#good writing doesn’t need a large budget

[lainiespicewrites]

Coach Syverson

Okay, Y'all I'm trying something new and posting one of my Henry Cavill Character fics. I haven't posted a fanfic in so long it's gonna be a short story probably only a two-parter maybe 3. Let me know what you think! I loved writing this. I think it's so cute!!!!

Warnings: None for Part 1 :) Definitely will be smut in part 2!

High school football coach Sy and school guidance counselor OFC

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I was locked in a trance,  typing in progress notes from an early morning meeting I’d just finished with a student.  The sounds of the office, which was just coming to life outside my door, fuelled me. I almost never came in this early. But, one of my seniors was having a crisis and this was the only time we could work into her busy schedule. It’s gonna break my heart when that girl graduates this year. I get so attached to the students. I can’t help working as a school counselor. It's hard not to.  

“You’re in early,” The voice coming from the doorway made me jump. He chuckled softly.  “Didn’t mean to scare ya.”  After a brief heart attack, I finally looked up. I smiled when my eyes met his. 

“No, it’s okay, I just didn’t see you! Good morning Coach, What can I do for you?” His soft blue eyes held my gaze, before shooting me a gentle smile. Coach Syverson and I had become good friends since he started working at the school a little over a year ago. Like many good high school football coaches, they made a history teaching spot for him. Unlike others, he’s actually a great teacher! 

I met Logan Syverson for the first time in a staff meeting. Our principal introduced him at the beginning of the meeting going on and on about all the improvements he would bring to our team and our community. He certainly looked like a football player. The guy was huge! Tall, large muscles, and a full beard. His eyes were a deep blue. He had a winning smile and a southern accent. The English department was drooling. I hated him immediately. 

I figured he was just going to be a self absorbed prick like the last coach. who only cared about the popular students, peaked in high school, and got fired because he got a little too close to one of the cheerleaders. We were not at all sorry to see him go. Well, those of us with half a brain weren’t anyway. Some of the community and staff were more worried about the football program. But I digress. 

I was even more annoyed with him when I caught him falling asleep during the same meeting 30 minutes later when we were discussing the budget for new textbooks. I’m not exactly sure what came over me but I kicked him under the table. He was immediately alert. I expected him to glare at me. Or maybe even smirk. But the look on his face could only be described as apologetic. He quickly caught up to me when we were leaving the meeting. “Some first impression I made, huh?” When I didn’t immediately respond he added. “I swear I’m not some asshole that doesn’t care about education, that’s not like me, just didn’t sleep much last night. I had to take my dog to the emergency vet, she broke her leg in the woods late in the evening and didn’t get back until late and…”

“Is she okay?” I asked quickly. He looked completely dumbfounded.

“Uhm what?” He asked, clearly confused. I smiled sympathetically. I did exactly what I told my students not to do and judged him too quickly and I felt like an ass about it. 

“You’re dog, is she okay?” He smiled softly and nodded. 

“Yeah, Yeah she is. They got her all wrapped up and in a cast, poor pup, but she’ll be alright.” There was a brief pause and then. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

“The students know me as Miss Plummer, but it’s Alayna. And um.. Sorry I kicked you. I don’t  know why I did that.” I smiled sheepishly. 

“Alayna,” He repeated. And then chuckled and squeezed my shoulder “No need to apologize, I’m glad you did. That would’ve been embarrassing. Falling asleep in my first staff meeting doesn’t really look good. Thanks for saving my ass back there!”

 We were fast friends from that point on!

Sy pushed off the door frame he’d been leaning against and walked into my office. “Brought ya coffee, I was gonna sneak in and leave it on your desk but I guess it’s you surprising me this morning,” He said, setting the cup from our local coffee shop down on my desk. 

“That’s sweet of you!” I took a sip and almost choked. I expected just plain black coffee. He wasn’t the kind of guy to order fancy coffee. But this was actually my coffee order. “How did you know my coffee order?” He had a big grin on his face now. 

“I remembered it from that morning when we ran into each other in line a few weeks ago. Thought I’d be nice and bring my work wife some coffee since I was there.” He shrugged. He really was such a sweetheart. He looked tough and scary. I know he did. When he and a few of the other teachers in the history hall gathered between classes they looked intimidating. At least from a student's perspective.I knew them all well though. I’ve talked with students failing his class because they wouldn’t ask questions. When I asked why, they said they were nervous. But he was certainly no one to be afraid of. Yes, he could yell, but he saved that for the football field. The man was a damn teddy bear. 

“Thank you!” I smiled. I quickly looked out into the guidance office to make sure there were no students around. “But I know you didn’t walk all the way down here just to bring me coffee for the hell of it. You’re buttering me up for something. What do you need, Logan?” He laughed and shook his head plopping down on the edge of my desk.

“You know me too well, sugar. Two things!” He said. I rolled my eyes. “Hey now young lady, don’t get an attitude with me I’m not asking you to give up a kidney!” I hid my smirk behind a sip of coffee and nodded at him to continue.  “First, Can you look up Ty’s grades for me just at some point by the end of the day. He came into my office this morning and was all nervous about his algebra grade, swearing up and down it’s because he failed one quiz. But, I’m pretty sure,” I cut him off. 

“He’s not turning in his homework because he just started dating Caitlyn and they’ve been staying up texting all night.” He raised an eyebrow. 

“Uh, Yeah, How’d you know?”

“Caitlyn stopped in to see me this morning and we had a chat about it, amongst other things. I’ll double check but I’m sure you’re right. I’ll email it to you so you can have a chat with him. I was going to call him in  today but he listens better to you. When you talked about being a veteran and your time in Iraq at the Labor Day assembly, I think that really struck something with him. He looks up to you.” his eyes locked with mine and he smiled softly placing his hand over mine on the desk just for a second. 

“Thank you for saying that,” He said before moving his hand and leaning on the desk again. I just smiled. 

“What’s the other thing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because you could’ve just sent me that in an email.” He smirked. And his nose crinkled a little. Oh no. 

“So our first away game is tomorrow night,”

“I know,” 

“And you’re a big football fan, and you love those boys don’t you?” He was deflecting

“What do you want, Sy?” I asked again. He let out a long breath. 

“Carol was supposed to be a student chaperone for the student fans buuuttt well, you heard her kid is really sick? I need you to come chaperone. Actually. I kinda already said you would.” He quickly stood up from my desk and backed up to the other side, like he was afraid I’d hit him. 

I just leaned back in my chair and groaned, 

“ugh Sy! What if I had plans?” I cocked an eyebrow at him. He chuckled 

“You don’t!” I scoffed 

“You don’t know that?” I retorted. He smirked 

“Yeah, what big plans do you have for Friday night?” He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. I sighed. 

“Okay I don’t! But I could’ve!” I argued. “Why, didn’t you ask one of the other guys? Like Nick or I don’t know Mike?” I asked. 

“Nick’s an assistant coach, he’ll already be there. And we both know as much as Mike loves teaching…he does not want to spend his Friday night with the kids and at a football game making sure there’s no funny business. And you love the kids.” He was pleading now. Practically giving me puppy dog eyes. “And…Maybe I want you there,” He winked playfully. I looked down and jiggled the mouse on my computer to hide my blush. 

Jessica, who works the front desk of the guidance office swears he flirts with me. But I know he’s not. We’re friends. Good friends. We tease each other to make work a little more fun at best. But that's all it is. A man like Logan Syverson would never look twice at a girl like me. He’s fit and strong and tall and handsome. I’m pretty but I’m short and round and a little too quirky for my own good. Girls like me only get men like him in the movies. And I’m not stupid enough to believe otherwise.  Moment’s like these though. I do wonder a little. But I don’t let my thoughts wander too far. 

“Oh yeah?” I joke, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I mean maybe you’re our good luck charm. You’ve been at all our home games this year and we haven’t lost a game.” He said with a cheeky smile. 

“We’ve only had two Sy.” I say matter of fact. He just shakes his head. 

“That doesn’t mean you’re not good luck, but okay,” He held his hands up in defeat. “If you don’t want to do it I’ll figure something out. I messed up and didn’t ask you first. I’ll tell the boys their favorite guidance counselor doesn’t want to come support them. It’ll break their little hearts sugar but I’m sure they’ll find,” He pauses and lets out an exaggerated sigh “Some way to pull through and play a good game of football.” He frowned, shaking his head. I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows looking straight at him. 

“Are you done?” I deadpanned. He snickered softly and nodded. “Fine, I’ll go,” He smiled and walked over squeezing my shoulder. 

“You’re the best! It’s supposed to be chilly! Wear a sweater! And Free coffee,on me all night! I promise,” I rolled my eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah okay,” I chuckled.

“Seriously, I owe you sugar! I’m happy you’ll be there, I better get goin, class starts soon and I probably shouldn’t be late being that I’m the teacher,” He chuckled. 

“Get out of my office Logan!” I laughed. He smiled. 

“You’re the best!” He said one more time before finally walking out of my office. I shook my head and tapped at the keys on my keyboard to wake up my computer. I felt eyes on me and looked up to find Jessica standing in my doorway. 

“Don’t start!” I warned her. 

“Please, sugar. I really want you there!” she mocked. “He knows your coffee order, Alayna. How long are you going to ignore what’s right in front of you?” she asked exasperated. 

“It’s not like that Jess, He was just being sweet because he needed the help.” I said.

“Like you wouldn’t have done it anyway. You were trying to play coy but we both know you would have done it anyway.” She laughed. I blushed. And threw an eraser at her. 

“Get back to work!” She laughed. 

“Whatever you say… Sugar!” I snorted and we both chuckled for a minute. “I mean it Alayna, He’ll be kinda busy during the game and yes you’ll be keeping an eye on the students but take the opportunity to flirt back, he likes you, I’m not wrong!” She turned and walked back to her desk before I had a chance to say anything. And before I could spend any more time thinking about it my email notifications went off pulling me back into my work. 

The rest of my work day went by in a blur. I had meeting after meeting with students. My seniors were in panic mode, my juniors have early onset senioritis, and the freshman and sophomores came into vent about the daily woes of high school drama. Oh to be 16 again. 

With a full schedule of meetings I barely had time to eat lunch even in my office. When my phone lit up with a group text from two of my girlfriends asking about our weekly Thursday night dinner. I was quick to respond. 

(I’ll be there!) I sent the text, before packing up my desk for the evening. It had been a late night for me so it was just past 5. I didn’t bother going home first to change into something more casual. They were used to the office style by now. I felt my shoulders relax a little as I slipped into the booth next to skyler.

“Hey!” she said cheerfully, slowly pushing the glass of white wine they’d ordered for me closer. 

“You know me so well!” I smiled at her. 

“Long day?” Hayley asked from across the table, she picked up a tortilla chip and filled it with queso. I shrugged. 

“Not long in the sense that it was rough, just busy,” Skyler nodded and took a sip for her wine glass. 

“I feel that. I tried to get some school work done while the kids were down for a nap.” She runs an in-home daycare. She adores kids. But she’s also going back to school for a degree, Pediatric nursing. She’s a saint. I don’t know how she does it. 

“I commend you babe. The school is asking me to take classes, they want someone to take on the position as school psychologist. They’ve been trying to nudge me toward it the past couple of weeks. It’d be a raise but, that on top of the current workload? I don’t wanna drown myself ya know?”

“I totally get it, it’s not easy! But you should think about it. You’ve talked about it before! At least consider it.” Skyler said. 

“She’s got a point dude,” Hayley added. “Look at you guys moving up in the world while I’m stuck with an art block. If I can’t think of anything, my online shop isn’t gonna take off and I’ll be stuck at the factory forever!” She groaned and downed a quarter of her strawberry lemonade that was no doubt spiked. I looked sideways, meeting Skyler's eye. She was giving me the same look. 

“You’re just getting started Hayley.” Skyler said. 

“I know but if..”

“Ah, no buts!” I cut her off “We have to allow ourselves room for mistakes and error when we’re trying something new. You will get there. Give yourself the love you give your art! I don’t wanna hear anymore of that self deprecating bullshit from you! The people love their ghost fish!” I demanded, trying to hide a chuckle. She could be so stubborn! She was starting an online etsy shop for commissions and spreading the word through social media. She had all these fun ideas. She was a great artist. But of course it’s not an easy way to make money. And right now, things were slow. She would get there though! I know she would!

“Have I ever told you how annoying it is when you use your psychoanalysis shit on us?” she deadpanned. 

“Everyday but I still do it anyway, and that’s why you love me!”  She just laughed.

