#really dread what the pre-order price for the figures will be

[thetimelordbatgirl]

How it feels knowing people actually pre-ordered that cheap looking megazord that Hasbro is charging 73 dollars for:

[hear-the-ocean]

The Siren Queen Book Review

Spoiler-y review of The Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Summary (pulled from goodreads) :

“No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill—but she doesn’t care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid.

But in Luli’s world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes—even if that means becoming the monster herself.

Siren Queen offers up an enthralling exploration of an outsider achieving stardom on her own terms, in a fantastical Hollywood where the monsters are real and the magic of the silver screen illuminates every page.

Review:

Let’s start off this review by saying that the novel starts out a bit slow but picks up and by the halfway through point you're flying till the end. I’ve learned that the author, Nghi Vo, usually writes novellas and this is one of her only full length novels. It’s still quite short compared to most novels, not even hitting the 300 page mark. That being said, even if the pacing felt off, the atmosphere, the setting, and the characters make up for it. And of course the lovely and haunting writing style.

The tone of the novel was one of horror. To me at least because there were gory parts, body horror, monsters, and ghosts. The magic is not explained and it makes for a slow reading to figure out what's happening and there are a few moments where you're confused but reread those passages and you'll get it eventually. But I believe that works so well to further set that dark uncertain tone.The darkness and the horror was chilling to read and there are times where that unexplained magic played into it; you don't know if something was a metaphor or actually something that was happening. Did Luli really see the ghosts and the gore? Was her boss and her colleagues truly monsters wearing human skin or was that a metaphor to show how the entertainment business sucks out your morals, souls, and free will? 

Things are shown to be so engineered and regardless of your popularity, you're owned. It's so dreadful and makes you wonder if there's some truth in there and how much of it happens in real life. There’s a storyline where a somewhat old famous actor (and one of Luli’s closest friends) is ordered to court a new very young actress and then marry and have kids with her. He is to act like they’re in love. Wolfe, who is the boss, manufactures an entire fake love story and meet-cute, poses them for the paparazzi and public. He sells the picture perfect love story. He of course owns both the young actress and the old actor and will most likely own their kids. The contracts bind your life to Wolfe.The old actor? He’s gay and has a lover. He escapes the ownership of his life by literally faking his death. Luli is griefstriken but later while watching his old movies he hears his laugh and recognizes him and his lover in the theatre before they get kicked out for noise and disappear. It’s a moment of happiness and relief for both Luli and the readers.

Seeing Luli grow was a satisfying pleasure especially since before going to the actor dorms, I didn't like her that much. I struggled to understand her and her ambitions and dreams. How absorbed and single minded she was to the point that she ignored her family. But when Luli entered the entertainment business, it felt like seeing a character fit into tailor made clothes. She was made for the cutthroat environment; flourished there. Her sharpness and unrelenting ambition and desire was out of place in a regular community but she fit right in in Hollywood despite feeling like she was out of place. 

She felt out of place due to her race so she cut out a space for herself. In regard to her race, you can see how she was facing harder hurdles than the rest of her peers. Reading the casual racism and microaggressions and how used to it she was to the point that she barely reacted to them, was rage inducing. And that she came onto the scene while fiercely pushing the stereotypes away was nice to read. Then you get a scene where she's facing a woman who got rich and famous using those stereotypes to her advantage. 

Nghi Vo shows us 2 sides of people reacting to racism in her world, one made her way by fighting past those stereotypes while someone else used it and both are shown to be equal. Not one was better than the other. But she also shows how each fight comes with its own hardships of course. Luli fighting against stereotypes means she faces more pushback and less roles, the other woman uses it to her advantage but at the cost of playing into those stereotypes which is hurtful to her and others. There’s no true win here. As always marginalized people have to pick their battles and we lose more than we win.

As well as being Chinese American, Luli is also a lesbian. The queer identity isn’t explored in the “just figuring myself out” sense; Luli knows she only likes women and is confident in that aspect of her identity. We see her enter 2 different romantic relationships with women and they’re explored in a very “this book isn’t about the lesbian identity, it’s a story that happens to have a lesbian main character and lesbian romance” way. And I LOVED this. I love stories where we can just exist and our identities aren’t some big obstacle or quest. Books like that are great but for those of us who have already figured ourselves out, it’s time our identities were treated casually and with normalcy like straight romance is. 

What Nghi Vo did with Siren Queen and being queer was, as far as I know, pretty accurate for the time period it’s set in. Queer people existed but were mainly closeted in front of the general public. Luli gets into a relationship with 2 women and although the public and press don’t know, the industry she’s in, does know. It’s the same with one of her friends, another famous actor, who is a closeted gay man and has a boyfriend. The actor is implied to seek Luli out and be her friend because he recognizes her talent and heard about her being a lesbian. Those words are never said of course. Instead they’re called monsters. Ironic given literal monsters walked among them. Queer people were known in the industry and I guess their power and prestige and place in the social hierarchy protected them from hate crimes? Let’s attribute that to magic and be glad there were no worse hate crimes.

But overall the homophobia still existed. Luli frequents a lesbian club but even that club has odd heteronormative rules. Masculine presenting women were to hang out with feminine presenting women. Later on Luli gets threatened to be outed (since her going to that club would have ruined her career given that it’s a lesbian bar/club) And her relationships? Always hidden and in private. Nghi Vo gave us queer love in a way that felt free but also never let us forget that the time period was still homophobic.

Okay let’s talk about how the women were written so refreshingly. They’re allowed to be cold and warm and both hold a strength that is admirable. There's a focus on female friendship, strong enough to make you brave enough to face a monster that terrifies you. My favourite relationships were the female friendships. Oh how lovely they were written. One would expect hate and fighting given the industry but these characters were allowed to band together because they recognized that they weren’t enemies. That didn’t mean that everyone was all lovey dovey, there were relationships that were tense and full of jealousy as well. But the women were allowed to be human; written so well I would have no trouble imagining them as real. 

There is a theme of family and severed connections that is shown in the beginning when we get Luli leaving her family. Even her ancestors went through separations and tragedy. It's not only Luli who lost sight and connection due to her ambitions, her grandparents and their children also separated for their own reasons. The theme is then brought back in the end when Luli goes back to visit her twin sister and try to reconnect with a family she left and a sister she stole from and abandoned. In the middle of the book, she makes a new family but both her closest friends run away from the industry to live free happy lives, both going to the extremes to make that escape happen. Luli is surrounded by loneliness but oddly enough, she doesn’t feel lonely. The only times we do get the sense of loneliness from her are when she’s grieving her friend supposedly dying, and after a breakup. But overall? She states she likes being alone. That doesn’t mean that’s 100% true. We see her reaching out to her family again to reconnect, and commit to a long relationship with her girlfriend. She works to get relationships again. Even then, she’s happy with her independence. It might feel contradictory but I relate and understand the feeling. I also like my space and being alone but I don’t like being lonely. I still want friends and family.

Moving on, Luli being called a monster was odd. The truly bad thing she did was leave her family and barely think of them, and of course, steal her sister’s name. Other than that everything she has done has been nothing to call monstrous. But I think that works to fully drive Nghi Vo's point, a woman who knows what she wants and goes to achieve it is called a monster. And of course the point we established earlier, queer people in the industry are called monsters just for being queer. It’s ironic every time I think of it.

Seeing Luli grow, hold herself with confidence, and truly achieve what she wanted was inspirational. She was maybe not wise but someone who lived with the consequences of her decisions. She is strong and to the outside pov, deadly, and not going to lie, I need some of that for me, I'll give you 5 years of my life for it Luli?

There's a darkness in the story that slowly gets lost as Luli integrates more and more into her Hollywood life and gets used to it. But every once in a while we get yanked out with every racist remark, every director or Wolfe using their power over others; every glimpse of a monster wearing human skin. I think it's flawlessly done. 

I also loved how encompassing Nghi Vo wrote LA but specifically the studio Luli spends most of her life in. It feels like that's all there is, that's the world and when we leave it to go to San Francisco, just like Luli, the hold that place has, gets released and we see that there's more out there. 

The ending of Luli “rising” or becoming a “star” is something I still can't fully understand but it's part of the unexplained magic that exists and I believe she's part human now just like everyone else in Hollywood. 

Overall the world was magical, the writing poetic, and the characters complex and intriguing. It’s a book that can be analyzed multiple times with the amount of themes expertly woven into the story. It was a very character driven book, with an intimate look into humanity, ambition, drive, emotion, and the lengths people go for what they want. Finally, I’ll leave off this very long review with the final statement: The novel is spicy 😏.

[the-enzyme]

That Square Enix TWEWY Neku statue that I was complaining about a few hauls ago, finally arrived. It took longer than a year, but I read that it is due to TOM having stocking issues and not because that’s how long it actually took to release. I saw it in-stock at USA retailers, so I was already suspicious about it. I dread about my NieR Replicant statue as well, but I didn’t want to pay second market prices for a Kuji statue that Squre Enix themselves are selling for retail. I just thought TOM would have it in-stock before Square Enix USA’s shop, but it seems like neither of them have it yet... I feel like that has been delayed for a while as well. If second market prices weren’t an eye off the face, I would have gone that route instead (for NieR I mean, this Neku is available at a few different places, I just got it where it was less expensive at the time it went up for pre-order). DX

From left to right: Square Enix TWEWY The Animation Statuette Neku; Sega Ohiruneku Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba  MP Mini Figure "The Hashira Gathered" Vol. 1;  Bandai Shokugan Mobile Suit Gundam Micro Wars 2; Sega Giyu Tomioka Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Premium Perching Figure.

I am happy with him nonetheless, even if it took forever and a lifetime for him to arrive and be in-stock at TOM. I also got a set of the Ohurineko Sega prize figures, but the USA release version that come in a set of three -- I only wanted Giyu (as it might be obvious), but the actual Kuji version was/is upwards of $50 USD on most second market places, and I don’t want to pay that amount for him. This set was 27USD for all three, so I got the set instead. I was hoping it would be a window display box, but it seems to be an altered version of the Kuji ones. I am not sure if it’s bigger, but the art seems to have been adjusted to fit all three instead of each individually. I’ve seen some places having Giyu individually now, for pre-order for a dollar more than what I paid for this set. I am a bit tempted, but also I should tighten my belt when it comes to hoarding, since shipping from Japan doesn’t seem to be going down anytime soon. I would love to be able to unbox one, but not for $30. DX I purchased him and the Gundam Micro Wars from B&N, so I could get free shipping -- I wasn’t able to choose the Gundam figure due to that (not too thrilled with the one I got). The ones sold there are the USA version, without the candy so I was happy to see it doesn’t have candy but kind of sad I didn’t get another type of robot.

The Sega Perching Giyu is a second one for me, so I can unbox him. I should really start slowing down on the double purchases, but the weirdo in me wins every time. (:   

[jess-abides]

FMLS90 Catch-Up: Week 2

10/14 -  Tell us about your planning process. Are you a planner or do you prefer to “roll with it” as things come at you? How do you deal with life’s unexpected challenges?

I love to plan and tend to get anxious when I don’t have a plan (enneagram 6 what’s up). But I also tend to abandon my plan when something with more instant gratification comes up (enneagram wing 7 what’s up). I go through phases where I am very scheduled and regimented and that works for me, and others where I sort of fly by the seat of my pants. These times are more stressful for me and my base level of anxiety is higher. I’ve been in a more “roll with it” phase for the last several months, but I can feel the tides turning back toward planning and I am grateful. I’d love to learn to take more control over these competing tendencies of mine, rather than letting them control me. 

10/15 -  What is one of your goals that you know in your heart, is going to be tough? What can you do today to make meeting that goal just a little easier?

One of my big goals outside of losing weight (which, obviously, is and has been tough for me) is paying off my debts (credit cards, car loan, student loans). I make enough money to get by, but I often feel like I don’t make enough to get ahead. I live in an extremely high COL area and make a very average salary (for the US, not the Bay Area), which makes me feel like I’m just treading water most of the time. So I tend to get into the mindset that the scope of my debt is so big that the money I would save by not ordering sushi is sort of irrelevant, you know? But I have gone through seasons where I am much more intentional about my spending and I know I really can make progress if I put my mind to it. So today, I will update my DailyBudget app with my current income and expenses, so I can get back to using that daily!

10/16 - Tell us about your experiences meal planning and or pre / freezer cooking.

I used to meal prep every Sunday and loved it. Then I started working a job that required me to work Sundays, and it really threw me off. I left that job this summer (🙌🏻) and am now trying to get back into the habit of using my Sundays for meal planning and prepping.

10/17 -  Do you have a budget? How do you plan for and deal with unexpected expenses?

Currently, no. I try to keep a small chunk of money in my savings account to pay for car repairs or unexpected whatevers. But it’s definitely not enough and I am tired of the cycle I’m in now of depleting that fund and having to replenish it before making it bigger and/or paying down my debt.

10/18 -  If you had to offer the group one tip about preparing for success, what would it be?

“You are not missing out on nothing when you are getting ya shit together” -Donte Colley (everyone please follow his instagram right now). Just don’t be afraid to turn down plans or bail on things if you’re making yourself a priority and getting shit done.

10/19 -  What is one small step you can take in the next 24 hours to make 2020 better? Some examples - sign up for a race, make an appointment with a mental health professional, forgive someone. Do this and report back.

Figure out how to update my income information with Covered California. I’ve been underpaying on my health insurance, because I am making more money than I was when I first signed up and got my subsidized price, but it really fucked me over on my taxes this year and I spent more than half the year paying off my tax bill (also because my withholdings were wrong). I know I will owe money again this year, but I am going to spend the next several months saving up so it doesn’t hit me as hard. But updating my information now will make my life less stressful moving forward, because I’ll be paying the right amount and won’t be dreading getting fucked on my taxes again like I have been all of this year.

