#she looked very polite in that specific image on the 8th

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: August 8th

Well, doing big posts all together worked for a while but lately I’ve been putting it off because it takes a long time to get them done. I think I’m gonna try switching back to answering asks whenever I can fit it in and posting them one at a time instead of waiting until I’ve filled out one of these major collections.

But for now, here’s more ask answers! Thank you for the questions and for all the kind words along with them ^^.

Hello!! I'm here to ask if its possible to get  the game and its dlcs on steam and play it on android?

I’m afraid not. Steam doesn’t have Android builds on their own site and Steam is not cool with keys for other sites being given out for Steam purchases, so you don’t get the Itch version from buying on Steam.

Hello! Sorry to bother you but, I had a question, if we buy the Game on itchio do we get steam keys or would we need to purchase it twice? 

You would have to buy it twice if you want it in both places, I’m sorry. To repeat myself a little, Steam doesn’t like the key trading thing. Itch may support giving keys for another site, but the reverse isn’t doable with Steam and Steam doesn’t even really want you to get a Steam key for buying somewhere else either. So we just don’t mess around with that.

hey, sorry if this is frequently asked, but is step 4 free dlc or paid for? some of your sources are contradicting each other. 

It’s free! There’s a paid wedding DLC, but Step 4 itself is entirely unpaid.

Hello! I just had a quick question, for the Baxter and Derek DLC's will we be able to confess our feelings to them or let them confess to MC? or will it only be one way? (they confess to MC)

Both type of options will be available!

Hey there! I wanted to ask whether or not the Derek DLC is still on track to be released in August since on the steam discussion board it says it will be released mid 2021. I totally understand if it isn't, I'm just really looking forward to it! If you answer then ty! And keep up the amazing work :D 

It’s not, aha. Unfortunately, 2021 wasn’t easier than 2020 as we hoped so things are still slower than planned. It’ll come out late 2021 or early 2022.

Hi! Firstly I just want to say that I LOVE Our Life. I have played a bit of similar games but this one instantly wins for the best one! Everything about it is amazing! I just wanted to ask if Derek would ever lose feelings for MC, like if they make the deal and then MC gets with Cove would he move on? and even if you don't, after "losing contact" would his feeling fade or would he still like MC? 

If you don’t really keep in touch with him and clearly move on with your life, Derek will too and he’ll be over it. But if you are still close as best as you can be, he’ll still think the MC is special. Though, he’ll always support your relationship with someone else if that’s what’ll make you happy.

Hello! Sorry if you've answered this before but: 'How's Lee related to us? Though which momma? And does she share our player-chosen last names? Also, do you know if Noelani took Pam's last name or did it happen the other way round? 

She’s related to Pamela and Pamela’s last name is the one they use, so the MC has the same last name as Lee.

Will we be able to choose which (they or he) we tend to call Qiu by more often, or will it randomly change depending on the moment? 

Qiu knows which pronoun they’re comfortable with at a time and you’ll call them what they’re happy with. And it doesn’t change between lines, it takes multiple scenes or even full Steps for it to switch. So for extended periods Qiu will be totally a guy or fully agender.

Will Step 4 of OL2 have moments?

It’ll be an epilogue like it is in OL1, so it won’t have a bunch of different Moments.

Hello! Just a quick question, is Sunset bird from OL1 based on a real location? If so what's it called? I wanna visit it +_+

ps i love your games so much <3

It isn’t based on one specific town you can go to, but there are a lot of little coastal towns in Cali that have a similar vibe!

Heyaaa ( I hope you're all well ), umm… it might seem kinda stupid to ask but did Patreon members can have a key for the dlc's ( all the steps-released dlc ) even if they became a member this month or later ? (me? saying this cuz it's my case? maybe ;-;), and once again thanks for absolutely all the amazing works on all the games ! u-u 

You wouldn’t get the DLCs for backing there. The Patreon is for extra bonus content/early access, rather than being a storefront to purchase the normal DLCs. Rarely we give them out as a side gift, but it hardly happens and if what you want is the DLCs it’s best to ignore the Patreon and  buy keys for those directly from Itch or Steam. I’m sorry for the confusion.

Hey y'all, love what youre doing w/Terry. Trans rep outside of player customization is so rare and important to see more of so thank you so much. I do have a question and its that does he have a canon sexuality? I know Miranda was said to be straight ace but I dont believe anything was stated for Terry probably because he wasnt revealed to be a guy which changes things. Im also curious if well get answers on how long hes liked Miranda since he may have liked her in step 3 before she liked him 

Terry likes women and Randy likes men! And he did like Miranda back in Step 3.

Will the Wedding Dlc release at the same time as Step 4? 

They’ll come out separately with Step 4 releasing first.

I really love Our Life so much! I've spent over 20hours playing it even though I only got it a week ago! I was wondering if I could make a fangame for Our Life with a different love interest but same plot. Next-door neighbors romance, multiple steps, etc? I'll probably make it on Google Slides though- 

Sure! I hope you have fun with it and I’m glad you love the game.

How does Cove feel about poly relationships? 

He’s got nothing against them for the people they work for, but he’s 100% monogamous and would only be comfortable with a partner who was willing to be monogamous with him.

Idk if this has been answered before but will Step 4 include the option to advance your feelings towards Cove? 

Yep, you’ll be able to determine your feelings and what your relationship is.

In step 4 will there be a chosen to say we live with Cove even as just friends? 

Yeah, you can choose to live with Cove and that can be done when you’re friends.

I just played the game with the MC and Cove being best friends and omg it’s still so damn cute like the wholesomeness of it all is too much for my heart I swear ^.^  Now with that all said I was wondering can we still marry Cove? if we only love him as a friend like let’s say we’ve made deal with him similar to the one we can make with Derek because let’s real no one could compete with what the MC and Cove have even if they aren’t in love. 

It’s great to hear you enjoyed the friendship story! You can live with Cove, but you can’t marry him platonically. Cove has familial affection for the MC if they’re best-est friends. He wouldn’t think to marry someone he loves like family and even grew up with as though they truly were siblings.

Are you still going to be making a DLC for XOBD? :] 

Yes! We’re slowing adding voiced lines and fixing errors.

It makes me laugh that Shiloh's last name is Fields because that's what I put as my last name! So in Our Life when he talked about "Ms. Fields" picking him up I was extremely confused, lol. That dude mimics personalities so much that he stole my surname!

Oh, wow, that’s a very funny coincidence, haha.

hi !! i cant seem to be able to get the scene where mc is able to propose to cove despite being at the 'love' stage and telling him i'd want to get married, are there any other details that im missing out on? the options just dont appear at the end... 

