#I can find an easy retail cash job no problem

[vunoirien]

Thinking about writing, drawing, music, study and jobs and tattoos.

[frogtanii]

embarrassed ft. matsukawa issei

wc. 2.7k (???)

warnings. SMUT, not proofread lol, mutual pining (??), friends to lovers (???), cunnilingus lmao, no dom/sub dynamics, well actually dom&sub issei if you squint rlly hard hehe, kinda cute, embarrassed issei <3, also one (1) WAP reference

an. it’s 2:30 am and i have no idea why i wrote this and who for???? i got the idea from a 🦋😳🙈✨ audio and was immediately inspired idk, sorry if it’s bad i lichrally have no idea since i didn’t read it after it was done :p

( ˘ ³˘)♥︎

it wasn’t like matsukawa issei to be embarrassed.

he was handsome, intelligent, and funny, not to mention he never left women wanting after a night with him.

issei was the entire package and he knew it.

beyond superficiality though, he was happy with his life. he had a great group of friends, a nice apartment all to himself and a completely normal job.

yes, being a funeral home employee wasn’t the most glamorous career a person could have but he was happy. besides, it never deterred him from getting a warm body to sleep with which was a win in his book.

all in all? his life was great!

so why did he have to go and screw it all up?

issei blames makki and the dumb flyer for the reason his life went to shit. (maybe he’s being a little dramatic, but let him have his oikawa moment.)

he was minding his own business when his best friend (recently turned enemy) burst through his apartment door with a piece of paper in his hand and a fire in his eyes.

“dude, look at this!” issei rolled his eyes, putting down his casket catalogue and turning to meet takahiro’s gaze.

“why hello to you too. remind me why i gave you a key again?”

“because you love me and because i bring shit like this to you. look!” with another long and suspiciously tooru-like sigh, issei took the crumpled paper from makki and immediately stopped in his tracks.

“makki... what the fuck is this?”

written in large pink letters and a flowery, borderline illegible font was the name, coffee and cunnilingus. upon further inspection and careful reading, it revealed itself to be a little cafe opening up about 10 minutes from issei’s apartment complex who were looking to hire “young, attractive men who are proficient at eating pussy.”

issei could feel his eyes narrow and his mouth drop open in shock as he repeated his question. “the fuck is this?”

makki shook his head excitedly, tapping to another portion of the flyer that matsukawa had not yet read. “no, no dude, just look at how much they’re paying per hour.” issei begrudgingly obliged but the minute his eyes touched the (Massive™) number, he felt a little faint.

it was a lot of money. more than the funeral home was paying, that’s for sure. with that kind of money he could move out of this suddenly dingy seeming apartment and into a nice flat in the city were he’d always wanted to live. maybe he could buy himself a nice watch or even a high-end suit to replace the one from his highschool graduation (aka the only suit he owns). with that kind of money, he could erase his student debt 3 years ahead of schedule and get his mom into a nicer place.

it was these thoughts that clouded issei’s head as he found himself standing in front of a cute looking building, matching the address on the flyer. i’ll only be working part time, he thought as he pushed the door open to reveal an equally impressing interior with curtained booths and a wide variety of coffee on the menu. i’m only doing it for extra money, he thought as he shook the owner’s hand after he finished his successful interview. no one can ever know, he thought as he dressed himself in the uniform on his first day.

thus began issei’s super secret side hustle where he ate women out for cash.

sounds worse when you say it outright but it was just working. he was good at it, the women liked him, and he was making BANK. still, there were challenges. some women refused to bathe before coming and he would have to send them to the restroom to freshen up which absolutely ruined his chances for a good tip. some women would become heavily infatuated with him, believing that they were in some sort of forbidden romance. he learned to turn them down quick and easy to avoid conflict in the workplace which furthered his space as a boss favorite. but his hardest challenge by far was meeting you.

you were one of hanamaki’s friends, having met him at one of his brief stints in retail on his search for a job. he had gotten fired but you both stayed in touch after he left, becoming really close, really fast.

issei had met you first when takahiro had invited you to the biweekly seijoh third-years movie night. at first, he had been pissed as an “outsider” had never been invited before and he was worried you’d ruin the vibe, especially since it was the first time in months that oikawa would be able to join them. makki vouched for you through and through and the other boys were okay with it so you were in. the second he met you, all his fears of awkwardness and discomfort faded away.

you were great.

you were hilarious, pretty, and could keep up with makki’s harsh jokes, tooru’s diva attitude, iwa’s tendency to hit (hard), and issei’s original disdain. by the end of the night, he had completely forgotten why he didn’t want you there in the first place.

from then on, you were a staple in their little friend group. you were added to the groupchat where you balanced memes with spouts of deep wisdom and you were ever so reliable, always there if any of them needed it.

yeah, you were great. that’s where the problems started.

issei’s feelings for you quickly went from platonic to romantic, faster than you can say godzilla. he hadn’t even recognized that he was falling for you until it was way too late. normally, he wouldn’t have a problem confessing to you but because of his newly found ...occupation, he was too nervous. how would you take it that he was basically a glorified prostitute? ok, that wasn’t exactly what he did but still! you’d probably find him disgusting and horrible and leave the friend group forever. then he’d have to deal with oikawa’s senseless whining and makki’s subtle digs, blaming him for your departure. yeah, he wasn’t going to put himself through that so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

too bad he didn’t have any control over makki’s.

you and takahiro had been on a little friend-date at mcdonald’s after you’d had a long and frustrating shift. you just wanted to vent, expressing your general hate for your job and desperate need for stress relief.

that’s when makki opened his (big, stupid) mouth and suggested that you visit a little place called coffee and cunnilingus. you nearly choked on your fries at the title before quickly pressing him for details. thankfully, he had the decency not to expose that issei worked there but he had not done a good enough job convincing you not to go there. not that it would’ve mattered. your curiosity was peaked and your libido was high so why not try out the weird cafe where you let a complete stranger stick his tongue inside you?

it was settled. you were going to go and you were going to get eaten out and you were going to like it!

or at least that is what you repeated in your head as you walked to the address on your phone before taking a deep breath and walking inside.

“hello, welcome to coffee and cunnilingus, how might i pleasure you this afterno— yn?” issei’s eyes widened as they met your equally bewildered ones, the both of you staring at each other in shock.

“matsukawa-san, is everything alright?” a large hand rested on issei’s shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts and forcing him to break (horrified) eye contact with you and move it onto his boss who was now looking down on him menacingly.

“y-yes sir, everything is fine!” he squeaked out, hating the way his voice cracked on his first syllable. his boss looked at him suspiciously but thankfully didn’t press.

“well, since nothing is wrong, take this beautiful young woman to a booth where you will assist her!” the hand resting on issei’s shoulder slowly squeezed, making him wince in pain. the pain was only an afterthought though to the larger implication of his boss’ words. he’s going to assist you. assist as in pleasure. pleasure as in eat you out.

holy shit, you were going to pass out.

apparently, issei had the same thought process as you, his face whitening like a sheet. “m-me? but sir i-“

“do your job matsukawa-san!” his boss cut him off with a forced smile. all issei could do was nod and silently lead you off to a closed booth near the back or lose his job. you stayed close behind him but remained quiet, absolutely terrified of breaking the silence and ruining the bubble you had created.

you finally reached the booth in question. issei gently opened the curtain and motioned for you to get it, to which you obliged and he followed just behind.

the moment the curtain closed, you were enveloped in an awkward silence and tense atmosphere, neither of you speaking or looking at one another for fear of one of you running out. after what felt like hours, you opened your mouth to speak, not realizing issei had thought the same thing.

“so-“

“i-“

you finally made eye contact with him and burst into the laughter, the tension quickly broken. it took a full minute or two for the both of you to calm down, the absurdity of the entire situation finally catching up with you.

“you first,” issei said, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes while fixing you with an intense gaze swirled with an emotion you couldn’t quite place but it made butterflies bubble up in your stomach. you quickly turned your gaze to the comfortable seat beneath you, your fingers playing with the red stitching while you thought of what you had wanted to say.

“are you any good?” your hand flew up to cover your mouth as your cheeks filled with heat, the embarrassment of your words catching up to you. you hadn’t meant to say that but when you opened your mouth to apologize, you were stopped in your tracks by the lovely sound of issei’s full-bodied laughter filling the tiny booth.

you had heard it just moments earlier but without the sound of your own giggles drowning it out, you couldn’t help but think that he sounded beautiful. you basked in the sound as it slowly trailed off back into silence. now it was you doing the staring making issei look off with a red face and a heart threatening to pound out of his chest.

“y-yeah i’m pretty good. you want to try? me, i mean?” his words nearly leave you gasping, your brain working overtime to try and comprehend what he was saying to you.

“only if y-you want to? what do you want issei?” you whispered, suddenly unable to find your voice. you wanted this to be okay for him too; you didn’t want him to be uncomfortable even though you wanted him more than you could verbally express. despite the embarrassment and fear of rejection lingering under your skin, you stared at him, awaiting his answer. a tiny minuscule nod came from him and you internally shook your head. you needed to hear him.

“i need you to say it, issei.” your words, while quiet, were firm and issei felt himself hardening in his uniform slacks. he swallowed in his increasingly drying mouth before opening his mouth to respond.

“i want to eat your pussy. can i?”

shit.

your own voice was stolen by his words and all you could give him was a nod before he was on you.

issei didn’t waste any time falling to his knees, pulling your panties down, and hiking your skirt up to your stomach, revealing your glistening folds to his hungering eyes.

“fuck, you’re so wet,” is all the warning you get before he’s licking a long stripe up you from entrance to clit before he’s sucking the hard, sensitive nub into his mouth. your eyes immediately rolled back into your head, your hips instinctively bucking up into his mouth while a gasped moan of issei left your lips.

if he could bottle your moans and use them whenever he pleased, he would, the sound sending another pulse of arousal to his already hard cock. he was tempted to reach down and pull himself out of his trousers but he denied himself. this was about you; you and your wet ass pussy.

issei continued his ministrations on your clit, circling it with his tongue before pulling it into his mouth while his hand was ready to get busy. it crept up your thigh, sending shivers down your spine until it reached your sopping entrance, two of his fingers teasing the slit before delving in to the third knuckle.

the moan you let out is borderline animalistic as your body sends another wave of slick pulsing out over his hand. he groaned into your cunt at your tightness, his mind only imagining him deep within you while you squeeze him for all he’s got.

the amount of slick you produced made it easy for him to add a third finger, thrusting them in and out while also crooking them upwards in search for your special spot that would have you seeing stars. it took him a little prodding but he knew he found it when your back arched, your hand came down into his hair, and you whimpered out a string of curses.

“that’s it baby, cmon, you’re doing so well, wanna see you come apart for me,” he all but growled against your clit before delving back in with a higher intensity, his desperation for you to come winning out his desire to tease you and drag this out as long as possible.

with his incessant pressure on your g-spot and his lips suctioned around your clit, it wasn’t long before he got what he wanted.

“isseiisseiisseiissei, i’m coming, i’m coming-oh fuck!” you screamed as you clenched and gushed all over his fingers, your entire body caving in with the intensity of your orgasm. his fingers were practically forced from your spasming cunt but they quickly found a place rubbing your nub side to side as fast as possible. the overwhelming urge to pee came over you and you shook your head, trying to push his hand away.

“no, no, give it to me, i know you can,” issei groaned, his eyes locked on your dripping pussy. the pleasure he was giving came to a head at his words and you felt a clear liquid escape from your tired, overstimulated cunt, your mouth opening in a silent moan before collapsing back on the seat.

the sight proved to be too much for issei as he felt his body tense, his own orgasm washing over him as he emptied himself into his boxers. he fell back onto the ground, in shock of himself coming entirely untouched. he’d never done it before but of course it was you that would bring it out of him. a smile spread across his face at the thought, his head tilting back as he laughed, catching the attention of your worn body.

“what’re y’laughing at?” you slurred, cringing a little at how fucked out you sounded but issei didn’t seem to mind, his face glowing while covered in your slick and cum.

“nothing, nothing, but uh, i have a question.” you felt your heart leap to your chest, your mind already racing with the possibilities. he’s going to say this was a mistake, that we’re just better off as friends. oh god, what if he says i stunk? or the worst pussy he’s ever had? or what if—

“want to go and get a coffee?” he asked, the smile still plastered on his face but with an uncharacteristic hint of shyness. the butterflies were back in your stomach as you shyly nodded before allowing him to help clean you up and standing, not missing how he slipped your lacy underwear deep into one of his pockets.

issei’s hand found its way into yours as he said goodbye to his coworkers and boss before leading you out of the cafe, watching you tell an animated retelling of the bullshit that occurred at your job with a warm grin on his face and pink cheeks.

it might not be like matsukawa issei to be embarrassed but if it resulted in getting you by his side? he would do it again and again.

[joonie-beanie]

The OM! Characters as Retail Workers/Positions from my old job

Full disclosure: I’ve only had 1 retail job, and it was at a Homegoods. I worked there for 3+ years during college. Because I’ve only had this one experience, my below hc’s for the boys may be a little...specific to my previous job, and not universal traits that come with all retail jobs. 

Also I’m not including Luke because thattttt is child labor.

This is probably a very self-indulgent headcannon. Oh well.

Lucifer: 

(One of) the store managers. Specifically the assistant manager.

Nice to customers to their face, but will fantasize about stabbing them once they leave. 

Asmo once walked past the manager’s office and witnessed Lucifer professionally apologizing to a bitching customer over the phone, only to slam the receiver down moments later, sighing and mumbling “what an idiot.”

Very watchful of his staff. Do not slack off while he’s working....unless he likes you. In which case, he will take a moment to chat with you and give himself a much needed break. 

If he doesn’t like you, well...make yourself busy, or else you’ll get a stern talking to, and likely written up. Lucifer already has too much work to get done--he doesn’t want to babysit his staff.

Quietly schedules the people he likes to work during his shifts whenever he can, since he knows he can trust them to do their work. Not to mention, he enjoys their company a lot.

His favorite crew to have is Beel, Asmo, and Satan (and MC). Their schedules, of course, don’t always line up, but when they do he seriously thinks that he has the dream team.

Mammon: 

Cannot be trusted to actually organize the store, so he gets stuck at the registers.

However, the managers quickly realize that he's shit at anything front-end related aside from counting money (the man likes his money), and that he's prone to pulling out his phone when no one is around, so Lucifer forces him to work the floor. 

They start trying to give him more backroom shifts (because if he's not doing his work, they'll be able to tell easier).

HOWEVER--because Mammon is such a money lover, he’s very aware of every piece of expensive merchandise in the store. So if a customer attempts to switch tags, or peels the price tag off hoping to pull a quick one on the cashier, his coworkers always call him up so he can take a look.

Seriously, the amount of people that try to buy the $100+ gem rocks for $9.99 is crazy.

He feels very proud of himself whenever he manages to stop a customer from getting away with it.

He’s not the best worker in general, but the mangers would be lying if the said they didn’t appreciate his knack for remembering the expensive items.

Levi: 

Cash office.

Prefers to sit in the locked office by himself, listening to music on his phone as he runs checks the register balances from the previous day.