“Yeah okay buddy. Enough work talk, I lifted a bunch of heavy shit all day and I don’t wanna think about it. I just wanna eat my chips and queso and get drunk with my friends!” She said and scooped another chip through the queso. I laughed and held up my glass

“Cheers to that! Although we all know damn well it’s a Thursday night and we all have to get up early and we drove separately so drunk is relative but yes!” Skyler laughed and clinked her glass with mine. 

“Let her have her moment. Cheers to drunk Thursday dinner!” she said. 

“Fuck yeah!” Hayley added and added her glass in with ours. We all took a drink and it was quiet for only a second. 

“So,” Skyler spoke immediately. “It’s been a week, what's new?”

“Nothing for me, just still considering the offer to go back to school. My job would pay for it. Love life is still dry and I’ve bought like 3 new spicy romance books on my kindle this week!” I said laughing. 

“Fun!” Skyler smiled. “Hayley?” She asked and directed her attention across the table. 

“I went to Target and spent an obscene amount of money on fall stuff. We have a fall party coming up at work that I volunteered to do face painting for, but that should be fun! Oh there’s this new movie that came out I want you guys to come see with me I was hoping maybe tomorrow night?” she said. I started to agree. But then remembered my conversation with Sy earlier. 

“Oh tomorrow night? I can’t. I’m actually busy!” They both looked at me with raised eyebrows. 

“Since when are you busy on a friday night?” Hayley asked. Here we go. This is gonna open a whole can of worms. If Jess was good at getting my hopes up about Sy, these two were going to have me down right delusional. 

“There’s a football game. I like to support the team.” I said. Skyler snickered and a smirk spread across Hayley’s face. 

“You like to support the coach you mean?” Skyler asked. 

“That’s not true! I’ve always been a football fan!” I defended myself. Hayley chuckled

“Sure but since when do you go to away games? Isn’t it like 2 hours away?” She raised an eyebrow. I sighed. 

“Coach stopped by the office this morning, one of the other teachers that was supposed to chaperone the roadies tomorrow canceled and since he and I are friends he volunteered me to do it. He buttered me up with free coffee this morning and practically begged me to go tomorrow and… I just can’t say no to him. Plus he said he really wants me to be there.”  I swirled my wine glass and stared down at it. I knew the looks they were giving me.  I heard skyler squeal.

“Shut up! He asked you to come because he wants to spend time with you! Watch, I bet next week he’ll ask you out!”  She bounced in her seat. 

“He does not! He’s going to be busy with the team! He’s not going to have time to talk to me or anything.” I said taking a big gulp of wine. 

“Why else would he say he wants you there though. And clearly you want him to hang out with you. Or you want to hang out with him. Or you wouldn’t have given up your precious Friday night in!” Hayley smirked. 

“Okay, so what if I do. He’s not into me like that. He’s just friendly. He’s southern, it's just how he is!” I said, trying to hold onto whatever sanity I had left. 

“Really?” Skyler said. “Does he bring anyone else coffee? Ask if he can eat lunch in anyone else’s office?” Hayley but it

“Didn’t he get you a christmas gift last year?” she asked. 

“He was my secret santa!” I stated. They both sighed. 

“ I don’t know why you can’t see it but he likes you!” Skyler said. I started to  object but Hayley cut me off. 

“You don’t have to believe us. Just pay attention to how he acts around you tomorrow and the next couple of days. He's trying to make a move. And I know you have your little no coworkers rule,”

“Because if…”

“Ah, I don’t wanna hear it! He’s clearly trying to get your attention. And you work in a public high school it's not like everyone else isn’t hooking up.” She stated. 

“She’s got a point, remember all the teachers when we were in school? And he’s not just trying to hook up. He’s playing the long game,” Skyler said. “All we’re saying is IF we’re right,”

“And we are,” Hayley added. Skyler gave her side eye but laughed. 

“If he asks you out you should give him a chance. We’ve never met him but it’s clear he’s so into you. And he seems like a great guy. Don’t push him away because something COULD go wrong.” she said. At that point the waiter came up and we placed our order. I also ordered another glass of wine. But a wine buzz wasn’t enough to convince me they were right. Sy couldn’t like me. I wasn’t his type. But it didn’t matter. I will go tomorrow and have a good time watching the game and cheering on the boys and watching Sy in his element. And when it’s all said and done I’ll ride home with the student section and maybe catch the chance to say goodbye to my friend before we leave. And on Monday everything will be as it always has been. Sy and I are friends. 

I repeat that to myself as I walk the hall toward the gym after school on Friday. I turned down the hall toward the locker rooms and found his office door open. Sy was leaning back in his desk chair watching the tape from a few weeks ago. He noticed me before I spoke. He paused the video and smiled. 

“Hey you! To what do I owe the honor? You never venture down this way?”

“Just coming to double check the plan for tonight! We’re meeting back here at 5:15 and the bus leaves at 5:45?” I asked him. He nodded, running a hand over his beard. 

“Yeah, but I was thinking, you got plans for dinner?” He asked and raised an eyebrow. 

“Uh I was just gonna run home for dinner, why do you ask?” I leaned against the doorway and crossed my arms over my chest. I watched curiously as he chewed at his bottom lip for a moment. 

“I was gonna grab a bite to eat in town before the game. I won’t have time to go all the way home. Do you wanna come with me?” He finally made eye contact with me again and gave me a soft smile. 

“Oh um,” I hesitated for a second. 

“I’ll buy,” He smirked. I rolled my eyes. 

“You don’t have to do that, Sy,” I said softly. He stood up grabbing his keys off the desk. 

“I know, I want to.” He smiled and brushed his shoulder against mine as he walked out the door. “Come on, I’ll drive.” I raised an eyebrow 

“Driving me to dinner and you’re paying? Sy if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were flirting with me.” the corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk and he stopped walking. He turned toward me and bit his lip trying to hold back a grin. 

“Alayna,” He chuckled nervously, “I find it hard to believe after all this time…” He was cut off by a loud whistle down the hallway. 

“Well ain’t that a cute couple!” a voice said in a horrible mock southern accent “Get it coach!” One of Sy’s boys called from just outside the weight room. Another one of the football players popped his head out the door to see what was going on and started making kissy sounds with his lips. Sy dropped his chin to his chest and shook his head but his shoulders shook when he chuckled, giving him away. He loved those boys he couldn’t be mad if he wanted to be. 

“Tyler you’re already on thin ice don’t make me bench you tonight! You too Matt. Don’t think I forgot about the little stunt you pulled in the parking lot last week!” He gave them a stern look

“Sorry coach!” they said in unison 

“It was funny though,” Matt mumbled. Sy shook his head

“Sure, You boys get out of here and get something to eat, I don’t need you passing out on me on the field tonight.” He held Matt’s gaze. 

“It was one time!” He stressed. 

“And it’s only gonna be one if I can help it. Go eat!” He barked. The boys immediately straightened up and nodded. 

“Yes coach!” Logan just chuckled and we kept walking. 

“They adore you,” I said. He smiled 

“Nah, they just know I’m not kidding’” I laughed. 

“Oh come on Sy, you aren’t that mean, or you wouldn’t care so much,” We walked out the back door to the teacher parking lot and headed to his truck. “Hey… what were you saying earlier,” He raised an eyebrow. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about sugar,” He smirked. 

“Sure you don’t cowboy,” I rolled my eyes and hopped up into the truck after he unlocked it.  He slid in next to me and started the engine. 

“Where do you wanna eat?” He looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged. 

“Doesn’t matter to me, you’re buying,” I said flatly. 

“Sugar,” He threw his arm over the back of the seat, his fingertips brushing my shoulder, as he backed out of the parking spot. He left it there as he pulled out on the road. “Don’t be shy with me, I know you love food darlin.  I’ll drive all around town and we’ll starve until you tell me what you want.” I looked over at him just in time to make eye contact before his eyes shifted back toward the road. He shook his head and tried to hide his smirk. 

“You are so dramatic,” I teased, trying to play it cool but I could feel a blush creeping up my cheeks. 

“Oh, I’m dramatic? Weren’t you the one tearing up in her office because of a book you were readin?” He snickered. I reached over and playfully smacked him in the chest. 

“Shut up!” I laughed. He held his hand to his chest feigning hurt. 

“Ow!” He pouted. 

“That did not hurt! I barely hit you!” he side eyed me still pouting but the corners of his mouth started to break into a smile

“Over here committing spousal abuse.” He shook his head. I laughed so hard I snorted. 

“We’re not married Sy!” 

“You’re my work wife, it's the same damn thing” He chuckled. “Seriously, where do you wanna eat, I’m starving.” 

“My god Logan,” I laughed. “Um fine, I haven’t tried that new sushi and ramen place yet!” I said. He almost slammed on the break. 

“You haven’t?! That place is right up your alley, all trendy and shit. It’s real good too!” 

“You think I’m trendy?” I raised an eyebrow. He looked over for a moment and caught my eye giving me a gentle smile. 

“I think you deserve to be taken out to nice places.” And here I was blushing again. 

“Sy,” I started but my phone buzzed in my lap distracting me, I wasn’t really sure what to say anyway. It was a group chat with the girls asking me what time we leave tonight. They were going to have a field day with this. And instead of just replying I decided to start a fire. I tapped my screen to open my camera and held it up to take a selfie “Smile, cowboy.” He chuckled. 

“What are you doin over there, sugar?” He smirked but glanced over at the camera quickly so I could snap a quick photo. 

“Lighting a match.” I smirked. He bit his lip and chuckled softly. 

“You’re something else,” He spoke as we pulled into the restaurant. I quickly sent the picture to the group chat and slid my phone into my purse.

Sy was right. This place was incredible. And very trendy. 

“God I can’t get over how good this place is!” I said for like the 4th time. Logan smiled. 

“I told ya, Darlin,” The waitress came and brought out our bill and I reached for my purse. “Hey, No, I told you, I’m paying.” He said pulling out his wallet and handing his card to the waitress. 

“Thank you Sy, I appreciate it,” He grinned.

“Anytime, you deserve it,” I blushed, “ you’re really saving my ass tonight.” I forced a smile, so that’s what this is about. I told the girls this was all just because he needed something. 

“It’s no big deal Logan.” I said. I pulled my phone out and checked my messages. There were like 10 from the group chat now. 

“OMG YOU'RE WITH HIM?!”

“You didn’t tell us you were getting dinner with him.”

“UNLESS THEIR NOT GETTING DINNER ;)”

“What else would they be….oh”

“Alayna you better not be fucking the football coach right now.”

“Leave her alone Hayley she can fuck him if she wants to BUT IF YOU DO I WANT DETAILS”

“ALAYNAAAAA”

“GIRLLLL ANSWER USSSSS”

“Seriously dude you can’t just send us a picture of you with your hunky football coach man crush and just disappear.”

“OMG THEY’RE TOTALLY FUCKING”

I held back a smile and shook my head. 

“It is a big deal,” He said and grabbed my hand across the table. “I’m glad you’re gonna be there tonight.” I smiled but pulled my hand back. 

“Sure, because you needed another chaperone.” I joked. His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head catching my eye. 

“Yeah, but I wanted it to be you, I like hangin out with you. And you’re really fun to watch in the stands. I didn’t know you could be so…aggressive.” He smirked. 

“I’m just really passionate about football!” I argued. “And how do you know you like hanging out with me? We've barely seen each other outside of work.” I questioned. 

“Well we should change that,” he said.

“Won’t your girlfriend get jealous?” I asked. I knew a lot about him but he never mentioned any relationship. I’d be stupid to think he wasn’t seeing someone. He laughed. God I loved that sound. 

“Don’t have one sugar,” He said with a mischievous grin on his face. 

“How?” It was my turn to be confused. 

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?” He retorted quickly. 

“I … because…” I stuttered, unable to come up with an answer.

“Haven’t found the right guy yet huh?” He pauses, “guess that’s where I’m at, she just ain’t found me yet.” He smiled. Right then the waitress came back with his card. “Thanks honey,” He said, giving her his signature smile. He signed the receipt and stood from the table. “We oughta get going. Don’t wanna be late for the game!” 

Sy drove us back to the school and parked his truck next to my car. “Oh no!” I sighed. 

“What's wrong?” He asked. 

“I was going to grab a sweatshirt when I went home and,” I opened my car, turning on the light to look in  the back seat. “I don’t have an extra in my car.” I pouted. 

“Is that all?” He chuckled. He reached into the back seat of his truck and pulled out a black hoodie. “Here. I always have an extra in the truck you can wear mine. Don’t want you to catch a cold.” I took it from him tentatively. 

“Sy, this is your coach sweatshirt.” I said. 

“One of ‘em yeah.” He smiled. 