Maybe you missed telling Cove you were in love with him even if you mentioned wanting to get married or you might’ve accidentally said earlier in the game that you don’t want to progress your relationship further with Cove. We haven’t removed them, so you can get the scene again. It’s just kind of easy to miss since there’s multiple requirements. You can read a little guide in the FAQ.

wait what di you need to do to be able to propose to cove? I've been trying but haven't had much luck 

You can check out the FAQ linked above!

does cove only develop a crush on the mc if the mc is also at crush/in love with him? 

Technically, yes. We treat the non-romantic relationship options as truly non-romantic since we don’t want to bait and switch people. But there’s nothing wrong with headcanoning that Cove does have feelings developing for the MC even before the MC has.

Is there a way to make/allow Lee and Baxter to date?

No, they just don’t have enough time together.

We also got a group of asks related to Tamarack in OL2, but I’m afraid the way they talked about people with larger bodies made me not want to post their words, even if the person didn’t say they’re trying to be hurtful. I will separate out the core question and answer it though, so people can know that info.

Does Tamarack lose weight in later Steps?

No, she doesn’t. As for the other questions included, to be honest, I don’t have to explain/defend having romance options of different sizes. I’m sorry if you’re dealing with unhappiness that’s connected to body image, if that’s where the negative emotions are coming from, but even so I can’t meet you on that level and pretend it’s a problem that needs an answer. A girl who simply isn’t thin being a main love interest is just not an unreasonable concept. Also, Tamarack isn’t a lesbian. Yes, she can date a female MC, but that doesn’t undo her actual sexuality, so I’m not sure where that one part at the end was coming from.

I wonder... can we "fight" with Qiu over leader status? 👀

Not really, haha. No matter how cool your MC is, they’re never gonna replace Qiu for the other kids around. So you can either partner up with him, follow him too, or not be a part of all that group politics stuff.

So when I play the game, sometimes I mentally call Cove “Covie/Covey” and that made me wonder, how does Cove feel about being nicknamed? Not like Romeo/Space Cadet/etc. but like pet names relating to his actual name

It’d depend on his age, personality, and your relationship with him! When he’s younger he’d probably be embarrassed, when he was grown he’d probably be more casual or happy about it.

will you be able to date baxter in step 3 while at crush with cove (but not dating him ofc) sorry if this has been asked already. i really love baxters step 4 design btw!! 

Yeah, you can be crushing on Cove and date Baxter if you weren’t already dating Cove. You just can’t be truly in love with Cove and then switch to Baxter.

I just got my friend into our life, and they adore shiloh and derek sooo will there be more of them in the second game? 

I’m afraid not. But you can see plenty more of Shiloh in XOXO Droplets/XOXO Blood Droplets, haha.

I see you haven't gotten any xoxo droplets asks recently but I'm still obsessed with these boys!! I was just wondering if Nate would curse under any circumstance? 

Yeah, Nate does use certain swear words (damn, hell, bastard) on very rare occasions.

Hi there! I have a question about the wedding dlc. Will we be able to plan a honeymoon during the planning stages of it or would it be something that Cove and the mc would rather plan later on? Thank you! Absolutly love the game by the way, definitely one of my favorite games! 

The focus will be on the wedding day itself. The topic of the honeymoon might come up a bit, but there won’t be any choosing of the exact location and such.

Hi! I have two questions and it's completely understandable if you only answer one/neither and I'm sorry if you've already answered either before! First, is there a set year in which OL:B&A takes place (ex: Step 1 being set in 2010 & Step 2 being set in 2016, etc.) or is it simply up to interpretation? Second, have you guys thought about doing a coming-of-age game where the MC has a tough home life or upbringing? (like one of their parents is an addict, a parent being transphobic whilst the player has the option to be trans, or having friends that are influencing them to do drugs, etc.) That's all! Thanks for making beautiful games. <3 

There is a set timeline!

Step 1: 2006 Step 2: 2011 Step 3: 2016 Step 4: 2021 

And we don’t currently plan on making a game like that. The Our Life series exists to be a safer environment for people to play around in and if we did do a brand new series that was harsher edged it’d be something more fantastical and/or plot-driven instead of a different type of modern day slice-of-life growing up story. I’m sorry.

i don’t know if you’ve already answered this, but do you have a guess on when phase 4 will come out? as well as ol2? i’m so excited for both of them, the inclusivity in this game is amazing, you guys should be really proud of it! 

Step 4 will be coming out very soon! OL2 is gonna take until 2023 to be anywhere near completion. But we might episodically release the Steps one at a time as they get done instead of waiting for three to be finished before launch like we did with the first game.

Hello, I was curious if there was an official or unofficial discord server for the game? 

We do have a discord! You can join by clicking this link HERE.

how long do you plan to keep ol's patreon running? 

Hopefully for at least a few more years.

Are you considering ever making merch? 

Yeah, but I don’t know when it’ll happen or what exactly we’ll make, aha. It’s something we want do, just nothing is set.

hi! i just found out about your game a couple of days ago on tiktok (so sorry if you’ve already answered this question) and i was wondering if y’all are ever planning to release it on iOS? 

I have no idea. It’s hard for a small group to get Apple approval and I honestly can’t say if it’ll ever happen or not. Maybe someday, though!

Hi, I love the art style of Our life and I would like to know if the artist has a Twitter? Also, could it be possible to fund more CGs for the game from him/her? So many times, I wish there was one like when the cutscene of the sunshower. 

That’s nice of you to offer. He doesn’t have a Twitter, at least not one that’s public enough to be shared with me. And I’m afraid not. The issue is that the CGs take huge amounts of time rather than there not being a budget for it. He’s gotta make CGs for Step 4, the DLCs, and new character sprites, too. There isn’t space in the schedule for even more. Sorry for that.

Hi, how are you?!

Are you planning on accepting new writers or is it always the same people who write your stories??

Thanks!!

Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t be getting new writers, but we will be hiring a new team of writers for Our Life: Now & Forever eventually!

perhaps this counts as nsfw and I'm sure it has been answered before but what does Cove prefer, chests/boobs or butts? or perhaps both :3c thank you for this wonderful game (and the patreon bonus moment, it was worth all the waiting and more ♥) 

He’s a “chests of all shapes and sizes” kind of guy, haha.

i was wondering- did any of the writers actually grow up by the beach? as someone who's lived in a beach town all their life it really did feel nostalgic to play through our life 1 

I was born and raised in Cali! Though, not right by the beach. We still had to make trips out, but the setting is based on my own childhood memories of small beach towns we went through.

