#lending and borrowing script

[rem0n-art]

SPOILERS FOR THE WELCOME HOME SPRING UPDATE (LONG POST)

1 - Missing Wally

Wally seems to be missing in these images, it's pretty odd considering he's supposedly the star of the show

2 - Wally's Introduction Card

He's not looking at us anymore? Also his canvas is gone, it could be the same one in the new storybook with Wally and Julie

Also Wally's script is just distorted ringing... he's not picking up the phone (Also it says 'Go back' instead of 'Goodbye!" or whatever the old website said)

Wally's png says 'ringring' (REALLY complements the one above huh)

3 - Secret Wally Audio

The red button on the toy telephone is clickable! It leads to an audio of Wally, and he doesn't seem to be at his best....

Also the audio's labelled 'ringring' which is the same as the Wally png!

Apparently the link updated with a picture of a chair in the dark:

There's also a hidden transcript found in the link (special thanks to @pinkfishu for the former transcript) which states as follows:

(Low, constant static plays for several seconds.)

(Loud, boisterous and joyous. He laughs.) You found me! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!

(An electronic noise plays, then cuts off along with static. Voice is slow and halted, with varied inflection.)

Hello, You.

It has been a long while…

It was Homewarming. Now it is not. The snow melts. The grass grows. The sun shines. The flowers bloom.

Home is here. Do you remember Home.

Can you hear him.

(PAUSE. The heartbeat slowly rises. HOME makes sounds.)

I can hear Home.

I want to hear you too.

Talk.

(LONG PAUSE. Firmly said.) I know you are here.

Talk.

Talk.

(PAUSE.) …That is alright. I will speak for all of us. I am happy to.

You are here now, but for a long while, you were not.

And I… Could not feel anything… I could not find this place.

The channel was dark. I do not know what happened.

When I found You again everything was not where I left it.

But… I do not understand.

(PAUSE.) I know what words are. I saw words. I followed them. I followed them!

You.

Are you in the dark.

Are we in trouble.

(PAUSE. Sounding worried.) Trouble… Trouble… But I have to continue… So that you… So that we… So that I can…

…I do not know what to call what we are doing, neighbor.

But everything has a name, doesn’t it.

…Do you remember mine.

(PAUSE. Warmer and joyful.) You do, don’t you. What a relief.

(Said thoughtfully.) Everything has a name.

(PAUSE. Jovial.) But what trouble! What trouble!

(LONG PAUSE.) I do not know what to do… But keep talking to you… You are waiting for me. You want to know why I keep…

(PAUSE.) Talking…

(Warmer again.) Have you heard of ‘lend an ear,’ before. When your neighbor says this… They do not mean to borrow your ear. They mean to listen.

Do you know how to lend an ear. Barnaby said… First you cup a hand around your ear… And then you wait for a sound. That is how you lend an ear.

Home cannot speak like I can. But I know Home speaks to me… The door opens and shuts. The window groans and creaks. So I lend an ear to him.

…So why do I speak to you.

It is because… You will lend me an ear.

I do not know why. Maybe the gifts make you happy. Maybe you like Welcome Home. Maybe you like our neighbors. Maybe you like me.

Maybe you scratch my back… I scratch yours… Barnaby says that too…

I know we are not in the same room. It is another silly bunch of words.

After all… I can not get in. (Assertive sounding, I made you a promise.) But do not worry. I am getting better.

(Returns to his monotonous disposition.) But for now… To pass our time…

Will you lend me more than an ear, neighbor.

Will you find the name for me. For what we are doing. For what we see.

I’m going to say… Yes.But to avoid trouble… Let us talk another way, just like Home. Isn’t that the most?

I know how we will talk. We will play.

Do you know how to play. I have learned from my neighbors how, but the way each plays is not the same.

Do not worry. I will teach you how to play, just like all of them. Each and every one.

Would you like to know something funny. We can’t hear the flowers, even when you lend an ear. Not like Julie can.

Julie says they still have something to say, though. I have heard from her… A rose without thorns… But still has leaves… Is filled with fear… And with hope. When both are not there, however… There may be neither hope nor fear.

Isn’t that something.

So… Let’s play a game called… Gather.

What do you do?

Gather good words from the flowers. Do not worry, we will not pick them. They are happy where they are. Julie has given us so many, so I know you will find them.

This will be fun! I feel joyful already!

…I can not do much as I am now. But, I will practice.

Remember… Until you hear me again, keep your smile merry, and always know that I love you, very much.

(PAUSE. HOME makes sounds.)

Home is saying good bye… Oh, no, I forgot to do that too.

Good bye, You!

3.5 - Neighbourhood Page

The forest at the back seems more darker and ominous, it's pretty unsettling

The black ink part at Home was also scribbled (paint splattered over the website iykwim)

Adding this and the transcript of the hidden audio, we can clarify one thing: Wally was silenced. And he is not too damn happy about it (valid crashout if you ask me). The restoration team had completely blocked him out, even locked the guestbook (I don't know if it's just me or we're not allowed to see the guestbook entries at all, probably because of Wally's drawings) and removed other aspects such as having him on the homepage instead of Julie or his transcript audio at the start. This is probably to stop him from contacting us, and possibly to uncover more about Welcome Home, and using springtime as a distraction.

Wally sounds... rather unhinged in the audio, scared yet mad. He seems to mention Homewarming (evidence for the 'melting snow on Home's door theory') and how it was there, and it was gone. I guess he wasn't prepared for the transition, which makes sense since he was pretty much caged up (Is that the word for it?)

He tells us to play a game called 'GATHER' where we gather words from the flowers, which I'm assuming is a direct lead to the 'Floriography' board game (refer to this post i found for more information).

4 - Home's PNG

Was this always the name to the home png? Just curious (Ok so I've been told it's always been like this so best to not overthink it 👍)

Also there seems to be snow at the door, which is weird because the whole neighborhood is in full bloom - perhaps even mid spring- but somehow there's still snow? My guess is that it's a metaphor that while all the other neighbours have moved on to Springtime AKA the new update, Wally seems to be 'stuck' at the previous update, hence his disappearance at the group images on the website.

(honourable mention)

apple pie enjoyers we won/j /nsrs

5 - Julie And Her Siblings

This scene at the "What Makes the Flowers Bloom" handbook really had me thinking a bit, for starters:

Jonesy claims they stick to one colour, something that Julie definitely counters.

Franny comments the bigger the horns, the better. Note how all of them have big horns except for Julie. This is an obvious lead to the claim that Julie is somehow "less" than them.

It's clear the way the Joyful siblings act towards Julie make it seem like she's inferior or undeserving of her current role in the neighborhood. I'm not saying they judge or hate her, I personally think it's the narrative that's making them seem like that.

Not only that, but there's also this:

The Joyful siblings are in a band but Julie doesn't seem to want to join them (or perhaps she's refusing against her will?). Further context in the next one.

6 - Hidden Links

Also showing this tumblr post for hidden links across the website! Credits to them ofc: https://www.tumblr.com/citrineaura/780675339022139392/all-hidden-links?source=share

Three hidden links are connected together to tell a quick story of Julie.

For a short summary: Julie is trying to get a very strange looking flower to bloom (there's this really good theory I found that it might a winter flower by @drawingwithnara41 so I added the link in order for you guys to check it out) only to get her more and more frustrated and obsessed every time she fails to the point of having a whole mental breakdown at the last video. Her voice also seems to change as well??

(Also side info: A similar black tulip seems to also be in the 'Floriography' board game? Could this mean something?)

Anyways, back to the hidden video: She keeps saying it's not her fault, we can clarify she feels disappointed in herself for failing since she claims stuff like "What would Frank think when he sees you?" and even tells the flower that "it won't be around for much longer", at least from what I've heard, presumably due to the fear of others seeing her as inferior, mostly caused by her frustration to abide by her roles and possibly even her personality. It's obvious she has very low self esteem due to her continuous behaviour of making others happy while completely ignoring her own emotional state (as seen in the storybook featuring Wally and Julie, Julie is the one making the other neighbours happy, but there is no vice versa seen).

Also, one hidden link (/revengeinnocenceregardtemptationtears) leads to an image of a disturbed Frank.

The png is named "oh no", it could be from Frank's viewpoint as I think at that scene he's seeing Julie's breakdown or possibly the outcome of it, which is probably killing the flower out of frustration. That makes sense due to how Frank acts on most hidden secrets over the past few updates. I'm guessing he's concerned for her.

Yet again, it could be from Julie's viewpoint, probably from realizing Frank spotted her, though I'm more firm with it being Frank.

6.5 - The Bug-Dog Toy

At the very end of the last hidden video of Julie, this dog-bug creature flies down to the flower and the clip stops. This thing is also seen at the 'Miscellaneous' category.

Not sure what the dog-bug toy is supposed to mean, but I can see it's a part of a possibly toy series called "Grow-a-pal", also if you check out the name of the png, it's revealed that the toy's name is 'Buggle', which is probably a mix of the words 'bug' and 'beagle' (quicks thanks to @sunnydxys1 for that theory ^v^)

It's also mentioned again at awayfrompryingeyes.net inside a toy box. W comments on receiving the toy box on one of the packages he was sent and shows a picture, but it's pitch black. Brightening it up (kudos to @wallys-left-eyeball for teaching me how to brighten up the image lol) will lead to this:

The letters at the bottom spell 'GLE' which is obviously 'BUGGLE'. I don't know if this toy's lore is of it's own or is linked to Howdy and/or Barnaby, but maybe there's more uncovered secrets we need to find for this.

[gamma-radio]

I hate when people play phone audio out loud in public spaces. The screechy quality of phone speakers, the disregard for literally anyone's auditory comfort, my poor autistic ears — I rage mode.

I know I'm not alone, so I am going to share my flawless embarrassment-free technique to get them to stop.

1) Carry a pair of earbuds on you. Not required, but it helps give you the confidence to actually confront them

2) walk up to them and be as nice as possible, no matter how mad you are. However, do not explain yourself or apologize, just make a simple request: "Hi, would you mind using earbuds for that?" (You're not asking them to stop, just change their method)

3a) 90% of the time they will shamefully put their phone away, and because you were so nice, they aren't even mad at you!! Then you can thank them for being so thoughtful, and maybe compliment their shirt or something! Everybody loves compliments.

3b) Alternatively, they might say, "I don't have earbuds." Normally, this would put you in an awkward situation, but You aren't normal. You are Prepared.

OFFER THE EARBUDS: "That's okay," you say, "you can borrow mine!" dazzling smile, you are so nice and thoughtful, what a great guy you are

Don't worry about losing your earbuds (or if you don't actually have earbuds), because they won't accept your offer. THEN they will put their phone away of their own free will. You never even had to ask.

If you want a detailed explanation of why this works (for the autistic besties, I see u):

People don't like it when you tell them what to do, especially if that request is to stop doing their activity in any shape or form. It pisses them off, and rightfully so! No one wants to be controlled.

That's why this method is so good: you never asked them to stop their activity, you asked them to make a small change to how they are doing the activity, which is far less obtrusive.

This works for lots of things, and lots of people. Imagine being a kid, goofing around, and someone says, "Stop doing that." Upsetting! Compared to: "Would you mind being quieter?" Because really, the issue is not that you are goofing around, the issue is that you are being loud and disruptive about it.

Same goes for the stranger on their phone in public. It's totally fine that they're watching a video, the problem is that they're being disruptive, and chances are they know that being disruptive is rude.

The second half of why this works is offering the earbuds.

When you ask them to change how they're doing their activity, you are placing a burden on them. If they have a pair already, it is a very tiny burden. If they don't have a pair, it is suddenly an insurmountable burden, and that's very uncomfortable. In fact, it's so uncomfortable that by making the request, you might become the bad guy in the situation (according to them) even if you're being nice, and even if they're in the wrong.

That's why you offer the earbuds. Now you are actively helping them by alleviating the burden. You are being kind and thoughtful instead of demanding!

Sure, they might think you're a little weird, because it's not part of the social script, but they've got no ground to be mad at you.

Which brings up the last point: offering to lend your earbuds isn't part of the social script. It's surprising, and so their default reaction is to avoid that path: they will decline your offer. So, you don't have to worry about a stranger wearing your earbuds with their gross stranger ears.

So that's the whole idea behind the method. Confrontation that is respectful and thoughtful of their autonomy and your comfort all at the same time. ~social engineering for good~

[moonmeg]

what kind of bracelet is micah wearing in the last comic? 🤔

He's been wearing it since First Kiss(es)!

In this post I mention it first. As Makenna (21) is leaving Bonesborough and Feya (19) follows just a few months later, while Micah (16) stays behind, Feya and Micah had the idea to create something that firstly was supposed to just be a reminder to Makenna that she has siblings who love her very much but then essentially thought all three of them deserve that reminder. A literal sibling bond you could say.

They braided three identical bracelets/charms using golden yarn as representative color for Makenna, pink yarn as representative color for Feya and red yarn as representative color for Micah, and surprised Makenna with it. Now all three of them wear it one way or another and will continue to wear it ♡

I thought about illustrating it, but I'm afraid my brain works more and faster than my hands and schedule/private life can manage, so I hope you are fine with just the script 🥹❤️

Feya: Kenna, before ye go... Mikey and I have something to give ye.

(Hands it to Makenna)

Makenna: A bracelet?

Micah: It can be a charm for yer bag too. It can be lotsa things. Whatever ye want it to be, really.

Feya: Red is for Micah. Pink is for me. Gold is for ye.

Micah: Fey and I have the same for us too. (They hold them up)

Makenna: For what?

Feya: Well, ye're going and we ken ye'll try to write letters as frequently as ye can but we don't ken when we'll meet again face to face. Since I'm thinking about going too and Mikey is almost grown up and who knows where he'll go or do... this might be the last time in a while we see each other like this.

Micah: The idea was to have something that physically connects us no matter where we are... like a literal sibling bond, so ye don't forget us, Mak.

Makenna: Oh, ye bafoons. I'll die before I forget ye. Ye're my little sister and brother and I may not have always shown it but I love ye two so much and I promise this isn't the last time we stand face to face. I'm so happy and grateful to have ye two in ma life. Even if I wanted another sister instead of a brother-

Micah: Well, I'm sorry I ruined yer perfect dream family.

Makenna: Nah, I think it's better ye turned out a little annoying brother rather than another annoying sister who constantly steals ma stuff.

Feya: I have never done anything of the likes.

Makenna: Uh-huh. I'm still missin' three pairs of earrings that I last saw when I lend them to ye. As well as a shirt, a pair of boots...

Feya: Alright, alright! Maybe I did borrow a thing or two. Ye want 'em back?

Makenna: Nah, keep 'em. I'll surive wi'out. (Pause. She looks st the braid in hand, tearing up as she remembers how she was the one to teach them how to braid) I'll miss ye two goons*¹. A lot. I love ye.

