#No I can't look up this book for you in our inventory WE ARE CLOSED. COME BACK TOMORROW. GET OUT | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rakkuntoast · 11 months

Text

ok i got nothing else to do so here's a transcript of the whole trauma talk

philza stream july 22nd 3:26:06

Tallulah: if i think u were paranoid, he is even more. y'all need a break

Phil: i mean it's cuz we've like experienced some kind of loss with the eggs, right? so, we've had the nightmare, alright. Chayanne lost a life to neglect cuz of misscommunication. Tallulah, you lost a life to the code monster...

Phil: Like we've felt what it's like to have you guys dissappear from our grasp, right? you've like- you've dissapeared from this world briefly, and we know what it's like. Like i-i've personally know what it's like, for you guys to fucking dissapear entirely like, the nightmare happened and i thought that was it, i was like "fuck well, it's done" and i felt so empty, right?

Phil: I-I genuenly felt like i lost a hardcore world, like- the 5 year world that i lost? that's what it felt like, i was like fucking miserable. And then bad uh- lost dapper like- like in a weird glitch type thing, and that got reverted. But when it happened, you can hear it in his voice like, he was distraught like- theres like a bond that we share even if is playing block game, you know?

Phil: we're just hanging out like, i wanna protect you guys with everything i can. everything i have i wanna protect you with, you know? but... i understand that i can't protect you for everything, so i just try to protect you from that i can, so... (and ooc out-of-character, i think everyone watching is incredibly invested also -laughs-, we're in the same boat)

Tallulah: It's understandable, thanks for sharing how u feel with us i'll be more careful

Phil: that's okay, you- you- you're very careful already tallulah, it's chayanne that fucking dives head first into danger all the time. He's- he's a bit more reserved now, you can do that chayanne when like theres more people, its fine, cuz then we can look after you, we can back you up. But when its just me and you, or me, you and tallulah.... we gotta- we gotta stick together, alright? we've seen all kinds of strange things happen

Chayanne: i mean, gosh i'm bad with words!!!

Phil: yeah, its alright. im just gonna throw some blocks out of my inventory

Tallulah: i gotchu brother

Phil: awww -laughs- gotta back eachother up, back eachother up guys

Tallulah: you show more with ur actions chay, that's more than enough

Chayanne: i dont want to die, i wont die soon, i take everything you showed us seriously

Phil: (overlaps) guessing "super seriously", yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Phil: You know what i think makes it more stressful? Is that us players can't see your health, right? So like, we don't iknow how close you are to danger, we can't- you can't talk to us mid fight, alright? like, you talk to us throught signs and books and stuff but like, we have to go through body language alone to figure out how in danger you are... You can't tell us, you dont have like a button to press, you don't have- there's like nothing to indicate that you're extremely low on health or in peril, alright?

Phil: So it makes it more stressful for the players and the people watching cuz we dont know, so i have to just be super fucking careful... And just treat it like you're on like barely any heart all the time, just in case

Chayanne: Thank you so much for that, when the giant squid grabbed me i was shaking-

Phil: -laughs- Oh god

Tallulah: Thank you for being such a good mentor (and father figure) i can't promise i might not die, but i will fight if i have to-

Phil: Oh i absolutely believe you'll do your absolute best to survive tallulah

Chayanne: When the giant squid grabbed me i was shaking bc i thought that was the end of it

Phil: Yeah- that was terrifying yeah, it's so- it's so like stressful

Tallulah: -to still be here with you all. i promised my papa and i make that promise to you

Phil: Aww, thank you Tallulah, thank you.

Phil: I feel like there's enough counter-measures in place that- realistically um it shouldnt be- nothing bad would happen like- you souldn't lose a life but.. You know me, and I- you know how im- I just I know that multiple bad things can stack on top of eachother and cause a really bad thing to happen, so like we have to be just careful of that, you know? You can be prepared for anything but there's always gonna be ways that you'll be unprepared for something, alright Phil: so- as long as we just prepare as much as we can and just be extra safe and not put ourselves in unnecessary danger then.. These situations that could happen can't happen. The only thing we can't prevent against really, or we can prevent it a little bit- but we can't really prevent it is when the code monster decides to take the life from an egg cuz.. You've seen it first hand, it does not give up

Chayanne: So yeah, it's not a good feeling ;_;

Phil: Yeah... I'm glad you guys are in the same page

Tallulah: In conclusion: we need to go to tio Roier's therapy sessions

Phil: -laughs- Is Quackity paying for it, yeah? Quackity got that on lock, it's like and insurance- it's like a company insurance, like a benefit you have for working with the server. its like "okay so uhh, who needs to book a therapy session today" everyone raises their hand at the same time, good god. Yeah, we'll go to family therapy together, we'll work it out, we'll work it out

edit: minor spelling mistake </3

#sorry if there's any mistakes this is so long and english is not my first language ajehfsefjse #and also i just made it out of boredom and fun so sorry for any inconvenience <:)#long post #qsmp philza #qsmp tallulah #qsmp chayanne #transcript #chayanne's signs after this are not in here it's too much already ajmefhas

244 notes · View notes

mimisempai · 1 year

Text

Even angels have to let go sometimes.

Summary

With Aziraphale not taking care of himself, Crowley decides to take matters into his own hands.

Notes

Absolutely no idea if our ineffable husbands can be exhausted, but since they live like humans, I decided they could. Just because the idea of Crowley acting like a mother hen is irresistible.

On AO3

Rating G - 839 words

Awakened by the sound of rain falling against the window, Crowley opened his eyes. The temperature in the room was pleasant, but the sight of the storm outside almost made him shiver. By instinct, his arm wrapped around Aziraphale's waist, pulled him closer and he drew the comforter up under their chins. Crowley sighed with contentment as he felt the warmth of Aziraphale's body against his own.

He looked down at the face of his angel who continued to sleep peacefully against him, oblivious to the storm outside, which spoke volumes about his state of exhaustion.

The angel had received a delivery of rare books in the afternoon and had only stopped working once each book had been meticulously checked, labeled and found its place in Aziraphale's bookstore. Knowing that his angel was even more meticulous than the most meticulous of humans, this meant that Crowley had been asleep for a long time when his angel joined him.

He noticed Aziraphale's drawn features with concern, although he knew he wouldn't change him for anything in the world. But at least he was there to take care of him.

Crowley could not help but gently run his fingers through the white curls messed up by sleep before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss against the forehead of his beloved.

He breathed with delight the fragrance of tea, old book and incense, so characteristic of the angel.

Aziraphale let out a sigh of contentment in turn while his eyes flickered softly, as if he was struggling to open them.

"Hey, my sleeping angel," Crowley whispered against Aziraphale's forehead before kissing him again.

He felt Aziraphale stretch before raising his sleep-fogged eyes on him. He was about to lean over and kiss him when Aziraphale couldn't hold back a huge yawn.

Crowley chuckled and Aziraphale muttered, "Sorry."

The demon shook his head and scolded gently, "That's what it's like when you work too hard. You're overdoing it Aziraphale. You went to bed very late again and didn't even have dinner."

Aziraphale replied sheepishly, "I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

"You idiot!" exclaimed Crowley with exasperation. He grabbed the angel's chin and continued, "This isn't about me. We have eternity, I don't mind waiting for you. But just because we have eternity doesn't mean you have to spend it wearing yourself out."

Aziraphale protested, "You know how I am. I can't resist a new book."

Crowley rolled his eyes, "You can't really call it new considering how old these books are. And it's not against your passion that I protest, but against the fact that you don't take care of yourself and-"

Crowley paused as he saw Aziraphale stifle another yawn.

He pulled the angel against him again and continued, "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Well, it does. But we'll talk about it later."

