#especially when you rely wholly on that money | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

divinatorydoll · 1 year

Text

how venus in gemini will affect us: 📝

venus moves into gemini today !! until may 7th, her progress throughout this sign will provide the collective with simpler communication, more diplomatic driving, and a deeper interest in the handheld arts !!

as the planet of unity and togetherness, venus' movement into gemini (speech, opinions) will allow us to express ourselves wholly without the cost of hurting or provoking others — practicing kindness and thoughtfulness in our words truly is the name of the game for this transit.

venus will affect you differently depending on the house(s) it moves through while it transits gemini, read more below !!

VENUS IN GEMINI THROUGHOUT THE HOUSES:

venus in the 1H: softening your self-talk will be important during this transit; try to be less critical towards yourself and take time to think of the qualities you have that you enjoy. great for making small, yet impactful changes to your appearance. this can also inspire you to pick up new techniques or ways of doing your makeup, styling yourself, trimming your hair, etc.

venus in the 2H: a perfect transit for analyzing your expenses and figuring out how to spend your money more intentionally. venus here also provides many opportunities for gaining money from multiple, smaller sources rather than one sole source of income. self-esteem is also seen in this house, so you may feel much more secure in yourself and your abilities right now.

venus in the 3H: this will be a great time to work on your relational and communicative habits !! be honest with your loved ones about what's going through your mind and you'll find that you can actually rely on them to listen. this is also a good transit for exploring your city and discovering what's around you — maybe go to a new coffee shop, a local bar, a thrift store you didn't know about, etc.

venus in the 4H: a useful transit for rearranging your home to achieve better walking access — if your furniture is too close together or perhaps you have clutter on the floor, this would be a great time to move things around to see if you can make your space more walkable. venus also makes our relationships with family much more peaceful / amicable while in this house.

venus in the 5H: venus rejoices in the fifth house, which governs happiness, art, sex, creativity, self-confidence, and hobbies !! this is an amazing period for developing new pastimes and enjoying recreational activities that are intellectually stimulating; try out crossword puzzles or sudoku, play a new instrument, learn to knit or crochet, read an exciting book or comic, etc.

venus in the 6H: a great transit for taking care of your respiratory and mobile health !! remember to stretch, practice deep breathing, and take screen breaks to walk around some. if you like gardening, pick up a few flowering plants or small decorations to invest more into your garden. it will be much easier to get along with coworkers, clients, and managers during this time as well.

venus in the 7H: an excellent time to learn more about your partner and your loved ones; gemini is a very talkative and observant sign, so try to carve out more time for chit-chat with the people you care about. it will also be less challenging to interact with people in public spaces during this transit, use this time to be more social and make connections with others.

venus in the 8H: fabulous for getting tattoos on the arms, hands, wrists, shoulders, ribs, or ears (especially if they're matching tattoos since gemini is the sign of reflection). when you make contracts or promises during this transit, know that they will be profitable, but be sure that they are done in writing as gemini governs scripture and penmanship. inheriting books or secret information is likely during this period too.

venus in the 9H: ideal for getting academic or collegiate tasks completed, especially in the fields of law, psychology, sociology, the natural and chemical sciences, language, and literature. wonderful for experiencing pleasant travel or learning more about another culture of your interest. the ninth house also governs publication, so this will be a great time for you to put out a body of literary work.

venus in the 10H: if you have a thing for history, this will be a lovely time to engross yourself in some historical learning !! look up a few videos that cover historical events you want to know more about, read a book, or ask someone who lived through those events. with venus here, it would also be wise to evaluate the direction of your career and the nature of your work life — are you happy with what you're focusing your energy towards ?

venus in the 11H: an extremely favorable time for asking favors of others or receiving generosity from those in your social networks. expressing yourself more often on social media will also be received especially well during this period — try to be more open about your artistic, linguistic, and intellectual talents !! you'll find yourself connecting with the right people because of those talents.

venus in the 12H: recurring dreams about sex, love, past relationships, or dance may be more prevalent for you while venus moves throughout this house. it will also be much easier to remember and digest the details of your dreams during this transit, so try to write down as much as you can. doing sleep magic or performing spellwork in your bedroom / a private space will be more effective right now.

book a reading !!

my linktree

28 notes · View notes

archaeval · 2 years

Text

ooc. no writing tonight just copypasting a long writeup about ruby’s modern verse for @matriarchsdevotee and ruby’s future scooby doo mystery solving

so like. she appears mostly human for the most part, the general public just sees the library as a private library that functions similarly to a public library only she gets to choose the organizational system. allegedly it's been passed down through her family for generations, the building is a protected historical site, but in actuality it's just always been ruby, there's no ancestors about it. her eyes are a bit weirdly reflective and her teeth are a lil sharp but nobody really notices enough to comment on it. the building is an extension of ruby herself. there are two floors open to the public that function as the library, and sub floors 1 and 2 for storage and offices. there's a 3rd floor that used to be apartments but now are study rooms and the like and need reservations. underneath basement floor 2, things get. weir.d though to be fair, the doors to basement floors 3+ aren't always in the basement, but at least they're always clearly marked as staff only.

it's a gorgeous old building that was fitted with gas and then electrical lights over the years. the wifi and computer systems have always been buggy and ruby is honest about it, though she claims its just because it's an old building and it's not in the budget to update the computer systems. in reality, newer tech that relies on processors and wireless connectivity and data will get affected instantly bc they're essentially inside her body, which is a swirling vortex of eldritch nonsense in the shape of a beautiful private library. Phones are also iffy when they do or don't work. i think. in her modern verse. she is also able to shapeshift freely into spider form, and possibly have 2-3 avatars of herself running around to assist people who got lost in the periodical section of the library that is the worst-organized of them all. she's a mostly benevolent/neutral eldritch being in the middle of an old metropolitan area, and not enough people look closely to realize what's goin on. or, if they do, other people pass it off as who cares or she's just some rich weirdo from really old money of course she's gonna be disconnected from reality

yes she eats people occasionally. or more specifically, she drags them down into the basements and lets them get lost and starve to death there for wholly justifiable reasons in her mind. she used to be human, and she isn't going to kill someone just for dog-earing a 40 year old book even if she really wants to. the extras spider hands absolutely help with reshelving at night. jane is there also, and is a good baby girl whom i love.

also. she loves her lgbteens. theyre so weird. she doesn't understand what theyre saying half the time.

some really nice things about the library itself: open every day. almost no late fees. she does mention them in the library policy but unless you annoy her, they get taken off automatically. since its privately owned, she gets to set all the rules and if someone has a suggestion or complaint they have a direct line to the person who makes decisions around here. the kid's section is the only organized section of the library and has an adorable mural and benches so it looks like you're reading in the 100 acre wood.

the bad: no, she will not rearrange her books. if oyu want to know where something is instead of going on a grand adventure, you ask her and she'll tell you how to get there. yes this requires landmarks such as "the creepy light that always sways as if there's a light breeze" or "the tiny door on the left side of the hallway. do NOT go in the one on the right"

she has a very small amount of employees who are paid well.

if someoen's shitty and asks for the manager, she always lets you come get her to deal with the situation and she is always on her employees' side, especially if someone’s being shitty about book displays.

it's Her building, there isn't a free speech debate goin on here, there's no customer is always right because this is a service being provided to the community on her dime the only time she makes money off this is through donations. the haunted house is 2$ suggested donation that's always going to a local charity. she may be fuckoff rich and struggles to adapt to modern tech but she also hates shitty people and has no patience for anyone trying to talk down to her. she's solitary and snooty so if you've passed her vibe check tm and got a job there, you're p much set for life. the other big downside is that you swear the paintings are watching you as you go past. you're wrong of course. she doesn't need fake eyes to see where everyone is in her building and what they're getting up to

#ooc #v: modern

3 notes · View notes

anthonybialy · 1 year

Text

Used to Usefulness

People consume by nature. Some participants look at the others with contempt for the necessary act. Spot them by how they think everyone else also only detracts. Fervent environmentalists think participants do nothing but deplete energy, whether to decadently inhabit a residence or keep the biological machine running. Contempt for meeting needs keeps them from being met. Viewing humans as nothing more than net drains hasn’t inspired much creation.

Free trade is based upon having something worthwhile to offer. Giving up an asset in return for what’s used seems fair, which should please Democrats who won’t stop prattling about how humans scared by all kinds of heights want to level society.

Efficiency can be created, which deeply offends true believes who presume government generates everything. The notion that all wealth requires is printing money fast enough embodies the sort of scheme that liberals think the useful engage in by selling products the public wants.

Health resources disappear like oil, according to those who can’t imagine clever members of the species inventing solutions to challenges. Communalizing the process is the oh so altruistic maneuver which then gives those who treat authority as something to seize the chance for allocating goods. You may have noticed not-good consequences. The most compassionate urge those requiring the most attention to self-ration for the hive’s benefit. Care is universal except for how not many get not much.

Society feels as limited as their thinking. Eaters are nothing but burdens to irked liberals trying to manage a utopia. Trains slipping off tracks is the price of proficient leadership. Presuming everyone else is as uselessly empty is inherent to trusting the state. Coercion is central to the beliefs of the miserable because they want to drag everyone down for equality.

Calling productive people selfish is how the grabby distract from how their only goal is making others lose hope just like them. Untrained architects are unable to conceive of a world where people can trade some of what they generate for what they desire. Constant meddling from helicopter parents is especially irksome when they don’t ever let you drive at night.

Enemies of exchange also by sheer coincidence think the only way to lower drug prices is by dictatorial fiat. Command diabolical drug companies to lower their prices. Then use omniscient benevolence to order the Sun to set. We need a president who opposes greed, according to sophisticated analysts who eschew the notion that users could negotiate with competing pill dispensers.

Putting the sick in charge would assist in recovery as they make pharmaceutical concerns twirl for their nickels. Instead, the ill are at the mercy of politicians who claim they’re protecting society from being at the mercy of dispensaries. Relying on Joe Biden’s haggling abilities instead of healthy competition is for sickos.

Infringing upon the acquisition of capital is naturally followed by demonizing capitalism. Blaming the opposite of what their wacky schemes cause is also how liberals claim rampant crime in areas with heavy gun control shows the gun lobby’s nefarious influence. Trading requires self-awareness and hard work, which scares off those who think innovation is limited to voting.

Improving civilization’s circumstances by offering each other what we could use remains beyond the comprehension of mooching liberals. It’s wholly unsurprising that abortion is lustily endorsed by the side that’s unable to conceive of creation after conception.

Paranoia isn’t just for the perpetually stoned. Being enabled by legalized intoxicants is one way to cope with the same guardians wearing down your spirit. Social credit scores seem like an inevitability considering they’re already cool in the nation aspiring tyrants make sure not to praise publicly. Craving autocracy is why they’re so loath to criticize China. So much organization paired with citizens obeying is the great dream presented at Democratic conventions.

Everyone is using, according to users. Perceiving humanity as a net drain on itself is negative in numerous ways. Viewing humanity as performing no mathematics but subtracting comes naturally to those who think they can generate wealth through multiplying by zero.

Politicians use the sheen of legality to do nothing but take from contributors. Trying to slow it creates the very problems they claim to address, which is almost a clever trick. Presuming there will be adaptability, innovation, and progress offends friends of the environment who want society back to burning wood for the Earth’s sake.

Use the fact we have to use stuff as motivation. We may as well. Involuntary participants have to craft items on this world full of unassembled goods. But Planet Ikea at least spurs chances for bargains. If we all need something, perhaps we could come to a mutual agreement. Let’s find others who do the same, which coincidentally is everybody.

#free market #commerce #business #shopping #economy #big government

0 notes

gatekeeper-watchman · 1 year

Text

Daily Devotionals for October 2, 2023

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 25:19 (KJV): 19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. Proverbs 25:19 (AMP): 19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint.

Thought for the Day

Relying on an undependable person is as fruitless and painful as eating with a broken tooth or walking on a foot that is out of joint. We need to be careful where we place our confidence. If a man has been proven to be unfaithful, we should never expect to depend on him when trouble comes. It is important to develop our friendships with people we can rely on. How do we know if a person will be trustworthy or not? One way to determine a person's reliability is to observe the things they do. Even children are known by their actions according to Proverbs 20:11: "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right." Jesus also spoke of three areas of responsibility that reveal faithfulness or lack thereof. The first test is to see how they handle the small matters of life. Second, we can observe how they handle their money, and finally, how they take care of another person's property or affairs. "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust in the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own" (Luke 16:10-12).

Tithing may seem a small matter, but it reveals a great deal about a person's reliability. Over the years, I noticed that people who never tithed because they did not have enough money also didn't give when they had more. They never gave when they got a raise, sold something, came into an inheritance, or the like. Conversely, those who gave out of small incomes always gave more when God blessed them with more. How people handle their money in other ways also reveals responsibility - whether they are faithful people or not; such as paying bills on time and living within their means. The Bible says if we are not faithful with unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, and possessions), we will not be faithful with the things of God.