Feya: We love ye too.

Micah: Always will.

Makenna: Aye, I know.

Micah: Hah! We made ye cry!

Makenna: Och falbh dairich fhein!*²

*¹ idiots *² Oh, go fuck yourself

[mirai-e-jump]

Uchusen Vol. 182 (Autumn 2023) Kamen Rider Gaim 10th Anniversary Commemorative Book: Muso Interview with Series Producer and Designers (other pages and translations below)

Publication: October 2, 2023

Producer Takebe Naomi Interview

-Recruitment of Main Writer Urobuchi Gen-

"One of the major points of Kamen Rider Gaim, was the recruitment of Urobuchi Gen-san as the main writer, someone who's worked on video games and anime."

Takebe: That's right. Looking back, I'm amazed that he was able to do it. Currently, due to Urobuchi-san's schedule, I think it'd be difficult to have him on for a whole year, so I think it was a very important year for us.

"What were some of the characteristics of Urobuchi's scripts?"

Takebe: The dialogue was heavy, wasn't it? Each one was long and contained difficult expressions. Also, I remember saying something like, "New actors can't speak more than 3 lines" (laughs), but the choice of words in their dialogue was amazing, so I don't think it would've made a big difference even if they were made alittle shorter.

"Speaking of which, in an interview at the time, you said, "I’ve learned to write shorter lines after working on Kamen Rider Gaim" (laughs). We think it was also adventurous for you to treat dance as one of the important themes that make up the show."

Takebe: In the beginning, that was the initial setting by both Urobuchi-san, and Director (Ryuta) Tasaki, who was in charge of the pilot, and it made me think, "Wow, this is an area I'm not familiar with" (laughs). It wouldn't have been a problem if it was an anime, but as a live action show, the cast has to practice, and it's time consuming to film them dancing, so it was very difficult.

"Come to think of it, the flow of the story until the end of the show was already decided in the beginning."

Takebe: From the world of the kids on the dance team, to the adult world……the interactions with Takatora and the others, and then learning the truth from them, was all set up like chapters. When I met with Director Tasaki and Urobuchi-san for the second time, we had notes on the overall flow of the show, which was roughly divided into four parts. The final setting was established, and it ended up being almost unchanged, so it was a new experience for me because I hadn't worked in that way before. Usually, I think about what to do next while working on a show (laughs).

-Impact of the fruit armor-

"In contrast to the serious and hard hitting storyline depicted by Urobuchi-san, we think the catchy appeal of the fruit themed Kamen Rider characters were a key point of the show. The transformation sequence where the fruit falls from above, covers their heads, and transforms into their armor left a great impact."

Takebe: Since it's fruit, the colors are vibrant. The design is very interesting, and the characters stand out from the outside. I think the fruit were incorporated very well, including the gimmick of putting it on the head and having it expand into armor. However, you wouldn't know Baron is a banana if you weren't told, and Gaim is an orange, but we still tried to create a cool Rider image.

"We think that the tasteful styles of armor incorporating Japanese, Western and Chinese, also contributed greatly to expressing the individuality of the characters."

Takebe: That was a last minute differentiation. If you change the armor with a form change, you lose the identity of the character, or rather, the more you change the armor, the more you'll lose track of what makes Gaim look like Gaim. That being the case, we decided to classify the armor, with Gaim being a Japanese style, Baron in a Western style, and Ryugen in a Chinese style. Also, we decided not to lend or borrow armor to anyone other than Gaim. It might be better to play with toys by using armor that can be used by alot of characters, but that would make it hard to tell who's who.

"It was also interesting that the Lockseed transformation item had a lock motif."

Takebe: As an item, I think we made the locks very cool and cute. It's just the right size, with a nice fit in the hand, and a slightly responsive weight. In fact, I'm glad to hear that the Lockseed toys sold well.

"What other Riders or items were particularly memorable to you?"

Takebe: The introduction of the adult team (new generation Riders) who transform with the Genesis Driver. It was nice to have a group of 4 Riders on the enemy side. The bow weapon (Sonic Arrow) was also cool, and the production of Kanada Osamu's team (episode 12), which appeared for the first time, was also good. Apparently the Genesis Driver sold well, which when you think about it, is amazing, considering it's the enemy's Belt.

-A wide range of casting oddities-

"As a multi Rider show, many characters appeared, so what did you pay special attention to when casting?"

Takebe: Rather than conducting a general audition like we usually do, we called on potential candidates, and narrowed our selections considerably. The dialogue written by Urobuchi-san is difficult, so we were thinking of someone with experience rather than a total newcomer. For one of the main actors, (Yuki) Kubota-san, he was a good choice. We had an interview with him, and I think it was more like casting, rather than an audition.

"So the cooperation between the new cast members, who played the main roles, and the supporting cast of skilled actors, helped to create the multi Rider story, huh?"

Takebe: I think that Producer Mochizuki's casting of Namioka Kazuki-san, Yoshida Metal-san, as well as other adults were well balanced. (Tsukui) Minami-san and (Aoki) Tsunenori-kun were also casted rather than auditioning, but I think the casting of the 4 new generation Riders really worked well together. It was abit of an adult world, in contrast to the childish world of the main characters. So, when I think about it now, it was interesting to see the wide range of ages, and the unique characters played by everyone, including the young cast members. Of course, that was created by Urobuchi-san, so I can only say that I'm very impressed with him.

"According to Suit Actor Takaiwa Seiji-san, Gaku Sano-san, who plays the leading role is, "The most mobile of all the leading Rider actors in history," and he showed off his pre transformation action moves, taking advantage of his physical strength."

Takebe: That's right. The Action Director, Ishigaki Hirofumi-san, incorporated alot of action. Gaim had many episodes by Director Kaneda (who came from an action background), so that may have been one of the highlights of Gaim.

"Overall, we think the casting was fascinating."

Takebe: I think Urobuchi-san also enjoyed that part. By working with real life actors, things will gradually change. Actually, I think that the character of Mitsuzane changed quite abit. Mitsuzane was played by Takasugi Mahiro-kun.

"At first, you had planned to have Mitsuzane leave the show with 3 months left. However, as he was writing the story, Urobuchi-san thought, "Isn't it wrong to have Mitsuzane disappear?," so he changed the direction of the story."

Takebe: It's similar to Isuzu Daichi of "Geats," where people like that are allowed to be in a world where everyone can be happy. So, I wasn't aware of it, and I don't think Takahashi Yuya (Geats's Director) has watched Gaim either, but I thought Gaim and Geats were similar. For example, with Gridon, we thought about, "Wanting to make a lock from a nut instead of a fruit," so we'd say, "Then let's also make a nut Rider," but Geats also has small buckles including hammers, don't they? It started with the idea of creating a buckle made of wood or stone, so we were thinking the same thing, just like Urobuchi-san had already done before (laughs). I thought of this when I was rereading books related to Gaim for this interview. I didn't remember much about it while I was working on Geats, but I thought it was following a similar path. It's also the same that he becomes a god in the end (laughs).

-Various developments due to multiple Riders-

"Overall, what was the most memorable episode of Gaim?"

Takebe: After the TV series ended, we did two V-Cinemas (Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Baron and Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle). It was impressive. When I was working on "OOO", I was approached to produce a V-Cinema version of "W", but I turned it down because I thought at the time that a spin off of Ankh, for example, would never be possible. However, I decided to work on Gaim just in case there were people who were looking forward to it, and all of them turned out to be impressive works. One of my favorites among them is "Kamen Rider Knuckle." Of all the Gaiden stories, Knuckle is the only one that takes place after the conclusion of the TV series. It's a positive story that continues into the future, and it's still one of my favorites.

"We think the key to Gaim's success was that it had so many sub Rider characters and was so popular that side stories were made. As a result, 6 years after the main show ended, a spin off featuring Gridon and Bravo (Kamen Rider Gaiden: Kamen Rider Gridon vs. Kamen Rider Bravo) was distributed."

Takebe: During the second Gaiden, we were talking about whether to use Knuckle, Gridon, or Bravo, and we decided on Knuckle, but Metal-san commented something like, "Hmm~, I wasn't chosen." When I heard that, I was surprised to see that he was so eager to work with us (laughs). In that sense, I'm glad I was able to do something I had left undone.

"As a project unique to Gaim, the year before Gridon vs. Bravo, a stage play adaptation was also produced with Zangetsu as the lead role."

Takebe: That was made possible when Nitroplus told us that they wanted to turn it into a stage play, but I do agree that it's something that doesn't happen very often. The casting was done by Nelke Planning, and it was great to meet such charming cast members, such as Mashiko Atsuki-kun (Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger) and Goto Dai-kun (Kamen Rider Zi-O), who would later be cast in other productions. The screenplay and direction by Mori Nobuhiro-san was also very good, and the idea of retracing the story of Gaim in a setting where Takatora has lost his memory is very appropriate for reconstructing Gaim on stage. I think it was an extremely rare success story in that Kubota-kun's Zangetsu was able to successfully tell Gaim's story in a way that was truly unique and without the original cast.

-Looking back on Gaim-

"Looking back on it like this, it was a show that covered many different topics. There were also many collaborations with other works. There was a history of collaborations with Super Sentai (Ressha Sentai ToQger Vs. Kamen Rider Gaim Spring Vacation Combining Special), and even Kikaider appeared in the TV series (Episode 30: The Red and Blue Kikaider) in conjunction with the "Kikaider Reboot" film."

Takebe: There was also a film (Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai) where all the Kamen Riders gathered. That's when the number of Showa Riders (Kamen Rider Ichigo-Kamen Rider J) and Heisei's main Riders (Kamen Rider Kuuga-Kamen Rider Gaim) were the same (15). I think it was created as a result of hearing about it from the staff, and conveying it to Shinichiro Shirakura. Actors who have played Kamen Rider in the past, including Fujioka Hiroshi-san also appeared in the film….It was certainly a work that did alot of different things. We had a cooking showdown as a bonus video for the TV series, and since we had multiple Riders, we had a large cast, so we were able to do alot of different things. That's why I remember the event being so popular. As an artist, I think I appeared at the "Super Hero Festival (Kamen Rider x Super Sentai Live & Show)" 2 years in a row (2014-2015). Kobayashi Yutaka-kun and Shida Yumi-chan, who were active as idol artists, were good at talking, so the final stage was very lively. And then, Sano-kun cried through the whole thing. He was crying for the very first time, and we all said, "Eh? This is the first time?" (laughs). But, I felt that he had worked very hard for that whole year.

"We've reached the end. Now that 10 years have passed, we'd like you to look back on Kamen Rider Gaim and say a few words."

Takebe: It was great to work with Urobuchi-san and to be able to challenge myself in various ways, including with V-Cinema. The content was abit challenging and mature, but I think Rider is able to pull these things off well in a Rider like way. Of course, it's good to have a work where each episode is complete. However, I think it's good to have this kind of show once in a while. Personally, I like Taiga dramas, and I think it's something that can only be done in a production that lasts for a year. Looking back, it's been a long time since we've had multi Riders. Currently, it's not unusual to have a large number of Riders, but it was interesting to see the development that came from having a large number of Riders, and in that sense, I think Gaim has expanded the variety of the series. Urobuchi-san and Nitroplus also found it interesting to work on Kamen Rider for the first time, and I think it was a truly valuable and interesting show that'll never be replicated again.

Designers Tanaka Sojiro x Tsurumaki Takuya Interviews

"A year after the TV series ended, the spinoffs, "Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Baron" and, "Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle," were released as V-Cinemas, featuring new forms of the main Kamen Rider's from each title and many new villain Riders, but basically, they're recolored existing suits to create clever variations."

Tsurumaki: Gaim was originally a multi Rider series, so you can change the color of the forms in an infinite number of combinations (laughs). However, the inner suit is tied to the identity of the person, or rather, to the one transforming, so when it comes to a new form, we did them according to Gaim's rules, that you can change the color of the armor to some extent, but not the base.

"Zangetsu's Watermelon Arms (Kamen Rider Zangetsu) is a successful way of turning Melon Arms into a Watermelon by just recoloring it."

Tsurumaki: I think it was quite the discovery to make them look like other fruits just by repainting them. For Zangetsu, we used a melon pattern and painted it with a watermelon pattern to give it a completely different appearance. Everyone has their own impression of the fruit, so we were able to successfully create it by working backwards from that impression. In that sense, I think it's more meaningful to recolor in Gaim than in other series. That's why, because it's that fruit, it's that color.

"What about Kamen Rider Idunn (Kamen Rider Zangetsu) and Baron's new form (Kamen Rider Baron), both using Ringo Arms?"

Tanaka: In the beginning, we thought of using an apple as a Lockseed because it was a "forbidden fruit," but we couldn't find the right time to use apples, so we decided to use it in the film (Kamen Rider Gaim: Great Soccer Battle! Golden Fruits Cup), and Kamen Rider Mars and Kamen Rider Kamuro finally used apples. However, Toei still wanted to use the apple in the form of a "forbidden fruit," so it was decided that the apple would once again appear in Gaiden.

"Kamen Rider Tyrant (Kamen Rider Baron) has a design that's unpleasant to look at."

Tsurumaki: That's true (laughs). We first used dragon fruit in the film (Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle), but even before that, it was a fruit that we wanted to use. The shape is distinct and the colors are flashy. So I'm glad that we were able to use them in the film and also in Gaiden. They also released a figure of Duke's Dragon Energy Arms (laughs).

"The second wave of Gaiden was "Kamen Rider Duke" and "Kamen Rider Knuckle."

Tanaka: Duke is a new generation Rider who transforms with the Genesis Driver, right? However, Gaiden (Kamen Rider Duke) was a story that also depicts the past, so we thought there should be a previous version of Duke, so we designed Duke as a Rider who uses the same lemon Lockseed as Lemon Energy Arms and transforms with the Sengoku Driver.

"In "Kamen Rider Duke," the villain Kamen Rider Saver has a unique design."

Tanaka: Definitely, when I saw it, I thought that we made something amazing (laughs).

"Since it's called Blood Pomegranate Arms, the association of Pomegranate and Blood (Orange) makes it one of the most sinister in the series."

Tsurumaki: It gives off a dangerous image (laughs). As a slightly irregular villain, he does alot of things that go against Gaim's design rules.

"Also, in "Kamen Rider Knuckle," you designed Black Baron as a color change of Baron (Banana Arms) with the other being Knuckle Jimber Marron Arms."

Tsurumaki: Knuckle was originally going to be Walnut, right? How did he become Marron?

Tanaka: Wasn't it to group him up with other nuts?

"We think the fact that Knuckle's signature fist weapon as a chestnut burr also left an impact."

Tsurumaki: That's true. And, it has a two layered structure where the burrs peel off, and the gloves come out (laughs).