“I…okay,” I just shook my head and pulled the hoodie on. He bit his lip. 

“Looks good on ya,” He smirked. 

“Shut up,” I rolled my eyes. Before we could continue to tease each other the buses pulled up. And I could see some of the students' cars pulling into the student lot “We’d better head over there!” I said quickly. Logan nodded. 

“Yeah, we better get going.”

[technoturian]

Branching off of my RoP rant, I am completely unsurprised to find out that the showrunners and entire writing team are six white men and two white women after feeling the whole season that the women were underwritten and the POC felt token-ey.

I’m getting serious deja vu to the Star Wars Sequels from this whole situation. J.J. Abrams giving lip service about making something inclusive and everyone getting excited about the diverse casting and then we find out it was all calculated and performative, Finn becomes a joke and Poe becomes a stereotype and Rey is a Strong Female Character who doesn't need narrative consistency she just needs a damaged white boy foil and a male relative to make her whole story about. The way everyone who criticizes it gets lumped in with bigots, which makes it super easy for them to be ~progressive~ without actually doing anything.

Seriously though:

- The obscene budget and corporate overlords looking to leverage it into merchandising/franchising.

- Comments about being super diverse but then the ~diverse casting~ is mostly side characters who aren’t given nearly as much narrative weight as the white characters.

- The Strong Female Lead who was clearly designed by white men, too busy punching her way through problems to listen to anyone or communicate effectively.

- The dark ~bad boy~ narrative foil who forms a ~connection~ with her and whose storyline somehow seems to have both the most time and least thought put into it of everything. (Sure dude, you were on that raft in the middle of of the sea on purpose. That makes total sense.)

- The shallow and unsatisfying writing. Scenes and dialogue written to make good trailers or twists but don’t make any sense when you’re actually watching them.

- A convenient shield for all criticism in the form of a large contingent of bigots who make it really hard to have legitimate conversations about its massive flaws, with the fans and the (reminder, white and male) creators being way too quick to let everyone know that if you don’t like it, it’s because You’re One Of Those.

The one difference is that we made fun of the Star Wars sequels for crashing and burning because they didn’t even bother to have an outline before they took off. Meanwhile RoP has actual cliffs notes to reference and they managed to make the same soulless mess of things. I’m not sure if that’s more impressive or less.

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

The Mattress Room

Prompt: I- hello? I come from Ao3 and it appears that you take requests/prompts? At least I didn't see anything indicating you weren't... Could you write some more Logan hurt/comfort? Maybe he's been getting better about not overworking himself, but maybe something is happening in Thomas' life (I know the winter holidays get really busy for me) and there's so much to do and he must finish it RIGHT NOW- and he just doesn't come out to do basic self-care for like a week. So naturally the others come to check on him (maybe returning to Remus hearing Logan's brain telling him to perform basic functions ("Why the f*ck are Lolo's intrusive thoughts telling him to eat?") necessary for survival?), and they all cat-pile. I've looked through like every Logan hurt/comfort on Ao3 and I'm somewhat addicted. Plus this would be a nice reminder that recovery's not linear, and even though things are getting better that still doesn't mean you're not still healing. You can just ignore this if you aren't taking requests, thanks anyways. Bye!

-Raven

Read on Ao3

Warnings: intrusive thoughts

Pairings: dlampr

Word Count: 3088

Surely, it has not escaped notice that the Sides, specifically Roman and Remus, have a habit of summoning mattresses seemingly out of nowhere. Where do they come from? Are they spontaneously generated? Or is there some hidden place where mattresses exist in an aether, only to appear in physical form once summoned?

An overworked Logan is the key to revealing this answer once and for all.

There’s a video script that needs to be edited so Roman can get onto redrafting before the deadline. There are applications that need to be filled out for insurance as the premiums have been redefined for this cycle and he needs to ensure Thomas won’t be overpaying. Gift lists and schedules have to be organized before the party this weekend. Second installment tax bills have been delayed so the payments have to be reallocated. 

The pile on Logan’s desk does not seem to decrease so much as shift around. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose, quickly calculating the runoff from last year’s gift budget, before scribbling down a figure and setting the piece of paper aside. There are too many gift ideas, he’ll have to go through them with Roman to ensure they’re actually getting people what they want. Which means he needs to schedule another meeting with Roman. 

He glances over at his wall where the large calendar is. Most of the days have his tasks in neat, dark blue bullet points. A few have red bullet points as well—things that Roman has scheduled that he can’t infringe on—and there is one purple day every week for his check-in with Virgil. His eyes land on this weekend where the words ‘Holiday Party’ are written in black. 

Right next to a green blob that’s suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

Remus. 

Logan muffles a curse and gets up, taking the cloth from where it’s magnetically stuck to the side of the board and wiping it away. It must’ve happened when Remus was here yesterday and they were coming up with new merchandise ideas. He asked Remus to be careful with the markers but accidents will happen. 

He frowns when no matter how hard he scrubs at the mark, it won’t come out. 

Did Remus bring another marker to this? Is that why this is hard? Or is there a prank war going on right now that he neglected to find out? He told them that he prefers to be left out of those, and even when he participates they should know his room is off-limits. There are too many things in there that would take a bit of good-spirited fun to actual feelings being hurt and he can’t have that, not when there are so many deadlines. 

Why isn’t this stain coming out?

Glancing around, he spots the bottle of cleaner and sprays it on the rag, careful to hold it away to avoid hitting the board by accident. He returns to scrubbing at the mark but no matter what he does, it doesn’t want to budge. 

Logan narrows his eyes and grabs his own blue marker. He draws a quick line in the corner and tries to wipe it off. It comes away without a trace. He goes back to trying to scrub at the green marker and barely stifles a growl when it won’t budge. 

The marker itself lies innocently in the tray with the rest of them. 

Maybe Remus accidentally replaced it with a permanent marker. He snatches it up, examining it, only to discover that no, it’s the same marker he’s always used. He does the same test, drawing a tiny experimental line on an out-of-the-way corner and wiping it off with the rag. 

It comes away clean. 

So then why is this massive green blob in the middle of his calendar refusing to go away?

He resists the urge to thunk his head against the wall, but only just barely.

“I don’t have time for this,” he mutters, turning away, trying to sit back down at his desk and get on with his work. 

But every time he looks up, he sees that stupid green blob out of the corner of his eye and it’s like an—

Well, it’s like an intrusive thought. How appropriate. No matter how hard he tries to force it from his mind—well, of course it doesn’t work. That’s not how you deal with intrusive thoughts. He would be better off just passively noticing it and not allowing it to interfere with what he’s doing. 

But he keeps seeing it. 

Over, and over, and over. 

As a true last resort, he turns his back on his calendar, putting his head down and propping his hand against his cheek, preventing him from turning any more to see it, glaring at the shopping list as though if he tried hard enough, the list would write itself. 

They need to go to multiple stores tomorrow. They need things from the normal grocery but they also need to stop at the other one that has a better pharmacy and they also need to go to the more expensive store because that’s the one that sells the good cheeses. 

When was the last time he ate something?

He shakes his head to clear it. Alright, so that’s that sorted, finally. That’s a task he can cross off his list and set aside. The next thing to worry about is holiday travel plans. A few of Thomas’s friends are leaving town to go and visit their families but they’ve also asked for a get-together beforehand. If they go by everyone’s most recent schedules, the Thursday evening after next would be the best time for everyone to gather, even if it’s only for a few hours. Odds are they won’t be staying out very late—or staying over very long—since there is another weekday but it ensures no one will have to wake up early to catch a fight. 

When was the last time he slept?

He needs to stop getting distracted. They’re a little bit behind schedule on video production. Of course, a lot of the longer projects are already underway and there’s not much they can do on those until after the holidays, but a few smaller ones have stagnated. Perhaps he can talk to Roman about those too, of course it’s natural for there to be a bit of a lull around the holidays when everything else is so busy but a progress report couldn’t hurt, right? Just in case it starts becoming a source of stress for Virgil because they haven’t touched the idea in so long. 

He startles when there’s a knock on his door. 

“One moment, please.”

Setting the notebooks and pen aside in any place they aren’t in immediate danger of falling off, he stands and adjusts his tie, making his way to the door. Opening it with an apology that he really can’t be disturbed right now, he fumbles when it isn’t who he expects to see. 

“Remus?”

“Hey, Lolo.” Remus waves. “Can I come in?”

“Yes,” he’s saying before he realizes, standing aside, “come—come in.”

Remus walks in, hands shoved in his pockets—wait, Remus doesn’t normally have pockets like that—and glancing at Logan’s overflowing desk. “You look busy.”

“I am, in fact, quite busy, yes.” He shuffles a bit as he closes the door. “You know how the holidays are.”

“Mhm.”

He opens his mouth to ask Remus what he’s here for when he notices Remus looking at his calendar. Remus raises a finger and touches the green blob that started this whole mess, before looking over his shoulder. 

His shoulder that is absent of any green or black sparkly fabric. 

Ah. 

Well. 

“Um,” Logan stammers, “oops?”

Remus huffs a laugh and comes to stand in front of him, hands still tucked into his pockets. “Yeah, Lolo, ‘oops.’ Be glad it was me that came and not Janny.”

“I really didn’t mean to, you have my word, I simply—“

“Hey, hey.” His hands come up to rest on his shoulders. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just—you know how Janny can be about making you admit you’re not okay.”

Logan scoffs. “Yes, I am quite familiar with Janus’s technique for such a thing.”

Honestly, thank goodness it wasn’t Janus. That sounds horrible but the last thing Logan needs right now is someone to rile him up more. It’s liable to make him say things he doesn’t mean simply because he’ll get angry at Janus and want to hurt him—not like that, but he’ll be angry and he’s no good angry, he just needs to—

“Lolo, stay with me.”

He blinks. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Remus squeezes his shoulders. “You wanna talk about it or do I have to sit on you?”

“…’sit’ on me?”

“You’re working too much and you’re not taking care of yourself.”

“And?”

Remus gives him a look. “And if I need to sit on you to physically prevent you from working, then I’m gonna do that.”

“Ah. I see.”

Remus nods, steering him over to the bed, away from his desk. “So talk to me, Lolo. What’s going on?”

Logan flaps a hand vaguely in the direction of the desk. “We have things to do.”

“Uh-huh. We have things to do. So why’re you trying to do them all yourself?”

“Because every time Janus tries to help with taxes it comes down to ‘eat the rich.’”

“Do you blame him?”

“No, but I’d like to not get arrested for felony tax evasion or attempted assault.”

“As much fun as that would be—“

“No, Remus.”

“—that doesn’t explain everything.” Remus gives him a look. “I saw Roro’s handwriting on some of that, you know we’re taking a break from videos right now. We’ve got all the other ones coming up, we don’t need to do more right now.”

“But there are all the other ideas for the interim!”

“Yes, and they are ideas. You and Roro have met about them and we all agreed that we wouldn’t do anything.” Remus puts a hand on his leg to preempt him getting up. “You need to stop, Logan. You’re working yourself too hard.”

“But—“

Remus raises an eyebrow when he can’t continue. “But what?”

Logan looks away, guilt and shame forming a solid lump in his throat. Unexpected tears begin welling in his eyes and he curls his hands into fists. 

A sigh comes from next to him and a hand gently cups his face, turning him back to Remus.

“But what, Lolo?”

“…it’s hard,” he mumbles, closing his eyes so he doesn’t have to see Remus’s face. 

“Oh, Lolo, I know it’s hard. It’s always gonna be hard, it’s okay.”

“But I don’t want it to be hard,” he spits, even as Remus tuts and pulls him a bit closer, “I want it to stop.”

“That’s not how it works, Lolo, you know that.”

“But I’ve been better! I—I haven’t done anything in months. I’ve been eating, I’ve been sleeping, I’ve been spending time with you—well, less time lately—but that’s how holidays always are!”

“That’s enough,” Remus says sharply when Logan goes to pull away from him, “you know healing isn’t linear. You do, don’t look at me like that. It’s messy and it’s a pain in the ass but you gotta do it.”

“I know that but I don’t have to like it.”

“No one’s saying you gotta. Oh, hey…”

Because apparently, Logan no longer gets to decide when it’s an appropriate time to cry and Remus is reaching out to coax him into a hug because Remus is wearing soft things because he knew this was going to happen and—and—

“Did—did you do something to my—my calendar?”

Remus glances over and shakes his head. “No, Lolo. I didn’t do anything.”

“But why—why—“ Remus just gives him a look. “…oh.”

“C’mere, Loganberry, I think you’ve done enough thinking for one day.”