If he's not doing cash office, he's probably out gathering carts, or compacting boxes in the back.

Whatever keeps him away from the bulk of customers.

Whenever the managers need him to go help out on the floor, he gets permission to not wear his apron.

He seriously does not want anyone to talk to him. He just wants to work in peace.

Of course, if he’s seen organizing, or stocking shelves, customers tend to assume he’s an employee anyway--even without the apron.

Levi legitimately jumps anytime someone calls out to him and asks if he works there, and if he can help them. 

Oh, and he always brings his Switch to work and plays games on his lunch break. Do not talk to him if he’s playing his game--he will get mad at you.

Satan: 

Flow & mark-downs.

He's basically an all-rounder, but is superior to the others in putting out new merchandise (flow). He knows where things go, and how they should be organized. 

Secretly gets annoyed when customers ask him for help when he's in the zone, but is very good at faking a smile.

Will do what’s asked of him without any lip in return.

However, rude customers should beware of him, because his anger tends to flip on like a switch. If a customer is badmouthing him, or one of his coworkers--he has no issue telling them they’re a fool, and that they should just leave instead of causing issues.

He gets in trouble with management for doing this, but honestly has no regrets.

Definitely has regular customers that he is enemies with.

Gets left in charge of the store if the managers ever need to step away for their lunch break, or otherwise.

Asmo: 

Lead cashier. 

Super charming, great customer service voice. 

Always gives a good impression on the phone, and manages to make peppy announcements. 

If there’s ever a fundraiser going on, and the cashiers are supposed to ask for donations, Asmo is guaranteed to rake in the most.

He is very good at calming a customer if they're upset--apologizing and and being so sweet and polite that it’s nearly impossible to stay mad.

However, if they're rude to him, or his apologies go on deaf ears, he has no problem politely telling them to fuck off.

If he’s not at the registers, he’s probably off in the bath section--smelling soap--or the candle section--sniffing literally every candle in existence.

He’ll also be sure to get a whiff of whatever candle/soap a customer has brought to the register to purchase.

Runs off to visit other stores in the mall/strip when he’s on his break. (Aka. he spends way too much of his paycheck shopping).

Beel: 

Back room - heavy lifter. 

Dude spends most of the day in the stock room emptying the truck and building furniture.

Seriously can move big things with very little effort. He once carried an entire couch out onto the sales floor buy himself. 

While other coworkers may need to use carts or flatbeds to move larger items, Beel can legit just throw them over his shoulder and continue on his way like he’s not carrying anything at all.

He looks intimidating but is actually super friendly.

Will always work extra hours if you ask him to. Will also come in for extra shifts if you ask him to.

He always feels so guilty if he can’t accept, or needs to call off.

The type of coworker that goes out to buy snacks on his break, and ends up buy snacks for the rest of the staff. He just leaves them on the break room table with a note that says “Eat up :)”

Belphie: 

Closer - Sales Floor. 

The managers tried to work him on morning or midday shifts, but he was continuously too groggy, and ended up knocking things over on accident.

Hes more energetic at night, so they put him on the sales floor (since he’s honestly...not the best at the register. Don’t get me wrong, he can work the register as well as anyone else, but...he just...doesn’t sound friendly. (Lucifer: “Belphie...at least try to sound like you’re not working here against your will when talking to the customers. You applied for this job.”))

He honestly doesn't mind organizing merchandise, but gets annoyed if he ends up doing the bulk of the work. (Whether it’s because they’re short staffed, or because his coworkers are slacking).

Has no problem telling customers to gtfo when it’s closing time.

If people are still in the store 5 minutes after closing, he’ll follow them around until they finally take the hint and leave.

Always stops for fast food on his way home after work because making himself a meal sounds like too much effort.

Diavolo:

Store Manager.

Is very kind to all of his employees, but will also have hard conversations with them if there’s an issue regarding their performance that needs to be addressed.

However, he always does his best to maintain good relationships with everyone he works with.

Will buy lunch for the staff on busy weekends, even if he has to pay for the food himself. He wants to let his employees know that they’re appreciated, and while he’s the type to give verbal affirmation of a job well done, a luncheon doesn’t hurt either.

Even if customers are bitchy, he never raises his voice, or yells. He handles complaints like a champ.

If the customer physically or verbally abuses one of his workers, however...he will threaten to call the police. Do not fuck with his work children.

If his employees ever find him sighing, or looking like he’s stressed, then they know he’s definitely having a rough day. Please work hard, and help him out, and he’ll very much appreciate it. 

Barbatos:

The 4th key. (Basically a manager)

Some workers are scared of him because he always seems to be in a good mood--even if the store is packed, and things get overwhelming.

A very by-the-book type. While Lucifer and Diavolo may allow for some things to get overlooked, or for there to be a lapse in proper procedure, Barbatos is not like that. Rules are rules, and they shall be followed.

Honestly is a very nice guy, but working a closing shift with him can be the worst. Especially if Diavolo is the opening manager the next day. 

He will keep his staff there after closing as long as he needs to for the store to be in an acceptable condition. (The worst part is that Diavolo honestly is so easy going that if Barbatos had just opted to say “we were very busy and didn’t have the time to get everything done”, Diavolo wouldn’t blame him. Shit gets crazy).

Alas, Barbatos wants to please Diavolo and takes his role very seriously.

At least he brings in homemade baked goods for the staff sometimes. (His good cooking usually makes up for all the times he has kept them late).

Solomon:

Another all rounder. Usually get scheduled on midday shifts to bridge the gap between the openers, and closers. 

Is very good at keeping up his “customer service” facade. 

However, once there are no customers around his smile will fall, and he’ll mumble complaints under his breath. 

“Why does one couple need 15 candles?” “Lady, I don’t care about your chihuahua’s sleeping habits--just buy the pet bed already.”

Will always tease his coworkers if he gets along with them. Bickering with Solomon can become a very entertaining past time if he likes you.

Whenever new crystals, or rocks come in, usually he’ll spend a while inspecting them. Apparently he can tell which ones are real, or fake. (And he always ends up buying the real ones).

He’s the type of coworker that will sneak up behind you and scare you when you’re not paying attention. Just because he can. (Fight him, he loves it).

Simeon: 

One of the sweetest staff members, but he’s prone to getting flustered and making mistakes.

If he’s on registers, he’s so busy trying to start a conversation with the customer that he’ll short them on their change. 

Luckily, the customer is either patient in waiting for the manager to come up and open the register, or doesn’t care about the 22 cents Simeon forgot to give them.

He loves reorganizing the towel section of the store the most. Getting to stand there and refold towels almost feels like meditation to him.

Always goes out of his way to ask the customer if he can help them with anything, or if they’re finding everything alright.

Is prone to accidentally cutting himself when something sharp breaks. (It has literally gotten to the point where if a ceramic plate or something glass breaks, the managers have instructed Simeon to call someone else to clean it up, rather than doing it himself.)

Honestly, in the end, he’s a fabulous worker tho.

[bakugouisabitch]

Ziggy i work two jobs now and the second job is retail where i'm on my feet all day.

If you feel up to it, tell me how yb and malik would help each other relax after a hard day.

Omg this is so fucking cute of you 🥺 i sure can!!

((i’m so sorry to hear that that sounds so exhausting :(( i used to work in retail too and my sister still does work in retail where she’s on her feet all day and she always tells me how tiring it can get.. i can imagine what you’re going through might be even harder... i’m so sorry 🥺))

okay hc time:

hmm let me think 🤔

I can actually see Malik working in retail in a classy clothing store. But only as a “last option.” As the pretentious little bitch that he is, he’d actually be the type to aim in what is generally seen as a “higher option” in the working environment. I can see him wanting to do a job where he gets to feel important, like an office job for example. Whether it’s just as a secretary or an accountant, i can see him working in more “conservative” places, where he can put on a neat suit and walk around feeling classy and bossy, or feel a sense of accomplishment by communicating with customers in polite ways and telling them what to do 💆‍♀️ But if his choices are narrowed down i can picture him working in a clothing store as well. But that’s like the only retail he’d work in, otherwise he’d feel far too “above it all”. It’s like his last option because, pretentious as he is, he wouldn’t enjoy a job where he has to “serve” people in any way - and that also includes packing their clothes in a bag behind a cash register.

Bakura, on the other hand, is much more laid back with that like,,,,, he doesn’t give a fuck as long as he gets money sgsjhs If it was up to him he wouldn’t be working at all. He’d survive by just stealing what’s necessary to live (but ofc that would be impossible - unfortunately for him). Like, less communication with people and more manual labour is what he’d pick. I can even see him working in really “easy jobs” (also because it’s easier for him to adapt as a human in society after having been a spirit for so long) like for a fast food chain or delivering the mail or even just as a dishwasher. You know... working in places where he might even get the chance to steal something >.> (i might draw him in working clothes one day 🤔 the idea really amuses me)

Now, coming to your post-work relaxing HCs:

When Malik comes home after a hard day’s work I can totally picture him complaining. And like, a lot. He wants Bakura’s full attention and he wants him to listen so he can talk and talk and complain and lament how everyone is wrong and he is right. Yk at the end of the day, he is no boss or CEO in the office or whatever working place he chooses (unless he really builds his way up but that would take a lot of time) and that in itself frustrates him. No matter how much he can keep up the illusion of being the one who orders his colleagues around, as a matter of fact he isn’t. He also has superiors to listen to and he has to collaborate with others and, because of all of his complexities and issues he had growing up, he'd low-key feel humiliated by something so mediocre. So, as soon as he gets home he has to let it all out and complain about everyone. He mostly overdoes it in his stories tho’ and is quite the drama queen for even just minor things that didn’t go as he planned at work...

Bakura kind of sees through all of this, ofc, but he’s totally here for Malik in these moments. He gives him his full attention and nods and agrees to whatever Malik says, even if he knows he’s being a tiny bit extra with his tales. But he knows Malik needs his attention and a lot of praise and reminders of how good he is. Most of all in these moments. So he complies ofc to please his distressed boyfriend.

(kinda angsty HCs:) When his working day goes really bad, there are even moments where Malik would take out his whole anger on Bakura and start accusing him of being the problem (shameless self-promo: kind of like in the beginning of my fic here) . And it’s in these moments where Bakura stops with all the sympathetic demeanour and actually fights back. Because enough is enough, and Malik has a tendency to go too far with his words and his insults at times. But even if they end up arguing it’s a coping mechanism for Malik as well to let out some of that pent up rage he’s been feeling all day. And with Bakura actually fighting back instead of just caving in, Malik gets a low-key unhealthy sense of high/satisfaction too: One, because he has Bakura’s full attention that way, and two, because he longs for that kind of conflict. He’d even go as far as provoking Bakura on purpose to rile him up and get him to direct his whole anger back at him. And Bakura never fails to put him back in his place so Malik gets exactly what he wants at the end of the day. Yes this would also lead to a lot of steamy fucking but i‘m trying to keep these HCs sfw and it’s really hard with these two sdfghjkIn Whatever their way, they make up for it at the end of the day anyway and it’s like nothing happened once the stress leaves them so, no worries.

When Bakura comes home after a hard day‘s work he hates everything. But more in a grumpy/don‘t-talk-to-me kind of way. Unlike Malik, he won‘t be complaining about his job because he doesn‘t want to waste another second thinking about it now that it‘s his free time. He won’t be mentioning the “W” from work unless it’s totally necessary. As soon as he’s done working, he wants to pretend it doesn‘t even exist and like, use every second out of work for his own personal benefit. Being a thief/cheater of rules in life, he always makes sure to do as little duty as possible and he would even be the type to falsely call in sick and do stuff like that to not work. ANYWAY (sorry for digressing) once he leaves work he wants to make the best of his time and as soon as he enters home he‘d throw himself on the sofa and take his favourite drink (beer) and make sure he‘s as relaxed as possible. He‘s also particularly needy to have Malik on his lap in these moments and would love for him to just stay close to him and cuddle and caress and touch him. Ideally he’d want Malik to be his perfect nice malewife in such moments and when Malik is in the right mood he even complies - he’d do anything to hear more praise from Bakura over how good and perfect he is and would even prepare him a nice non-vegetarian meal just to please his boyfriend.

Unlike Malik, Bakura would love to have less conflict possible in his post-work moments and craves to touch and just have Makik all to himself in his arms. But if Malik happens to be in the wrong mood as well and kind of neglects Bakura in these moments, Bakura could become petty enough to scowl and brood away for eternity. He’d be low-key/indirectly demanding that Malik makes up for it later on. And this would lead to nsfw hcs as well sfjhdj sorry Malik would be like “hey what’s up?” and Bakura would just grumble with his arms crossed and looking away. Malik would have to tip-toe his way slowly in to not let him be moody and disappointed for the rest of the day, calling him “Habibi” or “Bakura-sama” (since he adressea himself with ore-sama so gladly) to soften him up, until Bakura can’t help but let a smile form on his lips and they would end up cuddling and fucking ofc and everything is fine once again.

Idk i just really like them exactly because they seem to clash for being so different but they always find a way (sappy as it sounds) to be perfect for each other at the end <33

((I hope these were the kind of HCs you asked for 🥺 sorry if they got far too long or psychological sgksjak I wish you good good luck and i hope in future you may find something that is less stressful for you 💙💜))

[kfpaddle]

How To Come Up With Excellent Invention Ideas

Learning how to come up with good invention concepts that are within your budget plan to prototype and maker is not constantly a very easy job.

The reality is that I have actually been an inventor for greater than twenty years and even I in some cases do not know exactly how to come up with excellent invention ideas. It is a matter of trial and error integrated with little expertise in the prospective market.

Product Ideas You Can Invent

Family Pet Related Products

Camera Accessories

Automotive Add-on

High Priced Innovation Products

Searching Equipment

Diving related items

Boating Devices

Golf Products

Sporting Item

Outdoor camping Equipment

High-End Home Items

Motorcycle Accessories

Bicycle Tools

Exercise Devices

Construction Devices

ToolsAnd there are hundreds of even more categories you can discover.

Find Markets With Money

Just bear in mind to choose a specific niche market for your invention that has a customer base of people prepared to invest cash. This video clip aids discuss just how you have to think about the market first and also at what rate you can market your inventions.

Determine The Market

That's right, you find the marketplace where individuals are willing to invest real money on each item. That's typically somewhere between $150-$ 300 per thing in my experience and afterward, you invent products for those consumers.

You can find lower list price items to invent but keep in mind that you will certainly need to market two times as numerous $50 products as $100 products and four times as numerous $25.00 retail items. If you sell items with an average list price of $300.00 it won't take numerous sales to get to a million dollars in earnings. That is if you leave on your own enough earnings margin on each product you invent.

As an example, below is a $149.00 retail science task that I designed. The Sonic Levitation Equipment is a basic digital gadget that only took me a couple of weeks to create a construct.

This is a brand-new method of believing when you learn exactly how to come up with good invention ideas and not everyone will certainly concur with me. Just make sure you ask individuals that have created items as well as made cash like me before you comb off these recommendations. Certain you may have a wonderful idea for some brand-new clothespin or potato chip bag better but keep in mind that those products are very easy to copy, the market for dimes and leave little area for profit even when you might have the potential to market millions of units of the product you designed.

