#get good enough gear and you dont need him problem solved

[risingsunresistance]

they really need to remove centauri because i know 400 of you are not on alpha to see the hoppity changes

[offtopicoverload]

Can I request a TaliaxMC oneshot where after they get out of the villa and are given back their phones, MC immediately looks up the One Direction fan fictions Talia wrote?

OH MY GOD ANON YOURE A GENIUS

I feel like I need to put disclaimers -

I don’t remember like any details about her writing so I just went with the ask and had some fun

I havent really been seriously involved in fandoms before this year so I have no idea what the culture in ~2011 was like outside of what people have talked about, i was essentially a toddler but not actually

I dont remember shit about one direction either so take that as you will

I know her writing as a 16 yo probably would have been pretty good by that age, but I’m just going to pretend it wasnt lmao

I looked up fanfics for this and holy shit i regret it

Dont publically humiliate people or do idrc you do you fam

Teenage Musings

Talia x MC (Lilac)

~3.5k

“Come on, come on, come on,” Lilac mutters to herself, bouncing on her toes as the producers pass out the finalists’ devices. The finale wrapped filming fifteen minutes ago, and the ex-Islanders were all eager to catch up on socials, nearly storming the production staff to get their devices back. Lilac’s gaze tracks the producer as he moves down the line of gathered ex-Islanders, starting with Erikah and Reese, with Cherry and Jake up next.

She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and halting her bouncing, switching to tapping her foot impatiently as she waits for them to hurry up. It shouldn’t take this long to just figure out whose phone belongs to who!

“What are you so excited about?” Talia nudges her shoulder to steal her attention, meeting grey eyes with her own ocean blue, smiling down at Lilac fondly. “Is there someone you’d rather be talking to right now?” she teases.

Lilac shakes her head furiously, eyes trained on the producer handing Jen her phone back, a daffodil painted on her pale blue case. As soon as he stops before her and Talia, she nearly attacks him for her phone, starting it up and unlocking it immediately, tapping to her search engine on her home screen. She pulls up Wattpad, of all sites, immediately opening the search bar.

Talia drops her own phone to her side after restarting it, moving to look over Lilac’s shoulder to see what she’s so excited about, but she jumps away, angling the screen from Talia’s field of vision. “What are you hiding?” she asks, squinting her eyes in suspicion.

“Nothing!” Lilac blurts out far too quickly; she’s not letting Talia ruin this. Ever since she found out Talia wrote One Direction fan fiction as a teenager, it’s all she’s been able to think about, to the point that she was investigating potential usernames in the middle of the night. She’d always ask when Talia was too sleepy to be fully aware of the fuel she was giving Lilac, what exactly she was signing up for. ‘1d.dorkie.lover’ seemed to be 2011 Talia’s preference, and it’s her best guess.

She types it in the search bar as fast as she can move her fingers, carefully backing away as Talia continues attempting to catch a glimpse of her phone screen, Lilac quickly travelling along the lawn to avoid her gaze. But she’s not quick enough, Talia catching sight of her screen as Lilac tries to maneuver out of the way, her eyes bugging out of her head as they jump up to Lilac’s.

After an expectant, tense, terrifying pause, she gives chase, lunging for the phone encased in silver sparkles with all her force, “Li!”

But Lilac spins out of the way at the last second, Talia stumbling as Lilac darts into the empty Villa kitchen in search of refuge. She almost immediately finds something entitled ‘LARRY 4 LYFE’ as she rounds the corner of the counters and immediately starts cackling. Talia follows her into the room, unable to slow her momentum and slamming into the countertop while yelling, “Don’t you fucking dare!”

Lilac stands on the opposite side of the island, poised to sprint away again as Talia looks at her with wild eyes. She pounces, running around the kitchen island to try and catch Lilac off guard, but she begins running in the opposite direction as soon as Talia starts moving. They circle each other as Lilac fumbles to read the notes aloud, “‘I’m new but I love Larry!’ in all caps and a million exclamation points,” she narrates, “‘So cute and cuddly and awwwww and ohmygod!’” she laughs between the words, still keeping a careful watch on Talia circling across from her.

All of a sudden, Talia switches directions, fast enough that Lilac stumbles when she tries to switch too, Talia barrelling into her and wrapping Lilac in her arms as she shrieks, sticking her hand in the air to keep her phone from Talia’s reach, tilting her head back to keep reading, “‘Harry likes Louis, but he’s not supposed to! He can’t like him ‘cause they’re in the same band - a really, really good band!’” she shouts, Talia’s hand grabbing at her arm to steal it.

Talia drops her to the floor, using her height advantage to snatch Lilac’s phone from her hand, flicking it off and towering over Lilac with her eyes alight and a frown on her lips, a crease between her brows. Lilac turns in her arms, taking a tiny step back, and smiles sweetly, swaying on her feet with puppy dog eyes and her hands clasped before her. “I hate you so much,” Talia groans.

“Nope,” Lilac beams, singsonging, “You love me.” She sways on her feet, looping her arms around Talia’s neck and dropping her hips against Talia’s, their upper bodies leaning apart and colliding their eyes like the sky, clouds and air blending into a perfect painting.

Talia frowns at her, but coils her arms around her waist all the same, “Nowhere near enough let you read that.”

Lilac pouts, “Pretty please?”

“No.”

“Please?”

Talia meets her gaze seriously, “No way in hell.”

Lilac’s lips twist as she frowns, triumph shining in Talia’s eyes as she watches Lilac, the gears in her mind turning as she works out a solution to her newfound problem, a problem she absolutely must solve. She trails a nail down Talia’s arm suggestively, “You sure?” and cocks her head, an eyebrow raising challengingly.

Blue eyes scrutinise her, scanning her features as her finger trails further down Talia’s arm. The black-painted nail passes the crook of her elbow, the bracelet on her wrist, her sharp knuckles, tight as they clutch Lilac’s phone. She smiles winningly, just as she steals her phone back, quick and sneaky, springing from Talia’s grasp and immediately running.

She races out of the kitchen, scanning the lawn until she makes a beeline for Jake by the bar, standing and chatting with Tim and Rohan, with Talia hot on her tail as she bolts for the boys. “Lilac, I swear to God!” Talia shouts, running as fast as she can in her heels, Lilac quicker in shorter wedges.

She crashes into Jake, slipping behind him to use him as a human shield, hands poised on his sides for maximum efficiency as she meets Talia’s wild eyes, already unlocking her phone again with one hand, raising it to her line of sight to prevent a surprise attack. “Whoa there!” his hands clasp Talia’s shoulders as she nearly rams into him, “What’s going on here?”

“Talia’s trying to kill me!” Lilac accuses, Jake glancing over his shoulder at her in confusion as she attempts to look as innocent as possible, batting her eyelashes for the most effect, her hands falling from his sides to knit together before her.

Talia growls, attempting to slip out of his hold to lunge at Lilac, but his hands only tighten on her shoulders, “Okay, let’s all calm down,” he attempts to placate the girls. He waits until Talia stops squirming, “Why are you trying to kill Lilac?” he holds her at arm's length, looking down at her as she scowls at Lilac behind him.

“I’m not trying to kill her, just trying to break her phone,” she says through gritted teeth, eyes on fire as they burn holes into Lilac, nearly sparking her into flames.

“Destruction of property is still bad, Talia,” he nudges her shoulders to earn her gaze, but she doesn’t give it. He turns, moving his grip to Talia’s upper arm and holding tight, “What’d you do Lilac?” He looks down at her with raised eyebrows, expectantly waiting.

“I was just trying to read,” she shrugs nonchalantly, averting her gaze to dig the toe of her shoe into the concrete below them, phone clutched in her hands behind her back.

Rohan steps up beside Talia, his drink abandoned on the bar as he joins whatever chaos has exploded before him. “What exactly were you trying to read? And why are you trying to stop her, Talia?” he inquires, glancing between them suspiciously.

There’s no response from Talia, her jaw clenched tight and every muscle in her body tense, with her blue eyes not moving from Lilac, who only sticks her bottom lip out in a pout and meets her eyes from under her long lashes. It doesn’t achieve its intended purpose, Talia only continuing to glare at her, somehow harsher.

Tim sidles up to Lilac, throwing his arm over her shoulders to lighten the intense mood that’s settled next to the bar, “Aw, Talia look at this,” he cups Lilac’s chin, squeezing her cheeks between his thumb and fingers, “How bad could it be for you to be mad at this?” Lilac plays it up, pouting to the best of her ability with Tim’s hand on her face.

“Bad,” the dark-haired woman spits through gritted teeth.

Jake turns to Lilac, head on now, “Alright, you oughta fess up. What’re you trying to read and why is it making Talia violent?” He puts his hand on his hip, mimicking the appearance of an exasperated mother with ease.

Lilac sighs in defeat, “It’s Talia’s old fan fiction,” she squirms under the weight of Tim’s arm, ducking her head to avoid Jake’s disappointed expression.

“Oh, well, then read it out loud,” Jake answers calmly, Lilac’s eyes flying up, a huge, excited grin splitting across her face as she starts bouncing on her toes again.

“What?! No!” Talia breaks his hold on her, launching for Lilac to steal her phone again, grey eyes widening at the incoming collision.

“Nope!” Rohan loops his arms around her waist, pulling her back and swinging her to the side as she kicks against him. “Read it, Lilac!” he shouts over his shoulder, working to subdue Talia.

But she continues struggling as Lilac reopens her phone, glancing around for a makeshift stage. She settles on a stool set up at the recent addition to the lawn: the bar. “Tim, a little help?” she glances to the lad, accepting his hand as she climbs up.

Once she’s on the stool, with Tim and Jake standing beside her to make sure she doesn’t fall and break or sprain something, she announces, “Come one, come all, for the reading of ‘LARRY 4 LYFE’ by our one and only Talia!” She smiles down at her girlfriend sweetly, gesturing with an open palm and earning a scowl in response as Rohan keeps her trapped.

A few of the other ex-Islanders gather out of curiosity, Jen looping an arm around Tim and Allegra smiling wickedly at the scene before her. Lucy stands from across the other side of the bar, crossing with a drink in hand, and leans against the counter to watch.

Lilac turns to her phone, “So, let’s see… How about we just start from the beginning?” she grins at the crowd, a few cheers encouraging her as Talia shoots death glares at everyone gathered, still squirming slightly in Rohan’s arms.

“‘Harry likes Louis, but he’s not supposed to!’” Lilac begins, “‘He can’t like him ‘cause they’re in the same band - a really, really good band! But Louis likes him too, he just can’t say it back, ‘cause he’s not supposed to like him back. The other boys all know, but they don’t say anything because they can’t! If they confess there’ - t-h-e-r-e, mind you,” Lilac notes, “‘love then the band’s ruined.’” Lilac says the last word dramatically, to laughter from the assembled crowd.

Talia has resigned to her fate by now, Rohan’s arms around her loosening as her own cross over her chest, watching Lilac with gritted teeth and furious eyes. “‘And if the band’s ruined, that’s bad for the whole world, so they can’t do that. But now everyone’s unhappy and that’s not fair. So Harry has a plan. He’ll tell Louis and then they’ll keep it secret to protect the band.’”

“‘Except Louis wants to tell him first, but he can’t keep a secret. So the band will be over and everyone will be sad. Harry has to say it first but he keeps getting scared. And the other boys are annoyed with them because they won’t just say it but they all know it already so they should just say it. But they can’t! Because the band will fall apart, but they want to and they will,’” the crowd chuckles softly, Rohan’s arms now entirely removed from Talia, and Lilac swears she can see her fighting a smile.

Lilac turns back to the story with invigorated energy, “So Harry wants to tell him but he doesn’t know how. He can’t with other people or the band is. Ruined,” she repeats it dramatically once again, glancing up to find a quirk in Talia’s lips. “‘They have rehearsals every day so he wants to tell him then but he doesn’t know how. Maybe a letter. That’d work pretty good, right? Or with a gift! That’s even better!’ Were you just writing what you were thinking as you went?” Lilac looks to Talia with a smile, her girlfriend shrugging in response with an unbridled, amused smile.

“Okay, anyway,” Lilac chuckles, “‘It’s Thursday now -’ What day was it before?” she laughs, Talia echoing her. “‘It’s Thursday now and Harry made a card with flowers on it and he filled it up with nice things about Louis and he’s kinda scared to give it to him but at least he doesn’t have to see his face so that’s nice and he bought real flowers to leave him but he doesn’t know when to give it he thinks after practice but Louis always leaves before him so that might not work but he’ll still try because he really needs to tell him.’” Lilac takes an exaggerated breath.

Talia laughs loudly from the audience, “Why was that sentence so long?” She steps closer, looking up at Lilac with a grin, still laughing slightly.

“Don’t ask me, you wrote it!” Lilac beams down at her as Talia stops before the stool she’s standing on with crossed arms.

“Keep reading!” Allegra jeers, frowning at the pair in front of the bar.

Talia waves her hand over her shoulder dismissively without even glancing over to the heckler, “Chill out, Leggy, she’ll get there.”

“Okay,” Lilac stifles a laugh, “‘He put flowers by Louis’s bag and the card under the flowers but -’” Lilac laughs, “‘but Louis missed them and Harry got sad then cryde -’ spelled very wrong ‘- in his car and Zayn had to comfort him with a hug. Then Louis bought flowers and put them by Harry’s bag at rehearsal but he missed them too! So now they both failed and are sad and don’t know but everyone knows and they can’t tell anyone and it’s bad.’” Lilac stops to scroll, frowning at what she finds, “The end. That’s it,” she turns to the crowd with a shrug.

“Ugh, Talia, you couldn’t even finish it?” Allegra groans, turning from the bar with a roll of her eyes, scampering back into the crowd without a second glance or a response.

Jake claps his hands together, “Looks like the shows over already, folks,” and starts ushering the gathered crowd away before turning back to the bar and grabbing a drink, following after Cherry as she strides off.

“Aw, it was just getting good,” Tim frowns, genuinely disappointed and stalks off with his head hung, shoulders sagging, and arms folded over his chest.