Logan closes his eyes and accepts his fate, leaning into Remus’s chest as his hands card through his hair. He fumbles to take his glasses off and shove them in his pocket before slumping bonelessly into the hug. 

“Hey,” Remus murmurs after a moment, “you wanna lie down? You want the others? What can I do?”

“…the others won’t be mad, right?”

“No, Loganberry, they won’t. Roro or I can grab one of those big mattresses too if you want.”

He sniffles, wiping his nose with the handkerchief from his pocket. It would be nice to see everyone…he really hasn’t seen them in a while. He has been working too hard. But that does remind him of something. 

“Do you…make new ones each time? Is it the same one? Where do you get them?”

Remus’s hand stills on his head. “You guys don’t know about the mattress room?”

“The what?”

Remus mutters something like no wonder you guys are so moody before he’s pushing Logan to sit up. “Can I summon Ro? Just real quick?”

Logan nods, slightly confused, and Remus reaches out and pulls Roman into the room. 

“Re? What’s going on, I—“ 

It would almost be funny how quickly Roman goes from slightly confused to openly concerned, shoulders dropping to make himself seem smaller, if it didn’t make Logan want to cry all over again. 

“Sweetheart?” He takes a careful step closer. “Sweetheart, what’s the matter?”

Thankfully—because all of his speaking capabilities seem to have evaporated—Remus pats his back and looks up. “Logan doesn’t know about the mattress room.”

“Oh, I see.” Roman crouches down, reaching out to take Logan’s hands. “You wanna come with us?”

“Mhm.”

“Come here, sweetheart, I’ve got you.” Logan raises his arms to let Roman wrap him up, coaxing him to his feet. “We’re going to sink now, okay? You just hold on…”

A brief pause later and Logan’s feet rest on something that is far squishier than his floor. 

“Easy, easy, sweetheart, I gotcha.” Roman holds him steady when he wobbles. “You’re just standing on a mattress, that’s all.”

With Roman propping him up, Logan manages to look around, squinting a little for lack of glasses only for his eyes to widen at where they are. 

‘The Mattress Room’ is the most fitting name it could be given. It’s just a massive room, almost larger than Thomas’s entire apartment, and the floor is just a giant mattress. There are smaller mattresses along the side almost like the lip of a hot tub only they’re mattresses, with firmer pillows and blankets strews about. There are comforters, weighted blankets, thin blankets, sheets, everything. Along one side is a window that looks out over a dusk sky, rich blues and purples with a thin stripe of pink at the very horizon. 

“Hey,” Roman calls gently, getting Logan’s attention again, “you okay? Is this alright?”

“’S safe,” Logan babbles, “’s—’s real safe.”

“Yeah, sweetheart, it’s safe. C’mere, come sit down—there.” Roman eases them to the ground, pulling Logan almost into his lap. “You wanna get a bit closer to the window or are you okay here?”

“‘M good.”

“Okay, sweetheart, okay.”

Remus crouches next to them. “You still want the others, Lolo?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay. I’m gonna go get them. You and Ro just stay here and get comfy, okay?”

Get comfy. He can do that. 

Remus sinks out, leaving them alone in the ocean of mattress. Roman’s hand cards through his hair and gives him a little shake. 

“Poof yourself into something more comfortable, darling, you’ll feel better.”

Logan grumbles but does, his tie vanishing as Roman snaps himself into a red T-shirt and sleep shorts. He grumbles again when he realizes Roman was right, this is more comfortable, but he’s not gonna say that. 

Roman just chuckles and pulls him closer, lying down with Logan’s head on his chest. “There. This alright?”

“Mhm.”

“Good.”

It’s warm here, he realizes distantly when he wonders why he’s able to relax so quickly, like the bed’s been sitting in the sun all day. Well, he supposes it kind of has. He snuggles into Roman’s chest, making him laugh. 

“You need some more stimulation there?”

“Mhm.”

“Coming right up.” The arm around his waist tightens and Roman rolls them over, smiling down at him. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“You okay?”

“Squished.” He reaches up and tugs Roman down until all his weight is on him, muffled laughter coming from his shoulder. “Mm.”

“Whoa, Remus, you fuckers have been holding out on us.”

“Language, but…yes.”

“How dare you keep optimal sunbathing spots from me? I thought we were friends!”

“The others are here,” Roman murmurs in his ear, “you want to talk to them or just cuddle?”

In response, he tightens his grip. 

“Cuddles it is.”

“Logan?” Janus’s voice comes from next to them, a gloved hand stroking the parts of his shoulder it can reach. “Sweetie? You alright under there?”

“Mhm.”

“Have you been working too hard again?”

“…maybe.”

Janus chuckles and ruffles his hair. “Get some rest, I don’t think Roman’s letting you up anytime soon.”

Roman makes a show of getting comfortable. “Nope.”

“Wait, so this is where all the mattresses come from?”

“Eh, we just take bits and pieces from the big one.”

“That’s so cool, kiddo!”

“So how long have you had a premium sunbathing spot and neglected to tell me?”

“Thought you knew about it, Snakey. You’re always sticking your peepers into what goes on in the Imagination when I’m busy.”

“First off, never call them ‘peepers’ ever again—“

“Nah, nah, Remus said ‘peepers,’ that’s what they’re called now, J.”

“They are not!”

Logan can’t help smiling at the banter, making Roman smile too. 

“It’s gonna be okay, darling,” he murmurs, “you just close your eyes and rest. We’ll be here.”

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If you want to be added/taken off the taglist, let me know!

[manicpixxiedreambitch]

Some creative gift ideas for all the uncreative people out there who are sick of giving basic ass gifts (budget friendly)

- Go to the store. Find your way to the candle aisle. Now what you’re gonna do is smell candles until you find one that has a smell that reminds you of the person you’re gifting for. Buy it. When you get home, get out your computer and get on canva. Make a custom label with the person’s name on it, the fragrance notes, and a short, sweet description of that person and why those smells remind you of them. Then print it out and make it into a sticker (you can easily make a sticker with large clear tape over the print, just look up DIY stickers). Take off the original label and put the hand made sticker on instead. If you want, you could even make a candle out of wax melts, a mason jar, and some wicks if you feel like it.

- If you are good with crafts, USE THOSE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

-If you can knit or crochet, make a blanket, scarf, a pair of mittens, or a stuffed animal.

- Take a picture frame. Get a printed picture of you and the person. Press flowers (if you’re lazy, you can literally press flowers in the microwave in less than two minutes. Look it up.). Arrange the flowers and picture in the frame how you want (be sure to wear gloves and clean the glass first! You dont want there to be eternal fingerprints on the glass!) and grab the tacky glue. Gently apply a small dab of tacky glue to each flower and glue it firmly in place. Do the same with the picture. Close up the frame, wrap, and you are GOLDEN.

- Go to the store. Grab a travel cup or mug (or go to the person’s favorite coffee shop and buy a travel mug there). Go to the candy aisle. Grab a bag of their favorite candy, along with two king sized candy bars, and any other little knickknacks you think they might like. Put it all in the cup and put on the lid.

- Grab a box. Figure out the person’s favorite color. Go to Dollar Tree, Five Below, Walmart, Target, wherever you want. Just find things in that person’s favorite color. Socks, gloves, candy, drinks, accessories, gift cards, candles, soaps, anything. Grab some easter basket filler paper (idk what it’s actually called) in that color (or if it doesn’t come in that color, do black or white. Those will do.) and some construction paper in that color. Now, add the filler paper, then the knickknacks, then glue or tape the construction paper to the inside of the cardboard lid. Write a note if you want. Wrap it up and you are good to go.

-Make jewelry. Trust me. All you need is a chain, a clasp, some charms/beads, and a pair of pliers. The rest is kind of self explanatory but if you don’t understand this explanation for some reason feel free to ask.

- Put together a small thrifted surprise box for the person (wash the clothes first though and make sure they’re okay with that sort of thing!)

- Make something out of clay. Jewelry, room decor, etc.

- Go find one of those letter cutout boxes with the letter of their first initial. Find fake flowers in their favorite color (you can probably find this at dollar tree), then go find a bunch of small knickknacks like jewelry, candy, soaps, etc. Grab floral foam. Fill the letter box with floral foam (if you want, spray paint the box first) Stab the flowers into the floral foam. Grab kabob sticks, cut to desired length. Tape the knickknacks to the kabob sticks and stab them into the floral foam like you did the flowers.

- Go to a thrift store. First go to the basket section. Find a picnic basket. Then go find some teacups, a small charcuterie board, pretty plates, and maybe some pretty silverware (or if you think it would be weird to do silverware from a thrift store, grab it from walmart or target or smth) If you’re an adult, go ahead and find a wine glass or two. After that, you want to go to Walmart. Find a picnic blanket, or a picnic table cloth. If you get the picnic table cloth and have ametuer sewing skills, grab two. Then grab some of the person’s favorite snacks and drinks. Go home and put it all together in the basket. If you chose to grab two table cloths so you can sew, measure the interior of the picnic basket and (assuming it’s square) cut out the dimensions on one of the table cloths and sew them together into a “box” (pattern facing the inside of the box, fuzzy part outside) and put the “box” inside the picnic basket. Now it has a cute, protective interior inside, and the other tablecloth can be used as a picnic blanket. Once its all arranged, you have made a cute picnic set for the person!

- Find a book you like, reread it, and annotate it for them. Then wrap it up. Typically you want a new book for this.

- Go to a craft store. Buy a baseball cap or a cute hat with nothing on it, or if you want, grab a tote bag or something. Grab fabric paint. Custom paint the item for the person.

[skylerbluexd]

Rumours

JunChun - modern/entertainment industry AU

Actor and performer Yu Tangchun needs money to pay for his medical bills, and thus works himself to the ground by going on small gigs to bars and parties, while at the same time taking on small acting roles in various small-scale film productions. His health deteriorates the longer he goes on without taking any breaks, but he fears that the company that he signed his contract with will let him go if they realise that he would cost them more money with his poor health. After all, the entertainment company that he works for, Pear Garden Entertainment, is a small, and fairly unknown company, so they would not keep an actor like Yu Tangchun, who is mostly known for his good looks and voice.

One morning he gets a call from his agent. The company has successfully landed him a supporting role in a high-budget production. The up-coming and highly anticipated series is starring a few very popular A-list celebrities, so this might be Yu Tangchun and Pear Garden’s breakthrough moment. Yu Tangchun accepts the job and is temporarily transferred over to East Wind Entertainment, a multimillion entertainment industry conglomerate owned by the Zhan Group.

On his first day on-set, Yu Tangchun helps Yuan Zining get to the filming location due to a mishap with the communication between the transportation team and the company staff. They meet up with the rest of the crew together, garnering a bit of publicity once a few photos are purposely leaked to the public by production. New fans quickly discover Yu Tangchun because of his striking looks and it doesn’t take long before they start shipping him with Yuan Zining. This eventually blows up and their interactions land on the top trending list. Yuan Zining, who plays the main female lead, is already shipped with her co-star by her large fanbase, so a storm is stirred up online. Fans of both the two A-list stars start trying to bring Yu Tangchun down.

It starts with accusations of Yu Tangchun clinging onto Yuan Zining for the fame. Production fan the flames by filming more behind-the-scenes of the two together, because any publicity is good publicity for the up-coming drama. It then escalates to Yu Tangchun being talentless and unworthy of his role because he only landed it due to his face and because he sought favours with the production team. Yu Tangchun continues working hard, ignoring the talk online like his agent advised him. His deteriorating health start showing on his body and antis begin circulating rumours of substance abuse. This is where production looses their control over the flow of publicity. Then finally a few months in, everything backfires; the top rumour becomes that Yu Tangchun slept with the chairman of the Zhan Group, Zhan Tianqing.

The rumour was spread by an anti who claimed to know some of the higher-ups of East Wind. Since this was a serious act of defamation against both Yu Tangchun and East Wind, the matter was not to be taken lightly.

The scandal drew the attention of the old chairman who quickly got annoyed by the commotion it was stirring up. Zhan Tianqing ordered his nephew Zhan Junbai, the current director of East Wind, to solve everything as fast as possible as he actually had a few skeletons in the closet regarding similar matters.

(I am thinking about writing a whole fic of this, but it might take quite some time.)