"It's pretty cozy here," Aziraphale said as he pressed himself against Crowley.

Crowley muttered against his hair, "Don't think you're out of the woods. I plan on getting this into your little angel head. Even if I have to lure you with food."

He began to play with Aziraphale's curls, feeling the soft strands slide through his fingers and smiled as he heard the angel's hum of contentment.

Aziraphale, his voice muffled by Crowley's chest, asked, "What time is it?"

"A little before seven," Crowley replied. He could sense that Aziraphale was about to doze off again.

"I'll have to get up soon to open the store."

Crowley tightened his arms around Aziraphale and said gently but firmly against the angel's hair, "No, you won't have to get up, the store is closed for inventory today."

He felt Aziraphale struggle against him as the angel protested, "But... but there is no inventory scheduled today!"

Crowley, still holding the angel tightly in his arms replied, "At least that's what it says on the sign hanging on the door."

Aziraphale protested, "The sign? What s- Crowley! You... you did that? But why?"

Crowley sensed that the angel was far less vehement in his protest and replied softly, "Because even angels need rest."

"I..." began Aziraphale before letting out a sigh of surrender and finishing by saying, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." grumbled Crowley, "Someone has to take care of you since you don't."

Aziraphale snuggled a little more against Crowley and said softly, "Then I feel like doing something crazy."

Crowley, wondering what was now going through his angel's mind, replied, "I'm listening."

"I want to have a lie-in."

The demon chuckled and mockingly remarked, "What a crazy idea, indeed." Then gently running his hand down the angel's back he said encouragingly, "You can do it."

The angel muttered against Crowley's chest, "But only if it's with you..."

Crowley pressed a kiss to the light curls and replied with a tender tone, "I can do it. Then sleep now, my angel."

Only an incomprehensible murmur answered him and soon he felt Aziraphale's head grow heavy on his arm. Then, lulled by the rhythm of the angel's breathing, Crowley too drifted into sleep.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here

#good omens #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #ineffable boyfriends #aziraphale #crowley #good omens fanfiction #aziraphale x crowley #crowley x aziraphale

71 notes · View notes

one-piece-aus · 2 years

Note

Hi! Can I have whump no. 27 with Bartolomeo please? Thank you!

Of course! I hope you enjoy the story ^-^

Whumptober Day 27

Bartolomeo x Reader

"This doesn't look good, Meo," you said checking your inventory for another health potion, you were down to the last one. "I don't think we can defeat the boss at this rate."

"We made it this far, Ms. [Y/n]," Bartolomeo reminded you, shielding the two of you with his magic shield. "And his HP is just past the halfway point, if we back out now, we'd have to start over again."

"We can go up level doing some side quests then rematch the boss later," you tried to reason with him, placing the potion back into your inventory. "But we can't take him down in our current state."

Barto frowned and popped open his spell window, all the spell slots were used up. Barto sighed, closing the window and turned to you. "Alright, let's book it, Ms. [Y/n]."

He grabbed your hand and took a running dash to the exit of the dungeon's boss room. You stumbled, not expecting the swift action, though you picked up the pace quickly knowing death will pounce if you don't haul ass.

You looked ahead, you could see the tall steel doors. Almost free, you could feel the handle in your hand. With all your strength, you pull the door. It would've easily opened if you didn't freeze up, but how else would respond to seeing your companion being impaled by the beast?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Hey, you're pretty good with that sword," a green-haired man complimented you. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and tilted his head. "How come you're out here fighting monsters all by yourself?"

"No one wants woman front fighter," you simply stated, cleaning the blood off your sword. "Whether they think women are too weak or they should do something with more grace, parties only want females playing healers or sharpshooters on their team."

"They're a bunch of stupid jackasses then," he scoffed, one of his hands leaving his pocket. "Their loss but I'm not going to miss an opportunity." He held out his hand to you. "The name's Bartolomeo."

"[Y/n]." You smiled, warmth blooming in your chest as you shook his hand.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"MEO!" All instincts of survival abandoned you as you cried.

You retracted your hand from the handle and swung your sword down on the monster's arm. Blood splashed on your face and the part of the arm that penetrated Barto fell to the ground. You strike your blade at the beast once again, soul focused on taking him down. You didn't care if you were already pushed to the limit.

Bartolomeo was the only one who treated you as human. He let you fight however you wanted to and he shared rewards equally with you, even if he made a lame excuse of why he did it. How dare this monster take him from you.

"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"

42 notes · View notes

fuck-customers · 2 years

Note

I work at a small indie bookstore chain, and we have this one specific book with pages that you can fold out to see what's behind the panels (not a kids' book, a regular hardcover that just happens to be kind of extra). Obviously, because customers suck and refuse to put in any effort to clean up after themselves, some of the pages have been bent because people have closed the book without folding them back properly.

Today I had a pair of tourists come up to my register with the book and ask if we had another copy because that one had bent pages. I checked our inventory and told them that was the last copy we had at this location (the chain has 3 small locations), but I could offer them a 10% discount if they wanted to get that copy (I didn't look at it first to confirm it was damaged because I already knew about the bent pages). They demanded 30% off. Store policy is 10%, so I messaged my manager to ask if 30% would be okay (since the store is so small that there's only ever one employee working at a time). While I waited for my manager to reply, one of them kept repeating "you should be able to do 30% for that" — which like, okay, but I can't control the policy and I have to ask permission, why do you keep saying that like it's going to change anything?

It only took a couple of minutes for my manager to reply, but during that time they decided to just buy the other two books they'd picked out, go have dinner at a nearby restaurant, and come back later to see about the book. I guess they decided to go somewhere farther away, though, because a couple of minutes after they left, one of them came back to tell me they were leaving and not to hold onto the book for them. Just as well, because my manager said no.

After they left, I looked through the book in question to assess the damage, and only about 4 of the pages were bent, and not even majorly. DEFINITELY not worth a 30% discount. Maybe it's just that retail has frayed my temper, but demanding 30% just for that seemed really entitled and I'm still kinda pissed about it. 10% for that amount of damage was perfectly reasonable.

75 notes · View notes

bearpillowmonster · 13 days

Text

I'm number 4 top seller within a store (which excludes deliveries, different people take different orders) in the state for my job, my coworker is number 1 and we're one of the two branches with the least amount of employees so...I mean they're burning us out, give us a reward, something to tell us, hey. Had to find that out on my own.

What's more is that they're trying to stack on responsibilities to our roles (as a company, everyone below district manager) but they don't understand that you can't cut out whole roles and make other people do them. There are so many people who are bad at their jobs because they've been enlisted to it without training and expected to swim because the person before them was the only person who did it and couldn't handle the pressure and left. I'm not talking about one specific role, I'm talking plenty. Administrative assistant is one of them. Every branch that has one has better books because they have someone dedicated to it rather than jumping from job to job and trying to get done before close. There's so many branches that hold their money for the whole week, like you can't close out a day without depositing, what do those books look like?

All things considered, our inventory is one of the best out there, every time someone of status comes over they always compliment how good the warehouse looks versus other branches. We DO a good job with what we have so why is our reward more work? It doesn't translate to "you do this role well so maybe you can do this" either because like I mentioned at the beginning of this, these higher ups never say how good you're doing. And our warehouse guy is retiring soon so, I mean, where's your replacement? "Well, can't you just get by without one?" How do you run a facility without any warehouse guys?? One thing is that I'm chalking everything up for my resume for this because of how many hats I'm told to wear.

0 notes

goldenhands · 24 days

Text

Magical Merchandise: Finding the Perfect Witchy Gifts for Your Loved Ones!