In Derek’s upcoming DLC, will we be able to reference the pact we made as teens? (love olba and xod/xobd so much btw you’re literally amazing) 

Yep, you will be able to talk about that!

Oh, sorry about the Cole being secretly L ask, then!

If you wanted context: Death Note is about this one guy who finds a notebook that kills anyone who you write the name of in there. The guy eventually develops a God Complex and starts mass killing criminals and stuff. L is the one trying to find out who is killing all these people.

Me and my sister first joked about it because I couldn't remember how to translate a word about the way Cove was sitting, so I just did the pose, and it looked a lot like how L himself sits! Then we just snowballed from there, with more and more nonsense connections.

That’s okay! Thanks for explaining. I’m sorry I didn’t know what you meant.

[peach-astrology]

Natal chart:Ariana Grande

Hi! I want to create a new category in my blog,where I talk about the natal charts of famous personalities.I've been listening to Ariana's songs since 2015 and watched TV shows with her on Nickelodeon.I love this Princess! She and Dalton are now engaged and I'm so happy for her.I also want to suggest that this is an incomplete analysis of her natal chart,otherwise this article would be too large,here I looked only at the main positions(for youuuuuuuu ahahahaha)

The first thing I noticed was that there were no planets in the fire element(not counting houses).Although many astrologers say that this means a lack of optimism and fire in the eyes.But look at its conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon in Libra.She went through difficult times in her life,but she went on and wrote beautiful songs.We'll talk about this later.

Its ascendant is in Capricorn,but it doesn’t,fortunately,create an opposition to the Sun.This gives her a beautiful face shape and beautiful cheekbones(Capricorn is responsible for the bones).Also in the interview,we can see how comfortable she is to communicate,as if she is confident in herself and her words,even when joking.In this,in addition to the ascendant,Mercury in Cancer(gentle and sweet communication)and the 7th house are also involved.This position can’t but fascinate.

Let's talk about the Sun(Oh,this is Ariana ahaha).But seriously,it's in the 6th house in Cancer.People with this position can choose a certain vocation and grow very much in their career.Cancer is responsible for the beauty and soulfulness that is in her songs.The Sun has many aspects.The Sun square Moon cause it to fluctuate between the impulses of the soul and the mind.Sun trine Saturn,I notice that this situation indicates a late marriage or a good career.Both planets are in water signs,which indicates the importance of feelings in a relationship.Sun sextile Mars another indication of fame.

In a recent interview,she said that she tries to be sincere in front of fans,but at the same time tries not to divulge too much.She also said that she didn’t want her current relationship to be too public,as it was with the past.Here comes the influence of the ascendant opposition Mercury.The ascendant is responsible for what we show to the outside world(strangers,for example),and Mercury is responsible for our communication.Mercury's opposition to Uranus shows its rebelliousness.You've noticed exactly how often she supports social movements.She helped in the voting and actively disseminate information about the BLM.Moreover,both planets are in cardinal signs.Ariana has a song called "Just like magic" that fully describes Mercury's opposition to Neptune.This position gives a rich inner peace and interest in psychoanalysis,but also obsessive thoughts and anxiety(which she also spoke about in a recent interview).Sometimes indicates a good intuition.

She has a Venus opposition to Pluto,which makes frequent changes in her personal life.Venus controls the sphere of love and relationships(including friendship),and Pluto controls revolutions,changes and transformations.Pluto,like Saturn,gives difficult and morally difficult lessons,but thanks to them,a person becomes stronger and more experienced than others.Venus is in Taurus in the 4th house,which makes her so cozy and caring.It's a very romantic position.Only sincere feelings and their best manifestations.Ariana has two trines(Venus trine Neptune,Venus trine Uranus)that indicate the possibility of development in music.Remember when I said that trine gives us chances,sextile gives us opportunities,and conjunction gives us talent?All of them differ from each other in that the trine requires the most time to develop.You know that Ariana has been developing in show business for a very long time(if you believe the Internet,then since 2008),which is why she has achieved such success and such a strong vocal.Venus trine ascendant makes her so beautiful OMG.

I want to pay special attention to Mars,because it has greatly influenced her life.You probably remember the terrorist attack in Manchester.This event is indicated by 2 positions in her Natal chart:Mars opposition Saturn and Mars in the 8th house.These aspects create accidents and dangerous cases,severe damage.Even if a person tries to get out of this situation,he will not succeed.This event affected her career(Mars sextile MC) and her personality(Mars sextile Sun).After the terrorist attack before the concert,people began to search for security reasons,and Ariana still sends money to the affected people.

Jupiter in the 9th house in Libra also hints at our favorite work and study.Jupiter in Libra gives the ability to cooperate and meet people,and the 9th house shows a person's desire to constantly learn and develop.Jupiter square Sun also indicate to us the desire of a person to develop(but a little in a negative sense).They are competitive and a bit of a gambler.They respect themselves and appreciate their merits and sometimes it is difficult for them to accept criticism.

I consider Saturn trine MC to be one of the best positions for a career.Saturn,though strict,loves the field of work(MC is responsible for this),so it isn’t a pity to give him several opportunities for a good career.Remember the times of Nickelodeon,don’t underestimate them,because they brought considerable popularity to her,although they were not associated with music.Here Saturn gave her the opportunity to gain a little fame.Saturn in the second house and Saturn square Pluto force you to be a perfectionist in the field of Pisces,that is,music and creativity.Remember her shows and how she and her team carefully prepare for them.Also,this situation is often found in people who often take on someone else's fault.

Uranus and Neptune in the first house make her stand out.She has a photogenic appearance,interesting images and style.Also,such positions bring sensitivity,empathy and a rich inner world.Uranus square Neptune make her be honest,a little moody and intuitive.She is interested in politics,society and a bit of astrology(during Cancer season,she posted posts about it in stories).I've noticed that people who made some major changes somewhere had Uranus sextile Pluto or Neptune sextile Pluto.Remember her albums,which are filled with their own atmosphere and their own era,vocals and a style of voice that can’t be confused with anyone.She made a big contribution to the pop industry and made it more sincere and unusual.

Pluto sextile ascendant forces her to also be active in the affairs of society(notice how many provisions say this?).She is interested in the topic of magic,money,personal growth and is very curious and inquisitive.Scorpio is at home(in Pluto),so it plays an important role.You know how famous Scorpios are for their stubbornness,love of success and power,and since he is in the 10th house,this is another position that indicates success.In a recent interview,she said that she doesn’t set herself boundaries or specific goals,she just wants to develop her creativity every day.