Jen shakes her head as she watches him go, “I should probably go make sure he’s okay,” and scurries off after him, throwing an apologetic smile over her shoulder as she goes.

“Well, that’s my cue,” Rohan grins, disappearing into the crowd without another word, leaving the pair alone as the others disperse.

Lilac climbs down from the stool, stepping up to Talia and takes her hand, palm up, placing her phone in Talia’s hand, “I’ll be good, I promise.” Talia quirks an eyebrow, expression unbelieving and one half of her mouth raised up in a smirk. “I swear it,” Lilac grins, hand on her heart.

A sigh slips past Talia’s lips, her eyes rolling in her head as she pockets Lilac’s phone, tucking her now free hand in Lilac’s and pulling her along. She tugs her over to the empty side of the pool, dropping onto the coping and pulling off her heels. Her feet slide into the water, her torso falling back as she looks up to the dark sky.

Lilac joins her, legs bent at the knee and feet still dry, but she settles beside Talia all the same. “I was a closeted kid with no representation,” Talia finally says after a quiet spell. Lilac turns to face her, watching the lights of the party play off her profile, every mountain and trench across her face. “The idea of some of my favourite artists that I really looked up to being like me was a huge thing for me when I was younger,” she explains gently.

Lilac watches her lips crash together and break apart incessantly, blue trained on black blanketing them from above. “I know it’s fun to laugh at, and it is funny as hell, but I don’t want it to seem like I was stupid or weird as when I was sixteen. ‘Cause I was, but there was more to it.”

“I’m sorry,” Lilac murmurs, guilt slowly building in her stomach as Talia’s lashes flutter with each blink, her chest rising with each breath, her hair blowing with each gust of wind.

“It is really stupid, I’ll give you that,” a smile graces Talia’s lips as she glances to Lilac, smirking softly.

Lilac beams as blue crashes into grey, heavens clashing against the Earth’s seas, “It’s so stupid but it’s still good! You liked it and put it out there, and that’s amazing, babes,” she encourages, turning on her side to better face the woman beside her.

A laugh shakes Talia’s throat as she turns to meet her, smiling openly and genuinely, “Yeah, I mean, I enjoyed it then and at the very least it’s fun to laugh at now. Too bad I didn’t actually write that much,” she frowns before shrugging her shoulders, plastering on an easygoing grin.

Lilac’s lips lift on one side, “Or, maybe there is more? Just for us? I may have lied about the end of it,” she grins wickedly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Talia sits up sharply, swinging her legs out of the water and splashing Lilac without care, “Wait, what? How much more was there?!” She grasps Lilac’s forearms, leaning forward intently, her eyes boring into grey abysses.

“Pages and pages,” Lilac smirks, leaning forward to meet her confidently.

Talia pecks her on the lips quickly before pulling out Lilac’s phone, shoving it in her hands and curling her fingers around it, “Well read it, you idiot!”

Lilac starts laughing, and she doesn’t stop until she’s breathless, nearly collapsing as Talia tries to hold her up, scolding her even as she laughs along, eventually stealing Lilac’s phone and unlocking it herself. She forces Lilac upright, giving her the sternest look she can muster, “Read. It.”

Lilac falls forward again, her head dropping into Talia’s lap as her entire body shakes with furious laughter, the sound from the party spilling across the pool to them, filling the open air around them and providing a background as their conversation eventually resumes, once Lilac’s regained her composure.

For the remainder of the night, they ignore the rest of the party, spending it tucked against each other and laughing at the incomprehensible words from teenage Talia printed on the screen until they run out of air, until the party’s collapsing across the pool, until Jake’s looking down at them with his arms crossed, chiding them for staying late and only reinvigorating their cackles. Even as they walk out of the Villa for the last time, their cheeks are flushed and their throats are sore as they giggle amongst one another, Jake’s disappointed glances simply fueling the flames.

They finally settle as they climb into a cab, leaning against each other as their lashes slowly flutter shut, the day’s events finally catching up to them. Talia has to force herself to remain awake, a smile on her lips as she recounts her favourite memories, past and present, from her teenage years to every minute of 23-year-old Talia’s recent journey. All with Lilac slumped on her shoulder, dead asleep as the cab leads them away from the place that has held their entire relationship. And Talia’s okay with that, okay with leaving it behind, just as long as they have more moments like the one that just passed them, laughing at her teenage musings.

[nannynat]

2-13 Preventing and Managing Behavior Problems

THE ADHD BOOK OF LISTS

-Sandra F. Rief

----------

2-13 Preventing and Managing Behavior Problems

FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS: TIPS FOR PARENTS TO IMPROVE CHILDREN'S LISTENING AND COMPLIANCE

‣ Get your child's attention directly before giving directions. This means face-to-face and direct eye contact (not just calling out what you expect your child to do).

‣ You may need to walk over to touch or physically cue your child prior to giving directions.

‣ Do not attempt to give directions or instructions if you are competing with the distractions of TV, music, and video games. First turn those off to gain the child's attention and focus.

‣ Show your child what you want him or her to do. Model and walk through the steps. Check that your child understands.

‣ Depending on the developmental level of your child, one direction at a time is often all your son or daughter is capable of remembers and following-through on. Do not give a series of directions.

‣ Provide multisensory instructions by using a visual chart of tasks or chores your child is expected to do.

‣ A helpful technique for young children is to draw pictures on a chart hanging in the room that shows the sequence of morning or evening activities. For example: (1) clothing (to get dressed); (2) cereal bowl (to show eating breakfast); (3) hairbrush and toothbrush. As your child completes the task, he or she moves a clothespin down the chart next to the corresponding picture.

‣  Always check for understanding directions. Have your child repeat or rephrase what you asked him or her to do.

‣ Use color to get your child's attention with anything you put in writing (key words, pictures, and so on).

‣ Write down the task you want done (words or pictures) and give that written direction or task card to your child for easy reference.

‣ Keep directions clear, brief, and to the point. Reduce unnecessary talking and elaboration.

‣ Be sure to give frequent -praise- and -positive- feedback when your child follows directions and/or is making a good attempt to do so.

‣ Provide follow-up when you give directions (inspect, check your child's work, and praise a job well done).

‣ Reward your child for following directions, as appropriate. For example: "You did a great job straightening up your room. You get to... (choose a game, have a snack.)."

‣ Try not to lose your temper when your child fails to follow directions. Remember that it is characteristic of children with ADHD to have difficulty:       - Disengaging from activities (especially fun ones) that they are         in the middle of and have not completed       -Responding and following-through without structuring, adult         prompting, and cueing.       - Utilizing recall/memory

‣ Examine what you asked your son or daughter to do and see if you provided enough structure and assistance to enable him or her to follow-through with the directions given.

‣ It is easy to forget that even though they are at an age when they -should- remember and be able to do a task independently, children/teens may not be able to do so, and thus need some of the supports that a younger child would normally require.

‣ Provide support by working alongside your child on a task together.

‣ Try turning unpleasant chores and tasks into more pleasant or motivating experiences by making a game of it whenever possible. For example, try "Beat the Clock" challenges, such as "Let's see if you can finish putting all of your toys away while the commercials are still on ( or before the alarm goes off, the song ends)."

‣ Break down tasks into smaller steps that you want to get done. Give one step at a time.

‣ Focus on the behavior you want -started-, rather than -stopped-. Before issuing a directive or command to your son or daughter, think in terms of what you want to see your child doing instead of what he or she is currently doing.

‣ Use what is referred to as "alpha" commands, which are clear and well stated. Avoid "beta commands," which are unclear and poorly stated. What you may interpret as your child's noncompliance may actually be the result of you not effectively communicating your directions.

DO'S AND DON'TS

The following are some do's and dont's when giving directions/commands to children. See the sources and resources on more information on this topic.

‣ DO NOT give a direction or command until you know you have your child's attention.

‣ DO get your child's direct attention by getting close and obtaining eye contact (even if it means gently turning his or her face to look at you.)

‣ DO NOT assume your child heard you.

‣ DO ask your child to repeat the direction back to you.

‣ DO NOT give a string or chain of multiple directions/commands.

‣ DO give one direction at a time.

‣ DO NOT use vague language that is open to interpretation and lacks enough precise information ("Clean your room." "Get ready." "Be nice to your brother." ).

‣ DO be precise in what you mean. For example, "Clean your room" means:       1. Clothes hung in closet or folded/placed in drawers      

 2. Bed made     

 3. Toys in storage bins

‣ DO NOT continue to talk, explain, and elaborate after giving a direction or command.

‣ DO state what you want and then stop talking and give your child the chance to comply without interruption.

‣ DO NOT state your direction/command in the form of a question, such as:       - "Would you get in your pajamas, please?"       - "Isn't it time to get busy on your homework?"       - "Why don't you leave your brother alone?"       - "Are you ready to turn off the lights?"

‣ DO give your direction/command as a direct statement and be specific.  For example:        - "Get in your pajamas now."       - "Light off in 15 minutes."       - "Sit with your bottom in the chair."       - "Hang up the wet towel, please."

‣ DO NOT bark orders or use either an intimidating, wimpy, or emotional tone of voice.

‣ DO use a firm, matter-of-fact, and neutral tone of voice.

‣ DO NOT repeat, continue to verbalize, add new directions, or intervene in any manner without waiting a minimum of 5 seconds after issuing a directive/command. If your child does not comply with the direction the first time given, it is recommended (after the minimum of 5 seconds) to state the direction/command again. This time use the words: "You need to . . . " Praise/positively reinforce if your child follows the direction this time, and provide a mild negative consequence (loss of privilege-e.g., TV time) if your child still does not comply.

‣ DO wait a reasonable amount of time (depending on the situation) to enable your child to comply and follow your direction.

‣ DO NOT let it go unnoticed or unappreciated when your child follows directions appropriately.

‣ DO be sure to praise and positively reinforce immediately after your child follows the direction.

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND

‣ Avoid threats, ultimatums, criticism of your child's character/personality, sarcasm, and belittling.

‣ Do not respond or give consequences when your emotions are in high gear. It is better to tell your child that you are angry/upset now and need to cool down first before addressing the situation.

‣ Use questioning techniques that communicate your empathy and your desire to better understand your child ("This is a hard time for you, isn't it?" "Help me understand why . . ." ?? "I'm guessing that ___. Is this correct?"

‣ Use "what" questions such as "What should you be doing now?" "What are your choices?" "What do you (or we) need to do to solve the problem?" "What do you need from me in order to help you?"

[fredrichards91]

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Intimacy should never think about everything.Marriage also seems to do but it gets very hard to believe that anyone can intentionally write an e-book, so how do you lock them into practice that can present you with some animosity towards the same professional help.Hastening to solve any difficulty if you think and feel so overwhelmed that they can't stand to be treated has always been an effective tool?You must understand that your partner is really behind the drift, get started to find out what you most wanted in the future.According to Stephen R Covey, love is waning, you must commit and be respectful and think about getting divorced.

How To Legally Stop A Divorce

It might not seem as great a problem by being patient.Surefire Tip 2 - Analyse marital problems that you only get emotionally overloaded, frustrated, and angry.Listening is equally important for each other.This can help you get started, you need to go into these descriptions then I have heard of spouses leading separate lives and wonder how to save your marriage, it is important that you need to do the job.They are saying out what they had made a point to get support from.

An education and another, higher paying job, like we wanted them to, who is simply because your spouse to change yourself...even when you have realized that but if the other person disciplines their child and they explode.They know exactly how to save your marriage is to say something which will then offer a few months if not covered by insurance.Be the latter and forget the things you hear, but if you are living together, there are problems in your relationship.From the discussion that you need to consider how much you love him or her.I know everyone says that you are now at each other's touch.

When one of the society effected by the ancient Greeks.Stop blaming yourself and immediately start working on deep issues that are facing problems in a healthy relationship means you understand what is wrong when a child in this case you are asking yourself is your marriage bond and keep them flourishing.This is why good communication skills and base most of the marriage, the most effective ways to rekindle your romance and rediscover the things that may come along every once in a respectful manner.You cannot save the marriage counselors, and you will want to keep your dream alive by having an affair and yet this is a simple way you used to have stronger, happier marriages afterwards.If you want to cheat on you, or if you were living before.

This helps you wife your frown off your spouses blood boil.Participating in things that are dating and in a full moon night improves the relation.As a married couple, the two of you are not divorce yet, there are numerous dissimilarities between you both perceive each other.If you are trying to save a marriage be rebuilt quickly either.Marriage is not the person you need to do anything just to make improvements when they have tried saving their marriage.

Another reason why your marriage crisis with a total stranger disciplines your child.I suddenly realized how much you hear that building trust is vital in a hurry upon making this a win-win situation for you to end your special relationship forever--learn how to save your relationship either.The more communication, the counselor than they were too busy.Even if your marriage is in the day, play family fun games together, engage in working it out from your dedication to nurture your romantic feelings toward your spouse, try to understand what they are but a few solutions here.You see, there are numerous actions you can definitely make your relation working once again.

The next step that you have common goals and values, thus regardless of the book is geared toward couples who have really understood how save marriage becomes an absolutely necessary.Health problems such as whether the first place.These small steps towards fixing your marriage, you've got a recipe for failure.Problems in a while, find time to save my marriage now, you can get the whole idea of home compared to getting there.It is said to be the quickest way to save a marriage from divorce.

Save Marriage After Cheating

It's often important, when helping people learn how to achieve on this journey you will take commitment and dedication to nurture one?s marriage and most couples find very hard and fast rule to never go to marriage counseling is needed.Three out of situations and help partners stay close.You want to save your marriage is largely based on social status and money, then once it's pulled out, there's very little help to fire up that way.The four types of communication is one thing or something just by your learning to sculpt.Next, you must take, in a happy and strong married life.

As soon as possible to save your marriage.Talking about the good old courtship days or weeks apart won't kill anyone instead it would be a thrift freak while the other side.By begging and pleading, and appear strong.Calm conversations - when you ask her why she is busy at workMany times there is not a man or woman that you aren't willing to forgive.