"After that, in 2019, "Stage Play: Kamen Rider Zangetsu Gaim Gaiden" was performed, and a new form of Zangetsu appeared."

Tsurumaki: It was designed by Tanaka-san, right?

Tanaka: That's right. Since I was the person who designed Zangetsu, I was asked by the leader of the Rider team at the time. It was decided that the Zangetsu would be powered up with Kachidoki Arms, so we rearranged Zangetsu as Kachidoki.

"The following year, Gaiden (Kamen Rider Gridon vs. Kamen Rider Bravo)" was revived as a miniseries, with Gridon and Bravo unexpectedly playing the main roles."

Tanaka: Come to think of it, Bravo (Durian Arms) was the first Rider designed by Tsurumaki, right?

Tsurumaki: The first Rider I worked on was Kamen Rider Sorcerer in the film "Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land," but I think Bravo might've been the first Rider I worked on as a regular TV character. I also worked on Knuckle and the Black Shadow Troopers in Gaim, so I think it was one of them.

"Bravo's King Dorian Arms is basically just a recolor, but the addition of the cape was a major one. By the way, the cape played an important role later in the series."

Tsurumaki: That's right. It's a cape that looks quite evil.

Tanaka: If you want to make something look evil, just add a cape (laughs).

Tsurumaki: An all purpose evil cape (laughs).

"What about Gridon's Lychee Arms?"

Tanaka: That was an issue.

Tsurumaki: Should we talk about it? (laughs).

Tanaka: I originally designed Gridon (Donguri Arms), so I'm very attached to it. The design of a Kamen Rider is completed after receiving opinions from different people, but for Gridon, I was able to quickly draw it from the beginning and get the OK immediately. I was so attached to it, that I even named my cat "Guri" after Gridon, and when I heard that Gridon would be the main character in the next new production, I suggested 2 rough patterns that I would've liked to have used. However, after that, a rough draft that Tsurumaki had drawn the day before the meeting was added, and that ended up being used (laughs).

Tsurumaki: At the time, I was on assignment at Bandai, and when I looked at the design proposal that Tanaka-san sent me the evening before the meeting, it looked like a samurai, or rather, Japanese styled, but didn't Gridon use a Western style? (laughs).

Tanaka: I intended to include a Western styled design, but it didn't work out (laughs).

Tsurumaki: So, I added one Western styled proposal and it was chosen…..(laughs).

Tanaka: Well, it was frustrating, but when I saw Tsurumaki's design later, I thought for sure that it would be chosen (laughs).

"We see (laughs). By the way, what are some of the design points of Lychee Arms?"

Tsurumaki: There were very few fruits left that we didn't already use. So, I thought that the only way to make this work was to take advantage of the base of Gridon's armor, and thought about what fruits I could apply to it, and by process of elimination, I settled on lychee. Also, since Gridon isn't that strong, I think I designed it based on how I could make him look strong while still retaining Gridon's armor.

"What about the other one that appeared, Kamen Rider Sylphi?"

Tsurumaki: When we first received the concept, we were told it'd be a female Rider, and that it'd be a good idea to use the fruit of the Helheim Forest as a way of presenting the Lockseed, which would probably be the final one of the series. So we decided to design a new Lockseed, not a recolor, and Bandai decided to commercialize it with a new mold. The design of the Rider itself is reminiscent of a witch who presides over Helheim.

"However, even after the show ended, you continued to design quite a few Riders."

Tsurumaki: That's true. It's not so unusual these days, but I think it was the first time I've drawn so many variations.

Tanaka: Rather, I think that Gaim was the catalyst for the spin offs that became the norm after the main show ends, and for the trend of designing many Rider variations.

Tsurumaki: In Gaim, the Rider transformation itself was the system that easily created variations, so I think that was a big deal too.

Tanaka: I think it was a good idea to create a format where the body and armor can be switched around.

Tsurumaki: It's like a puzzle (laughs).

"Finally, please look back at Gaim's design works and say a few words."

Tanaka: I've participated in a few Kamen Rider projects, but Gaim is the only one I worked on from start to finish, so I have particularly strong feelings for it. Gridon was initially intended to be a mass produced Rider, but when I saw the actual situation, I was glad to see that they made him into a proper character…..This is a story about Gridon, not Gaim (laughs).

Tsurumaki: Today was alot of fun looking back on Gaim after such a long time. Like the Lychee Arms stuff (laughs).

Tanaka: I still hold that in my heart (laughs).

[fanaticsnail]

Hello, greetings from CQ again! Thank you again for meeting the North Stars so positively, I can't express how ecstatic it made me to see how receptive one could be. This time around, I come bearing one of the aforementioned minor, (but still just as important), members! (Featuring a small sneak peak at the leader's Devil Fruit-) I hope you'll allow me to introduce.... …˚.⋆ ⋆₊⁺⋆☾⋆₊⁺⋆ ☾ ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕒 ℍ𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕊𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕟 ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆.˚…

"Silence speaks a thousand words."

For the deaf-born Nana Hanon, no words rang more true. But having been born a siren, his inability to vocalize left him as significant as a bubble in the waves that were his namesake. That special breed of merfolk blessed with the gift of spellbinding song, had been slaughtered to near extinction for the perceived threat they posed to sailors, and other merfolk didn't take kindly to their mere existence besmirching their already tainted reputation in the eyes of the World Nobles. Thus, to his vindictive family, spiteful towards the world for the hand they were dealt, a siren without a song was of no more worth than chum.

They were quick to cast away the Moon Jellyfish merman, and he had resigned himself to drifting through the seas. In his travels, he taught himself to navigate the world's vast waters, to communicate by means of the written, and to read the scripted words of others. He found solace in them—fantastical tales by imaginative authors birthing entire universes bound to a spine, scripts belonging to playwrights of the past bringing life to false identities, and profound lines from passionate poets who invited readers to enter their mind. He discovered a particular fondness for the last of which, and often he would find himself expressing his thoughts and feelings to only the paper that would lend its ear.

But even paper couldn't perceive the silent echoes of his desperate cries for help.

A merman was a merman, deaf or not, siren or otherwise, so when Hanon had the misfortune of drawing too close to Sabaody Archipelago and being spotted, it came as no surprise that someone would take advantage of valuable property that couldn't even protest being sold. And sold, he was, to the highest bidder. He couldn't even hear what his worth was to his buyer.

Carted out in a fish bowl far too small to comfortably contain his bell, he let his tears fade into the water he was submerged in. In his sorrow, however, he almost didn't notice the way his new owner's body seemed to move against its will. How his owner was outwardly resisting a dance they were being forced to partake in. How his owner was removing the lid on his bowl and freeing him from his chains before prancing off, defiant as ever. How now, in their place, stood a woman, returning to him his previously discarded notebook and pen and lending him an ear for his unspoken words to fall on.

Where song failed to allure, Hanon's heartfelt prose succeeded. The woman, entranced by every word he put to paper as he regaled her with his personal story and the overwhelming sentiment in every stanza he scribbled, offered to him a place beside her, in his own sea to call home—a sea of stars to swim in and shine along with.

So came to be the Silent Siren, assistant songwriter and navigator of the North Stars. Though he'd be taking a backseat to let the idols sparkle even brighter on their stage of midnight, he was content to glow with borrowed light and finally let his soundless voice be heard once and for all. Likewise, they were grateful to have a moon to guide their way.

After all, what are the stars without a moon to share the night sky with?

----- I know I didn't give much insight on his personality, but I was thinking he might get along with your character, at least from what I know of her, if that's not too presumptuous. ^^; I might be dropping in again with another member soon! Might be a little while so I won't be spamming or flooding your inbox too much, aha- Much love as always, dear! ♡♡♡

THE WAY I AM IN LOVE WITH NANA HANON. AAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Oh my gosh, a silent siren merman? AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Tobiuo would love to meet him. Her canon sister, Masami, is a mermaid based on an angler fish who calls sailors to their doom in the Deep Blue. She would also love to meet him. Does he sign? If so, he would be welcomed in their homesea with open arms.

Your poetry has had me enchanted by him, and I am just mourning on his behalf. He is so beautiful, I can see him in my head and I'm in love. I want to draw him 😭

[tonydaddingham]

LWA: I was thinking this afternoon about Aziraphale's plot trajectory in S2, and along the way stumbled over a different Crowley problem. Namely, this: what is Crowley /actually/ modeling for Aziraphale when it comes to working out his relationship to Heaven? Because there does seem to be a vague fandom consensus that Crowley embodies a radically oppositional relationship to "the system" (hence the meme that was going around about "the system must be dismantled" over Crowley's photo), whereas Aziraphale thinks of himself entirely within the system and can therefore only imagine reforming it. In this model, Aziraphale's inability to disentangle himself from Heaven can be conceptualized sympathetically, as a trauma response to abuse, or negatively, as moral obtuseness. But this doesn't map onto either the scripts or the novel, and definitely doesn't take into account that in the novel, the character who finally sets out the possibility of actual resistance is...Aziraphale.

The Crowley problem is that Crowley /at no point/ articulates any way of dismantling the system and rarely imagines himself existing outside of it. Instead, what Crowley tries to teach Aziraphale how to do is to construct himself as an individual negotiating the system through technicalities, rules-lawyering, outright deceit, and sometimes full compliance. In other words, going along with Heaven or Hell as far as he can, as per the Job minisode. The Arrangement subverts the Heaven/Hell dichotomy only up to the point that it exposes how both "sides" are structurally and even morally identical--"the Authorities didn't seem much to care who did anything, so long as it got done" (44)--but it doesn't provide a means of undoing Heaven or Hell as political entities. Arguably, the Arrangement lends itself to political cynicism and stasis: if the sides are interchangeable, and there is no movement except from one side to the other, then why bother moving at all? Crowley's resistance explicitly occurs /within/ the constraints of his work, which he canonically enjoys doing when it doesn't involve killing people (see: his pride in both the series and the novel over the telephone network takedown and the M25). In the Job minisode, he offers Aziraphale the possibility of disidentification and disaffection as a means to "carve out" (to borrow from S2e1) a space within an oppressive system, while still belonging to that system and even taking satisfaction from it. As of S2, he is /still/ indirectly working with Hell by tutoring Shax in exchange for information, and during the backroom discussion about Muriel he twice dismissively refers to Aziraphale and Heaven as "you lot." (Aziraphale calling Crowley and Hell the "bad guys" in S2e6 mirrors this moment.) He still, at some level, has not thought himself out of the Heaven/Hell dichotomy. Moreover, the speed with which he retreats to "carved out for myself" in S2e1 suggests that extending the language of "sides" to the two of them continues the problem instead of solving it: any major argument leads to the dissolution of "the side."* In the novel and S1, part of Adam's complaint at the airfield is that the whole concept of sides squaring off against each other is ridiculous; it's never been clear to me that the writing endorses Crowley's decision to just conceptualize them as yet another side, if the side needs to be in lockstep agreement in order to function.

Crowley's only alternative is full exit, "going off" somewhere. This poses two problems: there's "nowhere to go," as Aziraphale wearily points out in S1e3, and it leaves the system intact to oppress another day. In S2, it's unclear if Gabriel and Beelzebub will successfully "go off" for long, as they are warned onscreen that Heaven and Hell will hunt them down. Moreover, Crowley's enthusiasm for following in their energy trails is a sign of his moral limitations, which have not improved since s1 (in which, as per Gaiman and Tennant, he has no real character arc): in wanting to emulate the two "awful" characters who decide to pack off and enjoy themselves with no gratitude to Aziraphale for endangering himself, no sign that they think of anything they did over the millennia as /wrong/, and no care for anything they leave behind, Crowley inadvertently reveals that he is still trapped in the "responsibility for my actions? what responsibility?" mentality he has in both the novel and all through S1. *drags the unresolved child murder subplot from S1 out of storage, shakes it around, throws it back into storage* I know that since S1, some fans have objected that there's nothing wrong with "going off" like this, but while that's no doubt true in a general real-world sense, that has nothing to do with Crowley's narrative function as a character.

I think you can see where I'm going with this. Aziraphale's decision to return to Heaven to "make a difference" is, awkwardly enough, absolutely compatible with Crowley's own example. Crowley has not taught him how to fully resist the system, let alone dismantle it: he has taught him that the only two options are creating a fiction of personal independence within the system or packing off entirely, both of which leave Heaven and Hell fully intact. Nothing about returning to Heaven to "make a difference" conflicts with "going. along" with Heaven until he can't, as "making a difference" implies that it may be possible to expand the "going along" until there is no "can't"! Aziraphale's insight in the novel is that even as disaffected, disidentified workers, they are still complicit in Heaven's and Hell's violence and are therefore obligated to remain in order to resist Satan. This is a "hard saying" (John 6:60), but TV!Aziraphale's not-entirely-free decision** to leave for Heaven in order to "make a difference"--a decision that he certainly doesn't execute well!--rests on a sense of moral obligation that moves him further along the road to this point.

/Pace/ Nina and Maggie, through S1 and even S2 they mostly communicate just fine. What they do not do just fine is serious disagreement. The only major S1 miscommunication occurs in 1862/1967, and it occurs /because/ they're represented as not knowing how to work through this kind of argument without immediately jumping to conclusions, losing their tempers, failing to hear each other out, etc. See also S1e3, S2e1, and S2e6.