Have you been struggling to find bewitching gifts for your friends? What do you prefer to give - tarot cards, witchy totes, or something else? Confused right? Well, being a friend of one, I know how much difficult it is to get that perfect witchy gift to show your loved ones how much you care for them. However, with such a vast array of mystical merchandise available, it cannot be easy to decide.

In this blog post, we'll explore some of the best witchy gift ideas guaranteed to put a spell of smiles on anyone's face. By the end, you'll be fully equipped to craft the ideal enchantments. Let's get started!

What Type of Witch Are They?

First things first - it's important to consider the type of witchcraft your loved one is into. Are they more herbally inclined with an interest in potions? Or do they prefer the spiritual side of things like tarot and crystals? Get a feel for their aesthetic too - gothic and dark, or light and flowery? Tailoring your gift to their particular preferences will show you put thought into it.

Top Witchy Gifts Options for Loved Ones

Tarot Cards:

Are they always reading their tarot or oracle cards? Seeking answers to life's mysteries through the symbolism of the Minor and Major Arcana? A new tarot or oracle card deck is a no-brainer for the resident fortune teller. Goldenhands offer a wide selection of stunning decks like Guardian Of The Night Tarot or Modern Witch Tarot. A tarot deck makes a meaningful gift any person will adore unboxing. You can buy tarot cards by visiting their site.

Witchy Tote bags:

If the charming chica in your coven favors function over flash, a durable cotton tote may be worth a look. We have adorable acrylic printed designs paying homage to candle magic, moon rituals, spellcasting and more. Not only are they great for hauling herbs, crystals and books to coven meetings, but these festive bags can double as aesthetically pleasing accoutrement when out and about town. Plus, who doesn't love a gift that is sustainably chic?

Witchy Ornament:

For the maximalist mage who loves to showcase their enthusiasm, you can't go wrong with a personalized witchy ornament. Adorn their home with delightful decorations featuring astrological and natural magic symbols, magical familiars like cats, ravens, and frogs, or sassy sayings about being a hopeless hag. Goldenhands offers unique designs from Gothic artists as well as traditional glass ball baubles that any enchanting enthusiast is sure to appreciate hanging on their tree.

Incense Gifts:

Does your friend enjoy honing their craft? A set of candles, oil diffusers, or incense is an ideal gift for those seeking to enhance their magical environments. Goldenhands stocks high-quality aromatic items to help set an ambiance and raise vibrations. Don't forget charms, pendants, rings, and earrings from our mystical jewellery collection, too - a pretty piece can serve as both adornment and talisman.

A Perfect Mug Set:

For the people who like cozying up with a warm drink, look no further than our assortment of mugs, goblets, and glassware. Unique options include monograms cast with magical symbols, inspirational affirmations for witches and potion bottle-esque vessels for any brew (whether herbal tea or alcoholic varieties). Since these hand-crafted pieces are suitable for indoor and outdoor magic-making, they make an appreciated accessory all year-round.

Witchy Keyrings:

Keen to keep witchy trinkets close at hand? Browse our inventory of meaningful keyrings. Not only do these serve as sturdy gifts, but their portable profiles allow the recipient to flaunt their esoteric interests wherever they roam. Another small but stylish stocking stuffer idea is our selection of Witchcraft booklets featuring spells for love, money, protection, and more.

Bottom Line

By now, you should have a veritable treasure trove of enchanting gift ideas. But if you're still stuck for the perfect present or want to get all of the above-mentioned gifts, we have one fail-safe option - Goldenhands.

At Goldenhands, we take pride in sourcing unique occult accents and magical markers for those interested in the divine feminine, nature worship, and mysticism. Simply place your order online to experience the mystical merchandise firsthand.

#gifts #giftshop #handmade gifts #incense #gothic #mugs

0 notes

theadventurerslog · 5 months

Text

The Curse of Monkey Island | Part 8

Continuing in trying to get the Goodsoup family ring, Guybrush took a swig of Head-B-Clear and alcohol to 'die' yet again, having proven he was part of the Goodsoup family.

This time though, I woke in a stone tomb, which Guybrush broke out of on his own. I think that chisel is the most used item in the game and it still had more uses coming.

There's yet another easter egg here if you look through the big crack.

This is in direct reference to a joke in the old original version of Secret of Monkey Island (taken out in later versions) in which examining one stump leads Guybrush to comment that there's a hole in the stump and some sort of system of catacombs under there, but you need to insert Disc 22 to continue. Oh well, just have to skip that part of the game.

And now in CMI this crack leads out into the same stump. Guybrush will look around feeling that it's all strangely familiar before seeing a horde of stunningly rendered jaguars and skedaddling.

Moving on from that close call, I ran into the ghost of this tomb, none other than Minnie Goodsoup. Spooky but probably not as scary as stunningly rendered rapid jaguars.

There were a few conversation topics here.

Tell her to go into the light. She can't. She's bound to this place until she marries a man she truly loves.

Comment on her ring, which is what we came here for. She gets very upset and says she hates it now. It was passed down in the Goodsoup family for generations and was to be her wedding ring until the diamond was stolen by that evil pirate, "My love! My honeycakes! My widdle schnoobums! My LeChuck!"

He did get around, that schnoobums, LeChuck.

They were going to marry, but he pried the diamond from its setting during their rehearsal dinner and told her he was taking it out for some fresh air, and then "the CAD! the FIEND!" sold it to the smugglers on Skull Island and abandoned her. She died of a broken heart and now the ring will remain on her finger until she has a wedding band to replace it.

You can ask her if there was any one else she could have fallen for. There was ONE she could have fallen for: Charles DeGoulash. But he checked into the hotel one night and she never saw him again.

And you can ask how to leave. She can't because she must haunt the place until she marries and Guybrush can't leave because the door's locked.

There was still one more area of the crypt to check out, so onward. And there was a strange cackling... plotting... a familiar oh so scary voice...

And who should it be?

Of course, our old pal, Murray screaming "DIEEEE" as he falls.

He actually managed to startle Guybrush though, which is his best record yet! You go, skull buddy.

Once again he asked Guybrush to join him and spread terror about the Caribbean. Once more he was rebutted. So he just lay there in pain.

I tried the Head-B-Clear on him.

"That doesn't look hung-over at all." Are we sure about that? He doesn't look so good to me...

Then! I scooped him up. At last Murray got to ride in my inventory. Also you can try to use him with Minnie but Guybrush just goes 'ew gross.' What do you know, Guybrush? They could be a match made in the fiery depths of hell!

There was also a crowbar to grab.

Now there was the crack. The main thing is to look through it, but first another easter egg from I believe The Dig. Guybrush sticks his arm in and mimics a character who I guess got stuck and it all looked bad.

But just kidding.

So, looking through it revealed a new room and in fact the gravedigger's home.

More references here including a book titled by another Lucasarts game, Zombies Ate My Neighbors which is a fun SNES game and another I played growing up.

Talking to the Gravekeeper yields yet more references to various sci-fi and fantasy stuff, but asking to be let out goes nowhere. He's read too many horror novels to be tricked. You can try to scare him into thinking you're a ghost, but he is completely unconvinced by Guybrush's voice and expects to see a ghastly visage.

There was only one item of use here and that's the lantern. Guybrush couldn't reach it, so it was finally time to put the pasted up skeleton arm to use to snatch it.

I placed the lantern on the coffin and that let me stand in front of the light to cast a shadow on the wall.

Guybrush's shadow alone didn't impress the gravedigger.

He expected "Huge, hollow eyes! Toothy, remorseless grin! Glowing inner fire!"

Like Murray! But just using him on the crack results in a shadow of just his skull which isn't especially frightening and the gravedigger basically ignores him, poor Murray.

However, using Murray correctly results in the pair working together at last.

The make a properly scary shadow.