According to today's verse, it would be wise not to trust in those who are unfaithful, and especially not to call on them when you are in trouble. Choose a faithful friend instead. Dependable friends are invaluable, but even they are limited and can fail us. God, however, never fails or forsakes us. He is always able to help us through natural or supernatural means. He is the most faithful friend anyone can have and He will stand with us even if all others forsake us. As His children, we also need to be good and faithful people, helping others in need and glorifying our Father. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for Your faithfulness to me. Lord, I have failed You many times in my life; however, You have never failed me. I am grateful for Your love and mercy to me when I have fallen. I appreciate all the times You have picked me up and helped me to keep on walking on the straight and narrow path of Your will. Lord, strengthen me to be a faithful witness for You. Help me not to put my confidence in men, but rather to lean on You and trust You to help me. I am thankful You have used many people over the years to help me, but I know it was You who gave me favor with them. Thank you. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ, Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups GatekeeperWatchman.Org Monday, October 2, 2023, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, https://www.facebook.com/StevenParkerMillerQ Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956, Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkerMillerQ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gatekeeperwatchman, https://www.tumblr.com/gatekeeper-watchman,

Pinterest: @gatekeeper-watchman, https://www.pinterest.com/GatekeeperWatchman1/ Tags: #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

0 notes

mostlymovieswithmax · 3 years

Text

Movies I watched in July

Once again I’m doing my monthly round-up of movies I’ve watched. This was a good month for the cinema getting back on track and seeing new releases including the new M. Night movie, Old and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Pretty sure Marvel put out a new movie also. I’m hoping that this list can help in guiding a decision about what to watch (or what to avoid) and introduce people to movies they may otherwise not have heard of or bothered to see. These short reviews are my own subjective opinions on each individual movie and maybe a more informal approach to movie criticism can help include others who are just passing through. Here is every film I watched from the 1st to the 31st of July.

Bridesmaids (2011) - 4/10

Off to a good start. I won’t say Bridesmaids is a terrible movie but I don’t think I’m exactly the target audience. As far as I know, this is a beloved comedy but I just can’t get on board with all the boring, juvenile humour; with Maya Rudolph shitting in the street, with Rose Byrne and Kristen Wiig trying to one-up each other at a toast that went on forever, with Melissa McCarthy shitting in a sink… the conflict is so done to death and makes the movie feel unspecial. I do understand the appeal of the film, especially for women in that before this movie the likelihood of seeing something like this, where women play up the more crass and gross side of comedy, was probably few and far between. But the story is very tired and while I did appreciate some moments, namely a couple of decent jokes and some of the more intimate scenes, for the most part it felt like they wanted to corner a more quiet type of line delivery in a way that was supposed to be understated but very funny so as to not rely on over the top body language or musical cues, and it ended up being super dull.

Spectre (2015) - 7/10

As far as I can tell, a lot of people don’t like this instalment of the James Bond franchise… but I really enjoyed it! I’ve really taken a shine to these Daniel Craig-era Bond movies and while I can’t say any of them are the most amazing thing, I have a lot of fun with them. The biggest problem I have with Spectre is the villain being utterly pointless and uninteresting in basically every way. The idea of every villain Bond has fought before being tied to this one organisation controlled by this one guy is ridiculous, and what makes it worse is that the villain is barely in it! There’s so much that doesn’t come together in this but as it goes, I still had a really good time. Daniel Craig holds the whole thing together; he is excellent as 007 and the main reason I’m up for each of these movies is because of him. Sam Mendes directs again after the previous instalment and for what it’s worth I do think he does a good job with some of the action set pieces and the locations. I’m so ready for No Time To Die.

Shazam (2019) - 7/10

Shazam is a genuinely fun superhero movie that doesn’t take itself seriously at all. I was having a great time throughout and while it could conform to some of the same tropes we’re used to with these kinds of movies, it still remained playful and used the character of Shazam to his fullest potential in a way that showed an understanding of just how silly the idea of a kid who can turn into an adult and shoot lightning out of his hands is.

High School Musical (2006) - 6/10

So as you may or may not know, I co-host a podcast: The Sunday Movie Marathon. It’s a film podcast and every week I get together with my other co-hosts and watch movies. For episode 38, we watched the High School Musical trilogy. This first movie blew me away. I was really surprised with just how much fun I had, and if you want to hear more of my thoughts on the film, please listen to episode 38 of the podcast.

High School Musical 2 (2007) - 4/10

We then jumped into the second and while it’s certainly not as good as its predecessor, there are still some brilliant songs that manage to top the last movie. Again, more of what I have to say can be heard on episode 38 of the podcast.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) - 3/10

Senior Year was pretty hard to get through. I don’t remember it being as bad as it was, but then I didn’t really remember it anyway. It did however have one redeeming quality, which you can discover on episode 38 of the podcast.

The Piano Teacher (2001) - 9/10

What the fuuuckkkk. The Piano Teacher is horrendously affecting and I was so upset when it ended, maybe not because it’s not what I wanted but because it’s just so fucking dour and unrelenting. This is the second Haneke movie I’ve seen (after the original Funny Games) and I’m so impressed with how well executed it is. Following a woman who teaches piano, we get a glimpse into the life she lives, how sheltered she is from living with her mother at an age where you’d reasonably expect a person to be living alone or with a partner or friends (even going so far as to be sleeping in the same bed as her), and how repressed she is sexually. It’s clear she’s never experienced any kind of sexual interaction or romantic love with another person, so she goes out of her way to take control and make that happen. The upsetting nature of it comes from just what she does in pursuit of it or as a result of her repression, and what is done to her. It is by no means a movie to recommend to your parents but The Piano Teacher offers so much in terms of the ideas it presents (and I’ll admit there seems to be a lot more going on than I think I picked up on a first go round) about women in modern society, and about the portrayal of sex and expectations of people when it comes to how that is represented in a person’s character depending on their gender. I really enjoyed this movie but it is not for the faint of heart.

Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011) - 1/10

My podcast co-hosts decided it’d be a right laugh to add Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure to this episode and that might have been a fun idea for them because they got to watch it together, but I was just watching it alone. Just a 24-year-old man watching Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure alone and having a miserable time, I might add. But for a short and sweet ramble on what we all thought, please listen to episode 38 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

Dr. No (1962) - 6/10

A lot of very iffy parts of this movie. A lot of discomfort arising from how black people are portrayed that really didn’t sit right with me. As far as a Bond movie goes, this first instalment in the series is one I’ve seen before and it’s not wholly engaging but it plants the seeds for the rest, with Sean Connery breathing life into the role and making an otherwise lacklustre plot bearable.

Black Widow (2021) - 6/10

I think probably the best part about Black Widow is the experience I had while watching it. It was great being back in the cinema with a couple of friends in a packed theatre. The energy was high and I’m sure for a lot of people, this is the first time they’d been to the cinema since Endgame. For what it’s worth, I did have a lot of fun with Black Widow and I’ve explained more of what I thought about the movie in episode 39 of the podcast.

The Climb (2020) - 10/10

The Climb was added to Now TV recently and I already knew I loved it, having seen it in an empty cinema theatre last year, which I had an absolute blast with. The Climb details the years of a rocky friendship told over scenes filmed as one-shots. Not only is the presentation something to gawk at, but the performances by the two leads playing these friends with a terrifically dysfunctional dynamic is truly captivating. They’re both trying to figure out their own lives and where one can come across as being rather selfish, the opposite is true in his counterpart, whom everyone loves. This is a truly funny and heartwarming movie with a lot to say about how we choose to live our lives and who we choose to be with. It’s a shame the distributors of The Climb didn’t do a very good job because if not for it being available on Now TV, it would be near impossible to watch without forking out more money than is necessary to purchase a film.

From Russia With Love (1963) - 5/10

The second Bond movie. I thought perhaps I’d change my mind on it with another watch, having seen it for the first time maybe a year ago. But no, it’s still largely boring and it treats women like absolute garbage. From Russia With Love is one of those movies I forget as I watch it, and I was trying very hard (in the middle of the day!) not to fall asleep.

The Good, The Bart, and The Loki (2021) - 1/10

I don't usually talk about the short films I watch but for this I'll make an exception. As we all should know, Disney owns The Simpsons now, through their acquisition of Fox, so, coupled with another of their properties, that being Marvel, they decided to make a six-minute animated film wherein Marvel’s Loki is stranded in Springfield. This felt as though it was a minute long due to the horrendously jarring pacing; it is a movie that feels adamant that it needs to exist, while trying as hard as it can to be over as soon as possible. It serves only to stare the audience directly in the face and say “look, characters from The Simpsons are dressed as Avengers”, shit out three credit scenes, then end before you’ve even processed the atrocity you just bore witness to.

Russian Ark (2002) - 8/10

For this next episode of the podcast, we watched a few Russian movies, starting with Russian Ark, a film shot completely in one take as the camera moves about a luxurious museum in a first-person perspective as this main character watches what is happening around him, seeing people moving about the place but unable to interact with them, guided only by another man who seems to be just slightly out of his own perception of reality. This is a tremendous feat in filmmaking and more can be heard about what I have to say in episode 39 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

Ivan’s Childhood (1962) - 7/10

For my own pick of Russian movies to discuss on the podcast, I chose the debut feature from one of my favourite directors, Andrei Tarkovsky. It’s amazing that while this is not his best film by far, Ivan’s Childhood is still such a stellar debut, jumping around in its timeline as it details a child’s experience in the second world war. Again, I do go into more depth in episode 39 of the podcast, so be sure to check that out.

Outlaw (2019) - 1/10

The third movie chosen for this marathon is apparently the fourth Russian LGBTQ+ movie ever made. I’m unsure of the ultimate goal of this movie but what seems to be clear is that it hates the LGBTQ+ community. This is perhaps the worst film we’ve discussed on the podcast to date, so listen to episode 39 to understand exactly why it’s such trash.

Almost Famous (2000) - 7/10

I too love heavy music and also studied journalism so it stands to reason that a movie about a teenager who makes his way onto a band tour, following them through America and interviewing them as they hang out and play shows is going to be a premise that resonates with me. This certainly did. I enjoyed Almost Famous a lot; this kid is living the dream and I was so along for the ride, seeing a lot of myself in what was being portrayed. That said, the story itself is at times a bit by the numbers and I really would’ve been more on board if the visual component was more interesting. For what it is, technically it’s fine enough but nothing in that department ever jumped out at me.

Minari (2021) - 8/10

It’s crazy that this didn’t get a theatrical run where I live in the UK. It feels as though I complain about film distribution all the time but I really don’t understand the process by which a movie gets no cinematic release and yet, months later will pop up on the front shelf of hmv, taking pride of place. But of course I got the blu-ray straight away. Minari has a lot to say about the immigrant experience, specifically in America as a family comes over from Korea and tries to start a business and make something of themselves. You get to see a lot of what you might not think twice about when you think about immigration: the hardship of coming from a place where you know everyone to somewhere rural and sparsely populated, having to make friends with locals and integrate within the community; the strain it can put on a family and on a marriage where this idea is presented about the importance of making it on your own in order to live and not just survive, while also taking into account why you’re doing it in the first place and the value you place on being part of a family that you decided to make because that was more important than money, than economy, than proving you were good enough to make it in a place that gave you very little advantage from the offset. This concept of the promised land, of the American dream is a construct. There are times when it’s not pretty, when you have no running water, or you’re in debt, or a family member is dying and it just feels like you’ve been dealt as bad a hand as you can get. But it is better to know you’re not facing all that alone.

Roma (2018) - 10/10

This was my recommendation for the podcast episode on Alfonso Cuarón movies. Roma is as beautiful as it is heart-wrenching and I would recommend listening to episode 40 of the podcast to find out more about my thoughts.

An American Werewolf In London (1981) - 8/10

In all fairness, London is enough to make anyone a little crazy at the best of times. An American Werewolf in London showcases some fantastically grotesque effects, akin to something like Carpenter’s The Thing, in showing the dead brought back to life and a horrifically gory transformation scene. Although the film is from the perspective of an American protagonist, directed also by an American, the depiction of British culture and climate is something I’ve not seen many films pull off quite so well, and I was pleasantly surprised at the more comedic tone the film has overall, which is something that works more in its favour than straight horror would.

The Party’s Just Beginning (2018) - 6/10

Karen Gillan’s directorial debut is… pretty good! There are a lot of ideas I like in this movie: a woman living life and through convenient circumstances, is confronted with death in many ways. Gillan obviously knows her homeland as well as she can, imbuing the whole thing with an intensely Scottish vibe (though maybe not in the same vein as something like Trainspotting) that makes it a bit more unique than a more run of the mill movie of this ilk, backed up in no small part by her own main performance. The plot itself is no great diversion from the kind of story I’m used to with these smaller movies and for something that’s trying to include messaging about transgender issues and suicide, it probably could have been handled better or done in a different way.

Solaris (1972) - 9/10

Another Tarkovsky joint, one I thought I’d revisit to see if there was indeed more to get out of it a second time. Well, it’s no surprise that yes, there was certainly more to get out of it. Solaris is a crazy trip of a movie and I would liken it to Kubrick’s 2001 in terms of how grand the scale of it feels. Yet this is a film that comes across as deeply personal, choosing to focus on a specific character as he goes to a space station to help those on board who are experiencing some kind of emotional crises, only to feel the effects of the planet, Solaris invading his own mind as it has the crew. To many, I can see this lengthy Russian sci-fi being a tad slow but my personal experience is one of deep engagement. Solaris pulls its viewer in a lot of different directions and it is always doing something unexpected in terms of where its narrative goes. There’s a lot to think about with the movie and thankfully it’s no chore to watch again.

Y Tu Mamá También (2001) - 9/10

Another recommendation for the podcast episode on Alfonso Cuarón movies. This is a very relaxed experience, following three young people as they go on a road trip, visit different places and have sex. Listen to episode 40 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast for more of my thoughts.