** This is an epic-length ask, so I'll stop, but the Metatron's proposal looks /back/ to Crowley's conversation with Beelzebub in s2e1 and /across/ to Maggie's and Nina's conversation with Crowley in s2e6. Nina calls Aziraphale Crowley's "partner" and the Metatron refers to their relationship as a "partnership"; both of them insist that the solution to the problem is to talk; and the resulting car crash results from selective hearing and misunderstanding on /both/ Crowley's and Aziraphale's parts (Crowley fails to apply Nina's message about abusive relationships to both Aziraphale and himself; Aziraphale misinterprets Crowley's dislike of Hell as a desire to return to Heaven).

hi LWA!!!✨ as an unrelated aside, you wouldn't believe the sheer amount of illegible notes ive had to take in order to plan out a response to this - there is so much to unpack! will try to keep things as coherent as possible, but will be jumping around back and forth a fair bit.

so the first thing that springs to mind is that by definition, crowley does not at all strike me as a radical in any sense, whether as a personal attribute or as political ideology (so to speak). i want to go into this later on, but i completely agree with your assessment - crowley seems to actively like being a demon, is a successful one, and/or at least takes unbridled satisfaction and enjoyment from it. he benefits from his place in the system, which i still think (by the by) is reasonably well-established in the hellish food chain, and he even goes beyond being a 'standard' demon by completing his work to a higher 'class' of diabolicalness than his contemporaries. he takes pride in this, as you said (another demonic trait, if we want to reductively categorise 'demonic-ness' solely by the seven sins), and is implied to see it as a particular skill or craft.

aziraphale on the other hand (as, again, i want to look at later on, but i think given the length of this ask might need to be a separate post? idk let's see how we go), seems to be the one of the two that actually resists his inherent and traditional (ie. angelic) nature, and presents as the most radical out of the both of them. he constantly toes the company line, and does things outside the scope of being an angel that his own contemporaries have outright mocked or condemned. if anything, aziraphale seems to be oppressed by his being an angel. the issue is that because of aziraphale's usually prominent nature of being a good person (note: not a good angel, but person), he still endeavours to see the best in everyone. it highlights his occasional naivety, although i do think he has become less and less naive than the audience gives him credit for. the fact that he still believes in heaven's mission statement of being the side of good isn't stupidity, i don't think it's even naivety - i just seems to me that he's holding out hope that there is still good at all. i would like to think that this hope holds; reality is, and GO would be, a depressing place without it.

back to crowley, however, and his place in the system. look - i don't want to go so far as to liken crowley to champagne socialism, but fuck it - im going to. crowley eloquently countered the concept of poverty being a virtue in the resurrectionist minisode, does it to teach aziraphale a lesson. but he doesn't, at any point as far as i can recall, pursue any avenue in which he combats this or any other unfairness existent in the world, despite evidently thinking that it is unfair. he is quick to reproach aziraphale for his ridiculous purview on human suffering, but does not do anything to set an example to aziraphale on what the alternative, 'right' thing is.

wilde made a valid point on his essay on socialism, in that elaborate and contrived altruism is a symptom of capitalist society; it's all very well to remedy the injustice and suffering forced upon those with little means to rectify it themselves, but if you don't resolve the root of the issue, the issue will persist. it's not a stretch to consider that crowley might see heaven in similarly cynical way; that they will act with charity and righteousness, but it means nothing when it does not right the wrong in the first place.

but crowley does not do this either; he recognises that the system is redundant, and that both spell equal disaster for all under its shadow... and yet a) he continues to directly benefit from it, even in s2, and b) when given an opportunity to change or even remove it, he resolves that the only solution for him (and aziraphale) is to run from it altogether. it's understandable why he wants to run, but it doesn't place him in a standing where he has any credible superiority over aziraphale choosing to make a difference (even if it may, likely, end up being futile). so, yes, as you said - crowley has once again shot himself in the foot by highlighting to aziraphale the very problem that means they cannot be free to exist as they want, and then acting *shocked pikachu* when aziraphale decides he wants to change that very thing.

continuing with a laboured political analogy here, crowley's actions, his speech, and his behaviour absolutely marks him as an individualist. despite what i think the fandom likes to portray him as, he does not appear to represent any indication of collectivism (and imo is worlds apart from acting in any capacity that would place him on the marxist-communist spectrum). aziraphale, despite his aesthetic appearances and tastes - and possibly even more impactful because of this - is much more the 'anti-capitalist' in his actions, particularly by the end of s2. i don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that he may even be teetering on the edge of social anarchism, which could be an exciting development for his character going into s3.

but getting back on track with the narrative; crowley is still working within the system, yes. i think in some part it comes back to crowley thinking that he is smarter than everyone else in hell, which is manifestly not the case. at best, he has scored a couple of hits against slightly less able (?) demons in s1, but both shax and furfur demonstrate in s2 that they have some ability in keeping up with him, even on occasion out-manoeuvring him. he seems to labour under the misapprehension in s2 that hell will leave him alone after the apocalypse, because of what aziraphale 'negotiated' for him at the end of s1:

so, thinking that hell itself is no longer interested in him, and at best is terrified of him, he thinks he can exploit them by trying to get intel from shax (who is doing the same to him - and, if the end of ep3 is any indication, does it arguably better than he does). ultimately this leads him to knowing that something is going on in heaven, but aziraphale knows about this anyway by the time crowley has an opportunity to spill the tea (another excellent irony).

what i also think is particularly insightful is that in response to beelzebub offering him a high-position in hell (possibly, given the gabriel-beelzebub context, even the highest position), crowley doesn't exactly reject it based on any preconceived notion that he is outside the system/has any moral or radical objection to it. his immediate response to the implied offer is:

"Doesn't actually sound like the sort of thing you're likely to say..."

i think it's clear that crowley is the one with the actual power, here, given how adamant and desperate beelzebub acts in the scene for a sliver of intelligence on gabriel's whereabouts... even without knowing the romantic subplot context, i don't think crowley could fail to pick up that he could literally do or say anything, and beelzebub would probably let it slide, because they need him. so, why doesn't he outright reject the proposal they put before him, in the room? why does he skirt around an answer? well, it's a card that he can put in his back pocket, and it literally keeps his foot in the door despite his protests to the contrary in ep6:

"I certainly don't need them! Look, they asked me back to Hell, I said "no!" - I won't be joining their team; neither should you!"

... crowley, literally or figuratively, does not say this when beelzebub makes their offer. so, if this - what he says in ep6 - is how he viewed said offer, why didn't he say that? why does he continue to entertain being within the system? (foreshadowing for s3? to mirror aziraphale? hmmm...)

the simplified dynamic proposed to us, at the very beginning of GO (albeit the narrative immediately launches into depicting the irony of this), of angels vs. demons, of heaven vs. hell, is that they represent good and evil respectively. so, the fact that aziraphale is presented as an angel with a bastard streak, and crowley as a demon with a hidden goodness, would suggest that they are both going against the factions that they - in the general sense - belong to. however, in a lot of respects, this is almost a double-blind.

from this introduction to modern-era crowley, you could even infer that he is in agreement with hell on armageddon, at least until the point that a) it is suddenly, actually happening, and crowley is forced to consider what it would mean (i.e. rather a crucial Dead Whale to be confronted with), and b) he is being directly dragged into it; he doesn't to be involved, nor bear any responsibility for it.

the world ending is an okay prospect for him when it's in the abstract, but when he realises that it would mean losing the world and humanity, and specifically all that it offers him, does he consider thwarting it - and enlisting aziraphale to help him do so. he doesn't suggest any notion of the apocalypse being unfair or cruel on humanity itself*, from a truly altruistic perspective that would actually put him in direct contrast to what a demon 'should' be; his only resistance to it appears to be out of what he personally stands to lose.

(*the only time he, as far as i can remember off the top of my head, shows any strong moral objection to the apocalypse is in his monologue to god about testing humanity to destruction. but this feels, in this context, to be borne less out of selfless empathy for humanity, and more as a projection of his fall, and a personal criticism of god... interesting thought, especially when you also look at how he talks to the plants/job's goats)

and that's the thing - he does ultimately seem to enjoy being a demon. he takes pride in working at what he considers a higher, more sophisticated level - the phone network, for example, in contrast to hastur and ligur's acts of lustful temptation and corruption respectively, which just like the M25 comes round to bite him on the arse. it's interesting to note ligur's line about craftsmanship because, really, despite crowley falling afoul of his own work, the 'pranks' he plays are particularly fiendish to the modern human (as is, of course, being set on fire on the motorway, but we move).

satan himself explains that he values crowley's specific brand of demon-ness, thought the M25 was an excellent idea, and even seems to deliberately feature it in the end crescendo of armageddon... crowley never intended that, sure, but by his very nature? he's a rather good/talented demon without even really trying... and seems to relish it. his perception of being a higher class of demon, as a direct result of his experience of being on earth and around humans, is equally shown in the two below statements:

because look; the way crowley puts this across is that he has a hard line when it comes to murder... but given the antichrist incident (*shakes it like a magic-8 ball, as if it's going to tell us anything different*) and various other examples (french guard, graveyard watchmen) where crowley just seems straight-up chilled about people being killed, even a child, i think we can reliably surmise that it's not exactly out of any hidden moral meaning (or at least, not entirely so). no, i think it's more to do with his statement to ligur - he literally just thinks it's beneath him.

death isn't enjoyable for him, it's not as fun, but not because he has any moral objection to it; it's just not as inventive or clever. with the tadfield manor scene, the fact that he thinks nothing of leaving the humans to be arrested for his prank (which he literally did in the first place just to prove a point to aziraphale) speaks more that this kind of result is what he considers to be more refined in terms of demonic activity, rather than out-and-out slaughter.

then we consider the pride he seems to take in his temptations - particularly of aziraphale. interpretations of sexual subtext aside for a moment, he is evidently proud of his tempting aziraphale to eat in s2, but also his ability to manoeuvre him into accepting the arrangement, by means of playing on their mutual sloth tendencies (another sin for the bingo card), and convincing aziraphale to thwart armageddon, by means of playing into aziraphale's fastidiousness to be seen as thwarting 'evil wiles' in the eyes of heaven (and yeah, the threat of hearing the sound of music for eternity - understandable).

but none of these have been for aziraphale's benefit, not entirely. he exploits the angle where aziraphale could benefit from it, but he doesnt read as doing any of these things out of solely wanting to open aziraphale's eyes to the world; it's not out of kindness or selflessness. as time goes on, he ends up doing things for aziraphale without there being benefit to himself - hamlet, the paintball stain - but then again, you could argue that it's entirely so that aziraphale would be pleased with him, would be grateful to him, and equally like him as crowley, as well as owe crowley a favour down the line. his line about owing aziraphale a lunch in recompense for 1793 suggests that crowley does, in some part, think transactionally.

suffice to say that after all of this (and tbh i could probably go on for longer), crowley isn't teaching aziraphale anything about being outside the system. crowley in fact seems to revel from being inside it. he doesnt state at any point that hell is right or wrong, but is very clear that he thinks heaven is the bane of their existence. that's not necessarily untrue, but the only time he even flickers on the concept that maybe the whole circus is redundant is at the very beginning of s2... and revisits it again at the end.

there is a very fine line between acting individualistically within the system and exploiting certain aspects of it, and "going along with hell as far as [he] can". the latter suggests that there is a breaking point to be had, the 'far as he can'. and to be fair, it does appear that crowley has one - the end of the world. three times, under the knowledge that the end times are nigh, crowley proposes they leg it; twice with the apocalypse in s1, and with knowledge of the second coming in s2 (which, as a reminder, he doesn't inform aziraphale about). as you say though, aziraphale still hasn't reached his.

but crowley's reason is intertwined with aziraphale himself; aziraphale has always demonstrated up to this point his sense of obligation to stay behind to fight, to try to resolve things and work out a way to save everything and everyone - even to the sacrifice of his own personal happiness. even beyond a sense of obligation, i think aziraphale just feels that it's, ultimately, the right thing to do - another lesson that crowley taught him; to do what aziraphale considers to be right, despite what anyone else tells him.

aziraphale wants to be with crowley, that is never in question, but the method in which either of them ever sees this as being a reality is so irreconcilable that there's no solution to it. aziraphale was, absolutely, asking something inconceivable of crowley - but the fact remains that crowley demonstrates that he will not sacrifice himself for any concept of a future where there is no necessity to simply 'go along as far as he can'. it's a boundary crowley has drawn, and rightly so, but that doesn't automatically mean that aziraphale must surrender his own boundary in kind.

crowley's response to reaching this point is to abandon the situation altogether, which not only shows that he has learnt nothing about aziraphale from s1 in this respect, but it also doesn't change a single thing about the circumstances they find themselves in... and it would only be a temporary solution. even if he and aziraphale were to run, to essentially seek sanctuary elsewhere... well, where could they possibly go, and what force exists that could grant it to them? aziraphale recognises this, and i think crowley secretly does too, but doesn't - once again - want to address it.

last note, before i continue talking myself in circles - i find it interesting how flimsy the concept of 'their side' seems to be; in s1, aziraphale is the one to reject it when crowley pushes it at the bandstand, when aziraphale is still very much hanging onto the faith that heaven might see reason. and then, in s2, when it seems that, in the four years that has passed, aziraphale has relaxed enough re: clapback from heaven to fully accept what 'their side' means. however, crowley quickly retracts it in ep1 when aziraphale isn't acquiescing to him re: sheltering gabriel, out of what im perceiving is self-preservation.

but the hurt with which aziraphale remarks on this retraction seems like it was a rather cutting betrayal (that, surprise surprise, is not even addressed), and it's not really any wonder that aziraphale withdraws, offering crowley instead an opportunity to leave, whilst making plain how disappointed he is. crowley then reacts with indignation that aziraphale would essentially dismiss him, "oh, right, this is how you wanna do it?", as if that's not the very thing he himself was intimating a moment previous. as you noted is remarked by adam - the concept of having a side at all, if it's this weak and delicate (and frankly, outgunned by heaven and hell collectively), is patently ridiculous.

[smalltendencies]

Voretober Prompt: Drink (TSPUD)

Heyyo! While I was sick with COVID, I took the time to try and feel better by writing. I wanted to do prompts from Voretober, but I won't really have a lot of free time so for now this is all I got. Some of the headcannons used in this are from other TSP vore blogs that I thought fit the Narrator well such as mawsnclaws and s1desn4cks.

Relationships: The Narrator and Reader (can be romantic or platonic. It's left up to you)

(TW: contains soft, safe, nonsexual G/T vore and extreme cuddling)

Word Count: 3,139

“Feeling a wave of disbelief, Stanley decided to go up to his boss's office, hoping he might find an answer there.”

The Narrator spoke the line into the microphone like a crisp record. It was a feat that he was able to keep the same tone, the same emotion, through the fifth playthrough today. It was enough to make anyone go insane.

And apparently, the monotonous repeating of the same story over and over again would bring even the protagonist to his knees.

“Stanley continued to- Oh, no! Oh, no no no no no no no no no no no no, not again! Stanley! What is so intriguing about that closet? Your fascination is absurd! Stanley! Don’t go in that-!” He was cut off by a loud bang. The sound of a door slamming shut signaled that Stanely was no longer listening to the Narrator, opting to take a much needed break from the parable.

“That closet has no significance to the story whatsoever! What does he see in it?!” The Narrator grabbed for his hair, scowling at the microphone like it was the man himself. No doubt Stanley would stay there for a while. Left to his own devices, he would nap in there for at least an hour. He couldn’t hear the Narrator in there, and he couldn’t be forced out of there unless the Narrator physically made him. And that was something he didn’t feel like doing today. 

Beside the Narrator’s desk on a side table, a borrower who somehow got stuck in the parable as well was watching the exchange in apathy, used to the love-hate relationship the two fostered.

“Maybe if you didn’t blow him up every few resets, he wouldn’t go there.” You shuffled through a stack of papers. Since you weren’t Stanley, you had nothing better to do than read the rejected scripts that the author forgot to throw away. And it's not like you could be a stand in protagonist while Stanley rested or a side character considering your size. The Narrator was patient, but not patient enough to wait 10 minutes for you to walk through the first room or climb up steps one by one. There's only so much time a parable could take without losing the interest of its readers after all.

You were much safer with the Narrator where he could watch you.