With a few threats such as haunting forever and hiding his keys and making sure he'll never find socks that match, the gravedigger was well and truly scared and hurried off to go unlock the crypt and release us.

Murray was very proud. He was scary, wasn't he? "My demonic powers have made me OMNIPOTENT! Bwahahahahaha!"

I was free to leave now and made a stop by Stan's for fun. Murray was very impressed with how many skeletons were there and wanted one.

Guybrush refused. He didn't want Murray running around freely. Understandable but disappointing all the same.

When I left Guybrush asked if Murray was "ready to continue our heady adventuring?" only to discover he had vanished. Also disappointing but it's never the last of Murray.

Minnie spoke of Charles DeGoulash never leaving the hotel and we know of the guest who never left, so it was once more back to the hotel.

First, I made a stop in the back room with the file cabinet to find and fetch a death certificate, certifying that Hearty Beef N. Potato met his demise (at least once) on Blood Island.

While I was there, while I didn't need it just yet, I also chiseled off a hunk of that cheese.

With that taken care of I went upstairs to the guest room to find our skeleton pal.

With the crowbar I was able to remove the boards over the window then lever off the nails to essentially catapult the skeleton out the now cleared window.

He went soaring away with the blanket as a parachute... landing in...

The Goodsoup Family Crypt. Smashed right through... a window? Glass section of ceiling?

At last Minnie Goodsoup and Charles DeGoulash are reunited. He's loved her and always has and proposes to her right there. She hesitates for a moment because eloping! That just isn't done! But she loves him too, so she agrees-"A thousand times yes!" Then they share a smooch and poof away leaving her old wedding band.

And a stunned horrified statue.

I grabbed the engagement band and at last that's 1/3 things acquired.

And because I accomplished a milestone I was treated with another cutscene.

Meanwhile under Monkey Island...

LeChuck was yelling at his subordinates and Dinghy Dog, an amusement park mascot...

They're all still on the hunt for Elaine. LeChuck orders them to burn down every island in the Caribbean if they have to, but bring him his bride!

And more slaw, the villains never give enough slaw in their value meals.

So, with the engagement band acquired I still needed the diamond and the ability to get the current ring off Elaine's finger.

However, now that I've got the death certificate I first made a stop by Stan's to get my insurance money.

He wasn't terribly impressed, but gave me 'a whole lotta money' and then shooed me out. He had work to do, and Guybrush was clearly high risk.

Sorry, Stan. Kinda conned you. Again.

I decided my next step would be to find a tar replacement for Haggis to get that slippery greasy hand lotion. There was one area I had not yet gone on the island.

A village up near the volcano.

I also realized in retrospect I would have had to at least stop by here for an item needed for the diamond line anyway.

Next time we find out what's up with this village and buffet table full of food. And why did the volcano suddenly stop erupting?

And where did Murray go? Sadly, that won't be answered yet.

#monkey island #the curse of monkey island #CMI #CMI_Log #adventure games #LucasArts

0 notes

sebstanseabass · 3 years

Text

Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 22

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Tag: @maladaptivexxdaydreaming

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The next few weeks went by in utter bliss.

The days after the pitch presentation with the marketing team were spent shooting the models in Sam's building. When Bucky told me you'd had assistants for the shoot, you thought that he was just joking or just wanted to make you feel better but you knew now to believe everything he would tell you. It was the first time you'd had people help you work; the first time you had to order people around. You had people working for the lights, reflectors, fans, backdrops, wardrobe, and make-up. You also had people sitting behind two large desktops connected to your new camera to skim over the photos. You would head over there for every five minutes to look at the photos and if you found something that could work better, you'd have another round with the models.

Considering it was the first time you've handled professional models and athletes in photoshoots, you did excellent and handled everything smoothly. Even Sharon knew it, giving you a small reassuring smile from time to time.

Speaking of Sharon, she actually helped you with the models' wardrobe, and got every new clothing from their inventory, making sure everything and everyone were photographed. She was still walking around with her clipboard close to her chest. She never walked the grounds without it.

Sam would go in and out from time to time. With the other matters he had in his hands, countless partnership meetings on-site and online, it was understandable.

But you knew he trusted me in this. After all, you were partners in this project.

Meanwhile, Bucky had made himself comfortable watching you from the corner of the studio. He made himself too comfortable watching you the whole time you were working that the models thought he was planning something heinous. You laughed them off and told them you were dating.

"Isn't he too old for you?" One model had asked.

"Doesn't really matter to me." You turned your head and glanced at Bucky, his eyes glistening as he stared at you. You bit your lip and faced the model. "Plus, he's hot. I would be crazy not to jump on that."

If only Nat could hear you, you knew she'd be proud.

Even though the two-day shoots were brutal, you felt a sense of satisfaction wash over you. More when you finally had to do post-production the following week which meant editing the photos.

As promised, you spent your break time over at Bucky's penthouse, naked in his living room, his master bedroom, the kitchen, and his home office. Your legs would be trembling during the shoot but you persevered. You didn't want Bucky to see you weak while working, even though it turned him on. It wasn't helping that he was watching you the whole time. You couldn't see him but you always felt his eyes on you.

The Falcons' new release was set to be launched a month and a half later, just weeks after Bucky's birthday (I'll get to Bucky's birthday in a bit, 'cause that was a whole other thing kept at the back of my mind, you thought). There were still a lot of things happening with advertising and marketing such as the new website, and pages on social media platforms and new packaging.

After the project with Sam, your paycheck came one Monday morning in the mail. Peter kept asking you how much you were paid but you never told him because if you did, he'd let you pay the next six month's rent — and that wasn't even just for your half. It would be for the both of you. You would gladly pay of course, seeing that he's helped you enough financially but you wanted to invest this money to earn more. The paycheck wouldn't stop there, of course. Sam would still pay you if your photos ever get on billboards across any city or when he opens up a new branch.

Sam referred you to a couple more guys he knew. One who needed to photograph models for a skincare brand he'd been rebranding for the past couple of weeks and one who needed to photograph paintings to be sold online. They weren't as big as Sam's business but were big enough in the industry. The production of both were still in the talk.

The next day, you and Bucky went studio hunting downtown. Obviously, your little home studio wasn't fit for incoming clients and this was surely an investment you couldn't pass upon. After renting and earning more profit, you figured you could move into another studio and buy it; a permanent place where you could freely work.

While studio hunting, Bucky insisted to buy the place that you wanted — or better yet, buy a much bigger place so you wouldn't have to move to another studio. But you've already made up your mind. You told him you wanted to do this your own way, with the money you've earned. After signing the contract and lease with your name on it, Bucky hugged you from behind. The property agent eyed you.

"At least let me buy you something, doll." He whispered in your hair as soon as you were left alone. You stood at the center of the empty office, overlooking the busy streets of New York City through the glass walls. "Please."

You met his arms with your hands, pulling him closer. You leaned on his chest, sighing at the comfort his arms gave you. "Even if I tell you no, I know you're still going to do it."

"You're damn right. Do you have anything in mind you might like?"

You turned around and wrapped your arms around his neck. "Surprise me."

He chewed his inner cheeks before dipping his head to yours, your lips meeting each other. "Oh, I definitely will."

The next day, a whole studio setup filled the used-to-be-empty studio. Complete with backdrops, lights, light boxes, and reflectors. In your new office was a fully furnished desk, complete with a desktop setup where you could edit photos.

You looked at him with wide eyes, ready to lecture him that this was all too much and that you definitely made it clear that you wanted to do all of this by yourself.

Bucky had caught your expression early on, scared that you might have our first argument.

"Before you say anything, this wasn't all me. I figured out a loophole on how I could buy you the things you need for this studio and at the same time, still make you like me and would still make you want to rip my clothes off."

