nearly a year after it was enacted. In addition to determining just how much the small business tax break can provide, you need to ensure your company qualifies and whether you need to make any changes to your compensation structure to maximize the tax break. So if you don't have a tax professional to guide you through this new tax break, hire one now.

4. Clean out your FSA. A medical flexible spending account (FSA) offers a great way to set aside pre-tax dollars you can spend on health care costs not covered by your insurance policy. But they have one big drawback. Many still require you to use up all of your FSA money by the end of the benefits year, which is Dec. 31 for most companies, or lose them. Some companies give FSA owners a grace period until March 15 to use the money. Others allow a rollover of at least some of the accounts' funds. But your best bet is to spend down your FSA completely to ensure that it's not wasted.

5. Pad your nest eggs. Add as much as you can to your retirement accounts by year's end. This is a perennial suggestion, as far too many taxpayers fail to make the most of their 401(k)s and other savings accounts. Yes, you do have until next April 15 to make IRA contributions, either traditional or Roth, for 2018. But the sooner you get your money into the account, the sooner it has the potential to start to grow tax-deferred. And if your traditional IRA is deductible, that will reduce your taxable income for the year.

When it comes to workplace retirement plans, Dec. 31 is the last day you can put money for the current tax year into your 401(k) or similar plan. So get to your benefits office now to bump up your contributions for the final pay periods of the year. This post on 2018 and 2019 inflation adjustments for retirement plans has specifics on how much you can put into your nest eggs this year (and next).

6. Harvest your investment tax losses. For a while, it seemed like stocks could only go up. Then came February. And March. And October, which was brutal, with stock funds falling an average of 7.9 percent and wiping out all year-to-date gains.

Dow Jones Industrial Average index from October 2016 to October 2018 Find more statistics at Statista

Few of us escaped these 2018 market dives unscathed. But not all is lost. It might be a good idea, as part of your overall portfolio analysis, to sell some of the assets that didn't rebound. You can use those losses to offset any gains you made on other sales this year.

While it's hard sometimes to admit you made a bad investment decision, there's a school of financial thought that you should realize your losses sooner rather than later. Investors who wait until the very end of the tax year are likely to pay more taxes than those who realize losses when they occur, says , says Mier Dr. Statman, the Glenn Klimek professor of finance at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. If you wait until December, says Statman, the share prices might increase to what you paid for them, or more, and the opportunity for a tax deduction would disappear.

Capital losses also could be especially beneficial to higher income taxpayers facing the 3.8 percent Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). This surtax, part of the Affordable Care Act, is still in the tax code. It applies to the unearned income of single (or head of household) filers with modified adjusted gross incomes (MAGIs) of more than $200,000 and married joint filers earning $250,000 (or $125,000 if married and filing separately). Harvesting losses can help these high earners reduce their NIIT amount.

And if in taking those losses you discover you have more of them than gains, you can claim up to $3,000 in bad investments against your ordinary income to help lower that taxable amount. Then get a new financial adviser!

7. Be charitable. During the traditional gift-giving season, many folks make giving to charities part of their holiday celebrations. In addition to making you feel good, such contributions are still deductible under the new tax law.

The most common ways of giving to an IRS-approved nonprofit is by writing a check or charging your donation to your credit card. You also can donate clothing or household items and deduct the value of your old property.

There also are other more creative ways to give. Donate appreciate stock that, in your portfolio evaluation, you decided no longer fit your overall investing plan.

If you're age 70½ and are facing a required minimum distribution (RMD) that could push you into a higher tax bracket, consider directly transferring that RMD amount (up to $100,000) to your charity of choice. It allows you to meet the withdrawal rule without having to pay tax on the amount. And while an RMD direct donation means no charitable tax deduction, avoiding a chunk of taxable income is a pretty darn good tax break.

8. Collect your cryptocurrency documents. You'll need this paper trail if you buy, sell or mine cryptocurrency for an accurate record of what you owe on this property. And yes, that's how the IRS views Bitcoin and its digital brethren. If you don't have complete and correct records of your transactions, you could be subject to added attention from the IRS and possibly face a bigger tax bill that you expected.