Also read: how does inventhelp work

Invention Truths

Obtaining your idea out of your head and also right into your hands is just the first in a lengthy set of actions towards ending up being a successful inventor.

Exactly how ahead up with great invention ideas is a bit more challenging than merely having a concept and also declare a patent if you intend to make any money with your invention. DO NOT get fooled by all those people and also invention business telling you that they will certainly aid certify your concept to the sector. In most cases, it will certainly never take place and also they will certainly simply take your money and also leave you with what you started with ... just an invention suggestion and also no final product or model.

We all have concepts that we believe are the following billion-dollar chance, yet the trouble is you require to make that idea a truth. The best suggestions for inventions are the ones that people will certainly want to purchase so that as inventors, we can continue to come up with more wonderful concepts.

The only good ideas are the ones that we get out of our heads and also develop into products. Transforming a suggestion into a tangle product is not easy for a lot of us. It's not because we do not have the abilities however even more from the anxiety of trying. Many people obtain hung up on this idea that someone is mosting likely to come and duplicate it before they even attempt to produce it. The weird reality about this is that you have already failed if you don't at least attempt to begin dealing with the invention suggestion. This adverse way of thinking is so impractical, and also I can not tell you the number of times I have heard it, as well as I see it as an excuse for you not to begin working.

File for a patent if you must

The next problem that emerges is an inventor assuming that they require a patent. While patents do play a crucial role in the invention process, most of us can not manage the costs associated with both submitting a utility patent and then safeguarding it ought to any person attempt to infringe on our idea. Often, it would certainly be less expensive as well as less dangerous if you just constructed your item and began selling it to customers online. The option is up to you and it is best to ask a patent lawyer what it will set you back to patent your invention before choosing.

If it makes you feel much better, head out as well as get an energy patent or whatever shields your invention best. You will certainly require to see a patent attorney, so be prepared to invest some money. After you pay all the fees as well as get your patent authorized, you possibly will be no better you earning money with your suggestion. The stats aren't in your support because a couple of licenses recover also their declaring fees.

Pretty much every one of my ideas has been duplicated. The trick is that by the time this happens, I have currently made my cash and moved onto something new. And that's the means you need to consider protecting your inventions. Become the leader in the marketplace by producing initial items and then maintain introducing more concepts.

Also read: InventHelp inventions

Offer your product worldwide over the internet

The web has altered the way the globe operates. When you're thinking of your suggestions, they must be things that we can sell on the web. That's the only location where we will certainly have the ability to be competitive initially.

As we expand, we may attempt to sell through stores, however, we ought to set up our business to make sure that distributors can do all that part of the job for us. We do this by supplying a rate structure that motivates firms to intend to market our items.

What's interesting is all the unrestricted possibilities of the ideas that you can dream up. I have discussed this a million times. You need to research the market first to see what other items are out there, how much they're costing, their quality, and also, most notably, just how much you believe they will cost to make. The truth is that you can develop an endless number of suggestions. For you to produce the prototype and afterward make your first one hundred items of the item is another story.

Keep in mind, we constantly discuss the reality that you should just make one hundred pieces the very first time out. This way, if nothing takes place, despite just how tough you try to market them, you haven't lost that much money. I am not attempting to crush your desires. By only constructing one hundred pieces, we are lowering our danger to almost nothing. In the probability that your item achieves success, you can get even more stock very rapidly.

I assure you that even if you stop working on your very first invention, you will find out a lot that even the 2nd, the third, the fourth, or perhaps the fifth will become your big idea, your great invention. I understand that's discouraging to hear that it might not take place out the gate, however that's life

and also think of all the important things that you'll find out in the process. Even if you shed a few thousand bucks, it won't be enough to make you wish to give up your occupation as an inventor. It must inspire you to try once again!

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The most effective concepts for inventors

You may be surprised to uncover that as an inventor, I do not come up with my suggestions first. I generally see the chance in a market where there are individuals with money to spend as well as not enough exciting items offered in that particular niche. If you do think of a concept initially, you require to dig much deeper and also ensure that there will be enough passion in your invention to ensure that it deserves investing your money and time into the concept. Without the potential for sales as well as a profit, there will be a little factor to introduce your item right into the market.

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how to Establish an Invention Business Plan for Success

An effective Invention Service Strategy is an inventor's ideal tool for effectively navigating with the invention procedure. As a seasoned capitalist, I have learned that an idea is not perceived as a feasible organization opportunity up until it can be effectively communicated on paper (or any other readable style). Despite exactly how terrific your idea is, many people expect that you have it jotted down. When I was new to creating, I had no concept of what that implied. I searched around however really did not discover any universal layout for recording my ideas.

When sending my concepts to invention pursues, certifying representatives, manufacturers, retailers, engineers, as well as the patent office, I was asked various sorts of inquiries. The questions varied from "What issue does it resolve?" to concerns that required substantial study such as "That is your target market?"

The good news is, with my entrepreneurial history and experience writing organization proposals, I was extremely accustomed to addressing such questions. Consequently, to save time, I determined to settle all of these inquiries into a universal format that could be used and/or adjusted for any type of target market within the invention process.

In this article, I talk about how to develop a versatile yet compelling company strategy for developers and their inventions. By sharing my insights as well as instances, I hope to assist innovators like you develop your material to properly interact and also present your invention to the several various customers within the invention procedure.

The Significance

An Invention Service Plan is a reliable interaction tool for giving a clear and also concrete summary of your invention while communicating its viability and also value. It tells a detailed story regarding your invention including what it is, how it functions and why your invention is a credible organization chance. It can generally be referred to as an arranged all-in-one depository of whatever you know or have found out about your invention. It includes every angle concerning your invention to be used as a referral point for the development and/or entry of audience-specific demands. Having a wide audience range permits it to be used as a collection of information that can then be customized or readjusted according to the target market in which it offers.

You can also find out more advice: https://www.macobserver.com/why-turn-to-inventhelp-with-your-tech-invention-idea/

Invention Business Strategy Instance: The Main Elements

You will be surprised exactly how numerous different questions will certainly be asked concerning your invention. Thus, the elements and material of your strategy need to be both detailed (i.e. can answer most inquiries concerning your invention) and also adaptable (i.e. can be conveniently customized) for a particular use or target market.

Short Summary: A summary (1-3 sentences) of what your invention is (name), what it does, and how it serves.

Abstract: A basic description of your invention, its market, and also its benefits. Include the target market, just how your invention resolves a problem, or exactly how it works to your market.

Fit: How does your invention fit right into an existing store or producer's product mix? Key selling benefits may include up-sell possibility, a rack attention-getter, ingenious disruptive high qualities, and/or fills up an underserved market specific niche. Consumer advantages may consist of simplicity, the convenience of use, automates a hand-operated job, saves time and steps, and/or addresses an existing unmet requirement.

Detailed Summary: This is where you explain the main parts or components that make up your invention, how your invention works or what it does, its main attributes, and also technique or intent of usage. Examples of main features may include dishwasher secure, automated capability, simplicity of use, and so on.

Suggested Retail Price: If the invention integrates the task of two or more existing products on the market, offer the price of utilizing those items individually and also after that demonstrate just how your invention is priced such that it saves the consumer time and also cash. Whereas your invention, the food processor, is priced less than all of those things incorporated, plus you have the included worth of ease and time cost savings.

Approximated Manufacturing Expense: The perfect situation is to acquire makers to get a price quote of just how much it would cost to build your invention. If your suggested retail cost is $80, then your Estimated Production Expense is $20.

Estimated Manufacturing Cost: Describe exactly how your invention is far better than existing items. What are the defects or failures of existing items and also how does your invention fix those issues? Utilizing the food cpu invention as an instance, you would certainly say currently it takes 20 minutes to reduce veggies for supper utilizing typical methods (blades and cutting board).

What Makes It Cutting-edge: How does your invention stand-out or exactly how is it better than existing items or standard methods? For instance, the food mill conserves users' time, cash, steps, and also cooking area mess in the cooking procedure. Since there is no demand to make use of multiple knives and also cutting boards for reducing veggies for dinner, you save cleaning time and counter area. Rather, customers obtain a compact easy to use the device with an automated motor for cutting vegetables to the wanted size.

Competitors: List existing similar products or alternate methods currently marketed or made use of on the market. Clarify just how your invention has a competitive advantage over these existing options.

Market Setting or Target Market: Who are the target users and/or target buyers? List examples.

Packaging Idea: How do you want to package your item such that it gets hold of the attention of the target user/buyer? Will your product be included as part of a set of other items, or will it be a stand-alone product? Will it be packaged in a box, a bag, with or without a tag? What are your suggested plan layouts and message? For ideas, research study plan styles by other stores or suppliers.

Product Extensions, Variants, as well as Attachment Suggestions: What various other shades, layouts, or styles can your invention have? Do you want to give a warranty for your invention?

Copyright: Give a license number or provisionary license number if you have one. List the day and how you thought of the invention. Make Use Of the United States License Workplace web site to research various other relevant prior art. Listing as well as describe that related prior art. List the history of the invention if any type of. You can find descriptions of the history of any one of the prior art examples. Provide its main parts, provisional insurance claims, and also offer illustrations or schematics of its design. Use prior art instances as your guide. You might decide to employ an industrial designer, in which situation, include those designs right here.

How and Where to Find Web content

While the majority of the material needs to be in your own words, the leading five suggested material sources for finding motivation as well as suggestions as they connect to the above components consist of:

An associated retailer or supplier's 10-Q (Quarterly Statement) or 10-K (Yearly Statement)- for Marketing Research, Problem/Challenge It Solves, Competition, as well as Target Individuals. 10-Q's and 10-K's can be discovered on the site of many public companies, or search for a business on the Safety and security and Exchange Compensation's (SEC.gov) internet site.

Relevant licenses from the USA Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO.gov) - for Abstract, In-depth Description, Parts, Features, Methods, Intellectual Property Study, License Results, as well as Illustrations as well as Layout.

Profession association web sites, magazines, as well as other professional materials - for Market Research, Competitors, as well as Target Users. For instance, a well-known profession association is the International Housewares Organization (IHA).

Internet sites of merchants or suppliers - for Product packaging Suggestion, Product Variations, Key Selling Advantages, Secret Consumer Advantages, Recommended List Price, Production Price (general regulation: separate the retail price by 4).

Efficiency as well as Audience

The invention procedure entails revealing your invention to a wide array of viewers. As stated, such a file is a beginning point or theme for supplying future products concerning the many different visitors as well as target markets for which you will certainly need to connect your invention.

As an example, invention pursues commercial developers or designers, sellers, producers, certifying representatives, legal representatives, advertising and marketing firms, as well as the USA License Workplace.

With a well-documented plan, you can conveniently adjust or customize it relying on its key usage or audience thereby conserving your time and also actions. As a general guideline, however, be conventional regarding what you disclose. Only give information that is asked for or required. I also suggest consisting of a non-disclosure arrangement (even if a provisionary license is filed).

Conclusion

In summary, an Invention Organisation Plan is utilized for numerous reasons. It is a crucial part of the invention process. It helps inventors efficiently communicate a concept into a tangible, reasonable, and understandable organization opportunity. I desire you much success with your invention endeavors.

You can also check https://blog.chron.com/frugalconfessions/2020/03/how-much-can-you-make-from-patenting-your-idea/

[chartedrights]

Golden Age AU Masterpost

For everyone lacking context, the Golden Age AU is just me riffing on every piece of comic book media I’ve ever consumed. Here are some single-paragraph rundowns I’ve made to keep track of things as I start to write!

The Board of Directors is analogous to the Justice League- they’re pretty much entirely people with superpowers (with the exception of Carol, at first), they’re very prestigious, and they come together to ward off larger threats like the impressive super powered task force they are. Or they used to. Membership’s sort of dropped, and people with powers are getting harder to find and recruit, and the big headliner who ran it left it in the hands of some nurse, which is like. So not sexy.

PEIP is PEIP- they fit right in where they were. In the shadows, in the dark, fighting the threats that the “special people” won’t, protecting people on a lower level than “oh god, the apocalypse,” because apparently the superheroes aren’t concerned with espionage or alien meteors anymore. The pricks. Mostly run by people without superpowers- as far as they know- and deeply concerned with keeping heroes responsible for their own actions. They would be oversight, if they were allowed to be.

CCRP Technical is an interesting place. Charlotte and Ted work there, for Sam, though neither of them is quite sure what it actually does. Paul was recruited in hopes he’d grow into upper management, but he didn’t have the ambition for it. Bill has been there for a decade or two now, ever since he started attending those meetings with Becky and Mrs. Davidson. Melissa... Melissa is their rising star. Mr. Davidson isn’t sure what they found in her, but he’s glad to see her succeed! Good for her! Four for you Melissa, you go Melissa!

Hatchetfield.... is Hatchetfield. It’s small, it’s insular, it’s full of gossip and weirdness and people with eccentric ideas of morality. It might be easier to admit that superheroes and supervillains exist, but let nobody say that the citizens of Hatchetfield ever took the easy road. They will walk uphill, in the snow, denying the supernatural both ways.

Paul is a real sweetheart. He’s autistic, he’s quiet, he likes his routine and the simple pleasures in life... and he just happens to be unkillable and he maybe possibly sort of has the ability to fly. He could be an excellent addition to either team, but he refuses to be a proper superhero, making him Hatchetfield’s most obvious target. Which in turn means that he often ends up acting like a proper superhero against his own will. He thinks Emma is perfectly lovely and still hasn’t noticed her committing crimes.

Emma is Hidgens’ Lab Assistant, which is code for “committing crimes for college credit,” and she does a lot of the footwork for him. Being a henchman definitely tops food service, lets put it that way. She also gets to follow in the family business- a long line of Perkins supervillains ended when Jane broke free and became a real hero for Tom’s sake. She always wanted to be a good person, but Emma is not as opposed to violence. She also cannot wait for Hidgens to level Hatchetfield, which is made complicated by the fact that she likes Paul rather a lot, and he likes Hatchetfield.

Hidgens is a supervillain. He never leaves his house, orchestrates incidents of immense damage to the civic infrastructure, and refuses to acknowledge that just maybe putting children into the path of radioactive chemicals is not a valid scientific experiment. He’s not necessarily a bad person, it’s just that his morals refute even the idea of black and white. More like blue and red. Orange and green. He is of the opinion that world peace can only be achieved by world domination, and therefore has begun a track to world domination. He and Sam have a blood feud of indeterminate origin.

Becky Barnes, low-level healer and walking anesthetic, somehow ended up in charge of the Board of Directors. The last leader disappeared three days after handing off control, and Becky is still looking for them. Becky is very conspicuously not looking for her ex-husband, however. It makes some people suspicious, and nobody more than Sam, who is Stanley’s most obnoxious cousin. Apparently, ruining Becky’s life runs in the family. Despite these troubling events, Becky does her best to keep the city standing and the world turning- she and Bill manage what they can, Carol and PEIP manage what they can’t. She’s still in a precarious place, however, and she’s looking for help.