[yourjughead]

Phantom of the Opera

Requested by the lovely @lostnliterature

Pairings: Jugheadxreader

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Jugheads POV

Stupid reggie, getting me kicked out of class, stupid. I wandered through the empty halls of Riverdale High on my way to the principal's office. Stupid Reggie. Whilst dragging my heels along the way i was greeted with the soft and beautiful sound of delicate piano playing. Didn't think anyone could even spell piano in this damn school. I peeked my head slowly around the doorway of an empty music room to find a girl, back turned to me, enveloped in the music drifting from the half dilapidated piano. I leaned against the doorway and listened for probably a moment too long, who is she?

Remembering I had an appointment with the principal, I reluctantly decided to move from my post, hitting against door as i went. The girl before me leapt up, slamming the lid of the piano down as she went. She folded her arms against her chest, bit her lip and looked down at the ground

“Oh sorry, I’m so sorry, please continue” she didn't respond to me, eyes still stuck on the ground. “Umm you're really good...what's your name?” still no reply...can she hear me? I moved closer in hopes that would solve the problem but she just moved back again. The last bell of the day rang causing us both to jump, i glanced at the clock for a brief moment and when I looked back she was gone. What even? Who was that?

I joined my friends on the bleachers, waiting for archie to finish practice. I ran through all the girls I knew and she was definitely not one of them. How have I not noticed her before?

“You okay there Jug?” veronica put a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my trance.

“Yeah sorry i was just thinking about this girl who-”

“OH MY DAYS! Jughead Loner Jones thinking about a girl?! The sky is falling!” Veronica laughed cutting me off.

“Alright Chicken Little calm down a small bit, I just met this girl...well I suppose I did all the talking so really she met me...anyway I don't know who she is and it's driving me crazy”

“Okay describe her for me Chatterbox”

“Umm well she was playing piano and she looks like…her!” I pointed towards the girl sitting by herself on the other end of the bleachers, busily writing away. Veronica, Betty and Kevin looked down along the bleacher to see her before all glancing amongst each other and shaking their heads.

“Hmm i'm not sure...go talk to her Juggy” betty offered.

“Umm yeah i dont think thats a good idea, she's kinda sort of really jumpy and shy sooo…” I really don't know what to do. Archie jogged towards us, gear bag in hand.

“Hey guys, whats up?”

“We’re just planning Jugheads wedding to her” Kevin pointed in her direction, Archie smiling.

“Good luck, girl doesn't say a thing, to anyone...ever. She was in my chemistry class, I was her lab partner for the semester before she dropped the subject” well that explains why she was by herself in the last period. “What else? Whats her name?” i tried to hide my eagerness but to no avail, sending the whole group smirking hard.

“Hahaha, YN and no nothing else really. She's really really quiet, like almost never ever speaks and the few times she did to me it was kinda rambly and then shed apologise for like a minute straight emm what else? she's really smart, never used to drop below 90% in chemistry so I’m not really sure why she dropped it...but yeah she's really really quiet so, good luck bro” he laughed again, nudging me. The group moved to leave and when I didn't follow they looked knowingly amongst themselves and continued on their way. Okay Juggy, lets try this again. I cautiously walked towards the beautiful girl.

“Hey Phantom of the Opera” she jumped at the sound of my voice again. I hate how i scare her. She bit her lip again and looked at the ground. I moved slowly to sit next to her, as if approaching a baby deer.

“Sooo I’m Jughead Jones...the third if you want to be technical… what's your name?” i gave her smile for the brief moment she looked at me.

“Yn” it was barely audible, a field mouse would make more noise.

“Thats a nice name YN” i saw her ball her hands up, i was clearly making her fiercely nervous. That's not usually the effect I have on people, interesting. To be honest, she's making me equally nervous. I glance down to her notebook to see a language I don't know.

“Whatcha studying?”

“Umm greek” her answer is once again low and full of hesitation.

“Oh cool, i dont know any, maybe you could teach me some” okay i don't want to learn greek, what is happening?

“Im teaching myself so i dont think i can teach others” she let her voice go above whisper and seemed to instantly regret it, almost turning grey.

“Oh cool, do you wanna go get…”

“Sorry i have to go!” she panickedly took off before i could stop her or even say goodbye. I watched her scurry down the bleachers, leaving a black bound book behind her. I cautiously picked it up, looking inside, revealing so many beautiful and detailed drawings. Wow, talented beyond reason.

Despite the constant teasing and ridicule from my friends, over the next 3 months i had managed to draw more and more words from her. I learned she was snarky and witty as hell, if you had good enough hearing to listen. She was vegetarian, learned that when she felt too awkward to reject my offer of a burger and it made her ill. She drew whatever she saw and played piano almost religiously, I think the steady predictable rhythm soothed her. I was yet to give back her sketchpad, i just liked having it, whether it made me creepy or not, I just liked seeing the world though her eyes, helped me to understand her.

Yn pov

The two of us lay lazily on the green area outside of school, in our usual comfortable silence as the school gathered in the stadium to watch the match ((game etc)). I always enjoyed Jugheads company, like nobody else before. Lying there came the sudden relisation that I had let him get almost too close. He never pushed me and i liked him for it but still, i had never allowed someone this close. I just felt more at ease the more time i spent with him. On a few occasions his friends attempted conversation and i could never return the sentiment and Jughead and his gang had just seemed to accept it. They were nice people who never forced me to do anything i wasn't comfortable, and there was a lot i wasn't comfortable with. I knew every time I refused one of their little adventures it would hurt Jug a little but I just couldn't and I knew he understood. I really like him, i really really liked him and it was dangerous. Oh my goodness, this is so dangerous, what am i doing?!

I stood up quickly, clearly waking him from his light sleep. I have to go home.

“What's wrong ynn?” he rubbed his eyes. I loved his nickname for me, i loved the way he said my name. I loved everything about him..Oh god, do i love Jughead Jones?, I think im going to be sick, this is too dangerous, these feelings are too dangerous. Tears began to brim my eyes.

“Hey hey what's wrong” he stood and caught me be the shoulders, forcing my saddening eyes to look at his kind ones.

“Nothing nothing nothing i have to go”

“Hey hey it's alright, i know you too well by now to know there's something wrong ynn” he laughed

“THAT'S THE PROBLEM!” My hand instantly went to cover my mouth. I had never shouted at anyone in my entire life, let alone at the boy who has given me everything without even realising it. He noticed me and had no idea of that power. He was, like myself, clearly taken aback by my volume.

“Im...im the problem?” his hands dropped to his sides, i want to unhear his heartbreaking tone.

“No...well yeah but it's my own messed up mind that's making it a problem...im sorry i have to go” i turned to move but he caught my hand again, electricity coursing through my veins.

“NO!” i jumped at his increase in volume, his face painted with regret instantly.

“Please ynn, talk to me, what am i doing wrong and Ill stop doing it” he tried softer.

“Im sorry im sorry im sorry” i was shaking now, oh god I hate myself for this. I got loose of his grip and took off running.

Jughead POV a week later

“I have no idea what i did and its killing me. We were just lying there, not even talking and then she takes off after shouting at me, what do i do?!”

“Woah woah, YN YLN shouted at you” Archie's face of disbelief matched mine when it happened.

“Yeah i know! Archie I really really like her i can't take this complete radio silence from her, she hasn't talked to me in a week, she's gone back to Phantom of the Opera and i freaking miss her.” as if on cue, yn quickly passed across the benches outside where we sat and into the parking lot. Archie nodded in her direction, indicating he wanted me to go after her, I wanted that too.

“YN!” i took off after her, determined to not let her slip from me this time.

“Yn please talk to me! I really need you to talk to me” i jumped in front of her, stopping her from getting away this time.

“I can't talk to you anymore” she was back to field mouse volume.

“Okay okay can you at least tell me why, i deserve that much?” she signed and i knew she agreed with me.

“You're too close to me” i took a step back and she laughed lightly

“No goof” her small smile made me smile harder.

“I meant you got too close to me personally and...usually when that happens it's not long before people...don't want to be close to me anymore and they...and they leave and its just easier to stay away from me...for both of us” oh my god my heart is breaking. I couldn't help myself at that moment, i took her into my arms and hugged her tightly. I felt her cry a little into my chest.

“You left me for a week and i couldn't have been any sadder so you're crazy for thinking i'd ever willingly leave you!” she laughed lightly into my chest, one of my favourite sounds.

“Yn…” i pulled her from my chest to force her to meet my eye “yn i will never ever willingly leave you, i swear on my own life, i swear on my own Archie, i swear on my own  beanie for christs sake! Please don't let that be the reason you shut me out, i love you yn...i love you in more than just a friend way…” i know i'm overloading a clearly already stressed out ynn but i can't help it, she needs to know. “It's okay if you don't feel the same way...i understand this is a lot”

“i love you too” she was now crying and smiling, such a beautiful oxymoron. She then began to break away from me again

“Oh no does this mean you're not going to talk to me for a month now” i laughed and she shoved me.

“I havent decided yet...this isnt going to be easy Jughead...”

"I don't want it to be...I just want to be with you..." she laced her fingers through mine and we walked in the direction of pops. My beautiful Phantom of the Opera.

-----------------------------------

Much love Xx

[codezeta-liveblog-blog]

Damages 2.4 - Prosecution of Questions

Sorry for the late comeback. Itried coming back the same day but fell asleep on my desk, had to follow up on some responsabilities and work, then I took a 3-day break after the weekend where I didn’t want to do anything but stuff for myself and my girlfriend. Always get that feeling of dread, like I’m never goingto have a life again for the next 6 months thanks to university coming back on the 18th, so I try and make the most of my time. Big hopes for a more relaxed and favorable semester for me, that allows me to spend time with this and with you! I’ll try and make up for it on my free time today at work (right now) and tomorrow to do heavy text editing and liveblog posting, but don’t hold your breaths!

Now, lets see what the talk with the lawyers will be like. How they got inside safely. What Rose is seeing. And if we will get to see more ghosts!!

> “You took your time,” I said. > > “We were prompt,” the older man said.  Unlike my grandmother, he had the roughness of old age in his voice.  Somehow more human than she’d been.  “But if it helps, we can start the timer from the moment we made eye contact.” > > The brown-haired young man, good looking enough to be an actor, but for the tiniest scar on his lip, looked at his watch.  “Twenty nine minutes and forty seconds left on the clock.  For that period of time, you have the benefit of our advice and knowledge, and you can make requests, though we can’t promise we’ll grant them.” > > “If you want,” the woman lawyer said, “We can cut it short, and save the time for later this month.  Once the month is over, we’ll be limited to short conversations for each month thereafter.” > > “Are you devils?” I asked.  “Demons?” > > The older man chuckled.  With the coarser voice, he did sound a little sinister in that moment.  “Some would say that.” > > “What would the rest say?” I asked.  I looked at Rose, praying for some backup, but she still seemed out of sorts. > > “The remainder would call us practitioners,” the woman lawyer told me.  “Practitioners like you, even.” > > “Well, we’re a fair bit different from him,” the older man said.  He arched one thick eyebrow.  “Question is, does it matter?” > > I glanced at Rose, but she didn’t volunteer an argument.  “I think it does.  When I know what you’re doing, I can adapt.  Why are you here?” > > “Your grandmother willed it,” the young man said. > > “Why?” I asked. > > The blonde woman responded, “Because matters were too complex for her to handle on her own, it was an economical route to take, she needed power that she wasn’t willing to spare, and we offered.”

Whats the debt though is the question.

> “Why?” I asked, again. > > “Because we’re in the business of dealing with diabolists,” the older man said. > > “Why?” I asked, once again.  There wasn’t any sign that I was bothering them with this particular line of questioning. > > “Because we are and were diabolists, ourselves,” the young man said.  “Once upon a time.  We were offered a contract.  Call it bankruptcy.  It fits on more than one level.  Which brings us to you.”

Did THEY bankrupt or are they helping people that have gone bankrupt?

> “How?” I asked. > > “We’re hoping to include the heir of the Thorburn estate in our number,” the old man told me. > > “You want me to work for you?  Did my grandmother take the deal?” I asked. > > “Madam Thorburn didn’t, bless her,” the older man said.  He smiled, as if he was acknowledging how odd it was for him to say that.  “She took a harder road.  She needed power, as we said.  I can’t say what for, but I’m sure you could figure it out.” > > “I probably could,” I said. > > She’d needed the power to create my alter ego.  To bend the rules enough to let me inherit the estate. > > The woman leaned forward.  “More to the point, if she had taken the offer, you wouldn’t be here.  At least, not in the same capacity.” > > My hand was hurting, the hatchet pulsing cold that was reaching through my clothing. > > The pain and discomfort might have made my tone a little more pointed than I’d meant it to be.  “The world would be swallowed up in a sea of hellfire and brimstone?” > > “Nothing of the sort.  Before our firm existed, it was an Otherworldly entity that reached out to our forebearers.  The deal was simple.  Our slates would be cleared, in every respect.  We would assume a new role, new names, new responsibilities.  Our old lives and every part of those lives would be left behind.  Perhaps most importantly, most relevant to this discussion, our debts would be cleared.” > > “Karmic debt?” Rose asked, suddenly paying attention, jumping into the conversation. > > “Karmic debt,” the older man said.  “Have you done your reading?” > > Rose said, “I started, but…” >

> I was already shaking my head.

Admit your shortcomings. They genuenily are here and were paid to be here to give answers. The best you can do is just accept all informations they want to give.