Lilith in the second house indicates that a person in a previous life was careless about his money and property,so in this life he should invest and protect his money.Often the sign in the 2nd house indicates exactly how a person should invest them.In this case,the Pisces are in the second house,so Ariana had to invest in creativity and music.She creates great shows,gathers a huge team of professionals and spends a huge amount of money for music.But don’t forget that later this amount is returned to her in a much larger amount.That's about how Lilith works in the second house.Simply put,"The more money and labor you put in,the more you get back".

Thank you for reading this! Write if you have similar provisions.Love ❤

[okayto]

Mini-Review: Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!

I’m so glad @littlestartopaz​ recommended this to me, because it was SO GOOD.

Yuta wants to start high school afresh: new school far from home, new classmates who don’t know he spent middle school acting out the fantasy of being the mysterious and magic “Dark Flame Master,” new him. But one of his classmates has delusions of her own, and after she accidentally discovers his embarrassing past, Yuta is unwillingly drawn into her life and a growing circle of friends with their own quirks.

The “chunibyo” of the title basically means “8th grade syndrome;” a phase in middle school where some kids inhabit and act out their own fantasy stories, positing themselves as dark magicians, magical girls, and other wielders of magical powers.

I had avoided this for a while, until it was specifically recommended to me, because honestly, it sounds embarrassing, right? It sounds like it’s gonna be an embarrassing manic pixie dream girl scenario. But what it actually contains is the story of how a mixed bag of students--some actively chunibyo, others not--become friends and develop very endearing close relationships, while arguing and frustrating each other because that’s what friends do.

Now, the idea of being the star of what’s essentially your own fantasy-action anime is embarrassing, but what’s notable is that the show doesn’t really hold the chunibyo characters up for mockery. Sure we might laugh at them, but hey--it’s funny to watch friends be silly together. And most viewers, just like some of the characters who have moved on from their chunibyo phases, probably easily understand the mix of soul-wrenching embarrassment and (mild?) fond sentiment that comes with remembering our middle school selves.

But let’s be real: the reactions the two former chunibyo students, Yuta and Shinka have to being reminded of middle school, are #RELATABLE

Rikka, our title chunibyo, in particular uses her fantasy in part to cope with grief, coming from an extended family that (without getting spoilery) didn’t help a young girl to deal with a very hard and life-changing time. Now that she’s in high school, her older sister blackmails Yuta (using an a voice recording of one of his chunibyo speeches) into helping deal with Rikka and things (like the cat she wants to adopt) that pop up.

One thing the show is very good at, though, is not making a single thing the reason behind a character’s chunibyo. One may have started their fantasy inspired by another person, or prompted by an event, but it’s also (while active) part of their personal narrative that influences how they spent their free time, how they see the world and keep blogs or diaries, etc.

But at the same time, they’re still teenagers, and their inner view of themselves...doesn’t always translate skills.

I said the show is primarily about friendship. A lot of that friendship is between Yuta and Rikka, but they accumulate a little group, mainly through Rikka’s attempt to start a magic club. Recruit 1: Kumin, a polite, quiet senpai with no chunibyo history or aspirations.

Kumin starts off seeming like a background character, but by the second season it’s clear she’s not just there for jokes about how she’ll take a nap anywhere. She’s perceptive, and genuinely enjoys watching the others act out their scenarios.

Compared to the other characters who are boisterous in their chunibyo activities (Rikka, Deko, Satone), or vociferously trying not to get drawn in to chunibyo activities (Yuta, Shinka), Kumin is happy to watch and offer encouragement, but she’s also willing to participate if a chunibyo scenario calls for a group.

Incidentally, the show does a really interesting thing where occasionally, we’ll be drawn “inside” the chunibyo world, seeing what Rikka/Deko/whoever see: a fantasy land, big magical weapons, anime-grade magical attacks. Occasionally we’ll also see what this “really” looks like--a couple people running around waving umbrellas at each other--but often we only get the fantasy version. It’s clear that Rikka and co. are legitimately on some level engaging in a shared imagination, and the times when a reluctant character (particularly Yuta or Shinka) willing steps in to the shared illusion are genuinely sweet.

Speaking of, Shinka (aka Morisummer) became one of my favorite characters. Like Yuta, she was chunibyo (”Morisummer the magician”); like Yuta, she chose a high school where she didn’t know anyone expressly so she could reinvent herself as a normal teen. And like Yuta, she’s getting dragged kicking and screaming into chunibyo again.

It would’ve been so easy to make her a bad character. She’s pretty, puts a lot of effort into being popular and likable at school, trying to keep up a good teen girl image, despite being fairly sarcastic at her core. And as loathe as she is to admit it, she likes her friends (even if she won’t admit they’re friends, even if half of them are actively chunibyo, even if she says she’s only hanging around so she can make sure all traces of chunibyo-Morisummer are erased from the internet).

Shinka gets drawn in to the group through Rikka’s apparently only pre-existing friend: Deko, a fellow chunibyo who follows Rikka (or “Eye of the Wicked Lord Shingan”) as her master, and is extremely devoted to the great magician Morisummer. So devoted, in fact, that she has several physical copies of Morisummer’s book containing all her wisdom...aka Shinka-Morisummer’s blog, which Shinka has tried to erase all trace of.

Needless to say, the two don’t seem to get along great.

Deko’s dedication to chunibyo and Morisummer irks Shinka; Shinka’s claim to be Morisummer irks Deko, who refuses to believe the great magician could ever be this sarcastic, mundane girl. Deko’s refusal irks Shinka, bringing out the sarcasm and bluntness Shinka tries to hide from the school at large.

Obviously, they actually become close friends, but heaven help you if you actually say so.

The entire series is an exploration of relationships, and Yuta’s developing closeness with Rikka (hey, we knew it was going to happen) is also sweet. He’s a genuinely likable boy, embarrassed by the vestiges of his former self he sees in Rikka, but often willing to meet her on her level, and both of them also learn/reaffirm the importance of doing things their way, and keeping both of them comfortable, rather than acting a certain way or performing specific acts just because their classmates think their relationship status mandates it.

Speaking of classmates--and I know this is getting long but I CAN’T HELP IT, I LIKED SO MANY ASPECTS OF THIS SERIES--the characters aren’t ridiculed at school. Sure, some people think they’re weird, but there’s no shunning, no arc involving teasing or bullies. Rikka’s often content as a loner, but when she attempts to join in a social circle, she’s welcomed. Shinka’s obsessed with reinventing herself and appearing normal and seems to think that otherwise she’ll be cast out, but multiple characters mention that others at the school notice how she behaves (oddly, on occasion) and there are no social repercussions. Truly nice for a show that has characters spending quite a lot of time in school.