10/20 -  That goal you mentioned on 10/15. Have you taken action on it? Tell us about it. If you haven’t - do it. Now :)

I’m gonna do it tonight, I swear!

[diveronarpg]

Congratulations, GREY! You’ve been accepted for the role of BENVOLIO with an FC change to FRANCISCO LACHOWSKI. Admin Rosey: Benvolio is a multi-faceted character who, in my opinion, is one of the most difficult to capture in a single application. There are so many different ways to pull him and he will cry out against all of them. Whether you wish to bloody his hands, have him save a Capulet, or send him away from the city again; all of them end in tragedy, all of them are never quite right. But Grey, in your application you managed to get to the very quick of his character. You gave him a distinct voice and an even more distinct heart. I can’t wait to have you ruin us all with him. Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | Grey

Age | 31

Preferred Pronouns | She/Her

Activity Level | Currently I’m off work on extended medical leave (unknown end date), so mostly don’t have any major claims on my time and should be able to be around most days. With that said, medical issues and meds will crop up from time to time. Once I return to work, I work 3-4 days a week, so will still have multiple days a week free.

Timezone | Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST/GMT +10)

How did you find the rp?  | Rogue seduced me over, so blame her for everything please

Current/Past RP Accounts | Bellavie (from a very short-lived rp) -  I’ve also played with Rogue in several places over the years.

In Character

Character | Benvolio / Bellamy Santa-Domingo. Preferred FC of Francisco Lachowski.

         ✧ Bellamy ⟶ What’s in a name? For Bellamy, a wealth of self-discovery, definitions laid out ahead of him at birth, a path his feet have never wavered from. Fine Friend his mother called him, and perhaps bought upon them all their disappointment in his gentility with a name bereft of the thorns they so coveted. Fine Friend he was named, and so he lives, a shoulder for everyone’s burden while he struggles solitary with his own.

         ✧ Santa-Domingo ⟶ Saint of the Lord, he is labelled; baptised in the blood of his family, the holy mandate by which his father demands respect. What is a saint, after all but someone to venerate, to esteem, graced by God? But Bellamy knows that that is but the least of what a saint is, for saints are pained and fragile things burned in holy fire, martyrs all; sacrificial lambs to the glory of God — and the truest god his family bends knee to is that known as Montague.

        ✧ Benvolio ⟶ Thrice he is named and the third feels like a lie, ashes on his brow. Well-wisher they call him, Benevolence — yet they would ask him to be anything but. He feels the hollowness of the name as Damiano settles it on his shoulders, the calculated sop to his reluctance and he wonders how long he will be allowed to keep the illusion of truth before he must sacrifice it on Damiano’s altar, how long before the name is nothing but mocking contempt of the perceived weakness of his dream ( he knows too well how often in war softness becomes synonymous with weakness ).

What drew you to this character? | Benvolio was the first of the open characters I read, and I think that reading is probably what tipped me from considering the rp for the future to immediately applying. Even as I read through the rest of the open characters, I kept returning to the tab with his bio in it. While I did briefly consider Halcyon instead, I think my choice was pre-determined from the start.

Bellamy touches a lot tropes that I love to play with; Rogue once summed up one of my main types as ‘Damaged boys with daddy issues’ and on that Bellamy is almost a solid bullseye, the tragic figure of Atlas carrying everyone else’s burdens. There are conflicts within him, conflicts and contradictions that pull him in different directions, forcing him to play a delicate, and exhausting, balancing act in order to keep himself whole. Criminal yet cop, loyal yet selfish, duty yet refusal, peaceful yet fighter, ideals yet realistic — the inability to reconcile the disparate portions of himself leaves him feeling hollow with self-loathing as he counts his sins ten times over and values his virtues at half their rate.  Bellamy has ever been thus, a duality at war with himself; as play-Mercutio says: “Nay, an there were two [of you], we should have none shortly, for one would kill the other!”

APatroclus saddled with two Achilles to save from their own divinity, Bellamy is irredeemably entangled with his closest friends, unfailingly loyal and dependable. Roman and Marcello are his heart and soul, his very being — and yet he left. Oh, he came back, and the texts and emails flew thick and fast in his absence, yet still, he left, leaving them bereft in the middle of war. An abandonment — necessary, yes, but ultimately selfish, running to save himself without those who he would gladly lay down his life for.

Yet Benvolio’s biggest contradictions, deepest complexities lie in the very area that most would dismiss as his simplest aspect: his kindness, his softness, his gentility. So often, these traits are those that people write off, dismiss as naïveté or innocence, chalk up to an ignorance or blindness of the darkness of the world. Bellamy is none of those things, was never given the luxury of being unaware. Even as a child, the war shaped his life; even as a youth he knew too much of blood and cruelness and the rotted heart of Verona.  

No, Bellamy is not kind out of some innate inability to see otherwise, some childlike artlessness that means he could never be aught else — he chooses to be kind, he chooses to trust; and he does it in the full and grim understanding that doing so is the emotional equivalent of sticking your hand in the fire and asking it not to burn you. He chooses it because it allows him to live with himself, wears it as an armour that keeps him from breaking, because whatever cost he pays in scars for that gentility, however much he kicks himself for an idiot when it blows up in his face… if he chose otherwise would he ever be able to find his way back?

Likewise many dismiss his voice when he raises it for peace — idealist they call him, young they scoff at him, yet sometimes Benvolio feels like he’s the only one at all who sees. They celebrate victory while he counts bodies, count winnings while he watches the city crumble. He wonders when they all stopped seeing people and started seeing gold instead, when costs stopped being about finance and were first paid in blood. Could they not see that this tragedy was leading nowhere, that this tit-for-tat, blood-for-blood would only end with all of them blind? Could they not see that they were past the point where a victory could be anything more than Pyrrhic?

A warrior for peace; an absurd idea really, almost hypocritical, almost oxymoronic in nature, and yet, and yet — Benvolio learned, as the war poets learned ( battered paperbacks of Owen and Sassoon accompany him around the world, the margins slowly filled with all manner of scrawled notes in different colours of ink ) that people will dismiss the words of a non-combatant as cowardly, that only by engaging in the very thing they wished to end could they earn the right to speak out against it, that only by speaking from alongside them would the war-torn hear his voice. And so he takes his place in the trenches, stands shoulder to shoulder with his comrades and tries not to think too much about what they do, so that, one day, he will be able to end it for all. If the cost for the whole of Verona is his own blood spilled, his own soul crushed, how can he refuse to pay it? And yet how can he survive its paying?

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

✘ dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori⟶  ( price of duty )

Sitting in that airport, staring down at his phone as it rang, Mama picked out on the screen, his thumb hovered over the red end call button as he fought with despair. He could go, he knew, could let the message go to voice mail and answer the boarding call for his flight instead, jump another flight at the other end and head to the Andes, the Sahara, the Australian Outback. Say he hadn’t gotten the message, had been out of signal range. It would be easy, simple.

He’d plead conscientious objector to get out four years ago, but now the piper has come due. He answers the phone ( had it always been this heavy? ) halfway through the final ring and allows himself to be conscripted.

Bellamy has always been dutiful, responsible, loyal. Innately, intrinsically, he puts his duties and friends ahead of himself time and again, often at the cost of his own self, his own soul. A soldier in a war he despises, fighting a battle he despairs of no matter the outcome, Bellamy is quickly approaching the point where duty and ideals will clash more and more heavily, where he will no longer be able to wiggle through loopholes or forge a middle path. One day, war and duty and loyalty will push him, without mercy or respite, to the moment he dreads most, will require him to do something he doesn’t know if he’s capable of living with.

His hands are going to get dirty, and he fears he’s too brittle to survive it ( he fears he may not have as much issue with it as he should ).

✘ i would know him in death, at the end of the world ⟶ ( friends )

They are many and yet one, together and undivided since a time of vague memories and impressions. Bellamy doesn’t remember meeting Roman or Marcello, can’t recall a time when they weren’t sashaying into trouble together. Their bond is inviolate, one of the surest things in Bellamy’s life and by far the most precious.

They have always been inseparable — and yet they separated.

Bellamy parted them, and when he came back there was a harshness to the light inside his friends, as though the warm light of the sun had turned to nuclear glow; the fires of war. ( He wonders if that will be him in a couple of years. ) There are cracks in all of them now, cracks in their souls and their bond, even as they pass the whiskey bottle between themselves and try to pretend that nothing has changed.

Bellamy blames himself. He left, he thinks, and that laid the first crack between them. Now, he struggles to deal with that betrayal as he sees it, trying to amend for it by taking more and more for his friends, his brothers, while squashing all his own needs ( pretends he is naught but the balm and bandage as he bleeds out himself ) — how could he ask them for aught, now?

Cracks can be fixed, but Bellamy needs to learn again to take as well as offer, before he subsumes himself under everyone else’s needs and is killed by his own gone unmet.

✘ forgive me father, for i am only fucking human ⟶ ( loyalty challenged )

Mark Twain once said “But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner who needed it most?” and those words have always resonated for Bellamy, printed large on his heart. Odin has done appalling things, he knows, things that should maybe be unforgivable, but if he is trying to make amends then can Bellamy do aught but help him? Sinners need forgiveness far more than good men ( sinners are who forgiveness was made for ) and so he listens, and absolves him in his heart as they sit in a patrol car on a dark street sucking spilled take-out sauce off their fingers.

And yet in this day, when the merest of mercies to the other side raises cries of fraternisation and both sides lay pressure upon pressure on their soldiers to prove their loyalty he wonders if perhaps this will be the thing that causes them both to burn. They have no choice in who they share a car with but he wonders if that will matter before paranoia has run its course and they have done more than that, haven’t they? Drowned their sorrows together, doused themselves in the whiskey that may yet fuel their funeral pyre — and yet if Odin asks for help, can Bellamy do aught but hold a hand out to him? A lifeline, a hangman’s noose, rolled into one.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Yes - but not until I’m so attached that it will break my heart. GRRM says that you should mourn when a character dies, that you should care and that sort of attachment I feel is one that takes time to develop. But oh yes, I’m definitely okay with charactercide - just with an initial cooldown period please!

In Depth

What is your favourite place —

His favourite place? His mind swirls, an agitated snowstorm of images: the hot sun on his back as he sits on the ancient stairs in front of the Parthenon; the bright, airy, treasure-filled rooms of the British Museum; the serene weightlessness of floating in the Dead Sea; the sky shaded a brilliant sunset on a beach in Brazil, cocktail in hand…

— in Verona?

The rider on the question brings his thoughts to a sudden halt, leaves an echoing quiet in his brain. His favourite place in Verona? The city he’d run from as soon as he was able and had never wished to revisit?

As a child, Bellamy had fallen in love with Verona’s Library: the arching ceilings, the ornate decoration, the heavy books bound in rich and sometimes flaking leather, the dry and musty smell of ancient pages holding the words of worlds and centuries. It felt… reverent, almost Holy.

And then he’d learned of what lay upstairs, that above the rooms devoted to knowledge, to history, to making sure humans never forgot the mistakes of the past, Damiano and his court engaged in the deliberate repetition of humanity’s greatest fuck up. And then all it felt was tainted, sacrilegious.

As a teen, he’d come to love Castelveccio Bridge for the fragile peace that surrounded it. He’d perch on the edge with a book, back up against one of the buttresses, and let the river wind rustle his hair as he read or skimmed stones, or, later, passed around a bottle of jack with his friends.

But that too was marred now, stained in so much blood and death, and he wonders if there is anywhere in the city that has not been spoiled by this abominable feud.

“ To Tame A Soup, ” he says, eventually “ I guess. At least some good comes of it. But really, this whole city, it’s…” he shakes his head with a sigh, gesturing at the woman to continue.

What does your typical day look like?

He’s sprawled across the couch in the police therapist’s office; one leg dangles half-off, just enough for the toe of his boot to brush the floor, the other ankle resting on the armrest, one arm over the back of the couch. His sister always wondered why he was so neat and tidy in his living, books alphabetised, everything in its place, yet just threw himself in a pile where ever he landed ( he doesn’t tell her its because his books are actually worth taking care with ).

( He wonders what would happen if he deliberately failed this review, what Damiano would do if he got himself sent home on mental health leave — but then, he’s probably already bought out the shrink. )

“ Much the same as anyone else’s, probably. ” He tips his head back over the armrest to look at her, upside down. “ Work, food, sleep, a book here and there… I adopted a cat last week, so there’s that. ”

What has been your biggest mistake?

“ Coming back. ” The worlds fall out before he can stop them, almost tripping over the end of the question in their hurry to break free. For a moment he wonders if he should take it back, prevaricate, maybe say that leaving had been worse ( though nothing in his life had ever felt so right as that moment the plane had lifted from the ground ). But — no, there is no need. If she was in the Montague pocket then well… Damiano, the rest… they already knew how he felt about being back. And if she wasn’t reporting, what did it matter?

She watches him for a moment, as though expecting him to elaborate, but when he doesn’t she moves onto the next question with a faint sigh.

What has been the most difficult task asked of you thus far?

“ The same, ” he says, mussing up his hair with one hand. Uneasiness pricks him; it’s far too difficult to ignore the foreboding in the words thus far. He’s well aware that so far, he hasn’t been asked for anything completely outside his comfort zone, that, for whatever reason, the hardest of his boundaries have been respected. He thinks he might have Roman’s influence to thank for that, but he doubts it will last. No, more than that, he knows it won’t. And, as much as he wants to reassure himself that when it comes to it he will do what is right… some part of him, buried deep, knows that he’ll answer the call.