Children of Men (2006) - 10/10

My favourite Cuarón movie, one that never stops being tense as its characters are constantly moving towards the end goal. Set in a future where humans are infertile, the oldest living person is 18, and London is the last city in the world that’s still keeping it together, somewhat. This is masterclass filmmaking. Listen to episode 40 of the podcast for more insights.

Minority Report (2002) - 5/10

I’m really not the biggest fan of Spielberg… Minority Report is an interesting movie in terms of its concept of stopping crimes before they happen by way of prediction, but I just didn’t connect with the heart of it. The colouring is way too overexposed in a way that’s supposed to be eliciting a futuristic vibe but instead feels so early-2000’s in the worst way. My biggest problem with Minority Report is just how long it is, clocking in at two hours and twenty-five minutes which allows for a lot of meandering, all while never quite developing characters enough for you to care about.

Caché (2005) - 9/10

Oh god! Another Michael Haneke movie! Here we see a couple periodically sent video tapes featuring hours of footage of the outside of their house. The anxiety ratchets up and the mystery gets deeper with every minute. There’s always at least one moment in any of his films that have so far made me realise just how out of my depth I am. Caché is no exception, and I won’t spoil anything here because I think it’s better just to watch the movie and see for yourself. He is a director that wants the audience to know something and that something is never what is explicitly shown at face value; it is pressed into the fabric of the film - plainly evident, yet hidden. Caché is so stupidly clever in displaying its themes and messaging - making reference to the Siene Massacre of 1961 as well as a deeper study of colonialism - and there’s no way to change a single detail of it without risking the Jenga tower crumbling to the ground. It all works in tandem. It is passion and fury and haunting.

Coco (2017) - 7/10

Pixar had a string of around seven forgettable movies before this point so thankfully Coco emerged to show the company still had something good in them. Coco deals a lot with themes of death and legacy, remembering those who are gone in order to preserve them and while its plotting is quite basic and there are certainly moments that either drag or cannot escape the same Pixar formula, most of what the movie has to offer is a lot of fun, with creative, colourful animation and emotional beats that resonate the way they’re supposed to.

Incredibles 2 (2018) - 5/10

Oh, they almost had it! There's a lot here that could have been explored in far more interesting ways. Setting Incredibles 2 directly after the events of the first movie was not a good idea. If it had taken place five or ten years after, the characters could have been in different places in life and it would feel as though they'd actually changed and developed. But instead of trying to be a film that actually cares about its characters and the journeys they go on, a lot of the film is wrestling with the idea that Bob isn't supportive of his wife and Jack-Jack has to fight a raccoon… They have to shoehorn in a villain that in no way compares to the genius of the original. The ending of the original introduces another antagonist that gets wrapped up within this film's first ten minutes, except they don't catch him and he's never mentioned again. It's a real shame because the animation is fantastic and the acting is superb and there are great ideas sprinkled throughout. It just doesn't come together.

Toy Story 4 (2019) - 6/10

I was rather reluctant to watch Toy Story 4 because from the get-go I’m not really here for sequels being made just for the sake of it. Everyone loves Toy Story and making another one is a sure fire way to make money. This is the first time I’ve seen Toy Story 4 and for what it’s worth, I did enjoy it. The animation is immaculate and that alone feels like a huge flex from Pixar who tend to step up the game when it comes to animation in film, despite not having the best track record for films generally at this point. While it was nice to see these characters again, I found a lot of them to be side-lined (namely Buzz) in favour of a story that focuses mainly or entirely on Woody, who I just don’t like as much as in the previous movies. Generally the movie is good and decent enough but there’s no real antagonist and the plot is quite loose… it doesn’t feel as though it needed to be made from a story point of view.

Onward (2020) - 6/10

And with that I have seen every Pixar movie. And Onward is a fine one to go out on. While I don’t think it compares to the likes of earlier Pixar it’s still pretty fun. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for a medieval setting filled with bright colours and magic! Speaking of which, the animation was super and the medieval quest element is something that hooked me with the film. Again, plot-wise it does feel very familiar and I don’t know, maybe I’m past the point now of expecting Pixar to mix it up where their formula for story-telling is concerned but the movie is quite predictable. Nonetheless, while I’m not rushing back to see Onward I would hardly turn it off or refuse if someone wanted to watch it.

Old (2021) - 3/10

Oh boy! New M. Night movie dropped and my word, was it fun! For more of my thoughts on this… masterpiece (?) of a movie, please direct your attention to episode 41 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

T2 Trainspotting (2017) - 5/10

Trainspotting is perhaps one of my favourite movies and I had never bothered with the sequel, 20 years on, because the ending of that first movie is so conclusive. T2 felt more an excuse for these guys to get together again and in that, I probably would have preferred a couple of pictures on Twitter of the main cast and director, Danny Boyle having dinner or something. This is a fine movie - very arty in its presentation but meandering and dull in its story that doesn’t offer much in the way of proof that it had to exist.

Taste of Cherry (1997) - 9/10

What makes life worth living? This is a central question and theme of Taste of Cherry, and one that leaves such interpretation not only up to its central character but to the viewer as well. This film got me thinking about times in my life when I truly have had no answer to hard questions. Because it’s hard to convince people of things they are so adamantly against and harder still to rationalise what you believe if you’re not even entirely sure why you believe it in the first place. We are all of us alive and in recognising that, does that make it precious? And if indeed living is not a happy thing, why then should we fight so hard to preserve it? I felt upset as I watched this movie because I’ve been asked these kinds of questions before and it makes me feel stupid when I’m unable to answer. But the only real answer I can give is, everything. And if you can’t see the point then you’re not looking hard enough. Taste of Cherry is beautiful in its exploration of these topics and in its overall presentation, offering some of the best visuals in any movie I’ve seen - fitting for a feature with so much to say about the beauty of life - and an ending that as much pulls the rug out from under you as it does pull you out of the dark and make you realise just how lonely you’ve felt.

Bones (2001) - 2/10

Snoop Dogg is Jimmy Bones! This film is super funny but I’m not sure it’s trying to be and I really didn’t love it overall. But I do talk more in depth about it in episode 41 of the podcast.

The Duchess (2008) - 5/10

Another recommendation for the podcast. The Duchess was pretty much exactly what I thought it was going to be and there’s a lot to like about it but generally it’s a bit sparse. For more chat on the movie, listen to episode 41 of the podcast.

The Man With One Red Shoe (1985) - 1/10

This was another one for the podcast and man, was it awful. We had to watch it at 1.5x speed towards the end because it just wasn’t getting finished otherwise. To find out more, make sure to listen to episode 41 of the podcast.

The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) - 7/10

Pull the lever, Kronk! Haha! Slays me. I do quite miss this era of Disney, where the animation was hand-drawn and the stories were actually compelling and funny. The Emperor’s New Groove is vibrant, it’s got great characters and memorable moments that will forever be ingrained in the memory of culture. All in all, it’s just a solid flick that doesn’t waste time, developing the standard fall from glory type of arc but smoothly and in an entertaining way.

The Suicide Squad (2021) - 8/10

Oh, bloody hell! They actually made a good one! The Suicide Squad is not only better than the ‘Suicide Squad’ of 2016 in every way, it’s a genuinely great film! This time, James Gunn (director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies) is at the helm and it seems clear that Warner Bros. basically let him do what he wanted with the movie, as it doesn’t seem to bog itself down with the restrictions of a more family-friendly rating. The result of this is a far cleaner, colourful film with a clearer vision that takes from early Vietnam movies and uses that style to craft a superhero/villain movie that differentiates itself among the copious amount of existing films of the genre. The Suicide Squad wastes very little time, introducing fun, crazy characters we’ve not seen on the big screen before and isn’t worried about killing a whole bunch of them, with standouts being Elba’s Bloodsport, Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2, Stallone’s King Shark (expertly rendered with fantastic visual effects), and Robbie’s returning interpretation of Harley Quinn. A lot of Gunn’s trademark sense of humour is laced throughout and more often than not, it hits. The audience at the cinema were truly loving this movie and I’ll admit, I was right there with them. This mix of the gritty, gory and absurd is not something that should work as well as it does but the basic premise of the film is already so silly (and boy, do they know it) that it just works! Certainly one of the best DC movies since The Dark Knight and one I’d be more than happy to watch again. This is what the modern comic book movie should be: just balls to the wall fun!

68 notes · View notes

zangyo · 2 years

Text

@tenkoseiensei said (inbox):

he hands nanami a small, palm-sized box. one with (adorably) dog-shaped soap inside. and then he uncomfortably shifts in front of the other, body agitated while his gaze sets elsewhere, anywhere but on the man's expression. ' i thought ... um, you would like it. ' and that was all, even if it was simple, or nothing compared to what the kento had so far provided for him. ' i've just been feeling a little bad lately. for practically moving into your apartment, and then... all of this. i want to get off your back, i don't want to be annoying. it's just that, i don't have anywhere else to go. i don't know where i could possibly fit in. i ... was really wondering if it was okay for me to even still try to live like a human. but --- you don't change. just thinking about you comforts me. you're like a pillar. ' and no doubt to myriad others. ' i'm sorry. it must be annoying to be relied on all the time, and so much, like this. it's not much, but it's honest. i didn't steal it. or lie, or... anything. i really just wanted to get you a gift, so i earned some money and got you it. '

SOMETIMES YAN QING WAS quite obvious whenever something was on his mind. He would be akin to a shadow trying to hide in the darkness, a fitting description when one knew exactly what they were beyond that human appearance. However, even with that in mind, he often just left the other to their devices, ignoring them until they were ready to step forward and approach of their own volition rather than calling out and startling the peculiar curse. He had just slipped his suit jacket from his form, neatly folding it when he heard them. ❝I can tell something is on your mind. You get extra quiet when there is.❞ He chuckled gently, turning to face the other just when they had held out that small box for him to take. ❝You got me something? Yan Qing, you don’t have to bring me gifts, you know.❞ Not that Nanami was ungrateful. On the contrary, he was touched by the gesture. He didn’t receive such things often, and when he did, regardless of what it was he was presented with, he tended to keep it close and treasure that gift for years on end.

This was no different.

Opening the box, lips quirked slightly at the ends upon being met with that adorable dog-shaped soap; the happy expression the canine held so easily uplifting Nanami’s mood all the more. ❝You never need to feel bad about being here,❞ he finally spoke, turning his focus from that soap to the other. ❝I invited you here of my own volition, which means that I was prepared for however long you may end up staying. So, never think that you are imposing on me.❞ Nanami reached out, his hand resting upon Yan Qing’s shoulder as if to soothe. It was rare for him to touch someone else when most of the time, he stayed in his bubble with very little interest in stepping out of it, yet there were times that touch spoke a great deal where words might not wholly suffice. ❝Rely on me as much as you want to. After all, I rely on you as well. Since you have been here in my apartment, you have been a great help to me, especially after a trying mission.❞

It was hard to explain to someone that just being a presence could be more than enough – that sometimes just coming back and seeing that a fresh cup of tea had been made for you and food prepared could mean the absolute world to someone who had often been alone… ❝Thank you for this this,❞ he held the box up a little, ❝and for all that you do. Sometimes you don’t have to do grand gestures. Sometimes just making a cup of tea for someone who had a trying day is more than enough. As I have said before and will say again, I appreciate you.❞

#tenkoseiensei #;v: purify the impure #answered #;;inbox #[I love them hello]

3 notes · View notes

dear-yandere · 4 years

Text

honey-suckle kisses.

yandere! jonathan joestar. request: headcanons with an affectionate wife who fusses over him. do not re-upload or use my writing without permission.

art credit: 華野-

You’re too good for him. He doesn’t deserve you and he’ll tell himself every day, if he must; it’s an acknowledgement and a necessity, to him. Because if he fails to tell you how much you mean to him, this dream will come to an end, and all at once, he’ll lose you, he’ll lose the only family he’s had in years. He’ll lose his family, again. He was raised better than this, he knows better than to chase wishful dreams and idle amusements; a man does not waste his time on lost battles or things which will never belong to him. Jonathan knows he doesn’t deserve you, but he still wants you.

Noble as he is, he seems like the type to be embarrassed if you fuss over him in public, especially around his friends, diplomats, or other men in general, but he takes pride in how loving you can be even in public. Most women are lady-like and elegant and would rather die than embarrass themselves with blowing kisses or gushing over their husbands, no matter how rich. But you pay no mind to the discomforting stares and whispered gossip; your eyes are always focused solely on him. Those lips speak to him so gently, painted in a wine-like rouge he’d bought specially for you, as you fuss over his bow tie or vest. You have a way of ushering words so decadent and sweet that he wants to embrace you right then, forgoing the odd rumors or scolding glares that will start up around you both. His reputation means nothing when it comes to you; rather, he’d prefer to be known as a loving husband who dotes on his wife even in public.

He’s putty in your hands the moment you so much as utter a pet name and fuss over him, with your gentle and calming voice insisting on fixing the creases in his clothing or restyling his messy hair like the good wife you are. Unlike most, he never tires of how doting you can be, even if it comes off as overbearing to others. You could cling to his arms at all manners of the day and he will happily let you stay, despite the looks he’ll get. Rather, he loves an overbearing darling. He’ll return home with expensive gifts of all sorts, his darling’s favorites of whatever they desire; he has quite the memory, so he never forgets what they like. His loving wife and how he can please them is practically the only thing on his mind at any time, really.