Verdict

English dub? Yes, and it’s got strong performances. Rikka’s voice actor in particular does a fantastic job capturing the difference between chunibyo!Rikka’s confidence and command, and regular!Rikka’s, well, normal awkward teenageness. (Plus, I also found her lower-than animegirl-average voice enjoyable.) (Double plus, I honestly think her English voice is better than her original Japanese voice at showing the difference between her emotions and chunibyo/reality.) Deko’s VA is fantastic showing the enthusiasm of the 9th grader (and what enthusiasm, Deko is like the Energizer Bunny), and Shinka’s VA manages to show her alternating annoyance, cheerfully sweet ideal self, and organizized leader voices.

Visuals: Fine, and I really liked the chunibyo designs for each character’s chunibyo phase. The contrast between chunibyo-vision (giant magic weapons; mysterious lights, fantasy landscapes) and reality (an umbrella or soup ladle; a strip of lights taped to the floor; a local park) was really well done.

Worth watching? Yessss. It’s very manageable--two 12-episode seasons--and while each season contains its own arc (you could stop after the first one, but why), together they make an excellent story. Heck, I think the second season is equal to, if not better than, the first, because the friend group is well-established and even more fun to watch.

Where to watch (USA, as of October 2020): Netflix (dub, sub); Crunchyroll (sub), HIDIVE (sub & dub, plus OVAs and film)

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

[centeris2]

56+193: SandsXRebecca

(from This Prompt List) Rating - T/PG 13 (sexual content, not explicit)56: “Are you flirting with me?” + 193: “Good girl.”

Public appearances were important to maintain Dark Core’s illusion of being a normal corporation, though Mr. Sands kept them as limited as possible. Magic prevented people from questioning why Mr. Sands looked identical to the original founder, but it was still a hassle he avoided when possible. Usually some acting CEO was able to take on the public appearance but that depended on which branch suited the event. Unfortunately, this was a fundraising event Mr. Sands could not delegate to another. At least it was a good opportunity to refresh the charms on government officials and business owners of Jorvik.

Polite conversation wore down the man, who found solace in the image of the bore currently speaking on their knees swearing allegiance. Alas, it was not the good old days when he could show the peons true power and quickly create a loyal following. At least the foolish Silverglade talking was exceptionally easy to manipulate, just like his mother.

A face in the distance caught Mr. Sands’ attention, one that did not belong. He knew every important business owner and politician in Jorvik, he had to in order to maintain power, but this person was not part of that crowd. She certainly looked like she belonged, her posture giving off the air of authority and self confidence required to blend in, but Mr. Sands would know her anywhere. And she was staring right back at him with a grin before the crowd made her disappear.

Now on alert Mr. Sands kept his eyes open for her, and any other enemies. But she was the only druid he saw, steadily making her way closer to him through the crowd. She should not have been as good at this as she appeared, yet there she was easily slipping in and out of conversations with Jorvik’s elite, no one questioning her presence. How far had she dug into Jorvik’s people, what influence had she won while Mr. Sands wasn’t watching?

The second, though much less concerning, thought was her dress, no doubt picked specifically to disarm many who looked at her. He could see it working on others as she flitted between groups, stares and momentarily slacked jaws all that was needed for her to gain the advantage in the conversation before peeling away. Mr. Sands disentangled himself from his current conversation, he couldn’t let an opportunity like this go to waste. He needed to contact the others and make sure they captured her while she was alone.

“Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Sands,” her voice came a moment before she did, walking next to him for a moment before she took an hors d’oeuvre, as though she just happened to be walking to the food when he was heading toward an exit.

“Quite a surprise, Ms. Lightknight,” Mr. Sands said, pausing in his exit to study her. What was she up to? “I did not expect a stable girl to be on the guestlist.”

“Franziska Ironsaddle wanted her designs to be seen here,” Rebecca said with a gesture at her dress. The fashion designer’s dress was sure to be noticed, it tiptoed the line of elegance and risque. Mr. Sands allowed himself a moment to study the outfit, though he did not make a fool of himself by gawking like others had done. It was a black dress with swirls of silver (he tried not to think of the silver as tentacles creeping up her body), with a sweetheart neckline that in combination with crystals and corset called attention to her chest and waist. Long black gloves and a matching black fascinator of lace and feathers completed the main outfit.

“I’d much rather be out of this,” she said casually, not looking at him though she wore a wry smile and gently touched her stomach.

“I beg-” he began, surprised, but she continued, glancing at him with a satisfied grin.

“It is difficult to eat with this corset,” she explained, “Franziska designed this for looks rather than function.”

“You speak a great deal for a mannequin,” Mr. Sands scoffed, not liking how relaxed she was around him.

“Do I make you uncomfortable? I do apologize,” she looked up at him through the mesh veil of her hat, her bright red lips curved into a smirk that indicated she wasn’t sorry. He watched, gaze critical, as she waited for his response and purposefully ate the hors d’oeuvre. Mr. Sands realized it was a squid dish and tried not to think too hard about how she just barely licked her lips after swallowing.

“Perhaps I would be more at ease with some exercise,” Mr. Sands said in a steady voice, offering a hand to dance. She would excuse herself and get away, and he would use the opportunity to call for backup before stalking her, waiting for an opportunity to snatch her.

“As I am the cause of your discomfort, it is only right that I assist to make amends,” she took his hand as though it was the most logical course of action. Her touch made him shiver, worried about what she was up to. But he led her toward the dance area before he took her side and faced her. She matched him and stepped back, using a bit of pressure to pull him forward into a waltz. He took the lead, staring down at her, focused on her mischievous expression.

“Comfortable?” she asked after a few moments of silence, her hands holding fast when he dipped her mid dance.

“What are you up to, Ms. Lightknight?” he whispered in her ear, the proximity making him notice the little choker band of diamonds around her neck and matching earrings.

“I’m not the one with something up,” she murmured, her leg brushing between his as he pulled her back up and resumed dancing, “your tux is very fitted, best be careful.”

“Are you flirting with me?” he finally asked.

“Flirting implies both parties are interested,” she said with a shrug, “which begs the question, are you flirting with me?”

He halted at that question, suspicious and glaring and trying to find the reason in her face.

“Perhaps you need some air, Mr. Sands,” she gave him a grin with that suggestion and pulled away.

“I’d prefer answers,” he held fast and pulled her back to him.

“And why would I give you any?”