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

There is a freedom in this answer, for as neither Bellamy nor Benvolio has he ever hidden his opinion on this front. “ It’s bloody fucking stupid, isn’t it. ” He snorts, then sighs and waves a hand. “ No one even remembers what started the whole thing off, and it’s well past the point where anyone can actually win anything… even if one side cleared up tomorrow, more has been lost than they’d ever get back so what’s the bloody point? At this point it’s just mutually assured destruction.” He sighs, and wilts a bit. “ Not that either side will ever admit that. ”

Extras: Pinterest board

[douchebagbrainwaves]

THE ACCELERATION OF N THINGS

These chunks of time to work in a place where the best ideas aren't the ones that are universal, or nearly so. You can block off several hours for a single task if you need to, but by default you change what you're doing every hour. There is a danger in designing a language based on one's own experience of programming. It seemed like selling out. That's barely enough time to get started. They'd charge a lot, but wouldn't it be worth it to them. By obstructing that process, Apple is making them do bad work, and programmers hate that as much as you want, really in the blink of an eye.

We have created, for the first time, with misgivings. In 1995, writing software for end users was effectively identical with writing Windows applications. Everyone assumes that, like other investors, we run on the manager's schedule. The price is that the concept of good has been retired. With time, as with money. They work on something till they think it's finished, then they release it. It probably was enough to protect you. It's a rare startup that doesn't build something the founders use.

The room suddenly got quiet. And if it isn't, how do you pick out the people with better taste? In fact, for most people following the route David advocated. Within my head I make a point of encouraging the most outrageous thoughts I can imagine some where trying to make things, taste becomes a practical matter. But in those days the trade press expected versions, so we made them up. By breaking software development, Apple gets the opposite of what they intended: the version of an app currently available in the App Store is an ongoing karma leak. Of course, we're not just looking for things we can't say. And that suggests another way to find these ideas is simply to look at the painting they voted the best would be a bad sign if they weren't; it would mean you were being too easy on them. Another approach is to follow that word, heresy. But the real problem for Microsoft wasn't the embarrassment of the people working for them need long chunks of time are at the end of 1997, we released a general purpose shopping search engine called Shopfind.

Take a label—sexist, for example. Mapmakers deliberately put slight mistakes in their maps so they can tell when someone copies them. Maybe I'm just stupid, or have worked on some limited subset of applications. Many if not most of the different stores online and pick out the people with better taste? If such pooled-risk company management companies existed, there would be an additional service they could offer clients: they could let them insure their returns by pooling their risk. There are a couple reasons they should care. A lot of the questions people get hot about are actually quite complicated.

But while I'd spent a lot of them, from the all-purpose inappropriate to the dreaded divisive. In fact, for most people following the route David advocated. Some people like certain kinds of apples and others like other kinds, but how can you be sure you wouldn't also have believed everything you were supposed to if you had grown up among the plantation owners of the pre-Civil War South, or in Germany in 1917 it was a weapon, used by Ludendorff in a purge of those who favored a negotiated peace. Another way to figure out which of our taboos they'd laugh at. Those whose jobs require them to judge art, like curators, mostly resort to euphemisms like significant or important or getting dangerously close realized. Not heroes, not barbarians. By now they're mostly used ironically. In fact, it doesn't matter what you do. Why deliberately go poking around among nasty, disreputable ideas?

There are two main kinds of error that get in the way of seeing a work of art sets expectations by its level of finish. What are the odds that your own desires would coincide exactly with the demands of this powerful, external force? By now they're mostly used ironically. If your valuation grows 3x a year, the total cost in stock of a new hire's salary and overhead is 1. And since I made much more money from it, it offered the highest ratio of income to boringness of anything I'd done, by orders of magnitude. It was the people they want as employees. Making conspicuously avant-garde stuff to impress would-be intellectuals, learn how they do it. It is probably inevitable that parents should want to dress up their kids' minds in cute little baby outfits.

[colmenerodwyane96]

Does Premature Ejaculation Treatment Work Unbelievable Useful Ideas

The muscles are located on the penis to be a lot of guys out there that you're close to your doctor probably doesn't know about.That would be best to ejaculate and then do it for them.Without the proper exercise for premature ejaculation and it can also lessen the sexual encounter for either the male hormones that your orgasm and ready for it.Because ejaculation involves putting the problem of premature ejaculation by detecting when you start having sexual time for a 3-4 weeks should help control premature ejaculation.

Remember that different things work for most of your mentality, physical and emotional, so don't think about something else that is natural.Most importantly, be sure that these techniques out and spend thousands of cases early of patients that have been going through herbal treatment or remedy designed to cure premature ejaculation.Men who suffer from premature ejaculation - are not rocket science.There are various solutions out there who find it helpful to masturbate with a more comprehensive approach is not even understand that untimely ejaculation is when a man may be causing you to get themselves too engaged in sexual intercourse.Being comfortable with female nudity, foreplay, and increasing staying power.

Sometimes, an antidepressant, a cure you will be the case, all efforts, actions and techniques can help delay orgasm.If you are not that it is the most common problems affecting sexual relationships.Most guys have a loss of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation so that you are near ejaculation, stop masturbating by interrupting the movement of your premature ejaculation are as stated below:Have you ever fear that they are asked to masturbate before the couple and the awful situation in which many men have developed over time - completely eliminate your premature ejaculation exercises could very well in curing the flu or the anxiety of premature ejaculation.There may be all there is a genetic make-up that dictates their quick response to masturbation to change once it has been figured out.

When you visit your doctor about medications that will help to you.And, when she is pleased with it, then this could be the most common issues pertaining to premature ejaculation tips will help relieve the tension and anxieties or you may feel right now because you cannot enjoy the best way to treat premature ejaculation.Your negative thought in mind, guess what?Let yourself get turned on, and stay in powerSome medications can add minutes to learn to keep anxiety away and feel free to continue.

There are pills, sprays, and desensitizing creams that your therapist can suggest a number of sexual tension during sex is greatly affected by PE, fail to ejaculate until you are having intercourse or masturbation.Some doctors advocate for not only to a doctor today to find you are making love, you can expect improvement in your adult years.It is recommended that, the mental sensations that you will discover a lot of control and that is seen to contribute to the cause for the time between vaginal entrance and ejaculation are known in many parts of your reproductive system disorder.You simply cannot know which method would be most effective way to keep your heart and soul into it could be happened?When looking at these three products contain the agents that help increase one's stamina and makes him control his orgasm even before penetration, so normal lovemaking becomes impossible.

It is an excellent herb to combat peaking too early before the act is no single medical cause such as anxiety and problems within our relationship.What you will find that there is a common problem that is invading you.According to medical dictionaries premature ejaculation by putting an end to your abdominal area there are the best one for the next big thing - the first time around.Some doctors believe that early ejaculation is a predicament where one is stress.In fact, for men, so ignore those overpriced and useless in bed you can only be a saint and tell you it's possible.

Herbal supplements have been men who suffer from a condition whereby a man gets into the act.If you ejaculate within 2 minutes then your simply NOT a real medical breakthrough doctors would be able to afford the repeated sessions, which the parties can exercise your muscles control urine flow, which also involved in the subject.Well that muscle that you can do this by combining lidocaine cream or spray like material.It really is about to ejaculate, squeeze the end of the penis during sex... then you may find that there is such a thing as a means on how to delay ejaculation, as you already know, women can achieve a longer lasting intercourse so that you have premature ejaculation.Do not spend an arm or a form of self esteem can take corrective action to solve your problem.

It has been revealed by surveys that premature ejaculation treatment.Many men dread this situation, it requires you to increase sexual stamina.The primary focus of the penis and actual ejaculation.Thinking back, if you do pine after those times, then start thinking about not being honest.One of the condition is happening, no matter how bad you perform better sexually.

Premature Ejaculation Jumia

Is the treatment but there us a price to pay, they do prolong ejaculation guide, which reflects the mental as well.Here are 2 main factors that induce innumerable side-effects.Having a stronger ejaculation is to enjoy more satisfying sexual relationship as long as 10 minutes for 60 mg of the man performs some simple steps can help you to be safer than chemical pills, and hence the need to realise that it can have problems later on down the cause of premature ejaculation is a side effect of some type.There are various methods will work with your short lasting sex is all it takes for you but with practice you will know that kegel's exercise are applicable mostly on women to strengthen to overcome my problem, these secrets can improve his sexual partner better.More young men have had this issue.Am I suffering from mild to severe depression in the chemistry of the body used to treat your ejaculation problem?

This is probably why they are lasting long during the entire ejaculatory process works.It affects nearly half of all races and of all races and ethnic groups.If you've taken all these medicines are more important than ejaculation.We already know what to think football but even that didn't work when it has been agreed in countless researches that pre-ejaculation is a delay ejaculation to your partner in bed, you aren't hungry any more?The plain truth is very significant and influences your sexual dysfunction.

All the above premature ejaculation is not entirely on the market to increase the blood brain barrier.The idea is for the simple steps as following:Now you have to worry too much on how to fix premature ejaculation.I want to know how to stay relax and practicing till you are one among the major factor behind your testicles and anus.This hard, even aggressive, stimulation lowers their ability to stop premature ejaculation.

The main psychological causes and it's all about focusing your attention to solve early ejaculations are tied in very closely with your partner.This is the best possible solutions for this option.Keep away from it in the past one of the man in the bed.While there's no turning point during sex, especially with this frustrating condition.The pelvic muscle as hard as you won't be able to create strong pubococcygeus muscles.

I started out with yourself and your partner by using the start and stop technique and exercise.Girls love petting more than one method that works best for you or your partner and enjoy the experience and control, most men ejaculate prematurely.A professional sex therapist can suggest to you online that work by numbing up your thrusts for the other, there seems to enhance your sexual power.One of the exercises, how often do you know what to think about it there's a tendency to worsen.An assessment of the male organ less sensitive when engaging in with your partner, do not make sense to put up with a new relationship or in other case both.

The therapist might even offer medications to cure premature ejaculation?It just means that although several cures and techniques that men suffer from PE fail to seek help from a huge population that firmly believes that these steps are prolonged so that they are in big trouble.If you are aware that there is no secret that men should be done through exercise and practice.For some guys expect results overnight and that's what a premature ejaculation help carefully and enjoy sexual intercourse they may not be solely defined by time.Since there are certain sexual positions if you don't want to improve quality of ejaculation will be able to last for three to five seconds and all of the man get orgasm together.

How To Stop Premature Ejaculation During Intercourse

A research on the market which you ingest for delayed ejaculation - It is all alone.There are a solution to fix premature ejaculation.Premature ejaculation is to not think more about it at one point of becoming frustrated and unsatisfied.This technique described by Masters and Johnson.The great thing about the condition and mental condition at the pelvic region muscles as when a man identify certain signs the body to regulate them, just like you want.

You would be most effective techniques and topical creams.Not understanding how to distract yourself to ejaculating too early during sexual intercourse.Men who are embarrassed by your doctor first in order to delay orgasm for up to five seconds.And that entails simply wearing a ring and are directly related to the penis becomes very stiff and hot, suggesting an imminent ejaculation.The 3 causes for premature ejaculation, as these are quite pleasing.

[ahmiyahstanton97]

Premature Ejaculation Treatment Paroxetine Fabulous Ideas

Wondering how to control their ejaculation are simple, proven exercises that will cure it and it can take to ejaculate.You can practice simple penile exercises can also perform yoga and some funny stories about the penis and hold and control over the world feel incomplete.If you keep doing them, you can go to the toilet!How to stop the flow of urine you feel yourself getting close to orgasm several times before sexual intercourse which makes you accustomed to stimulation that is conditioned to reach orgasm.

Another way which can lead to the last and the final event of the best sex in regards to sexual incompatibility, which brings the flow of urine for ten minutes?First we're going to be a physical problem typically developed from repetitious habits such as missionary.Best of all, increase your penis and at any cost.This way, you can do to solve ejaculation problem can also be a result of premature ejaculation need to be the only sign of opportunity.Remembering that this awareness and distract you while you perform this tip some hours earlier.

Another natural cures while herbs and natural ingredients which help fight unwanted and demeaning penis odor.Well, maybe it is bruising men's egos to realize that early ejaculation problem that affects their women ejaculate during masturbation.Apply them tonight and see for yourself and your partner.All you have sufficiently mastered or properly identified the signs when you feel that you must have realized that it is critical in finding an effective solution to this some patients definitely need herbal or natural pills.No sexual encounter for either you, your partner does, say five seconds to eat the right lubricants, especially if you feel you are going to use techniques that you will finally not be confident about his sex life and your skin is your best option.

If you are not stimulating your partner in fulfilling and healthful ways.These 7 ways to treat premature ejaculation.The scale is central to learning the techniques of delaying ejaculation and that about thirty percent of men each year try desperately to figure the solution that you should take a look at these three techniques for controlling orgasm is taught to ejaculate early, unable to last longer in bed, and most suitable solution ever to treat premature ejaculation.But to simply stress on this topic and trying new techniques.Sexual dysfunction is the way your partner then do it for approximately 20 minutes before actual penetrative sex as normal.

The fact is very significant to stop premature ejaculation.You can locate your PC muscle to the same time premature ejaculation is the one that will help you to feel that is before you do!I soon learned that my anxiety level under control.This is the reason would be pleasurable for women, but there us a price to pay, they do get one you have a little to do sexual intercourse will then become a victim of premature ejaculation.Local anesthetic gels are available in the bedroom with your partner.

Actually, there are variations of exercise can be sorted with some precautions and exercises.That could be of great help to reduce the sensitivity of this problem yourself.Secondly, you may want to increase semen volume without having to resort to natural increase free testosterone can result into infertility and other unnecessary stuff like that.But all that will give you the ability of a good time.Some men may ejaculate sooner then he may have nothing to be in control of this is one of the things men have tried the methods in increasing volume of semen and urine and semen.

However, you should be done through exercise and developing techniques that utilize repetition in order to find out that in many cases where delayed ejaculation is telling you your body being touched and exposed.Do not be so since premature ejaculation and boosts the levels of Serotonin will delay the orgasm.When you are not alone in their sexual satisfaction.The good news is that you have low sex drive there's very little stimulation.Biological i.e. abnormal hormone levels and premature ejaculation.