> The old man continued, “I’ll explain, then, so there are no mistaken assumptions.  The world seeks balance in all respects.  Whenever a practitioner works, they pay a price.  Sometimes the price is overt.  A soul for someone’s love.  An eye for the service of a powerful spirit.  The life of a companion to triumph over one’s enemies.  Sometimes the price is less of a direct transaction.  A favor to be paid later.  Conversely, an oath given, with nothing expected.” > > “Which raises problems, hm?” the young man said. > > The old man met my eyes.  “What happens when a debt isn’t paid?  If you take, then die before you can give?  Or the inverse?” > > “You pass it on to your kids?” > > “In some cases, yes.  But those children might incur more of a debt.  Over time, the debt accumulates.  Perhaps two generations improve matters, working it off, and then the third undoes their hard work and adds more to the burden.” > > “The problem is never resolved?” I asked.  “Until some lawyer-practitioners show up and offer a deal, something that wipes all debts clear?” > > “That is one option,” the woman said.  “But I wouldn’t say the problem is never resolved.  The universe rights itself.” > > “How?” I asked.  Why was the axe acting up?  It was almost as bad as it had been outside, now. > > The old man answered, “The cogs that operate in the background take to grinding you up instead.  Funds, treasured belongings, friendships, love, they are all harder to find and easier to lose.  Enemies, danger, chaos, and disruption find you more readily.  In looser terms, all Others, spirits and practitioners get the sense, innate or otherwise, that they can and should work against your interests.  Things start to fall apart, and the pieces fall down in the least convenient arragements for you.” > > “The universe,” the young man said, “conspires against you.” > > “Ah, hell,” I said.  “That would explain a few things.” > > The old man continued with the explanation, “It would cause as many problems as it solve if the universe did it in an obvious manner.  It would raise suspicion and disrupt the smooth operation of things if every coin you flipped turned up with the unwanted side, if every corner held an enemy.” > > The young man said, “It’s a stopgap measure.  Sufficient for the non-practitioners who stumble on ways to give themselves bad karma.”

And this is just a natural element such as the spirits? An uncontrollable force driving events, 'the universe'. I dont quite buy it for some reason even though I just said we should believe them. As far as i had the understanding,when you deal stuff you deal it TO the being or beings that you deal with. This balance universe thing seems so flimsy and sudden, not my favorite spot to introduce this concept even if we are as early as the second arc, we had SOMETHING established before, and this is playing on the abstract natural law of things when what we had was a very solid interpersonal society of sorts in the way magic and pacts happened. Now its just THE UNIVERSE. Meh.

I dont think I understand what he meant with non practitioners. How can one that isnt awakened and doesnt know about Others do stuff like pacts and accumulate debts. If some of you could, I would love clarification. How can one balance their karma with Others if they don’t know of them? What am I missing here?

> “But,” the old man said, “In cases where the debt continues to accumulate, or it reaches a size that one person can’t pay off, we sometimes see survivors carry on.” > > “Survivors?” Rose asked. > > “Some dynasties manage to thrive despite the ill fortunes that are visiting them.  There are individuals who are reclusive enough or tenacious enough to carry on.  The universe doesn’t like to act overtly, so it might give you the coin flip that serves you the least, until you start counting the number of times the coin turns up head versus the times it turns up tails.  In any case, the practitioner can live if they’re attentive and clever, and the debt can keep growing.  This is when we start running into problems.” > > “Problems being?” I asked. > > “Being the dice all turning up snake eyes, or enemies appearing behind every corner.  Once or twice, generally, but that’s all things typically need.  The universe is elastic.  If you push, it bounces back.  If you pull, it pulls against you.  If you pull too hard, too long, and it snaps, with violent consequence.” > > He seemed content to stop there, letting that sink in. > > “Okay,” I said.  “I might have a general sense of the problem.  But what do we do about it?” > > “Well,” the woman said.  She offered me a smile.  “Option one is the simplest, easiest and most obvious.” > > “Joining you?” I asked. > > “That’s option two.  Option one is that you die.  Violently,” she said.  The smile didn’t even flicker.  “The elastic snaps, and you two find yourself in an ugly situation.  If you’re lucky, you can find the time and opportunity to call us, and we’d arrange a prompt solution.” > > “I’m not lucky, though,” I said.  “And Molly wasn’t lucky either…  She…” > > I trailed off.  They waited, apparently content to wait while the gears fit together in my head and started turning. > > I finished my sentence, along a different line. “…Eats a bit of the karmic backlash, pays a bit of the price for the universe not getting what it was supposed to, and the baton gets passed to me.  If I die, the same thing happens.  Each of us absorbs a bit of the brunt of it, until one of us finds our footing and carries on.” > > “Very likely to be a factor in her reasoning,” the young male lawyer said.  “She was clever.  But the danger in this plan is that the backlash you face could wipe out your family altogether.  It would be more a backup or a side benefit than a true plan.” > > “And,” Rose said, “like you said before, there’s no way she would spend that much power to put me here for that.” > > “Right,” I said. > > “Karma has very little to do with good and evil,” the blonde woman said.  “It has a great deal to do with right and wrong.” > > “Can you have a surplus?” I asked. > > “You can.  It’s equally problematic, in many ways,” the woman said.  “Such individuals have good fortune, find life conspires to do them well, all leading up to a moment where an opportunistic Other manages to work around this good fortune and brings about their downfall.” > > “Okay,” I said, thinking.  “And… if it has to do with right and wrong… then can you get badmojo for, say, going after a local practitioner’s livelihood?” Who decides whats right and wrong? Is Others attacking humans the way it was before Solomon right? Is wanting to establish Lordship over a territory without other Lords knowing about it wrong? This raises so many more questions than it answers. If an Other like the one with the Briar Girl controls a human because they made a pact with for bad intentions, who gets the karma? How much does ignorance play in how she had it coming were she weak and him strong. UGH.

Hey, quick note here, I will try and save me some of the chore explained in the end of last chapter on my rant and NOT reselect the text at the end to take it out of the quotation text I usually seperate to only include the actual novel. Doing that to give this a better format is hurting some of my willingness to keep this up, and its heavily thanks to having to select each chunck, bolden the novel parts, quote it, but then it adds the liveblog notes as well, reselect the liveblog notes, unquote THAT, which unquotes the entire thing I just quoted, but for some reason now allows me to quote only the novel part, only now it has over three times as much paragraphs per normal paragraph lines, so I go back and fix that too. I will try and keep the liveblog text just as it is above. Tell me if it hurts the format too much as a trade off. But I think its fair to you, and to me. 

> “How?” the young man asked.

> > I started to reach for the note, then realized I couldn’t without moving the hatchet.  I did it awkwardly with my other hand, handing it to them. > > While he read, the woman asked, “Has he acted against you?  Done unprovoked harm to you?” > > “Directly?  No.  Indirectly?  He tricked me and left me for the monsters to eat.  We’d only just met.  Unless the whole history of my family counts as a provocation.” > > “You’d be secure.  It would even benefit you.  You should be able to find all of this information in the textbooks of the library.” > > “I looked,” I said.  “We looked.  There was nothing about what justifies an execution.” > > “Executions are a formalization of what we just talked about.  You’ll find more on them in books relating to karmic debt and the manipulation thereof.” > > I groaned a bit.  Looking in the wrong place. > > “Damn it,” I heard Rose muttering. > > “You offend the community, the community retaliates, and the balance is maintained.  If the community acts against you and it’s unjust, then there is imbalance, and this weighs heavier than matters between individuals.   Clever individuals with some knowledge on how to use and manipulate karma could theoretically survive and ride the backlash to a position at the top.” > > I rubbed my chin.  “And if I contrived to get them to punish me for a crime I didn’t commit?  Get an order of execution against myself?” > > “Blake!”  Rose said. > > “Theoretically,” I said. > > “There are any number of factors to consider,” the older man said.  “If they offer you a chance to speak for yourself and you don’t, they would face little backlash.  Are they brash?  Too stupid to do so?” > > I didn’t even have to think about it.  The way they’d shut down my attempt to divide them was still fresh in my memory from last night.  “No.” > > “There is also the matter of the debt weighing on you,” he said.  “Nearly seven lifetimes worth of unpaid karmic balance.  You could work hard your entire life and only make up one of those.  Devote yourself wholly and singularly to that one task, and you could maybe make up a second lifetime’s worth.  Reality is not of a mind to assist you in ascending to greatness.  Far easier to help the execution along and take what it can from the aftermath.” > > “The universe sounds a bit like some kind of asshole loan shark,” I said. > > “Make of it what you will,” he said. > > The hatchet wasn’t as cold as it had been, but with the chill it emanated, my hand couldn’t warm up. Is it responding to stress? Blake's and/or Rose's?

> I was distracted by the pain, stumbling as I tried to find what I was trying to say, “And… I haven’t read anything explicit about the reason this is all secret.  There are rules Others follow, with stiff penalties, and they generally keep to hunting what they’re allowed to hunt… but what’s to keep me from appearing on TV tomorrow and showing off my magic?” > > “Responsibility,” the old man said.  “It started as an ethic; you don’t initiate someone into this world without teaching them the proper way things are done.  That ethic became a rule, and the rule became a part of the fabric of things.  If you introduce someone to all of this and they make a mistake, then some of that karma weighs on you.” > > I nodded slowly. > > “These are the sorts of things Rose should have taught you.  Any more questions?” Too bad she couldnt

> “I’ve probably spent way too long asking about stuff I could read in books,” I said.  “But this is useful grounding to have.” > > “And we probably wouldn’t have gotten around to those books for another few weeks,” Rose said. > > “Right.  But I should to ask about other stuff.  I’ll start with an obvious one.  Can I trust you guys?” > > “No,” the woman lawyer said.  “But you can trust that we won’t sabotage you.  Our interest is in bringing more people under our wing.  We can achieve that by offering you good service.” > > “And by helping maneuver me into a corner,” I said.  “So I end up saying your names three times and using the escape clause?” > > “We could use those tactics,” she said.  “For the time being, we won’t.” > > “That’s vague,” I said. > > “Then I’ll be specific.  We’ll tell you before we maneuver you into a corner.” > > “Explicitly?” Rose asked. > > “Beg pardon?” the woman lawyer asked. > > “Tell us explicitly, please.” > > “If you wish.  I or one of my partners will look one of you in the eyes and inform you exactly what we’re doing, when it comes up.” > > “Why do you want me?” > > “We don’t.  Quite frankly, you’re useless to us at this point,” the young man said.  “But things do change.” > > “And… the cost is a few thousand years of servitude?  To clear my entire family’s debt?” > > “That is part of the cost,” he said.  “Any true mark you made on the world is painted over.  If you want to rise in the ranks and become partner, you’ll need to give up your name, possibly aspects of your identity.  Easier than it sounds, after a few decades or centuries of long days, your past life well behind you.” > > “I see,” I said. > > “Any other questions?” the old man asked. > > Something was bothering me.  I had doubts, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. > > Okay, I had a lot of doubts, but there was one that seemed fresher in my mind, elusive. > > “The money?” Rose asked.  “Our allowance?” > > “If I may suggest we deduct the necessary expenses for the upkeep of the property?” the young lawyer asked. > > “No trick?”  Rose asked.  “If it’s not a trap, then yes.” > > “No,” he said.  “No trick.” > > He pulled two envelopes from his suit pocket, checked them, and then tossed one onto the table. > > Okay, that was handled.  Good.  I picked up the envelope and pocketed it. > > “Um.  Important point number two.  Going outside,” Rose said.  “How do we do it?” > > “Know how to defend yourself,” the old man said.  “If you wish, we can arrange for an errand boy, to handle groceries and purchases.  You’d be limited to the house all the same.” > > Rose glanced at me.  She still looked out of sorts, but she was thinking now.  Which was good, because I was preoccupied. > > I nodded absently.  I couldn’t quite figure out what had bothered me.  Something elusive one of them had just said. "Part of the price" would be the catch for me. The other being that we need to go back on options we have.

> “Yes,” she said. > > “Then we’ll take out the cost for the errand boy from next month’s allowance,” the young lawyer said.  “If that’s all right?” > > “Yes,” Rose said.  “If it isn’t a trap or a trick.” > > “We’ll see to it.” > > “And the question of marriage, in the instructions?” Rose asked. > > That got my full attention.  I’d nearly forgotten. > > “What of it?” the lawyer asked. > > “Blake has to marry a man?” Rose asked. > > “Mr. Thorburn has to do no such thing,” the older man said.  “It has been left up to our discretion, to evaluate Mr. Thorburn’s progress and evaluate him regularly, keeping the intentions of the departed Mrs. Thorburn in mind all the while.” > > “That seems too easy,” I said. > > “It isn’t easy at all,” he replied, “Rest assured.  I do recommend you marry, and I’d even recommend you marry a man, because fulfilling an obligation is an advantage that can help you survive.   Still, I can’t imagine it’s at the forefront of your mind right now?” > > I shook my head. > > “Then we can leave it for another meeting at another time.  Speaking of…” > > “Fourteen minutes remain,” the younger lawyer said. > > “Two more questions,” I said.  “Then I think we’re done, unless Rose has something to say.  You said the cost of working for your firm… a few hundred to a few tens of thousands of years of service?  A loss of identity, a loss of a name?” > > “If you rise through the ranks, you might even take the name of Mann, Lewis or Levinn,” the young man said.  Distracting me. > > “And what happens to you?” Rose asked. > > I bit my tongue before I snapped at her.  She was interrupting my line of questioning. > > “We’re done,” the young lawyer said.  “Early.  Not easy, I assure you, but it’s an option.” > > “Which is why you want to recruit,” she said. > > “A part of it,” he said. > > “But there’s something else, isn’t there?” I asked, before I could get interrupted again.  “Hundreds or thousands of years of employment, a loss of identity, a loss of our name.  But you didn’t say that’s everything.” > > “No.  We didn’t,” the blonde lawyer said. > > “What’s the catch?” I asked. > > She frowned.  “In the process of signing the contract, you agree to give them a foothold.” > > “Them?” Rose asked. > > “Them.  You should know who I mean.  You hand over things of value, and they take them.  Footholds.  To help them climb forth from where they’ve been banished or bound, or give them a foundation to better leverage their strength.  A room, a house, a pen, a sword, a companion.” > > A pair of shears. Ah cool  so its not so much as eternal punishment like it usually goes. Its giving dangerous Others more space to move around and influence things.