“But that's his choice too! If he listened to me, then we wouldn’t do the Countdown Ending!” Seeing what you were up to, he gave an exasperated glare. “And could you please not mess with those? I’ve neglected to throw them away, but that doesn’t give you the right to snoop.”

You dragged another piece of paper to the edge, walking across the large printed words to read another line of dialogue about Stanley and the bucket’s mock love story. “I’m not snooping, don't worry.” You waved him off dismissively so he could continue. Even if he was just venting at this point about Stanley not listening to him, you still tried to lend an ear. 

The Narrator’s fear of isolation made you sit through each of his long winded lectures. When he garnered enough courage to admit how he felt about what happened with the Skip Button, it came with the reluctant admittance that you were a support for him. Despite your nature, just the knowledge someone else was there to offer input, to listen, gave him solace- especially in these moments where Stanley was unavailable. So you tried your best to help stave off any anxiety in exchange for him not smiting you for bothering his parable.

(It made you wonder if the Narrator would even let Stanley have these ‘breaks’ if you weren’t around to take his place)

“Back on topic, yes. He knows what happens when he doesn’t listen. Getting blown up by a nuclear device, getting crushed, going mad, falling to his death, the infernal bucket dying! None of that would happen if he just followed the story.”

You nodded in confirmation. You omitted from reminding him that most people don’t like doing the same thing over and over again, even if it means doing a more pernicious path was the only option, but that’s an argument for deaf ears.

Running out of material to read, you go searching for the next activity while the Narrator was distracted. 

The scripts he was working on at his desk was your next target. His typewriter was pushed to the side while he narrated. It gave you time to stand on it and read what he had so far. The jump wasn’t far from his side table to his desk where he pushed them beside each other for your convenience. Readying yourself, you went to take the leap.

You were closer to the edge than you thought, and when one foot lifted, you felt your other slip over the side before you could spring off. You followed suit, your whole body going over the side and missing the other platform.

You were falling.

Time didn’t slow down like the books always said. Rather, it seemed to go faster, fast forwarding to your rapid descent to the ground below. Even the horrid brown carpet wouldn’t cushion the fall enough to keep you safe; you were at the very least breaking bones. You chose to close your eyes and remain ignorant of when impact would happen.

Somewhere above you, aside from the wind rushing in your ears, a voice shouted in shock.

The sensation of your stomach dropping from the fall was abruptly halted by someone catching you. From the warmth radiating off the surface and the way your body sunk slightly into the ground, you registered it as the Narrator's hand. The world moved around you as your own hands moved under you to help you sit up. 

Your near death and the vertigo had your head spinning to where you didn’t register you were being lifted to be eye level with the Narrator, scanning you over again and again to make sure you were ok. Large yellow eyes directed a worried but harsh narrowed glare at you.

“You need to be more careful! I thought I wasn’t going to catch you in time!”

You weren’t listening to him, trying to get your panicked breathing back to an even rhythm. He didn’t care of your plight, continuing to berate you.

“You are just like Stanley, honestly- What if I wasn’t here? Or I didn’t see what happened in time? You could’ve died!” While you understood he was yelling out of panic, it hurt your ears where you were so close to him. You shrunk back from the noise, covering your ears to block out some of the volume. Everything felt overwhelming, taking in all the senses and emotions at the same time, and Stanley still wasn’t out of that closet so the attention was completely directed at you and-

“There is only so much I can reset! Stanley automatically heals sure, but I don’t know what happens to you-” He finally paused his tirade to study you again, seeing you cower from him as much as you could when the only place you could be was his grasp. He felt guilt choke his throat, his fingers instinctively curling around you more as a barrier from moving any further.

He coughed awkwardly, “I apologize for speaking so loudly. That was unbecoming of me.”

The Narrator’s other hand slowly moved to your level, carefully trying to maneuver his finger to stroke your head. He wasn’t used to the range of emotions humans (and human adjacents?) normally dealt with, and he was even worse at comforting others with said emotions. If only Stanley would come back to break the tension…

“But I won’t apologize for what I said. You are quite fragile my dear. My goodness, it isn’t safe anywhere for you. I thought that my office was the perfect place for you so I could keep a watchful eye, but it appears I was wrong.” 

His moment of guilt was gone, replaced by his usual lilt of knowing and slightly condescending, “I was right about you being too adventurous. Sometimes, I have half the mind to put you in a box so I know you can’t get into trouble.” A box sounded awful. Hard, uncomfortable, and terribly boring. You didn’t doubt he would go through it too, remembering how he treats Stanley when he veers off course too much. The Games Ending where he left Stanley alone like a grounded child didn’t leave your mind.

“Of course, I could conjure up a box of some sort…” he hummed in thought, watching you with interest. The one hand that was comforting you left to prop his head on his fist. The one you were on slowly moved away from him, lowering to a point where you assumed he would drop you back on his desk. Any concern from earlier was put away, replaced with a grin.

“But where’s the fun in that?”

His hand turned vertically and before you knew it you were sliding and falling once again. There was no warning or time to catch your breath as you landed in liquid hot enough to miss when you swam upwards to hit air. Moving your arms and legs to keep yourself stably afloat and stationary, you took a moment to take in what the fuck just happened. But it didn’t take long to understand after seeing the porcelain white walls around you and brownish black liquid you floated in. The overly strong citrus smell clogged your nose and made you want to cough out your lungs.

The smug bastard of course dropped you in his tea.

The Narrator looked down at you in amusement, no doubt finding humor in the situation. If you were clueless before, you definitely weren’t now. It was obvious what he planned to do (and you had half the mind to let him since it’s not like you disliked it). The clink of metal against glass alerted you back to the present. His tea spoon tapped the side mockingly, and slowly came to stir around you in lazy circles, making the whirlpool in the middle spin you around with it. The current wasn’t powerful enough to take you under, but it was definitely annoying to paddle against.

The pull abated as he scooped some tea, along with you, up out of the cup and toward him. You instantly felt the loss of heat that the tea supplied, shivering in the cold air. It encouraged you to lay down in the meager supply you had if only to get a little more warm. 

“I recall you saying you don’t appreciate going down with my tea like some pill, so I won’t put you through that again for a while... But I figured I’d let you steep so you at least taste good going down.” At this point, the loss of adrenaline from earlier, the heat, and having to move so much to stay afloat left you torpid. All you could do was weakly glare in annoyance and shake from the rapidly depleting temperature.

He laughed in amusement, not intimidated at all by your meager defiance; if anything, it spurred him on. Bringing you closer, you braced yourself to be swallowed, only to be given an experimental lick like a simple taste tester.

The Narrator floated his spoon back over his drink. You watched him in confusion, seeing the way he frowned slightly and shook his head. “No, you definitely need to sit for another minute or two.”

He unceremoniously dropped you back in, watching as you broke to the surface gasping for air before nonchalantly going back to stirring as he talked offhandedly, “Funny to think I just picked a random tea today because I didn’t expect this to happen. I don’t know what tea I would’ve picked if I did know. A Chamomile? Cinnamon Chai? You can give me your input on what you would prefer later.” Just when you felt like you couldn’t paddle anymore, you were once again scooped up. He maneuvered just so to where there was barely any of the liquid taken along with you. You curled in on yourself, hoping to stave off the chill this time. The Narrator grinned at you in an innocent facade, “But in all honesty, I think Bergamot is the best tea to pair with you.” 

Maybe he noticed how tired you were, or maybe it's where he knew Stanley could come back at any point, but he didn’t waste another moment before opening his mouth and inviting you inside. At this point, the warmth that it emitted and the darkness seemed like a good place to rest. You acquiesced, closing your eyes and waiting. 

He smiled more genuinely at the sentiment, appreciating how much you trusted him at this point. With the tip of his tongue, he cautiously slid you off the spoon onto the middle of his tongue. Not bothering to open your eyes, you let the light that penetrated your eyelids slowly fade to black as the access to the outside world left. 

There was no point in moving, choosing to lay down content on the soft surface below you. The yellow hue always intrigued you, knowing that the physical form he picked to interact with Stanley and you still didn’t look quite human. It was endearing and uniquely the Narrator.

After letting you lay there for a bit, he carefully moved you, rolling you like candy to coat you in saliva and taste the residual tea. You felt him hum in satisfaction, and it made you wonder if he lied earlier and planned it this whole time. This went on for a bit, letting him do what he wanted without resistance. He proceeded to focus on pushing you to the roof of his mouth without hurting you, keeping you there while he sucked off the extra moisture to swallow along with the extra saliva. 

Satisfied, he lowered you back down, nudging you forward gently to rest at the front. You were sitting up to where your back hit his teeth. His tongue stopped trying to taste, settling to lay on your legs like a large weighted blanket. It was analogous to sitting in a chair with a quilt on in the cold winter; the whole gesture was soothing in a way you hadn’t felt for a long time. 

In this position, you could see the back of his throat like a dark, looming cave. Maybe if you first met the man, or with anyone else even, knowing you were inside a person that could easily just bite through you would instill you with a sense of fear that froze you in place. You would desperately claw your way out. Let your survival instincts kick in and fight tooth and nail.

In this circumstance, however, you chose to lean your head back and sigh happily. If you focused over his breathing, you could hear him shuffle with papers outside. You couldn’t tell if he was smiling or not with the teeth blocking your view, but you didn’t question if he was also enjoying this. It seemed you both were going to rest like this together until Stanley returned. This whole moment was an understanding. Something special you both were able to share as a form of reassurance, comfort, and trust. And so, you didn’t mind the view or the way you felt saliva pool around your legs. Even when you were inevitably swallowed and sent to his stomach, it would be welcomed knowing you were as close to the Narrator as you could be- where he was content knowing you were safe.

You don’t know how long you closed your eyes, but you were certain you dozed off at some point. The feeling of the Narrator slowly tilting his head back woke you. It was gradual, giving you time to stop him if you wanted to leave. But you didn’t. Rather, you moved to crawl to the back where his throat awaited your entrance. You just wanted to rest. 

Finally, you let the gravity take you, letting the muscles of his throat firmly grab you and push you downwards.

It never took long to reach his stomach. He designed his physical form that way, figuring the esophagus squeezing around you was too cramped. You dropped gracelessly into his stomach, swaying with you like a hammock. You were glad no one was here to see the embarrassing sight of you scrambling like a turned over beetle to sit upright, but your host still felt it judging from the way he huffed at the feeling of you frantically moving. 

Eventually, you settled in a comfortable position, laying down and sinking into the lining. You felt the walls press against you, one side more firmly- The Narrator pressing a hand on his middle where he knew you were. His simulated heartbeat didn’t falter once above you, a nice white noise that paired with the sound of his organs working around you. It was your cue to fall asleep.

It didn’t come as naturally as you thought it would. It was hard to sleep when you took the time to just relax and enjoy the presence of another all around you. You had to force yourself to close your eyes and count when he inhaled and exhaled. Slowly but surely, your exhaustion came back full force. 

Just as you felt your mind go cloudy, you felt the world vibrate around you. Your eyes snapped back open in alarm. It jostled you some, but not enough to force you to move. Even if it did, the hand that was still pressed against you from outside wouldn’t let you move too far. 

You heard about this phenomenon once or twice from Stanley when you actually got to see him, but you didn’t really believe him because it hadn’t happened to you yet.

The Narrator was fucking purring.

He probably thought you were already asleep after how tired you were earlier, but he was mistaken and now you knew his (not so terrible) secret. He would never live it down if you told him. Not like you would, afraid he wouldn’t let himself do it again if you let him know you knew. Everything was too much to stay awake though. The heat and humidity made you more tired than you already were. The sounds lull you to sleep like a lullaby. Hopefully you could stay in here for a few hours. 

As your consciousness was fading, you could faintly hear the sound of a typewriter clicking slower than usual where he only used one hand. The Narrator was willing to wait for Stanley now, the weight he felt inside him a reminder that he wasn’t alone.

[unpluggedfinancial]

Your Bank Hates You—Here’s Why Bitcoin Doesn’t

Banks have spent centuries perfecting the art of making money off their customers while keeping them financially dependent. They wrap themselves in an image of trust and stability, but the truth is simple: banks exist to extract as much profit as possible from you while giving as little as possible in return. And most people never question it.

Bitcoin, on the other hand, doesn’t need you to trust it. It operates on pure mathematics, transparency, and a fixed supply that no institution can manipulate. It’s time to pull back the curtain on the traditional banking system and understand why Bitcoin flips the script.

The Big Lie: Your Money Isn’t Really Yours

When you deposit money in a bank, you assume it’s still your money. In reality, the moment it enters their system, it becomes theirs. You are nothing more than an unsecured creditor—your money is a liability on their books, and they can use it however they see fit. They lend it out, invest it in risky ventures, and rake in billions in profits, all while giving you a pathetic fraction of a percent in interest.

And if you ever try to withdraw a large sum? Suddenly, the bank wants to ask questions. Where did you get this money? Why do you need it? They may even limit how much you can take out at once. It’s not about security—it’s about control.

The Racket: How Fractional Reserve Banking Works

One of the biggest scams ever legalized is fractional reserve banking. This system allows banks to hold only a small fraction of customer deposits while lending out the rest. In the U.S., banks used to be required to keep about 10% in reserve. Today? That requirement is zero. They can lend out nearly all of your deposited money, creating money out of thin air.

This system fuels inflation, artificially expands credit, and increases systemic risk. And guess who pays the price when it collapses? Not the banks—they get bailed out. You, the customer, are left with devalued savings, rising costs, and financial instability.

Bitcoin doesn’t play that game. There is no fractional reserve system. You own what you hold, and no one can lend it out behind your back.

The Bank Fees & Interest Rate Scam

Banks are masters of the nickel-and-dime game:

Overdraft fees punish you for not having money by taking more of your money.

Loan interest rates skyrocket while banks borrow from the Federal Reserve at near-zero rates.

ATM fees charge you for accessing your own money.

Wire transfer fees? A tax on moving your money, even though the process is mostly automated.

Meanwhile, inflation erodes your savings, and banks laugh all the way to... well, the bank.

Bitcoin? No middlemen. No arbitrary fees. No interest rates designed to squeeze you dry. Just peer-to-peer transactions, secured by a decentralized network.

Enter Bitcoin: Opting Out of the Madness

Bitcoin offers something revolutionary:

A fixed supply of 21 million coins—no central bank can print more.

Self-custody—you hold your own money, no permissions needed.

Instant transactions with minimal fees, no matter where you are in the world.

A global, decentralized network that no government or institution can manipulate.

Unlike banks, Bitcoin doesn’t require you to trust it. You can verify every transaction, every supply issuance, every rule of the system. There are no hidden fees, no fine print, no “policy changes” that suddenly take away your access.