Frank Pricely supplies everyone with gadgets. Hero and villain alike, everyone pays. Not always the same price, but everyone pays. He’s a neutral party, and he acts the part, but everybody likes to debate his loyalties. There’s no such thing as truly neutral, right? Everyone has their price- even him. It’s just a matter of what that price is.

Lex is his cashier, which means that she learned early on in her career in retail that the panic button is not half as good a first resort as the paralysis darts Frank keeps in the cash drawer. She has the ability to manifest objects, as long as she knows where they are. She needs a concrete location to pull them away from, which means that she snoops in every house she visits, checks the staff rooms of every store she enters. She can, on command, find you just about anything you need. For a price. She’s learning a lot lately, though, and what she learns about her powers might put her at risk.

Bill is one of the few members of the Board of Directors still standing. He and Becky get coffee all the time, and commiserate about the lack of help in Hatchetfield. He has telepathy, and certain illusionary abilities, which come in especially handy when he’s talking people down or trying to sneak hostages out of hostage situations. A gentle, well-intentioned man, Bill is not outwardly very intimidating, but he’s strong. Much stronger than most people would like to think. Becky keeps trying to hand off leadership to him, and he gently hands it back every time- he’s got other problems to deal with right now.

Formerly married to the infamous Perkins family heiress, Tom tries to live a nice, quiet life. He used to be a hero- and a damn good one- but Jane defected for him, and then died for it, and he carries more guilt than he probably should. Tom never thought of himself as special, really, and he still doesn’t. He can warp matter- twist it into shape, turn it from one thing to another, and he’s a fine craftsman when he wants to be. But it’s a dangerous thing to have on hand when you’re angry or frightened, and Tom still has an awful case of PTSD hanging around his neck. He’s doing his best to wrangle with it, but he’s going to need some help.

Ethan is just a teenager. Really, he promises. He absolutely swears. Nothing special about him! He’s just real intuitive! He and Lex have been looking into that whole “experimentation” thing they did at CCRP back when they were babies and it wasn’t even interesting! He’s just a mechanic, honestly. He’s a straight C student! He hasn’t even joined the cult off the coast on that houseboat!! He’s a good kid. No reason to be concerned at all.

Ted is also Hidgens’ henchman, but definitely the lower-ranked of the two. He applied hoping he’d make some friends, but thus far all he’s managed to do is fall in love with Charlotte, who is Sam’s henchman. It’s not going badly for him, but it’s not going well, either. He and Paul still work together. Every time Hidgens asks, Ted is like “Paul? Nah. He’s totally normal.”

Gary is a mob lawyer. He used to work for Emma’s family, but now he works for Sherman and Linda. They’re technically competition, and if they ever find out that he’s playing both sides he’ll absolutely die, but in the meantime he is racking up that cash. He is so rich. He is capable of great evil, and occasionally does terrible things, but overall he’s an affable guy. He and Charlotte had an unfortunate tryst once that ended with her tying him to the Welcome to Hatchetfield sign with his own scarf, but he still pines for her. She’s the one that got away. And continues to get away. cops hate her: local woman refuses to go to jail.

MacNamara still works for PEIP, which is only slightly a different job, on account of there being very public superheroes in this world. He and Xander have been married for ten years, but they are both under the (mistaken) impression that it wasn’t a real marriage because it was done undercover. He thinks about that and is very sad about it sometimes. But they’re partners, and that’s good enough that he can be content with it. For now. He has the ability to intensify or nullify other people’s superpowers, and he does his best to keep it quiet. He thinks there’s something noble about living without superpowers, and vaguely wishes that he and Chad’s roles were swapped- until he remembers that Chad has one (1) brain cell to his name.

Xander has the ability to speak to computers. It’s not flashy, at first glance. It doesn’t have the pizzazz of Paul’s gifts or the subtle mind fuckery of John and Bill’s. But he can know whatever he wants, can hear anything, tap any phone call, look through any webcam. He doesn’t, because he’s not a fucking creep, but he can. PEIP was lucky to find him before CCRP- and so was everyone else in the world. Xander’s not flashy in general- he keeps a lot to himself. He and John have been partners for a long time, and they still haven’t said they love each other. He still hasn’t told John that he’s a member of the Board. He still hasn’t told John that he and Paul are in the same book club.

Schaffer doesn’t need powers. You think she needs powers? Her power is that she breathes and death turns away. PEIP was built by good people like Schaffer, people with principles and strong hearts and ice cold spines of steel. Normal, human people, unremarkable except that they chose to be better. She’s fourth-generation PEIP, born and raised to believe in the service they do, the protection they provide. Some of the more bitter agents will say that Schaffer benefitted from nepotism. They will never say this in front of her, because deep down they know she did not and they know that she will prove it by kicking their asses. She and Carol used to date, but the strain of crossing enemy lines in what was, essentially, a Cold War between PEIP and the Board got to them both. Schaffer is the person Hidgens called after he got struck by lightning.

Charlotte is Sam’s henchman and quietly in the running for longest con ever pulled. One day she is going to off him and take his place as the leading supervillain in Hatchetfield, but that day is not today. She likes Ted, but Sam keeps telling her to kill him, so their relationship amounts to “the inherent eroticism of trying to murder each other”. Nobody is entirely certain how she does what she does, but she’s very, very good at her job. Emma looks up to her just a little. She had a therapist once. He tried to sleep with her. She no longer has a therapist. She does have a very lovely goldfish, however.

Mr. Davidson is MacNamara’s twin brother and Hidgens’ ex. His wife is a genuine bona fide Batman-level hero in a bigger city, so he occasionally gets kidnapped or tortured. Hidgens still writes him bitter and mildly threatening love ballads that he genuinely treasures and sends very heartfelt thank you notes for. His life is so messy. There’s so much drama. He’s also completely powerless and cheerful about it. (Re: the Working Boys.... he’s Chad. Chad MacNamara Davidson.)

Alice is developing absolutely no superpowers and she’s really really annoyed about it. She used to take this out on Lex, as teenagers will, but after Lex dropped out she began to regret that. Too little and much too late, but regret is regret. She keeps trying to mend that bridge, but it’s not working. Unfortunately for her, she’s still been seen with Lex and Ethan, and that’s enough. Imminent danger perceives no difference between friend and foe. Alice is full of a very different kind of potential, however, and sooner or later all that bottled-up anger and stress will lash out.

Deb, on the other hand, is an intern at the Board of Directors’ headquarters, which is now St. Damien’s given that Becky is in charge. Interns for heroes are much less common than henchmen working for villains, but Deb has a keen interest in coordination and overseeing operations. Bill hates having her on comms for missions, but she’s just... so good at her job. She can brew a pot of Red Bull twice-steeped coffee, arrange a date with Alice, avoid an international incident, redirect PEIP and talk Bill through defusing a bomb in the same ten-minute stretch. Lesbians can do anything. This is a fact. They are the backbone of our society.

Hot Chocolate Boy is full of secrets. And hot chocolate.

And speaking of St. Damien’s, do you recall poor Bridgette, who lost her eyesight in a horrible accident? I’m not saying Hatchetfield is going to have it’s very own Matt Murdock expy, but I am saying that. She’s blind, she’s Catholic, and she’s coming for your kneecaps.

Linda is a very low-level villain who operates out of her husband’s office and sics her Boating Club on people. Gerald should technically be a threat, given that it’s the Monroe family prerogative to slaughter rising heroes with an alacrity that distinguished them from all the other families in Hatchetfield. He is not. He’s barely even a henchman. Linda got all the bloodlust between the two of them, and she is out for blood from the start. Though initially quickly defeated, she grows in seriousness over the course of time and ends up a formidable threat with a weighty grudge against Becky and Lex. She’s not much in a physical fight, Linda, but she is deeply, deeply vindictive, and she’s willing to make any deals she has to to bring Becky down. Any deals. With anyone. Anything.

Sherman Young is a mob boss, and you know it. He’s a real creep and he’s got some sick hobbies, even for a man in his line of work, but somehow the 80s jacket and the comb-over mullet make it all worse. He’s the richest man in town, and that’s saying something, but if Linda has a say in things he won’t be for long. The Youngs, the Monroes, and the Perkins have been at war since the founding of the town, and Sherman is cutting down his competition. He might have even arranged for Jane’s accident to happen, but nobody is sure. Nobody living, anyway.

Sam is a villain. He’s not super or anything. He’s just a villain. He’s top-tier Joker-level normie, but he still goes toe-to-toe with all kinds of heroes. Notable for being pretty much exactly the same as his show counterpart in regards to his proclivity for threats and violence. He once told Paul to “talk to his fucking gun” only to find that Paul is, despite all outward appearances, fucking immortal. He is still very embarrassed about it. He’s up and coming in the Hatchetfield Villain circuit, but he’s definitely a threat. To who? Who can say. Somebody, somewhere.

Papa Ed is a PEIP informant, and he has the ability to speak to animals. He’s raising Peanuts to be a very small, very enthusiastic little squirrel spy.

Man in a Hurry is a former speedster who lost his powers and compensates for it by Being In A Hurry at all times.

Homeless Man is a CCRP agent. He specializes in camouflage and compassion. He doesn’t remember what came before, but he knows something did, and finding out what it was is all he has left to hope for.

Howard Goodman does not have superpowers, but he’s got gumption. Okay, I lied. He doesn’t have gumption. But he’s a very nice man.

[holyyrose]

And They Were Roommates - H.H

A/N: This has been in my drafts for a long time and I’ve been in love with this concept for a while, but apparently I struggle to string a simple sentence together lately lmao.

Hyunjin x Fem!Reader 

Summary: Roommate AU/Collage AU - The Reader is strapped for cash and much to their dismay Hyunjin seems to be the only one who can help.

Part One / ?

Word Count: 1809

______

“What do you mean you can’t pay the rent, I thought Minho was paying half? He is your roommate after all.” Seungmin questioned, as Y/N, Seungmin long term best friend followed him into a café, thankful that this place had warmth, which contrasted significantly to the weather outside that had nipped at her skin, making her deeply regretful for leaving her apartment this morning without a coat.

After a long day of work, Seungmin became fed up with disorderly customers that came with working in retail and was in desperate need for a break. Therefore, as Y/N’s self-proclaimed best friend, he took it upon himself to interrupt her studies and insist that she meet him at a café in the centre of town. Much to her dismay, he insisted she come instantly, meaning the work she had left far too late to start, would be put off once again, probably not to be completed until late night with yet another caffeinated drink buzzing through her system, but  being equally exhausted and frustrated, she agreed, hurrying out of her small apartment to meet Seungmin.

“He was.” She has exasperated, moving along the queue alongside Seungmin, pulling out her purse so she could pay for her order, however, Seungmin had waved her off, insisting he’d pay.  “So, he just stopped giving you his rent money without any warning?” His face scrunched up with distort, confused by what it seemed she was insinuating.

“What? No. Minho would never. His mother had knee surgery a few weeks ago and she’s been struggling with the recovery. Minho thought it would be best if he moved back in with her for a few months, considering his father works away a lot. I couldn’t tell him that without him living with me, I wouldn’t be able to afford this apartment.” Seungmin sighed at her remark. Grabbing their drinks from the barista, he made his way over to the sofa that was nestled in the corner of the cafe, with fairy lights strung between bookshelves, creating a welcoming and content environment.

“Things haven’t been too great for him. He lost his job at the music store because they went bankrupt then his mum needed surgery. I couldn’t do it to him.” She continued, letting out a low sigh before slumping back into the sofa, letting the plush pillows welcome her. A part of her feeling idiotic for not telling Minho, even more foolish when the words were coming out of her mouth, but it didn’t feel right. She couldn’t burden Minho even more. However, it was evident how strapped for cash she was therefore, she was relieved when Seungmin had decided to pay for her drink.

“You’re too nice y/n/n,” Seungmin laughed, sliding her coffee across the table. “You need to be more direct.”

“This isn’t funny, ok. I need your help, not your laughter.”

“What you need is to find a temporary roommate, someone who can afford to pick up the rent when you’re short.” He continued, rolling his eyes.

“You know,” He paused, drawing out his words. “I happen to know that Hyunjin is looking for an apartment, he has the cash, quite a lot if I do say so myself and-”

“No, no!” She had exclaimed, cutting him off completely.  “Anybody but Hyunjin. You know I can’t stand him.” She exasperated, looking at Seungmin pointedly.

“His house got infested by rats. He needs a place to stay. He’s currently crashing Chan’s sofa because he doesn’t have a spare room, but I’m sure he’d appreciate sleeping on an actual bed.”

“Absolutely not!” She contested, as she took a sip of her drink.

“I’ve overheard him telling Chan and Jisung about those dumb parties he throws, and I can’t afford to lose my deposit on this place.”

“You know what, I take it back. You’re awful y/n/n,” He laughed, shaking his head. “You barely know the guy, I’m sure he’ll respect your decision to be boring.” Seungmin smirked, knowing how easy it was to annoy her. He rummaged through his bag, pulling out his phone before typing away. Her phone lit up, alerting her of a text.

“Here is his number. I know you’re too stubborn to admit it, but you’re desperate and Hyunjin can help you.”

She tried to ignore Seungmin’s stare by looking down at her coffee and fiddling with the lid.

“I don’t hate him.” She had murmured. “Try despise.”

“Y/n/n!” Seungmin exclaimed, furrowing his brows. “You can be so difficult sometimes.”  

“Ok, I’m sorry.” She sighed, holding her hands up in defence. “He’s just so arrogant ok.”

“He’s one of my best friends, Y/n/n, please consider it. I know you find him infuriating. I do sometimes, but he has the cash and he’s currently sleeping on Chan’s couch, at least feel some sympathy for him.”

“Sorry for Chan.” A few moments had past and Seungmin had yet to speak. The silence was deafening, and he knew that.

 “Ok!” Sitting up straight, Y/N hoped to cut the tension. “Give me a few days and I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” Seungmin smiled, changing his demeanour instantly. “Now let me tell you about what a shitty day I’ve had.”

Day’s seemed to have passed like lightning, Y/N easily becoming consumed by work. It seemed finding another source of income had gone to the back of Y/N’s mind. Instead, deadlines and reading had become the forefront of worry. Although her rent was due in a matter of days, she had pushed to the back of her mind hoping that if she ignored it long enough it would just go away. It seemed that balancing getting a degree and a part-time job as a hotel receptionist was becoming increasingly harder, especially when she had to pick up twice as many shifts as possible to ensure she had enough money to live. Luckily her boss allowed her to do some work during the graveyard shifts as it seemed not many people need to check-in at 2 in the morning, however, maintaining these shifts did mean an unhealthy sleeping pattern which took an overall negative impact on her day to day life. Perhaps ignoring her problems wasn’t the answer.

The day had been long, a 7-hour shift on her day off from University was usually fine, but with the little amount of sleep she had consumed over the past few weeks had started to take a toll on her well-being. Therefore, when she entered her apartment to find heaps of boxes scattered everywhere and 3 boys lounging on her sofa, she deemed it to be a hallucination.

“Ahh, there she is! Y/n/n! How are you?” The voice of her self-proclaimed best his friend, Seungmin, had snapped her out of her thoughts, making her realise this was not, in fact, a hallucination, but real life.