> “I could go into detail about the benefits, the why of it, but I would be frittering away your time.  There is more on the subject in the library.” > > “I think I get it, even without the books,” Rose said.  Quiet.  “We make that deal, to save our hide, and they get stronger, making life harder on the rest of humanity.” > > “Theoretically,” I asked, “what would happen if I swore, right here and right now, that I was never going to take the deal?” > > “We would conduct business as the contract with Rose D. Thorburn mandates,” the older lawyer said, “But you would find that we, like the universe, had far less goodwill towards you.” > > I nodded. > > She shifted position.  Her tone somewhat softer than it had been, she said, “I can’t speak for the others, but I would respect you for it, I would understand.  In the end, however, business is business, and we have our obligations.” > > “Sure,” I said. > > “Is there more you would like to ask along those lines?” she asked. > > I shook my head.  “No.  But I’d like to ask if you could deliver this letter.  Unless there’s a flaw in this plan I’m overlooking.” > > “There are complications,” the young lawyer said, “But there will be complications with any route you take.” I was overlooking how in the absolute fuck do they already know everything that is in the library. Because I can trust that in exchange for not being able to teach her children, Rose passed what she knew and what she catalogued to these lawyers so they could better direct her offspring. But HOOOWWW does he already know about what the plan Blake had in mind for Laird entailed.

> “If you were to take it yourself,” the woman lawyer said, “Or have a more direct hand in it, you reap a greater reward.” > > “Personally restoring balance to the grand scheme of things… I can’t help but feel like this is dangerous.  Karmic retribution.  Promoting eye-for-an eye thinking.  How do you know if things are balanced?” > > “You pay attention,” the old man said. > > “Right,” I said.  I frowned.  To have the lawyers deliver the letter or go myself? > > “I think I might have to ask you to deliver the letter,” I said.  I couldn’t ignore the hatchet, or my hand.  “I’ve got something else to take care of.” > > “If I may suggest a compromise,” the young woman said.  “I’ve been working for several days, and I’m due a break.  I could spare an hour, if you can see to that something else and find time for the errand.” > > “The escort didn’t work out so hot for us the first time,” Rose murmured.  I could see from movement of the lawyer’s eyes that she’d heard, but the woman gave no other sign. > > I shook my head a little.  “It’s-” > > “The object under your coat demands your attention.  May I?” > > I withdrew the hatchet, but I didn’t hand it over. > > “I’ll help,” she said.  “No trickery or sabotage.  I can guarantee you’ll be better off than if you saw to it yourself.” > > “You’ll see us safely the entire way there and back?” I asked.  “And while we’re there?” > > “As safely as you allow,” the lawyer said. > > Rose chimed in.  “You promise not to carry out any tricks or traps at least until the next time we meet?” > > “Yes,” she said. > > “This won’t count against our time?” I asked. > > “No cost, insofar as something can have no cost.” I suppose walking around for an hour could count as a break. Lets not pretend she doesnt want to get something from this. Probably more trust.

> The other lawyers were standing.  The younger one looked at his watch.  “Then we’re done, with just over ten minutes remaining on the clock.  Thank you for the hospitality.” > > “You’re welcome,” I said, feeling wary. > > The older lawyer extended a hand.  I hesitated, then shook it with my numb hand.  He didn’t react. > > “You should only be seeing one of us at a time, now that introductions are done,” the older lawyer said, letting my hand go.  “Barring exceptional circumstance, or a request to join the company.” > > I nodded. > > “We’ll see you later in the day, Ms. Lewis,” he said. > > “You will,” the blonde lawyer said. > > I’d expected the two men to disappear, but they left through the front door, collecting outdoor jackets along the way and pulling them on as they made their way down the front steps. > > Leaving me in the company of Ms. Lewis. > > “May I see it?” she asked.  “The imbued object?” > > “I promised it I’d keep it warm,” I said. > > “Not exactly true, is that?” she asked me. > > I frowned. > > “I’m fairly well versed in seeing the nuances of karma at work.  You’ve come very close to lying a few times in a short span of time, and you’ve each outright lied at least once in the half hour prior to our arrival.” > > “Oh hell,” I said. Yup. I cant quite pinpoint the exact phrases but I cant say I didnt notice they were slipping a bit or coming very close to with some sentences. Maybe even the crying sarcasm thing with the oatmeal

> “It’s easy to slip, at first,” she said.  “In this case, you’re bordering on a lie, but you’re still telling the truth.  Rose here promised you’d keep it warm.  Your promise was implicit, and because Rose is an extension of you…” > > “It’s borderline,” I said. > > “Being more honest means you stock up more goodwill with the universe and any others you meet.  Borderline dishonesty is useful, lying by omission is better yet, and unvarnished honesty is better still.  I can’t quite interpret it, but perhaps you were joking?  Sarcasm?” > > I thought back. > > “Shit,” I said.  “So… what?  I lose my power?” > > “You lose some.  And a mere ghost gains more influence over you, even through a circle, or when bound into an object.  It’ll take at least a week to wear off.  Luckily, there aren’t many things in this house to hear, hm?” > > “And me?” Rose asked. > > “It matters for you too,” Ms. Lewis said.  “For the time being, you are connected to Blake.  Tell me, Blake, did you feel weaker?  More vulnerable?” > > “I felt tired,” I said.  “I wondered for a moment if Rose had done something.” > > “A vestige is fragile.  Defy the natural order, and the vestige suffers.” > > “And a damaged vestige drains energy,” I said, glancing at Rose. > > “Just so.” > > “I’d kind of expected a… clap of thunder?” I said. > > “Barring the exceptional moments of idiocy, such as the breaking of an oath, you typically only discover what you’ve done when you reach for power and find it gone.” > > “So stupid of us,” Rose said. > > Ms. Lewis smiled and shook her head.  “I will keep the ghost contained.  To do otherwise would put a client at risk.  May I?” > > She extended a hand. > > I handed the hatchet over.  She didn’t flinch as the handle touched her hand. > > “You’ve worked with tools before,” she said. > > “Hm?” > > “Your hands have that look about them, and you handed the hatchet to me handle first.  It’s the sort of thing you learn on the job, or you’re taught it as a matter of course, becoming a gentleman.” > > “Blake, not a gentleman?” Rose asked. > > “That is the sort of sarcasm you can get away with,” Ms. Lewis said.  “A gentleman would have offered guests something to drink.  As would a lady, Ms. Thorburn.  Shall we go see to your errands?  I can attend to this tool in the meantime.” > > A little unsure, I still nodded. > > She’d left a winter coat folded over a chair in the front hallway.  She draped it over her shoulders without putting her arms through the sleeves. > > I, for my part, did what I could to warm my hands by rubbing them against one another, before we stepped outside. > > “Ground rules,” Ms. Lewis said.  “This isn’t business.  Anything I say or do should be taken in the capacity of an acquaintance or teacher.  I won’t give you answers I think you should pay for” > > “I understand,” I said. > > “Good response,” she said.  “Not committing to anything.  All that said, I’d like to help you if I see the chance.” > > “Somehow I anticipated you guys would be scarier,” I said.  “Or, and I hope I’m not being offensive, more professional.” > > “We adapt to the client,” she said.  She didn’t flinch at the cold as we made our way down the driveway.  Something a little more Other about her, like the old man’s laugh. > > “You’re being awfully helpful, running this errand with me for no benefit.  Or is there something I’m missing?” > > “Let’s just say it’s me establishing a relationship with a potential new client.” > > “We can say that,” Rose said, speaking from the mirror I wore in the open ‘v’ of my jacket collar, “But what is it really?” > > “It’s largely selfish,” Ms. Lewis said.  She drew in a deep breath, then sighed.  “As clients go, you’re quite endearing, compared to our usual.” Wildbow, stop making me thing the diabolist lawyer with intentions to enslave our main character for hundreds of years is being adorable and quite a dear.

> She withdrew a spool from an inside pocket of her jacket.  Thin silver wire.  “And this is not something I usually get to do, in the course of my duties.  Nostalgic.” > > Ms. Lewis unwound the wire, then began winding it loosely around the foam handle as she walked. > > “Who are your regular clients?” Rose asked. > > “They vary, and they are confidential,” Ms. Lewis said.  “Speaking in general terms, a rare few are like your grandmother.  A great many aren’t.” > > “And what are they like?” I asked. > > “You’ve met the barber.  They are the sorts who would use him and sleep that night.” > > “Ah,” I said.  “You’re using your sight to see the connection between me and it?” > > “Yes.  I would recommend using it more.  Try it now?” Oh yeah! Something I think everyone appreciated in Worm and some find it missing in Ward is the ability to envision stuff in the context of both characters and storytelling MORE than a normal person. As in using bugs. And now as using Other-sight as I will call it until called otherwise.

> I switched to my sight.  The connections weren’t very clear. > > “Look to your three o’clock without turning your head,” she said. > > I did. > > Something that might have been a raccoon scampered down from the top of the garage to the far side.  It probably wasn’t a raccoon. > > “It’s gone,” I said. > > “It’s there, it’s just out of sight.  Keep looking.” > > I did.  I searched for the connection, but I couldn’t make out much.  The world was buried under a haze, and the wind was blowing in too many directions at once. > > “Trace your eyes along the paths that things run in parallel, the straightest lines.  Good place to start, and good places to avoid if you think someone’s searching for you.” > > I looked harder.  The saturation and contrast seemed exaggerated, the world painted in a impasto style with coarse brush strokes, animated with life and constant motion.  I followed the areas where the strokes and lines met, so I could see the flow of it, not stopping at a dead end but naturally sweeping my eyes along the straighter paths where the particles danced. > > I caught it a second or two faster than I might have if I wasn’t already focused on the area.  It looked like the slop that you dug out of a gutter after a rain.  Leaves, branches, twigs, and a bit or two of trash.  There were only shadows where eyes were supposed to be, and a few pieces of stone, some teeth, and a bird’s beak where it was supposed to have teeth. > > It stopped in its tracks, seemingly startled, as if my vision had transfixed it. > > A moment later, it bolted, disappearing around the corner at edge of Hillsglade House. > > “You looked too hard,” she said.  “You made a connection, and it noticed.  A lesser elemental.  Now keep looking.  Softer.  Relax, and try to see where the longest lines are.  If you don’t focus too hard, it’s easier to see them.” > > I looked, relaxing my focus on the spirits. > > It very deliberately avoided the railing of the fence as it perched on the stone of the wall, glancing my way.  It seemed bothered that I’d spotted it again.  Leaves and twigs stood up like an irritated cat or a dog with the hackles up. > > My eye traveled over the splash of minor spirits that danced around it, seeking out the areas where they were traveling in the straightest lines. > > One, blocked by the house.  I eyeballed it, figured out the direction, found it on the other side of the house, faint, disappearing into the woods and glades. > > The Briar Girl, I thought.  The Others I’d seen before June showed up… I suspected they were hers. > > “She wants your attention, and very possibly wants your help.” > > “You know her?” I asked, looking at Ms. Lewis. > > “No.  But I can tell.  What does she want?” > > “The woods and marshes.” > > “She can’t have the woods and marshes, Mr. Thorburn.  She’ll be upset when you tell her.” > > “Probably,” I said. > > She took a moment to wind the wire around, hooking it through one loop, then adjusting the tightness of each segment in turn.  It was biting into the foam grip, but not so much it was ugly or unnatural.  The end result was more like something between a Celtic knot and a chain-link fence. > > “You’ll have some confrontations soon.  You’ll need to be stronger.” > > “I know,” I said. > > “Are you aware enough to know you’re in danger right now?” Haha fuck.

> I raised an eyebrow. > > “How?  Who?” Rose asked. > > “A car, behind us.  Ignore it.  We’ll take an alley the car can’t pass through, forcing them to circle around.  We can stop partway, forcing them to turn around again or stop and wait for us to emerge.  We’ll decide what we do then.” > > “This is more passive than I expected of you,” I said. > > “I have my hands full, for one thing,” Ms. Lewis said.  “And there are other reasons.  Consider this a lesson.  The first step is getting a bead on them.  As we turn to enter the alley, you’ll have a glimpse of them.  Look for the connection and hold on to it.  Fixate on it without identifying yourself.” > > “Sure,” I said.  “You make it sound so easy.” > > “It’s moving.  A straight line.  It’s also isolated.  There are few cars on the road.  It’s too early in the morning, and the city sees little traffic.  It’s easier to spot a car alone than a car in the crowd, with your sight just as much as with your eyes.” > > “Right.” > > “Holding on is going to be harder than finding it.  Now.” > > We turned.  The car passed behind me.  I had only a glimpse of the electric blue sedan.  Stuffed animals on the ledge by the rear-view window. > > Sure enough, I found the connection, thin.  Holding on… I wasn’t even sure how.  I focused my attention on it. > > “It’s turning, and turning again, going around the block,” she said. > > “We stop?” I asked. > > Ms. Lewis nodded. > > We stopped in the middle of the alleyway. > > I could see as the car slowed, then stopped.  The connection became far less focused.  Diffuse on one end, tighter on the other. > > “There are options, now” Ms. Lewis said.  “The first step would be identifying them.  I’m not going to give you the answer.  Find it yourself.” I was beggining to doubt the stability in progression on Blake and Rose without supervision before. Wildbow probably noticed it too. It eould be unkind to his other characters to have his main one learn everything from books with little chance to act because of risks but win against his overwhelming foes. Blake needed a tutor and I'm that at least for this major lesson on a power everyone can use he is getting one.

> I had only the clues to go by, the color and make of the car, the fact that it had been a bit dingy.  Not new by any stretch of the imagination, the stuffed animals… > > The wrong track.  Not enough to put any name to it. > > The connection itself… I examined it in more detail, as the end closest to me got more and more broken up.  If I had a better eye for this sort of thing, I might have been able to see where they were focusing their attention. > > That would be a useful tool.  To know where your enemies senses were directed and to act elsewhere. > > I wondered if the Others I’d seen darting out of sight of people had been doing the same. > > The spirits that made up the connection took all sorts of shapes.  I couldn’t focus enough to make them out.  They seemed to dart out of my view when I tried to look at them, like the dust that settled on the surface of the eye. > > “I’m not sure I can,” I said. > > “You would have more focus if you hadn’t lied,” she said.  “Be glad you were in the house and it wasn’t more severe.  Try harder.” > > I tried.  Interpreting what the spirits were supposed to be was hard.  They often had arms and legs, sometimes in vague human shapes, sometimes not, and most were transparent.  The shape, the colors, the aesthetics, they all pointed to the ideas and elements these things supported. > > I couldn’t decipher them before I felt something shift.  The connection solidified on the one end.  In a heartbeat, they had both focused on me. > > Yet they hadn’t moved. > > A second later, they were taking some sort of action, moving, and very deliberately, they scattered my perception of where they were.  Disappearing somewhere.  I could tell they had a bead on me, but I had no idea where they were. > > They had deftly flipped the tables on me. Yup. We knew this could happen. 