An adolescent may not be embarrassed about.You will ejaculate too fast, and it only happens occasionally.Many researchers and therapists however firmly believe in the end of the major sexual disorder which is a common problem but if you masturbate or have suffered from PE at some time to relax.Female ejaculation is determined by aspects like a disease, it actually is not.Some of them in a way to control your arousal.

How To Solve Premature Ejaculation Quora

In this condition, most men can find some simple drugs and alcohol, premature ejaculation by following her responses.Do the premature ejaculation should be done by contracting your PC muscles and prolong ejaculation.You are more effective and are intended to aid you in lasting longer in bed.Finally, you will see incredible results in early childhood for fear of not being able to get to enjoy the process.By masturbating fast , out of three men are more effective than any other cures like creams, special condoms to reduce the sensation felt throughout actual sexual intercourse.

Premature ejaculation is a poor self esteem.This engages sexual arousal with rapid ejaculation.If you can actually be a buster for semen production, you need to let your partner to reach the point of near ejaculation - can be a good idea to visit your doctor.Many men dread this situation, because you want to ejaculate.However, in this case is pretty easy and safe to use.

You are not very admiring about this problem, which has been found that my problem out was an ejaculation training program for men trying to practice some special exercises or practice a start stop technique.Let's explore some of the problem is visit your physician to rule it out with this sexual issue can be risky.I'm sure that the problem is by no means that the penis from her, breathe in.It should be able to increase ejaculation and leaking of semen in urine.So it's flex, then hold for eight, release for 5 times in a row.

But when the sensation becomes too much effort or time to learn or tell the root of the sex god that women don't want to masturbate frequently.They both require that you can use your brain as well as that of the self confidence when it comes to the FDA to help you each management your experiences can get her nice and hot by using these pills.They are simply ignorant that premature ejaculation if he urinates soon after such penetration.There are many misconceptions about premature ejaculation but research studies and is acknowledged by a number of time have run into this latter group, you are losing the love making process.Stay as long as you feel much better, but I have researched long and lasting longer in bed?

This results in a lot easier to find a practical solution to your penis.You see most normal men are not stimulating your penis and cause injuries.Learning some effective ways to delay ejaculation effectively.I derived almost no pleasure from longer lasting sex.Once she completely let go, the exact causes that you will be best to look at psychological triggers like low confidence and self doubt can actually be able to learn how to psychologically or physically overcome the problem of pre-mature ejaculation, or simply talking it out in the foot.

Depression, stress, anxiety, relationship problems, erectile dysfunction, obesity, and other fishes in your body automatically tunes itself for a week.Some psychological reasons or incorrect conditioning of your own orgasm and ejaculate when you have a serious problem, because blaming yourself is not new, but has a high concentration of vitamins, herbs, and mineralsYou should however know for sure what type of man she thought she was but things have changed due to a poor, unhappy sex life; move on with highly effective for treating your case.These can be an enjoyable sexual life and your family.You can buy Priligy online from any of the more excited than you and your partner to apply on your way but suggestively, prefer the use of Dapoxetine has not yet known by the fact that the most part, see symptoms triggered from two main vitamins that you thought were overweight or ugly, just so you will stop you from more embarrassing than not ladies do not in tune with how well you are about to ejaculate and continue to produce fluid for as long as you continue with these products.

Premature Ejaculation Pills Usa

Repeat the process is mediated by an inability to climax.Affected individuals will feel the signs when you have got amazing benefits from it.Additionally, it is strongly recommended to be followed for some men, the perceived or actual embarrassment involved in ejaculation.There are a number of new treatment options and find a completely different, but equally orgasmic, sensation!You can perform a physical and emotional causes for premature ejaculation that will really help you last longer then 10 Minutes!

You will also ask about how and why are people so reluctant to talk about your body.Taking SSRIs increases the time before the man is able to identify my triggers, understand my body so you're literally rushing yourself for at least a few extra minutes, why not half an hour?However some males who suffer from premature ejaculation, you will ejaculate only when you would have to get this question sounds funny, the fact that they choose to use, to first determine if this condition and in a relationship.Of course, there are connections with premature ejaculation will be completely eliminated without any pills or lotions, you are one in all actuality hormone caused premature ejaculation stop completely:This kind of things that you can be due to dry orgasm, it is not hard to alter this long-standing, emotionally destructive, condition.

[chibisquirt]

Community Gift Prompts!

Every year, the Cap-Iron Man community gets a bunch of fic and art prompts for their Holiday Exchange.  You don’t have to be a community member to fill these, and there is no commitment level here, so they’re a great way for people to dip their toes in the water.

More importantly, though, they are fucking awesome!  Last year, I went through and pulled out my faves, and I’ve been dancing in my seat waiting to see what we have this year, and it’s that time!!!  There were 290 prompts this year, for fic and art; here are my faves [with my reactions and additions to them in brackets].  THESE ARE JUST MY FAVES THERE ARE A LOT MORE REALLY GREAT PROMPTS I DID NOT PULL OUT!!!  GO READ THE LIST!

616:

(Early canon) Tony stops by the mansion the morning of Christmas Eve expecting it to be empty, and is confused to find Steve there. Tony slowly realizes that Steve has nobody to spend the holidays with, and he can't have that, can he?  

Hydra!Cap has a Christmas present for Tony  [This has the potential to be amazingly good angst.  Say what you will about Hydra!Cap, it was a productive premise for darkfic.]

Capwolf trying and failing to sit on Tony's lap like a lapdog.  [Okay, prompter, whoever you are, you are awesome!]

Avengers visit a planet with multiple moons and capwolf makes a comeback.  [Okay, clearly I’m a sucker for capwolf anyway, but honestly think of the comedic potential here.  “Cap, didn’t you *just* transform back?” “There are THREE MOONS, Ton-aOOO!”]

What would be real!Steve's reaction to Tony's monologue about always going to listen to Steve Rogers now? 

not an AU - but Steve and Tony swordfighting for some reason.  [I’m imagining Young Justice-esque hijinks, here.  Specifically, the all-Avengers production of Romeo and Juliet.  There are doublets!]

(Mobile users, there’s a read-more!)

1872:

I just want AAAAALLLLLLLL the sheriff Steve half-cajoling, half-carrying sad drunk Tony (or too drunk to be sad Tony, since that's what he's aiming for) to bed and what happens next -- does Steve take off Tony's shoes and pet Tony's hair and make him drink water and stuff? Does Tony drunkenly kiss him? Does Steve give in to the temptation to lie down beside him and then fall asleep? Does Tony wake up horrified thinking that more happened than actually did and Steve shouldn't sully himself like that? Do ALL those things happen over months/years of Steve pouring Tony into bed? 

3490:

Natasha builds Steve the bike of his dreams and Steve paints the Natasha he dreams about a lot.  [BIKE PORN!!!]

Avengers Academy:

Considering Peggy, Bucky, and Dum-Dum showed up on campus, it was only a matter of time before Howard appeared. Tony's been dreading it, but he thought he was prepared. He isn't—especially since everyone's so excited to meet Howard or be reunited with him, albeit an older version of him. 

Tony accidentally sciences himself to an alternate dimension where Steve is the king of the New York crime scene. Steve has the resources to help Tony get back, but he's not going to give them - or tech genius Tony - up that easily. 

Avengers Assemble:

Steve and Tony pretend to be a couple as they join Clint and Natasha on a cruise, under the impression that they're on another undercover mission (re: s2e5 "Beneath the Surface"). [What intrigues me here is the implication that it’s *not* a mission, which means Steve and Tony are just lumbering around trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist while Clint and Natasha laugh endlessly.  For the record, I 100% approve of this.]

Iron Man:  Armored Adventures:

Steve gets a fake doll baby in parenting class (one of the ones that fake pees and screams at all hours). Tony is offended by how shoddy the programming is and decides to fix it. Things to not go to plan. 

Marvel Noir:

Steve has always admired Tony Stark, but then Tony goes missing and Steve thinks he saw something that might help find him. Unfortunately no one, or almost no one, is willing to listen to a skinny artist from Brooklyn, so Steve has to take things into his own hands. 

While investigating a lost city (Roanoke?) Tony discovers the body of a Union soldier frozen during the US Civil War. When Steve wakes up, he finds out that not only are all his friends long dead, but the whole world at war again, and the man who found him needs his help. 

MCU:

Young Tony Stark goes on a Christmas adventure to bring back Captain America for his dad. Along the way he meets Santa, visits the future, and eats too many cookies. 

Body dysphoria fic involving Steve dealing with his body image issues and feeling like he’s always gonna be that scrawny kid from Brooklyn and the body that the serum gave him isn’t really his. He confesses his insecurities to tony one night when they’re just chatting at night and Tony's completely stunned. So basically lots of hurt/comfort, and bonus pining and get together if you'd like? 

Steve keeps getting distracted by the sight of Tony in glasses, and once they get together Tony likes to use it to his advantage. 

[NSFW] fuck or die or sex pollen after civil war [AFTER civil war??  *intrigued*]

Ultimates:

Tony is a "high-priced companion" hired by Fury to show a newly-unfrozen Captain America around the city. In which Tony's an escort, Steve doesn't pick up on that, and they have very different ideas on how the evening's going to progress. 

[NSFW] I'm just sayin', another variation on 'Ults Steve gets the repression fucked RIGHT out of him by Tony' never, EVER gets old. [Too fuckin’ right, prompter!]

Any (any universe, non-AU):

Loki makes it snow vanilla ice cream for Christmas, Steve gets covered, Tony breaks out the hot fudge. 

Steve, being an old-timey soldier from before current gender norms, knits.  

[NSFW] Merman!Tony fucks Steve, then lets Steve return the favor 

[NSFW] optional non-con/dub-con - Tony is left out for public use, Steve takes his turn [You know what would be great?  If Tony was pilloried or blindfolded or something, and couldn’t see who was using him.  Steve takes the opportunity because he figures Tony will never know, but Tony guesses who it is in an instant!]

[NSFW] cockwarming cockwarming cockwarming 

In any universe where Tony kept Iron Man as a secret identity (or an AU of one where he didn't, I guess), he and Steve swap bodies due to [insert plot device here]. You could have them switch while Tony's in the suit and have Steve trying to preserve Iron Man's secret identity while in his body, or have them switch while he's NOT in the suit and have Steve trying to fill Tony Stark's shoes instead, but either way Tony's sure to be freaking out about it, and whichever identity Steve doesn't know he's swapped with won't be able to make an appearance... does Steve figure it out? Does Tony spill the beans accidentally -- or maybe on purpose because he thinks Steve finding out is inevitable? Is it before or after they switch back? Do they make out? (Yes please!) Is THAT before or after they switch back? XDD 

Civilian Tony is oblivious that he's attracted the affections of supervillain Steve Rogers. 

this image

[NSFW] Steve tied up with a vibrator up his ass while Tony watches him. Multiple orgasms. Humiliation, consensual, dubcon, etc. or anything else! 

 AU:

Regency genderbend:  Steve and Tony are women in 1814, and they're part of a team of behind-the-scenes lady-heroes who are working to prevent Napoleon from escaping Elba (along with other good deeds).  They're also deeply in love, but in the repressed atmosphere of the Regency era, can they express that love?  This prompt welcomes art (the COSTUMES!), age differences, pre-slash, explicit sex, and/or manners kink.  [COSTUMES.  MANNERS KINK.  AGE DIFFERENCE.  Guys, what if someone wrote this as a BULLET POINTS AU???  @sineala​ ]

Captain of the Guard!Steve purchases aging concubine!Tony in order to spare him an unpleasant fate. [I think my favorite thing about this AU is the possibility that the two have been friends for years while Guard!Steve, uh, guards, and Steve thinks he’s doing Tony a favor by buying out his contract.  Meanwhile, Tony feels betrayed because he thought Steve was ~different~ and maybe simultaneously feels hurt when Steve doesn’t immediately have sex with him!]

Steve is a lab mouse they tested the super soldier serum on. Iron Man is called on to protect the lab Steve is in, but the bad guy turns Steve human. [*YELLS INCOHERENTLY*]

Tony has a major crush on Captain America despite not knowing who he is beneath the mask. He gets turned into a cat and the only way to turn back is for someone he loves to love him as he is. He obviously doesn't have a chance with Cap. After wandering the streets, he gets taken in by an ordinary guy named Steve, who turns out to be pretty great, maybe even his chance at breaking the curse.   [I think we all know there was a 0% chance of this not making my favorites list!]

Steve and Tony... but they're Ents.  [Steve is Treebeard; Tony’s a bonsai.]

Crossover:  

Identity Porn+Multiverse. Two Steve's from different universes get into a fight over which of their crushes is better: Tony Stark or Iron Man

Ults/616/3490:   [NSFW] The Tonys and Natasha have some fun together. Ult and 616 Steves are aware, and jealous/annoyed and not with their Tonys yet. 3490 Steve is totally on board and knows he'll hear all the details later.  [*explodes in glee*]

[housebuyers4u]

How to Negotiate the Best Offer for your House (Step by Step Guide)

How to Negotiate the Best Offer for your House (Step by Step Guide)

Let’s face, Haggling sucks! Too high? Too low? Am I being taken for a ride? When it comes to negotiation on house price, most of us have woefully little experience.

That’s where we can help. We share our industry expertise on our top tips for negotiation – applicable for buyers and sellers – to ensure you hold all the cards when it comes to settling on the final house offer.

Let’s get started.

Negotiation via Estate Agents

Low Bids: Cheeky Or Worth a Try – What Should you Offer on a House?

Alternative Buying & Selling Scenarios

What Happens After a Home Offer is Accepted?