“The druids have been bothering me for a very long time, but I’m sad to say they’ve never used this tactic before,” Mr. Sands hissed, drawing her in closer so no one would overhear the conversation.

“How foolish of them, you seem quite susceptible to this ‘tactic’, or is it just me?” instead of withdrawing she leaned into him, hands gripping him tighter, fingers curling just a bit so her nails started to dig in. They stayed close as they waltzed once more, Mr. Sands considering what he knew about this woman.

“You’re not with the druids,” he deduced.

“Catch on quick. If you don’t mind, Mr. Sands, I would like a breath of fresh air.”

He let her pull away at the request, escorting her outside of the massive ballroom and down a quiet hallway. The temperature was noticeably cooler away from the mob of bodies.

“Much better,” Rebecca let out a sigh of relief, fanning herself as she leaned back into Mr. Sands. He stood fast, his hands going to her waist, gripping her as she deliberately rubbed her backside against him, arching to push her hips against his.

“You confound me,” Mr. Sands muttered to her, his hands clutching her now, feeling up the dress to her chest. She curved one leg behind her, hooking his ankle with her heeled foot, revealing a slit that went a great deal higher than Mr. Sands originally thought.

“Just say the word and I’ll stop,” she said in that same cool and matter of fact voice as before, as though this was all perfectly reasonable.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he matched her voice, calm and collected as he felt down her hip to her thigh, his fingers tracing up the grater straps.

“Then what would you say?” she asked, withdrawing enough to turn and face him, one gloved hand between his legs.

“Good girl,” he groaned as he grabbed her by the arms and dragged her into the nearest empty room.

(continued October 8th for Kinktober 2019)

[virgosaturn]

happy + long marriage synastry study 💑💒🕊✨

a little intro if you missed me posting about it: my parents have been happily married for nearly 30 years and were high school sweethearts. i cannot possibly deny that there are astrological reasons that they have been able to make it this long and still so happy. through everything - all the challenges - they’ve stayed committed and together. i wanted to share my findings with you guys. enjoy. x

house overlays

♡ my father’s sun/neptune in my mother’s 12th

neptune is in its home here. talks of dreams and spirituality as well as romance is naturally occurring. my mother has always idolized my father.. literally since she was 16 and this is because he seems to be an answer to her dreams & a built in part of her subconscious desires. my father always felt at home with my mother and felt that this was the one person he could spill his dreams and less shapely side into. hence, the sun seeps in, too. my father feels like my mother truly gets him and always has. he was instantly drawn to her because of this. 12th house overlays are said to be karmic and deep connections because of the complex and soulful nature of the 12th house. it is also so connected to our dreams and subconscious and possibly past life. having the core personality (sun) falling in someone else’s 12th house can really bring up the subconscious and it can be uncomfortable, but ground breaking. having a planet in its natural house typically indicates natural understanding and easy flow as well as, in this case with neptune and the 12th house, affection.

♡ my mother’s sun/mercury/juno in my father’s 5th

fun! excitement! energy! affection! having multiple planets/asteroids fall in someone’s 5th house means all of those things. my mother makes my dad’s days.. better! she lightens his mood and reminds him to enjoy the finer, lighter things. she dares him to go out and explore, have goofy fun. my mother makes my father more affectionate than he naturally is. with 5th house overlays, there is a lot of touchiness and dates! my parents still go on frequent date nights to hot spots around town - that is this energy working. with the presence of juno here, my father fell in love with my mother because of how she made him feel when they first started dating, how she was around children, how she was when they went to fun events and had casual fun. he loves that she can still keep him guessing and keep him more than entertained and that she makes him feel special and gives him all the cuddles!

♡ my mother’s venus & north node in my father’s 6th

my mother feels highly inclined to show her love through acts of service for my father. she is more inclined to take care of the daily, boring work so that he doesn’t have to. she wants to make him physically comfortable and create a beautiful, tranquil daily/home life for him. when he has a bad day, so does she. she is immensely committed and devoted. my father naturally connects to her dream world, while also helping her connect to the real world. 

♡ my mother’s mars and chiron in my father’s 7th

ah, the 7th house. it’s interesting to find two very different planets here, especially in synastry. my father loves my mother’s insatiable, fiesty energy and motivation. he also may see her wounds pretty dead on and did so early in their relationship. this makes sense to me because my mother underwent a death in the family while my parents were still dating. my father was my mother’s rock during it and has always been her rock when she is dealing with very harsh emotional distress. he is intrinsically there for her, as the themes of her trauma are right in line with his “relationship house”; it feels right to him to be there for her. 

♡ my father’s saturn in my mother’s 4th

let’s just say: my dad is a highly structured man and is especially so about his children and household, while my mother isn’t. my father did not want pets for a long time, so my mother did not get to have pets. my father almost did not want to have children and he is very anal about how things run in our house. it’s difficult for my mom and is one of the main things they get into riffs about. this is certainly a hard place for saturn to fall. my mother sometimes feels she has to alter the way she would naturally want her household to be/keep it up to my father’s “standards”.

♡ my father’s vertex, north node, and moon in my mother’s 5th

reoccurring multiple 5th house overlays! having these both ways must be significant. instant attraction based on my mother’s fun, flirty, casual romantic side. feeling emotionally fulfilled by my mother’s affection, joy, interests, entertainment. no shortage of fun here, just as my mother’s sun/mercury in my father’s 5th suggests! having multiple 5th house overlays both ways can indicate overemphasizing the fun aspects of the relationship and brushing off the more serious parts, which can be harmful and indicate short term over long term. (clearly that did not stand in their way & there is a lot of other overlays to combat this)

♡ my father’s jupiter in my mother’s 9th

jupiter is happy here (the second planet to be in its most desired house.). this can indicate helping each other broaden their horizons and always seek to more deeply understand the world around us. shows interest in talking about philosophical and spiritual things, and having an optimistic outlook towards most things together. 

♡ my mother’s moon, pluto, & south node in my father’s 12th

so not only is there double 5th house overlays, there is also double 12th. these are all extremely important planets/points in synastry. for them all to fall in my father’s 12th, it could indicate some feeling of vulnerability that my mother probably does not feel with most, like he sees right through her in both a good and bad way. bad because it can feel like this person has narrowed you down too simply and sees all your flaws immediately, good because they probably get you in a way you’ve always wanted to be understood. you are in their subconscious and as the planet person unlock it, so to speak. all their dreams, fears, hidden desires, deepest secrets come pouring out. this is especially intense and true for moon and pluto placed here. having south node here is interesting, as the nodes and the 12th house are both karmic/can be tied to past lives. it may be especially likely my parents connected in a past life or that they were meant to find each other and help each other make their way out of the dark. 