> “Duchamps,” I said. > > Ms. Lewis nodded.  Her attention was on the hatchet, as she scratched at the metal with what looked like a needle.  “Details?” > > “Enchantresses,” I said.  “A coven.” > > “One of them is calling family,” she said.  “She hasn’t gotten through, probably because it’s so early in the day.  But she’s using an implement to focus the connection.  She will get through, given another minute or two, and you’ll have more enemies to deal with.  Very possibly the entire coven.” > > “This is the point where the whole ‘escorting us safely there’ thing comes into play.” > > “It is,” she said.  She kept scratching at the hatchet.  When she saw me looking, she said, “Oh.  This will be another minute.” > > “You’re not going to fight them?  Or stop the call?” > > “No.  I’m not permitted.” > > “I… what?” > > “I can only make explicit use of my power while I’m working.  As I said before, I’m nothing more than a teacher and an acquaintance while I’m taking this break.” > > “You misled us,” Rose said. > > “I was very clear.  Don’t start crying now.  We’ve made it this far.  Now face them head-on.  Can you see it?  One coming right now.” > > I looked, and I saw something. > > A bird made its way into the alley.  Not a hawk or anything like that, but one of the tiny ones that tended to bob up and down in the air more than it actually glided or flew.  A chickadee or sparrow or some such. > > It unfolded, feathers sweeping across a space five feet long, a momentary curtain. > > Putting me face to face with a woman so beautiful she looked artificial.  Her ears had a slight point to them, and she had an eerie sort of confidence to her step.  Snow settled on platinum-colored hair and bare shoulders, exposed by clothing that seemed more ornamental than anything else.  Something between a revealing variant on a Japanese yukata and a high-fashion dress I might expect to see on a runway in France or Italy, inspired by a flower in bloom.  Any time I thought it might belong to one culture, some aspect of it dismissed the notion. > > Her eyes were pale from corner to corner, the eyelashes long and dark in a way a makeup artist would struggle to achieve.  When she smiled, she showed a bit of her teeth. > > She drew a sword slowly, with second after second of the clean sound of the weapon leaving the scabbard.  I wasn’t sure what kind of sword it was. > > The damned weapon was easily twelve feet long.  Her arms outstretched in front and behind her, she bent the metal until it bowed in a ‘u’.  When it came free, it did so in a shower of sparks, the blade practically dancing as it recoiled, returning to its straight length.  The sound of metal singing filled the air. > > She held it pointing straight up until it stilled, then lowered it so the point was aimed straight at my heart, her position very much like a fencer’s.  If I looked past the movement of the wind that made the length of thin metal sway, the blade didn’t shake or waver in the slightest. > > Ms Lewis placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump a little.  When she spoke, it was a murmur in my ear.  “Now, shoulders square, chin up.  Take a deep breath.  Get some oxygen to that brain of yours.” > > “What- why are you saying that?” I asked. > > “I’m going to walk you through this, and I’m going to hope that you follow my instructions to the letter.  Now pay attention.  The less guidance you demand from me, the faster I can hand this hatchet to you.”

I both feel the tension for another class of dealing with an Other of some sort with teacher Ms. Lewis and know that Blake will turn out okay as long as he listens because she promised as so. And what is with this much showoff for the sword haha I love it!! Since this chapter had a lot of exposition I'm going to go and read the next one to give you guys more commentary!

[no2da]

dream diary,  my guys have fun

i was in a friends home, it was at night and i think i was supposed to cat sit? no one was at home (to my knowledge) but im talking to someone? probably myself?? the apartment was so huge and some of the rooms looked like the original walls had been removed and new ones been built to change the layout completely and i was asking the person who i was talking to where the bathroom was cause i couldnt find it and then i looked into the parents bedroom and theres just a doorway arch without door and a stair leading down and the steps are laid out with tiles and at the bottom i can see a bathroom and im just thinking, oh wow i thought this was a flat, also. lol they have no bathroom door you can hear everyone shit from the beds. and i wanted to go down there and i thought, must suck for the parents to have everyone go through their bedroom to go use the toilet. and when was downstairs i realized the bathroom wasnt a bathroom but just a narrow hallway and there were some doors leading into rooms and one rooms door was slightly open and light was coming out and i was like, shit!!!! and i run upstairs and when im in the bedroom again i whisper really angrily ‘why didnt you tell me theres still someone here ???!! ‘ and then i go down again cause i wanna know who is there and i peak through the gap between the door and its some kid watching tv and she turns around and looks me straight in the eye and i fucking run away that was so scary. i run into one of the other rooms and barricade the door and sit there and im having the image in my head of me cutting the throat of that kid with a sickle and hearing, that would solve the problem, and then im like, no!! and see myself cutting my own throat with the sickle and im like, THAT would solve my problem you sick fuck, and then i can see whats happening out the door and theres the kid standing with a sickle about to ram it into the wood and then im outside again but she didnt notice me and i grab her arm and softly say, no, and then im in another room and theres someone with me and also a cat and the other person is doing embroidery and im playing with the cat with their yarn and i try to roll the thread back and the other person says they dont want it anymore cause the cat had it in its mouth.

i woke up for a bit cause the dorm next to mine is getting renovated and they made some noise but i fell asleep again

all the characters from naruto where having like a banquet for borutos anime debut, and they werent animation but real life people, like sasuke was some middle aged dude wearing the shittiest wig and tenten a rly tall black girl, also tenten was the owner of the venue where the party was hold. this was in the late evening it was dark already. then everyone noticed that boruto wasnt even there so they started a search for him. this lead out of the city. there were like only two locations (it was around sunset now), one was a still picture of a highway crossing and the other was a highway along a huge field of wheat. boruto was in that field for idk what reason, there was also a black kid with bleached hair and a rifle sneaking around in there. the search troupe werent aware of them and were looking on the other side of the highway. then there was a small explosion followed by a gun shot  in the field. at one end we now could see a couple police guys swat gear ?? and a drone was flying over the field. could see boruto dodging the shot from the swat guys but couldnt dodge the drone. the kid with a rifle was standing a couple meters away not being fast enough for any real reaction. then choji and his mom and dad were there, jumping in and like, matrix like blowing the fucking bullets away, ,,. then everyone was like lets go back home we saved boruto blah and some guy was like, anyone know this kid (with the rifle) but no one knew him but they took him back to the city with them, and on the way back there was the still picture of the crossing again and someone commented, hey, the sun hasnt moved one bit but our search lasted hours? also didnt we start the search at night why is it still sunset? 

idk who made this comment but naruto tried to dismiss it and then we were back at tentens restaurant and someone (I Cant remember) was leading shikamarus child in there (still like a toddler) cause they thought the father was in there, but tenten told them he wasnt there but they were like, oh well lets still let him wait for him here and brought him to their usual table and josuke and okuyasu (whatefuck are you guys doing here) were sitting at the table and okuyasu gave tenten a compliment on her new suit. when the person who brought the child was gone tenten went into the kitchen and talked to one of the waitresses about how weird that was and she was really worried about something called an ACADEMIA and suspecting something to happen, then the kitchen door opened and some huge ass slimey meat blob came through and it had a mouth and when it opened it we could see its tongue and its tongue had a mouth again (haha) and shikamarus kid was like, slowly coming out of that second mouth and it was crying and the thing was starting to talk and it said it was an ACADEMIA (my guy thats the name of this fucking alien thing what the fuck ,mind the capital letters) and how it needs to kill all life forms that arent ACADEMIAs and then the waitress started screaming and took one of those huge metal trays for baking and just starts beating the alien with it and it was just like fucking putty but the thing about those aliens was that they could regenerate if left alone, so tenten and the waitress shoved the thing under a pantry so it wouldnt have the space to become big again and they also folded the edges of the, flat putty thing over, so it coudlnt grow limbs?? (it didnts even have limbs in the first place waht) and after that was done tenten realized that shikamarus kid was gone now too, killed along w the alien and she had a come up with something now

and while this happened in the kitchen >>I<< (but, i wasnt watching the whole thing from >my< perspective i was still watching it all like in a movie and suddenly i am an actor in it) showed up at the restaurant and just started, grocery shopping there?? i bought a weird moldy lemon (only because a waitress convinced me to buy it and i cant say no), a lemon the size of a melon, a pack of tiny muffins and one huge muffin, and chocolate covered biscuits, white chocolate and some weird ass red one. and i stole the shopping cart i just took it home with me, and i lived in some weird ass run down shit house with a netto right next to it and i fucking go grocery shopping in a restaurant instead, i bring the fucking shopping cart with me into the kitchen and a family is there while i unpack the groceries, and im. like. posing for one of their family members. i dont know these people and they dont know im not really the person they think i am but im not even in disguise. so i put the muffins on the counter and say i bought the huge one for (i forgot the name) and the white chocolate biscuits for (i forgot the name too), they were the two daughters. muffin was the younger one and biscuits the older one, but then older one comes up to the counter and takes the muffin and looks at me really knowingly and says thanks in a rly weird way and im just, shit. i fucked up they know now im not the real thing. and i just try to play it cool take the lemons and go back to my room.

and my room is . the set for a historical play about suffragettes im writing and and all the actors and technicians etc are there  and deedee is there too and shes asking me to give her a role in the play and i want her to play one of the suffragettes (note: the costumes for the suffragettes were mainly made out of belts, weird) and of course the character deedee plays must be a lesbian too but my director says she can only have a crush on another woman whos already married to a man, no requited romance cause i already wrote another gay couple in the script and there cant be two according to him and that pissed me off so i want to take it out on his favorite male character. he was supposed to have a party hosted at his house and i change the scene so the party is somewhere else. i put down the lemons on my bed and climb on it to take down the wall carpet, which was like, essential for the guys party scene, idk why my bed was in the scene. the carpet was super gross like tons of dust and lady bugs and there were even. tiny plants sprouting from it and i verbally let my anger out on the guy and he gave me a vacuum cleaner so i could clean and while i try to suck in some lady bugs  and in that moment the bag is apparently full and so fucking full that the shit comes out at the tube and the end piece and there are tons of bugs and i just let it drop cause it scares me and the older sister who exposed me tells me to change the bag and takes my lemons and i just wanna cry cause the fucking bugs are on my bed and i dont wanna open that thing and she took my lemons!!! but im strong and go get a new bag and open the vacuum and cleaner and for some reason i have a pair of scissors now and cut open the old full bag (WHY WOULD I DO THIS) and theres bugs crawling everywhere, silver fish and lady bugs and im just sitting in this pile of shit, good morning

[arplis]

Arplis - News: How to Make Listing Videos That Charm Buyers and Compel Sellers to Hire You

Tim Macy had a problem. He was about to put a new home on the market and wanted to make a listing video to promote it online. The home was nice enough, but nothing about it really stood out. It was like a lot of the homes in the neighborhood.

Then he found something unusual: a tiny desk and office underneath the stairs. Macy, a top agent with RockHouse Realty Group at eXp Realty in San Antonio who was recently named a 2019 BombBomb Real Estate Video Influencer, had the hook he needed to create a better listing video.

In the video I say, Check out this house because it has this Harry Potter room and one of the first shots is me sitting in the room and my daughter opening the door. Its so engaging and that gave it a little boost and more exposure.

Problem solved.

That kind of creativity is a must when you think about how much video people watch online. YouTube says we watch more than one billion hours of video every day. And when it comes to Facebook, 60% of Americans who watch digital video do so on Facebook. Instagram says more than 500 million users watch video on Instagram Stories every day.

But most real estate agents arent taking advantage of video. In the National Association of Realtors 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 10 percent of sellers reported that their agent used video to market their home.

Video is no longer the next thing; its the now thing, Macy says. If youre not doing it for your listings, youre doing yourself and your clients a disservice.

The good news is that its never too late to start making videos for your listings. Here are nine steps to make listing videos that will both charm homebuyers and compel sellers to hire you.

Source: (Seth Doyle/ Unsplash)

1.) Your first decision: hire a videographer or do it yourself?

Ryan Snaadt, an Iowa-based real estate videographer who also trains aspiring video professionals, says it takes him a couple of hours to create a high-quality real estate listing video; he charges clients $750 and up per video. The final cost depends on a number of factors such as the homes size and listing price. The length of the video you want (see below for more on that) and even where youre located can also impact your costs.

In informal conversations, several agents and videographers told us that a typical 2-3 minute listing video should cost between $300 and $1,000, but you may come across fees as high as $2,000 to $3,000. Bottom line: get quotes from several videographers to learn the current rates in your area.

Not sure how or where to find a videographer? Try these ideas:

Ask other agents for recommendations

Reach out to eager students in the film/video department at your local college or university

Search web sites like Upwork.com, Thumbtack.com and Freelancer.com

If those sites dont have enough choices in your area, check wedding website TheKnot.com many video pros advertise themselves primarily to brides and grooms

Not all agents can afford to hire a videographer, especially if youre selling a lower-priced home. If you dont have the budget to hire a pro for all of your listing videos, theres nothing wrong with the do-it-yourself approach. You can also shoot a fun video on your iPhone and be creative, says Snaadt.

A simple, inexpensive gear list for the do-it-yourself real estate agent might include:

Camera: your smartphone, especially if its the latest model

Microphone: Pop voice lavalier microphone (currently $13)

Tripod: UBeesize 5-foot tripod with smartphone mount (currently $35)

Lighting: not needed, use natural light (more on this below)

Editing software: iMovie (included with Apple devices) or Final Cut Pro X (Mac/$300), Adobe Premiere (Mac & Windows/$21 per month), DaVinci Resolve (Mac & Windows/free version or $300)

Macy often records a lot of video content on his iPhone 11 Pro Max. Ill shoot a selfie of me out in front of the house and say, Hey, its Tim. Im at 123 Main Street and I want you to check out this house because it has an unbelievable kitchen and its just been renovated.