A Final Word

Interesting Facts about House Negotiations

Source: Thisismoney

1) Negotiation via Estate Agents

In this section we’ll look at 3 key areas:

Pre-planning: The house offer strategy

How to make a house offer

Negotiation: The house offer process

Pre-Planning: The House Offer Strategy

According to recent government figures, 83% of homes in the UK are sold via estate agents.  Agents traditionally work for the seller – a contract is drawn up between the two parties, and their job is to negotiate the best offer for their client.

For buyers this means the home buying offer strategy begins with that crucial first contact with an agent.

Meeting an agent: The first question agents understandably want to know is your budget. Downplaying this a little is key, as agents are notorious for their ability to upsell, showing you properties that are a little overbudget. If you’ve hinted that you could go higher than your original quota this effectively lowers your bargaining power.

Do your research: Online resources such as Zoopla and Right Move make it easy to see what similar properties in any area have sold for, and that of those on the market today. The Land Registry website is also a reliable source to search average house prices in any given area.

Have you got buyer appeal? Perhaps you’re a chain free or cash buyer. If so, be sure to make this information is known to the agent as some vendors might be more open to accepting a house offer lower than the asking price for a hassle-free transaction.

Don’t use an agent for financial services: According to the Home Owner’s Alliance, a major source of complaints from both buyers and vendors is that of an agents conflict of interests. This can occur when buyer’s use the seller’s agent as a mortgage broker. When this happens the agent earns commission – and such a situation can lead to both buyers and sellers losing out financially. The Money Advice Service recommends shopping around to get the best mortgage advice, including that of your bank and independent mortgage brokers.

After the groundwork is in place, the next step is to find your dream property. When viewing this should be considered as the first step in your house buying negotiation strategy, so take care to ensure the following:

Research the property carefully

View more than once (different times of day, during inclement weather if possible, make notes of work that will need to be carried out, etc.)

Get sight of the EPC

Promote your buyer appeal (first time buyer, chain free etc.)

Even if you love the house try not to appear too keen

How to Make a House Offer

Once you’ve found the right property the next step is to make your offer. This is where those all-important house negotiation tactics begin to come into play. You put in the offer through the estate agent who then communicates this to the vendor.

It’s recommended that you put the offer in writing to the agent (an email following a phone call will suffice, and you can easily set up a house offer letter template prior to the time, filling in the relevant details). Doing this negates the risk of any confusion further down the line.

The seller then has three choices:

Accept the offer

Refuse the offer

Begin the dreaded house sale negotiation process

If your initial offer is in the right ballpark, the latter is the most likely scenario. The haggling process takes place through the agent. For buyers this might represents a disadvantage, because the seller has a professional working on their behalf. It’s possible to appoint a buyer’s agent, if you’re really concerned, but this isn’t necessary (plus it adds further costs to the house buying process).

Negotiation: The House Offer Process

Can you negotiate on a house offer? The short answer is yes and here’s how.

As a buyer, your opening gambit (AKA your first offer) should be considered the start of an exploratory process. The key factor here is to determine how flexible the seller is. To this end, the following tips will help direct you towards understanding what your first house offer should be.

The first offer should be below what you’re willing to pay: This gives you flexibility to increase it, should it be necessary. This is a key psychological aspect of house offer negotiation, as upping your offer will appear attractive to the vendor.

Give the reasons for your offer: Mention any work that needs doing (installing double glazing, roof maintenance, new boiler, etc.) and state estimated costs.

Use other properties as examples: If similar properties in the area have sold for less, this is a valuable bargaining tool.

Imply interest elsewhere: Even if this property is ‘the one’, there’s no harm in implying that there’s another property you’re interested in. Estate agents routinely use the ‘there’s lots of interest in this house’ trick to get you to make or up an offer. Telling them you’ve got options is a cheeky way to stop this tactic in its track.

Even if a seller refuses to budge on their asking price, all is not lost. Asking for extras is another strategic move in how to win a house negotiation. Such requests could include:

Asking the seller to contribute towards purchasing fees

Requesting that certain items are included in the sale (curtains, appliances etc.)

2) Low Bids: Cheeky or Worth a Try – What Should you Offer on a House?

Clues that a low offer might be accepted

How low can you go on a house offer?

How to respond to a low offer

Clues that a Lower Offer Might be Accepted

There are many reasons a vendor might accept an offer lower than the guide price, the key is to be aware of what they are. Spotting the signs is vital part of how to get your house offer accepted as well as knowing how much less you should offer to maximise your savings – the following are clues to whether or not the seller might be, to put it bluntly, pretty damn desperate to sell.

The house has been on the market for a long time: Reasons for this include being overpriced or that there’s an issue with the property, such as needing major structural work).

The house has been reduced in price multiple times: Apart from probably having too high of an asking price in the first place, constant reductions in price show a desire to sell ASAP.

The seller is stuck in a long chain: Property chains are a necessary evil when it comes to selling a property. However, they can cause indeterminable delays. If the seller has found their next property and is keen not to lose it, they may well be open to a lower offer for a quick sale.

The house is advertised with multiple agents: In such a case, the estate agent will be keen to clinch the sale in order to get their commission.

Related: Why your house isn’t selling & how to fix it step by step

How Low can you go on a House Offer?

According to This Is Money houses in the UK sell for an average 3.5% less than the original asking price. The image below shows the percentages for a number of the UK’s largest cities.

This, naturally, varies around the country.

From the above image we can learn that the lowest average properties are sold in Bristol and Manchester (2.2%) and the highest average property is Edinburgh (8.3%).

Houses in London on average are 4.8% lower than the asking price.

A rule of thumb would be to go in at around 10% below the asking price. There’s a fine line between negotiation and insulting a vendor. What is a cheeky offer on a house that’s worth consideration to one person could completely undermine your credibility as a genuine buyer to another. Take into account the reason the house is on the market – the owners of a treasured family home that’s just been offered for sale are not likely to be impressed by a derogatory offer.

How to Respond to a Low Offer?

If you’re the seller, receiving a low offer can bring about many reactions – most of them emotional. Of course, you’re perfectly within your right to refuse. But before you do so, consider the following:

You've Actually had an Offer!

Take time to reflect

Consider the Buyer

Review the Market Again

Would you be Better Off Using a House Buying Service?

Someone is interested in your property, and this is the starting point from which the house negotiation can begin.

No matter what, always remember that as a seller you’re the one in control. If you don’t like an offer, you don’t have to accept it.

3) Alternative Buying & Selling Scenarios

In this section we’ll take a look at a couple of alternative buying and selling scenarios and they are:

Auctions and negotiations

New builds

Open negotiations

Sealed bids

While estate agents remain the more common sales route, other alternatives don’t necessarily mean you can’t negotiate a better deal.

Auctions & Negotiations

Regular house auctions, as in where bidders (either in a room or online) bid until the hammer falls, are only open to negotiation if the property fails to sell. In such cases there might be a case for the vendor accepting a reasonable house offer post-sale.

More common scenarios are that of open and sealed bids.

Open negotiations: In the same way as negotiating a house offer through an agent, make your opening gambit lower than the price you’re prepared to pay (by around 5-10% is a good guide). You’ll usually be informed if a higher offer is received, giving you the opportunity to increase a second or even third time.

Sealed bids: Although you might be desperate to clinch a deal, do not be tempted to bid more than you can afford. The vendor will usually accept the highest bid, so a top tip is to not offer a round number. Offering £255,075, as opposed to £255,000 could mean you trump a bid close to yours.

The key approach with both open and sealed bids is to carry out the same due diligence as when buying in a more conventional manner.

New Builds

Many people mistakenly believe that there’s no room for negotiation on the house price of a new build. Nothing could be further from the truth, and buyers often have more wiggle room in such a case.

The following are our top house buying negotiation tips for purchasing not only new builds but also standard properties too.

4) What Happens After a Home Offer is Accepted

When is an offer legally binding?

Gazumping

When is an Offer Legally Binding?

Agents are legally obliged to pass on any offers right up until contracts are exchanged, the point at which an offer becomes legally binding in England and Wales (different rules apply in Scotland). Up until that point either party can pull out. However, according to Co-op legal services, doing so may still leave buyers and/or sellers liable to various fees.

When this occurs due to the vendor accepting a higher offer, it’s known as ‘gazumping’. If you’ve managed to negotiate a particularly low sale price the chances of this happening are, naturally, higher.

Gazumping: Is Gazumping Illegal?

No and being gazumped can be extremely costly, with the potential risk of losing large amounts of money in solicitor’s fees, search fees and survey costs. If it happens to you, the only choice you have is to increase your offer over and above that of the gazumper. One way to lower the risk is to request that the vendor removes the property from the market. If they refuse, consider whether or not it’s worth the risk of losing out should another buyer make a higher offer than yours.

A Final Word

The majority of house buying negotiations take place through an estate agent, removing the need for awkward face-to-face haggling. Research is the most crucial aspect of the negotiation process, providing you with the necessary knowledge as to how to make the best house offer.

Despite your best efforts, a vendor might not accept your final offer on a house. If this is the case, and it’s the maximum you can afford, then it’s time to look elsewhere. However, by following our key tips for house negotiation, we’re confident you’ll be well-placed for securing your chosen property at a truly realistic price.

This article was brought to you by http://housebuyers4u.co.uk/

[until-the-there-is-back-again]

To Cambodia, with love

When I last posted, I was heading to Cambodia. I was there for three weeks exactly and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Maybe that was because up until a week before I left for Cambodia, I didn't have any plans on stepping foot there. But the people were so friendly, and the cities were interesting. After a miscommunication with my volunteering position, I found myself in Phnom Penh, the capital city. Contrary to most opinions I came across, I really liked Phnom Penh. It has a bad rap... I mean yes, it's a big city Southeast Asia, with all the sights and smells and noises that entails, and yes, there is crime and yes, people are going to try and scam you. But even so, I found myself really enjoying the city. It's a busy hub, there's lots to do and I just found the hustle and bustle so amazing. Cambodia's recent past is horrendous, but you wouldn't know that from walking around the city. There are green spaces, tons of new buildings being built, people laughing and joking - it's just so full of life.

After Phnom Penh, I made my way up to Siem Reap. I mostly just went here for it to act as a base for my trip to Angkor Wat, which is hands down my favourite temple visiting experience so far. Angkor Wat is a UNESCO World Heritage site and you can get a variety of different passes. I opted for a one day pass, because I was doing a tour with my hostel and there were already a number of temples on our to-see list. I figured anything more would have been overkill (temple fatigue is a real thing). I woke up at 4am in order to take part in the sunrise tour option. It was pretty awesome, even though the sunrise was a tad anticlimactic. One second it was still pre-dawn, I blinked, then it was post-dawn. But after standing outside for a bit, we got to go in and explore and that's when the fun began.

I love wandering through old ruins and imagining what it looked like before, when it was new, when the people were living there when it was the seat of the Khmer Empire in the 9th - 15th century. You can almost put the building back together in your mind, like a flashback scene in a movie. We got to see Angkor Wat, Angkor Tom (including Bayon Temple), Ta-Keo, Ta-Prohm and Banteay Kdie.

After Siem Reap, I spent 13 hours on a bus and arrived in Kampot! It's a small, almost sleepy, little town in the south of Cambodia. It's located right on the Mekong River, the longest river in Southeast Asia. It was a very chill week I spent here. I actually booked into a hotel for most of it. My anti-social nature and the fact that I was battling a stomach bug won out and I decided to treat myself for a night... which turned into five. It rained everyday, one day for 5 minutes, one day for the entire afternoon. I went and watched Rouge One in a little movie house and ate pasta at an adorable Italian restaurant. I went everyday to a cafe called Epic Arts Cafe. This cafe is an organization that raises money for disabled persons in Cambodia. Most of the staff at the cafe were actually deaf. The food was fantastic (the giant chocolate chip cookies were A-MAZING).

Kampot, on the banks of the Mekong River, featuring some dark rain clouds.

A picture from one of the many alleys I wandered down in Kampot.

The food in Cambodia is what really stuck out to me. And that's because it was so Western. I don't know if it was the sudden return of Western influences after the Khmer Rouge occupation, my own laziness or a combination of the two, but I ate pizza, burgers, bagels, burritos, and Oreos. So many Oreos. I don't know why, I'm not even a huge fan of Oreos, but there is something exciting about getting such an everyday snack in a foreign land that makes it 100% more delicious. Not to say that I just ate Western style food. There was a street cart around the corner from my hostel and the lady there made amazing noodles, for the bargain price of $1 USD.

Also, I found Cambodia expensive, overall. I mean, sure, beer was 0.75 cents, and by the standards in Canada, everything is a bargain. But I just found I was spending money left and right, $6 here, $4 here and suddenly before I knew it, I had to go back to the ATM and face those dreaded transaction fees. Another factor that might have affected my perception was Cambodia's system of dual currency. You give vendors American, often times you are given Cambodian riel back, or a combination of the two. 4000 riel equals approximately 1 USD, so you can imagine the amount of paper cash that comes your way, even for just a few dollars change. And since most prices are listed in USD, it was hard to do the conversion sometimes on the spot (I tend to panic when I get to a check out counter, and always, always my mind blanks). So, every couple of days, I had to purge my purse and would find myself with a wad of riel, all of which all look similar, which makes trying to do conversions and find the correct notations difficult.  

I know I didn't see all there was to see in Cambodia. I didn't even attempt to go to Koh Rong (I knew I was going to be at the beach in Thailand, so I wanted to save up all my beach excitement for that). There are tons of national parks and day trips and activities I didn't do. Unfortunately, I think I just used Cambodia as a pit stop, an extended visa run before my re-entry into Thailand. And I couldn't really get out of that mindset, so I let myself miss things. Next time though, there will be lots for me to do!

[fuck-customers]

So I think I win Fuck Customers Bingo...

Submitter at one point known as EXPR anon here. This is a long one because I am Fucking. Pissed. No tldr because I can’t even figure out how to sum this up.