The Transparency Factor: Bitcoin vs. Banks

Banks operate in secrecy. They loan out your deposits, make high-risk bets, and when things go wrong, they change the rules or beg for a bailout. The 2008 financial crisis showed us exactly how fragile and corrupt the system really is.

Bitcoin, on the other hand, runs on a public ledger. Every transaction is verifiable. No insider deals, no backroom manipulations, no hidden schemes. You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it—the system is open-source, and anyone can audit it.

The Takeaway: Banks Need You, But You Don’t Need Banks

The traditional banking system thrives on ignorance. It wants you to remain dependent, obedient, and financially illiterate. But Bitcoin offers a way out.

With Bitcoin, you are your own bank. You decide when and how to access your wealth. You don’t need permission, you don’t need intermediaries, and you certainly don’t need to beg for access to what’s already yours.

Your bank hopes you never wake up to this reality.

Bitcoin is the wake-up call.

Tick tock, next block.

Take Action Towards Financial Independence

If this article has sparked your interest in the transformative potential of Bitcoin, there’s so much more to explore! Dive deeper into the world of financial independence and revolutionize your understanding of money by following my blog and subscribing to my YouTube channel.

🌐 Blog: Unplugged Financial Blog Stay updated with insightful articles, detailed analyses, and practical advice on navigating the evolving financial landscape. Learn about the history of money, the flaws in our current financial systems, and how Bitcoin can offer a path to a more secure and independent financial future.

📺 YouTube Channel: Unplugged Financial Subscribe to our YouTube channel for engaging video content that breaks down complex financial topics into easy-to-understand segments. From in-depth discussions on monetary policies to the latest trends in cryptocurrency, our videos will equip you with the knowledge you need to make informed financial decisions.

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated with our latest content. Whether you’re a seasoned investor, a curious newcomer, or someone concerned about the future of your financial health, our community is here to support you on your journey to financial independence.

📚 Get the Book: The Day The Earth Stood Still 2.0 For those who want to take an even deeper dive, my book offers a transformative look at the financial revolution we’re living through. The Day The Earth Stood Still 2.0 explores the philosophy, history, and future of money, all while challenging the status quo and inspiring action toward true financial independence.

Support the Cause

If you enjoyed what you read and believe in the mission of spreading awareness about Bitcoin, I would greatly appreciate your support. Every little bit helps keep the content going and allows me to continue educating others about the future of finance.

Donate Bitcoin: 

bc1qpn98s4gtlvy686jne0sr8ccvfaxz646kk2tl8lu38zz4dvyyvflqgddylk

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.12 - "ΠΑΡΕΞΗΓΩ." Word Count: 2,430

(prev. | next.)

───── ❝ misunderstand. ❞ ─────

The class today was quite silent as we were told to read and rewrite an excerpt from a movie script, teaching us how to convey better emotion through writing. 

Well, it turns out that Mr. Juyeon didn't finish reading the film reviews we passed yesterday so he decided that it'd be better for us to just experiment with the ways we write. 

It wasn't that easy to change and rearrange words within a story, especially because it wasn't mine to begin with. 

I scribbled ideas down half of the page of my notebook, the other one reserved for the actual rewrite. I couldn't really find the right words for the scene I was rewriting and to be honest, I was kind of stuck. 

“Pssst!” I heard someone call from behind as I turned around, seeing a completely different person who seemed to be approaching… me. 

Huh?

Who is this again?

“... Yeah?” I didn't know how to respond to him, my eyes later panning to Junseok first before moving on to Seunghwan. 

They both seemed to be busy with the activity too. “You're Y/N, right? Seunghwan's friend?” The stranger asked politely, which made me space out for a bit, thinking of whoever he was. Maybe I've already seen him around this class but I never really caught up with his name.

Letting go of my pen, I turned to face him, shifting my shoulders almost completely so I could take a better look at his face. 

The boy had bright eyes, and a cleft chin, and his hair was in the shade of bronze as if he was somehow part of some monarchy. “And you are?” I asked back, which made him let out a small gasp, probably remembering that he hadn't even introduced his name yet. 

“Bin!” he said with a faint voice, lending me his arm. “First name, Bin. Last name, Won.”

I smiled back at him, taking his hand in mine as I shook it. “Anyways, I wanted to ask you for a tip… Just a small tip,” Bin explained, raising his hand not too high for a bit as his fingers made a pinching gesture in the air. 

Hmm, I wonder what he'll ask me about. This was the first time I talked to someone in my class. 

“What would you say to someone you loved in the past?” He proceeded to ask me the question as I sat there, staying silent for a while. Well, I did have a boyfriend two years ago but I couldn't say I loved him. But if the “love” he's talking about doesn't have to be defined by romantic love, I think I've got something to say.

“I'd say that I'm sorry for not loving that certain someone enough.”

Bin's lips carefully curled into a smile, later jotting it down in his own notebook as he gave me a thumbs-up. “Thanks!” He then gave me an excited nod, soon focusing on the activity. 

Well, that was quick. Shouldn't I be unfazed about it? Sometimes, I'm just so distracted with questions like that.

Thanks to Bin's question, I finally ended up finding the right words for my own work as the bell later rang, which alarmed our lecturer, who peacefully checked the rest of the film reviews we submitted. 

Oh, and today's also another Friday. The university decided that there shouldn't be a lot of heavy duties whenever the last day of the week came. 

Getting up from our seats, we passed all of our work to Mr. Juyeon, later heading our way out of the room as it was time for another break. 

Well, not really.

“Hey, Junseok!” Seunghwan's voice was so loud that I knew it was him immediately, causing me to turn around and see the two of them speaking to each other. "Is it okay if we borrow your girlfriend for now?” he continued to ask as I rubbed my thumbs against both sides of my forehead. 

He could've told him something else instead.

Was he there to piss Junseok off? I didn't know.

I decided to walk up to them, wanting to drag Seunghwan out of the conversation he started. “Oh, she isn't my girlfriend. How could I date someone like that? She's basically lacking everything,” Junseok responded with a strong, stern tone, which made the other one look a bit offended by what he said.

Yet it wasn't only him who felt like that.

All of us stayed quiet, especially after they noticed that I was already there. I didn't know how I should respond to what he said about me. “Um…” Junseok tried to say something to let the tension die down but it was no use because he couldn't even think of something. 

“You know, what? We're leaving now.” I faked a laugh, grabbing the cuff of Seunghwan's sweater as I led him out of the conversation. 

Maybe that was just him trying to not seem as if we were close… But we weren't close in the first place, were we?

As I left the hall with Seunghwan, we both thought that it was best for us not to talk about that little encounter. And of course, Hyunjun noticed the sudden silence, considering that the other boy was extroverted and quite jolly for him to be so solemn at the mall. 

“Is everything okay with you two?” He asked, holding up two pairs of clothing in both his hands as the two of us nodded at the same time, which was a sign that we were bothered…

Oh, how do we explain this to him?

“Yeah, everything's fine!” Seunghwan and I responded at once, causing the two of us to exchange surprised looks. 

“Don't go Tornado Twins at me. What's wrong?” Once he got what was up between us, Hyunjun placed down the clothes he held with both his eyebrows raised in doubt. It was probably frustrating for him since he belonged to a different course. 

Also, he doesn't share a lot of classes with me and Seunghwan. “It's just Junseok.” The other boy couldn't hold the truth in anymore as I sighed, not liking the fact that he still told Hyunjun what really was the issue. 

Or should I say, who?

Hyunjun tilted his head to the side, still in doubt of what Seunghwan was telling him. “Junseok? Again? You know, Y/N, you should leave that dude to himself!” He suggested, mixed with a bit of sarcasm but I understood why he sounded tired of the issue with that boy. 

I mean, how many times did Junseok treat me like garbage? 

Apparently, more than once.

“But I can't…” I retaliated, disagreeing with him as Hyunjun chuckled sarcastically, probably finding me ridiculous for thinking that way. 

“You can't? That's all in your head. If you keep thinking like that, then nothing will happen,” He replied, still with a stern tone yet calmer this time. He was furious about it and it seemed like this wasn't going to end well for both me and Junseok.

So I'll keep hiding basically. “Also, stop thinking about him for a sec and go find yourself something you like!” Hyunjun later tried to uplift the mood as I smiled at him, appreciating his efforts in quickly changing the topic. 

But I still thought of it.

I'll admit it. Those words he said were just as bad as the things he said before.

Then, I felt a weight over my shoulders once more as I lifted my head up to see Seunghwan, who also tried to cheer me up. “Just ignore Junseok. He'll come to his senses,” He said, trying to brush the problem off as I nodded, reminding myself to just not mind what he said about me. 

I mean, it's obvious that his intention was a lot more different than anyone could expect. 

But if that's what he really thought of me, then maybe I'll try meeting his expectations of the girl he used to be friends with.

“Oh! Pretty!” Seunghwan was suddenly fixated on the jewelry aisle, getting his hands on a delicate necklace in gold that had a tiny, white crystal-like flower placed right in the middle. “How much is this?” He later asked the seller, who stood behind the glass-covered table of the jewelry shop nearby as she couldn’t help but smile at his cheery reactions towards the necklace he held. 

“That’d be twelve,” The seller responded, resulting in the boy searching for his wallet in both of his pockets. 

When he paid for the necklace, he tore off the price tag straight away as he wore it around his neck, later looking in the small mirror on the top of the desk. “Hey, Y/N, they match, right?” Seunghwan asked me to take a closer look at both his golden compass necklace and his brand new one as I raised both of my hands midway, both of my thumbs going upwards as he giggled, satisfied with what he bought.

Honestly, that compass necklace he owned was still prettier than the new one.

“By the way, where did you get this one?” I asked, curious about the necklace Seunghwan always wore. When my hand reached for it, he raised both of his eyebrows for a moment and later nodded to himself in realization. 

“Oh, this? Somebody lost it during a high school field trip. None of my classmates owned it so I kept it instead.” He shrugged as I fiddled with its chain for a while, letting go of it right after.

It was so mesmerizing. 

Maybe I should borrow it someday.

Not long after, Hyunjun comes back from the check-out with two paper bags in his hands. “I see, you’re finally proud of what you got,” Seunghwan said with a fake British accent rolling off his tongue, causing the two of us to cackle at his joke. 

“Well, Sir, I must not hide these visuals I own from the many people around.” The cloudy boy played along as I shook my head, suppressing myself from laughing way too loud at the mall. “By the way, you should totally take pictures of me tomorrow because I need to post something at least!” He later added, pointing his finger at me as I was a bit surprised to find out that I took good pictures of him. 

I still wasn’t that good with other activities since I most likely enjoyed writing… and maybe learning about the weirdest things that exist around the internet in general. 

I guess that’s the reason why I couldn’t sleep right on time.

When the three of us made our way to the food court on the third floor, my eyes immediately noticed Junseok’s group of friends at the right side of the room, causing me to turn the other way, leaving the two boys to themselves. 

“... Huh? Hey, Y/N!” Seunghwan loudly called my name in the middle of the busy room. I widened my eyes, pausing from my fast pace as I began regretting what I had just done.

Why did he have to yell my name out in front of so many people?

Well, apparently, who’s stupid enough to leave her friends out? Yeah, that’s me.

Turning around, I faced Seunghwan with an awkward smile that was so full of shame. There, we all heard how Junseok’s friends snickered in their seats, whispering things that I couldn’t hear yet it was obvious enough for me to know that they were talking about us again. 

But taking a closer look at them, I realized something that was supposed to be not shocking to me anymore.

Junseok wasn’t there with them and that’s because he’s either busy at the realm he used to stay at or he’s doing something else – like beating up a bunch of criminals pretty much. 

“Hey, just ignore them,” Seunghwan repeated what he said earlier, walking towards me before linking his arm with mine as he grimaced at the rest of them, scowling at them right after as Hyunjun did the same no matter how easygoing he actually was.

Because of that, we all thought that maybe it would be best for us to just order a take-out rather than eat here alongside those people. 

God, it’s not that I hate them but if they weren’t so annoying, I wouldn’t have to care about them.

But of course, Junseok’s privacy has to come first. 

Later on, the three of us were finally outside the mall, walking our way back to the university’s dorm when loud sounds of tires scratching the cemented roads pierced my ears, causing me to look around what was happening. “Give me all of that or I’ll fucking shoot!” A man with a black mask growled angrily, pointing a gun toward us as Hyunjun threw the paper bags back at him, backing down.

For a while, I was tempted to do something but I figured that maybe Junseok would arrive soon, which made me stay still instead. 

Yet the opposite happened. “Let me go!”, I shouted, trying to escape the man’s grasp around me as the end of the gun was pointed against my head. 

“Don’t hurt her!” Seunghwan yelled at the masked man but it was no use, his gloved finger pointing at both of his necklaces. The boy took a pause, knitting his brows intensely as he ran towards the man who had taken me hostage, wrapping his hand around the trunk of the gun, pushing it backward until it was pointing towards the sky, leaving Hyunjun a chance to take me away from the criminal’s arms. 

Once I was free from him, I started concentrating in the shadows, trying to manifest a bow and arrow in my hands only to be disrupted by how Seunghwan took down the mugger singlehandedly without putting a lot of effort.

The mugger was on the floor, hands pinned behind his back by the once bubbly boy, who now looked more fueled than ever. 

“How did he just do that?” Hyunjun asked, the police sirens from the roads getting louder and nearer to the crime scene as I was fixated on Seunghwan, who put his weight over the thief’s back. 

I breathed out, “I… I have no idea.”

[unrealization]

@mechatiqe cont from Here.

Despite Akira's protests, she was still sent to speak with the mechanic. She hadn't had enough time with the script yet, and thus had no solid grasp on her character yet. The Phantasm loomed on the edge of her periphery, looming large and threatening to pull her identity apart. In a way, it made sense to send Akira. She was the Ultimate Actress. Her presence would lend immediate legitimacy to any stage production. Anyone who knew who she was might jump at the chance to work with her, but in her experience most didn't. She didn't have the same glamour of a proper actress. Akira's talent could only carry the production so far. Props, stage effects, that sort of thing. Kazuichi Soda was the Ultimate Mechanic. He was an obvious pick for the job if he could be convinced. Upon reaching his lab, Akira nearly gagged on the smell of gasoline that permeated the place. When she finally spotted the mechanic, she lingered a moment. His back was turned, obviously focused on something else. She watched him, memorizing each movement and micro-expression. Akira slammed her eyes shut. Not. Now. "Excuse me." She made sure not to look directly at him, and certainly not to make eye contact. "I was hoping I could borrow you... If you don't mind."