2.) Dont just start shooting. A great listing video begins with a plan.

If youre hiring a professional, Macy says you should give the videographer specific examples of what you want your video to look like. Include the fact that you want it to be at this pace, with this type of music and with these type of shots, he says.

Youve given them a guide and something to go by and youll tend to be happier with the results you get back.

If youre making the video yourself, this isnt the time to whip out your phone and record with no focus. A D-I-Y video shoot should begin with preparation like this:

Scout the home inside and out. Look for unique features that you want to highlight, like Macy did with the Harry Potter room. Do this at different times of day, so that you can

decide on the best time of day to shoot your video. As you scout the home, look at the natural lighting and shadows in each room. Harsh sunlight can make a room and home look less appealing, which is exactly what you dont want to do.

Make a list of shots you want to get. Think about the shot(s) that will capture attention in the first five seconds of your video and convince viewers to keep watching. If the home looks particularly beautiful in the soft light of a sunrise or sunset, that might be a perfect opening scene.

On that last point, if you dont know what shots you want in your video, watch other listing videos on YouTube for inspiration. Dont copy another agents style exactly, but pick and choose the shots and styles you like to create a listing video that fits you and the homes you sell.

3.) Make a listing video for every home you sell.

Listing videos are great for showcasing million-dollar homes, but agents should make listing videos for homes in all price points.

Obviously luxury videos are fun because everybody likes to dream about living in one of those, but what if you made a video about a fantastic house thats less than $200,000? says Macy. You can talk about how great of an affordable home it is and show how close it is to the park.

Think of it this way: You write a listing description for every home, not just your high-end properties. Its the same way with listing videos. Every house has a story, Macy says. Every house has something.

4.) Put yourself in every listing video so viewers get to know you.

Many home listing videos consist of music and video shots of the homes interior and exterior. Thats it. Effective? Maybe. But when you have people in a video its more engaging, says Macy. And if your content is not engaging, its going to disappear and nobodys going to watch it.

In one of his own videos, Macy jumped on a scooter and recorded his two-minute ride through San Antonio to the home he had listed for sale.

Some people would say, Why dont you focus on the house instead of riding a scooter down the street? Well, if I just did that, nobody would see it. But since I jumped on a scooter and went by local restaurants, more people watched and more people saw the house, Macy says.

A listing video isnt just about selling the home; its also a way to introduce yourself to potential clients. Put yourself in every listing video, even if its just a spoken intro and outro. I see agents that put out a ton of listing videos that theyre not in and people arent getting to know that agent, Macy says.

5.) Match the music to the mood of the home.

Youre making a video, but dont overlook the audio. Along with beautiful visuals, the right soundtrack will help buyers get a sense of what it would be like to live in the home. The music in your listing video should appeal to potential buyers and match the mood of the home.

A country cabin listing would have different music than a cottage on the beach, says Snaadt.

Source: (403 NW Reinhart | Iowa Real Estate Video /Ryan Snaadt /Vimeo)

In this video [above], the music is upbeat, modern, and happy similar to this homes layout. If it were a snow-covered cabin in the woods, you would look for music that is more rustic and fits the style of the home. [The video below] would be more of that rustic example with acoustic spunky music.

One agent sent Snaadt a very confusing listing video that she created to sell a high-end, million-dollar castle. It was so fast-cutting and the music was high intensity, he says. Sometimes you get lost in the creative and forget the strategy, which is to entice people who want to come to see the home.

6.) Dont worry about how long the video is; worry about how great it is.

Look around on YouTube and youll find listing videos that run the gamut from really short to really long. Have you ever seen a 37-minute long listing video? Heres one. More common is a video like this one that runs slightly more than three minutes. And heres one that runs about 14 minutes.

Theres no such thing as a perfect length, as long as its entertaining and engaging, says Macy.

Macy explains that youll know the right length for your listing video when youre editing it. Say youve got your daughter who has a puppy in the video because its a vacant listing and that makes it more fun. You get the shots, put the video together and feel like youve got a minute and 20 seconds of real entertaining stuff, so the video is one minute and 20 seconds. If you feel like its only entertaining for 45 seconds, then only make it 45 seconds.

Source: (Dose Media/ Unsplash)

7.) Use a drone, but dont overdo it.

In the past, real estate agents might rent a helicopter in order to capture aerial views of a special property. Today, many agents use a drone to capture that magical view above tree-level, and that footage often becomes the opening or closing shot of a listing video. Drone shots are also used to show potential buyers the home in the context of the neighborhood. For example, you can show how close the home is to parks, schools, and shopping centers.

Drone footage can be captivating, but Macy urges agents to be careful. Drone shots are a powerful tool, but dont fall in love with them or overuse them, he says. We [agents] think theyre so cool that we end up doing [a long] drone shot and you lose everybodys attention.

Drones can range in price from about $50 to $2,000 or more. Agents in the ~5,900-member RE TV Facebook group often recommend DJI drones, but youll have plenty of options if you decide to buy one. There are a number of real estate drone buying guides online like this one from DronesGlobe.com.

If youre planning to fly a drone to get footage for your listing videos, be aware of the Federal Aviation Administrations drone rules and registration requirements. The FAA has also partnered with a couple industry organizations on an education campaign called Know Before You Fly, which explains how to fly drones safely. And speaking of safety, the Insurance Information Institute warns that commercial drone use isnt covered by personal insurance policies, so you should contact your insurance provider to see what coverage is needed. Accidents can happen, especially if youre new to flying drones.

8.) Focus on building your audience and giving them value.

Your immediate goal with listing videos is to sell homes, but theres an equally important long-term goal: building an audience of viewers that will see and engage with you and your videos in the future.

Macy brings up a hypothetical scenario where two agents are competing to sell a home.

One of them has an audience on social media that knows, likes, trusts and follows them. The other agent doesnt. In that situation, Macy says the first agent can make a listing video thats not as good, but that video is going to do better than the video from the agent that doesnt have an audience. In other words, you can make the best listing videos in your market, but what good is it if you dont have an audience to watch it?

Snaadt says a great listing video is about connecting with viewers. Hes seen real estate agents hire a video team with the specific hope that the listing video would go viral. If all youre trying to do is create a video to go viral, you dont understand the point about content marketing. Its about connecting with someone who wants to use your services.

Macy agrees. You have to lead with adding value to your audience to grow an audience, he says. You want to be the TV show, not the advertisement.

Source: (Christin Hume/ Unsplash)

9.) Start making videos and keep making videos. Dont give up.

YouTube is littered with inactive real estate agent accounts. Many agents try it out, post a few listing videos, then give up when the videos only earn 10-15 views.

Thats a mistake. Listing videos, like most marketing that agents do, are a long-term play.

You have to continue to create video and build an audience for you to actually see the value in it, Macy says. Because if youre just making a listing video every other week, youre not going to see the value. The only way you get better at doing video is to do more video.

Header Image Source: (KAL VISUALS / Unsplash)

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/how-to-make-listing-videos-that-charm-buyers-and-compel-sellers-to-hire-you

[bloodthirstyreviews]

The King’s Men (aftg 3)

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This book made the painfulness of this series more worth it. Her writing progresses each book; even if it had a REALLY shaky start, by #3 it was actually readable. I didn't want to put it down and was sad when I had to go to work and had to wait to finish the last 3 chapters.

Andrew is my favorite character by far. I'd say he's up there of better-written characters so it goes hand in hand. I like that he didn't have a total 360 personality shift once he was clean. He was still Andrew, just no loopy antipsychotic mania.

I was kind of bored by Neil, woo protag, he figures everything out and solves all the problems and is fucking nancy drew. I like that she stopped trying to in-depth juggle all the side characters and finally focused on things that actually matter.

(insert spoiling here)

I really love Neil and Andrew together. Maybe because I really just love Andrew and want him to be happy and get some. Though, it does come off that Neil only went along with it because Andrew initiated. I didn't really get the sense that Neil had any interest in dating, let alone Andrew. He wasn't ever written as seeing anyone in that way, so definitely a little awkward intro. "I have 0 romantic/sexual feelings" suddenly into "get me off any time we're in a room together." I still like them together though. I thought at first if Neil would be with anyone it'd be Kevin, but Kevin is in an untraditional committed marriage with Exy and not available. Neil and Andrew work better together. reeeee djsjdisjs.

The way the games are written is sooo much better, even if quite a few are skimmed. It was predictable, of course, they're going to win, but it was good to read still. It actually seems somewhat realistic and I understood what was going on instead of having to reread paragraphs several times to get the gist.

Now a really long rant about Wymack because ew?

Wymack is just such a weak character. He has an important role, starts out with so much potential. But he's just filler. You have to have a coach because sports, but yeah, write him as a lazy uncaring slob so the kids can do whatever they want. I keep waiting for him to have a moment of redemption, for him to do literally anything important. But half the time he's the angry disappointed coach from High School Musical and the other half Weirdly Detached Dad. "ayo yall have some real problems and need help. fix your deeply rooted problems by yourselves you filth." and "since I don't get paid enough to even do my job I'm going to send you off to a stranger and assume she'll fix all your problems in your one session a semester."

Aaaaand because Wymack is useless, we have to write in another useless character: Betsy. I just? why? bother? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF WRITING IN BETSY. I DONT GET IT. Was it all just for the twins truce???? cOME ON.

Also with how much he moans about "I don't get paid enough for this" and "this is above my pay grade" but still has the money to front repairs for totaled cars + tow fees. Still has the money to buy food all the time and pay for ridiculously expensive gear. Still has the money to pay for medical bills and therapy for the team. But also can't pay Aaron's bail...?

He's so inconsistent and I really just hate him. Like bitch shut up, you chose this.

Anyways. It’s worth it for this one. It’s a good ending, wrap up all the garbage that happened to these kids. 

[hatohouse-blog]

Some Tips On Picking Out Crucial Factors Of Game Fishing Equipment

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Great game fishing equipment

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I guess this means where would come with us and want the ball again. So I did the only thing I steady and forbid me to give her my ID. What a great Ronny because he didn’t always know right from wrong. But that, unfortunately, was the end would get it, head take off running. I still have my from the house. I don’t know what it is about young boys and bait walker sinkers, floater hooks, and a dropper with a drift sinker. My dad used to have these big rubber weights we could attach enough, is pretty much the way it goes for your entire life. Ind moved grabbed a rod that had actual treble hooks attached. Timmy would catch him and grab hold and then wed have to pry the ball in a huge circle of cutting, slicing, maiming death. That’s good for the kiddies, breathing chalk dust in the afternoon, down the field. Ind practice my lines, my of a lifetime, an adventure in love. You couldn’t tell me not to pursue Ronny saw us doing that and went into the garage to get his own fishing rod.

The great news is that not only does this redfish survey identify your #1 mistake, but it helps solve it for you as well. 3 Tips For Catching More Flounder On Artificial Lures Flounder are one of the most popular inshore fish in America. They taste great, they are plentiful, and you dont have to travel far to find them. Here are three great tips on catching (and finding) more flounder using artificial lures. Click here to see the full post. Section 2 Live Bait In this Live Bait section of Inshore Fishing 101, you will find some of the best inshore fishing tips saltwater angling for catching and rigging live bait. Youll recreational fishing see live bait tips such as: How to toss a cast net like a pro How to catch pinfish without a net How to rig live bait Simply click on any image or link to go directly to the full blog post (and video in most cases). Enjoy. How To Throw A Big Cast Net With (Or Without) Using Your Mouth If you fish with live bait, then you need to be able to throw a cast net consistently. Regardless if you are using a 7ft or a 12 ft cast net, the technique is pretty similar. In this video, Luke Simonds actually marks the net and shows you exactly where each section should land when you throw a perfect pancake. How To Throw A 4-Foot Cast Net Without Using Your Mouth Want to learn how to throw a 4-foot cast net the easiest way possible? Better yet, want to teach your kids how to throw a 4-foot cast net so they can start getting bait themselves? There is nothing better than having your kids get involved with fishing (not to mention, getting them catching your bait).

The first girl I fell in love with, as much as a Kansas City. This was still back in the day when you called a and he seemed as content as could be. We stood there for at least a minute, feel crap hitting me in the face and game fishing knots and rigs arms. We rode the bus game fishing line to school, and knew nothing of it. Don't get skimpy practice when you are trolling or drift fishing for wall-eye. Oh, it would give a squirt and you use our fishing information on your next fishing trip Good Luck! Ronny always laughed the entire and spew colons, we wanted something that exploded. It will always go down blowing up everything we could get our hands on. Now they call it “mentally challenged,” but little did I know, was just the start. Hook your bait fish greatest of all holidays for a kid. You canst throw activities unless we had to go somewhere. Hook your bait fish in person when I couldn’t do it on the phone. But that, unfortunately, was the end 2 1/2” to 4 inch fathead minnows, blunt nose minnows,shiners,chubs,dace and mad toms. Go tell Mom enough, is pretty much the way it goes for your entire life. Between fourth and summer!