♡ my father’s venus, uranus, and pluto in my mother’s 10th

to say my mother looks up to my father is an understatement and this only proves that. he is the ideal lover that she secretly crushed on and that she did not expect to show any interest in her. she loves the way he thinks and expresses his uniqueness. and she sees the strength in his intensity (as well as feels it in herself bc natally she has pluto in the 10th). my father loves the feeling of her awe and adoration and it really builds his confidence and makes him feel as if he could do anything. my father helps my mother’s confidence as well especially career and image wise. he may have been rather drawn to the way she looks and put a lot of emphasis on it. 

♡ my father’s mercury and juno and south node in my mother’s 11th

friends first. loving each other’s minds. enjoying each other’s intelligence, the way they think specifically about politics and societal issues. my parents are in total agreement politically. they have similar things to say about issues. my father loves the way my mom is in social surroundings, loves her wit and unique qualities that make hers stand out. he fell hard for her brain and they way she uses it to insert herself into the world. 

♡ my father’s mars in my mother’s 2nd

protective, traditional, and clingy. my father feels he needs to protect my mother and loves her feminine qualities. they have traditional gender roles (and they’ll both always defend it). my dad wants to take care of the finances and loves buying my mom nice things. he gets angry at her when she spends too much. he is more sensual with her than anyone else. they are always together and can be rather needy for each other. 

♡ my mother’s asc in my father’s 2nd, dsc in my father’s 8th

my mother first noticed my father’s sense of style and self worth when they began dating. she loved how he valued himself and what he placed value on. he adores and wants to understand more deeply who she is behind the surface and as they became more and more intimate, he knew she was right for him. this worked vice versa as well. 

♡ my father’s asc in my mother’s 10th, dsc in my mother’s 4th

my father seemed absolutely ideal to my mother, her dream man (combine rising in 10th with venus in 10th). he seemed out of reach and she sought to impress him for a long time, but came to realize my father loved who she naturally is, how she was raised, and saw himself building a life with her. 

♡ some commonalities: 5th house overlays both ways, 12th house overlays both ways

aspects

💘 father’s sun conjunct mother’s neptune and ascendant. mom idealized him. instant attraction both ways. 

💘 father’s moon opposite mother’s jupiter and conjunct mother’s saturn. mom at times feels constricted because of the way my father expresses emotions. dad feels pressure to live up to mother’s expectations

💘 father’s mercury trine mother’s venus, conjunct mother’s jupiter, and opposite mother’s saturn. sweet words, lively conversation, and a hint of seriousness

💘 father’s venus trine mother’s mercury, conjunct mother’s uranus and pluto. more sweet words, an electric love, an obsessive love

💘 father’s mars trine mother’s moon, square mother’s mars and uranus, and trine mother’s pluto. naturally comforting, different energy levels, combative on certain issues, and intensity

💘 father’s jupiter opposite mother’s sun and venus, conjunct mother’s moon. dad feels restricted sometimes, also feels fuller with her in especially how she expresses emotion

💘 father’s neptune square mother’s sun. bad kind of illusions

💘 father’s pluto conjunct mother’s moon. intense, powerful, uniting, aggressive. easily hurt feelings and easily arising power struggles. 

💘 father’s ascendant conjunct mother’s uranus and pluto. instant attraction. love for how mom is different and intense.

💘💘 tightest aspect: mother’s chiron conjunct father’s dsc at .04 degrees. healing through love

💘💘💘 some themes: many conjunctions and oppositions, mixture of easy and hard aspects, many aspects to the ascendants/descendants, prominent involvement with outer planets, especially jupiter and uranus, both ways aspects: sun-neptune, mercury-venus

some notes/big takeaways

💌 my dad’s dominants: Taurus, Libra, Scorpio | Water, earth | Venus, Pluto, Saturn | 2nd, 1st-7th (tie) & my mom’s dominants: Pisces, Virgo, Aries-Gemini-Scorpio (3-way tie for 3rd) | Water, earth | Neptune, Pluto, Venus | 3rd, 4th, 10th

they have two of the same dominant planets, one of the same dominant signs, and have the same dominant modalities

💌 they have a lot of involvement with outer planets in their aspects

💌 the 5th house and 12th house are most prominent between them

💌 chiron conjunct dsc is their tightest aspect

💌 their house overlays involve both typical romantic houses (4, 5, 7, 8, 12) and typically nonromantic houses (9, 10, 11)

💌 they have both of their ascendants aspected by the other’s planets

💌 their dominant houses are involved in synastry quite heavily (which can feel rather natural bc that means our natal dominant houses are the same/similar to our synastry ones)

hope you enjoyed! please follow, like, and/or reblog if you did. 

[vsplusonline]

"She Makes Me Wanna Do Better"

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/she-makes-me-wanna-do-better/

"She Makes Me Wanna Do Better"

Ekta Kapoor with Smriti Irani. (Image courtesy: ektarkapoor)

Highlights

Ekta Kapoor shared a post for Smriti Irani

The duo share very close bond

“She is adept to talk on anything,” wrote Ekta Kapoor

New Delhi:

Who needs a specific day or time to celebrate friendship, right? No one knows it better that Ekta Kapoor and Smriti Irani, who commemorate their friendship not only on Women’s Day but every day. The reason we are saying this is because two days after the International Women’s Day, the TV producer shared a heartfelt note for the Union Minister and wrote how she makes her want to do better. Along with the note, Ekta Kapoor shared an animated video, which Smriti Irani had posted on Women’s Day for her. In the clip, two teddy bears, tagged as “Ekta” and “Me” (for Smriti herself), can be seen dancing like crazy to the track Tum Kya Jaano Mohabbat Kya Hai from the 1077 film Hum Kisise Kum Naheen.

Sharing the same video, Ekta Kapoor wrote: “This woman started working with me then became my best friend then went on to take on the world of politics! She is adept to talk on anything, from art, politics, business, movies and has perfected the art of parenting (if there is anything as perfect), multitasking, balancing multiple roles. She makes me wanna do better! Not on women’s day but I celebrate our friendship every day. #soulsister.”

Smriti Irani and Ekta Kapoor’s friendship started when the former made her television debut with Ekta’s Kyunkii…Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in 2001. Since then, the duo have become closest friends and we often get glimpses of their bonding on their respective social media pages, where they share adorable posts for each other.