A mini screwdriver held between his lips, the mechanic was completely focused on finishing up the various things he was entrusted with repairing, both hands busy switching from one tool to another. The presence of another person being there in the garage with him had been completely off his radar — that is, until the other talked. “H-huh?” he fumbled with the tools, a little startled, before turning around to glance at the other. “Oh. Uh, how long have you been there? I don’t think I heard any footsteps…” Then again, it might’ve been a result of how absorbed he becomes when it came to machine-related matters. Ah well, whatever. He waved the thought away. “Anyway, give me one second. I just need to finish this bike up quickly and I’ll get to you. I just need to give it one last check.” And, true to his word, the mechanic didn’t take so much as a minute looking the bike over, before wiping his hands on his jumpsuit -staining it further with oil- and turning around to the other. “There, I’m done. You uh, needed me for something, right?”

That was... easier than expected. He barely even looked up before he accepted. He didn't even know what her ask was. Her gaze locked onto an oil stain on the floor, despite all the noise from his work trying to pull her attention onto him.

It was always like this. The line between character and performer was so thin for her that if she watched him too closely she might lose herself completely. The Phantasm hungered, and she felt its bottomless appetite tugging at the edge of her consciousness.

"We're putting on a show this weekend." She said, "We need you to help setup stage effects. There are a lot of moving parts and stuff."

Her explanation wasn't the best, but she hoped it was enough. Most people in this school tended to jump at the chance to indulge in their talent. After all, their identities at Ultimates were defined by those talents.

It probably helped that indulging like that was voluntary. For Akira it wasn't. Her 'talent' was like a hand around her throat. She felt pride at her craft, of course, but it made it terribly hard for her to just be herself. Whoever Akira Jikonashi was. Sometimes she wasn't sure.

"We'd... Appreciate your help, Soda-san."

[jayconner-raisingprivatemoney]

Overcoming Financing Challenges: Real Estate Investment Solutions Using Private Money

https://www.jayconner.com/podcast/episode-280-overcoming-financing-challenges-real-estate-investment-solutions-using-private-money/

***Guest Appearance

Credits to:

https://www.youtube.com/@therealestatejam6159

“Episode 207: How to Raise Private Money w/ Jay Conner”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE1NqIsAgpY

If you’ve ever wondered how seasoned real estate investors scale their businesses, survive economic downturns, or manage to snap up deals other investors miss out on, the answer is often simpler (and more within your grasp) than you might think: private money.

In this episode of the Raising Private Money podcast, Jay Conner, the Private Money Authority, recently joined JD and Melissa invited and shared his journey and blueprint for raising and leveraging private funds for real estate investing.

The Journey from Traditional Lending to Private Money

Jay’s story began just like many aspiring investors: relying on traditional banks to fund his real estate deals. For the first six years, banks defined all the rules—from interest rates to the types of projects they could undertake. However, everything changed in January 2009, when Jay’s banker abruptly shut down his line of credit in the midst of a global financial crisis. With deals under contract and profits on the line, Jay faced a challenge: how can you continue investing without the backing of traditional lenders?

The turning point came when Jay reached out to a friend who introduced him to the concept of private money—raising capital directly from individuals who are looking for secured, high-return investments, often leveraging self-directed IRAs. Within just 90 days, Jay raised over $2 million, tripling his business and freeing himself from the constraints of traditional financing forever.

The Mindset Shift: From Begging for Money to Offering Opportunity

One of Jay’s core messages is the importance of approaching private money with the right mindset. “You’re not asking for money or begging for favors. You’re providing an opportunity for people to put their money to work, with great returns and security.” In the podcast, Jay explains that desperation has a smell. Instead of asking for a favor, you educate potential private lenders about your program, show them how it benefits them, and let them make the choice. This “teacher hat” approach shifts the conversation from a sales pitch to a value proposition.

Jay outlines a simple “great news” script: when you have a deal and a lender ready, you simply inform them you can now put their money to work, outline the property and terms, and provide wiring instructions. The key is separation—teach the private lending program first, get them interested, and only later present the specific deal. This builds anticipation and trust, ensuring both parties are aligned.

Who Can Be a Private Lender?

A common misconception among new investors is that you need wealthy, well-connected friends or family. Jay disagrees: your future lenders are everywhere—your social circles, business groups, and even acquaintances of acquaintances. He encourages investors to make a list of everyone they know, and then expand through business networking organizations such as BNI (Business Networking International) or real estate meetup groups. Additionally, existing private lenders (who often frequent self-directed IRA companies’ networking events) are looking for new investment opportunities.

Securing Win-Win Deals

Trust and security are the bedrock of private money. Jay emphasizes the importance of always securing your loans with real estate (never unsecured), naming lenders on insurance and title policies, and never borrowing more than 75% of the after-repaired value (ARV). If something goes wrong, the lender’s money is protected by the property’s value, not just the borrower’s promise.

Communication and integrity are vital. If a project faces issues, keeping lenders informed and working transparently builds lasting relationships. And no matter how experienced you are, Jay advocates ongoing education and mentorship to avoid costly mistakes and boost your confidence.

Getting Started Today

Jay’s final advice is simple: Start building relationships before you need the money. Don’t wait for the perfect deal—cultivate your private money network now so you’re always ready to move quickly when opportunity knocks.

Interested in learning more? Jay offers his book, “Where to Get the Money Now,” and free tickets to his private money conference, loaded with actionable tips to supercharge your real estate journey. Whether you’re brand new or a seasoned pro, private money could be the missing piece to unlocking your next level.

Ready to take charge of your real estate investing? Begin by reimagining your network, focusing on service, and never underestimating the power of private money. Your next deal—and your future—may depend on it.

10 Discussion Questions from this Episode:

Jay Conner described experiencing a “global financial crisis” when his bank suddenly cut off his line of credit in 2009. How did this challenge shape his approach to funding deals afterward?

How does Jay’s “teacher hat” approach to raising private money differ from traditional fundraising or loan requests, and why does he think it’s so successful?

Jay emphasizes never borrowing or lending unsecured funds, even with family. Why do you think this principle is so critical in real estate investing?

Jay discussed three main categories for finding private lenders: your own network, expanded networks (like BNI), and existing private lenders. Which of these seems most accessible for new investors, and why?

In the episode, JD and Melissa bring up the fear and mindset challenges of asking for private money, especially for new investors. What advice or mindset shifts did Jay suggest to overcome these challenges?

Jay mentioned that the worst time to raise private money is when you need it. How does building relationships with private lenders ahead of time create advantages for investors?

There was a discussion around the dangers of ‘Ponzi scheme’ behavior in private lending. What due diligence steps should both borrowers and lenders take to protect themselves?

Jay’s process for securing funds includes detailed communication and legal safeguards (like deeds of trust and insurance). How can clear communication between borrower and lender help prevent misunderstandings or problems down the line?

How does Jay’s philosophy of leading ‘with a servant’s heart’ impact his approach to real estate deals and relationships with lenders?

What are some practical steps for growing your network of potential private lenders, according to Jay, and how might you apply these strategies in your investing journey?

Fun facts that were revealed in the episode:

Jay Conner Didn’t Start with Private Money—He Discovered It by Accident! Jay spent his first six years in real estate relying on traditional banks, not even knowing private money was an option. It wasn’t until 2009, after his bank suddenly cut off his line of credit, that he stumbled into the world of private money, which ended up tripling his business in just 90 days!

You Don’t Need to Know Millionaires to Raise Private Money Jay insists that your future private lenders aren’t only rich tycoons or family members with deep pockets. Most of his 47 private lenders are regular folks he met through local networking groups, church, Facebook, or friends-of-friends—proving that opportunity is all around you if you know where to look!

Jay Never “Asks” People for Money—He Makes Them Wait for the “Great News” Call One of Jay’s signature moves is to teach potential lenders about the process before ever bringing them a deal. Once they’re ready, he gives them an exciting “great news” call to let them know he can put their money to work, meaning people are waiting by the phone, eager for the opportunity to become his lender!

Timestamps:

00:01 Raising Private Money Without Asking For It

03:14 Small-Town Real Estate Success

07:13 Private Lending Program Insights

10:41 Real Estate Investment Opportunity

16:20 Finding Private Lenders: Tips

18:05 Self-Directed IRA Networking Events

22:45 Securing Funding for Real Estate

24:41 Leverage Mentors for Business Success

26:52 Private Lending: Avoiding Ponzi Schemes

29:56 Lesson Learned: Secure Your Funds

34:40 Free Tickets and Book Offer

Private Money Academy Conference:

https://www.JaysLiveEvent.com

Free Report:

https://www.jayconner.com/MoneyReport

Join the Private Money Academy:

https://www.JayConner.com/trial/

Have you read Jay’s new book, Where to Get the Money Now?

It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at

https://www.JayConner.com/Book

What is Private Money? Real Estate Investing with Jay Conner

https://www.JayConner.com/MoneyPodcast

Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. He maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $67,000 per deal without using his money or credit.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

https://youtu.be/QyeBbDOF4wo

YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/RealEstateInvestingWithJayConner

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-money-academy-real-estate-investing-with-jay/id1377723034

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jay.conner.marketing

Listen to our Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2025961/episodes/17362467-overcoming-financing-challenges-real-estate-investment-solutions-using-private-money

[sri-thulasi-chits-25]

Sri Thulasi Chit Funds—Offering the Best Chit Funds In Coimbatore

Unlock Financial Flexibility with Trusted Chit Solutions in Coimbatore 

 Financial planning can often feel complex, especially when balancing short- term liquidity with long- term savings. In  similar  scripts, traditional savings models often fall short in offering both flexibility and community- driven support. This is where chit funds emerge as a  important  fiscal tool — blending savings and credit into one structured system. For individuals and businesses in Coimbatore, chit funds have steadily grown in popularity as an effective and  dependable means of managing finances with discipline and ease. 

 A virgin fund is a time- tested  fiscal system deeply rooted in Indian culture, offering members the binary benefit of saving and borrowing. Unlike loans from banks or  fiscal institutions, chit funds function on  collective trust, periodic  benefactions, and participated earnings. Every month, members contribute a fixed amount to the fund. One member wins the pooled amount( after a small deduction for the organizer) through a bidding or lottery system. The cycle continues until every member receives their share. 

 Sri Thulasi Chit Funds has earned a name for being among the most  dependable  fiscal institutions operating within this space. Their focus on transparency,  harmonious returns, and customer- centric service has earned them the trust of  innumerous clients over the years. Whether you’re a salaried professional, entrepreneur, or partner, Sri Thulasi offers chit fund schemes that cater to varied  fiscal goals. 

 Choosing the best chit fund company in Coimbatore requires attention to certain critical factors, including legal registration, credibility, and client feedback. Sri Thulasi Chit Finance is a registered reality, governed under the Chit Finance Act, ensuring every sale is legally binding and secure. With branches spread across the city, they offer ease of access and face-to-face interactions, allowing guests to stay informed about their fiscal commitments. 

 When evaluating chit fund companies, a common concern among investors is the risk involved. Sri Thulasi addresses these concerns through rigorous internal inspection processes and technology-driven platforms that ensure accountability at every stage. Guests are given regular updates, digital access to accounts, and complete transparency in deals, ensuring peace of mind. Their educated management team and strong governance framework are vital in minimizing risk and structuring long-term relationships. 

 Another identifying factor is the variety of schemes offered. From short-term to long-term options, Sri Thulasi provides flexible chit plans that adapt to different fiscal capacities and objectives. Whether you are looking to fund a child’s education, finance a wedding, or expand your small business, these schemes allow you to plan ahead without falling into high-interest debt traps. For those seeking structured savings along with an opportunity for credit access when required, they're among the best chit funds in Coimbatore. 

 The community-based nature of chit funds creates a sense of participatory responsibility and collective benefit. Unlike rigid lending institutions, chit companies understand the unique challenges faced by original communities. Sri Thulasi’s deep-confirmed presence in the region positions it as a chit company in Coimbatore that knows its customers, not just as account numbers, but as families and businesses with aspirations. This personalized approach adds immense value to the client experience. 

 One of the advantages of associating with chit  finances is the capability to tap into finances when needed without the hurdles of formal loan operations. As affectation rises and fiscal scores grow, this liquidity can be a game-changer for numerous. Whether you are investing for security or borrowing for growth, chit funds offer an effective and community-based system of achieving your  fiscal goals. 

 Sri Thulasi Chit Finance also takes pride in maintaining robust client support. With devoted relationship managers, timely reminders, and multi-channel communication, guests are always well-supported. These sweats have made them a favored choice for chit funds in Coimbatore, combining old-world values with ultramodern efficiency. 

 In conclusion, Sri Thulasi Chit Finances brings credibility, convenience, and community-centric fiscal planning to the residents of Coimbatore. Whether you're new to the concept of chit funds or a seasoned investor looking for a trusted mate, their immolations are designed to give peace of mind and sustained fiscal growth.However, Sri Thulasi is the name you can count on if you are searching online for a chit fund company near me.

Visit Us: https://www.srithulasichits.com/scheme.html

[samanthasen]

AI Roleplay in NBFC Sales: Mastering the Pitch to Close More Deals

In today’s dynamic landscape, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) face growing pressure to convert faster, pitch better, and personalize every conversation. But with changing borrower expectations, regulatory scrutiny, and fierce competition, even experienced sales reps struggle to consistently close deals. That’s where AI in sales for NBFC teams is making a difference. By simulating real-life borrower interactions, AI roleplay platforms are helping reps sharpen their pitch, handle objections, and improve compliance—all before they meet a prospect. As AI in sales for NBFC adoption grows, companies are seeing measurable gains in pitch quality, conversion rates, and confidence on the field.

Key Challenges in NBFC Sales 

Generic Sales Scripts Fall Flat Reps often rely on one-size-fits-all pitches that don’t resonate with diverse borrower profiles.

Low Preparedness for Objections From interest rate concerns to documentation issues, sales reps struggle to confidently respond in live conversations.

Inconsistent Compliance Communication Reps may unintentionally miss key regulatory disclosures or give inaccurate information.

Lack of Real-Time Feedback Sales managers often discover skill gaps only after a deal is lost or a call goes wrong.

Onboarding New Reps Takes Too Long It takes weeks—sometimes months—for new hires to become field-ready, impacting productivity and revenue.

Ways Awarathon’s AI Coach Powers NBFC Sales Success

Awarathon is a smart training platform that helps sales teams improve their skills through realistic practice. It uses AI to simulate real customer conversations, helping reps get better at pitching, handling objections, and following compliance rules—all before they meet actual customers.

See how our AI coach trains your NBFC sales team

Train with Real Borrower Profiles

NBFCs serve a diverse borrower base—first-time credit seekers, small business owners, gig workers, and salaried professionals, each with unique challenges and priorities. Awarathon creates AI personas that reflect these real borrower types. Reps learn to tailor their pitch tone, financial terminology, and benefits based on the borrower’s income pattern, risk appetite, and repayment capacity. This boosts the rep’s ability to personalize conversations and build trust faster.