9. Bump your bonus into 2019. The new tax law lowered rates and expanded income brackets so most folks will see more of their earnings taxed at lower levels. But if you're near the top of a bracket and an expected end-of-year bonus could push you into higher tax territory, talk to your boss about postponing that reward until 2019. Sure, delaying receipt of that added money might cut into your holiday spending budget. But it could save you taxes and provide the cash early next year to pay the credit cards you used to buy gifts.

If you're self-employed, either as your full-time job or from side gigs, you have more control on cash flow. Don't send out job invoices until late December so that you won't get those payments until 2019.

10. Deal with your divorce. Ending a marriage is rarely pleasant. Things get even messier when taxes are involved in the nuptial's dissolution. A TCJA provision that kicks in next year adds some end-of-2018 urgency and yet another tax matter over which couples can fight.

If you will be paying alimony, you'll want to finalize the split before the end of 2018 so you'll be able to, under prior tax law, deduct those payments to your soon-to-be ex-spouse. The TCJA changed the rules here and if the divorce decree comes after Dec. 31, 2018, then that alimony won't be deductible.

If, however, you're the ex who will be getting spousal support payments, you'll want to delay the decree. The TCJA says that instead of owing tax on alimony as was the case before the new law was enacted, starting in 2019 alimony will be tax-free.

More November tax moves: And that wraps the 10 tax moves to make by Dec. 31.

Yeah, that's a lot to shoehorn into the end of the year. But if any or all of them apply to your financial and tax situations, check into them. They could make a valuable difference when you file your taxes next year, or before!

If, however, you're a tax glutton, you can find even more tax moves specifically for November over in the ol' blog's right column. They're under the bright red November Tax Moves heading, just below the countdown clock ticking off the time left here in tax year 2018.

Once all this tax stuff is done, you still have plenty of time to work on your holiday celebrations. And you'll be able to do without that nagging tax voice in your head.

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christophergill8 · 7 years ago

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Give yourself a holiday gift by making these 10 year-end tax moves

Don't let tax turkeys gobble up your money. Make these tax moves, a couple of which are related to recent tax reform, this November and for sure by the end of 2018.

South Park turkeys via Giphy

It's November! The start of the holiday season. Time to get into the festive spirit with some year-end tax moves.

I hear you.

If you don't, all the other important non-tax stuff that demands your attention as the year winds down will suck up all your time and you'll miss out taking some tax-smart tax actions.

And several tax moves to make before 2018 ends are especially important because of changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

Dow Jones Industrial Average index from October 2016 to October 2018 Find more statistics at Statista

There also are other more creative ways to give. Donate appreciate stock that, in your portfolio evaluation, you decided no longer fit your overall investing plan.

More November tax moves: And that wraps the 10 tax moves to make by Dec. 31.

Once all this tax stuff is done, you still have plenty of time to work on your holiday celebrations. And you'll be able to do without that nagging tax voice in your head.

from Tax News By Christopher https://www.dontmesswithtaxes.com/2018/11/10-year-end-tax-moves-that-could-produce-a-holiday-tax-gifts.html

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robertkstone · 7 years ago

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Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat Will Still Play Key Role in FCA Lineup

Steve Beahm took over as head of FCA passenger car brands (Dodge, SRT, Chrysler, and Fiat) for North America in February, responsible for selling and marketing once-majestic brands now struggling for relevance in an SUV-happy market. In 32 years with FCA, the Washington native has done fieldwork and supply chain management, and he led Maserati North America. He started racing at 16 and still follows the sport, so when FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne asked him to take this job, “it was a quick yes.”

Congratulations on the new job.

I started February 1, so we’re on four months, but I’ve been around the company for almost 32 years, not necessarily in this role, but in a lot of commercial roles throughout that time frame. Never in the brand. Most of my career has been in sales, in the operations side, running incentives, field operations. I had Maserati for a short period of time, as well as the supply chain.

So you have it in your blood?

I started racing with my dad when I was 16 and did it for about 20 years and only gave it up because I ran out of time. The career was taking more of my time, and I had some kids at the time so I had to give up the sport, but I still follow it today.

What were you racing?

My first car was a ’69 (Plymouth) Roadrunner and the second one was a ’70 (Dodge) Challenger. Then I went on the dark side and raced a couple GM models for a while, but I started on the Mopar side and whatever my dad had available, I was willing to drive at the time.