Overbearing and overly-affectionate, himself, he’ll always finding some excuse to gawk over how beautiful he finds you or how you deserve all the gifts his money has to offer. He can’t help himself — every time he walks through those doors and you welcome him with warm hugs and kisses, the promise of dinner being ready soon and the bath already drawn, he feels the urge to worship you at your feet. You’re such a good, doting wife, taking care of their husband without a smile ever leaving your face. It’s almost tempting, how much he wants to keep you to himself, locked away in his estate while he’s off at work or diplomatic events; but that’s wrong. That would make him no different from the evils he detests most in this world; you’ll be nothing more than a caged bird, whose song will gradually become less beautiful and more tragic the longer you’re kept from the world. He loves you far, far too much to do that.

He’s certain to pamper you too, at the very least, always insisting on day trips to the capital or some other entertaining and overly-lavish venue, like the theater or opera. Truthfully, he just wants an excuse to see you doll yourself up just for him, wearing all the gifts and ornaments he’s given you over the years. The feeling of draping his arm around your waist and pulling you close when meeting other diplomats, introducing you as his wife, gives him a sense of pride and sickly possessiveness, but that’s quickly extinguished by a rush of guilt. You are your own person, not his; he’s just been lucky enough to win your affections. You’ll assure him you’d never leave or look at another man the same way you look at him, but it still makes him sick to his core to think of you as wholly his. The most he can do is pamper you until this beautiful dream comes to an end.

With the death of his mother, and later, father, Jonathan was forced to grow up far too fast. Despite being rich, he was never pampered or doted upon like his friends or other young diplomats. He grew up just fine, he thinks, but he does... miss being babied, sometimes. He’ll wake up crying from awful nightmares, vivid images of his father is silently crying and bleeding out and his mother slowly withering away, and his instinct is to keep it to himself, to curl into a ball under the blankets and try to stifle his sobs before you awake. But you’re perceptive, and by the time your arms are engulfing his body, his body dwarfing yours as you rest his head against your chest, he lets you -- he clings to you, profusely apologizing for getting his filthy tears on your nightgown or in your pretty hair. And you’ll tell him not to worry, to let it all out; you’ll tell him that he doesn’t have the be the perfect man every sees or expects him to be, he can be vulnerable in your arms. And he soon finds that feeling addictive.

He relies on you more than he’d like to admit, and by god does it hurt. One day you will no longer be his, he’s sure of it (even if you insist it will never happen), and that will be the day a part of him dies.

do not re-upload or use my writing without permission.

#yandere jonathan joestar #yandere jonathan joestar x reader #jonathan joestar x reader #jonathan joestar #yandere jojo's bizarre adventure x reader #yandere jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo's bizare adventure #jojo's bizarre adventure x reader #yandere jjba #yandere jjba x reader #jjba x reader #jjba imagines #jjba #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere #yandere scenario #yandere imagines #*headcanons

809 notes · View notes

angryschnauzer · 4 years

Text

I want to give you all a cautionary tale about advice. And yes i see the irony in giving advice about giving advice, but its what you do with it is important.

A year ago this weekend i was in London. It had been scheduled to be a pretty amazing weekend; Saturday to see Hiddleston on stage in Betrayal, Sunday meeting Sebastian at MCM. But lets stick to the Saturday part, as believe it or not this isn’t about fandom.

When the tickets for Betrayal had come available in early 2019 i jumped at the chance to see it, but they would only sell the tickets in pairs. So i splashed out and bought 2 tickets, then messaged a woman that had for 3 years given me business advice as at one point she’d mentioned she was also a Hiddleston fan. She jumped at the chance to see the play and paid me for the other ticket.

This is where the story veers away from fandom. This woman ran a local facebook group that helped other small business owners and crafters get together once a month to socialise and share experience and knowledge. Over the 3 years of being part of this group these monthly meetings evolved from an informal social drink and chat, into sitting around a large table, being given exercises and homework, and most of all she would tell us (not advise us) on how we should run our businesses. If we were to ever ask for general advice of the group, if we didn’t take her up on her suggestion she would become angry and resentful that we weren’t taking her advice. For me however the worst part was at one point early on i had let slip that i write erotica. From that point on she would get a kick out of telling complete strangers “Oh this is Simone she makes confetti and writes porn”. Not ‘Erotica’, no, she would say ‘porn’. For a long time i didn’t notice this rather essential difference, but just brushed it off. Anyway, by around April it was becoming clear that she was getting frustrated that we weren’t doing our ‘homework’. And i remind you, this is tasks she decided to set to do things like building a mailing list, or rebranding your website. Things i had no intention of doing (especially the mailing list as i block all junk emails so if i did it i knew other people would too so why put all that energy into it?). April was a pivot point as she decided she was going to charge for membership of the facebook group.... screeching of brakes... this suddenly rang out alarm bells in my head. Firstly the legalities of charging for a membership where the only common communicating medium is facebook - which is inherently free - seemed so off it smelt like a gym kit left in your locker of the summer break, but she was insistent as she felt she needed to be reimbursed for her time after she put all the work into setting assignments... assignments that none of us wanted to do, nor actually benefitted us. Oh! But if you join you can also have a copy of her e-book about selling on etsy for free! Oh... oh now it all makes sense. She was using us as guinea pigs to write her book.

So this is where i finally realised that honestly her advice was more domineering and most of the parts that i followed actually harmed my business than did it any good. I knew a lot of friends in the group couldn’t afford to pay the yearly membership, or the ‘fee’ to attend the meetings (i forgot to mention that), which in total was £120 a year. Doesn’t sound like a lot but for some crafters and small business owners, we have had times where we are living on a month by month loss whilst we grow our business.

I stood up methaphorically and said i didn’t feel like it was right to be charged for being friends with someone, and i promptly went off and created a facebook group that was wholly intended on being free and always will be, as a resource for people that need that help and advice without any pushyness. Well she did not like that. She promptly kicked me out of her group (i was going to leave anyway), blocked me, and then unblocked me to say she wanted a refund for the ticket to Betrayal because she wasn’t going to go with me as she didn’t WANT to go with me.

At this point i had in the space of a weekend been forcibly removed from a support network i had come to rely on, ostracized and made to feel like a child, and to be told that she then wanted me to foot the bill for the tickets and make it my responsibility to find a random fan to take with me and would reimburse me. I was a mess. 2019 had started off as a horrible year and had continued to be one, so then 4 months in to be treated like this it was part of a downward spiral of depression. In the following week i broke down, and in the end my husband simply sent the woman her money. I’m thankful that he did that and that we were in a position to have those funds available, but deep down i wish he hadn’t. Because it made me angry. It made that ticket my problem, when in fact it was her problem. Really, i should have waited to refund her until i’d found another buyer, but i suppose it was a clean break and i could at at that point just think about whether i was even going to find someone else to go or just enjoy the empty seat myself.

In the end i offered the ticket to a couple of friends, and i was lucky enough that one was able to travel down to London to meet me and see it with me, plus i got to meet a long time tumblr friend for the first time in person.

But now, even a year on, this still upsets me. The way this woman tried to take over my work life and acted like a combination of a domineering teacher and a spoilt teenager. So if you have made it this far thank you, i know its a rant and i’m not honestly expecting anyone to read it as i know its a whole bunch of word vomit, but getting it out has been cathartic for me and is helping me heal from the experience. Basically what i want to say is; take advice as just that, advice. You don’t have to follow it, if you don’t feel its right for you then take your own route.

And i won’t even get started on the other woman that tried to fucking run my business into the ground last september because that’s a whole other story for another time.

#personal #rant

36 notes · View notes

foxsimthings · 5 years

Photo

Jerica Riley for @lotusplum ‘s Benny BC!

I hope everything checks out okay! This is my first time doing one of these so I mostly went off how I had seen other people go about it bc apparently that’s just how I learn everything now. I also hope you enjoy looking over her stuff as much as I enjoyed working on it! <3

Jerica Riley (@j.riles.u.up) was making money off simstagram when she was sixteen. Fourth of her sisters with a four-year gap between herself and the second youngest, she was expected to follow the same path into science. Their parents were wholly clever people, a radiologist and a cardiologist that found love under fluorescent lights. But her passion was fashion, design, funky photography. She wasn’t famous from her simstagram, but well known around San Myshuno where she grew up.

But where the mistakes of teens go unnoticed by most, Jerica’s were made in the public eye. And her younger years were rowdy, to put it gently. Men she should have stayed away from, parties she should never have gone to, tattoos she could(spoiler, would) regret. And all of it was online for the world to see.

She was nineteen when Aspen was born. The internet saw her baby girl still swaddled in hospital linens, saw the sweet baby clothes Jerica stayed up late nights crafting, babe on her breast in one hand and a sewing needle in the other. And before long she was making her own clothes as well. Though she would never consider Aspen a mistake, reviews on the young woman’s choices were unpopular. She was told often that it was selfish to keep her, that she was too young for a child, not responsible enough, too wild. But no opinion could change her mind, and though doing it alone was difficult, she had not a single regret when it came to her daughter.

Life as a young single mother took her from the public eye for a while, but now that Aspen is older the world is seeing them both again. Between attending UBrite to pursue her newfound passion for fashion design and working with the fabrics herself, staying up late nights sketching new designs for her future clothing line, raising a rowdy seven-year-old far too much like her and maintaining an online following, one would think her far too busy for love. But love, like many things, relies on being in the right place at the right time, just like her parents meeting all those years ago in the austere hospital halls.

That, and Aspen was pretty certain her mom being on TV would be ‘sicc’.

~~Fun Facts~~

She says the scar on the bridge of her nose was from a fight. Lie detector tests prove that that is a lie. She had suctioned a cup to her face as a tween and ran into a wall. This also chipped a few of her back molars.

Jerica was in a rock band as a teenager. They were called RoadThrash and they were horrible. She still has their first performance on DVD somewhere.

Aspen is absolutely Jerica’s best friend. They’ve traveled the world together and there’s still plenty more on their mother-daughter bucket list.

She learned to cook from her mother’s side of the family. Although she couldn’t throw together an apple pie if her life depended on it, she can whip up bibimbap with her eyes closed and nothing in the fridge.

Jerica has designed and made a tuxedo for a potbelly pig to wear at his owner’s wedding. His name was Gerald, and she has a framed picture of him and his humans in her office.

She’s very clever with her money and has no problems getting her hands dirty. Though she may not know everything, she can learn. And if it’s broken, she’ll be the first to roll up her sleeves, pop open the hood and shine a light inside.

Though she identifies as pansexual, she leans more into relationships with women. Especially now that she’s mellowed out a bit, the urge to goof off with guys that are no good for her has thankfully died down(though the wannabe rock icon still lives on within her somewhere).

Jerica’s very ambitious. Everything she has she’s earned on her own. The pride that runs in her family kept her from ever asking for help, so she’s only ever known to knuckle down and get it done herself.

As much of a fashion nut as Jerica is, she still changes into her extremely old and baggy sweatpants as soon as she gets home, and her secret is that she’s actually terrible at doing her makeup. Her skincare routine is rigorous only so she doesn’t have to learn about contouring, or baking, or whatever.

More than anything she’s excited for the potential to try something new, meet some new people, find love??? and anything in between. Plus, great simstagram content! #bacheloretting

#bennybcentry #bennysbachelorette #ts4 cas #ts4 bachelorette #lotusplum #hello #i'm hoping i don't RUIN this one again #i don't think it's as good as the last one tho #literally end my life

41 notes · View notes

slightlyrebelliouswriter23 · 5 years

Text

Ace of Spades

This gorgeous cover art was drawn by @corpsecro !

AN: I literally have no self-control so here’s another Kanej fluff chapter. I promise we’ll get to the real stuff soon. My bbs just needed/deserved some love (and tbh, so did we). 🖤💫

Chapter 3- The Iron Debt

Inej blinked.

“Erm— Yes,” she said, clearing her throat. Right. Business.

She’d thought a lot about what she was going to say. She’d even gone so far as to prepare a speech for this moment. But she now fumbled for its beginning like a tangle of yarn buried deep in a drawer.

She squared her shoulders and took a long breath. Focus. It’s just Kaz. This is just business.

“There are a great many things to learn from the sea, Kaz,” she began. “One of the things I’ve learned is that it does not cost nothing to simply exist--and it costs a monstrous deal more to live and live fully.”

There was that face again. The opposite of scheming.

Kaz’s eyes glinted over the tops of his steepled fingers as he waited. Inej found she was rather enjoying this.

“I have lived fully for the past seventeen months,” she continued. “And though it’s been a worthwhile existence, it has cost me greatly. The Wraith has blessed my crew with many months of home on the waves. But she has suffered countless blows and battles on our hunt for slavers. Try as my crew might to fix her up, I believe she is beyond our unprofessional care. She needs proper refurbishment—new sails, new tackle, new masts.”

Kaz furrowed his brows. “You need a new ship.” It wasn’t exactly a question, but it asked enough.

Inej shook her head. “I like The Wraith. She’s sturdy and reliable and damned near the fastest thing on the True Sea. If possible, I’d like to keep her.”

It was Kaz’s turn to blink, but his look of shock was shortly replaced by a smirk of approval.

“A year and a bit on the ocean and you’re already cursing like a sailor,” he said.

Inej sighed and bit back a smile of her own. She forgot how unused to hearing her swear he must be. “Focus, Kaz.”

“When am I not focused?” His eyes bore into hers, and Inej found herself holding her breath.

Fair point.

Kaz leaned back in his chair, eyes still fixed on her. “Well, if it’s just a bit of work you need done on the ship,” he said, “I know a guy. But if it were just a bit of refurbishing you needed, I don’t think you would have bothered coming all the way here.”