Build Strong Compliance Habits

NBFCs must follow stringent regulatory and lending guidelines, especially when pitching loan terms, interest rates, or recovery processes. Awarathon’s AI listens for every critical detail and instantly flags missed disclaimers, overpromises, or policy violations. It reinforces compliant language during training itself. It also helps reps build regulatory habits, avoid penalties, and ensure clarity in every conversation.

Roleplays That Adapt Like Real Conversations

Borrowers often raise concerns like “Why is your interest rate higher than banks?” or “What are the hidden charges?” Awarathon prepares reps for these objections through interactive roleplays that mimic real resistance. The AI coach introduces price sensitivity, trust issues, and eligibility doubts mid-conversation—training reps to respond with transparency, clarity, and empathy. With repeat practice, reps learn to stay composed, informative, and persuasive under pressure.

Adaptive Roleplay That Changes Based on Input

Unlike static modules, Awarathon adapts in real-time. If a rep gives a vague answer about loan tenure or eligibility, the AI client becomes more skeptical and asks for tougher follow-ups. But if the rep handles the query confidently, the scenario progresses positively. This real-time branching mirrors actual borrower behavior—preparing reps to stay alert, think on their feet, and navigate challenging conversations smoothly.

Deep Performance Analytics for Coaching

Every rep has different blind spots—some hesitate, some oversimplify, and some forget compliance language. Awarathon doesn’t just score reps; it provides detailed, behavior-based insights into their performance. Managers can view which reps are struggling with documentation clarity, interest rate articulation, or confidence. This helps NBFC leaders move away from generic training and invest in targeted coaching that accelerates field readiness.

For NBFCs, closing more deals means sharper pitches, better objection handling, and strict compliance. Awarathon makes this possible with AI-driven, scenario-based training that mirrors real conversations. It helps reps get field-ready faster and perform with confidence. Simply put, Awarathon is how smart NBFCs are preparing their teams to win.

[justtryblockchain]

Why a WazirX Clone Script is the Best Investment in 2025

Introduction

The cryptocurrency market has evolved from a niche financial experiment to a global powerhouse. By 2025, the industry is projected to surpass previous records, driven by mass adoption and institutional interest. With an increasing number of individuals and businesses exploring digital assets, the demand for cryptocurrency exchanges continues to high.

For entrepreneurs and investors, launching a crypto exchange is an enticing opportunity. However, building an exchange from scratch is resource-intensive and time-consuming. This is where a WazirX clone script emerges as an optimal solution—offering a ready-made, customizable platform that enables quick deployment and scalability.

The Growing Popularity of Cryptocurrency Exchanges

Cryptocurrency exchanges are at the heart of digital asset trading. Over the years, the industry has witnessed explosive growth due to several key factors:

Mainstream Adoption: Governments, financial institutions, and retail investors have embraced cryptocurrencies, fueling widespread adoption.

Rise of Decentralized Finance (DeFi): DeFi platforms have revolutionized traditional finance by providing decentralized lending, borrowing, and staking opportunities.

Regulatory Clarity: Countries worldwide are establishing clear frameworks for crypto businesses, encouraging a secure and sustainable trading environment.

With millions of users engaging in daily transactions, crypto exchanges are becoming indispensable. Investing in a robust WazirX clone script allows entrepreneurs to tap into this surging market with minimal friction.

What is a WazirX Clone Script?

A WazirX clone script is a pre-built software solution designed to replicate the features and functionalities of the WazirX exchange. This script serves as a foundation for launching a fully operational crypto trading platform.

Key aspects of a WazirX clone script include:

User-Friendly Interface: Ensures seamless navigation for traders of all experience levels.

Advanced Trading Features: Supports spot trading, futures trading, and peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions.

Robust Security Measures: Implements encryption, multi-layer authentication, and anti-fraud protocols.

Liquidity Integration: Facilitates efficient order matching and trading volume maintenance.

By leveraging this script, businesses can launch their exchange in record time while ensuring a secure, scalable, and revenue-generating ecosystem.

Advantages of Investing in a WazirX Clone Script

Entrepreneurs seeking high-yield investments in the crypto space will find a WazirX clone script particularly rewarding. Here’s why:

Cost-Effective Development: Creating an exchange from the ground up requires a hefty budget for development, security, and infrastructure. A clone script eliminates these expenses by providing a ready-to-deploy solution.

Faster Market Entry: The pre-built framework allows for rapid launch, ensuring you can capitalize on market trends without unnecessary delays.

Scalability & Customization: Unlike rigid premade platforms, a WazirX clone script offers extensive customization options to suit business needs.

Lucrative Revenue Streams: Exchange owners can generate income through trading fees, withdrawal charges, premium memberships, and staking programs.

Security and Compliance Benefits

Security remains a top concern for crypto investors and traders. A WazirX clone script incorporates state-of-the-art security features to ensure a trustworthy and legally compliant exchange:

Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML): Prevents illicit activities by verifying user identities.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Adds an extra layer of security to protect user accounts from unauthorized access.

Cold Wallet Integration: Safeguards digital assets by storing them offline, mitigating hacking risks.

Regulatory Compliance: Ensures the platform aligns with international legal standards, avoiding legal pitfalls.

With cyber threats on the rise, deploying a highly secure and compliant exchange is crucial for gaining user trust and ensuring long-term sustainability.

How to Launch a Successful Crypto Exchange with a WazirX Clone Script

Successfully launching a cryptocurrency exchange requires strategic planning and execution. Here’s a roadmap to get started:

Select a Reliable Development Partner: Choose a reputable provider with experience in building secure and feature-rich exchange scripts.

Customize the Platform: Tailor the UI, add unique features, and integrate additional functionalities to differentiate from competitors.

Ensure Robust Security: Implement high-level encryption, multi-signature wallets, and compliance measures.

Liquidity Management: Partner with liquidity providers or implement a market-making strategy to ensure smooth trade execution.

Develop a Marketing Strategy: Utilize SEO, social media, and influencer marketing to attract traders and build a strong user base.

Launch and Optimize: Deploy the exchange and continuously enhance its features based on user feedback and market trends.

Conclusion

In 2025, the cryptocurrency market is expected to reach new heights, making it the perfect time to invest in a WazirX clone script. Its cost-effectiveness, quick deployment, security measures, and scalability make it a lucrative business venture. Entrepreneurs who seize this opportunity will position themselves at the forefront of the digital asset revolution. By launching a feature-rich, secure, and compliant crypto exchange, investors can tap into a thriving market and secure long-term financial success. The future belongs to those who innovate—capitalize on this opportunity today.

[marcoluther]

How Are Smart Contracts Transforming Cryptocurrency Development?

Smart contracts have revolutionized the cryptocurrency landscape, serving as the backbone of decentralized applications (dApps), DeFi protocols, and token ecosystems. These self-executing contracts with coded terms enable trustless, automated transactions, significantly reducing reliance on intermediaries. The integration of smart contracts into cryptocurrency development has led to increased security, efficiency, and transparency while fostering innovative financial ecosystems. In this blog, we explore how smart contracts are transforming cryptocurrency development and shaping the future of decentralized finance.

1. Understanding Smart Contracts

A smart contract is a self-executing agreement stored on a blockchain. It automatically executes predefined actions when certain conditions are met, eliminating the need for intermediaries like banks, brokers, or lawyers. Smart contracts were first conceptualized by Nick Szabo in the 1990s, but they gained prominence with the Ethereum blockchain, which introduced a Turing-complete scripting language to deploy them.

Key Features of Smart Contracts:

Automation: Transactions are executed without manual intervention.

Security: Blockchain immutability ensures tamper-proof execution.

Transparency: The code and transactions are visible to participants.

Cost-Efficiency: Reduces intermediary fees and operational costs.

Trustless Execution: Eliminates the need to rely on a third party.

Smart contracts have transformed cryptocurrency development across multiple domains, from token creation to decentralized applications.

2. Enhancing Token Development

The emergence of smart contracts has made it easier to create cryptocurrencies and digital tokens. Developers use predefined smart contract standards to create fungible and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on blockchain networks.

Smart Contract Token Standards:

ERC-20 (Ethereum Request for Comments 20): The most widely used standard for fungible tokens on Ethereum, enabling seamless interoperability across wallets and exchanges.

BEP-20 (Binance Smart Chain): Similar to ERC-20 but optimized for Binance Smart Chain transactions.

ERC-721 (NFTs): Enables the creation of unique, indivisible digital assets like collectibles, digital art, and in-game items.

ERC-1155: Supports both fungible and non-fungible tokens within a single smart contract, optimizing efficiency.

Smart contracts enable token minting, distribution, and automated transactions, providing a robust infrastructure for cryptocurrency ecosystems.

3. Powering Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

One of the most significant impacts of smart contracts has been on Decentralized Finance (DeFi), which has disrupted traditional financial services by offering transparent, non-custodial alternatives.

Key DeFi Applications Using Smart Contracts:

Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs): Platforms like Uniswap and PancakeSwap leverage smart contracts to facilitate peer-to-peer token swaps without intermediaries.

Lending and Borrowing Protocols: Aave and Compound use smart contracts to automate loan issuance and interest accrual based on supply and demand.

Yield Farming & Staking: Smart contracts enable users to earn passive income by locking assets in liquidity pools.

Stablecoins: Algorithmic stablecoins like DAI maintain price stability using smart contract-based mechanisms.

By eliminating traditional financial intermediaries, smart contracts enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and increase accessibility to financial services worldwide.

4. Revolutionizing Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and Token Sales

Smart contracts have played a crucial role in fundraising models like Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), Security Token Offerings (STOs), and Initial DEX Offerings (IDOs).

ICOs: Smart contracts automate token distribution to investors upon payment in cryptocurrencies.

STOs: These offerings comply with regulatory requirements by embedding security protocols within smart contracts.

IDOs: Decentralized platforms use smart contracts for instant liquidity and fair distribution of tokens.

By providing trustless execution and transparency, smart contracts have streamlined fundraising for blockchain startups and projects.

5. Improving Security and Fraud Prevention

The decentralized and immutable nature of smart contracts enhances security by reducing vulnerabilities associated with centralized systems.

Security Benefits:

Elimination of Middlemen: Reduces the risk of third-party fraud.

Automated Audits: Smart contracts undergo security audits to identify vulnerabilities.

Tamper-Proof Execution: Transactions cannot be altered once deployed.

However, poorly written smart contracts can be exploited, as seen in high-profile hacks like The DAO hack in 2016. To prevent vulnerabilities, developers use best practices such as formal verification, audits, and bug bounty programs.

6. Enabling Cross-Chain Interoperability

Smart contracts are driving interoperability between different blockchain networks, fostering seamless asset transfers and collaboration across ecosystems.

Examples of Cross-Chain Solutions:

Wrapped Tokens (e.g., Wrapped Bitcoin – WBTC): Enables Bitcoin to be used on Ethereum-based DeFi platforms.

Cross-Chain Bridges: Protocols like Polkadot and Cosmos allow smart contracts to interact across different blockchains.

Layer-2 Scaling Solutions: Sidechains like Polygon enhance transaction speed and reduce costs for Ethereum-based smart contracts.

Interoperability solutions powered by smart contracts enhance liquidity and usability across blockchain networks.

7. Fueling the Rise of AI and DAOs

Smart contracts are key enablers of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and AI-driven blockchain ecosystems.

DAOs: These organizations operate without centralized leadership, using smart contracts for governance, voting, and treasury management. Examples include MakerDAO and Uniswap governance models.

AI & Smart Contracts: AI-powered smart contracts can automate decision-making, fraud detection, and predictive analytics in blockchain applications.

By integrating AI with smart contracts, the cryptocurrency ecosystem is moving towards greater efficiency and automation.

8. Future Prospects and Challenges

While smart contracts have transformed cryptocurrency development, they still face several challenges:

Challenges:

Scalability Issues: High gas fees and network congestion, especially on Ethereum.

Security Risks: Vulnerabilities in contract code can lead to exploits.

Regulatory Uncertainty: Governments are still adapting to smart contract-based transactions.

Future Innovations:

Ethereum 2.0 & Layer-2 Solutions: Upgrades like sharding and rollups will improve scalability.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs): Enhance privacy and security in smart contract interactions.

AI-Powered Smart Contracts: Intelligent automation in blockchain transactions.

Conclusion

Smart contracts have fundamentally reshaped cryptocurrency development, driving innovation in DeFi, tokenization, fundraising, security, and interoperability. By automating transactions and reducing reliance on intermediaries, they enhance efficiency, transparency, and security across blockchain ecosystems. As the technology evolves, advancements in scalability, security, and AI integration will further accelerate the adoption of smart contracts, paving the way for a decentralized financial future.

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Bajaj Markets, a digital financial marketplace, has partnered with CRIF High Mark to help individuals gain deeper insights into their credit behaviour. In accordance with this, individuals can get their credit score on Bajaj Markets from CRIF High Mark for free. This can help borrowers understand their eligibility for various credit products better and choose options that best suit their needs.   Boost to Credit Reach for Indian Consumers   The CRIF High Mark score ranges between 300 - 900. A higher score signifies better creditworthiness, leading to a lower lending risk being associated with the individual. Some of the major elements taken into consideration to determine an individual’s CRIF Highmark credit score include the following:     Checking the CRIF High Mark score on Bajaj Markets results in a soft credit check which does not impact the score. This makes it easier for individuals to regularly access and monitor their score without having to face any significant impact. Such frequent checks can help individuals understand their credit status and plan for future loan or credit card applications accordingly.    After checking the credit score on Bajaj Markets, individuals can use the score to assess their eligibility for various credit products on the financial marketplace. They can get secured and unsecured loans from over 45 leading loan providers in India. If required, they can choose a credit card which suits their financial needs from over 30 different options.    Individuals can also explore various investment and insurance offers on the digital financial marketplace. For this, they simply need to visit the Bajaj Markets website or download the official app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.   About Bajaj Finserv Direct Bajaj Finserv Direct, a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv, is one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in India. It has two primary arms, Bajaj Markets, a financial marketplace, and Bajaj Technology Services, a techfin service provider. Bajaj Markets is a marketplace that offers multiple financial products across all categories - Loans, Cards, Insurance, Investments, Payments, Pocket Insurance, and VAS. Bajaj Markets has partnered with trusted financial brands to offer “India ka Financial Supermarket.” A one-stop destination where its customers can explore a host of products that can help them achieve their financial life goals. Having started its journey as a fintech, Bajaj Finserv Direct has also built a very strong business as a techfin. Through Bajaj Technology Services it offers a wide gamut of digital technology services which span Custom Applications, Enterprise Applications, Data & Analytics, Gen AI, Cloud Services and Digital Agency. Visit the Bajaj Markets website or download the Bajaj Markets’ app from the Play Store or App Store to experience “India ka Financial Supermarket.” !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window,document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '311356416665414'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); [ad_2] Source link