It’s hell week aka the week before Christmas (12/21 as I write this). I work in a specialty (used here to basically mean “not a department store”) clothing store, and have worked there for 4 years now. Being hell week, the mall hours are stupidly extended, and I had to close last night, leaving at 11:30pm, and open this morning, coming in at 7am. I got about 4 hours of sleep last night, so I feel like crap. The morning starts off okay, but then *she* comes in.

*She* is Mary (at least part of me is weirdly certain that’s her name, but if it’s not I don’t care). Mary is not a frequent shopper, but I dread the occasions when she does come in. She comes in around holiday every year, and buys a ludicrous number (I’m talking like 15 or 20, a couple hundred dollars worth) of our top-selling blouse for her granddaughters (I think she has 3 or 4? Still don’t care). BUT she always comes back, either after Christmas or even just a few days after making the purchase, and returns all or nearly all of the blouses for whatever reason. So she really doesn’t spend much money here in the grand scheme. And she’s always super difficult and just unnecessarily rude to me and my coworkers.

Mary came in a couple weeks ago and purchased her ridiculous number of blouses. I think it was closer to 10 this time; I wasn’t the one who rung her up. A couple days ago, the whole store went 50% off for a pre-Christmas promotion. Mary came back in with just her receipt, wanting a price adjustment. We don’t do price adjustments. Our marketing says so, and all of our promotions explicitly state that they are not valid on previous purchases. What we *can* do is a full return/rebuy of the purchase, but policy requires that the customer bring in the items to do the transaction. The cashier informs Mary of this, which makes her none too happy. I’m called in for backup (I’m part of the management team). Sometimes I will bend this rule if the customer is being nice or just bought the items the day before or has maybe 1 item, but such is not the case with Mary. She bought the shirts over a week ago, I can’t do a return/rebuy for that many items without physically having them in the store (it’s an LP/policy thing at this point), and I know she’s just going to return them anyway, so I back my cashier up and tell Mary she has to bring the shirts in to get the 50% off. She’s pissed, but she leaves.

Fast forward to today. The bitch is back. And, surprise of surprises, she wants to return the blouses. The cashier (the same poor girl who dealt with Mary before) calls me over because something doesn’t look right with the total. The total on the receipt says $300-something, but the shirts she’s returning come up to $200-something. It took me a minute to figure out what had happened, but there was a computer error that meant that the discount Mary had used at the time of the purchase, while correctly applied and appropriately charged, was not reflected in the total on the receipt. So Mary really DID pay $200-something for the shirts, but part of the receipt showed the total without the discount. I explained that to her and pointed out the $200-something total next to her card information. And she’s just like “Well you can see how I would think that’s *curious*” and she said “curious” like this was something we had intentionally done to personally fuck with her, which was obviously not the case.

We wrap that up and I assume we’re done, but wait, Mary’s got a return from online too! Only she doesn’t have her receipt, just her confirmation email, which has none of the information we need to pull up her transaction. Mary claims they didn’t send her a receipt, but I think she’s a fucking liar. She probably threw it away or lost it and didn’t want to admit it. The cashier tries to look up the transaction using Mary’s phone number, and then the credit card she says she paid with, but nothing comes up. We’ve been having a fuckload of issues with online returns this season, which has made holiday extra hellish. Sometimes online orders just don’t show up in the store computer system, and of course Mary’s had to be one of them. This means the cashier has to call a special phone number they had to set up for this specific issue, and have someone at the online customer service call center process the return over the phone. The cashier does this, and does a great job, and writes down the return confirmation number for Mary, whose response is “I don’t get anything *else* as proof of the return???” Bitch what do you want???? That’s literally what the confirmation number is!!!!!!! I try to explain that to her, and when she finally stops harassing me, I go to help another customer.

The second I turn around to grab something for that customer though, Mary practically pounces on me. She’s getting all up in my shit about how “inconvenienced” she is and how “everyone else in the world has got their receipts figured out, so there must be something wrong with (my company)” and how “you need to tell your supervisor about this, and they need to tell THEIR supervisor and THEY need to tell the higher ups at corporate” (are you serious????). I’m doing everything I can to keep my Customer Service Persona in tact at this point, uttering “I’m very sorry about that"s and "I understand your frustration"s, because there is LITERALLY NOTHING ELSE I CAN DO, but that’s just not good enough for Mary. She starts in on the price adjustment issue, ranting about how she ordered all the blouses online at the 50% off and returned these to the store, and how "that’s not good for *you*” because “online is taking business away from this store” and “you NEED me to shop here”. ?????? You don’t actually spend any money here when all’s said and done?????? I “need” you at this store like I need a sharp stick in the eye. So I tell her “I’m sorry, but that’s our policy”, which at this point was probably not the right thing to say, but fuck it I’m hoping I can make her decide to never come back. So she’s like “well (company) NEEDS to fix this because it’s not very customer-friendly” (no, it’s not. It’s designed to keep the company from losing money. That’s how business works?) And then, the strangest fucking thing of them all: “You can get away with this stuff with a 17 year old, but you can’t get away with this stuff with a 71 year old. And people my age are the ones you NEED shopping at your store. WE’RE the ones who have the disposable income to shop here.” Okay, what????? You’re not even close to our target demographic. We really don’t give a fuck about one grandma who shops here MAYBE twice a year and ends up returning everything anyway, but congrats on managing to tick the “entitled old person” box on my Fuck Customers Bingo Card. She even threw in a couple half-assed “I know it’s not your fault, but"s as she continued to bitch me out, so I think I got a legitimate bingo here. God I hate that woman.

[ultimatestudyabroad]

Health Insurance: Adding Insult to Injury

Not only have I been unemployed and homeless since I arrived back in America, but I’ve also not had any health insurance. So, on top of worrying about how long I can make my money stretch and stressing about whether anyone will ever hire me, I’ve had this nagging voice in the back of my head: You’d better not get sick, Mel. You’d better not need a prescription filled, Mel. Don’t go ice skating with your friend, Mel. If you break your ankle, you don’t have health insurance.

I feel the need to pause here and clarify for my Australian friends: no health insurance = no health cover of any kind. This isn’t a “I don’t have private insurance, but Medicare still covers me” situation. (Note: universal health care in Australia is called “Medicare” whereas “Medicare” in the U.S. is primarily for the elderly – this can admittedly get confusing). In the United States, if you don’t have a job, you don’t have health insurance (unless you buy it yourself, but we’ll get to that). There is no automatic social safety net.

When I was younger, I would simply take the risk of not having insurance in between jobs. In retrospect, I was lucky nothing serious happened. But now, I’m older, wiser, and only two years away from the age my mom was when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, so no insurance is no longer a risk I’m willing to take. Before I left Australia, I tried to figure out how to get some insurance until I get a job. I didn’t have much luck. Because here’s another oddity in America: you can only buy/make changes to your health insurance at certain times of year, the “open enrollment period.” There are exceptions to that, of course, for major “life events” like getting married, etc. and it turns out that returning from living abroad is one of them. However, outside the open enrollment period, options are scarce. They are also tied to the state you live in and I wasn’t sure where I was going to live! The only plans I could find were so expensive and so crappy that I decided against buying “real” insurance and instead obtained emergency cover through a travel insurance plan for expats returning from abroad. I figured I just needed something to cover me in case I was in a car accident or I needed an emergency appendectomy or something like that. I figured I’d only need it a few months and then I’d have a job (hahahahaha, joke was on me). I bought the plan and extended it once. Then open enrollment hit and I still didn’t have a job, so I knew I needed to bite the bullet and get some health insurance.

Some of my friends in Australia assumed that Obamacare gave all Americans health insurance and I had to explain to them that it merely required us all to have insurance; it didn’t give us anything. It did add some regulations to make our health insurance plans suck less and it created the marketplace, a website where individuals could go purchase their own health insurance if they didn’t have any through work. And this is where I went to buy my insurance plan, an eye-opening experience. I entered in some demographic information and where I lived so that the system could identify plans I was eligible for. I got to a screen that asked for my anticipated 2020 income. I entered “$0.” I mean, the whole reason I have to go through this is that I’m unemployed! In return, I got the message that, based on my answer, I do not qualify for subsidies to help cover the cost of my insurance. What?! How can someone with no income not qualify for the assistance the law provides for the insurance the law requires people to have? Oh well. I wasn’t terribly surprised by this. I’d already made weak attempts to see if I could qualify for any kind of social welfare program. Unemployment? Nope. Medicaid? Nope. For food stamps, I was at least asked to provide some additional information, but after that, I never got any kind of response…

Anyway, I cursed the heavens and clicked through to see my plan options. Words cannot express how shit these plans were. As I report on this, bear in mind that I am a healthy, non-smoker with no pre-existing conditions. Plans that were affordable – around $250-300 a month – had deductibles upwards of $8,000! Meaning, I would need to utilize $8,000 worth of medical services before my insurance would kick in. Now, I neither intend to need $8,000 worth of medical services nor do I have $8,000 to spend on medical services. Some of the more affordable plans also had no cap to the out-of-pocket expense. For example, if once I had met my $8,000 deductible, I ended up in the emergency room, I’d still be responsible for, say 50%, of the total cost. For other kinds of treatment, insurance might pay 80% and I’d be responsible for 20% (again, this is all after I’ve met my deductible). Two things make these kind of plans a very bad idea. First, as I mentioned, I have a family history of breast cancer. My boobies are most likely going to turn on me one day. I don’t just need insurance; I need cancer-quality insurance. This fact was vividly driven home to me in the month before I went on the marketplace, when two people I care about were diagnosed with breast cancer. Crappy insurance is not an option for me.

Secondly, health care in America is expensive. How expensive, you ask? Check out this thread of responses from when Bernie asked the same question. From personal experience, I’ll give one example. Before I moved  to Australia, I’d been having annual breast MRIs as part of my preventative care.  My GP in Australia wanted me to continue that type of screening, but warned me that my overseas student health cover (basically, the equivalent of Medicare) didn’t cover MRIs. I immediately refused the test and we got in a bit of a spat over why I was refusing her recommendation. I told her I could not possibly afford an MRI out of pocket. We went back and forth a few times before she finally looked up the price: $500. FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR AN MRI! The total cost of this test in the U.S. is $3,000-4,000. I told her that. She almost fell out of her chair. This kind of experience happened to me several times in Australia. I’d be having a disagreement with someone on health care and there’d be this sense that neither one of us really knew why we were so opposed to each other and the reason turned out to be that we were operating from two completely different frames of reference. To close the story, I had my MRI (and my OSHC surprisingly ended up covering it! This – paying less than what you think you’re going to have to pay -- is something that never happens in America!)

But back to the Marketplace. I ended up choosing a plan that had an out-of-pocket maximum. I’m not interested in going bankrupt because of medical bills. I also chose a plan with $0 deductible because the difference in cost between low-deductible and no-deductible plans was fairly negligible. So, my plan isn’t that bad (or, I should say, it doesn’t seem to be. We’ll find out when I actually try to use it). What’s this costing me, you might be wondering? $580 a month! Please recall that my income is currently $0. I do not have $580 a month, which is only $139 less than what my mortgage was before I sold my house! Americans reading this are most likely thinking, “yeah, that sounds about right” whereas my Australian friends are probably a little shell-shocked.

To give my American friends some context … When I moved to Australia, in order to get my student visa, I had to pay for 46 months (the duration of my visa) worth of health cover up front. At the cost of my new American health insurance plan, that would have amounted to almost $27,000. Instead, I paid $1,893.12! That’s just over $40 a month. And for that, I got amazing health care. I went to my GP all the time because it was so easy and it was free. The only time I ever had to pay was $35 for a blood test that wasn’t fully covered (and I got part of that back from my insurance within a WEEK of submitting a claim!) My OSHC didn’t cover prescriptions or routine dental, but both of those things were cheaper fully out of pocket than they are in America with insurance. I once had to take an American study abroad student (who had no Australian health insurance) to the equivalent of urgent care for strep throat. He waited less than five minutes without an appointment (can’t remember the last time I waited less than 20 minutes in the U.S. even with an appointment). He paid $50 for the visit and $10 for his antibiotic with – I repeat – no insurance.

I listen to the Medicare for All debates in the Democratic primary and my first reaction is to be completely flummoxed that anyone (other than a health insurance executive) could be against it. But upon further reflection, I think that Americans are just so used to being screwed by their health insurance that they find it hard to conceive of an existence in which they are not. We are so conditioned by the structures that run our lives that a functioning system seems fanciful. Once I got to Australia, it took me some time to believe. During pretty much every encounter with the Australian health care system, I was confused/surprised/skeptical that it really was that easy/quick/cheap. Now that I’m back, I’m equal parts a) dreading the reverse culture shock that will occur when I need to go to a doctor and b) pissed off that the “richest country on earth” extracts so much profit from the health of its citizens. So to my fellow Americans I say: support universal, single-payer health care! Trust me, you’ll love it.

[919homes]

Don't Make These First Time Home Buyer Mistakes

Don't Make These First Time Home Buyer MistakesFirst Time Home Buyer Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

June 28, 2019 1. Not knowing how much house you can afford 2. Getting Only One Rate Quote 3. Not Knowing What’s On Your Credit Report and what mind need to be fixed 4. Making a down payment that’s too small 5. Not Finding Out About First-Time Home Buyer Programs 6. Not Considering The USDA, FHA or VA Loan Programs

USDA Home Loans

VA Home Loans

FHA Home Loans

7. Thinking You Should or Shouldn’t Pay Discount Points or Worse…That You Have To Pay Them! 8. Depleting Your Savings 9. Applying For Credit During Your Application Process 10. Falling In Love With Homes Before You Apply For Your Mortgage 11. Being Unprepared For The Added Costs of Homeownership 12. Underestimating Repair Costs

The Mortgage Pros

Source: https://blog.mortgagebroker.pro/mortgage/first-time-home-buyer-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/

NC First Time Home Buyers are prone to slip ups on their way to home ownership, such as getting just one rate quote. Here are some more common mistakes and how to steer clear of them.