“What are you guys doing here?” She questioned, stunned by the unexpected appearance of Seungmin, Jisung and Chan.

“Erm.” Chan had started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, almost as if he found himself caught red-handed.

“And what are these boxes doing here?” Stepping closer, she kicked the side of a box, regretting it instantly, as her foot collided with the hard surface, causing her to let out a string of profanities.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that sweetheart.”

This particular voice had caught her attention, causing her to freeze and the hairs on the back of her neck to stand. Meeting the gaze of this unknown voice, she felt dread coarse through your veins.

Hyunjin.

“I’m moving in, what do you think it looks like?” Moving further into the room. Hyunjin appeared in full glory, a smirked staining his lips. He brushed past her, nonchalantly, picking up the box she had just kicked and turning to walk towards Minho’s old room.

“I never officially said you could move in.” She yelled, exasperated by his presence, hurrying past the three lounging boys on the sofa who appeared amused by this interaction, groaning as she pushed past their dangling legs to follow Hyunjin into Minho’s room, who had already unpacked most of his belongings.  

“Well I was getting a little impatient waiting for you to make up your mind and Seungmin here said it would be no problem.”

“Excuse me?” Spinning on her heel, she looked directly at Seungmin who, alongside Jisung and Chan had followed you into Minho’s room. If looks could kill, everyone in the room would be 6 feet under. Looking around, Minho’s room was looking extremely different than the last time she had stepped foot in here. If she was to admit, she hadn’t actually been into Minho’s room for a long time, however, she vaguely remembered photos of his cats which stood proudly on his shelf and memorabilia from concerts they had attended together streamed across his dresser had been replaced with a large bottle of vodka and small trinkets. Most of the stuff she didn’t recognise, but the posters that littered the wall caught her attention. They were almost like Minho’s, but Hyunjin’s taste seemed to vary. His taste seemed to be a little darker.  Seungmin froze at Y/N’s exclamation, stunned by her outburst.  

“You heard me, sweetheart.” Hyunjin pressed, smirking slightly, almost as if he was thriving off her irritation.  

Her face heated at his remark.

“I can’t believe you three are letting him do this.”

“You need the money,” Jisung started, slowly moving from behind Chan, raising his hands in surrender. “And you can’t keep this up.”

She shrugged him off and crossed her arms. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

“It isn’t healthy,” Chan interjected. “And Hyunjin here has money.”

“I don’t care if he has money, I don’t want him living here.”

“You look a mess.”

“Excuse me!” She gasped, turning to face Seungmin, who had appeared next to her. He let out a small cough before continuing.

“What I mean is, you’re exhausted, and you can’t keep pulling extra shifts just to get enough cash. You’re a student and have a lot of responsibilities, so I think it’s only right for us as your friends.” Seungmin spoke, gesturing to surrounding group.

“Hyunjin isn’t my friend.”

“That’s a little harsh don’t you think?” Hyunjin laughed, as he flattened one of the boxes that had previously held his belongings. 

“As your friends,” Seungmin continued, becoming irritated by her stubbornness. “We think it’s only right for us to intervene when we think necessary.” Scoffing, she turned to leave the room, refusing to hear the reality of the situation.

“I’ve already paid 3 months of rent in advance, including your half, so it looks like you’re stuck with me sweetheart.”

She stepped forward, yanking the piece of card out of Hyunjin’s hands, huffing as she did so, but not before saying, “3 months. That’s it. But one slip up, and you’re gone.”

[gamespa276]

What computer monitor is best for gaming

Why You Really should Start Your Gaming Blog On GameSkinny (Alternatively Of WordPress)

Enthusiast Gaming is a media and technologies organization building the biggest neighborhood of authentic gamers. Travel into a virtual world with a VR headset , exactly where all of your senses will be treated to a barrage of stimulus from numerous sources. With the Oculus Rift + Touch Virtual Reality Method , you'd have to prepare oneself for extra intense gameplays, more immersive action, and a completely new and exhilarating gaming present experience as the package currently comes with 6 VR games that will maintain your heart pumping by means of your chest. The Oculus Touch controllers are ingeniously developed for optimum and unparalleled interaction with the many components in the virtual globe. You will will need to meet certain system specifications on your laptop, though. This also makes a perfect gift for nerds in your life.

As you can see, gaming studios have to have to discover their own way to perform client service into the gaming expertise. It means fully understanding their players, and that means understanding how to communicate player help in the most perfect style. Rovio, Nexon, and Riot are all wonderful examples, but even when providing optimal player support is not so apparent, studios can do proper by their audience by staying quickly with their customer service. The sooner the player gets the support they require, the more quickly they can get back into the game.

You have played thousands of unique board games, yes that is ideal not hundreds, but thousands. You are a member of several gaming groups, and you have come to realise that distinct groups have unique personalities and unique dynamics. You realize what style of games you get pleasure from and precise mechanics that you do and don't like in a game. You never actively preach or tell persons about board games, but when asked you are an ambassador for the genre and with your vast expertise you can usually add thoughtful discussion and predictions with regards to games you are but to play. Your collection is the great variety of games that you like. It is not simple for a new game to make it into your collection, and you have a defined a rigorous trial of fire that any game must meet to make it successfully into your collection.

Nowadays is the day! I will be steadily releasing the names of the top rated ten gaming blogs of 2014. Searching more than this list, I am positively blown away. So quite a few amazing posts this year! If you had been disappointed by the Ennies… if you feel that the real deep thinkers in gaming commentary don't get the focus they deserve… well, folks, we are going to fix that.

When it comes to graphical intensity there actually is no comparison in between mobile gaming and Pc and console gaming. Even though handheld devices such as the Nintendo Switch offer a mobile alternative , it nevertheless doesn't pack enough punch to truly compete on an even field with the Computer and console market — and the average smartphone possesses even much less graphical energy. Although there have been massive advancements in mobile technologies, with new devices coming equipped with extra potent processors and RAM than ever just before, only Computer and consoles are in a position to deliver the power required for 4K imaging, the hottest new issue in gaming.

Operating as the assessment editor for Destructoid and working as a gaming writer for Destructoid, Jim Sterling also runs a weekly video game http://frantik.online series on Youtube. Sterling discusses lots of of the unethical organization practices in gaming like gender inequality and early access games. The main gameplay series that you will locate from Sterling is titled, Jimpressions,” and he covers topics like new-release video games and covers the gameplay with his pre-recorded sessions.

The wonderful factor about the gaming niche is that video games are a hobby. This indicates that folks will continuously spend extra cash to fund this hobby, irrespective of whether it be via new games, new equipment, or both. You can capitalize on this by building an e-mail list, which will keep these buyers purchasing from you once more, increasing your income regularly. When one particular game gets old, basically send them out an e mail and get started promoting the next a single to them. When the next fantastic headset comes out, send out an email. New CPA platform? Promote it! With an email list, you can get these purchasers coming back to commit their revenue more than and over once more.

The gaming labor marketplace is evolving like lots of industries impacted by the development of technologies. Jobs for game developer might be declining, but jobs in other gaming-associated fields are developing. This is reflective of the altering nature of video games and the gaming sector. The definition of video game and video game creator is totally distinctive. And the labor industry reflects this.

It is very crucial to have your own information hub no matter if you are an indie developer who tends to make the games or beginning a new eSports gaming league. It helps your fans and shoppers to find out much more about your group or enterprise perfectly. These days gaming is expanding day by day which has become the most profitable industries in the globe these days. A easy YouTube channel is sufficient for you to earn millions of dollars by merely streaming gaming videos. But having a web site will assist you to market and sell your official merchandise as nicely as be extra discoverable on the net.

Gaming consists of diverse genres and systems, and it is critical to know what type of gaming web site you would want to be. Gaming web pages consist of on the web magazines that focus on gaming-related articles, gaming portals, on the net retail and distribution, and gaming blogs. Gamers are specific with what content material they want to access, which means that defining what your web page is would make certain you get the appropriate audience.

To People That Need to Jump GAMING But Are Affraid To Get Started

A bustling community of great-minded persons, the game website is very best recognized for producing original & fresh content associated to newly & well known gaming gears such as headsets, keyboards, laptops, mice, controllers, computers and extra. The game web-site is loaded with different sections that include professional evaluations, previews, game trailers, cheat codes, discussion forums & video game news. A single of the most common game websites ever, VideoGamer has an intuitive interface & they also run their own podcast as effectively.

These historical cloud gaming services, while revolutionary, had been often somewhat niche. But will cloud gaming go mainstream any time quickly? Both Microsoft and Google have recently announced forays into the sector, with trials of Project xCloud” and Project Stream” respectively. Even Nintendo, a far much more standard gaming brand, has established some key cloud inroads on its platforms. Streamed versions of demanding games like Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Resident Evil 7 - originally developed for Xbox, PlayStation and Computer - are becoming accessible on the comparatively weak Nintendo Switch hardware. If the actions of the main players are anything to go by, gaming on demand could achieve critical traction more than the next decade.

So you want to commence a gaming weblog? Very good for you! Gaming is a terrific topic to write a blog about, with a lot of people out there interested in this niche. Whether you want to start out a blog as a hobby or you're hunting to make a bit of dollars from blogging, the following suggestions can support you get began.

And this is where cloud gaming has fallen down historically. In the past, bandwidth just wasn't higher enough to provide responsive gameplay - but now, we're starting to see web speeds that make cloud gaming a viable option. 5G broadband is noticed as a crucial enabler, with a reasonably higher quantity of users now in a position to take complete benefit of remotely hosted gaming solutions. That mentioned, it's essential to note that high-speed internet is far from widespread even in created markets like the US, exactly where poor connectivity and bandwidth caps are still problems for a lot of customers.

Alia Lia” Shelesh, far better identified as Sssniperwolf is the very first female gaming influencer on our list. She started her YouTube profession by playing first-individual shooter games like Get in touch with of Duty, Halo, and Far Cry. Her account today consists of vlogs and various video games that she plays and has far more than 7 million subscriptions.

[dantetuvr728]

When crowdfunding met crypto

The know-how sector bubbles with exercise. Scarcely a week goes by with no clutch of takeovers being introduced. Get started-ups are gobbled up by their much larger peers. Organizations which have presently proved their value merge or are acquired.

The significant-profile, huge ticket illustrations are popular: in a handful of scenarios, significantly substantial sums are compensated for tech providers that the most important players would like to dovetail with their current functions. Consider YouTube, introduced in 2005 and purchased the following 12 months by Google for $one.65bn; Instagram, launched in 2010 and swept up by Fb for $1bn in 2012; WhatsApp, released in 2009 and bought by Facebook in 2014 for $19.3bn.

Nonetheless in a single Section of the tech sector, all continues to be curiously peaceful: mergers and acquisitions are exceptional. Crowdfunding platforms, allowing traders big and little to put money into enterprises in search of fiscal backing, have noticed remarkably little takeover activity.

Within the phrases of Gary Dushnitsky, Affiliate Professor of System and Entrepreneurship at London Enterprise Faculty (LBS), “This really is an island of tranquillity where by other sectors are bubbling with M&A action. Other digital platforms working experience bubbly M&A exercise; why not crowdfunding?”

The tranquillity was briefly interrupted in Oct 2018 via the announcement the US-dependent cryptocurrency Market Circle Online Monetary designs to amass the crowdfunding company SeedInvest. Circle hopes that the takeover – which will require approval through the US Financial Market Regulatory Authority (FINRA) - can help start off-ups to boost cash by issuing digital coins.

Marieke Flament, who researched for an MBA at LBS, is now Controlling Director for Europe and Worldwide Main Advertising Officer at Circle. She suggests: “The strategy of crowdfunding is remarkable. It makes boosting funds for organizations much more successful by having more and more people capable to take part. The world we envisage can let this to be digitalised and moved to blockchain mainly because it’s way more efficient. We predict these two worlds – crowdfunding and cryptocurrencies – will merge.”

Precisely what is worth? And just how click here blockchain might make sharing it smarter

So why does this region of tech remain an island of tranquillity within a bubbling ocean of M&A action?

From a sizable data examine of crowdfunding in Europe performed by Dr Dushnitsky and colleagues we recognize that, over the past twelve decades, much more than 700 crowdfunding platforms are launched throughout fifteen European countries. Quite possibly the most Lively marketplaces have been the united kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Of Individuals 700-in addition operations, around 200 have just withered away.

But that also leaves a lot of platforms jostling with each other in the identical House.

With a few takeovers somewhere else in the broader technologies arena, it is not hard to begin to see the driving force, very easy to see how a takeover can add benefit.

Just one driver could merely be the amount of users, specially exactly where You will find a “community result” – where the much larger the volume of people within the platform, the greater the gain for the person consumer. That helps clarify the takeovers of YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp. But, as Dushnitsky states, “In the case of crowdfunding platform, it’s an open query whether or not obtaining extra people is valuable.” The goal just isn't merely to obtain more users, but rather substantial-value customers – entrepreneurs with genuinely promising enterprise Suggestions over the 1 hand and Energetic investors on the opposite, instead of “tourist investors”.

What about the know-how that a offered System makes use of? Could possibly a System have a novel technological know-how that is definitely remarkable to its competition and so offer you benefit to an acquirer?

In principle, that’s probable. Dushnitsky points out that a crowdfunding platform might need the technological innovation to operate across nations As well as in many languages: “Who states that that a French-based System want operate only in French? Possibly if it might also work in English and Spanish also, that might enhance awareness.”

In fact, Operating in several different languages is comparatively easy. Clearing payments in numerous currencies is a bit more challenging, but definitely manageable. Owning these abilities is not likely for making a single platform vastly much more useful than its competition.

“Technological know-how is most likely not a singular differentiator, or at the very least not the full Tale,” Dushnitsky adds. “I have not seen a circumstance exactly where a crowdfunding platform has long been obtained in which the argument is because it contains a outstanding engineering.”

Evaluate a third dimension in which a crowdfunding System might have an edge about rivals – its power to identify the strengths and weaknesses of investee firms. A undertaking money fund may possibly make a handful of investments over its lifetime – Maybe as couple as 50 percent a dozen.

Then again, a crowdfunding System may possibly aid investment into scores and even hundreds of businesses looking for resources. Crafting an expenditure memorandum for each of countless investees provides a very distinctive problem to that confronted with the undertaking money fund. “When you can do this ideal, then you will be ready to unlock authentic development prospective,” says Dushnitsky. That capacity to streamline the undertaking onboarding method might be crucial. Most likely that could be become a driver of growth.”

The quantity of investors and investees was outlined by Circle as amongst the reasons for buying SeedInvest.

But significantly, A serious thought highlighted by Circle was the fact that SeedInvest has previously cleared regulatory hurdles established with the US Monetary Business Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to permit it to work.

Dushnitsky says: “Fintech providers perform within a regulatory-intensive natural environment and regulatory compliance could be as significant as products-sector fit. Actually, a business might accomplish product or service-market place fit only to realize that it’s violating revenue-laundering regulations. Regulation is a crucial differentiator involving fintech firms on the one hand and advertising or retail platforms on one other.”