[tumblhurgoyf]

the problems with magic story

I really do think the current format doesn’t really work for the sort of stories WotC is trying to tell in Magic

like they’ve hired competent writers and there’s definitely stuff in their story that could be explored and developed, but there’s just flat out not enough room to do that. and this isn’t exactly an accidental problem, it’s built off of two facts:

1. they want a large cast of planeswalkers so more people can have a favorite and become more invested in the game through that

2. the amount of writing, number of stories, all that, is a finite resource and they’ve got a lot of data to show that the short fiction on the mothership was the most engaging and successful

but especially when a dozen of those characters are involved in one story it’s almost impossible to make it satisfying in all or even most respects. they can’t just cut characters because that’s a point of engagement and motivating people to buy more stuff

most of my favorite Magic fiction from the site is when you’ve got one POV character who is interacting mostly with just one other character, with a few other even more minor characters (Sacrifice remaining my all time favorite, but also the sort of epilogue of Battle for Zendikar story where Chandra is assessing the aftermath and summing up her friends (at least I remember it being Chandra, maybe it was another Gatewatch member) or most recently the story where Lukka gets compleated)

If you want a dozen characters involved then you need about six stories just to focus on two of them at a time (and then you’re deciding that half of them aren’t POV characters and exist mostly to serve the story of the one they get paired with essentially) plus perhaps another story to do the big final plot piece and showdown where they’re all present. like ideally I think you’d even have the space to luxuriate and develop the same events from two different POVs. like do the Vraska betrayal from her POV and then totally “new” story but now from Jace’s POV covering more or less the same time frame. you can do cool stuff with that

one of the two things from above has gotta budge. I think my ideal typical set would be one overarching POV character, the protagonist of that story. they’d get four or five of the main story articles. the other five would go to different characters and mostly at least tangentially link back to the main story

but then for big event sets with a larger cast you’ve gotta budget story accordingly. default for me would ideally be that any present planeswalker gets at least one POV story, and if they don’t then we should really examine their presence at all. not saying they shouldn’t be present, but it should come with extra scrutiny then. and those are just the “side” stories. you’d still have one main story that happens mostly from one, maybe two POV characters

maybe these sort of big team stories work better in comics? you can do a lot with images of a big cast of characters and word bubbles that text and even movies can’t accomplish in the same way. but if so then lets get some comics maybe, even hosted online. but this stuff isn’t cutting it for me in text, and it’s made worse because I can see the talent of the authors coming through and the bones of the story are there, even if I don’t like it all at a structural level. it’s good enough. but I’m not gonna end up liking it when it’s intentionally stuffed in a box it doesn’t fit

also it’s still really not gay at all. they’ve really pulled back/ruined that and that hasn’t changed. frankly it’s not worth much time generally until they take big steps to rectify the egregious missteps of the last few years but I think they just brushed that under the rug and decided it’s radioactive

[presidenthades]

I am doing very minor revisions of Daemon’s Handbook (mostly formatting and continuity errors), and I wanted to do some behind-the-scenes commentary before too much time passes and I forget my original thoughts. Here’s Chapter 8!

(Note that these commentaries aren’t canon to the verse until/unless the author writes them into the series. I might change my mind on a few points later, but these are the thoughts I had while writing.)

Rhaenys thinks Corlys was ignoring her letters in the Stepstones, but he was also really busy making sure Aegon and Aemond, who are teenaged boys prone to doing stupid things, didn’t accidentally kill themselves trying to nose-dive some pirates.

Luce’s status as heir to Driftmark is nebulous at first. When Laenor was alive, a) Laenor was heir and b) Corlys thought Laenor and Rhaenyra might still have a son. Now that Laenor is dead, by Andal tradition, Luce would be heir as eldest daughter (after Jace who’s slated for the throne). But one could argue that House Velaryon is Valyrian so it doesn’t need to follow Andal tradition.

Some might argue it’s better for Driftmark to stay in the male line to ensure the Velaryon name continues (which is something show!Corlys is big on), or Luce could be named heir but she has to marry within House Velaryon so she and her heirs keep the name. In this fic, Corlys affirms Luce as his heir, and not even Vaemond can complain too much about it because “daughters before uncles” is the norm for everything but the Iron Throne.

I have a thought that whomever Luce marries, Corlys might require that her eldest son/heir takes the Velaryon name (maybe all the children, who knows). So, uh, probably best if her husband is a second son/not the heir to his own lands 👁️👄🔹

*insert joke about Jace and Luce being the breadwinners while Aegon and Aemond are trophy husbands*

The more I read about medieval/Tudor history, the more intrigued I am by ladies-in-waiting. GRRM doesn’t flesh them out super well in his universe, and the show doesn’t have an infinite budget to go into the royal women’s relationships with LIW, but that’s what fanfic is for. I’ll go into more detail about it in one of the sequel fics. Jace is going to have an interesting bunch of LIW.

Rhaena and Helaena are taking notes about Luce’s suitors, but the notes are for themselves. As Rhaena discusses in Chapter 10, she and Helaena have unusual requirements for their potential husbands, and Luce is helpfully attracting a very large pool of eligible (and not so eligible) men.

I mentioned in a past commentary that Alicent likes Jace because Jace is proper and a good influence on Aegon. Alicent *does not* like Luce, whom Alicent perceives as being the opposite of Jace. (Alicent is lucky Baela isn’t interested in her children. Also when Joff gets older…😅)

I drop hints that Aegon drinks a lot less in canon. Part of it is Jace’s good influence, and part of it is that being in the Stepstones made him realize it’s really dangerous being drunk. (See: Chapter 7’s story about his hair catching fire.) He does get drunk during the wedding feast, because it’s his wedding and he deserves a treat.

In the show, all of Borros’s daughters look like adults, but in the book, Floris is 11 when the Dance starts (and Ellyn might be around that age). It makes sense that Floris and Ellyn are so young, otherwise I’m wondering why Borros has four unbetrothed adult daughters when Aemond comes knocking.

In this fic, I decided Cassandra is 16 (same as Aemond and Jace), Maris is 14, and the other two still younger. As the eldest, Cassandra is throwing her hat in the “Aemond’s potential wife” ring, and she has reasons to think she has a good chance. Baratheons have Valyrian blood and their ancestors have intermarried with Targaryens before. She’s also the heir to Storm’s End if her father remains son-less. (Unfortunately for her, Aemond is interested in a different heiress 🤭)

Baela being a mystery knight and attracting Cregan’s attention is a role reversal of the ASOIAF Harrenhal tourney with Lyanna and Rhaegar. I was originally going to have Daeron also join the lists, but I realized that was redundant with Baela in the picture, and he’s too small to pass for an adult male. So Baela got her moment to shine!

Why does Baela challenge those three Northmen? What do they have in common besides being Northern houses? I guess we’ll have to see in the Joff-centric sequel 👀 (Or you could dig deep into the ASOIAF wiki and try to find the answer.)

I decided to give House Velaryon a Valyrian sword since they *are* a Valyrian house. Corlys says Aegon and Aemond helped get the sword from Racallio Ryndoon after hosting a beach party. Racallio has many wives and he sometimes sends them to other men who seem like, uh, good sperm donors. I’m imagining that he might have made a similar offer to Aegon or Aemond or both. 👀 (In this fic verse, the boys would turn it down but the whole scenario would be hilarious, I think.)

I regretted making Daemon an idiot about fashion because it meant I couldn’t go into *too* much detail about Jace’s wedding dress. (But I have other fics in the works where I *can* go into detail!) Notice that Jace has a penchant for gold clothing and jewelry…because Sunfyre. ☀️

Is the story about baby Jace and Aegon a metaphor for how he supports her claim to the throne? Yes. Yes it is.

Jace’s Princess Diana moment is a big part of her Good PR Masterplan. She’s gonna make the smallfolk love her if it’s the last thing she does.

The little exchange between Daemon, Rhaenys, and Viserys during the ceremony reflects how I imagine their childhood was like. Daemon’s always squirming during sept services, Rhaenys pinches and pokes him to make him behave, and Viserys is a tattletale.

The Faith is supposedly based on Catholicism, so I leaned hard into the kneeling during services so Daemon has another thing to complain about.

Not gonna lie, I kinda want to write a short fic where the Dance does happen in this universe, partially because Aegon thinks he has to be king to keep/protect Jace. 🥲 Don’t know how the logic works out, but it’s fanfic, we’re here for the vibes.

During the feast, Rhaena and Helaena are talking to Daemion Velaryon and Garmund Hightower about the Fake Husband Project. Helaena will probably end up marrying Daemion (paper marriage only), but I don’t think Rhaena/Garmund is going to happen. We’ll see.

I’m kinda sorry but not actually sorry for Aegon’s song. I am proud I managed to make the rhyming and rhythm work. 😇

[innytoes]

"girl help I already have so much headcanons for this au I'm never gonna write" .... show us the dystopian headcanons, Inny

Okay so this dystopia was percolating in my brain for a day or two before I could get it out. It's inspired by a lot of different sci-fi things, the biggest being Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age and that lovely tumblr story about the 100 point children.

It's set on a big-ass space ship colony, and you need credits for everything. Like, your basic needs will technically be met (large dormitories in your assigned work department/orphanage, fabricated Nutritionally Perfect food but not very tasty food, standard issue clothing, etc.) but if you want more, it costs credits. Credits are earned by working and possibly citizenship points, like that creepy Black Mirror episode.

So having your own place costs credits, but so does having kids, like a child tax. Don't think about the horrifying implications of that if you're not able to pay, don't do it, it's a dystopia remember.

Reggie's parents were just barely keeping their head above water, possibly due to spending their credits unwisely, possibly due to it being a fucking dystopia and they need to keep a bunch of people in poverty for the system to run. You know... like capitalism.

It’s not like spaces are officially segregated and all, but if you try to go to a park in a richer area as a kid in the standard issue (free) gray uniform... you’re gonna get picked on. Reggie learns early on where he’s ‘allowed’ to be and where he isn’t. Besides, after he starts going to work with his dad it doesn’t matter much anyway. Sometimes he sneaks out to the parks in the evenings or mornings (when normal kids are at school or in bed and his dad’s shift hasn’t started yet) so he can play on the Good Swings and stuff.

Rose and Ray both have pretty well-paying jobs (Ray watches the radar for asteroids and stuff on the bridge, as well as being a photographer, and Rose reviews and translates station-wide communications as well as being a private music teacher). Their kids want for nothing, they have a nice house, they have enough credits in savings that they’re ready for pretty much anything.

So at the end of the month Rose browses the internal logs, looking for places to donate credits. Regular donations go to the orphaned kids, so they can go to school, and she’s been known to pay off bullshit fines (“a teenager played their music too loud in the park and now the parents are facing downsizing their unit size to pay for it? That’s bullshit!”)

She kind of stumbles on Reggie by accident, thinking someone messed up the age from 31 to 13 on Reassignment Job Board. (She’s a reviewer after all, she can send a quick message through Internal Comms and get it fixed before someone is reprimanded and loses credits for a typo.) Until she reads his profile and his answers and is horrified. She talks to Ray, and then to Julie and Carlos, and oops, guess they have a new son.

Carlos is stoked to have an older brother. Julie is kind of horrified to learn there are kids who don’t get to go to school at all because their parents don’t have the credits for it, so of course she says yes. 

-As soon as Rose and Ray have convinced Reggie that no, they did not take him in as some kind of live-in butler or cleaning service, but as a kid, they sit him down with a Pad and get him to pick out some stuff that costs actual credits for the fabricator to make. Reggie is very concerned, so he sorts from lowest-price and works his way up until he balks at the amount of credits. (Which is... pretty much anything that isn’t the standard issue uniform but in like a nice colour.)

When Rose catches on, she tells the Pad to hide the prices, take out the ‘sort by price’ option, and take out anything that doesn’t fit into ‘budget - kids’. Then she hands the Pad back to Reggie and tells him to try again. He can still sort by colour and style and stuff, but he can’t see prices. If he hits his budget, the things that cost too much turn red.

(He only figures that out because he adds something he knows is really expensive, like a hoverboard, to his basket, just to see where the limits of this ‘budget’ lie. And is then very flustered because hoverboards are very very expensive, so he’s allowed to pick out a hoverboard plus like, seven sets of pants worth of stuff?)

In the end, he picks out a lot of black. Because it hides stains, unless you’re cleaning with bleach, and also it’s what the pilots wear as their uniform and pilots are really cool. Black jeans (Ray and Carlos are wearing jeans.) Black shirts. Black shoes. But then he stumbles on a very soft looking red plaid shirt, and there’s an option to have the fabricator make a square inch of test fabric for free. And it’s so very, very soft. He rubs the fabric between his fingers while he selects that shirt, and follows the ‘more like this’ links to several more items. A hoodie. Some pairs of thick socks. A little black leather bracelet, which feels like the height of luxury.