"What did you do this time, James?"

"All of this," he said, gesturing to all the equipment in the studio, "was both me and Sam. Think of it as an investment. If you can get more work and clients, then you can keep everything but if you can't, we'll pull them all out. When you afford to buy everything here, only then can you pay us. This little string here," he pointed to the both of you, "is just business."

You looked at him in disbelief. "Just business?"

He bit his lip. "Okay, maybe a bit of pleasure too."

"A bit?"

"Maybe a whole lot." He shrugged.

"And the whole idea was... just you?"

"Just me, sweetheart. Plain James Buchanan Barnes. You get me, you get the whole package."

"And besides money what will you get out of this little investment idea of yours?"

"I have little care about the money, honestly." He said. "But I'm doing all this for you and you is all I care about."

"You're damn lucky I like you, James."

"Like me enough to have some hot sex right here, right now?"

You smirked, pressing your crotch against his, teasing him. "I get the whole package, right?"

Bucky took you from behind. Your tight skirt hiked up to your waist. Your tits bouncing against the fabric of the beige curtains, your hands gripping them as hard as you could as Bucky thrusted himself hard and deep behind you, his hands either on your hips, your hair, your neck or your breasts. And as you both finished, the curtain rod broke in half, making you and Bucky topple on the ground, the huge curtains falling down on your bodies. The bright sun radiating across the room, the view of the streets startling you.

Laughter filled the room as you stared at each other. The look of exhaustion still evident in your faces and body.

"You're buying me new curtains." You breathed out.

"Me?" He chuckled. "You're the one who pulled them off!"

"The reason why was you."

"I have a better idea."

"I doubt that."

"We should just get these windows tinted." He smirked under the curtains and rolled over towards you, his arms wrapped around your waist. "That way we could just ravish each other in front of this goddamn city without anyone ever seeing us. How does that sound, doll?"

You hummed, brushing your nose against his. "Tempting."

"Is that a yes?"

You shrugged, pulling away from him. "You have to convince me more, Mr. Barnes."

"Oh babydoll, you're gonna regret saying those words."

The following weeks with Bucky was all you could ever ask for but it was getting harder and harder to hide all of this from Peter. Your time together was spent in the confines of Bucky's expensive penthouse when he wasn't in meetings and when you weren't busy finishing the setup in your new studio.

All day you'd cuddle up, watch movies, read books, and just talk more about the beauty and perils of life.

You couldn't go out that much because you couldn't risk Peter or any of Peter's friends to see you and Bucky around. When you visited the bar one day and told Nat all about it, she told you to go to places Peter and any of his friends will never be at.

"Besides, isn't Peter always working?" She asked as you sat down on the booth.

"We still don't want to risk it."

"So, go with my plan."

"Hey," you said, finally thinking her idea was a good one, "how's it going with Steve?"

She shrugged, chewing on her lower lip. You eyed her suspiciously. "Uh-oh, what's wrong?"

"It's still good but..." she paused, her eyes strained. "He's been acting strange lately."

"Isn't he always?" You chuckled. "You may not notice this 'cause you're sleeping with him but he's a bit peculiar for a man his age. Always cramped up in that little office of his. Seriously, how on earth do you have sex in there?"

"I'm bendy, bitch."

"Never should've asked." You mumbled, getting the picture of Nat, well, bending, out of your head.

"Anyway," she sighed, "it's just... he's acting really weird. I can't even begin to explain it. I think something happened."

"Do you think it's about you two?"

"I doubt that." She frowned. "I just know it's something else."

"You want me to talk to him? I'm like a little sister to him." You replied. "Sorta. It's a weird dynamic, I know."

"Sure, if you ever catch him in the office. He's barely even here."

You nodded, taking the new information in. "Now, that's a whole level of weird for Steve."

"Maybe he's just having problems with the bar or something." You shrugged.

"If he did, he'd be here in the bar. I tried talking to him but he says he's just fine. I don't know, I'm just letting him be. It's not like we're in a relationship."

You and Nat talked a bit more about Steve right before her shift started. Then the next day, you gave Bucky a map and marked all the places you could go to without risking being seen. Brooklyn was the only place Peter would never go to. You thought about Queens but May, Peter's aunt, lives around that area.

Brooklyn was no Upper West or Upper East side but it didn't matter to you or to Bucky. You had each other; just the two of us — in the restaurant & lounge, movie theater (where we always end up making out), Barnes & Noble, local coffee shops (where we read the books we've bought), and in the streets of Brooklyn. Strolling hand in hand, stealing kisses on every empty corner, and you taking photos and videos of the beautiful landscape, and the beautiful man who managed to steal your heart.

All the rendezvous with Bucky felt like you were a married woman having an affair — without the secret handwritten letters.

But everything was in place and your heart was full. It was so full it could almost explode.

Spending all the time in his penthouse, in Brooklyn and your studio made me miss your rooftop. A place you've claimed yours and Bucky's; a place he'd claimed you his, and he, yours. You wished we could just go there freely, without having to worry Peter seeing you together doing unspeakable things to one another.

And yes, telling Peter was getting much harder as the month went by.

Back in the Upper West Side, nothing much was going on in the bar. You barely see Steve (though according to Nat, he comes in the bar every now and then), Nat was still Nat of course (and nothing much had changed in whatever was going on between her and Steve), Nick got better at making drinks (thank the heavens for that), Sam would give you constant updates whenever he came with Bucky in the bar, and Peter had been having problems with his marketing team and Wanda's vision for the clothing line they landed.

Now that was something you couldn't believe and was the reason you and Bucky kept postponing on telling him.

Peter was constantly in a bad mood. It got to one point where he wanted to quit the team.

After that, you went to pay Wanda a visit at her studio. You found her sitting in her office in deep thoughts. She was surprised to see you but managed to put on a smile when she approached you with a hug. You offered if you could get coffee from a coffee shop down the block and there you talked about the conflict happening between her and Peter's team.

Boy, when you and Sharon had had an argument, you thought that was already big. But Wanda's case was much bigger.

"This isn't a collaboration anymore. It feels like my artistic vision has no place in it. It's like they're telling me, 'hey, you have a camera just shoot whatever we want you to shoot the way we want it to be shot.' I keep telling them that's not how it works. They keep throwing in my face that they hired me, that they're paying me." Wanda being Wanda, kept on and on and on. "... and that roommate of yours is no help either. He just stays silent the whole time during those god awful meetings. We're already behind track and apparently it's my fault. Can you believe it? God, I don't know what to do. I've never had a marketing team work alongside me before! Have you at least talked to Peter about it?"

You raised your eyebrows, taking a sip of the coffee. "Oh, I wouldn't wanna talk to Parker. He's been in quite a mood."

"Too bad, I was kind of hoping you could knock some sense into him. Should I just quit?"

You talked for about two hours in the coffee shop catching up. It felt kind of rude to talk to her about The Falcons but she insisted. And she genuinely looked and sounded so happy for you, which made you feel a bit guilty for being so envious of her success.

You parted ways in her studio but before you could even get out of her office and go to Brooklyn to meet with Bucky, Wanda called out your name and handed you a film camera.

And it wasn't just any film camera. It was yours — the one that she borrowed back in college.

"It's long overdue, y/n. I was just finding the right time to give it back to you."

You gave her a reassuring smile, telling her it's okay. Hell, you even forgot you lended it to her until today. "Thanks, Wanda."

"I haven't had the film developed, by the way. I took a couple of photos before realizing I've run out. I didn't want to get them developed since most of the photos are yours."