The ache tugged in her chest, a desolate siren call.

“It’s not just refurbishing,” Inej said with a small, sad smile. “I want—I need to refurbish The Wraith. But I’d also like to pay my crew a livable wage for the services they provide. To feed them something other than beans for a change.”

“Anything else?”

“Some new boots would be nice.”

“Well, now you’re asking too much.”

She gave Kaz a long look, even as the corners of her mouth tugged up. He returned the grin in kind.

“But I can’t do all that,” Inej pressed on. “Not all at once. Not with the money that’s left.”

It was strange. She’d always thought she’d be able to live forever off her share of the money they’d glommed from the Merchant Council. At the time, it had seemed like so much.

Especially after everything Kaz had done, everything he’d taken care of. For her.

He’d paid off her indenture, reunited her with her family, and bought her a boat so she could chase her dreams to the most distant shores. Her heart still gave a smarting twist sometimes, thinking of everything he’d given.

The gift she was sure he didn’t realise he was to her.

For the first time in her life, she had been truly free—limitless. So of course, she’d set up a bank account in her parents’ names and deposited a large sum of her share so they would never need worry.

The rest went toward maintaining her ship and paying her crew. She’d tried to make the money last as long as possible. They’d eaten nothing but potatoes in every conceivable form for months. And when the fresh supplies had run out, they’d started on the dried beans and fermented cabbage.

As it turned out, hunting slavers did not pay well. It didn’t pay at all, actually.

Inej had quickly learned that the money slavers did make was either too quickly spent to be looted by her crew after they’d ambushed a ship of them on the open waters, or was dealt with and kept securely on land.

And now, Inej was left with a much thinner cushion of kruge than she cared to think on for too long.

“If it’s money you need, Inej,” Kaz said. “You need only ask.”

“It’s not money I need,” she said, then gave him an apologetic look. “Not your money, at least.”

He cocked his head to the side. “What’s wrong with my money?”

“You’ve given me more than enough already, Kaz,” she said quietly, eyes lowering to her calloused hands. “I already owe you a great deal as is.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Inej.” His tone was sharp as a honed blade and so wholly sober that it made her peer up at his face again. He watched her with cold determination and eyes of glittering obsidian.

Her smile was rueful and small as she said, “My gratitude, then. By way of friendship.”

At this, Kaz’s eyes softened.

Kaz had never been good at friends. Inej was fairly sure their heisting days with the Crows a lifetime ago was the first time Kaz had allowed himself to think of anyone as his friend in earnest.

“I’d like that,” he said. There was a soft vulnerability in his voice that took her by surprise.

Kaz Brekker never did anything softly.

She didn’t let that thought show on her face, however. “Me too,” she told him. Then, she huffed a sigh. “Even so, I can’t take your money.”

Kaz frowned. “Why not?”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” she said, lips quirking up. “I’ve made a name for myself.”

“So I’ve heard,” he mused. “Inej Ghafa, Slaughterer of Slavers.”

There was a hint of pride in his voice as her newly minted title rolled off his tongue.

“Then you’ll understand that as generous as your offer is, I can’t rely on anyone financially. I cannot be beholden to anyone but myself. Ever again.”

Kaz nodded once in understanding. “Of course,” he said. “You have a reputation to uphold, it seems.”

“Exactly.”

“So if it’s not money you need,” he mused. “What is it you want, Inej?”

“I want you,” she said, and her heart stumbled, her head spinning and scrambling with the weight of her slipped words. “Your help, that is.”

She very nearly cringed. If she was not a tomato before, she was surely one now.

Grinning, Kaz leaned back in his chair and waved a hand through the air with a dramatic flourish. “I’m at your service.”

This made Inej pause. She lifted her brows pointedly at him. “You don’t even know what it is I need your help for.”

“Yes,” he said simply, holding her gaze. Then, after a beat, “I thought we were friends. Is this not what friends do?”

“We are. It is,” she blurted. Too hurriedly.

“So, I’ll help.”

“What— no careful consideration of every possible outcome? No overbearing Kaz Brekker scheming?”

He gasped in a dramatic fashion worthy of the stage. “I am not overbearing!”

Inej just fixed him with a long look. He was either taking lessons from Jesper or he was indeed still half-seas over.

“Inej, darling,” Kaz drawled. “I don’t spend most of my nights getting drunk in the bath because it is fun or particularly important. Helping you would be by far the most diverting thing to happen in weeks.”

Now, she eyed him incredulously. “So you’re helping me for your own amusement.”

“Mostly. Besides,” he said, looking at her from under hooded lids, “This is your scheme. Far be it from me to interfere with whatever it is you have planned. I trust you.”

“Because we’re friends.”

“The best,” he said, and gave her a winning smile.

It was so unlike Kaz to relinquish control like this. Even if they were friends, even if he did want to help her, even if he was bored out of his mind--she would have at least expected Kaz to relish in the opportunity of helping her puzzle together a plan.

Instead, he was letting her take the reins.

Unconvinced, Inej narrowed her eyes at him. “What if I said I needed your help fishing my hat out of the Kraken's stomach?” she asked, leaning forward on the dresser.

A challenge.

“Then I’d say,” Kaz said, mimicking her movement, his elbows coming to rest on his knees, “Tie a rope to my belt and I’ll see what I can dig up.”

Inej considered him for a moment, appraising the man before her. His eyes, all fixed on her and black as the night between stars, swam with something like death or hope.

It made her heart flutter.

But she merely leaned back, placated for now at least, and said, “My, my, Kaz. You must be very bored to be so desperate for something to do.”

“Are you saying I can’t help a friend in her time of need? Out of the goodness of my own heart?” Kaz asked in feigned offence.

“Are you saying you have goodness in your heart?”

His lips twisted into a wry smile. “Let’s not be hasty now, Inej.”

She let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. “So you’ll help?”

“Of course.” Kaz shrugged. “Though, knowing a bit about what I’m helping with might ease my mind. And my back.”

Inej frowned. “What happened to your back?”

“It gets tense when people scheme without me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Poor King of the Barrel.”

He barked a laugh. “I may be King of the Barrel, but I can assure you I am not poor.”

“Alright, smart ass,” Inej grumbled. “No need to boast. There are those of us who are presently in times of great need.”

For a moment Kaz’s face beheld genuine bewilderment. Then, he looked ready to burst into fits of laughter. But he staved it down for a smug mask instead.

“Why, Inej, my darling treasure,” he hummed, “I do believe that was a joke, an insult, and a curse in one fell swoop.”

Inej, having let her well-practised tactics slip away from her with every passing minute in Kaz’s bedroom, blushed. Profusely.

She hated him for it.

“I won’t tell the saints,” he whispered conspiratorially with a wink. “Promise.”

She was sure her cheeks had been set ablaze.

Stupid. How very stupid it was for her to be the one embarrassed when it was he who was drunk and flirtatious and talking business in silk pyjamas.

“Alright,” Inej griped, scowling at the self-satisfied grin on his face. “Enough of your brazen raillery.” Then, leaning forward again to fix Kaz with a glare, she said, “Do you want me to tell you the plan or do you intend on flirting yourself into oblivion instead?”

Kaz wisely covered his ensuing laugh with a cough and made a half-hearted attempt at arranging his face into seriousness. He crossed one leg over the other. “I’m listening.”

“Good,” she said, steeling her spine. “Now, lucky for you I have a solution to both of our predicaments. My lack of funds and your lack of… stimulation.” She gave him a smile that suggested she knew exactly what she was saying. Kaz’s mouth popped open, but before he could say anything in his own defence, she barreled on, “Have you heard of something called the Iron Debt?”

He frowned. “The name rings a bell, but I can’t say I recall—”

“It’s a lost treasure,” Inej cut in. “Long ago, in a time out of mind, the founding fathers of a secret organisation buried a treasure deep within the world. This organisation was a guild of merchants who made and sold impossible artefacts of great power and fortune. They called themselves The Founders.”

Kaz nodded. “Them, I’ve heard of.”

“Then you’ll know they still exist today,” Inej said. “Hidden in the unsearched cracks of society—unknown to those who haven’t a care to look, and lost to those who don’t look hard enough. Rumour has it, their treasure, the treasure left behind by the founding fathers, remains lost as well.”

Another frown puckered his face. “So you want to... put yourself up for the job? Find it for them?”

“Come now, Kaz,” Inej said, levelling him a look. “What happened to that genius criminal mind of yours?”

“It’s currently intoxicated,” he deadpanned. “Give me a minute.”

“No, Kaz,” she said with a sigh. “We’re not going to find it for them. We’re going to find it first.”

A slow smile slipped across his face. “I like the way you think.”

“Oh? And what way is that?”

“Like a pirate.”

When Inej beamed at him then, Kaz looked for all the world like he’d been blinded by the sun.

“Well, then,” she said, smoothing her hands down her leggings, “A pirate and a veritable King of the Barrel. Undoubtedly the most ferocious team the world has ever seen.”

“Indeed,” he said, and rising from the desk chair, he wended his way back into the bathroom.

Inej’s face wrinkled in confusion as she peered after him—a hard thing to accomplish from atop a dresser. A fact she found truth in when she nearly toppled to the floor.

There was shuffling and clinking behind the bathroom door.

Just when Inej thought she might need to check on him, Kaz emerged again with two teacups and the bottle of very old whiskey he’d been busy making a sizable dent in when she’d arrived. The price of said whiskey, she was sure, could ostensibly pay her way for a good week or two.

“So how exactly do you plan on finding this long lost treasure first?” Kaz asked, setting the teacups down on the desk.

Only then did she notice the cups were lime green and pink and dotted with teddy bears. Inej wondered how in the Saint’s holy realm these teacups had ended up in the filthy hands of Kaz Brekker, self-proclaimed Bastard of the Barrel.

“Haven’t the foggiest,” Inej said flatly.

In truth, she did have a vague idea. She was just too much of a coward to admit what exactly that idea was until she was sure she had the facts right. If this was her job, she was going to execute it professionally.

Kaz seemed to read her thoughts because he gave her a knowing look as he poured a finger of amber liquid into each cup. A look which suggested he was waiting for her real answer.

“Fine,” she breathed, “I do have some leads. Leads which I’ll tell you about as soon as we’ve assembled a team.”

“Ah,” he said, extending a cup towards her. “There will be others.”

Inej took the cup from his hand and tried not to leap from her own skin when his fingers grazed her wrist. Gooseflesh rose in his wake. Then, Inej smiled.

“As formidable a team as we two doubtless make,” she said, “I’m thinking we might need more help on our side.”

“I think,” he said, taking up a place leaning casually against the desk, “That would be very wise. What about your crew?”

“Oh they’ll be keen, I’m sure,” she said. “But I was thinking more specifically. We’ll need people with certain talents. People we can trust.”

Kaz caught on quickly. “You want to get the Crows back together.”

“Do you think it wise?” she asked, attempting to hide her hopefulness by looking down at the whiskey she now swirled in the bottom of her cup.

She wanted this. Badly.

Of course, she hadn’t fooled herself into believing it would be just like old times. Inej knew everything was different now. So much had changed. But the fact of the matter was, Inej didn’t miss this place so much as she missed the people she’d come to care for here. And she wanted to think they missed her, too.

So she waited with bated breath for Kaz’s response.

“I think you are very wise, Inej,” was all he said.

Her eyes snapped up. “Don’t butter me up, Kaz,” she said, setting her teacup down on the dresser. “And don’t sugar coat it, either.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “I think it might prove… difficult, roping them into a grand scheme like this.”

“How come?”

“Well, for starters,” Kaz said, placing his cup on the desk and folding his arms across his chest, “Matthias is dead.”

Inej’s jaw dropped.

He’d said it as if it were an innocuous comment. As inconsequential as mentioning the weather outside. If she was honest with herself, she almost laughed from the sheer shock of it.

“I thought you said not to sugar coat it,” Kaz said when Inej, still staring at him dumbfounded, floundered hopelessly for words.

“I meant in terms of straight answers, you incredible arse.” Inej glared, ignoring the way his lips quirked up at the corners when she cursed. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m well aware of Matthias’s whereabouts, Saints rest his soul.”

There was a pause in which Inej refused to look at him.

She stared at the soot stain in the carpet again and thought she might be better friends with it at that moment than she was with the man who thought making quips at their deceased friend’s expense was a smart thing to do.

“I’m sorry,” Kaz said, and when she looked at him she thought he looked genuine. Though it could have been a trick of the light. “Look, Matthias is gone, Nina left, Kuweii is… gods only know where. Which leaves Jesper and Wylan, and they’re… well, they’re—”

Her heart sank to her stomach. “Saints, Kaz,” Inej breathed, trying not to panic. “What happened to Jesper and Wylan?”

Kaz gave her a bemused look. “They’re happy, Inej,” he said quietly.

Silence settled, heavy in the air between them.

Inej didn’t know why. Part of her was awash with relief that nothing truly devastating had happened to her two dear friends. The exact opposite, in fact. And she should be happy for them. She was happy for them. They deserved the love they’d found in each other.

But there was a second part to Kaz’s statement, an unspoken part, that tinged the silence with something like sadness.

They don’t need us anymore, the silence said.

And a thought occurred to her—that Kaz had been living with this fact for much longer than he would probably ever admit.

That thought alone broke Inej’s heart a little.

“Oh,” was all she could muster. “Thank the Saints for that.”

“We can ask,” Kaz murmured. “But I doubt they’ll agree to join us. Wylan has the business and Jesper won’t want to leave Wylan alone for so long.”