So you are the perfect man for this job.

When Mr. (Sergio) Marchionne (chairman and CEO of FCA) asked me, it was a quick ‘yes.’

FCA’s five-year plan centers on volume brands. What is the role of the brands you oversee?

Passenger car brands represent 20 percent of NAFTA revenue. Dodge is the biggest brand by volume and revenue. Dodge’s role is to be prominent as America’s sports car brand. That’s what we’ve labelled it in the past few years, and I truly believe that’s where the brand is at today and where it’s headed for the future.

Charger and Challenger stay on the same platform, and you just keep updating it?

There’s a lot to be said for keeping a similar platform from the standpoint of knowing the bones that you have and how to make it better. We’ve had a proven vehicle out for a period of time, and right now that would be the direction we would head and for the vehicle it’s the right thing. No full commitments, but that’s part of our direction right now.

With the Challenger, have Hellcat and Demon been a boost to visibility?

It has been. Challenger started as a 2008, then Hellcat in 2015; Demon came out as a 2018 model. And we’ve got some other stuff coming down the road. For 2019 we’re going to do a Redeye. It’s a Hellcat that’s been possessed by a Demon. It’s got a Hellcat body—basically suspension and platform—with the Demon engine. It’s calibrated a little bit differently than in the Demon, but it’s pretty much the Demon engine, so 797 horsepower. It’s a wide body, as well, so you get the 3.5-inch-wider wheels, which means more rubber on the ground.

Are those Nexen tires?

Redeye has Pirelli P Zeros. In terms of performance, the Demon was intended for the track even though it was street legal. We wanted to provide a car that wouldn’t be just on a race track or in somebody’s garage, but a car that would actually be out on the road. So the Redeye has a lot of the same features that were in the Hellcat or the Demon, performance-wise. We’re excited about it. It’s going to be a mainstream vehicle. It’s expected to sell 7 to 8 percent of our mix within Hellcat.

Will it have the transbrake, too?

It will not have the transbrake. It has line lock. Transbrake was the dragstrip piece on the Demon side, along with the suspension that was created for the Demon, so a lot of those features are not available on the Redeye.

Will it be a special edition or limited run?

It is not a special edition. I view it as no different than the Hellcat itself, other than we got an additional version with higher horsepower. It’s not limited to certain volumes. We have no limitations of the volumes right now, and we’re estimating it will be somewhere between 6 and 9 percent of Hellcat sales.

What other variants are planned?

Scat Pack: the first performance vehicle on the Challenger side. We’re going to make wide body available on the Scat Pack for the first time. The second feature is that it gets the waterfall hood from the Hellcat, and the Hellcat is going to get a dual-snorkel hood. That provides an extra 10 horsepower on the Hellcat, so it goes from 707 to 717. It’s fully functional. The left snorkel on the hood goes straight into the induction system and allows the engine to give us 10 more horsepower.

The (Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack) 1320 is another model that we will announce at the Dodge Mile High NHRA event in Denver on July 19. It’s a special model, a buzz model. The 1320 is intended to be a vehicle that someone can drive to work, but if they’re working on a Saturday they can head over to the dragstrip and take it down the track. It has a lot of features that you may have seen on the Demon or on Hellcat, that’s available as a Scat Pack. So the Scat Pack is the base model of 1320. It has 485 hp. It’s got special wheels and tires in terms of traction and capability, so the vehicle will be able to hook up in all conditions whether it be on the road or on the track. And it’s got some cool down features for someone who might be hot-lapping at the track, for the staging lanes. It will have some other cool features that will allow the vehicle to be a little bit more race-friendly for someone who is driving it to the track.

Are there other models for 1320?

No, it’s just going to be the Scat Pack for now. And Scat Pack will be the wide body whether it’s on a 1320 or not. But the only way you can get a 1320 is in a wide body off the Scat Pack. Nexen street-legal drag radials will be available, and it’ll also come with a little “Angry Bee” on it (an homage to the Dodge Super Bee). We’ll also supply some additional screens (in the instrument cluster) for setting up your car, similar to what we did with the Demon. In this case, it may not be to the same extent, but you have the capability to go in and try to set up the right balance for track conditions on the 1320.