His room already has a non-standard issue bed, desk, and dresser,  but Ray reassures him that he can pick something else and they can feed these to the fabricator to get back some of the credits if he doesn’t like them. (He does like them. They look like wood, and the mattress on the bed is so comfortable.) He picks out a thick blanket that’s fuzzy on the inside, and a lamp that looks like a floating moon, and then, because there’s still budget left, a little statue of a horse, just to have something to put on the dresser.

He picks out a nice soft green for his walls, with a picture of rolling plains with long grass and a forest to cover one wall. He and Carlos sit on his bed and watch as the nanobots convert the boring gray walls, and that’s pretty cool too.

-Yes he gets his own stocking and it’s full of fun things (Carlos is mad at his parents they got Reggie socks, but Reggie loves his new socks. They have little pizzas on them!). His favourite is the little cube that projects stars on his ceiling, though.

-Of course Rose and Ray get him a dog for Christmas. It’s been haunting Rose ever since she read his answer on the questionnaire. It’s the last present of the day, and when Reggie opens his eyes, he immediately starts crying.

Carlos is very worried that he picked the wrong puppy, but Reggie assures him these are good tears, even though he can’t stop crying. They end up in a family group hug for like an hour, the puppy crawling from lap to lap.

Reggie names him Cosmo and he’s all ready to get a part-time job to make sure he has enough credits to feed him until Rose says no, the dog is family too, you don’t need to worry about that, Reggie.

-Reggie gets to go to school and it’s kind of terrifying but also really interesting. His reading and writing classes are mostly with adults and older teens who are going through apprenticeships, so thankfully he’s not stuck with the four and five year olds like he was worried he’d be. His math classes are with other freshmen, since he’s needed numbers for his job and he already knows basic math.

He meets Luke and Alex and Bobby in math class, and Luke immediately grabs him to be their fourth on the little pod of tables, because he’s new and thus interesting and otherwise Nick might have asked to join their group.

-Reggie has no idea what’s supposed to be wrong with Nick. He seems nice. Later, Bobby whispers it’s because Luke is jealous of Nick because his crush likes Nick more than she likes Luke. Luke threatens to stab him with a stylus while Alex rolls his eyes and discusses the next question with Reggie.

-Reggie likes his new friends, even if he doesn’t always understand their references.

-Julie introduces Reggie to her friends as well. He and Flynn get along great, since she takes everything he knows and doesn’t know and says in stride. Flynn only sees Cool Opportunities to introduce him to stuff like ‘mixing 4 soda powders together before putting them in the hydrator’ and ‘hiphop’.

Carrie kind of scares him. She’s one of those people who has enough credits to shoot Reggie out of an airlock and still get away scot free, and sometimes she looks like she’s contemplating just that. She sometimes scoffs when he doesn’t know something or says something ignorant (or poor), but usually a glare for Julie or Flynn mellows her out. 

But she’s also the first to absolutely destroy some jerk who tries to make fun of Reggie for not knowing how to read. And when she learns that the clothes Reggie is wearing are his first non-free fabricator clothes, she drags him and Julie and Flynn to something called a ‘thrift store’. It has stuff that either wasn’t fabricated at all, but was brought here from colonies or even Earth. It had stuff that was limited edition and thus couldn’t be fed back into the fabricator. And stuff that was donated by people who either didn’t need to feed stuff back into the fabricator, or for some reason didn’t want to. Lots of designers apparently donated their collections to the Thrift Store.

And yeah, Rose and Ray gave Reggie an allowance but it wasn’t like he had a lot saved up. And what he did, some part of him still thought he should hold on to, even though he was pretty convinced Rose and Ray weren’t sending him back.

To which Carrie scoffed and was like ‘please my dad won’t even notice if I buy out this whole store, we are getting you a statement piece and that is final’.

They have a great time trying on all kinds of weird and wonderful and silly clothes, though. Flynn and Julie make him wear a fuzzy neon orange bucket hat and try to convince Carrie that This Is It This Is His Statement Piece, until she threatens to buy it for him and he scrambles to convince her he was just joking. The way she laughs at him doesn’t feel mean, and he lets himself laugh too.

He ends up falling in love with an actual, real, non-fabricator leather jacket that fits him like a glove. He even loves the smell of it, real and earthy. Carrie refuses to let him see the price as she scans the tag and pays for it, and he thanks her over and over. He even, in his best penmanship, writes her a thank you note (which he’s seen Carlos and Julie do to their grandparents on a colony when they sent Christmas presents) and gives it to her at school the next day.

He pretends not to see her tear up, and she pretends not to notice he spelled her name wrong.

-Reggie tries to contact his mom through the messaging system but all his messages get denied. He’s worried she’s maybe in trouble, so one day he puts on his old standard issue uniform and sneaks into the kitchens, only to find that his mom doesn’t work there anymore. She got a better job, one of her old coworkers says, and has a nice unit for herself now. Last time he saw her, she was eating out wearing some nice non-standard issue clothing, having cocktails with her new friends.

He doesn’t try and find her after that. He goes to his room and uses some of his pocket money to make the room soundproof and cries and cries until he can’t cry anymore. And then lies to Rose when she comes home and says he just had a frustrating homework assignment.

Ray sits with him that night and helps him sound out his reading, and doesn’t comment when Reggie maybe leans in a little. He even wraps his arm around him, giving him a little squeeze and a ‘proud of you, mijo’ when he finishes the chapter.

-Rose teaches him piano, and in his music class, he learns guitar. Luke is incredibly excited about that, and will let him practice on Luke’s guitar for hours, helping him adjust his fingers and showing him chords.

-Later he switches to bass, because Luke has talked about wanting to start a band, and they don’t have a bass player yet. He likes the deep tones, and Rose and Ray get him a bass guitar for his birthday.

-Birthdays! Who knew there was more to them than a little free cupcake from the fabricator? Not Reggie!

[adarede]

Lesser known budget cooking tips

So many budget cooking tips are just things like “eat less meat!” and “only buy what you need!” and “buy the supermarket own brand!”

This advice is obvious, and most people looking for budget cooking advice are already doing it. In this post I will write some lesser known tips which are likely to give better results.

1. The cheapest way to get carbs is to make your own bread. The quickest way to do this is to make flatbreads. All you need is some flour (currently 69p for 1.5kg at Aldi; you only need like 50g at once), a pinch of salt (negligible money), and water from the tap. Make a dough (adjust flour and water until it is dough-like), knead until stretchy, leave it to rest for a bit (not essential step, can be skipped), roll/stretch it into a flatbread shape, and fry it in a dry frying pan for a minute or two on each side.

This may be more effort than buying bread, but it’s a fun thing to try if you happen to have a bit more time than money.

2. The cheapest way to get herbs is to forage them. For example, go to a churchyard and you’ll find loads of rosemary. Go around where you live, smell the plants, take pictures, look them up to see if you can eat them, and if so, eat them. (You can also get your very own rosemary bush by propagating a cutting. Easy to do, if slow. Look up directions online!)

3. Second cheapest way to get herbs - grow them. Around autumn or winter, go to a garden centre, and buy a packet of seeds reduced to clear. I got a huge pack of parsley seeds for 30p! Now have parsley growing out my ears. This is only cheap if you have access to soil though. You can also re-pot the potted herbs from supermarkets - hoping everyone saw that tiktok of the guy saying the reason they always die quickly is they are too many plants cramped together in too small a pot. 

As for growing other stuff, it only helps you save on groceries if you have the space to do it large-scale. But it’s fun so do it anyway. (This tip was quite well known but i’m including it in order to propagandise gardening)

4. Cooking bacon is often mentioned as the cheapest meat (It’s about £1/kg i think). However I’ve never seen that in the shops. What I have seen is a kg of frozen sausages from tesco for about £1.50. This is excellent value even if you consider that they’re only 42% meat. 

The cheapest fish is basa (catfish), and don’t listen to the haters: it’s delicious in both taste and texture (and £1.79 for 3 frozen filets from ALDI right now). 

5. Another uncommonly mentioned cheap meat is chicken paste. Or fish paste. It’s 42p for a little jar that contains a lot of protein! It gives me the shivers but I think it’s worth promoting more widely. 

On the other hand, one which doesn’t give me the shivers and which is great value protein is mini pork pies - these are very frequently reduced to clear in smaller supermarkets.

6. The cheapest vegetables are still carrots and potatoes, and the cheapest fruit is still bananas. However, the price of bananas has increased, so now if other fruits are on a good offer, it’s possible for them to be cheaper than the 18p per fruit which bananas now cost. Have seen apples at this price. 

7. Don’t buy things for the store cupboard. I’m always tempted to buy in advance stuff like cereal and tea and pasta and rice and tins. However, having stuff in the cupboard doesn’t seem to save money on future shops at all. Even if I’m buying multiple e.g. boxes of cereal because they’re on offer. The reality is that I just eat a lot more cereal when I have more in the house.

I think it’s helpful to have to use up all the food you bought last week before you go on next week’s shop. This often compels you to have a random using-up dinner, which is always a good idea. Pay no heed to conventional ideas of which foods go together.

8. An alternative to sweets when you’re feeling snacky: make some buttercream with margarine and icing sugar, put it in the fridge or freezer, and enjoy. Can also add cocoa powder to make chocolate buttercream. Super sweet and way cheaper for the amount you can get out of a box of icing sugar. 

Instead of buying baked goods, make cookies. Similarly, instead of buying cereal bars, make flapjacks. 

9. The only food I’ve had to throw away in the last year has been mushrooms that have gone mouldy quicker than I anticipated. Watch out for those sneaky blighters. 

10. If you are a porridge enjoyer, and you enjoy your porridge with milk, then use whole milk rather than semi-skimmed. You can replace the amount of semi-skimmed milk you would use with half the amount of whole milk, topped up with water, and get a porridge with the same level of creaminess. 

The same applies for white sauce/cheese sauce for pasta bake. Doesn’t apply for milk to drink on its own though (watered down whole milk does NOT taste like semi skimmed, it tastes like watered down whole milk). 

Same principle also applies for cheese (the principle being ‘semi-skimmed and whole milk are the same price’; so too are mature and extra-mature cheddars). Buy the strongest possible cheese to add to cheese sauces and pasta bake, as you will need to add less for more flavour. 

Of everything I’ve mentioned in this tip, only the porridge milk substitute has saved me money, as when I was doing this I ate porridge every day and measured how much milk I used. The other examples are extensions of the principle which I can’t guarantee would save money in practice. 

Having porridge for breakfast is also a very good idea when it comes to saving money as it fills you up for pennies. You knew that though.

11. Cheap meals generally take forms like:

- cheesy pasta bake with one vegetable in it (e.g. broccoli, peas, sweetcorn)

- lentil stew with one vegetable in it (e.g. carrots, peppers, spinach)

- rice with a single vegetable stir-fried (e.g. mushrooms, aubergine, reduced-to-clear 30p stir-fry veg bag)

- rice and beans (check out jack monroe’s chilli)

I save most money when I’m mainly eating this kind of thing.

Also some people don’t realise that you can cook rice in a saucepan just like you cook pasta. It is not at all tricky. 

12. Leftovers are your friend if and only if you have the willpower to avoid eating them for breakfast or midnight snack. Otherwise they are your ENEMY!

13. Don’t buy drinks (apart from tea bags and squash). Fresh juice and smoothies will lead you astray. 

I will consider this post my repository of knowledge and may add to it. 

[adamwatchesmovies]

Happily N’Ever After (2006)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

You can’t believe Happily N’Ever After was made in 2006, much less that it was released in theatres. This obvious attempt to cash in on the success of Shrek and its sequels is dreadful. Its funny moments are as rare as photos of Sasquatch, the animation is cheap, the voice acting poor, the writing deplorable and the plot ill-conceived. I wanted nothing more than for it to end.

In the realm of fairytales, the Wizard (George Carlin) oversees the balance of good and evil, ensuring every prince and princess gets a happy ending. When he goes on vacation, his assistants Munk (Wallace Shawn) and Mambo (Andy Dick) accidentally disturb the equilibrium. When Ella “Cinderella” (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is invited to the royal ball and given a magical makeover by her fairy godmother, her evil stepmother Frieda (Sigourney Weaver) takes advantage of the Wizard’s absence and takes control of the kingdom. While Cinderella looks for her lost Prince (Patrick Warburton), the palace dishwasher, Rick (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) decides to accompany her, secretly hoping she’ll realize the royal is not the man she’s been dreaming of.