Inej nodded. “I understand,” she said. “We’ll ask. And if they say no, we’ll assemble a new team.”

“I have a few people in mind,” he offered.

“Yeah?” She inclined her head. “Like who?”

“Jensen.”

“Jensen?”

“Mhmm.”

Inej narrowed her eyes, going to no great lengths to hide her suspicion. “I’ve never heard you mention a Jensen before.”

“Really? Must’ve met him while you were off being noble.”

“Huh,” she said, ignoring his jab. “And who is this Jensen, pray tell?”

“Ferocious thief,” he said. “Quick with his hands. Not bad with a knife, either. Might even give you a run for your money.”

“Doubtful.” Inej smirked.

Kaz’s eyes glinted in the low light of the room. He was baiting her. She knew it. She supposed that made her a willing fish.

“Why would I hire him when I have you?” she asked. “You’re a ferocious thief. You’re quick with your hands. And I’m devastating with a knife.” Kaz hummed at that, his face full of amusement, which only fed her suspicions. “To be honest, Kaz, this Jensen seems like a redundancy I can’t afford.”

“Oh, you can afford him. He’ll do it for free.”

“No one works for free, Kaz,” she reminded him. “You know that. Not in our line of work. And especially not when the job involves life-threatening situations.”

“Jensen will.”

“How do you know?”

“Because,” Kaz said, face splitting into—dare she even think it—a shit-eating grin, “Jensen is a monkey.”

“A monkey?” Inej scoffed. “I thought you said he was a person.”

Kaz shrugged. “Semantics.”

“So you’re telling me a monkey is our best candidate for a new crew?”

Kaz nodded. “He’ll work for butter biscuits.”

Inej groaned and slid a hand down her face as Kaz’s terrible laughter rumbled through the room.

“You’re incorrigible,” she said, trying to tamper down her own chuckles. A few escaped her lips despite herself.

She knew it was a distraction. By some miracle, Kaz must’ve been able to read the tension in her shoulders like lines from a book. And for a moment, as Inej laughed at the absurdity of Jensen the pirating monkey, she’d felt that tension ease.

It was probably the best kind of disappointment she could ask for at this point.

“We’ll find a team, Inej,” Kaz assured her, more serious now that he’d collected his dignity off the floor where he’d dropped it. “It might not be with Jesper or Wylan. And it might not be with Jensen.”

“I think that would be wise,” she interceded, a smile ghosting at her lips.

“We’ll find people.”

“People,” Inej clarified. “Not monkeys.”

“Fine,” Kaz sighed in mock regret. “I know of a parrot—”

She gave an incredulous laugh. “No animals, Kaz!”

“Right,” he said, drumming his fingers against the side of the desk. “Can we at least pay Jes and Wylan a visit, and kick their sorry butts at cards before we leave them to their domesticities?”

“That, I might agree to,” she said.

And suddenly, she was remembering vividly all those nights between shoot-outs and scheming and heisting, when the Crows had gathered around a rickety old table to play cards.

They’d bet on ridiculous things - like dares or a feathery hat the loser had to wear for a day - because all of them were skint and those things were better than money anyway.

Usually, it was Poker or Bullshit, but many-a-game of Slap Jack had nearly snapped the table’s legs. There had even been a game of surprisingly competitive Go Fish or two when they’d exhausted all other options.

Inej delighted at the echo of unmitigated ruthlessness of those games that danced across her mind.

The mischievous gleam in Kaz’s eyes told her he remembered, too.

And as that gilded memory shimmered in the air between them, Inej felt warmer than she had in months.

For all of his insufferable jokes and needling sarcasm, she found herself incredibly grateful for her friend, who had subtly reminded her that just because things had changed, it didn’t mean there were not still good times to be had.

“Then it’s agreed,” he said. “We’ll assemble a crew, get some leads, then take Jesper and Wylan for all they’re worth at the tables.”

Inej laughed and lifted her makeshift glass in a toast.

“What shall we toast to, pirate?” he said, lifting his teacup to match her own.

She thought for a moment. There were so many things to be grateful for.

“To very lost treasure,” she decided in the end. “And swindling the swindlers.”

“Pirate, indeed,” Kaz replied.

Their glasses clinked, and Inej slid slowly into the warm refuge of her glass and the revelry of being home at last.

♠︎♠︎♠︎♠︎♠︎♠︎

AN: Hope you enjoyed this fluff chapter because I am Kanej trash and I enjoyed writing it very much. Thank you so much for reading! More (serious) chapters to come soon- if you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just shoot me a message/ask 🖤💫

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Chapter Masterlist

Read on AO3

Meet The Serrated Spades, the creative team behind Ace of Spades!

Tag List: @velarhysismine @the-mithridatism-of-jude-duarte @knifewifejude

55 notes · View notes

sabeshbala · 4 years

Text

Bill Ackman | The Knowledge Project #82

youtube

Only adds 1 or 2 ideas a year, which gives them the advantage of spending more time doing research than other investors but they only do the research that is necessary to determine that the investment makes sense in their portfolio. This could be a few hours like their short hedge during the March 2020 crash.

Process for Investments

Their investment strategy starts with a framework of what they’re looking for. The most important thing they look for is a high quality business and a business where they can predict cash flow with a high degree of confidence. They define this as a simple, predictable, free cash flow generative business.

The reason for this methodology is the value of a financial asset isn’t the present value of the business. It is the cash that you can take out of it over its life and particularly in a low interest rate environment, you need to be able to predict the cash flows for many years in order to figure out approximately what the business is worth. And for many companies, their business is so complex that it becomes difficult to predict what they will be making 3 years out, let alone 50 years out.

So they look for

Simplicity

Durability, and

Predictability.

Starbucks Example

In Starbucks what they saw was a simple, predictable, free cash flow business that they could understand. This met the first criteria.

People have their coffee habit and it's a habit that people don't like to break so they can confidently say Starbucks built a business around durability, the second criteria.

They get very high returns on every store that they build. The benefit of the restaurant business is once you understand the economics of one box and you have a company that built thousands of stores over time, it becomes more predictable and easier to understand what that business will look like over a very long period of time.

And so Starbucks met the business quality threshold and then the next most relevant consideration is price

What matters here is that there's a wide gap between price and value. And so once we understood the business and we could model the business, we could look at where it was trading and compare those two. And at the time of our investment, there was uncertainty because the recent same store sales had flattened. And this was a company that had delivered consistent sort of mid single digit same store sales over a very long period of time. And so where they spend most of their time was figuring out was this a blip or was it a reason for concern.

They don’t focus on returns quarter to quarter but rather what is this company worth over the life of the business. Markets generally overact to short term information and noise because many stocks are traded on the basis of short term investors trying to predict which direction the stock’s going in the next quarter. These short term focused predictions can lead to crazy prices.

Because of the same store sales flattening, Starbucks at the time was trading as if their fundamental business had changed and in Ackman’s opinion Starbucks was taking the right steps to address their performance issues. In their eyes, Starbucks had a lot of opportunity for growth and they were focusing on becoming a better, more focused company.

Pershing Square’s usual strategy was to figure out what a company had done wrong, buy a stake in the company and recommend changes. This strategy known as activist investing, made the core of their business. But in Starbucks’ case they were already doing the things they would have recommended.

Time Arbitrage

A big part of Ackman’s competitive advantage is that 85% of their capital in the US comes from a public company and so they can plan their investments over a very long period of time. The issues that investment funds run into is that they give their investors daily, monthly, or quarterly liquidity. Having permanent access to a very large % of their capital allows Ackman to make long term decisions and that means that time arbitrage is a big part of their advantage.

Private companies have stayed private for too long

Ackman doesn't rely on the valuations of venture backed companies. Investment firms like Softbank have done these companies a disservice by allowing them to stay private.

WeWork is a great example of when founders become godlike figures who are handed control by venture partners. These founders may be talented entrepreneurs but when a business gets to a stage past the initial start up phase it needs more professional management but that transition is difficult to make happen in private companies. So Softbank giving them a bunch of money does these companies a disservice. Ackman believes WeWork was not an anomaly but the norm.

Benefits of disclosure in public markets

Public companies are forced to report on a quarterly basis because of the SEC. Most public companies have also adopted a quarterly conference call where investors can ask the management questions which allows for a lot of transparency. Everyone no matter how many shares you own has access to the same information.

Problems with Venture Funds

Venture funds especially those that invest in start ups tend to be small and with the short life expectancies of companies you can’t know how well a VC fund is doing until they sell the business or it goes public. Because of their small nature, founders also can’t make a living off the funds so they need to markup their portfolios to show progress and convince more investors to give them their money. This encourages certain behaviours that where investors in different stages experience different rights and where later stage investors may get preferential rights over early stage investors. You also can’t short these funds.

Shorting the market during COVID

Ackman became more and more concerned that the government was not taking the virus seriously and when nobody was saying anything, he decided to voice his strategy of temporarily shutting down the country. This tweet went viral and he got a call from CNBC. The next after the interview, California shut down. Then New York, the day after.

Timeline of events (Interview was done on April 13th)

Ackman put the hedge on (shorted the market) around the 3rd week of February. By March 12th, the hedge had gone from being worth nothing to being worth $2.7 billion with the markets down about 25%. At this point they decided to take profits in case the government takes the right steps and markets recover. They started selling the hedge and started aggressively buying stocks on the 12th. They invested $2.05 billion on March 12 at 12:30 in the stock market, buying additions, and adding to their portfolio. They had sold half the hedge for $1.3 billion. And so they were $3.05 billion more long stocks, if you will, than we were on March 11th. This was a firm with total assets of about $7.5 billion. By this time they had no short positions, since his original short was a hedge and the rest of his positions were long.

He went on CNBC at 12:30 on the 18th to give a very bullish message, which was, “look, I think markets are going to soar. The virus is a really simple solution, stopping the virus. It's locked down the country for 30 days to kill off the virus and carefully continue to practice social distancing. But the stock market's a discounting machine. It will look forward. And as soon as we do this, the markets will recover. And that's why we're buying stocks..

Why he hedged

Looking at China and how they dealt with the pandemic by shutting down. Then looking at Europe with Italy and Spain shutting down, the only solution seemed to be to shut down the country. Which meant eventually America would take the same approach. Instead of selling everything and taking a big risk, hedging is a cheaper way of mitigating risk, while offering the potential for a big return. Selling everything would have also damaged the relationships they built the companies they invested in or were board members by sending a sign that they had lost faith in them.

People he looks up to

Joe Steinberg and Ian Cumming who run Leucadia National Corporation

Muddy Waters, a successful short selling fund

On Buffett and Berkshire

Berkshire is really an insurance company. Half of its real intrinsic value comes from an insurance company that Buffett bought in the 1960’s called National Indemnity for around $18 million. For certain types of insurance Berkshire is the only option especially in Omaha, so Buffett was able to build a moat or a monopoly around the insurance business where he could structure the business the way he wanted. Instead of investing the insurance float in risk-free or high rated corporate bonds like most insurance companies, Buffett was able to invest in equities. In low interest environments where bonds are essentially worthless, Buffet has a huge competitive advantage due to his exposure to equities. Most insurance companies lose money on insurance and make money on the float. Buffett on the other hand has made money on both sides at a high single digital return (around 8%).

The rest of Berkshire is made up of wholly owned or 80% ownership in businesses like Burlington Northern Railroad, Precision Castparts, that are stable, durable businesses. However, even Buffet makes mistakes like with encyclopaedias or shoes, but his wins make his mistakes become smaller and smaller.

Buffett's approach to business is very hands off. This is changing with the next generation of Berkshire investors, as Buffett's business seem to be underperforming their competitors.

What he learned from Buffett

Ackman actively studied everything Buffett wrote.

When Buffett came to speak when Ackman was at Harvard he said

“If you want to be successful, all you need to do is look around the room and think about the classmate or classmates you most admire and what qualities they have and just decide to adopt those qualities and if you do that, your chances of being successful go up enormously.”

You may not wake up and be the greatest at what you do but the little things that define your character and qualities matter. Things like working hard, discipline, returning phone calls promptly after you receive them, showing up to meetings on time, being honest and straightforward, fair mindedness, are things you can wake up and have tomorrow. Those are mindsets.

Buffett started as a very hands on activist investor in the 50’s. He charged a 25% incentive fee over a 6% return. After 15 years, and $100 million under management, with $25 million of his own capital, he wrote a letter to his investors essentially saying you can take your money or get stock in this mediocre textile company and I will take stock in this company but I will be less active going forward. He also gave up 25% of the cut of profits and took a 100k salary instead. But most importantly, what he got was stability and permanency of capital, and that was one of the most influential and important lessons Ackman took from Buffett.

#business

1 note · View note

mistress-audios-babies · 4 years

Text

Jameson Rivera (Gang 1)

Basic Character Questions

First name: Jameson.

Surname: Rivera.

Nicknames: Jamie, Heroine, GlooDick, basically anything else sexual themed.

Date of birth: 26 February 1994.

Age: 26.

Physical / Appearance

Height: 197cm.

Weight: 61kg.

Build: Very skinny, tall build. He could be considered unhealthily thin by some, and ideal to others.

Hair colour: Ginger with blond streaks

Hair style: Big fluffy at front?

Eye colour: Forest Green.

Eye shape: Protruding/prominent.

Distinguishing facial features: Beginning of gauntness. Acne/scars. Flared skin under nose. Pupil dilation/distant look. Sores in mouth corners. Perpetual runny nose. Some gold teeth. Set of rounded scars on right cheek.