After that, you convinced Bucky to go to some shops in Brooklyn where you could get them developed but he insisted you should just make the little spare room in the studio into a dark room. You didn't know why you agreed but you did, anyway. Bucky always had a way with words. Or perhaps it was because of his intoxicating voice. Either way, you were addicted to every part of him. He could try to persuade you in gibberish and you'd still say yes.

It was already the week before Bucky's birthday. You've already met with your new clients, began planning pre-production, and almost finished setting up the studio, yet your brain was still racking what on earth to get Bucky for his birthday.

Howard picked you up in your studio an hour after your meetings and thanked him as you got out. Leonard greeted you inside and led you towards the elevator that goes right up to Bucky's penthouse.

Bucky just came out of his study when you greeted him with a kiss, his phone in his hand.

"So, who was on the phone? Parker?" You asked as soon as you sat down on the couch.

"That was Tony."

You pursed your lips and nodded, caressing the top of his head. "Tony's been calling you a lot lately." You commented, recalling the times you've seen Tony's name on Bucky's phone screen. "Is everything fine?"

"It's kind of weirding me out too, doll but this time, I kind of figured why he called."

You frowned and stopped playing with his hair. "What do you mean?"

"It's the first time in five years I'm in New York for my birthday and knowing him, I know he'd throw me this huge party." Bucky chuckled. "And I couldn't say no because well... It's Tony — "

You smiled at him. "That's really sweet of him! He must've been missing you a lot."

"I'm not done yet, doll." He placed his finger on your lips.

You giggled and hid how easily that gesture turned you on.

"The birthday party has a theme." With his finger still on your lips, you waited for him to finish. Something you always anticipated in bed. "It's the Great Gatsby."

Your mouth fell agape, smiling at him. In your head, you were already seeing him in a neat, dazzling vintage suit. "Oh my god, why do you look so glum? It sounds like a great party!"

He shrugged. "Honestly, I just want to spend my birthday with you." He pecked your lips then whispered. "No fancy party. Just you."

You kissed him back, then placed your head on his shoulder. "I'd love that too, boo but I'm nothing compared to a Great Gatsby party."

"You couldn't be more wrong, sweetheart." He sighed, pulling you up to his lap. "I'd choose you over any fancy party. I just want you."

"You still have to go, Bucky."

He groaned, dipping his head on your shoulder as he pulled you closer, his hands tight on the sides of your thighs. "I don't want to."

"You have to." You giggled, lifting his head. You put your hands on his jaws, looking straight at him. "Okay?"

"I'm turning thirty-nine in a week, y/n. I'm too old for a costume party."

"Puh-lease." You scoffed. "You streaked in the streets of Greece when you turned thirty-four and you're telling me you're too old for a costume party?"

He groaned, throwing his head back. "Why do you always bring that up, doll?"

"It's one of my favorite stories I've been told about my boyfriend." You smirked, bringing his head back in between his shoulders. "It would be my favorite if I were with you."

Bucky sent you a glare. "No way am I letting other people see you naked. Never in a million years."

You shrugged. "You almost did when we had sex that one time in my office, Buck. Come on, go to the party. It's your party, anyway."

He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. He tucked it behind your ear. You smiled at the gesture. "If anything, it's Tony's party, Not mine. He's sort of a diva."

"He's still throwing it because of you. Come on, boo."

A moment of silence occurred.

"You're coming with me, then." He replied. "I'm not going if you're not going."

You hummed, looking up at the ceiling. "Let's see... A party with my boyfriend, his adoptive father who's one of the richest people ever to exist on this planet, and his stepbrother. Well, it's a party but not that fancy."

He moaned. "Then be my date in secret. Come on, doll, we've been really good at it. We can sneak out for a few minutes and make out. That way, I could still be with you."

You knitted your brows. "That sounds more like Romeo and Juliet. Not the Great Gatsby."

He chuckled, kissing the tip of your nose. "Come on, y/n. It's my birthday. Don't I get special treatment on my special day?"

You looked at him with narrowed eyes, knowing he would never drop this. The worry of a party with the person you had been avoiding the past month was settling inside but Bucky's arms around your waist made that all disappear.

"Fine." You sighed. "Your wish is my command, Mr. Barnes."

Bucky smiled in victory, leaning in closer to your face. His lips brushed against yours. "Wishes, baby. That's not the only wish I want."

"You have two more then."

"Oh wait, I should rub you first after making a wish, right?"

You shook your head. "Don't push it."

He sneered, carefully rubbing your thighs. "My second wish would be me buying you a dress but don't let me see it until my birthday comes."

You hadn't had any chance to argue because well, it would be his birthday. And you couldn't resist Bucky.

I don't think I ever could.

"Deal." You sealed it with a small kiss then stood up from his lap. "Only if you let me go shopping now,"

"Now? Like, right now? It's a bit too early, don't you think?"

You nodded and gave him a playful smile. "It is. I just wanted to tease you with a little secret I'll be bringing home with me tonight."

"Oh no," he reached out his arms, "don't do that to me. Come on, get back here. I have a better idea."

You sighed, getting back on his lap, straddling him. "Of course, you do."

"I'll have someone over here tomorrow. I'll have one of the best dressmakers here to make you something gorgeous. How does that sound?"

"It sounds expensive." You warned. "But wonderful. I'll be here in the morning."

After spending another hour at Bucky's, discussing what could've been his birthday plans with me (a simple rooftop dinner, where we could get drunk and have drunk sex underneath the tent — that was just one of the crazy options he offered), you went straight to the bar and looked for Nat, hoping she could help me what to get for Bucky on his birthday.

As you got there, you barged inside only to find the bar empty. You looked around, wondering why there were no people inside only to realize it was two in the afternoon and it was a Monday. You looked back on the door, wondering why it was open. Then, it hit you: Steve. He must be here.

"Steve?" You called out as you neared his office. "Steve, you here?"

No answer.

You knocked on the door and called out his name one more time but you were only met with silence. Without hesitation, you opened Steve's door. You were greeted with a pile of papers. It was like they were growing from the ground.

"Steve?" You called out once more but there was still no answer. You walked around the room to find more papers. You picked one up, seeing it was a newspaper dated back 2012. It was an article about an explosion that happened in the Upper East Side. But you couldn't see the details since only the headline was in sight. It seemed like the whole article had been cut or shredded.

You wondered if Steve was the one who wrote it.

It was the first time you ever got a good look in his office. Inside were dusty. To think that he spends most of his time here, he'd bother to clean once in a while.

On the back of his table were a bunch of photographs lined up. Some of his family, you assumed, fishing on a lake. Then, something caught your eye: a small framed picture that was facing down.

Curious, you slowly picked it up.

An audible gasp came out of your mouth when you saw the photo.

It was Bucky and Steve.

#bucky barnes fanfic #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes au #bucky au #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky fanfiction #bucky x you #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky #bucky fic #bucky barnes fan fiction #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #marvel #marvel au #marvel fanfiction

47 notes · View notes

the-fiction-witch · 4 years

Text

Playground

MOVIE PHANTOM HALO

COUPLE SAMMY X READER

RATING SMUTTY

I sat at my desk making order notes and inventory on the shop when I heard the bell of the door. I glanced up and saw a familiar sight, the skinny blonde boy in his half torn clothes fixing his hair as he looked around.