Take a look at any frame and you’ll wonder where the $47 million budget went. Happily N'Ever After looks like a PlayStation 2 game, or a very professional supermarket commercial for a local chain. The character designs are ugly and the backgrounds are largely empty. Clearly, the animators didn’t have the means to accomplish what they wanted. I’ve never directed a film, much less an animated one but my understanding is that a director’s job is to look at the script, screenplay and storyboards and figure out how to bring it all to life. Why spend the money to develop seven gnomes when Cinderella could’ve just as easily met Dorothy’s Three Bears? Why did the Wizard need two assistants when just one bumbler would’ve sufficed? I know hindsight is 20-20. Nonetheless, anyone with an unbiased eye would’ve taken a look at what was on-screen and said “this isn’t working”.

Then again, why try to make Happily N’Ever After look good when the story is utterly worthless? The characters are so flat and uninteresting it’s a struggle to stay awake. You don’t care about Cinderella because so little time is spent with her between all of the side characters, the kingdom and the rest of the world. You care even less about Rick, who feels like a self-insert from a bad fan fiction. Frieda gladly calls herself evil, which might fit in a normal fairy tale, but this is supposed to be a deconstruction of the Brothers Grimms’ stories. You’re so bored with the lame romance at the film's center you begin questioning everything. I’d bring you along the mental journey but what’s the use when no thought went into any of this? The world of Happily N’Ever After makes no sense.

Unsurprisingly, the voice acting is horrendous. I can’t blame the performers. The dialogue is uninspired, cheesy and lame. It’s as if the casting director had a bunch of celebrities chained up in his basement but didn’t have the torture instruments required to break true a-listers and instead had to settle for the bottom of the barrel - no offense to anyone in this movie but we've seen performances elevate rickety material before and that's not what's happening here.

Did I mention this is a musical? Indeed, Happily N'Ever After features a collection of uninspired tunes and unmemorable lyrics perfectly fit for the rest of the film. Are we forgetting anything else? Can any more criticisms be thrown at this target? It deserves every single one of them, that’s for sure.

Every aspect of Happily N’Ever After ranges from lackluster to pathetic. It’s impossible to imagine anyone ever calling this their favorite film and the idea of it being the first - or last film - someone ever saw fills me with despair. The knowledge of a sequel existing out there brings suicidal thoughts to mind. I had to sit through this, and there’s another one too? Is there no justice in this world? (January 11, 2019)

[seeminglyseph]

Honestly when my sleep schedule gets really nocturnal and I start just like. Watching YouTube videos at night to fill time sometimes my mind wanders to weird places for random ideas.

I’m watching a Silent Hill video right now and part of my brain is considering what degree of turd polishing would be required for the controversial games. Some needing more than others obviously, like Downpour is very bad but Origins only needs minor tweaking in some places, Shattered Memories works as an alternate universe story and mostly suffers gameplay drawbacks as a Wii experiment, The Room also is largely a gameplay and crunch sort of issue, I think the story is good, it just had struggles in expressing that story. Homecoming had ideas it. Uh. I don’t know if the studio interfered or the creative team just wasn’t… creative *enough* to properly execute the ideas they came up with.

And genuinely I think Downpour drew so much from Twin Peaks that they moved Silent Hill to the other side of the country. It looks so Pacific Northwest for a town in Maine like. Sure, maybe Maine can like Washington sometimes, but if it was a TV show I would have assumed they had slashed their budget filming in Vancouver. And the telltale approach to storytelling didn’t work. I can work with the prison idea if they weren’t cowards about committing to it, but they are. The American Silent Hill games were absolute cowards about their protagonists actually having any moral complexities, unless you got “bad” endings, and I think that’s part of how they kind of failed the concept of Silent Hill.

Dunno if I would actually have the energy or motivation to *do* anything about it, but definitely *thinking* about it now. Alex and Murphy need to actively have more solid characters and demons to tackle personally before their games could be revamped, because their games also had really weak monsters and their monsters should be tied to their personal demons. Alex had pretty decent boss monsters since that side of his story was the only part that really kind of worked? But otherwise his game doesn’t work and it does come back to how he doesn’t really exist or have depths to draw on. And Murphy is even more shallow since his past is filled in by player action and mostly exists to be shocking and… feels like a morality tale with no substance, rather than an actual character journey anyone might relate to. And the clumsy crunch impacted gameplay just hammers that home.

Travis technically also has his issues in Homecoming which like. Wasn’t great, but it tucks itself off in the corner of “awkward characterization prequel fanfic” that’s like. Idk, write the characters better or something. It feels less annoying because it wasn’t a small handheld spinoff for a while that was one of the first spinoffs and it just seems like… idk. It was a smaller game just trying to be a little thing. And while like, they did Lisa dirty and I’m not sure they paid a whole lot of attention to the game they were writing a prequel to, like. It’s fine. It happens. Whatever.

I’m not touching Ascension, nothing can save it.

[matthewcahill]

Teaming up with someone who’s fully qualified

Summer can be a good time to focus on marketing. With autumn rapidly approaching, people can often mull over their futures while sitting on a beach or sunning themselves in the back garden.

In other words, that dream job which they desire might be dominating their thoughts. But, how do they achieve that wonderful goal? The use of the Miracle Question can be so powerful that it can really make dreams come true.

Teaming up with someone who’s fully qualified and really knows their stuff can create a positive therapeutic alliance that can power someone all the way to success.

Perhaps now is a good time to focus on looking at Google AdWords and putting aside a budget to help boost your profile.

It might only be a few pounds a week but boosting your Facebook posts can make all the difference as it allows you to specifically target your audience in a set area.

Likewise, writing regular blogs for your website can allow a potential client to get a feel for who you are and what you can do.

The old adage of getting to ‘know, like and trust’ someone comes to the fore and your writing can start to create change in a potential client who’s looking for help.

The rudimentary brain: automated responses

Strawberries, ice cream and an ice cold drink of something refreshing. The perfect ingredients to mull away a few hours watching the thrilling tennis finales at the weekend.

If you missed it then a 20 year old Spanish player broke a 20 year old convention by taking the trophy away from one of the ‘Big Four.’

Fans will know the past two decades has seen the event dominated by Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray. That all changed this year and now a new name can be etched onto the silverware: Carlos Alcarez.

Any successful sporting participant knows their discipline will require a whole heap of determination and focus. Early morning runs. Late nights in the gym. And, perhaps, most importantly: the correct mental approach.

In other words, negative thinking can really ruin our game. Think about the number of times you saw a player demonstrate ‘brain’ thinking. Either with angry cries of frustration or throwing their rackets to the ground.

I think a lot of us can remember John McEnroe’s infamous 1981 cries of ‘You cannot be serious, man!’ New York attitude hit leafy suburban London. Blighty reeled in shock.

Day One of Wimbledon had heated up to the point of a major meltdown. The Daily Mail (then priced at 12p) splashed it all over the front page with pictures of the tennis star breaking and kicking his racket.

His energy release arguably helped his game. McEnroe went on to win the match. And Wimbledon. The three time Wimbledon winner remains no stranger to centre court as his accent can often be heard emanating from the commentators’ box.

Perhaps McEnroe’s win is an exception to the rule. In the main, if a sports’ person can maintain their cool during a competition then our training shows us they have a greater chance of success.

In other words, if we allow our brain to dominate our thinking then we let negativity start to creep into our mindset. In the sporting world, this can be hugely problematic.

Think about it. Sports’ people train their  brains to work in a largely automated fashion. Someone throws a punch and the well trained boxer can duck, dive and weave their way out of trouble. The rest of us would be left lying on the mat.

Hot wiring that level of automated responses into the brain requires a series level of discipline and training.

So, just as most of us don’t think about walking or breathing, the well trained athlete doesn’t need to concentrate too much on the mechanics of their chosen field.

They know they can achieve their goals. They just need to maintain their focus. Throw their focus and they’re facing trouble.

Muhammad Ali knew how to win fights. ‘The Greatest’ would be good at goading his opponent causing them to lose intellectual control and become negative in their thinking. Ali would then steamroll his way to victory.

In short, the intellectual part of the brain needs to remain in charge. If we allow the  brain to take over then it starts to struggle with being able to do what we’ve programmed it to do. It’s focus meanders elsewhere. And a sense of failure creeps in.

The brain can really be our Kryptonite. Programme it well and look after it then all is good. Equally, if it’s thinking spirals downwards then things might not go quite so well for us…

For our clients, this process can be centred around reducing their stress bucket levels by regular sessions with you and by listening to your CD (or similar) between meetings. Low stress bucket levels is surely crucial for sport.

The rower focusing on problems with the rent is easily going to lose their stroke. Their  brain is so pre-occupied with a potential survival issue (shelter) that it can’t do what it needs to do.

Maintaining the patterned behaviour that it’s learned during months and months of training becomes too much when it’s also worrying about other things. The result? A loss of a relaxed state of concentration. A ‘crab’ gets caught and a Regatta is lost.

We can make all the difference in helping sportspeople to stay on top of their game by working with them to reduce their stress levels so their  brains can simple get on with what they do best.

A film with a twist

Sticking with a sporting theme. Have you seen the new Orange advertisement on social media?

We are, of course, not plugging any particular product here but we’re suggesting it’s certainly worthy of a viewing. If you don’t want the ‘plot spoiler’ then look away now!

In short, Orange (France) have produced an advertisement which celebrates football. Watch the first minute and you’ll hear French commentators celebrating goal after goal after goal. Not a footie fan? Stick with it as the second minute becomes enthralling…

The editing team rewind the footage and you can watch as they erase the players and replace them with the ones who actually scored goal after goal after goal.

In short, the genuine footage was actually showing the French female team and not their male counterparts.

With the incredible pace of technological advances, the film shows us how easily our brains can be tricked into believing one thing when the reality is completely different!

If you would like to trains as a Hypnotherapist you can take the first steps here.

Read More

HYPNOTHERAPY TRAINING PROGRAMS IN LEICESTER

[lambock-store]

Time Management Made Easy: Harnessing Potential of Calendars and Planner

Different types of calendars and planners

There are different types of 2023 monthly calendar available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The most popular ones are the wall calendar, desk calendar, day planner, and online calendar. Wall calendars are the most popular type of calendar. They are usually large and can be hung on a wall or door. They are easy to see and usually have large print. Desk calendars are smaller and can be placed on a desk or table. They are easy to flip through and usually have smaller print. Day planners are smaller still and can be carried with you. They have space for each day and you can write in your appointments and tasks. Online calendars are the newest type of calendar. They are accessed through the internet and can be shared with others. They are easy to update and usually have features such as weather and task lists. The best calendar for you depends on your needs. If you need to see the big picture, a wall calendar is a good choice. If you need something to take with you, a day planner might be best. If you need to share your calendar with others, an online calendar is a good option.

How to choose the right calendar or planner for you

Harnessing the potential of calendars and planners can be a game-changer when it comes to time management. But with so many changed opportunities on the marketplace, how do you select the correct one for you? Here are a few key factors to consider when selecting a calendar or planner:

Purpose The first step is to identify the purpose of the calendar or planner. Are you looking for something to help with time management, goal setting, or both?

Format Calendars and planners come in a variety of formats, from wall calendars and desk planners to digital apps and online tools. Consider how you prefer to receive and track information. Do you like to have everything in one place, or do you prefer a more dispersed system?

Customization Some calendars and planners are more customizable than others. If you have specific needs or preferences, look for a calendar or planner that allows you to input your own information and tailor the layout to your liking.

Price Calendars and planners’ range in price from free to quite expensive. Consider your budget and whether you need any special features (like goal setting or tracking) before making a purchase.

Reviews Finally, don’t forget to check out reviews before selecting a calendar or planner. There’s nothing like hearing from other users to help you make a decision. Choosing the right calendar or planner can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. By keeping these key factors in mind, you’ll be sure to find the perfect fit for your needs. Benefits of using a calendar or planner The calendar is a versatile tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. While most people use it to keep track of the days, weeks, and months, it can also be used as a tool to manage time and achieve goals. There are many benefits to using a calendar or planner. By keeping track of deadlines, appointments, and other important dates, you can avoid missing important deadlines or being late for appointments. A calendar can also help you to stay on track with your goals. By writing down your goals and breaking them down into smaller steps, you can better track your progress and stay motivated. Another benefit of using a calendar is that it can help to reduce stress. Having a clear overview of your commitments can help you to better manage your time and avoid feeling overwhelmed. If you are looking to improve your time management skills, a calendar or planner can be a valuable tool. By taking advantage of the many benefits they offer, you can make the most of your time and achieve your goals.