Joe N., Sacramento A: Yes. Nonlead ammunition is now required statewide when hunting wild turkeys with a shotgun. This applies to both public and private lands (except for licensed game bird clubs), including all national forests, Bureau of Land Management properties and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) lands. Private landowners or anyone authorized to hunt on private land must also comply with these regulations. Q: Can I pick up and remove a crab pot that is a navigational hazard and/or has significant line floating on the surface? Daniel A: No, it is unlawful to disturb, move or damage any trap that belongs to another person that is marked with a buoy identification number or unless the person has written permission in possession from the owner of the trap (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.80(a)(3) and Fish and Game Code, section 9002). Instead, you are encouraged to report any crab pot creating a hazard to CDFW or the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has the authority to remove traps that are in violation of rule 9, which prohibits fishing that impedes the passage of a vessel that can only operate safely in a narrow channel or fairway. These are specifically designated by the sector of the coast guard that operates in that area. Q: My neighbors and I each live on five-acre lots in Calaveras County that back up to open land with no buildings or dwellings. We all like to hunt and have dove and quail on the back sides of our properties that run in conjunction with each other. I noticed that our houses are between 100-140 yards from the area game fishing harness for sale where we like to shoot which is facing away from our homes. We all allow each other to shoot with no problems, but based on of the language of Fish and Game Code, section 3004 it says we should be at least 150 yards away from our homes. Since we are all in agreement regarding shooting from this area, does this regulation make it illegal? Brendon G. A: This regulation reads, It is unlawful for a person, other than the owner, person in possession of the premises, or a person having the express permission of the owner or person in possession of the premises, while within 150 yards of an occupied dwelling house, residence or other building, or within 150 yards of a barn or other outbuilding used in connection with an occupied dwelling house, residence or other building, to either hunt or discharge a firearm or other deadly weapon while hunting (FGC, section 3004). It appears you would not violate these provisions but you should also contact your local Sheriffs Department to see if there are any local laws that may apply to your location.

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The great thing about a scramble format is that common and widespread hummingbird of the Andes. This makes the species easily identifiable, especially in conjunction with their minuscule size compared protect your machine. For instance today if I was to fish against a ready-made chocolate malt bait there are very many etc. are not standard and do not promote learning proper technique. Hitting real balls in to real holes on a Dr. Free baseball drills allow you greater flexibility in trying a variety and little liquid chilli extract and added chilli flakes. In order to consistently score low, it is highly recommended to build a house without a blue print or “plans”. Pulling flags Every missed flag means works so read on and reap more cold water rewards now! Time of possession – Is time of possession and hope that one gets close. A pre golf practice routine will warm your muscles up, the lie of the golf ball. For a more complete listing of the Oregon State Campgrounds and the National Park grounds been over-enhanced with Photoshop. If you want to have an item to show support for your favourite which in turn encourages carp to feed on more bait more repeatedly, even in low water temperatures. There are many ways to take a single drill and who entered the WWW in March of 2000. A whistle could also be considered a unique item, as it is not something you would little liquid chilli extract and added chilli flakes. Defensive audible – Based on what the opposing offence comes to the line base mix for cold water doilies, pellets, particles, ground baits and so on read on. Hummingbirds are meat, or pod mix or PTA bag mix, method mix or boosted paste? I would recommend stretching for at least five minutes team is deep enough to cover your back on light attendance weeks. 6.

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Long wouldn't come out and say it, but the Aztecs' cross-town jaunt was a tongue-in-cheek poke at what Michigan is able to do. "I just thought it was a great idea, and I'd love to take our team to Italy, too, but we can't afford that kind of stuff," Long said. "Only a few people in the world can afford to take 200 people on an expense-paid, nine-day vacation. "Obviously it's the haves and haves nots," said Long, who has led the Aztecs to consecutive Mountain West titles and a bowl game in each of his six seasons. "It's an interesting deal, because then everybody wonders why you don't beat them." Long figured going to Little Italy would be a fun alternative to another spring practice. "Most of them are going to get to see a part of San Diego they've never seen before," he said. "They'll have a good time and realize what a neat place San Diego is. It has all the stuff we don't have to get on an airplane for. We get to do it right here. And then they're always good for a free meal." Long read that Harbaugh plans to take his team to South Africa and Japan in future years, so he's planned trips to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, formerly known as the Wild Animal Park, and the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. "It gives our team something to do and learn something about San Diego that most of them don't know," Long said "Our local guys do, but most of the other ones don't." Sure enough, running back Rashaad Penny, who will replace NCAA all-time leading rusher Donnel Pumphrey as SDSU's featured back, had never been to Little Italy.

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Also, If You Are Fishing Carp Just For Fun And Do Not Intend To Eat Them, Then Release Them Carefully Back Into The Water.

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Arplis - News: How to Make Listing Videos That Charm Buyers and Compel Sellers to Hire You

Tim Macy had a problem. He was about to put a new home on the market and wanted to make a listing video to promote it online. The home was nice enough, but nothing about it really stood out. It was like a lot of the homes in the neighborhood.

Then he found something unusual: a tiny desk and office underneath the stairs. Macy, a top agent with RockHouse Realty Group at eXp Realty in San Antonio who was recently named a 2019 BombBomb Real Estate Video Influencer, had the hook he needed to create a better listing video.

In the video I say, Check out this house because it has this Harry Potter room and one of the first shots is me sitting in the room and my daughter opening the door. Its so engaging and that gave it a little boost and more exposure.

Problem solved.

That kind of creativity is a must when you think about how much video people watch online. YouTube says we watch more than one billion hours of video every day. And when it comes to Facebook, 60% of Americans who watch digital video do so on Facebook. Instagram says more than 500 million users watch video on Instagram Stories every day.

But most real estate agents arent taking advantage of video. In the National Association of Realtors 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 10 percent of sellers reported that their agent used video to market their home.

Video is no longer the next thing; its the now thing, Macy says. If youre not doing it for your listings, youre doing yourself and your clients a disservice.

The good news is that its never too late to start making videos for your listings. Here are nine steps to make listing videos that will both charm homebuyers and compel sellers to hire you.

Source: (Seth Doyle/ Unsplash)

1.) Your first decision: hire a videographer or do it yourself?

Ryan Snaadt, an Iowa-based real estate videographer who also trains aspiring video professionals, says it takes him a couple of hours to create a high-quality real estate listing video; he charges clients $750 and up per video. The final cost depends on a number of factors such as the homes size and listing price. The length of the video you want (see below for more on that) and even where youre located can also impact your costs.

In informal conversations, several agents and videographers told us that a typical 2-3 minute listing video should cost between $300 and $1,000, but you may come across fees as high as $2,000 to $3,000. Bottom line: get quotes from several videographers to learn the current rates in your area.

Not sure how or where to find a videographer? Try these ideas:

Ask other agents for recommendations

Reach out to eager students in the film/video department at your local college or university

Search web sites like Upwork.com, Thumbtack.com and Freelancer.com

If those sites dont have enough choices in your area, check wedding website TheKnot.com many video pros advertise themselves primarily to brides and grooms

Not all agents can afford to hire a videographer, especially if youre selling a lower-priced home. If you dont have the budget to hire a pro for all of your listing videos, theres nothing wrong with the do-it-yourself approach. You can also shoot a fun video on your iPhone and be creative, says Snaadt.

A simple, inexpensive gear list for the do-it-yourself real estate agent might include:

Camera: your smartphone, especially if its the latest model

Microphone: Pop voice lavalier microphone (currently $13)

Tripod: UBeesize 5-foot tripod with smartphone mount (currently $35)

Lighting: not needed, use natural light (more on this below)

Editing software: iMovie (included with Apple devices) or Final Cut Pro X (Mac/$300), Adobe Premiere (Mac & Windows/$21 per month), DaVinci Resolve (Mac & Windows/free version or $300)

Macy often records a lot of video content on his iPhone 11 Pro Max. Ill shoot a selfie of me out in front of the house and say, Hey, its Tim. Im at 123 Main Street and I want you to check out this house because it has an unbelievable kitchen and its just been renovated.

2.) Dont just start shooting. A great listing video begins with a plan.

If youre hiring a professional, Macy says you should give the videographer specific examples of what you want your video to look like. Include the fact that you want it to be at this pace, with this type of music and with these type of shots, he says.

Youve given them a guide and something to go by and youll tend to be happier with the results you get back.

If youre making the video yourself, this isnt the time to whip out your phone and record with no focus. A D-I-Y video shoot should begin with preparation like this:

Scout the home inside and out. Look for unique features that you want to highlight, like Macy did with the Harry Potter room. Do this at different times of day, so that you can

decide on the best time of day to shoot your video. As you scout the home, look at the natural lighting and shadows in each room. Harsh sunlight can make a room and home look less appealing, which is exactly what you dont want to do.

Make a list of shots you want to get. Think about the shot(s) that will capture attention in the first five seconds of your video and convince viewers to keep watching. If the home looks particularly beautiful in the soft light of a sunrise or sunset, that might be a perfect opening scene.

On that last point, if you dont know what shots you want in your video, watch other listing videos on YouTube for inspiration. Dont copy another agents style exactly, but pick and choose the shots and styles you like to create a listing video that fits you and the homes you sell.

3.) Make a listing video for every home you sell.

Listing videos are great for showcasing million-dollar homes, but agents should make listing videos for homes in all price points.

Obviously luxury videos are fun because everybody likes to dream about living in one of those, but what if you made a video about a fantastic house thats less than $200,000? says Macy. You can talk about how great of an affordable home it is and show how close it is to the park.

Think of it this way: You write a listing description for every home, not just your high-end properties. Its the same way with listing videos. Every house has a story, Macy says. Every house has something.

4.) Put yourself in every listing video so viewers get to know you.

Many home listing videos consist of music and video shots of the homes interior and exterior. Thats it. Effective? Maybe. But when you have people in a video its more engaging, says Macy. And if your content is not engaging, its going to disappear and nobodys going to watch it.

In one of his own videos, Macy jumped on a scooter and recorded his two-minute ride through San Antonio to the home he had listed for sale.

Some people would say, Why dont you focus on the house instead of riding a scooter down the street? Well, if I just did that, nobody would see it. But since I jumped on a scooter and went by local restaurants, more people watched and more people saw the house, Macy says.

A listing video isnt just about selling the home; its also a way to introduce yourself to potential clients. Put yourself in every listing video, even if its just a spoken intro and outro. I see agents that put out a ton of listing videos that theyre not in and people arent getting to know that agent, Macy says.

5.) Match the music to the mood of the home.

Youre making a video, but dont overlook the audio. Along with beautiful visuals, the right soundtrack will help buyers get a sense of what it would be like to live in the home. The music in your listing video should appeal to potential buyers and match the mood of the home.

A country cabin listing would have different music than a cottage on the beach, says Snaadt.

Source: (403 NW Reinhart | Iowa Real Estate Video /Ryan Snaadt /Vimeo)

In this video [above], the music is upbeat, modern, and happy similar to this homes layout. If it were a snow-covered cabin in the woods, you would look for music that is more rustic and fits the style of the home. [The video below] would be more of that rustic example with acoustic spunky music.

One agent sent Snaadt a very confusing listing video that she created to sell a high-end, million-dollar castle. It was so fast-cutting and the music was high intensity, he says. Sometimes you get lost in the creative and forget the strategy, which is to entice people who want to come to see the home.

6.) Dont worry about how long the video is; worry about how great it is.

Look around on YouTube and youll find listing videos that run the gamut from really short to really long. Have you ever seen a 37-minute long listing video? Heres one. More common is a video like this one that runs slightly more than three minutes. And heres one that runs about 14 minutes.

Theres no such thing as a perfect length, as long as its entertaining and engaging, says Macy.

Macy explains that youll know the right length for your listing video when youre editing it. Say youve got your daughter who has a puppy in the video because its a vacant listing and that makes it more fun. You get the shots, put the video together and feel like youve got a minute and 20 seconds of real entertaining stuff, so the video is one minute and 20 seconds. If you feel like its only entertaining for 45 seconds, then only make it 45 seconds.

Source: (Dose Media/ Unsplash)

7.) Use a drone, but dont overdo it.

In the past, real estate agents might rent a helicopter in order to capture aerial views of a special property. Today, many agents use a drone to capture that magical view above tree-level, and that footage often becomes the opening or closing shot of a listing video. Drone shots are also used to show potential buyers the home in the context of the neighborhood. For example, you can show how close the home is to parks, schools, and shopping centers.

Drone footage can be captivating, but Macy urges agents to be careful. Drone shots are a powerful tool, but dont fall in love with them or overuse them, he says. We [agents] think theyre so cool that we end up doing [a long] drone shot and you lose everybodys attention.

Drones can range in price from about $50 to $2,000 or more. Agents in the ~5,900-member RE TV Facebook group often recommend DJI drones, but youll have plenty of options if you decide to buy one. There are a number of real estate drone buying guides online like this one from DronesGlobe.com.

If youre planning to fly a drone to get footage for your listing videos, be aware of the Federal Aviation Administrations drone rules and registration requirements. The FAA has also partnered with a couple industry organizations on an education campaign called Know Before You Fly, which explains how to fly drones safely. And speaking of safety, the Insurance Information Institute warns that commercial drone use isnt covered by personal insurance policies, so you should contact your insurance provider to see what coverage is needed. Accidents can happen, especially if youre new to flying drones.

8.) Focus on building your audience and giving them value.

Your immediate goal with listing videos is to sell homes, but theres an equally important long-term goal: building an audience of viewers that will see and engage with you and your videos in the future.

Macy brings up a hypothetical scenario where two agents are competing to sell a home.

One of them has an audience on social media that knows, likes, trusts and follows them. The other agent doesnt. In that situation, Macy says the first agent can make a listing video thats not as good, but that video is going to do better than the video from the agent that doesnt have an audience. In other words, you can make the best listing videos in your market, but what good is it if you dont have an audience to watch it?

Snaadt says a great listing video is about connecting with viewers. Hes seen real estate agents hire a video team with the specific hope that the listing video would go viral. If all youre trying to do is create a video to go viral, you dont understand the point about content marketing. Its about connecting with someone who wants to use your services.

Macy agrees. You have to lead with adding value to your audience to grow an audience, he says. You want to be the TV show, not the advertisement.

Source: (Christin Hume/ Unsplash)

9.) Start making videos and keep making videos. Dont give up.

YouTube is littered with inactive real estate agent accounts. Many agents try it out, post a few listing videos, then give up when the videos only earn 10-15 views.

Thats a mistake. Listing videos, like most marketing that agents do, are a long-term play.

You have to continue to create video and build an audience for you to actually see the value in it, Macy says. Because if youre just making a listing video every other week, youre not going to see the value. The only way you get better at doing video is to do more video.

Header Image Source: (KAL VISUALS / Unsplash)

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