"Afternoon Sammy" I smiled to him making him jump a little and blush as he saw me

"Uhhh hi y/n, I uhh I thought you weren't working today?" He asks

"Well Mark's sick so here I am" I smiled

"Do you have what I asked for yet?" He asked coming closer to the desk

"It came in yesterday, I'll go get it for you" I smiled turning to look through the back room area, I dug around as mark had been in here and moved stuff around I glanced up to the mirror on the wall with some marvel characters all over it and saw Sammy looking at me rather… hormonally. His eyes on my arse and he looked in pain or perhaps pleasure biting his bottom lip and it was clear from the reflection of the little mirror by the counter that he has a Boner in his jeans I giggled a little grabbing the stuff he asked for but before I left bending over to touch my toes pretending to be digging for something I kept an eye on him in the mirror as I did and he looked like I was about to cum putting his hand over his mouth coughing clearly Trying to cover a groan I went back sitting back in my chair with the two phantom halo comics he had reserved he always makes me put them aside for him "that's twelve fifty Sammy" I smiled

"Can't I get a discount? Maybe?" He blushed hard fiddling with his arm rubbing on his elbow with his other hand

"Like what?" I asked

"... Maybe eighty percent off because my server is so beautiful?" He blushed

"Five percent for being a sweet talker" I laughed

"Fifty percent off because I come in here all the time?" He suggested and I glared at him thinking about it a moment "and...I'll walk you home?"

"Deal" I smiled ringing him up and he paid even if I did notice him looking at me boobs as he did "Sammy, go on go read till closing time" I told him and he went off into the shop looking at comic books even if I often caught him looking at me I smirked and brought up the store cameras as he went around a corner and dispersed from my view is two being the only people in here I watched what he was up to as he looked at me though the graphic novel shelf I watched the screen trying not to let him catch on that I could see him. I saw him unbuckle his belt which made me curious as he tightened it another couple of loops clearly trying to conceal something, not sure why he bothered I can see he has a Boner it's not like he's hiding it? I smirked a little and put one leg over the other as I sat on my chair I usually pull my little leatherette skirt down but I let it sit a little higher revealing more of my thighs and my arse "finish up Sammy I'm going to stay locking up" I told him

"Yeah, coming" he says quickly coming out and fixing his hair I locked up and got sorted out turning everything off and heading out with Sammy down the darkening streets "thanks for letting me have a discount y/n" he blushed

"It's okay, just don't let mark find out he'll kick our butts" I laughed holding his hand he blushed harder but squeezed my hand back

"You uhh you look really nice today y/n"

"Aww thanks Sammy," I smiled kissing his cheek as we kept walking and chatting about things how he was at home how I was at the store we saw some drunk guys coming up so we ducked into a playground to try and avoid them sitting in the swings in the starlight

"You really do look beautiful y/n,"

"Thank you Sammy, your one of the few boys who at least speaks to me before metaly undressing me"

"I don't-"

"Sammy" I glared at him

"I don't mentally undress you… okay yeah I stare sometimes but I don't mean to, I just can't help looking sometimes"

"It's okay Sammy, I'm use to it, I'm a girl in a comic book store its life" I shrug gently swinging

"I'll stop looking… if you want me too"

"No Sammy, I like you looking it's fun" I smiled giving his cheek another kiss "don't you notice I do stuff when you're around?" I laughed and he looked confused so I crossed my legs again and he looked shocked

"You do it on purpose?" He asks and I nod "why?"

"Your fun to wind up" I shrug "and your cute when your hard and trying to hide it" I laughed getting up pulling his hand with me moving to a little springy horse sitting on hand pulling him to sit with me two so there was just a few inch between us enough to rest my hands and that's about it the horse slowly moving back and forth he looked uncomfortable "something wrong?" I asked and I noticed the look on his face as well as the fact he was holding his legs together as tightly as he could trying to hide his Boner from me as we wereb so close together my hand inches from his jeans "want me to get rid of it for you?" I asked

"W-What?" He stuttered in shock

"Or we could just...kiss and see where it leads" I smiled. He blushed hard but nodded so I leaned forward and kissed his sweet lips.

10 notes · View notes

perkycollar · 4 years

Text

Looking forward to NC reopening. Until then here is my 1 month update:

The South Park Mall closed on March 15th. I have a kiosk called Perky, LLC- The Clothing Innovation company. We showcase clothing related solutions and fashion accessories. Check out www.PerkyLLC.com for a sample of what we offer.

Why not look your best for your next Zoom call, our new reality.

I had to lay off my employees, hoping the Payroll Protection Plan will help me reimburse my employees.

In the meantime, to survive, I have been delivering pizzas for Papa John's in Ballantyne. Thank you to Kayleigh Sergeant for the opportunity to make some money and work with my son.

In addition, during the day I am training at home to learn the flooring industry through Preferred Flooring. Thank you to Yovonne Kenny for the training and opportunity.

I am also doing audio auditions for audio books for www.ACX.com

My wife started delivering groceries and flowers to residents that can't get out. Her website is www.beebettersyrup.com

A huge thank you to my wife, Bridget Racicot Frankel, for stepping up, working tirelessly day and night delivering flowers and groceries, cooking meals, home schooling and now helping provide financially for the family.

Sadly, yesterday was a new low when I had to borrow money from my son, Bryce Frankel college savings. He has worked so hard to build this savings. I am so grateful that he was able to help me pay for company inventory that arrived in customs on Wednesday.

Customs waits for NO ONE and doesn't care about the pandemic. If you don't pay right away, they begin assessing storage fees. I ordered this inventory in December before the Corona craziness began.

I will work hard every day until every penny I borrowed is repaid.

Looking forward to life getting back to normal.

Thanks for all that each of you are doing to stay safe and for reaching out to check on me. We will get through this together!

Please understand, I am not sharing my story for pity. I am sharing to help people understand "the grind" of an Entrepreneur especially during dark times. You must learn to pivot. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes!

0 notes

podcastcoach · 7 years

Text

Shaping Your Content for Maximum Impact - Niel J. Guilarte

Welcome to episode 563 of the School of Podcasting

Have you ever had a problem with something, and then when you stated your problem out loud the answer came to you as you were saying it? You can use that exercise to help your podcast. I recently read about 80% of the book Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio by Jessica Abel. Jessica went DEEP INSIDE NPR and the creators of This American Life and took lots of notes and shared them. One strategy they use to shape a story is to say out loud, "I'm doing a story about X, and what is interesting about it is Y. They say it's important to do this out loud to a real person.

Then to shape your story you use this tool, Somebody does something because of ____(their motivation) but _____(a challenge). If you can't answer the but, then ask yourself, "What do I have?"

They have another exercise where their focus setting may be something like. "This happened _______, then this ____, then this ____, and you would #$%&! believe it but ____. And the reason that is interesting to every single person walking on the face of the earth is ______.

This is where I draw the line. Sure we want everyone to like our episode, but that is NOT going to happen. If you try to make a podcast that is interesting to every single person, you will go crazy. Keep in mind these people are telling stories, and stories are powerful, but in certain circumstances, they don't really fit.

For example, Many podcasters want to make money with their podcast (motivation) but only 10% of podcasters get enough downloads to get big named sponsors. Then this guy start a podcast about horses, and you won't believe it but he got a sponsor when he had less than 100 downloads per episode. He added more and more shows and called it a network, and ignored the CPM model brought over by radio, and now he is making a full-time living with his podcast. The reason this is important is dynamic ad insertion is paying very low rates and uninformed podcasters may take those fees because they feel they can't get a sponsor without huge downloads.

If I'm interviewing technology, it may be a piece of technology that eliminates the challenge. Some podcasters have a hard time sharing promotional material with their guests, but podhero.io makes it easy.