You can keep doing that until you are limited by regulations or unable to add the tech you want?

(What stays the same) is the bones of the platform: A frames, suspension. All the other stuff underneath it will actually be all brand new in terms of our wiring harness, electrical capability. The architecture might be off the same platform—in some cases, we might make some enhancements—but everything else pretty much will be relatively all new.

Is there room to further expand the Hellcat family?

We’re always challenging our engineers. We’re always challenging our people on the marketing side to come up with what the people want. Dodge has the largest social media following of any brand, and we think we’re closer to our customers because of that. We have the most Facebook followers, most followers on Instagram and Twitter; our job is to listen to [our customers], and when we can go down some paths they want us to, if it’s good for our brand, we’ll do it. That’s a lot of what’s happened with Hellcat, Demon, and then the Redeye. A lot of the Demons are in storage rooms, a few of them are on the track. I want to see some Redeyes out on the road.

The FCA plan has the Hellcat engine going into the Ram pickup.

Yeah, we’ve got great engineers that provided us with an outstanding engine that has a bunch of performance, and the Ram guys think that’s a good fit for them to take advantage of it as well, and we’re good with that.

There were reports that the Viper is coming back.

As Mr. Marchionne indicated, the Viper is not in the [next five-year] plan.

The Viper plant no longer exists.

It does not. It is being modified for meetings, as a conference center, and a way to display some of our cars.

Does SRT remain as a brand?

It’s a brand that’s very important to Dodge. As America’s performance brand, SRT has to be the organization that continues to push us on the edge of performance. It’s that fine line of putting it on the track and driving it on the street. The SRT engineering team continues to find ways to provide us that performance level that our competitors can’t match.

Durango has performance versions.

Absolutely. It has an SRT version, so don’t underestimate the Durango. The Journey may be a little different, but the Durango SRT is one impressive vehicle.

So Durango fits with what you are trying to do with Dodge.

Absolutely.

How do Journey, Caravan, and Durango still fit in Dodge? Or do they have a long-term role?

They have a role through the ’19 model year. We don’t talk much beyond that. But being America’s performance brand, long term, [some of the vehicles] may not fit.

When does the Grand Caravan go away?

We haven’t announced the end of production. It’s going to be through the 2019 model year, like the Journey, at this point.

Was the Magnum ahead of its time? It fits the Dodge persona now.

We had a couple trendsetters: the original Pacifica and then the Magnum. They’re both unique vehicles. We’ve actually looked at it, but at this stage we’re not headed down that path.

Is Chrysler the minivan brand?

I view it as people movers. The Pacifica is the anchor of the brand. It’s an outstanding vehicle, good for us to build upon. We’re looking for other opportunities. It’s my job to find ways for that brand to grow.

A Pacifica-based corssover was delayed. Is it still in the plan?

It’s not in the future plans Mr. Marchionne spoke about so I can’t give more details about that.

Do you stop making the Chrysler 300 but keep the Dodge large cars?

The 300 goes through the ’19 model year. If you step back and say, ‘Does it fit people movers?’ it does from the sedan standpoint, but not from a utility.

Can Chrysler survive with just a minivan?

It’s my job to look for opportunities—in a profitable way—to build on the Pacifica. Waymo agreed to buy 62,000 [Pacifica hybrids for their autonomous vehicle fleet]. I want to build on that and add Chrysler products.

Waymo is a great partnership.

I look forward to that relationship. I think it’s good for both of us.

Are there plans to take Dodge and Chrysler international? Are they NAFTA-only brands?

The passenger cars for Dodge and Chrysler are NAFTA influenced heavily, way north of 90 percent, and that will continue moving forward.

Is Fiat’s product line streamlined for North America?

The product plan is driven from EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). Our job is to identify what models work for the U.S. and NAFTA. We’ll take products they build in Europe, homologate them, and they’ll be electric with a high percent of them hybrids.

The post Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat Will Still Play Key Role in FCA Lineup appeared first on Motor Trend.

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nitemice · 8 years ago

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Hey, here's my latest post over on my main blog:

For the record, I had never heard of Jen Gloeckner before 4 months ago, when I received an email, asking me to review her new album VINE. They described it as “hypnotically captivating, and spellbinding music”, and compared it to Twin Peaks, so was intrigued. Plus, there was a song called Ginger Ale!