[moviesteve]

The Virginian’s ambitions aren’t that great. It wants to be a normal, everyday western like they used to make, in which man’s-gotta-do men negotiate morality in a lawless world, a baddie wore a black hat and a fair lady was open to a bit of courting as long as it was respectful. Can such a western be made? Is there an audience for it? The TV show The Virginian, which this isn’t, was one of several long-running series with high production values and fine actors. It ran for 249 shows over nine years, a way behind Bonanza (430 episodes between 1959 and 1973) and Gunsmoke (635 episodes between 1955 and 1975). Together, with the likes of Rawhide, The High Chaparral and The Big Country these shows went to town on the genre, working through all the permutations the western could offer and grinding out the last dregs of sympathy for it. By the time they were done, the western was dead. Clint Eastwood kept going, a lone voice, but precisely the sort of movie that The Virginian is – modest in budget, and desiring only to tell a tale of the old west with no allegories or meta-statements or fancy claims of any sort – simply couldn’t get made any more. Since then, there’s been a revival in the fortunes of the western, of sorts, with films like 3:10 to Yuma, The Salvation, Slow West, The Proposition, Django Unchained, Bone Tomahawk, Meek’s Cutoff and First Cow, brilliant all, but they all had ambitions, often revisionist. The bog-standard oater really was toast (to really mix the metaphors). Which brings us to the meat of The Virginian, based on Owen Wister’s novel The Virginian: Horseman of the Plains, which was praised for its authenticity when it was published in 1902 and led to a stampede of authors writing me-too versions of the same. Director Thomas Makowski and writer Bob Thielke stick largely to the original book’s story – about the dealings between the Virginian (hooray) and Trampas (boo), the Virginian and the Judge, who sees him as his successor, and the Virginian and fair lady Molly, who he will woo if she’ll look his way. All this seen through the eyes of a fancy New York writer, Owen Walton (the echo with Wister is clear), who is getting an introduction to the Wyoming of the late 19th century. Molly and Owen It’s a cast full of people who have the right faces for the job. Country star Trace Adkins also has the voice as the Virginian, a big rumbling gravelly thing that appears to come from his boots. Steve Bacic plays Trampas as a scowling, belly-crawling no-good to the Virginian’s upright man’s man. Victoria Pratt plays Molly, a teacher, we’re told, though Pratt seems to have decided on a bit of saloon-gal swishiness. And, with an “And…” credit, Ron Perlman is the Judge – upstanding, four-square, rumbling back at Adkins whenever Adkins rumbles at him in the scenes they share, like two volcanoes facing off. Brendan Penny plays Walton, the “tenderfoot” through whose eyes and ears we see this unfamiliar (is the idea) territory where justice and manners are rough and much needs patient explanation. Except, obviously, it doesn’t. After thousands of movies and TV shows, Walton’s narrator figure – never named in the original book – is in the way in the 21st century and that final scene, as the Virginian and his fine lady Molly walk off into the sunset while Walton trots along awkwardly beside them actually admits as much. There are other problems, like the piling on of Western cliché early on – a whipping, a near-hanging, a quick-draw shootout, a testy card game, rustlers, Indians – done breathlessly. It’s interesting in these opening scenes watching the actors attempting to put back in with their performances the air that poor pacing has sucked out. After that… kind of nothing. A formless almost-story of one minor event after another, with the odd death-out-of-nowhere maybe meant to spice things up. Until it all comes to a close with straddle-legged guns-blazing shootout. It’s not terrible, but it’s not terribly interesting either. The Virginian – Watch it/buy it at Amazon I am an Amazon affiliate © Steve Morrissey 2023

[careeralley]

9 Tips for Creating a Modern Resume

Less is More Writing a great resume is not an easy task and although the overall unemployment rate is down,  competition for the best jobs at the best companies continues to increase. Hiring managers now have a large pool of talented candidates to choose from.  You can try to stand out but adding a ton of flair to your resume but using a modern simple resume template can work to your advantage. So what does that mean for you?  That means you are going to have to step up your game and create an outstanding resume that will grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.  How do you go about creating a resume that will really impress potential employers?  Not to worry, we are here to help you with 10 tips for creating that simple resume that really stands out. 1. Your resume Format Matters The format of your resume is an essential factor that should not be underestimated. While the content is important, the way you present it can make or break your chances of getting hired. Your resume needs to be visually appealing and professional-looking to make a good impression on the recruiter. It's crucial to choose the right format that suits your industry and experience to ensure that your resume stands out from the rest. Want to create a modern resume that stands out from the crowd? Check out these 9 game-changing tips to revamp your CV and land your dream job! #resume #jobsearch #careeradvice'Click To Tweet By investing time in selecting the appropriate format, you increase your chances of getting noticed by the recruiter. Your resume should be easy to read, well-organized, and tailored to the job you're applying for. A well-formatted resume can showcase your skills and experience more effectively, making it easier for the hiring manager to evaluate your suitability for the role. So take some time to think about the right format for your resume and increase your chances of landing that dream job. Resumes that Work!: Templates, Examples and Formats Tailored to the Job $12.99 Learn More We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. 12/04/2022 12:23 am GMT 2. Put your most impressive work first English-speaking countries read from top to bottom, left to right, so it's essential to place your most impressive work and accomplishments at the top of your resume. This way, when recruiters or hiring managers glance at your resume, they'll be drawn to the most impressive section first and give your resume the attention it deserves. Recruiters have a lot of resumes to review, which means they usually only spend a couple of minutes on each one. Therefore, it's essential to give them a clear reason to spend more time on your resume. Resume Writing Get your resume professionally re-written Get a Killer Resume We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Remember, what's impressive to you may not be what hiring managers find impressive. To stand out from other candidates, it's essential to put yourself in a recruiter's shoes and think about what they want to see. Highlight the information that lets them know you're the perfect fit for the job. For example, if you're applying for a computer programming position, showcase the programming languages you know, starting with the most complicated or sought-after ones. By doing so, you'll increase your chances of catching the recruiter's attention and landing that dream job. 3. Less is More Leave out anything that doesn’t have to do with the job you are applying for.  If you are applying for a position as a budget analyst, you do not need to talk about your prior career in retail sales.  However, that doesn't mean that you should leave out everything that doesn’t deal directly with the job you are applying to. Listing experience in related fields will definitely help your resume as it shows that you have a wide knowledge base.  So going along the lines of the budget analyst example, you should definitely put in your experience as a tax accountant or a project manager if you have such experience. 4. Approach your resume with a minimalist attitude Often, individuals cram too much information onto their resume to keep it to a single page, but this approach can make it difficult to read and comprehend. To prevent clutter, it's better to adopt a minimalist approach to writing your resume. This involves emphasizing only the most notable projects or experiences rather than attempting to incorporate everything. If you possess extensive prior experience, opt for highlighting a few exceptional projects and examining them in detail rather than offering a brief overview of every project you've worked on. 5. Don’t make an Objective Statement Including an objective statement in your resume is an outdated and pointless practice. It takes up valuable space that should be used to showcase your relevant skills and qualifications. Most recruiters find objective statements meaningless, and they rarely add any value to your application. While some employers may insist on including an opening statement, it is better to focus on providing more meaningful information that could increase your chances of landing an interview. So, unless explicitly requested, skip the objective statement and use the space to highlight your strengths and accomplishments. CareerAlley Resume Review Partners Improve your chances in job interviews by optimizing your resume. Our partners specialize in resume writing, reviewing, and tailoring to specific job requirements, ensuring job seekers stand out to potential employers. Boost Your interview chances We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. 6. Focus on Your Training and Education Simply lacking a degree does not imply that you lack the necessary training to excel in a job. If the education segment of your resume seems inadequate, consider adding a section for personal development and incorporating any formal or informal training you've received in the past. Vocational qualifications may be more relevant than any academic achievement; if you have pmp certification then that may well serve you better than any degree. Always keep in mind that the relevance of a qualification is more valuable than prestige. Recall the seminars, conferences, certifications, and independent studies you've participated in to demonstrate that you possess a solid foundation to perform the job. Source 7. Draw Attention to Your Strengths Although other candidates may have more experience than you, they might not have the same qualifications or achievements as you do. Concentrate on the strengths and attributes that distinguish you from other candidates. To highlight your strengths, create a list of your professional accomplishments, industry knowledge, and the outcomes you've produced in your field of expertise. Furthermore, it is crucial to include your strengths section before your education section to grab the employer's attention. By doing so, employers are more likely to be impressed with your qualifications, and the absence of a degree may be overlooked. 8. Send Your resume to the Right Person/Department Crafting a successful resume is somewhat dependent on the employer. Make sure your resume is well-written and stands out (for the right reasons). Thoroughly proofread your resume and send it through an online editing tool. Leverage friends and family to give your resume a once over. Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed… Get Hired (Modernize Your Career) $18.95 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. 02/21/2023 01:49 am GMT If you have any professional writers in your life, have them look over your resume to ensure it’s in the correct format and written in the right font. Read up on the format and cover letter should you decide to include one with your application. Get the name and email of the hiring manager to ensure your resume gets to the right person. Employers are sure to be impressed with your level of professionalism, a level that was achieved without a formal degree. 9. Be Sure You Have a cover letter Cover letters offer a great opportunity to show how passionate, eager, and excited you are about the job position and your chosen industry. That passion, eagerness, and excitement likely won’t transfer well in your resume, making it even more important that you include a well-written cover letter with your resume. Additionally, your exuberance might serve you and the company better than someone with a degree who’s merely looking to move up the ladder. Creating a great resume is the first step to putting you in the running for landing your dream job. Use these tips, and make sure the rest of your resume is top-notch to increase your chances of getting an interview. 101 Best Cover Letters $20.00 $17.20 Beat out the competition for the best jobsCreate an image of accomplishment, professionalism, and competence that today’s employers are begging for! Buy on Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. 04/09/2023 05:23 pm GMT Read the full article

[punjabfurnitureau]

How To Choose The Right Furniture For Your House: A Simple Guide to Match Your Style.

Introduction

When we think of choosing the best furniture for our house, what first comes to our minds? For most people, the first thing that comes to mind is the appearance of the furniture, but are we thinking about what kind of quality products we are getting? Are we looking for quality or just a quick fix that won’t last very long?

This question’s answer lies in taking the time to do a little research. You have to make sure that the furniture that you pick is durable. Moreover, also check that it’s comfortable to move around in. For better quality, you can order Furniture Hoppers Crossing and online furniture in Craigieburn.

Also, always remember to balance the price with quality so that you don’t get ripped off. That’s why so many sites specialize in unique, handmade furniture that will make your house stand out from all the rest.

So let’s begin!

Choosing the right furniture for your house

There are many options when it comes to choosing the right furniture for your house. The most important one is the size of your place. Different places require different pieces of furniture. If you live in an apartment, you should choose furniture that you can move around without repositioning it. If you have a large house, you should consider whether you will need a big sofa or a smaller one, a writing desk, a nightstand, or a bookcase.

Furthermore, there are many other things you need to consider when choosing the right furniture for your house. But this post will guide you in the right direction and give you a few hints to choose the best furniture for your space. Also, To decorate your dream home, you should not compromise with quality. That’s why you should buy it from quality stores like online furniture stores in Australia.

What are the things you want to store?

Let’s start with the things we can’t live without. The house is full of them, so what do we need? The most important thing is the wardrobe and the storage system. It doesn’t matter if you have four drawers to store my clothes or four walls that can store my clothes, it’s a system! If you want to store things in the wardrobe, you can’t do it if that wardrobe doesn’t exist!

In the same way, you will want your storage system to be awesome. It can thus create storage solutions for your room. You can also buy wooden pooja mandir online to give your home decoration a spiritual touch.

What is your budget?

Choosing the right furniture is all about coming up with a fair budget. It’s important to understand what you are looking for in your home and how much you can realistically spend. If you wish to spend a considerable amount, it is probably a good idea to spend a little more time looking. You can save a lot of time and money if you use a discount furniture dealer. If you have a tight budget, you should go through some sites for deals to find out what’s out there.

Define your style

You should decide what you want your house to look like before you start thinking about furniture. This will help you make your decisions and understand your budget and your style. If you like the way a house has been decorated, you might like to keep the furniture exactly as it is. If you think it looks nice but wants to change it, you will need to find a matching piece. Otherwise, you will need to buy a completely new set. If you buy a center table Craigieburn, it will also enhance the beauty of your home.

Decide where you are going to store things!

Use your imagination when making a plan for your house interior. You should have an idea of what you like, what you don’t like, your budget, etc. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you are doing — that is why it is better to hire an interior designer, and The desire for a beautifully decorated home gets fulfilled when you consider the best furniture service hoppers crossing and online furniture in Craigieburn.

Concluding Lines

The easiest way is to come up with a list of things you do not want in your house. Furthermore, you can make a list of things you want in your house. If you are planning a small apartment with little furniture, you can easily reach your requirements by just doing this.