Your intro Can Make or Break Your Podcast

This is from the Book Ted Talk by Chris Anderson

Zak Ebrahim did a TED Talk, and he originally was going to start his talk with this paragraph:

I was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1983 to a loving American Mother and an Egyptian Father who tried their best to create a happy childhood for me. It wasn't until I was seven years old that our family dynamic started to change. My father exposed me to a side if Islam that few people (including the majority of Muslims) get to see but in fact when people take the time to interact with one another it doesn't take long to realize that for the most part, we all want the same things out of life

The folks at TED brainstormed and help him come up with this opening Paragraph:

On November 5th 1990 a man named El Sayyid Nosair walked into a hotel in Manhattan and assassinated Rabbi Meir Kahanethe leader of the Jewish Defense league. Nosair was found not guilty of the murder, but while serving time on lesser charges he and other men started planning attacks on a dozen New York City landmarks including tunnels, synagogues, and the united Nations Headquarters. Thankfully those plans were foiled by an FBI informant. Sadly the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center was not. Nosair would eventually be convicted for his involvement in the plot. El Sayyid Nosair is my father.

The audience was riveted See video https://youtu.be/lyR-K2CZIHQ

Leave Out Stuff That You Don't Need

Here is an example from the TED Talks book byChris Anderson(also available on Audible)

Once, when I was eight years old, my father took me fishing. We were in a tiny boat, five miles from shore, when a massive storm blew in. Dad put a life jacket on me and whispered in my ear, "Do you trust me, son?" I nodded. He threw me overboard. [pause] I kid you not. Just tossed me over! I hit the water and bobbed up to the surface, gasping for breath. It was shockingly cold. The waves were terrifying. Monstrous. Then . . . Dad dived in after me. We watched in horror as our little boat flipped and sank. But he was holding me the whole time, telling me it was going to be OK. Fifteen minutes later, the Coast Guard helicopter arrived. It turned out that Dad knew the boat was damaged and was going to sink, and he had called them with our exact location. He guessed it was better to chuck me in the open sea than risk getting trapped when the boat flipped. And that is how I learned the true meaning of the word trust.

EXAMPLE 2: SAME STORY WITH TOO MUCH DETAIL AND NO EMOTION

I learned trust from my father when I was eight years old and we got caught in a storm while out fishing for mackerel. We failed to catch a single one before the storm hit. Dad knew the boat was going to sink, because it was one of those Saturn brand inflatable boats, which are usually pretty strong, but this one had been punctured once and Dad thought it might happen again. In any case, the storm was too big for an inflatable boat and it was already leaking. So he called the Coast Guard rescue service, who, back then, were available 24/7, unlike today. He told them our location, and then, to avoid the risk of getting trapped underwater, he put a life jacket on me and threw me overboard before jumping in himself. We then waited for the Coast Guard to come and, sure enough, 15 minutes later the helicopter showed up—I think it was a Sikorsky MH-60 Jayhawk— and we were fine.

The first version is a story of trust and emotion. The second version has tangents left and right and is filled with information that doesn't back up the main story. If we "X Y" this, My Dad and I went fishing, but he threw me overboard. And this is interesting as we all need to learn how to trust people. The second version doesn't even bring up the key sentence for me, "Do you trust me son?"

In the book Secrets of Dynamic Communications: Prepare with Focus, Deliver with Clarity, Speak with Power author Ken Davis states, "To make it as clear and powerful as possible, it is necessary to know exactly what you want to accomplish and then keep only material that will contribute to the objective." He also states, If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. Another strategy is that if you just throw enough things at your audience, one of them is bound to have an impact.

Niel J. Guilarte Editor of The Messengers: a Podcast Documentary

Niel who is the editor the The Messengers: a Podcast Documentary as well as the host of All Things Post, and the owner of Wildstyle Media, and star of his YouTube Channel shares some of the non-traditional items he has shot video to get experience and talk about the steps of assembling your story.

Know who your audience is

Take inventory of what you have

Come up with the story, the message you want to share

Follow your gut

Don't be afraid to start over, or get a different set of ear/eyes

In the same way that you don't take your car to the dentist to get it fixed, Niel thinks business people should stop editing their show and pass that off to editors to help them tell their story. Niel uses Dropbox to swap files back and forth with his clients as well as Frame.io

One of the common mistakes that podcasters make that Niel has to edit out is letting their guest go on weird tangents in the interview that end up on the chopping floor.

Check out Niels awesome videos (his wedding videos are awesome) at www.wildstylemedia.net and his podcast All Things Post (about Post Production) at www.allthingspost.net

What is the Smallest Amount You Would Take From a Sponsor for One Episode?

If I could do this again I would. I was looking for a number like "16" not a range of an EPISODE (not a month) after 30 days. So look at an episode from 30 days ago and tell me how many downloads it has. Then when I asked what was the least amount, I'm not sure I was clear enough to say PER EPISODE. So I would call this survey a wash. I thank all 37 people who replied.

Are you interested in making money from your podcast?

89.2% Said Yes. 10.8% said no.

How Many Downloads Do You Get Per Episode After 30 days, and what is the smallest amount of money you would take from an Advertiser.

7 Respondents had 100 downloads or less, and they said they would take anywhere from $5-$500. The people close to 100 downloads per episode were looking for $25-35.

3 Respondents got between 101-200 downloads. Two were not interested in making money, and the third wants at least $10.

3 Respondents had between 201-300 downloads and said they would take $5, $10.

1 Respondent had between 300-400 downloads said they were highly relevant and would take $500.

1 Respondent had between 401 -500 downloads said they would take $200

1 Respondent said they had 600 downloads per episode and would take a minimum of $10

1 Respondent said they had 800 downloads per episode and would take a minimum of $150

1 Respondent said they had 900 downloads per episode and would take a minimum of $50 for advertisers but on Patreon I will mention a fans business for $25

1 Respondent said they had 1000 downloads per episode and are getting (currently) $50

1 Respondent said they had 1000 downloads per episode and would take $225

1 Respondent said they had 1250 downloads per episode and would take $50

1 Respondent said they had 2000 downloads per episode and would take $50

1 Respondent said they had 2400 downloads per episode and would take $20

2 Respondents said they had 2500 downloads per episode and would take $25. The other is getting $100

1 Respondent said they had 3000 downloads per episode and would take $50

2 Respondent said they had 4000 downloads per episode and one is getting $250, the other wants $300

1 Respondent said they had 4673 downloads per episode and will take $1 per second (30-second ad, $30)

People Who Said They Have Sponsor

1 Person had 50 downloads an episode and is getting $250 ( I would think this has to be a month or a typo) 1 Person had 1000 downloads an episode and is getting $50 ($50/cpm) 1 Person had 2500 downloads an episode and is getting $1o0 ($40/cpm) 1 Person had 4000 downloads an episode and is getting $250 ($62.5/cpm) 1 Person had 4763 downloads an episode and is getting $1/sec (one spot $30) ($6.29/cpm) 1 Person had 10000 downloads an episode and is getting $55 ($5.5/cpm) 1 Person had 50000 downloads an episode and is getting $125 ($2.5/cpm)

Next Month's Poll:

Have you ever started a podcast? (Yes or No) If no, what is holding you back?

Are you still producing that show? (Yes or No)

If Yes: What are the name of the show and the web address? Why do you podcast?

If No: What was the name of your show? Why did you walk away from podcasting?

Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/contact. If you use email, please put 468 in the subject line.

Join the Podcasting Community at The School of Podcasting

Educate - Collaborate - Meet Your Fate

Tutorials, Live Coaching, Private FaceBook Group, Priority Email Support

30-Day Money-back Guarantee

www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start

Mentioned in This Episode

Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio

TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking (available on Audible)

Secrets of Dynamic Communications: Prepare with Focus, Deliver with Clarity, Speak with Power

The Messengers Documentary DVD

www.wildstylemedia.net

www.allthingspost.net

Dropbox

Frame.io

Glenn the Geek Episode 1 of (Horse Radio Network)

Son of a Terrorist TED Talk

Start Your Podcast at the School of Podcasting

Check out this episode!

#podcasting #podcast #coaching #new media

0 notes