My first reaction when I found an unsolicited email in my inbox, asking me to review an album by an artist I had never heard of was flattery. I was amazed and thrilled that, whoever this was, like what I did enough that they thought I should review their work. As time when on though I was a bit hesitant, especially since VINE seemed to be getting a fair amount of positive press already. Additionally, this request for review came at a pretty hectic time, as I was already in the middle of reviewing two other albums: Sumo Cyco’s Opus Mar and Paramore’s After Laughter. Luckily, the predicted delay wasn’t a problem for them, so I got onto this review as soon as I could.

One of the most curious parts of my email exchange leading up to my review, was when I asked how they had come up with me as a candidate to review VINE. They mentioned that they had found me through my review of Garbage’s Strange Little Birds. I didn’t think much of it at the time, except that it was a surprise to me that, out of all my reviews they would have been endeared to me by one where I was as scathing as that. But it did make some sense in the end.

Because I’d never heard of Jen Gloeckner before, I couldn’t do what I usually do in my other album reviews, where I list songs each track reminded me of from the artist’s previous albums. However, I’ve tried to still do this with whatever songs came to mind. I’ve also given each track a rank on this album, as well as a comment. Plus, there’s an overview of the album as a whole at the bottom.

1. Vine

Reminds me of: Imogen Heap – Lifeline [Sparks] Rank on this album: 8 Vine sounds like the opening theme to a spooky TV show. There’s a forlorn quality to vocals, laid over a soft, curious piano riff. These elements, together with reoccurring scraping, clinking chain noises, fill the track with intrigue and set the tone clearly for the ensuing album.

2. Firefly (War Dance)

Reminds me of: Half Life 2 OST Rank on this album: 11 An instrumental track, Firefly (War Dance) is well described by that title. The percussion and the throb of the bass give the song a war-like march or chant feeling. Wordless voices, guitars, synths and reverb effects all mix together in an ebb and flow, mimicking the effect of a fly or a swarm of insects circling your head.

3. Breathe

Reminds me of: Leah – Calling [The World Ends With You OST] Rank on this album: 2 Breathe opens with breathy vocalisations that switch left and right, as if to test your speakers. The vocals are simple and clear, with an echo-y reverb that gives the song a mystical, molasses-like feel. These vocals stuck in my head like honey, and I found myself humming the tune throughout the day. The track switches to an early bridge, which moves towards a Middle Eastern sound, with a crazy electric violin solo. The track doesn’t really follow expected verse-chorus structure, so after the bridge, it seems to start again from the chorus-like verse until it loops out.

4. Ginger Ale

Reminds me of: Megan Washington – Yellow & Blue [There There] Rank on this album: 6 Ginger Ale alternates between calm, serene sections dominated by overlapping voices singing in a round-robin-style echo with call-and-response-like emphasis, and instrumental sections dominated by a marching beat with a little syncopation. A deep, almost horn-like cello plays the song out.

5. The Last Thought

Reminds me of: Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set – Between the Tea and the Toast [The Moon Looked On], Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set – Starry Picking Night [What Was Left] Rank on this album: 9 The Last Thought is a romantic, dreamy tune with an oriental flavour, driven forwards by a low, slow swing. The chorus is surrounded by a bundle of catchy “la la”s.

6. Blowing Through

Reminds me of: Paula Carino – First Come the Joggers [Aquacade], Olympia – Honey [Self Talk] Rank on this album: 5 Blowing Through sort of feels like a really slow surf rock song, crossed with a blues ballad, as a soulful guitar carries the melody. A 60s-style flute flutter through every now and then, to add to the dreaminess of it all, and cello fills out the sound.

7. Counting Sheep

Reminds me of: Chromatics – Shadow [Twin Peaks (Music From The Limited Event Series)] Rank on this album: 10 I nearly fell asleep listening to Counting Sheep. Its plodding pace, romantic lyrics and deep instrumentation puts me into a drowsy trance. Every note drips with reverberations that seem to vibrate through your whole head. The cello solo that forms the bridge echoes the main melody.