Once the SeedInvest offer was announced, Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle was candid about among the crucial good reasons for his corporation’s getting determined SeedInvest as a gorgeous target – the function the business had played in pushing for your Obama Administration’s Careers Act. The legislation – the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act to give it its full name – eased regulations to make it a lot easier for providers to utilize crowdfunding to difficulty securities. Said Allaire: “[SeedInvest] served develop the JOBS Act.”

Assuming the Circle-SeedInvest offer is accepted, it must bring the fintech corporation nearer to listing cryptocurrency tokens that could be viewed as monetary securities. However, as Flament points out, the regulatory framework throughout Europe continues to be fragmented.

The query of what helps make a crowdfunding platform a pretty M&A goal continues to be unanswered. But confident-footedness in navigating the regulatory environment may very well be just one element. In the meantime, takeovers keep on being a rarity.

[alyssabethancourt]

If you only read one of my project updates, make it this one.

It took most of the day to kick in, for some reason, but the price of the Mornnovin eBook on Amazon has finally adjusted to 99¢. It will remain at that deeply discounted price at least until February 26th. I may or may not be persuadable on the subject of extending the sale for an additional week.

So now that the stress of that unexpected snafu has lifted, I can do a proper update.

It's Friday, five days in, and as of posting this the fundraiser is sitting pretty at $821 or 22% funded. We're nicely on track. The next big goal, obviously, is getting to 25% ($925) and I'm confident we can hit that mark easy-peasy before the end of the weekend. Please, keep talking up this series and sharing the link with your friends, family, and followers.

Trajelon is a special book not just because it's mine and I have to say that, but because it explores issues and themes that I don't think we see often enough in fiction – especially not in the sparkly elf magic genre.

I'm going to get real with you for a minute.

I've talked before about how the version of Mornnovin that is now published is the culmination of thirty years and four versions of telling that particular story. What people may not know is that I'd also written Trajelon once before.

In late 1997, I was 18 years old and I'd made some terrible decisions that I was locked into living with for the foreseeable future, both because of the nature of responsibility but also because of pride. People had tried to warn me, and of course being the age I was, I knew everything. I'd been downright insolent about my conviction that I knew what I was doing.

So there I was, miserable, bridges burned, everything to prove, struggling under the load of several massive responsibilities all taken on at once, knowing that I'd made the bed I now had to lie in. I was also trying to pass my first semester of college as an English major. I can't remember now precisely which combination of events led me to come to this conclusion, but I started to feel that although I was reasonably good at academic writing, my creative writing was a clear waste of my time. I actually went as far as deciding to give it up.

I think, now, that I might have been trying to punish myself.

That take makes sense in hindsight because as soon as I'd grounded myself from the sort of writing I actually enjoy doing, two things happened.

One, at odd moments I started doodling scenes that weren't supposed to be part of anything, so I was free from the feeling that they had to be any good or make any kind of sense or fit within a larger narrative. This would come to be important later.

And two, the scenes I was scribbling down without any commitment to story or quality were all about bad things happening to Loríen.

Because writers have to write, even if they've made bullshit nonsense declarations about how they've given it up, a story idea did eventually coalesce out of all of these snippets. And because of where I was, the story was dark. The finished product was horrible, but it was genuine – a savage cry of pain from someone who believed she had no right to it.

Fast forward ten years. Now it's 2007. I'm still living in that hell of my own making, but it's different because I'm ten years older and time does change things, for better or worse. Now I'm working a crappy retail job and it's killing me. To save my sanity, one day, I pull some blank receipt paper out of the cash register and in tiny, cramped letters I start scribbling some scenes that aren't supposed to be part of anything. They're just junk for my brain, something to keep me alive. Because they're not for anything real, I don't worry about them being any good or fitting within whatever other arbitrary writing rules I have for myself. At night, while the household is asleep, I transfer the cramped letters from cash register paper to computer file.

After a while, I realize they are actually starting to make a coherent story, but it's not canon, I tell myself. It's just some cracky Asrellion fanfiction. Just some mindless entertainment. I keep giving myself permission to tell a different kind of story from whatever I imagine canon to be.

By the time I leave that crappy retail job, I find that in my time there I've managed to scribble onto bits and pieces of receipt paper what amounts to roughly twenty typed pages of... something.

Then I realize that what I have on my hands isn't just something, it's the seed of a new version of Book 2. One that actually has something to say besides screaming in wordless agony. The only problem is, this new book that I can see laid out before me is far too good for the terrible most-recent draft of Book 1 that would precede it.

Then I realize that I'm going to have to write this book, which means that I'm also going to have to rewrite the first book in the series in order to lay the necessary groundwork.

That's the story of how I came to begin my ground-up re-imagining of Mornnovin in 2008.

It turns out to be a good thing that I took the time to do that first, because I wouldn't have been ready then to tell the story that I ultimately had in me in 2016 when I wrote Trajelon over the course of six intense months. By then, I had escaped Hell. By then, I was safe. By then, I had some perspective on what it is not just to live through but to survive trauma and depression.

The first incarnation of Trajelon was what I needed it to be when I screamed it up, all those years ago. It was catharsis. I don't blame it for its darkness or its ugliness any more than you would blame a post-surgical scar for its raw appearance. This iteration of Trajelon is what it needed to be. Almost Athena-like, it sprang fully-formed from the brain of its creator. And it's no longer a cry of suffering. It's... a meditation on living with the suffering that inevitably comes along with the triumphs we experience in life. Living with, enduring, growing from. Learning to discard where possible. Drawing into our identity and building off of where necessary.

No doubt this is scary territory for some readers, but that's exactly why I think it's so important to tell these stories. They can't all be about glorious victories on the field of battle. There are more shades to the spectrum of the human (elven?) experience. I so wish this book had existed at a time when I could have drawn strength from it. Now I no longer need to draw on that kind of strength, but others do. I know they do.

So maybe this was a big old heavy update for a Friday evening, but I hope you don't mind the candor. This book is very personal for me, as you now understand, and that would have become clear anyway as soon as you read it. Because I think that's actually its truest and purest strength, I wanted to be up front about it in this fundraiser. I am pitching to you a fantasy novel written by a survivor of abuse, trauma, and depression written for survivors of abuse, trauma, and depression.

If you, like I do, think that's an important thing to have exist in the world, please help me get the word out and bring it into reality.

And thank you for letting me get real.

Help fund TRAJELON on Kickstarter.

[mca-attack21]

Riverdale: Deadly Definitions 6

Here we go again, I hope you guys are enjoying this series. Let me know if you want to be tagged. Feedback is always appreciated. @l4life  

Find the other parts here:    Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4   Part 5

The next morning Betty came over to apologize to Archie. The two of them walked to school together and were good again. Veronica had decided to call a truce with Cheryl and was also befriending Josie. Jughead had continued to piece clues together about what really happened the night of Jason’s murder.

That day during Lunch, you and Archie decided that you would work on music before school starting the next day. You were both excited and nervous. You 100% would do anything to help Archie no questions asked. But it was undeniably nerve racking for you to share something like this with anyone. 

After school, you went to Andrew’s construction and Mr. Andrews explained in better detail what he needed done. You spent the majority of the time just trying to organize everything. Occasionally you would answer the phone, it was all easy enough. Afterwards you had him drop you off at Pop’s where you ran into Jughead.

“Hey, whatcha up to?” you ask.

“Just trying to figure out what Jason was running from” 

“I mean if you were a child of the Blossoms, wouldn’t you want to run away too?” you joked.

“Yeah, but why now? What happened to make him choose now to get away?”

“Maybe he wasn’t running away as much as he was running to something” you ponder.

“Maybe. Oh well, I’m done for tonight.” he said as he closed his laptop, “How was your day?”

“Pretty good. How are you and Betty doing?” you wink.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, don’t think I haven’t noticed the  way you two look at each other. And how you too have started doing your own investigations.” 

“We are just friends.” he answered.

“For now” you replied.

“In that case, what’s going on between you and Archie?” he asked.

“Nothing, I’m just helping him with his music”

“Sure. But just remember what happened between him and his last music tutor” Jug laughed.

“That is so not funny” you chime in smacking his arm.

“I’m just saying.”

“I think he likes Veronica anyways” you reply bringing the conversation back down.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

When you snuck back into the school (which is where you have been staying since the Drive-In was shut down), it was around 3 am. You went straight for the music room. As earlier stated, this was both exciting and nerve-racking. You loved music, but you had never performed in front of any of your friends before. So, you sat at the Piano and warmed up with some showtunes. Eventually, you pulled out your songbook, it had been a while since you sat down and just wrote music. You were running through a song that you had written, when you were interrupted.

“Wow, how did I not know that you were this good?” Archie asked.

You were so confused. What was Archie doing here in the middle of the night? But then you looked down at your phone. It was 7:15. 

“I was just screwing around. Anyways, I’m going to grab us waters. I’ll be back in a minute.” you answer.

“Okay, I’ll get warmed up,” he smiled as he set his guitar down. 

You quickly made your way to the closet where you were staying. You fixed your hair, changed shirts, grabbed some gum, and the two waters before heading back to the music room. 

“Sorry that took so long, the vending machine didn’t want to take my money,” you said as you reentered the room, “so Archie, what exactly are you wanting to get out of these sessions?”

“I don’t exactly know. I’d like help taking my lyrics and turning them into actual songs. So I guess I just need feedback, and suggestions.” 

“That works for me, let’s hear what you’ve been working on lately.” you smiled.

So then Archie began to play. You just listened, he had an amazing voice and was already so good on guitar. As he finished his first song you were in awe. It was so refreshing to hear someone sing about something that mattered. 

“Well, what did you think?” he asked shyly as he set down the guitar.

“It was amazing Arch, it needs to be polished and there are a few lyrics that are off rhythm, but it is so good. You really have a talent for this”

“You really think so?” he asked

“Yes I do. Now do me a favor and sing it again but without the guitar” you say as you hope on the piano. You then proceeded to break down the entire song, and then you played/sang it back to Archie. This allowed him to hear first hand which parts sounded slightly awkward. You started writing down his lyrics and bouncing ideas off each other. Before you knew it, the ten minute warning bell for first period sounded. 

“Wow, I can’t believe it’s already time for class. This was amazing Y/n, thank you so much” he said as he stashed his guitar away. 

“It’s no problem Archie, I’m glad I can help”

And this was your life now. You spent your mornings with Archie working on his music. You went to school like a normal student. And then you walked to Andrews’ Construction. After organizing all of the paperwork you started working on a promotions campaign. You redesigned the business cards, created a free website and uploaded a portfolio of the various jobs they had completed. You answered the phones and helped Mr. Andrews create pitches that were customized to target the specific jobs. You also organized the work schedule and did anything else that Mr. Andrews needed help with. For him, you were nothing less than a godsend. You had already got them two bids and it had only been a week.  

You were at lunch with your friends when Cheryl approached you. “Here. My mother has decided that you are all invited to JayJay’s memorial. Even you losers.” she said towards you and Jughead. 

“I get that she is mourning her brother, but does she have to be such a bitch” Veronica said under her breath.

“Agreed” Betty chimed in.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to have to buy something to wear to Thornhill.” you directed to the two of them, “you guys want to go shopping tomorrow?” 

“I can’t. My mother is still mad about the whole Archie thing” Betty answered.

“Veronica?”

“You know I’m always down for retail therapy.” she smiled.

So the next day you both went to the mall before you went to work. This was the first time that the two of you were hanging out alone.  

“I bet that you saw malls in New York that make this mall look like a dollar store,” you commented.

“That is very true” she laughed.

“So I’m guessing that it is safe to say that you miss it?” you ask as you look through the dresses.

“Parts of it. I miss being a family and I’m not gonna lie the luxury of it all was grand. But I don’t know the people here, while simple, are real. It wasn’t like that in New York” she reminisced.

“What do you think of this one?” you asked holding up a black t-shirt dress. 

“It’s okay, but why don’t you try this one on,” she replied, holding up a simple but beautiful black dress. You grabbed it and held it up in front of you. It was perfect. But then you ventured to the price tag.

“It’s great Veronica, but I can’t afford it.” you reply putting it back on the rack. 

“Nonsense, it’s my treat. I insist.” she said, “Now go try it on” 

As you had learned, you never argue with a Lodge. There is no point, you won’t win. “Are you sure?” you ask.

“Yes, it’s the least I can do after you have extended your friendship to me” she chimed, all but pushing you in the fitting room.

You tried on the dress and were in love. “What do you think?” you asked as you showed Veronica. 

“You look amazing. I have done it once again” she laughed.

Next, she forced you to find a pair of  heels. Her argument was that it would be a crime to wear such a nice dress with average shoes. On the way up to the cash register Veronica had grabbed some other small things. She placed all of it on the counter and pulled out a card.

“Seriously Veronica, you didn’t have to do that” you said as you got into the car.

“It’s fine Y/n, just consider it an early Birthday present.” 

“My birthday isn’t until next month” you laugh, “Seriously though, I owe you one. If there is ever anything you need let me know.”

“Okay, and now moving on. What is between you and Archie?” she asked.

“Nothing, we are just good friends who are working on music together.” you answer.

“Sure. The same way that Betty and Jughead are just friends.”

“I’m serious Veronica, and even if I did have feelings for him, I’m pretty sure he likes someone else.” you add.

“Really? Who?” she asked intrigued. 

“I’ll give you a hint. She is new in town.”

“No way. There is no way Archie Andrews has a thing for me.” she said in disbelief. 

“He hasn’t explicitly told me so, but still it’s kinda obvious.” you say as the car slows to a stop.

“Do you want me to drop off your bags somewhere?” she asked realizing that she still had no idea where you lived. 

“No, I’ll hold on to them. Thanks again Ronnie.”

That night you went to the school and showered. You tried on your dress again, this time with the shoes. You looked through the other bag, Veronica had also bought you a necklace and earrings along with simple make-up palettes and perfume. She was good, you hadn’t even seen her grab half of this stuff and you were right next to her.

The next day you accompanied Mr. Andrews and Archie to the Memorial Service. Archie had decided to give Mrs. Blossom Jason’s old jersey. She was almost in tears over it. Everyone sat down as it was ready to begin. Before Penelope could begin speaking, Cheryl burst in wearing the white outfit she had worn the last time she was Jason. She gave a speech about how she missed him and failed him and then was dragged off by her mother.

And from there things were only going to get worse.

[girashin]

Starting A Online Business

It's simple to avoid falling into common home business mistakes, however, if you do just a little research. Here are some wise strategies for making your home business thrive. 

If you wish to make money with a online business from home, you have to be the sort of person that's ready to learn new things easily. However much you really know about the area your home business specializes in, you may still constantly have to learn new things so as to cultivate your business. 

If you're not the sort of person that is ready to understand, your business is guaranteed to fail. To get the word out about your new home business, have cards printed with your company name and logo. Give one to everyone you know, and leave them lying about everywhere you go. 

In case you have made the choice to quit your day job in favor of pursuing your own home-based business, don't put in an official notice with your employer prior to all preparations are made and finalized to your own business. The most well-laid plans sometimes fall through, and it's better to not burn your bridges. 