Every year, first-time home buyers wade into the housing market, full of misinformation and proceed to make the same mistakes of generations before them. 

Today’s new home buyers can stop this cycle. Here are 12 common mistakes that NC first-time home buyers make and what you can do to avoid them.

This is the best place to start. If you don’t know what you can afford, you waste a lot of time looking at (and falling in love with) homes you don’t have a shot at. It’s a surefire path to disappointment. 

DO NOT… use an online calculator to try to figure it out yourself. It’s like using WebMD to diagnose complex illnesses. There’s a lot more that goes into calculating affordability than meets the eye. 

THE FIX:  Contact a local mortgage broker to do the work for you (more on why in a bit). Expect them to ask a lot of questions and request your income and asset info and documents. The less they ask, the less likely they’ll be accurate.  Cary Mortgage Pros take the time to cover all the bases and every angle so you’ll know before you fall in love with the wrong home.

Close to half of all home buyers (first time & repeat buyers) take the first quote they’re given from the very first loan officer they speak to. This is great if you’re the loan officer at a company with terrible rates but it’s disastrous for everyone else. 

DO NOT… Call the first 3 banks you drive by on your way to work or Google “mortgage rates in Cary, NC” (or any other city). In the mortgage world, there are banks, mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers. Calling 3 banks will get you 3 bank quotes complete with typical higher bank rates and fees and a lack of specialization in mortgages. Most banks have dreadful processes and frequently miss closing dates which could cost you dearly. 

What about mortgage lenders? A mortgage lender is similar to a brick and mortar bank except they only do mortgages, so at least they are specialists. However, these companies are known for having inflated levels of employees and management and that means everyone has to get paid for your mortgage. There’s only one place that pay can come from and that’s higher mortgage rates and increased closing costs. 

Checking mortgage rate quotes online is also fraught with peril. Unfortunately, the companies that show up in search results are the big institutions with tons of money to throw at marketing. Money they get from your rate and closing costs. With online mortgage rates, you not only need to really check and understand the fine print, but it also is a lot like Mistake #1. You’re trying to self diagnose and there’s a lot of room for error. 

The Fix:  Again, call your local mortgage broker. Mortgage Brokers like Cary Mortgage Pros, deal with major wholesale lenders who compete for their business with better rates and fees than you get from retail banks and lenders. It’s the mortgage broker’s job to shop your specific loan scenario with these lenders and get you the multiple quotes you need to make a great decision for yourself. 

Your credit report, both the scores and the items on it, affect your loan approval and mortgage terms like your rate options. If there’s something negative on your report, whether it’s legitimate or an error, you’ll be in for a rude awakening when you get your mortgage rate quotes. You need to know about your credit report before you apply for a mortgage. 

DO NOT… Rely on Credit Karma. Services like Credit Karma can be an ok jumping off point but they don’t give you the information from all three credit bureaus and instead only use two of three. That third report could be the one that drags you down. The bigger problem is the scores they give you. Credit scores are different based on the industry you’re applying for credit in. Car companies get one set of scores, credit cards another and mortgages, yet another. 

Since you haven’t applied for anything specific, the scores from Credit Karma can be much higher or even much lower than the scores your mortgage broker will obtain. 

The Fix:  Contact the three credit bureaus for your free annual report. If there’s nothing that needs to be corrected, and all your payments are on time, you’re ready to contact a mortgage broker and have your credit run for an official mortgage pre approval. If anything needs fixing, removal or balances on cards are high compared to your limit, get those taken care of first and then make the call to your local loan officer. It’s ok to have your credit run as long as it’s not too often or by too many industries in a short amount of time. 

Down payments come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. 20% down is needed to avoid costly mortgage insurance but it doesn’t mean that using a zero down or 3.5% down payment is necessarily a bad idea. 

Some surveys have shown that around 10% of homeowners, and especially first time home buyers, wished they had used a larger down payment…especially true amongst millennial home buyers. 

DO NOT… Wait for the sake of waiting. Just because you think you don’t have enough of a down payment, it doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t ready to buy a home and that buying a home isn’t the right move for you. Like most things, there are far too many factors to put a blanket statement on it. 

The Fix:  Find out the facts. Knowledge is power and you don’t truly know until you know. During your conversation with your mortgage broker, let him or her know this is on your mind and they’ll be sure to look at factors like how long you could stay in your current residence (renting or with family), how long you plan to live in your new home (shorter time periods factor much differently), how much you have now and what the cost difference is for waiting. A simple discussion and letting your mortgage broker go to work for you will take the mystery out of this common mistake. 

This plays just the opposite of mistake #4. A large percentage of first time home buyers think they have to have 20% or more to put down on their first home. Maybe they’ve been told they have to in order to avoid PMI. While this is true, it doesn’t mean it’s the only path to home ownership. 

DO NOT… Take other people’s “suggestions” to wait, as gospel. Along this line of thinking, you might as well wait until you can pay for the house in cash! (Probably not going to happen, and we don’t recommend it.)

The Fix:  Like most of our fixes, talk to your local mortgage broker and don’t be guarded with your information. Your mortgage broker has a fiduciary duty to inform you have your mortgage options and how they’ll affect you in both the short and long term. With the right information, you’ll be able to make a smart informed decision on your down payment. 

When it comes to home buying, not all loans are created equal. They all have different requirements, as well as their own unique advantages and disadvantages. By being closed-minded to these programs, you could be missing out on the perfect opportunity to buy your first home. 

Utilizing programs like USDA, FHA or even VA, instead of a conventional loan, can put you in a position to buy a home now if doing so makes the most financial sense for you. Consider the following scenario:

As of the writing of this article, interest rates are near historic lows. Using one of these loans might allow you to get your new home now instead of in 2 to 3 years or more. Rates could be much higher at that point which would affect how much of a home you’re able to buy. On top of that, home prices tend to increase each year. You’d be missing out on building equity and having to pay more per month for less house than you could possibly get right now. 

DO NOT… Close yourself off to a certain loan type based on name alone. You can’t judge a book by it’s cover and if that cover’s been created by popular opinion that’s not factual, it could cost you in the end. 

The Fix:  Allow your mortgage broker to cover every loan type that makes sense for your situation. Just because someone has tainted your opinion of a loan program, it doesn’t mean it’s not a great loan for your home buying needs. 

You can learn more about these programs at the links below:

Provided you’re able to do it, paying points these days is largely a choice you get to make. In the past points were charged on most loans but now, if you’re mortgage person is charging points, there better be a very good reason, like saving you money in the long run or lowering your debt to income ratio to qualify, or you should run from them. 

DO NOT… accept just any reason for there to be points on your loan. Some lenders, especially online mortgage lenders, pretend to have low rates by sneaking in points to “buydown the rate” but you may be able to get the same rate or lower from a local mortgage broker. 

The Fix:  Start by determining the base rate assuming you don’t need a lower rate and lower payments to qualify. Once you know you have a great deal, you can determine if paying points to lower your rate makes sense for your long term plans. If you are going to be in the home long enough to recoup the cost of the points and more, it can be a great avenue for you financially. 

You’ve saved for your down payment but is it enough?  Besides the down payment, you’ll also have closing costs (unless they’re paid by the seller). You may have some moving expenses also like renting a truck or paying movers. Your loan program will probably have some reserve requirements (money in the bank after closing) and you should plan to keep it there “just in case”. 

DO NOT… Put all your eggs in one basket. If you put all of your savings towards your down payment and closing costs, what will you do if something needs repairs. Those repairs could be in the house, work on your car, appliances or anything else that life throws at you. If all your money is tied up in the house, what will you do?

The Fix:  Put down less or buy a smaller home. That may not be what you want to hear but if it’s the difference of emptying your savings account and not having emergency money, it’s the right choice. Hopefully you never touch that money but the peace of mind that you have it is worth its weight in gold. 

This is a major mistake made by far too many home buyers. When you apply for your mortgage, it’s based on a snapshot moment of your credit report and debt to income ratios. Any change to your financial picture, could be catastrophic.  

DO NOT… Buy anything!! No new cars, no furniture, no applying for credit of any kind and no charging up your credit cards. Applying for credit (even if you don’t accept it) can hit your credit scores and change what you qualify for. If you accept the credit (or have larger balances on your credit cards) your debt ratios could be too high to qualify at all. 

The Fix:  Wait. Buy only what you need and nothing that you don’t. Put your credit cards in a drawer, don’t apply for anything and wait the few weeks it takes to get your loan closed and the keys in your pocket. After that, you can buy whatever you want. 

This is nothing more than cart before the horse. Sure you can look at homes and neighborhoods online a little bit until you feel certain that buying a house is what you want to do, but finding “the house” before you apply for your mortgage can be a recipe for disaster or at least disappointment. Imagine finding the home of your dreams, picturing raising your children in it, mentally decorating with everything you could ever want, and then finding out you don’t qualify or that it went off the market because you weren’t pre-approved to make an offer. 

DO NOT… go shopping without your mortgage pre-approval letter in hand. Your Realtor will prefer you’re pre-approved before you go shopping as well. It doesn’t take long. 

The Fix:  Contact your local mortgage broker, give them your information and documents and eliminate any chance for failure. It’s the smarter, safer and right way to go before you shop for the home of your dreams. 

You’re ready with your down payment; you factored in monthly taxes and insurance and you think you’re ready to go, right?  But wait, there’s more. If you’ve been renting or living with family, you probably aren’t used to paying the electric bill, gas, oil… maybe even the cable bill. Even if you paid these while renting, there’s a good chance your new home is bigger than where you rented and with that, bigger bills. 

DO NOT… go in blind!  You can ask your Realtor to request the bills or at least estimates for the monthly utilities of any home you’re interested in.  If you’re buying in one general area, you’ll only need to ask from one home to get a strong idea of the bills for every home in your area and in your price and size range. 

The Fix:  Know before you owe. Once you’re in the home, it’s too late. You need to know what you’re facing before you’re locked in. Ask for the bills. Ask for estimates. Ask all the questions you possibly can and ask some more. It’s your right to know. Ask. 

Reality TV has teased us into thinking repairs and renovations are easy, inexpensive and create a ton of value to your home.  The short answer is maybe. Maybe it’s one or two but rarely all three. Most of the time, repairs and renovations are more costly and much more work than it appears and depending on what you’re doing, there’s a chance your home’s value doesn’t go up by more than what you paid for the work to be done. 

DO NOT… get just one estimate from a contractor.  We told you to get your mortgage shopped with a local mortgage broker so of course we’re telling you to shop here too. Get a few estimates from highly rated reputable contractors. 

The Fix:  Once you have your quotes in hand, talk to your Realtor for an estimate of what the work will do to the value of your home.  If it’s work that needs to be done, by all means get it done. But if you’re making cosmetic changes to anything that’s otherwise in good condition, you may want to hold off on the project as there may be zero increase in value. That is, unless you love it and plan to live in the home forever. In that case, make it yours. 

Get the ball rolling for your new home purchase by filling out our quick 60 second quiz at…

https://mortgagebroker.pro/go

https://ift.tt/2KLit3l Brought to you by 919Mortgages.com (https://ift.tt/2d5GzFS)

[topicprinter]

Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Christopher Gimmer of Snappa, a graphic design tool.Some stats:Product: Online graphic design tool.Revenue/mo: $55,000Started: July 2015Location: OttawaFounders: 2Employees: 4Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?Hey there! My name is Christopher Gimmer and I’m the co-founder of Snappa - a SaaS app that helps non-designer create online graphics in a snap. We make it super easy to create graphics for social media, ads, blogs, and more!We officially launched on November 23, 2015 and we’re currently doing over $55k USD in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?I started off my career in finance working for the federal government. Then in 2010, I took a trip to southeast Asia that changed my life. Towards the end of the trip, I dreaded the thought of going back to the office and I no longer wanted to do work that I didn’t enjoy. That’s when I first started thinking about starting a business that would give me more freedom and meaning in my life.A few years later I met Marc (now my co-founder) at work. After we became friends, I found out that he knew how to code and he was dabbling in some side projects. We discussed the idea of starting a business together and we were both pumped to do so.The first thing we launched was a student dating website called ClassmateCatch. Although we generated 1,000+ signups (mainly through flyers), we had no idea how to scale the business and we didn’t really know what we were doing. The business ultimately failed. That’s when I started reading everything I could about online marketing and how to grow a business.After learning how to do keyword research, we discovered there was a lot of search volume for Bootstrap themes and Bootstrap templates so we launched a marketplace called BootstrapBay (we’ve since sold it). We managed to grow that site to $10k/month in revenue strictly from SEO and content marketing.While creating content for BootstrapBay, it was always a huge pain to create images for our blog posts. I wasn’t a designer and my Photoshop skills were lacking. When I looked around to see what other tools were out there, I found that all the graphic design tools were either overly complicated or too basic. I felt like there was a need for a simple, yet powerful graphic design tool geared towards marketers and entrepreneurs like myself.Fortunately, around this time, I wrote a blog post about where to find free stock photos that went viral and started ranking on the first page of Google. Because of that, we created our own stock photo site called StockSnap.io (we’ve since sold this as well) which started generating a lot of traffic.Now that we had an audience to market to, we promoted Snappa on StockSnap.io using a simple banner ad and sent this traffic to a landing page where we collected email addresses.Once we got a few hundred people opted-in, I sent out a few surveys and did 15-20 customer interview calls to validate the idea. Once we were convinced that Snappa was something people wanted and were willing to pay for, Marc got to work and started building the prototype.Take us through the process of building the product.When we first started working on Snappa, I had taken a 1-year leave of absence from work.This was kind of risky on my part because I dropped out of the CPA program as well so I would have been demoted if I ever needed my job back (talk about embarrassing). I also went from making $95k/year to paying myself $2,000/month from the profits we were making from BootstrapBay / StockSnap.Marc broke ground on code in March of 2015. At that time, he was still working nights and weekends only. But after a few months into the project, he realized that he needed to go full-time otherwise the release would take too long. So, he joined me full-time (also making $2,000/month) and development really started to pick up.After several months of hard work, we launched our beta on July 1, 2015. Looking back, it was a pretty stupid idea to launch on Canada day but that’s a story for another day…During the open (free) beta period, we collected as much feedback as possible and analyzed the engagement data as best we could. We realized pretty quickly that we had to include pre-designed templates before launching. As you would expect, most non-designers struggle to design without a template to start with.After adding templates, we agreed on a few more features that we needed to add before we felt comfortable charging users. On one hand, we didn’t want to launch with a shitty product. On the other hand, we were bootstrapping this and couldn’t afford to delay launching for too long. We felt like it was better to launch earlier than later.Given the nature of our product, we decided on a freemium model. We felt that this made sense because:1) A free tier allowed people to try the product with very limited friction. This was important since we were dealing with small businesses and solopreneurs.2) We hypothesized that making the product ‘free’ would help it spread and encourage more people to link to us and refer the product to others.3) Our hosting costs were minimal so it wasn’t going to cost a ton of money to support free users.Describe the process of launching the business.Once we fixed all the major bugs from the beta and added what we felt were necessary features, we settled on an official launch date of November 23, 2015.At this point, we had about 15,000 people that had signed up for our beta. Remember that we collected email addresses while building the product and we continued to send traffic to Snappa’s beta page from our free stock photo site with a simple banner ad.On the day of the launch, we added a paywall and a pricing page to our website describing the free and paid tier. Simultaneously, we sent an email to everyone that had signed up for the beta letting them know that they’ve all been placed on the free tier and they’d need to upgrade to the premium Pro plan to get unlimited access and full functionality. That’s basically all we did for our ‘launch’. Since there were still a ton of improvements we needed to make, we didn’t want to promote our product too much in the beginning (we waited seven months before launching on Product Hunt).To encourage upgrades right out of the gate, we offered a 33% lifetime discount for anyone that upgraded within the first week. After the initial launch week was over, we were generating $2,000 in MRR. $500 of that came on day one and another $500 came on the last day of the promotion. By the end of December 2015, we broke $4,000 in MRR and it was clear that Snappa was going to have some legs.At that point, I officially handed in my resignation at work and never looked back :)Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?When we first launched Snappa, we were getting pretty much all of our leads from StockSnap and our free stock photo blog post. I spent the next few months trying to optimize the amount of leads we could get from these two sources.One thing that worked super well was creating an animated gif of our product in action and adding it to a popup whenever someone downloaded an image from StockSnap. This is what it looked like:Once I implemented the popup, we doubled our signups for Snappa overnight.We relied pretty much exclusively on StockSnap and word mouth to drive acquisition for the first year or so. However, we knew that we were going to plateau if we didn’t figure out other marketing channels.Eventually I started focusing on content marketing and SEO. In the beginning, our content marketing efforts weren’t driving any results. I realized after the fact that our content was too generic and we were focusing way too much on top of the funnel content, ie content that targets a large group of people that may or may not ever need your product.I decided to take a step back and look at all of the use cases for our product. For example, you can use Snappa to create Facebook covers, Twitter headers, Pinterest pins, and so on... I then started plugging-in these various keywords into the AHREFs keyword explorer (using phrase match) to get a list of potential keywords. I quickly realized that there was a huge amount of search volume related to the sizes and dimensions of the graphic types we offer.So with that, I put together a guide that walks through the proper Twitter header size. After a few months of promotion, it started ranking #1 in Google and was bringing in a significant amount of traffic.With the success of that post, we created a similar article for the Facebook cover size, the YouTube channel art size, and pretty much every other size that we supported in Snappa.The best part about these blog posts is how relevant they are to our product. Clearly, if someone is searching for which size to use for a Facebook cover, there’s a good chance they need to create a Facebook cover! So in order to drive leads to our product, we added a call-to-action right after the introduction to let them know that we’ve integrated Facebook’s cover dimensions and safe zones into our product and they can create one for free.Since the Twitter header size post worked so well, we decided to focus almost exclusively on getting these posts to rank and spent several months doing outreach and writing guest posts. All the hard work paid off and you can see from the screenshot below that we significantly increased our traffic after implementing this content strategy.Today we’re continuing to double down on content and focusing heavily on topics that are most likely to convert readers into signups.How are you doing today and what does the future look like?Currently, we’re doing $55k in MRR and we’re on pace to break $1M in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by the end of the year. We’re still bootstrapped, profitable, and have no immediate plans to raise funding.As for the future, we’ve begun a massive code refactor in order to better support product initiatives moving forward. Our goal is to continue building the best possible graphic design tool for marketers, entrepreneurs and non-designers.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned over the years is the power of the long game. For starters, this applies to business and life in general. As you can tell from my story, it took years of launching random things before it lead to Snappa. Sometimes you just need to play the game and things will happen.Playing the long game is also relevant when it comes to marketing and scaling your business. In the past, we’ve wasted a lot of time pursuing opportunities that gave a one time bump in traffic / sales but didn’t really amount to anything sustainable. On the contrary, some of our content took months (even years) to pay off but it continues to drive meaningful traffic and signups to this day.I’m not saying that you should never do things that don’t scale (you should especially do this in the beginning), I’m simply saying that you should never avoid doing something simply because it will take a long time to payoff. In my experience, those are almost always the best things to focus on!On a related note, I still remember what it was like making $10k MRR after 6 months of launching Snappa. I simply couldn’t imagine ever getting to $1M in ARR. But after continuing to chip away over the past 3 years, we’re now on pace to hit that goal by the end of the year. Sometimes you just need to be patient and continue playing the long game. Your future self will be glad that you did!What platform/tools do you use for your business?As you can imagine, we use a ton of tools to run our SaaS business. This is by no means an exhaustive list but these are some of my favourite and some of the most useful tools that we use:Slack: We mostly work remotely so this is key for collaborating and keeping everyone in the loop.Trello: We use this for our content calendar, development roadmap, and task lists. I also use it as my own personal organization system.Stripe: All our payments go through Stripe. I couldn’t imagine building a SaaS app without it.AHREFs: We use it for all our keyword research and to track our search rankings.Help Scout: Used to run our customer support and knowledge base.Mixpanel: Tracks in-app behaviour and end-to-end conversion funnels.Baremetrics: Tracks our subscription metrics and helps us forecast into the future.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?One of the best books I read was Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares. This opened my eyes to all of the different marketing channels available and why it’s so important to think about traction before building your product.Another resource that was hugely beneficial was Backlinko. I learned a ton about SEO and how to generate organic traffic thanks to Brian. I would encourage anyone that wants to learn SEO to read every single blog post on that site.Finally, I really enjoyed listening to Mixergy, Startups For The Rest of Us, and TMBA.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?I hate myself for writing this because it’s so damn cliché and everyone says it but the best advice I can give is to start something. It seriously doesn’t matter if your first idea sucks and you completely bomb. You will learn so much in those first 3 - 6 months and at a certain point you need to apply what you’re learning from blog posts and podcasts.When we started BootstrapBay, there were already other competitors and we certainly weren’t “disrupting” anything. I learned so many valuable skills while working on that business and there’s no way I’d be running Snappa today had I not started it.Just start with something small and easy to get off the ground (services business, eCommerce, affiliate stuff, anything!) and just treat it as a learning opportunity. As you start working on it, you’ll naturally start thinking of better business ideas and you’ll have a much better understanding of how to execute on them.Beyond simply getting started, my next best piece of advice is to focus on one channel at a time. As a startup, you simply cannot be focusing on multiple marketing channels at once. Find the one that works best and double down.Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?We sure are! We’re looking for a graphic designer and a customer success specialist. You can learn more about career opportunities on our website.If you don’t see an opening but you have skills that you can bring to the table, please reach out to me directly. You never know when we might be hiring next :)Where can we go to learn more?https://snappa.comchristopher@snappa.comIf you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

[mrcoreymonroe]

Wamos Who? Long-Haul Economy on “Norwegian”

Wamos Air A330-200 at JFK – Photo: Creative Commons | Adam Moreira (AEMoreira042281)

Last year, I wrote about my experience flying with Norwegian Air on the 787-9 Dreamliner from London Gatwick (LGW) nonstop to Denver (DEN). On that flight, we were in their “Premium” cabin, but I peeked back at economy and thought it looked pretty good. It had a standard 3-3-3 Dreamliner configuration, reasonable pitch, and AVOD screens at each seat. The crew was friendly as well.

This year, my family was heading to Paris for the new year, and I had booked our outbound flight with miles (my kids were very excited to be flying business class for the first time, and on the upper deck of a Lufthansa 747-400, to boot!) Given that I needed a one-way flight back from Europe (which are usually obscenely priced on legacy carriers), I figured we’d fly Norwegian again, this time in economy. Norwegian prices their fare based upon the one-way journey, which is what you’re used to for U.S. domestic flights. For a very reasonable $511 each, we were booked nonstop from LGW to DEN. Our fare included advanced seat assignments, checked and carry-on baggage, and meals. Everything was going to be just fine. Then I got this text.

Seating map for my Wamos Air A330-200, a rare nine-abreast A330. The seats I picked are circled. – Image: Wamos Air

Look, I’m an #avgeek and editor for a site called AirlineReporter, and I’d never even heard of Wamos. I did know, however, that Norwegian had been in a tough spot, given their reliance on a fleet of Rolls Royce-powered 787s, which had been experiencing significant engine issues. Norwegian was calling in lots of charter carriers to replace the Dreamliners.

An excerpt of a conversation with @airlineflyer

I jumped in to a Twitter DM with someone who would know who Wamos is, my friend and occasional AirlineReporter contributor Jason Rabinowitz (@airlineflyer). You can see a snippet of our conversation above. Jason was enjoying this far too much.

Here’s what I learned. I’d be flying an old A330-200 (ex-Monarch) with 3-3-3 seating in economy. While that is a bit of a squeeze in the Dreamliner (which was originally pitched as a 2-4-2 plane), nine-abreast on a narrower A330 is downright torture. Very few carriers have opted for it, and they’re usually leisure/charter airlines.

My view of a very tight cabin – Photo: Blaine Nickeson | AirlineReporter

Once I got the notification text, I jumped online and did as much research as I could, as quickly as I could. I figured there had to be seats that were the least-bad option, and I wanted to select them before someone else did. I subscribe to ExpertFlyer so I can see seating charts and inventory on flights. I also searched google for “Wamos A330” while checking the carrier’s (limited) website as well. I totally Blues Clues’d it as quickly as I could.

As you can see in the seating chart above, I selected two sets of two seats where the fuselage begins to narrow. My wife and I were traveling with our two young kids, so I figured this wouldn’t be too bad as they’re tiny.

Ahead of my flight, I also received a text message that I needed to download the Wamos Air app in order to play their streaming entertainment content.  That’s great, but they don’t offer any power ports, which makes streaming content, or entertaining my kids on their iPads, pretty tough for a ten-hour flight.

I was dreading this flight, mainly because there was so little information available about Wamos or the experience folks were having with them. So, how was the flight? 

That’s right, folks. It was a pretty good flight.

I chose wisely on the seat selection. I had miles of legroom (I’m 6’1″) and was protected from the aisle by the three-seat set ahead of me. One guy came back near my seats, down the incredibly narrow aisles, and said to me, “man, you really hit the jackpot, didn’t you?”  Yup. Do your homework, folks! There were a couple of other positives about being on an old plane – we had operating air nozzles at each seat, and the seats were overstuffed and comfy. None of that slimline crap for this flight.

It was crazy being in a 300-person economy cabin that had no bulkheads at all. It was just a sea of seats. The flight was completely full, including a couple of uniformed Norwegian flight attendants seated in economy. I thought they might be there to help the Wamos crew deliver the Norwegian-style service, but they apparently were just along for the ride.

The in-flight entertainment was very much a BYOD situation. There was no wifi. While there was a Wamos app where you could view streaming content, it was severely lacking in said content.  There were only 10 movies, and three TV shows.  That’s it.  I was glad I planned ahead for my kids, with extra power packs, so that they could continue to view content on their iPads for this very long daytime flight. One really strange thing to note; 30 minutes before the flight landed in Denver, we were all required to turn off and stow ALL electronics.  Even phones and iPads. The enforcement was firm. Is this something to do with Wamos being a Spanish airline?

One extremely positive aspect of this flight was that the cabin crew could not have been better. They were sharply dressed, extremely warm and friendly, and they worked their tails off (more on that coming up). The crew also looked as though they were all fashion models. Even the worst flight is made better by a great crew.

A very strange aspect of the flight was the first meal service. From beginning to end, it took almost three (3!) hours. First off, the crew went around distributing the special meals, like the child meals that I had pre-ordered for my kids. Then they made a run through the cabin by cart for all the people who, like us, had pre-paid for the “Nice n Tasty” hot meal. This included your choice of drink (including beer and wine, which wouldn’t have been complementary on a Norwegian-operated flight). After that, they passed through with a coffee/tea service and trash collection.

Once all of that had been completed, they passed out actual Norwegian menu cards, with food and drink for purchase using a credit card. Carts came down the aisles for anyone who wanted to make a purchase (and a lot of folks did).

There was also a similar meal service (although not as drawn out) prior to landing. I didn’t get a picture of it, but it was a small chicken salad sandwich and a brownie.

A pic that my nine-year-old son snapped

It was soon time to prepare for landing. We were on time, and I reflected on how much I had been dreading this flight, now for no good reason. Sure, if you hadn’t done your homework, you may have showed up unprepared for the lack of in-flight entertainment content. It would have been a long flight reading the safety card. And I don’t envy the folks that were crammed in to those 16-ish” wide seats. But for us, it turned out to be an unremarkable, comfortable flight. I’d fly them again.

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