8. Prayers

Reminds me of: Garbage – Magnetized [Strange Little Birds] Rank on this album: 1 Prayers caught my attention immediately as it opens with a mechanical, buzzing effects. This transitions to a more melodious sound, that forms a fun syncopated rhythm, by rapidly swapping between two industrial-like sound effects. As the verse kicks in, the vibe changes, but even the gravelly nature of the vocals seem to pick up on what has been laid out before it, and comes back around near the chorus. From here, more and more musical elements are layered on until a light drum break kicks in to close the song with a fade out.

9. Colors

Reminds me of: Paramore – Future [Paramore], Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Despair [Mosquito] Rank on this album: 7 Colors is a heavily rhythmic, acoustic-feeling song, with emotive vocals and many layers of piano, guitar and percussion. Echo effects are used sparingly to give vocals and some instruments more body and ambience.

10. Row With The Flow

Reminds me of: Kate Nash – The Lion, The Devil & The Spider [Merry Happy] Rank on this album: 3 Row With The Flow* is characterised by the choral layering of voices, each distinct, ranging from very deep and devilish to the high and sweet, to the solemn and gravelly. Initially I didn’t realise it, but these many voices are actually other artists (I’ve also never heard of): Angela Mattson, and Henry Padovani. This mixture of voices, along with the twang of a cowboy-like guitar, gives the song a sense of menace and melody, perfectly suited to an episode of Twin Peaks, especially the recent continuation season.

11. Sold

Reminds me of: Garbage – Sugar [We Are Not Your Kind Of People] Rank on this album: 4 Even though some of the lyrics are hard to decipher, Sold is catchy enough that the chorus got stuck in my head. The gravelly, breathy voice, atmospheric percussion and bright guitar riffs combine for one of the sunnier sounding tracks on this album, although I don’t think this is reflected in the lyrics.

After listening through VINE a few times, I started to understand why I had been asked to review it. While not a pair you would normally compare, there were a number of similarities between Garbage’s Strange Little Birds and this album. Imagine, if you’d like, Strange Little Birds with all of the rock elements removed, and all the atmospheric elements turned up to 11 and stretched to their limit. That would put you somewhere in the realm of VINE. As you may recall, I didn’t love a lot of those experimental effects when Garbage used them, so it’s kind of weird to be reviewing an album that is so heavy with them.

That said, within this context, not only did those elements fit in better, but I even enjoyed them most of the time. This is because they are an essential element of the type of sound Jen Gloeckner is going for here. Her music, on this album at least, is heavily atmospheric and somewhat surreal. I believe it’s what could be described as ambient pop or dream pop. As someone who hasn’t heard very much of this type of music, it’s hard to describe. Throughout my listening, various sections bought different other artists to mind: Garbage and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for their intensity and varied musical elements over the years, Nerina Pallot and Metric for their wistful yet abstract lyricism, and Imogen Heap for her proclivity for experimental sounds.

That’s not to say that VINE is monotonal; far from it. Every track has so many musical sources to it: from guitars and vocals, to strings and keys, to the echo and reverb effects. Each time a new element is introduced, it just adds a new layer to the rich tapestry of sound that forms each song. Some moments can seem busy and crowded with different components, all busting to be heard. These moments give the songs are unique intensity that is managed well, and feels quite natural as none of these sounds come out of nowhere. They build up over the course of the track, and layer on to a fever pitch.

Not only are the songs filled with many and varied elements, but the album as a whole covers a variety of forms and moods. Sweet to seductive, melancholy to malice, playful to powerful, it seems to cover it all. Listening to VINE while going about my daily life made me feel like I was living in an episode of the new Twin Peaks. It’s got the suspensefulness, the sense of unease and unpredictability. It got the intensity, like there’s some unseen force lurking around any corner. It’s got the hard to interpret lyrics, that left me questioning their meaning. I picked up on a few that had romantic inclinations, but others were more abstract. That may not be something you want to go through every day, but it was an interesting experience.

And that’s how I would basically summarise VINE as a whole. While it’s not the type of music I would want to be listening to every day, it adds its own spice to my overall collection, and was a unique, enjoyable album to hear. If you’re more into this kind of music than I am, it may be something you really love, so you may have to just check it out for yourself.