If you're thinking of a house business, ensure that there's a market for your merchandise. If there are a hundred people already engaged in precisely the exact same field it'll not be easy for you to get clients. Instead, take your idea and concentrate it on a market - for instance, if you would like to be a personal chef concentrate on dietary restrictions and market together in the text. 

For those who have a house online business, follow the IRS guidelines, so that they do not audit you. Ensure that you keep accurate records of your home business action. And stressed out later on. When looking for home business supplies, shop online as opposed to in a brick-and-mortar retailer. 

You can save a good deal of money by searching online for your distribution needs. The truth is many online retailers offer deeper discounts if you subscribe to an ongoing automated purchase of the goods. This is a superb way to save, and these days every cent helps! These ideas will help keep you on the straight and narrow when it comes to running your home business, so you could put all of your energy into successes rather. 

That will leave you with additional resources to put into pushing your business to growth and profit. "To Get Access To Some Of The Best Training Online To Learn How To Set Up And Grow Your Very Own Online Business, CLICK HERE Another really amazing resource to help guide you on your online business travel is Wealthy Affiliate.

 They are very dedicated in helping people start and grow their own online business, they have tens of thousands of like-minded members which are extremely eager to assist you with any problems you might have with your online business, I highly recommend anyone looking to begin an online business go and check them out for yourself. 

I've been a part of Wealthy Affiliate for over 4 decades now and If it was not for them I would not have gotten as far as I have. I will shed a link below so you can check them out for yourself.

Biggest Mistake When Starting An Online Business!

Are You Ready To Face The Hard Truth? Affiliate marketing is a terrific way to begin an online business. Many successful online business owners have used affiliate marketing to establish their online businesses. After achieving a certain degree of success, they focus in their pursuits and begin other businesses. I am aware of affiliate marketers who have attained high incomes; nonetheless, though it might be a excellent way to get started this shouldn't be assumed it's easy. 

Affiliate marketing isn't easy, even though you can find mentors who will assist and guide you so that you can prevent making the mistakes, which in itself will accelerate your learning curve. However, there's still likely to be a learning curve and plenty of work. 

Among the biggest misconceptions I think out there in starting a business online is,'people set affiliate program or website and then sit back and expect the money to roll ' Although to most this sounds ludicrous. Yes, you'll be correct in believing that this sort of thinking is absurd, folks are still doing this, and this is exactly how they think. 

They set up their affiliate program, blog or website, then begin doing excellent work. As the results are not fast enough, they become distracted by the next big thing or cease thinking that this business they've just started will get the job done. There are good reasons for people to have this behavior and belief system. 

The internet business opportunities have educated people for years about lucrative chances and get rich quick schemes which have littered the internet since time began, (online that is). The making money online it is easy, sit back and watch the cash roll in, earn millions while working or sleeping ten minutes - all of these label lines. 

All these taglines are right, but only after lots of work has done to set this business up to be in a point where you'll be earning money in your sleep, etc.. The truth is, if you would like to start a business online, begin making money online - you're going to have to devote plenty of work. Yes, you read correctly. You're going to have to devote plenty of work. 

Let us face it. You're starting a business. Especially in starting a business you're going to have to do plenty of work to get this up and running. There will have to become an investment. This investment would be time, cash or a mixture of both. Just remember you're starting a business. Starting by not investing lots of money - you would have to spend a whole lot of time. 

The opposite is true. The best choice in my experience and by the mentors I follow would be a bit of both - time and money. Good mentors will help and advice along the process, saving plenty of hassle, time and financial waste. However, you'll have to have the ability to discover these mentors, that could be difficult enough with each other site promising the world on a push button get rich quick scheme. 

I'm thankful for being introduced to my mentor and haven't looked back. When I met him, he said I was going to get to do a great deal of work. He did not shy away from this truth. I will need to put in the moment. In addition, he told me quite clearly that I am going to need to spend some money. After all, I'm starting a business, and these are just two aspects many do not mention or wish to hear.

The end result is that they get caught out and get rid of interest or wind up losing money, wasting a good deal of time simply to have nothing to show for it. Therefore in the process, their confidence in any future online business in tatters. So in case you can be honest with yourself, you acknowledge that you will have to put in some actual work and spend some money. 

If you realize this simple point, you have an edge over most people who begin online. Surprisingly now, people are still searching for that golden egg or effortless money. No, it isn't all doom and gloom. Although I don't feel that what I've just shared is doom and gloom, rather it ought to be a breath of fresh air and should fill you with delight as I have just told you that if you're willing to spend the work and spend some money and stay with it, you'll be successful. 

Now mentors like mine that have genuinely been successful in the field they teach and have a passion for teaching others are valuable to individuals who wish to start a business online. You'll have the ability to understand how to do things the right way rather than have to figure it out yourself. 

They will have developed tools and processes which they pass on to accelerate the process and help construct, once more, you don't need to improve. But more importantly, they'll have the ability to mentor and guide you and invite you to the community they've established where people are helping each other to realize their online business objectives. 

[iolacarambola-blog2]

How to Get Started With Real Estate Investing

One of the first things that you must do to start learning as a real estate investor is to know what is taking place with your market. You must know what is happening in your market so that you can target your investing strategy to your market. You need to approach your current real estate investing business as a business. Think about this idea for just a moment... When a new major retailer (Walmart, Home Depot etc . ) is looking to open a brand new facility in your community, they will do market research beforehand. They are going to do some demographic research to see if the store would be able to sustain itself prior to they move forward. In a similar manner, you are going to need to do a little bit of research so you are using the right techniques with your real estate investing enterprise. Once you know what is happening in your market, you can adjust the strategy accordingly. Based on what is going on in your area, will seller lending be a good strategy? What about wholesaling or lease possible choices? Each of these strategies are more effective under certain market ailments and when you align your strategy with your market problems, you will increase your success significantly. So , the real primary is to know which indicators will provide you with the most useful details. Key Indicators Jobs - Employment s a key aspect that drives the real estate market. Generally speaking, people would like to live nearby their employment. So , as jobs will be moving into an area, this will increase the demand for housing and also rentals. If the area does not have many jobs coming in, additionally, you will see a decreased demand. Since the real estate market is controlled through supply and demand, the number of jobs coming in to an place gives you a very good idea of the demand. You have to know this to discover what is going on in your area. You can obtain a lot of information from the place planner. They can tell you about new companies that are moving into the region, how many jobs they are creating, and the income range for all those jobs. This is valuable information to have as a real estate individual. Occupancy Rate - A factor to understand the demand just for rental properties in the area is the occupancy rate. Vacancy is actually a key factor to know whether rental properties are in demand in the area or not. This is another perfect example of the reason you must know your market prior to investing. If openings rates are very high for your area, investing in rental components is probably not the best idea for you. You would have a harder occasion finding a tenant. The property would be vacant for a while and you would certainly continue to make mortgage payments. This is why it is critical for you to start your own investing business by knowing your market. This will conserve a lot of time, money, and heartache later on. Property management providers are a good place to obtain occupancy rates. Call these products and let them know that you are an investor and considering numerous properties in the area. They will see you as a potential patron and they will usually be happy to provide you with the information that you are searching for. Another alternative is to look in the newspaper each week to discover the homes for rent section. Over time, this page will give you an idea of what the demand for space leases is for your market. Rent Incentives - Rent bonuses can be a key indicator of the balance between the supply plus demand for rental properties. As a general rule of thumb, the actual fewer rent incentives you see, the more demand there is covering the supply. When the supply of rental properties is greater than any demand, you will see many landlords offering some sort of incentive or perhaps promotion. They are trying to give a potential tenant a reason to pick their property over the rest of the competition. So , when you see a wide range of rent incentives, it means that the supply of properties is much more than the demand for rentals. You will see incentives like a minimal deposit, a few months of free rent, cash towards the purchase of a home, or some other sort of offer to get them from the property. Incentives are easy to spot as you are looking at real estate on the Internet, in the newspaper, or any other method where you can find individuals. The important part is that you see a lot of incentives. Be wasted just be one here or there. New Units Granted access - When someone is going to build a home, they must receive building permit from the city. Your city will have home elevators the number of new building permits that have been issued over the last calendar month and the last year. Every home that is built adds to the products. Since supply and demand are the factors that are operating the market, the building permits add to the supply. As an real estate investor, if you see that there are a lot of jobs coming in (demand) as well as there are not very many units permitted (supply), then discomfort that you have found a hole in the market. You could start looking at building some land and building new houses to meet the particular incoming demand. See how this information can help you get started on the right foot or so and see the opportunities in your market? The city planner is the information on the number of new units that have been permitted. As you would likely have noticed, the city planner is an extremely valuable resource available for you as an investor. Most real estate investors overlook the value regarding what the city planner can offer. It is highly recommended that you commit a little time with your city planner to know what is happening in your city. You can make a lot of money using their market knowledge coupled with your shelling out strategy. Inventory for Sale - This indicator refers to the present homes that are currently on the market. We are trying to measure typically the supply and demand in the area. The supply is going to be the total of new units that have been permitted and the existing virginia homes. The existing homes for sale are an easy indicator to measure. Any specific real estate agent with access to the Multiple Listing Service can tell you what number homes are currently for sale in the area. I highly recommend tracking the on a monthly and yearly basis. This will help you gauge whether inventory is rising or falling. Average Months on Market - The days on the market will tell you for how long (on average) it is taking for homes to sell into your market. This will give you an idea of the activity taking place within your town and how quickly a home will sell. Market pastime affects the balance between the supply and demand. The days that can be found (DOM) can help you know how long it will take for the demand for you to catch up to the supply and vice versa. Home buying on the market can also be obtained from your real estate agent that has MLS accessibility. Let them know the areas that you want to focus on and it can give you will that information. You will also want to track this monthly that allows you to see changes going on in the market. Summary Now you can use this advice to begin your real estate investing business. To be successful, you must really know what is taking place in your area. These key indicators will help you figure out supply and demand in your market. You will also be able to notice opportunities in your market. If you are tracking these indicators gradually, you can also see changes that are occurring in your market. You'll then be able to adjust your strategy to match the changing development. Doing this research is very profitable, and it will make the variance between an average investor, and a great investor.

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Everything Money Can Buy (6/12)

Summary: The Greatest Store in the World AU. When misfortune strikes and leaves Emma Swan and her son homeless just before Christmas, the ever-resourceful Emma has a ready solution. They’ll move into Mills Department Store, a place they can only dream of affording to buy from. It’s not easy, having to deal with a perpetually grumpy doorman, a nasty assistant manager, and an extremely suspect Santa, but Emma and Henry soon learn that the kindness of strangers is something money can’t buy.

Swan Believer centric, with eventual Swan Queen and background Rumbelle and Dwarf Star.

Rated: G

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[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five] [AO3]

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Six

One thing that had always been a blessing when it came to Henry was that he was an avid reader. They'd spent so much time in libraries over the years as nice and warm safe havens, and he would never tire of books. It was such an easy way to entertain him and to get under a roof for as long as they needed. 

Although the books section in Mills wasn't quite as extensive as the local library, Henry seemed quite happy to stay there for as long as was required. It was quiet there and he'd found himself a little reading nook, away from the watchful eyes of the woman behind the cash desk, who wasn't paying him any attention anyway. Emma decided to take a risk and leave him there for a while so that she could go and surreptitiously check that all their bags and baggage were still safe in the tent.

She was wending her way through the jewellery counters on the ground floor when she found herself trapped between several more earnest shoppers than herself and Santa. She wasn't quite sure why Santa was touting for business in the jewellery section, since it wasn’t exactly likely that there would be all that many children around here, but she wasn't going to knock it. The more customers the merrier. Maybe he got paid on commission by how many parents coughed up the five quid for a visit to Santa's grotto and he needed as much as possible to keep his rum habit going over the holidays. She wondered how he managed to get away with it; surely someone in a place like Mills had some kind of scruples about drinking on the job.

Although, that said, Santa didn’t really look all that much like he was touting for business with any degree of enthusiasm. No, he seemed to be far more interested in the contents of the jewellery counters. Emma raised an eyebrow. All things considered, she thought it highly unlikely that he would be able to afford any of the shiny goodies behind the glass, but stranger things had happened. Her own life was a cavalcade of experiences that no one could ever credit happening in real life.

“Killian!”

The word came not too far from Emma’s ear, a sharp hiss that was probably not intended for her hearing, but that she picked up anyway having spent so many years being on her guard and listening for absolutely anything that might be a threat. She glanced over to see someone trying to shepherd Santa away from the counters as surreptitiously and yet as forcefully as possible. Emma recognised her as the rude woman they’d met on the stairs the other day, and once again she wondered at her position in the store. She was evidently someone very high up because Santa stopped his perusal of diamond necklaces and almost stood to attention when he saw her, meekly accepting the summons and subsequent banishment back upstairs to the children’s department, his elf following along limply behind him.

The dark-haired woman let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose, and Emma thought that despite her high position, she was feeling the strain of working in retail over the festive period just like everyone else was, although maybe not quite as acutely as those who were dealing with customers on a regular basis.

“I honestly don’t know why Zelena hired him,” she muttered to herself, not realising that Emma could hear every word. Emma gave a little scoff of laughter, and the woman looked up sharply, realising that she had an audience, and moreover that the audience was someone she recognised.

She didn’t recognise Emma immediately. She probably saw that many shoppers coming and going over the course of a day that all the faces blended into one, but Emma saw the moment that the knowledge dawned, and she shifted from foot to foot, wondering what was going to happen now. Luckily, the other woman seemed to be feeling just as awkward as she was about the circumstances.

Naturally, the sensible thing would have been to just walk away and pretend that the brief interaction had never happened, but they had now been looking at each other for too long not to make some kind of acknowledgement of the fact.

Emma decided to break the tension first; to get in quick before the other woman could think up some kind of barb to rival the ones that she had given the previous day.

“What happened to the previous Santa?” she asked. “You’ve had the same guy for years.”

“He’s laid up with a broken leg, unfortunately.” The dark-haired woman sighed. “At least I know that I only have to put up with Killian for another couple of days. I’d get rid of him if I could but Zelena’s in charge of hiring and firing and she seems to like him for some reason. God only knows what the attraction is. Still.” She shrugged. “Maybe she’ll stop trying to chase Gold now. Every time I see her in his vicinity I think he’s going to run for the hills. We can’t lose our Santa and our doorman in the same festive period.”

“Yes, that would be a travesty,” Emma agreed. The other woman caught the deadpan humour in her tone and laughed.

“I know, I know. It can be a bit much sometimes, but Mills has always had a doorman in grey and silver livery, going right back to when it was founded. I can’t imagine this place without one.”

“Well, the place obviously means a lot to you. Anyway, I must get on, nice to meet you, bye!”

Emma rushed away as fast as her feet could take her, only stopping to look over her shoulder once she was safely on the other side of the room. The brunette woman had gone, and Emma wondered again who she was and what she did here, to have such sway over Killian and to know so much of the history.