Which facial feature is most prominent: His acne.

Which bodily feature is most prominent: His weight.

Other distinguishing features: Self-harm scars on his hips and legs. Skin-picking injuries. Unhealthy pallor. Needle tracks on arms.

Skin: Unhealthy pallor. Self-harm scars. Acne/scars. Flared skin under nose. Skin-picking injuries. Needle tracks. Cigar burns on inner arms. Rounded scars on right cheek. Old scalding burn spread across torso. Thin.

Hands: Very soft. Long fingers. Old burns on palms.

Make up: Light eyeliner and eye shadow. Light blush to cheeks. Foundation. Red lipstick often.

Piercings: Triple forward helix. Rook. Daith. Tragus. Orbital. Standard lobe. All black.

Scars: Acne scars. Self-harm scars on hips and legs. Skin-picking injuries. Needle tracks on arms. Cigar burns on arm. Rounded scars on right cheek.

Birthmarks: Brown mark on right shoulder blade.

Tattoos: Heroine on his lower back, with red X’s and a bag of heroin under it.

Physical handicaps: Coeliac Disease. Mild muscular wastage. Brittle bones.

Type of clothes: Black-banded white fedora with feather (eventually given by Elijah). Light pink crop top sweater. Short white skirt. Black fishnet leggings. White leather thigh high platform boots. Black leather garters. White tennis shoes when not working, or bunny slippers. Simple nightdresses to bed. He is cold often, and wears giant woolen jumpers often. Retro pink suit for formal wear, white crop top with handmarks over chest, rainbow bow-tie, simple black dress pants and black boots loaned by Elijah.

How do they wear their clothes: He will start the day looking proper, but will put no effort into keeping it that way.

What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc): White leather thigh high platform boots on work. White tennis shoes while in public. Bunny slippers/bare feet when at home. His shoes are noticeably old, but they are relatively reliant. Blisters on feet. Feet perpetually sore.

Race / Ethnicity: Caucasian Australian.

Mannerisms: Australian accent. Dark sense of humour. Perverse. Nasally voice. No volume awareness at times. Emotional quickly. Joker despite deep unhappiness. Easy to lose track of thoughts. Swears frequently.

Are they in good health: He is a heroin abuser and has autoimmune disorders and deficiencies.

Do they have any disabilities: Chronic HIV disease (untreated). Coeliac disease. Severe anaemia. Bad lungs. Muscles and bone wastage.

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse: Sexual words and phrases like, “We getting spun as fuck.” He also overuses vines.

Do they have a catchphrase: “Let me be the heroine of your story.”

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic: He is extremely pessimistic at his root.

Are they introverted or extroverted: Rather extroverted.

Do they ever put on airs: He’s self-sufficient and would rather others not see him in a place of vulnerability.

What bad habits do they have: Does doing heroin count lol? Or self-harm? Smoking. Drinking to excess at times. Swearing excessively. Extremely distasteful humour at times. Picking his scabs. Stimming? Over-obsession.

What makes them laugh out loud: Extremely dark to extremely childish. And meme culture.

How do they display affection: Many times he cannot voice it, and while trying to he forgets to physically show it. At other times he is big and boisterous with both his words and actions and it can get overbearing.

Mental handicaps: Mild Asperger’s. PTSD. Heroin addiction. Suicidality. Mild drug-induced psychosis (when using).

How do they want to be seen by others: His conditioning makes him crave being desirable, being sexy. He truly wants to be someone people want to be around.

How do they see themselves: He sees himself as some used toy that will just be thrown out when he stops delivering results in some way, and if he cannot be liked in some way (either as a fuck or a funny face), he isn’t meant to be with anyone. Be useful, or don’t bother.

How are they seen by others: To his clients he is perfection in every sense of the word. To those he works for he is moot. To others, he is the drug addict prostitute who is sometimes funny. To those that matter, he is more.

Strongest character trait: His funny outlook and his truly giving soul.

Weakest character trait: His desperation for approval and use to others that can remove from his individuality and growth.

How competitive are they: He has only ever known being in competition with others, however that may be, and so he will compete to his dying breath to be better than those around him who have always been made out to be more than he ever will be.

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider: He is extremely rash and will make decisions fast without deliberating them.

How do they react to praise: He grins really big and flaps his hands in what he calls ‘happy hands’. He usually squeals too and jumps around. He does not know how to handle it in a mature manner.

How do they react to criticism: He silently takes it, and he usually disassociates for a while afterwards beyond what can be helped.

What is their greatest fears: His mother. His pimp. Heavy rings. Anything hot. Unfamiliar/unwanted touch.

What are their biggest secrets: His HIV diagnosis. His past.

What is their philosophy of life: You live and you die, try and make someone happy in between.

When was the last time they cried: One of his clients had whacked him across the face while working, and to feel it from someone else made him start sobbing. He had been put back onto the street without pay. This was two days ago.

What haunts them: His childhood.

What are their political views: He is extremely left leaning.

What will they stand up for: Human rights. He especially stands for gender equality, and eradication of homophobia, and mental health stigma, as these directly pertain to him.

Who do they quote: Generally pop culture and memes/vines.

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy: He loves nature and being outside, he considers wooded areas and open fields as his happy place.

What is their sinful little habit: Heroin/drinking/smoking.

What sense do they most rely on: Touch and sight.

How do they treat people better than them: He grovels and submits generally.

How do they treat people worse than them: He feels no one is worse than him.

What quality do they most value in a friend: Patience and wit.

What do they consider an overrated virtue: Ambition.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be: His constant need for usefulness.

What is their obsession: The internet and plants.

What are their pet peeves: Virtue signalling.

What are their idiosyncrasies: Always having to be busy. Night owl. Always alert. His sinful habits having a schedule that he has to abide by.

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of: Very small. His mother and him. He does not know anyone else, except for the many men she fucked and forgot about.

What is their perception of family: Maybe if he had been dealt better cards he would have a higher opinion of it. As it is, it’s entirely overrated and he cannot understand why anyone would give a single fuck about it.

Describe their best friend: She’s from a gardening club member who always has sweets for him every week and laughs at all of his jokes. She’s so easy to be around and happy-go-lucky that that cant help but be rubbed off on him while around her. She is always the highlight of his Tuesdays, and he is always extremely saddened to leave her. He feels he owes her nothing but all he already is.

Ideal best friend: Everything his best friend is.

Describe their other friends: He doesn’t really consider his fellow workers as friends, and if they were they would be surface level and wholly supportive of the profession they are in.

Describe their acquaintances: Generally he cannot relate to others and empathise, and this makes it extremely difficult to even become acquaintances.

Who are their natural allies: His fellow workers.

Who are their surprising allies: Some of his clients.

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child: He had a childlike innocence while a baby, but he grew up very fast living in the kind of household he was. He acted out often and was extremely bitter and angry from a young age. He didn’t understand what his own brain was, and acted out in physical aggression often as a result of everything.

Did they grow up rich or poor: They had some money, but his mother basically never spent it on anything but herself.

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected: He was extremely neglected and abused as a child.

What is the most offensive thing they ever said: He left his mother a note when he left in the night saying simply, ‘fuck you’.

What is their greatest achievement: He helped another child at school who was going through similar things as him and gave him someone who would listen.

What was their first kiss like: The boy who he had been helping had begun getting attractions to him and vice versa, and they had been walking down the street at night on their way to the boys house after sharing a joint in the park when the boy had stopped him, before thrusting him against the wall beside them and passionately kissing him. It had frightened him at first, but it felt so right and so beautiful that he couldn’t stop. This truly showed Jameson what he was afraid of at the time: he was gay.

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved: He took it too far with the boy, then being boyfriends, while they were making love the first time, doing some of the things he had learnt from his mother and the many men she had let into the house. He had hurt him, and he had begged for Jameson to stop and he had immediately. Jameson had burst into tears and the other boy was already crying. They hugged it out and the boy had reassured him it was okay, but he never truly forgave himself for it.

What are their ambitions: Ambitions are for the privileged.

What advice would they give their younger self: Do not ever believe you deserve the bad things that have happened to you.

What smells remind them of their childhood: Wood stoves and the dust of the school broom cupboards.

What was their childhood ambition: To be working in medicine in some way.

What is their best childhood memory: His first kiss.

What is their worst childhood memory: There are too many to count, but he would say when his mother locked him in a cupboard when she finally found out his sexuality, shoving only gluten-containing food in and not allowing him access to a bathroom. His coeliac made him incredibly sick from the food and what he did as a result began to fill the space. She was spun during this, and forgot he was in there for at least two days, in which he used the rest of his phone battery to message his boyfriend to get him out. Their relationship was entirely forbidden by his boyfriends parents as well, and the both of them never went back home.

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend: He had many to try and escape his reality.

When was the last time they were crushed with disappointment: When his favourite show ended; a needed distraction from the abstract dystopia his day-to-day was.

What past act are they most ashamed of: When he went too far and hurt his boyfriend.

What past act are they most proud of: His decision to not go home, despite not seeing much reprieve of the horrors life can present.

Has anyone ever saved their life: His boyfriend saved him from dying in that cupboard, and he jumped in front of the bullet that ended him.

Strongest childhood memory: He remembers distinctly the moment one of his mother’s men had been stabbed by her. He had hidden in his room at the sound of struggle, and then had heard his name being called. He had cautiously made his way to her, seeing her out of breath and very obviously tweaking. She had shockingly hugged him, and she had looked down at him and said the following words, “Mummy loves her little boy. Please, don’t ever make mummy mad enough. She just can’t help herself…”

He then remembers being sent to stay at his boyfriends place when a bunch of policemen came to the house, and he later found out his mother had been arguing with the man over her many charged felonies, and about whether he should be taken from her care. Jameson didn’t know the man had cared, and then he was gone. He remembers never sleeping with his back to the door after that, and reading up on in secret ways to defend against a knife attack.

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight: With his mental state, he subscribes more to the notion of latch at first sight.

Are they in a relationship: He was right before the beginning of the book, with his first from school. His name was Sedik Mahlunga.

What is their sexuality: Entirely and unapologetically gay!

How do they behave in a relationship: Each meaningful relationship he has is under critical lens, as he doesn’t trust others to not hurt him. It takes an extremely long time for him to not be cold and hostile to others, and as of yet he really has only had two good relationships with people. He is extremely giving and compassionate with those he deems as good, loving within an inch of his life.

When did you character last have sex: He has sex every single day on the job.

What sort of sex do they have: He does not have any identity of his own on this front; he does whatever the other person wants, and that’s it. This can range from gentle to incredibly violent to labile to kinky.

Has your character ever been in love: He was and still is entirely in love with Sedik, and it kills him that that had to be taken so quickly.

Have they ever had their heart broken: When Sedik was murdered.

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat: He is numb to some threats now, but he always badly disassociates afterwards.

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue: He has been conditioned to physically defend himself when the need arises, and sometimes when it doesn’t. This is something he is trying to unlearn.

What is your character’s kryptonite: Mention of his mother’s/pimp’s name. While typically doesn’t fully break down, his adrenaline propels him for the rest of the day.

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be: From their childhood home, his phone, and the brothel, his boyfriend.

How do they perceive strangers: Fuck or threat.

What do they love to hate: Many religious groups for their discriminatory teachings.

What are their phobias: His mother. His pimp. Heavy rings. Anything hot. Unfamiliar/unwanted touch.

What is their choice of weapon: He uses whatever is available to him at the time. His own fists are only good to defend, and sometimes not even that much, and he must make do.

What living person do they most despise: His mother.

Have they ever been bullied or teased: He wasn’t very well liked by those he hurt in school, but he was never really bullied and he was considered a popular boy.

Where do they go when they’re angry: A wooded area off to the side of a park that’s close to his brothel. He feels calm here, and free.

Who are their enemies and why: The other workers as they are always in constant competition with one another to be the most valuable.

Work, Education and Hobbies

What is their current job: Sex worker.

What do they think about their current job: He enjoys it to a degree, but he also doesn’t know anything else, and he doesn’t know how much he could enjoy other work.

What are their hobbies: He enjoys writing and listening to Broadway plays in his spare time and outdoor activities such as gardening and nature walks. He has not had much time to fully broaden his horizons with all the hobbies one could acquire by his age.

Educational background: He completed Grade 12 and did poorly.

Intelligence level: He doesn’t lack intelligence, but he hasn’t been given the proper tools to let this show.

Do they have a natural talent for something: He’s incredibly good at remembering things and can recite whole movies on the spot with added music and sound effects.

What is their socioeconomic status: He is living in near squalor.

Favourites

What is their favourite animal: Porcupines.

Which animal do they dislike the most: Horses.

What place would they most like to visit: South Africa so he can see his boyfriends home firsthand.

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen: His boyfriend when he broke him from the cupboard.

What is their favourite song: Soldier, Poet, King.

Music, art, reading preferred: Broadway-style and Singer-Songwriter/cartoony/comedy and young adult fiction.

What is their favourite colour: Yellow, and rainbow~

What is their password: GayRights69.

Favourite food: Anything sweet! He especially likes chocolates, gluten-free muffins and ice cream.

What is their favourite work of art: David statue.

Who is their favourite artist: Vivziepop.

What is their favourite day of the week: Tuesday.

Possessions

What is in their fridge: He shares a fridge with seven other workers, and the only things that are his are the gluten-free items and some of the vodka. Most of the food is provided, but he has to go out of his way with his condition to get safe options.