RATING: 7/10 – ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

But you don’t have to take my word for it…Listen to the album for yourself, and make up your own mind. Then you can let me know what you think of Jen Gloeckner’s VINE.

So, are you a fan of Jen Gloeckner? What’s your favourite songs of hers? Have you heard VINE? What do you think? Did it live up to your expectations? Have I said anything you disagree with? Tell me & everyone else who passes through here what you think in the comment below.

To Infinity and Beyond,

Nitemice

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superdeka · 8 years ago

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FREAK

New Post has been published on http://freakbeats.nexuscast.com/

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!!FREAK BEATS RADIO PRESS JUST RELEASED!

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SUNDAY LIVE SHOW IS BACK

March 02, 2018 0

NEW BANNER FOR ARCHIVE

February 27, 2018 0

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youtube

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row video_bg=”yes” video_bg_url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSTVBiKaAfc”][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”ENJOY FREETEKNO” color=”vista_blue” border_width=”10″ el_width=”70″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1507422401816border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;border-left-color: #7100e2 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #7100e2 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #7100e2 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #7100e2 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 2px !important;”][vc_column][vc_column_text]"handle":"freetekno","arch":"js","styles":"b":100,"v":0,"w":0,"p":10,"cnrs":0.25,"usricon":0.75[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row video_bg=”yes” video_bg_url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAXEqqzBRAU&t=93s”][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”ENJOY FREETEKNO” color=”vista_blue” border_width=”10″ el_width=”70″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Agenda

Day

Month

Week

March 2018 Mar 2018

Collapse All Expand All

Mar

Sun

LIVE STREAM

Tickets

Mar 4 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

SUNDAY LIVE SHOW IS BACK

ALWAYS WHEN POSSIBLE

NOW WE USE FACEBOOK FOR STREAMING

Mar

Sun

LIVE STREAM

Tickets

Mar 11 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

SUNDAY LIVE SHOW IS BACK

ALWAYS WHEN POSSIBLE

NOW WE USE FACEBOOK FOR STREAMING

Mar

Sun

LIVE STREAM

Tickets

Mar 18 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

SUNDAY LIVE SHOW IS BACK

ALWAYS WHEN POSSIBLE

NOW WE USE FACEBOOK FOR STREAMING

Mar

Sun

LIVE STREAM

Tickets

Mar 25 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

SUNDAY LIVE SHOW IS BACK

ALWAYS WHEN POSSIBLE

NOW WE USE FACEBOOK FOR STREAMING

March 2018 Mar 2018

Add to Timely Calendar

Add to Google

Add to Outlook

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Add to other calendar

Export to XML

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Freakbeats TeknoRadio

New tracks uploaded to the TEKNO archive will have now a new banner hope you will like it

NEW BANNER FOR ARCHIVE

New tracks uploaded to the TEKNO archive will have now a new banner hope you will like it

48 minutes ago

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Freakbeats TeknoRadio

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Maschine test run

Setting up Maschine ..Testing audio in new location and having fun with Sputnik Quad Delay and a modified preset.. Had trouble getting midi to fire gear right but I'll get it soon enough!Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone..

Posted by Dj Liquidnick on Wednesday, February 28, 2018

1 day ago

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ACID HELL YEAH!!

freetekno and acid time! http://freakbeats.nexuscast.com

hardtek frenchcore dj set by r-type

hardtek frenchcore dj set

HARDTEK FRENCHCORE DJ SET! mixed by R_TYPE

HARDTEK FRENCHCORE DJ SET! You can support the web radio by buying our record!! https://www.undergroundtekno.com/freakbeats-radiopress-p-9495.html

tekno tekno tekno!!!

tekno tekno tekno!!! and a bit of acid by R-type and remember support the radio!! https://www.undergroundtekno.com/freakbeats-radiopress-p-9495.html

INDUSTRIAL GABBER HARDCORE DJ SET!!

INDUSTRIAL GABBER HARDCORE OLD SCHOOL DJ SET BY R_TYPE CAN YOU BEAR IT??

old school acid techno dj set by R_type

acid techno dj set https://www.undergroundtekno.com/freakbeats-radiopress-p-9495.html

london acid city

tekno and acid tekno london style dj set by R_TYPE

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