She also wondered why she couldn’t get her smile out of her mind, and she shook her head angrily in an attempt to drive the thoughts away. This was absolutely not the time to be developing a crush on a woman she’d met twice – and had an argument with on the first occasion to boot. Emma had sworn off all forms of romance in her life as soon as she’d discovered she was expecting Henry, and for the past ten years she’d managed to stick to that without any trouble. It must be the Christmas spirit in the air, she thought. Making her go all silly like something out of a low-budget holiday flick. It was a good job that she was called Emma and not something like Holly, Carol, or Noël. Then she’d have no hope, but on the other hand, she’d be assured of a cheesy Hollywood ending in which everyone lived happily ever after thanks to The Magic of Christmas™. The trouble with films, Emma thought darkly as she stomped towards the escalators to go down to Outdoors and check on their bags, was that they never showed you what happened after the credits rolled; never showed you the realities of life once the joyous throes of a new relationship were over.

She sighed. She’d become so cynical during her twenty-eight years that it was really rather depressing when she stopped to think of it. Perhaps believing in Christmas magic wasn’t such a stupid thing after all. She didn’t want it to set her up with someone, though. She wanted it to get her and Henry a nice safe place to live, and herself a stable job, and some halfway decent Christmas presents for the both of them.

If it set her up with the mysterious dark-haired lady, then that would just be a nice added perk.

X

As much as Henry had enjoyed living in Mills for the last couple of days, the novelty was beginning to wear off slightly. The main problem, he’d decided, was that since the escalators and lifts were switched off after hours, and since the camping section where he and Mum were staying was in the basement, and the tearoom where they were getting most of their food was on the top floor, that meant an awful lot of walking up and down stairs.

“All right,” Mum said once they were finally at the tearoom. “Let’s see what we can find for ourselves today. I’m in the mood for soup.”

“Mum, the last time you tried to heat anything up here, you broke the microwave and a waitress got the blame.”

“Good point, well made. It’s ok, there’s a stove. Hard to break one of those.” Mum started pawing through the shelves, coming up empty-handed with a sigh. “Oh, come on, they can’t have sold everything sell-buy today. That’s just ridiculous. They’d never get over it if they ran out of something, it would be a scandal. Front page news: “Mills tearoom is out of scones, what is the world coming to?””

Henry had to laugh, and he went over to the next fridge to help look for things.

“Erm, Mum?”

On the bottom shelf of the fridge was a large patisserie box with the words ‘sell-buy today’ written on it in big letters.

For a moment, Henry and Mum just looked at it. Henry wasn’t entirely sure that it wasn’t a trap like in old cartoons, and the moment they moved it, alarms would start sounding and a net would spring out of the fridge to catch them.

Mum shivered from the cold of the fridge door being opened and dragged the box out, the desire to eat winning out over the suspicions of intent. Sure enough, when they opened the box on the counter, it was full of the food that they had been unable to find in the over fridge, along with another, slightly smaller pastry box with a note on it.

This chocolate gateau got dropped so couldn’t be sold. It’s only been inside the cake display unit and not on the floor so it’s safe to eat even though it looks dreadful.

It did indeed look like a small bomb crater rather than a cake, but Henry, unable to stop himself from scooping up a fingerful of rich buttercream, could attest that it definitely tasted much better than it looked.

Mum was just staring at the collection of food.

“I think someone other than Belle knows that we’re here,” she said. “I guess our snacking was more noticeable than we hoped.”

Although Henry had come to the same conclusion, he didn’t really know what to make of it. They weren’t doing anything wrong by eating the food that would not be sold. Lots of places gave their unsold food to homeless shelters at the end of the day; it just so happened that they were homeless and being slightly more proactive in the procuring of the unsold food.

“Do you think it’s going to be a problem?” he said.

Mum shrugged, before grabbing a couple of spoons and handing one to Henry, digging into the chocolate cake herself.

“I mean, they might know that we’re here, but they don’t necessarily know who we are. It’s a bit like the elves and the shoemaker.”

“They leave out food for us and in return we make their shoes?”

“Well, the elves and the shoemaker without the whole ‘shoes’ part.”

They continued to eat the cake in silence for a little while.

“So, what do they want if they don’t want shoes?” Henry asked. In his experience, people generally didn’t do something for nothing, and now they had Belle covering for them in the foyer and a mysterious unknown person providing them with food in the tearoom. Unless Belle was responsible for that as well, but Henry didn’t think she could be. She wouldn’t know about dropped chocolate cakes unless she worked here for a start.

He thought back to Astrid, the waitress who’d been blamed for the microwave disaster and wondered. If anyone suspected that there was someone using the kitchen after hours, then it would be her, but at the same time, they’d given her no reason to help them out, in fact, quite the opposite. For a moment he stared at the chocolate cake in horror, wondering if it could be laced with poison in revenge for the microwave.

“Henry, are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Henry told Mum his fears, and when she hid a smile behind her hand, he thought that perhaps they were going to be all right after all.

“Oh Henry, your imagination is wonderful, but it does get carried away sometimes. Don’t you think that poisoning a chocolate cake is just a bit of an overkill as vengeance for being blamed for a broken microwave that’s since been fixed and that we have dutifully steered clear of?”

“Well, you never know.”

“Besides, however wrong it might be for us to be living in the department store, murder is still worse, and someone would have to get the blame when they come in tomorrow morning and find our bodies in the tearoom. That would be an even worse scandal than running out of scones.”

“I don’t know about that; this is Mills after all.”

“Well, it would be a close second.” Mum paused. “Do you think that handyman’s asked her out yet?”

“Who, Astrid?”

“Yeah. You know, I think that you and I can fashion ourselves into little Christmas romance fairies if we’ve a mind to. Leroy the maintenance man and Astrid, Belle and Gold… We’re the perfect festive matchmakers. Love follows us around wherever we go.”

“Are you thinking about that woman we bumped into on the stairs again?”

“No!”

Henry just looked at her. He decided that he had definitely begun to inherit her internal lie detector. She folded.

“Ok, yes. I saw her again today in the jewellery section and we actually had a nice little chat that did not involve any snide remarks or glaring.”

“That’s a positive sign, I think. What’s her name?”

“I have no idea, she still wasn’t wearing a name tag, but she definitely works here.”

“Mum, you’re hopeless. You could at least have asked her name!”

“Oh Henry, I really don’t think that I’m in the right position to be romancing anyone at the moment; it wouldn’t exactly be easy to date. Sorry, must dash, I need to be back inside Mills and hiding in a cupboard before closing time.”

Henry shrugged. “You never know. Stranger things have happened. Especially at Christmas.”

“Don’t you start as well. I’ve already had to convince myself that I’m not the main character of a True Christmas film.”

“So, we’ll just act as the magic elves in everyone else’s True Christmas films instead.”

“Yeah.”

“Ok.” As much as Henry would love for his mother to find someone nice, he was content to facilitate everyone else’s happy endings instead. Maybe it would be best to start on Mum after the holidays, once they weren’t living in the store anymore.

As much as it might be losing its sparkle for him, Henry found himself thinking how much he would miss it.

[billehrman]

Think As an Investor

We were thrilled to hear the experts/pundits speak on Friday as well as Barron’s most recent roundtable of 10 experts write on Saturday about how cautious/pessimistic they are about the prospects for the financial markets in 2020. There clearly is no over exuberance or froth in the marketplace yet. Just the start of a rotation back into equities, which have been liquidated over the last few years, such that its allocation is well below their historical norm, while reducing bonds and cash positions, which have been the preferred asset classes, and are now over-weighted well above  their historic norms in most portfolios.

While we acknowledge that there could be a correction in the marketplace any time, we see substantial gains for investors over the next year and possibly longer especially if you are correctly positioned. Think as an investor rather than as a trader. Think like Buffett whose record for successful investing longer term is unparalleled. How many rich traders do you know?  Does it make sense to sell positions that you like longer term if you are only looking for a small correction short term? Hell no!

It was very important that tensions between the United States and Iran subsided somewhat last week. We were surprised and pleased that Iranian officials reached out to Iraq and American counterparts warning them of their missile strikes in Iraq beforehand such that no one would be killed. Since no American was killed in the attack, which is Trump’s red line, he did not retaliate. Rather he spoke in a somewhat conciliatory manner about both sides lowering tensions in the region. Trump also asked our NATO partners to work with us against terrorism which is something that we mentioned last week.  NATO’s Secretary General Stoltenberg responded favorably and said that he was pleased with the formation of such an alliance. It did not hurt Trump’s position against Iran/terrorism when Iran took full responsibility yesterday for bringing down a Ukrainian airplane killing 176 innocent people including many Canadians.

Let’s go back and look, once again, at the key variables impacting stock prices today

Monetary policy: It is crystal clear that virtually all of the major monetary bodies—BOJ, Bank of China, ECB and our Fed—have overly accommodative policies that will not reverse anytime soon and that means at least for 2020. Again, if more money is being created than needed by the real economy, the excess funds finds its way into financial/risk assets including stocks, bonds and commodities. Basically, it is risk on!  Remember that our stock market multiple is priced off of bond yields, normally 10-year treasuries, plus some risk premium. Bond yields are incredibly low as there is no inflation and risk premiums are down as there is so much excess liquidity/capital in the system as evidenced by low bond yield spreads. We continue to be surprised that all the experts think that the market is fully valued at 18-19 times earnings which was the high end of the historic range when interest rates were at least 300-500 basis points higher than now. Beside keeping all short-term interest rates down, most monetary bodies, including our Fed, are increasing their balance sheets, too, which keeps downward pressure on longer term rates. We see no reason that our stock market multiple cannot reach 20 times earnings even if the 10-year treasury yields increase to 2.5% from slightly under 2% today.

Trade: It is hard to believe that Phase 1 of a trade deal between the U.S and China will finally be signed this week in D.C. with the Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu. We continue to be surprised by the positive rhetoric out of Beijing and DC about Phase 2 of a trade deal which talks will commence shortly; China state media touts the trade deal as a sign of coexistence; and the U.S and China agreed yesterday to hold semi-annual talks on reforms. Maybe it is true that China would rather negotiate trade deals with Trump than running the risk of dealing with a Democrat President who would take a much harder line, especially on pollution. Finally, the Senate Finance Committee voted 25 to 3 to back the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. We fully expect global trade to improve as we move through 2020 into 2021 boosting global growth.

Brexit: We remain confident that U.K Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU will finally reach a deal on Brexit this year. The cost of not reaching is deal is so punitive to both sides such that we expect cooler heads to prevail and a deal to be finalized. IF the economic cost of Brexit has already hit Britain by $170 billion and counting, we could only imagine the penalty borne by the EU so far, too.

Trump: Since strength in the U.S economy and stock market appear to be the key factors boosting Trump’s chances for re-election, we are confident that he will do all in his power as incumbent President to increase his odds for victory. That will include introducing new tax legislation to lower taxes on the middle to lower classes while penalizing the wealthy; new healthcare legislation to reduce costs, especially for medicine; an infrastructure bill and further reducing regulations/red tape holding back our economy. Protecting our country and trade policy will remain at the forefront of his legislative agenda, too.

The bottom line is that we remain confident/optimistic that the global economy will do better in 2020/2021 than 2019. We were amused that the World Bank trimmed its global growth forecast last week for 2019 and 2020 basically looking in the rearview mirror rather than through the windshield. They had no idea that Phase I of a trade deal between the U.S and China would finally be signed, nor the completion of the USMCA, as well as Johnson winning his election in Britain.  We expect global growth to build sequentially as we move through 2020. We do not expect a growth spurt at the beginning of the year. After all, trade deals are just being finalized; fiscal stimulus is just beginning to be implemented in many nations; and finally, it takes at least 6 to 8 months for monetary ease to kick in. Also, it will take time for business/consumer confidence to build until reality/certainty sets in that all of this is for real.  But it will as the year progresses.

Here are some brief comments on the most recent data points by country:

United States: We fully expect fourth quarter real GNP to exceed 2% and growth in 2020 to build sequentially bolstered by continued strength in strong consumer spending and a slow but steady improvement in manufacturing/capital spending as the year progresses as global trade improves. The employment data reported Friday was just fine as 145,000 new jobs were created while hourly earnings slowed to a 2.9% year over year gain which still exceeds the inflation rate by a wide margin.  Our economy created over 2.11 million new jobs in 2019 which is nothing to sneeze in spite of slowing global growth. We were pleased that Trump reversed his position and now supports the U.S. Export-Import Bank which is helpful to U.S manufacturers.

China: Fourth quarter GNP was apparently stronger than anticipated such that economic growth for 2019 will fall well within the government target of 6-6.5% growth. We now believe that China may even exceed 6% growth in 2020 as it benefits from the U.S trade deal, fiscal stimulus and aggressive monetary ease. China will easily be the fastest growing major industrialized country in 2020. And inflation will moderate as U.S exports of ag products finally begin arriving in size.

Europe/Britain: There is nothing reported that looks good economically in Europe/Britain. One can only hope that global trade will improve as 2020 progresses which will benefit Europe and that Brexit is reached reducing corporate/consumer uncertainty. Europe is clearly the problem child region of the world.

Japan: We expect the Japanese economy to pick up sequentially through 2020 too, as global trade improves and fiscal stimulus kicks in supported by continued monetary ease.

Investment Conclusions

We expect global growth to pick up sequentially as we move through 2020 benefitting from increased trade, fiscal stimulus and continued monetary ease.  The U.S will certainly benefit disproportionately as we institute Phase 1 of a trade deal with China boosting our exports big time over the next few years; the USMCA is finally passed supporting trade growth between our neighbors; additional fiscal stimulus kicks in federally as well as locally; monetary policy remains very easy (let it rip!) including the Fed injecting billions into the financial system; regulatory relief; and Trump doing whatever else he can do to boost the economy and our stock market.

While we have already discussed why a 20-market multiple is supported even if 10-year treasuries rise in yield. We have not discussed our forecast for S & P earnings which we still estimate at $170 per share for 2020, vs. an estimated $163/share in 2019, but with a run rate closer to $180 p/s by the end of the year. Don’t forget that the huge equity shrink continues at amazingly high levels that boosts reported eps. Just ask Apple owners what it has meant to them!

The bottom line is that our market could easily exceed 3400 this year with the potential of hitting 3600 which is not our forecast at this time. The key to outperformance will be stock selection. While technology, especially semis, has remained the largest portion of our portfolios, we have reduced the more defensive sectors adding to the more economically sensitive sectors such as financials, expecting the yield curve to steepen and loan growth to accelerate; global industrial, capital goods and machinery companies which will benefit from accelerating global growth and increased capital spending; low cost, free cash generating industrial commodity companies as expect both volume and pricing to improve; defense companies for obvious reasons; some retailers who have adapted to a changing marketplace and are gaining market share; agricultural companies who will benefit from recent trade deals; and many special situations selling well beneath intrinsic value. We own no bonds and expect the dollar to weaken over time.

Unfortunately, we are unable to hold our weekly investment webinar this week due to a prior commitment but feel free to email us questions which we will respond to as promptly as possible.

Remember to review all the facts; pause, reflect and consider mindset shifts; be open to shift your asset mix with risk controls as necessitated by the environment; listen to the upcoming earnings calls focusing on the future rather than the past; do independent research and …

Invest Accordingly!

Bill Ehrman

Paix et Prospérité LLC

Bill.ehrman@prosperitefund.com