What is on their bedside table: He didn’t take much from his house, and all he keeps on it is his phone, a picture of him and his boyfriend, condoms, cigarettes, bags of heroin, and the ring he had bought to propose with with his first month’s pay. Most of his pay goes directly to his pimp, and it took him that long not buying anything else and finding one of the cheapest available.

What is in their car: He has never learned to drive.

What is in their bin: General rubbish and condom wrappers.

What is in their purse or wallet: Money, condoms, library card, cigarettes, his dealer’s card, illegal prescription pain killers, pictures of him and Sedik, and his gardener membership card.

What is in their pockets: Condom/wrappers, at least one emergency sweet for when his energy dips, wrappers, loose tips, and his phone.

What is their most treasured possession: His pictures of him and Sedik.

Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel: Sedik, but his cynical side says it’s the drugs.

Do they believe in the afterlife: If there is, which he doubts, he believes he’s going straight to Hell.

What are their religious views: He rejects religion for himself personally, and doesn’t mind some religions on there own, but the people and how they advocate for them ruins the entire thing for him.

What do they think heaven is: A lie people tell themselves to justify their sometimes abhorrent behaviour to others.

What do they think hell is: The world we were all set to endure.

Are they superstitious: Not particularly.

What would they like to be reincarnated as: A prophylactic.

How would they like to die: In a timely fashion.

What is your character’s spirit animal: He doesn’t believe in such things.

What is their zodiac sign: Pisces.

Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person: Keep them from being who they are.

What is their view of ‘freedom’: To live unapologetically and love without restraint.

When did they last lie: When he told his last client that he was feeling up to providing his service a day ago.

What’s their view of lying: His whole life has been a lie he’s struggled to keep, and he’s never known that truth is best, so he’s comfortable and content in this way.

When did they last make a promise: A day ago, when he promised his client that they were in for a night beyond what they could ever comprehend.

Did they keep or break their last promise: More or less kept.

Daily life

What are their eating habits: Right now he eats whatever he can that is keeping with his allergies. He relies heavily on sugary foods. He doesn’t enjoy fatty foods generally and eats greens when he has access to them, but sugar is definitely an issue with him.

Do they have any allergies: He has Coeliac Disease.

Describe their home: He lives in a brothel with seven other girls. This is defined as a relatively moderately sized shed in their pimp’s backyard, with seven tiny rooms and a small common area where they all congregate when not working, this including an extremely small kitchen. Any other ‘luxuries’, they have to pay their pimp in ‘favours’ to receive, and they are held in his house, such as watching TV and taking showers. He tries to spend as much time as he can out of the brothel, but he cannot go very much further than the yard most times when not working, and he would rather not be in the yard by himself where his pimp could punish him.

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder: He doesn’t own a lot of stuff.

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning: He has a morning smoke and brews some tea.

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon: He likes to take walks once he’s off work, and drinks a hot chocolate once he’s back. He usually rests after this; he never has any energy, and his job, habits, and illnesses take the last of it he has.

What do they do on a Friday night: He gets totally wasted, abusing heroin and drinking until he physically can’t anymore, almost always ending in him passing out in a puddle of his own sick face down on the floor.

What is the soft drink of choice: Creaming Soda.

What is their alcoholic drink of choice: Vodka mainly.

Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype: Jester/Lover.

Who is their hero: Sedik.

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween: Angel Dust.

Are they comfortable with technology: He is perfectly comfortable and even excels generally.

If they could save one person, who would it be: Sedik, no questions asked. Thus far, there is no one in this world he cares about more than him.

If they could call one person for help, who would it be: Sedik.

What is their favourite proverb: It is what it is.

What is their greatest extravagance: His sinful habits undoubtedly, most of his waning money is spent on these things.

What is their greatest regret: Not doing anything as Sedik took the bullet for him. He was sick from the drugs and what had occurred before, and was barely aware of what was going on, but remembers extremely clearly the sound of the gun, and then Sedik crumpling in front of him.

What is their perception of redemption: When they give no reason for you to doubt their words.

What would they do if they won the lottery: He would leave the country and start over somewhere else, somewhere his mother and his pimp can’t find him.

What is their favourite fairytale: He never learnt any fairy tales as a kid, and doesn’t bother with them as an adult.

Do they believe in happy endings: He desperately wants to believe, and there is some semblance of faith still in him believes it truly can be.

What is their idea of perfect happiness: Being free.

What would they ask a fortune teller: If Sedik is at peace.

If your character could travel through time, where would they go: He would travel to where ‘flower power’ was just coming into the public eye, and aid in the protests and rallies going on at the time.

What sport do they excel at: He doesn’t really do much in the way of sports, but he does take walks.

What sport do they suck at: Most honestly, he’s not a well person.

If they could have a superpower, what would they choose: The power of invisibility.

#jameson #gang 1

1 note · View note

lawinformation · 5 years

Text

Managing your family law case (and your emotions) when the opposing party is mentally incompetent

On the off chance that you have require a best reasonable Texas Divorce Law encounter, Managing your family law case (and your emotions) when the opposing party is mentally incompetent with the immense procedure!

Houston Family Lawyers: In yesterday’s blog post we introduced the idea that if you have been served with divorce or child custody papers that were filed by your child’s other parent your brief thoughts regarding their mental stability may not be so far-fetched after all. Many family lawcases that end up turning into time and money nightmares were filed by mentally incompetent persons or those with personality disorders.

Once the case has been filed how can you and your attorney manage your case and keep you from feeling like your life is being taken for a ride by a person that may or may not be mentally equipped to understand the full effect of their actions. Today’s blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC will discuss that subject.

Setting your expectations when your opposing party is not mentally stable

While you, your attorney and even the opposing attorney may see a situation in a certain light it is unlikely that your opposing party will agree with your assessment. Remember- reality does not apply to the person with extremely harsh and black/white views of the world and your family law case. It is a fool’s errand to attempt to convey messages appealing to their rational side.

When the truth and the real world are not applicable to a person, you and your attorney will need to figure out ways to communicate ideas that do not rely upon a person’s understanding or acceptance of reality.

The best way to do this is to constantly keep the focus of the case on your child. This goes for any family law case that involves child custody, but I believe it is especially true in a situation where the opposing party has a mental illness or personality disorder. It is unlikely that you will ever get him or her to see things from your vantage point or to see you as an equal or as deserving a parent as he or she. It is likely that on some level he or she wants what is best for your child and loves your child in whatever ways he or she is capable of expressing love.

This can mean that while negotiating with your opposing party your attorney can utilize language that does not draw a distinction between you and the other party, but rather brings everything back to the child. This is literally the only common ground that each of you share.

Your sense of reality is different, your sense of each other is different and your feelings about why you are involved in the case are different. Take the one thing that you share common ground on and base your negotiations on that.

Taking the case to court: How a family law judge can impact a case involving a mentally ill party

Houston Family Law Attorney: While you may not relish the opportunity to bring your family law case in front of a judge, unfortunately, your opposing party will probably not share in that feeling. While you have done “something” in the eyes of the opposing party to wrong him or her, the judge in your case is the person that can hand out justice and cause you to harm due to your “bad actions”. If you think that a judge will be able to see through all this nonsense and give you the relief that you are seeking then you may be in for a rude awakening.

I say this because a judge often lacks the ability to perceive and identify a person with a mental illness or personality disorder and a result your case can be prolonged unless you attempt to call these conditions to the attention of the judge. Filing a motion to have the opposing party examined for a mental illness can be effective to at least bring to the judge’s attention the difficulties that he or she have been causing you.

However, when mental health professionals become involved in a case we often see their opinions not going far enough to isolate the specific characteristics and personality traits that identify a person as having a mental illness or being wholly mentally incompetent to engage in litigation involving a child. With that said, your case can continue despite having other professional persons become involved that had an opportunity to nip in the bud the desire of your opposing party to prolong the case.

Many times the allegations that you make against your opposing party will be met with allegations against you. While the allegations made against you may be baseless and untrue, a judge will need to give equal weight to them until proven otherwise.

If this seems unbelievable or downright stupid then you can join the club of attorneys and litigants have experienced those same thoughts. The fact remains that persons with personality disorders or mental illness can be master manipulators. A judge does not have the time to be able to perform individual assessments of your character and relies on the facts and circumstances presented to him or her to make decisions.

The bottom line is that unless you and your attorney are consistent in your petitions to the court to have the mental health of an opposing party evaluated mental illness or disorders may go undiagnosed. This is bad for your child, bad for you and bad for your case. A situation that could have been resolved with relative quickness can be drawn out due to unacknowledged mental issues with the opposing party in your case.

The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC: Experienced advocates for southeast Texas families

Divorce Lawyers in Houston: The attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC represent clients from all walks of life. In doing so we have encountered opposing parties who have offered challenges that we meet in order to best represent our clients and their families.

To schedule a free of charge consultation with one of our licensed family lawattorneys please do not hesitate to contact our office today. A consultation is free of charge and can go a long way towards answering your questions and providing you with peace of mind ... Continue Reading

#divorce #divorce law #divorce lawyer #divorce attorney #family #Family Law #fagan #bryan fagan #attorney #attorneys #texas attorneys #Houston #Houston lawyers #Texas

2 notes · View notes

rgr-pop · 5 years

Text

woundability

has nathan consider that i also don’t want to work

for the ten fucking thousandth time: jobs guarantee isn’t forced labor. a 14(c) clause in a JG platform is partially symbolic (and important for that reason alone, even though even with it we continue to have eight million white ppl online constantly screaming that darrick hamilton wants to personally enslave them), but it is crucial because so many JG platforms are advancing an expanded care economy and many care-based state and nonprofit institutions exploit 14(c). (there are many potential outcomes here, but we cannot say, “let’s create a million new jobs in the home care sector” only to find out that we have nonprofit independent living firms pulling funding for that to hire developmentally disabled adults for cents on the piece to fill private production contracts.) (I was going to include “military contracts” because I personally have encountered that most often as an example of this dynamic but in my fantasy two years from now the military died.) bringing the subminimum wage issue into discussion about the expansion of medicare, social security, and the nonprofessional or paraprofessional healthcare workforce is essential for that reason. and other reasons, maybe especially via medicare funded vocational training.

you don’t want to work and, amazingly enough, you don’t! weird that this is your response to policy calling for the expansion of the mechanism that allows you to not work. more people who “don’t want to work” will be able to not work if we have medicare for all and more social security, amazingly. you don’t have to work because you have been given things that the people subject to 14(c) have not been given. I am not going to restate everything I already said about how the policy in question supports all of the above, because it is abundantly clear that people keep saying this over and over again because they want to exclude people who are in dire situations that are profitable to others and who have less access to state support. there is no other reason to behave this way.

the biggest reason that we should never be debating whether workers subject to 14(c) do or do not “want to work” is because we have absolutely no data regarding whether they do or do not want to work. in fact, many of the influential reports on the issue tell us that many or even most of the people subject to 14(c) cannot advocate for themselves in labor or healthcare in meaningful ways (which means a number of different things in practice) and that the loudest advocates for sheltered work and vocational practices etc. [that we probably really only fund at all as a nation because 14(c) and other laws make it not only cheap but arguably profitable for the state and to a lesser extent private enterprise] are family members who are tasked with the care of disabled adults. parents have historically been the main voice insisting that their developmentally disabled kids “want to work.” which of course brings me back to why I think OP had a bad answer: we potentially have the tools to respond to this!

it is irrelevant whether anybody wants to work, and not wanting to work is not what enables people to not work. what is going on specifically here is that in response to policy that says “people should be paid an actual wage of human money for labor even if they are disabled under this narrow definition of disability” (because note that the commensurate subminimum wage is not the only issue on the ground, there are 14(c) centers that have been found to compensate workers in gift cards or not at all, or garner wages for a housing and care), people are responding “well, I don’t care, because I personally do not want to work.” I think this is pretty plainly ridiculous already. but as an anti-work marxist myself, it also illuminates a major issue I have of many of my anti-work online peers, which is when “anti-work” comes to mean a personal choice that superior people make, and the acknowledgement (even permission) of forms of nonwork that rely on extreme exploitation of the labor of others who “chose” to work. to be anti-work in a way that not only permits but benefits from the unwaged labor of anyone else. if you are anti-work for fuck’s sake you have to....support minimum wage. (the famous example in the case of 14(c) that functionally “benefited” others, in that essentially unpaid disabled workers produced products for consumption, might be henry’s turkey farms. that case was exceptional in many ways but not wholly unique.)

in general the JG language around “wanting to work” is not my taste, but it is important to acknowledge that this language comes from the black freedom movement, explicitly, and it has often been anticapitalist in some way even when its politics are complicated (it troubles me to have to point this out, constantly, given how much people claim to like, for example, rustin). unemployment has essentially always been at the center of black struggles for economic justice in the US over the past sixty or seventy years in some way or another, and this critique has been socially expansive. it doesn’t just mean “individuals working or not working.” all of this has re-emerged in the mainstream lately (led by black activists, of course). my more edgelord take here is that it is definitely true that... a lot of people want a job, or to work. that does not have to mean that they have no soul or whatever, it doesn’t mean anything. people say they want to work and we don’t have to deliberate about their desires. we just have to feed and house them and find away to give everyone back their time. in my antiwork fantasy, people who report that they “want to work” will be granted a certain kind of freedom by social security, healthcare, housing and so on, and, immediately, by not having to work five jobs at a time just to get fired every three weeks or, I dunno, not having to work for no money at all! who cares.

#labor

15 notes · View notes