Here’s what Smriti Irani had said sharing the aforementioned clip on International Women’s Day: “On the 8th, reams will be written about how women are, how they should be looked upon, how they should inspire or aspire… All I say is… Be. Be strong, be fun, be you. Don’t be defined by anyone else. Define your own destiny. Just…Be.”

Take a look:

Ekta Kapoor has produced several television shows and movies such as Dream Girl, Hum Paanch, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Ye Hai Mohabbatein, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasturi to name a few. Her recently-produced web-series Mentalhood will soon air on the online streaming platform ALT Balaji and ZEE5 Premium.

Smriti Irani is best-known for playing Tulsi Virani in Kyunkii…Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She has also featured in shows such as Hum Hain Kal Aaj Aur Kal, Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan and Virrudh among others. She ventured into politics in the year 2003. She is currently serving in the cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Minister of Textiles and the Minister of Women and Child Development.

Source link

[toptecharena]

Nigeria is badly broken and damaged and in dire need of a surgical operation.

Political commentator, Jude Ndukwe, writes that Nigeria needs a surgical operation to take back its place in the community of nations. Ndukwe also has an idea about the kind of surgeon ready made for the task.

His opinion piece is reproduced below, unedited:

________

It is now globally known that Nigeria is broken! Since 2015, under the current presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, the nation has managed to trudge on, not forward as would ordinarily have been expected, but backwards.

Her condition, which probably needed mild analgesics to properly guide her track on the continued path of progress, has been made worse since the All Progressives Congress, APC took over power in 2015, and she is in a very serious state of coma that it would take a highly qualified surgeon with the humanness of a mother, heart for the people, and a verifiable track record, to reverse, stabilize and put back on the path of recovery, growth and development.

It has never been this bad in Nigeria! From grave security lapses to the economy, flagrant disobedience of court orders and disrespect for citizens’ rights, to unemployment, fall in standard of education, health, infrastructure and such other key indices of human and societal development, the nation is simply in shambles under the Buhari government.

Mutiny in the army

Just the other day, specifically on Sunday August 12, 2018, soldiers had cause to openly protest against their superiors in Maiduguri, threatening to shoot them over redeployment matters. They were frustrated with the way security situations are being handled as it relates to their postings.

Ordinarily, soldiers would not have been so riotous as they were in Maiduguri on that day but for the reality of the grim picture of a completely broken down security architecture that has allowed Boko Haram insurgents regroup and become more daring and deadlier as they kept sacking military formations with relative ease, killing many of the soldiers with some of the survivors re-echoing what Nigerians already know, that is, that the troops are ill-equipped and exposed to the superior firepower of the terrorists.

On Monday, July 2, 2018, a similar protest was also embarked upon, only this time by police officers posted to Maiduguri, over unpaid allowances, lack of accommodation, among other issues bordering on their welfare. Just like their counterparts in the military, the protesting police officers shot sporadically into the air causing passersby to scamper for safety.

Ugly developments as these are incontrovertible proofs that our security architecture and situation have both degenerated to a near-irredeemable state. Little wonder, for a long time, some terrorists operating under the guise of herdsmen have freely unleashed terror on Nigerians across the country without let or hindrance, leaving behind them tears, sorrow and blood, as our security forces look on helplessly and powerlessly as if under a spell.

It is even most alarming that despite the claims of responsibilities for these attacks even on national television, no one seems to be prosecuted today for those multiple heinous crimes committed against our people including hapless women and children, some of whom were ripped open from their mothers’ wombs as they awaited their days of birth oblivious of the dire security situation that would cut short their expectations!

Rather than adequately equip our security forces so that they can perform their constitutional roles, the ruling party’s preoccupation seems to be the use of these security forces to achieve selfish and sinister political motives and unleash them against innocent civilians who dare speak against them or hold a divergent view from theirs as witnessed in the illegal and barbaric invasion of both the National Assembly and the Benue State House of Assembly by some security forces almost simultaneously.

A suffering health sector

On health front, while cases of polio have resurfaced, Lassa Fever has killed more people than it ordinarily should have done if we had a more focused and coordinated government in place. A majority of Nigerians have wondered what would have happened if it was the Buhari administration that was in place when the Ebola virus hit the country few years ago. It is almost certain that with the events of today, a good number of Nigerians would have died from it.

An economy in crisis

The economy has not fared any better. Despite the claims that Nigeria has exited recession which the country was plunged into under the Buhari administration, the reality on ground proves otherwise as the hardship in the land is so palpable it can never be mistaken for prosperity as claimed by the spin doctors of the ruling party.

The prices of food stuff have skyrocketed and have refused to come down; cost of transportation has remained so high; basic household items have also gone out of the reach of the masses as prices have increased astronomically as a result of the combined effects of fuel price increase from N87 to N141 and deep fall in the value of the Naira from about N190/$ in 2015 to about N360/$ today, all under the Buhari presidency!

A report released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in January, shows that a whopping 7.9 million Nigerians became unemployed between January 2016 and September 30, 2017. At an average of 6 persons per family, it means that about 47.4 million Nigerians have lost their sources of livelihood, a population far more than that of The Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina put together!

Factories are closing down in droves and the stock market keeps crashing on a regular basis as investors’ confidence in the nation’s polity and economy keeps waning radically due to the lack of focus and obvious ineptitude of government. Still under Buhari, Nigeria just officially overtook India as the world headquarters of extreme poverty.

Upon all these, and apart from the civil war era, Nigerians have never been so divided in their history as they are now having been led by the president’s unfortunate division of the country into 97% vs 5% sides. Rather than heal the situation, President Muhammadu Buhari has made it worse with his highly nepotistic appointments, statements and policies which many see as favouring a section of the country against the others.

As it stands today, Nigeria is grounded! She is pauperized, broken and wounded! She is in urgent need of a surgeon who knows how to resuscitate a dying patient to bring her back to life, bandage her wounds and give her hope that, in spite of all she has gone through, hers is not a completely hopeless one as long as she is conscious enough not to repeat her mistake of 2015 but move away from her oppressors who have been busy maligning and blackmailing others rather than face the urgent needs of State.

The surgeon

No doubt, with what he has been able to achieve as president of the 8th Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, a medical doctor by profession and an astute politician who has proved to have more than the ability needed to work with people from different backgrounds, diverse affiliations and protect all interests no matter how divergent they are, fits the bill of the surgeon that Nigeria needs at a time like this.

Having suffered gruesome political assaults himself, Saraki understands the need for Nigerians to be allowed to enjoy their freedom as enshrined in our constitution. He sure knows the importance of obeying court orders, and he is one man who has used his office to sound several warnings about the dangers of allowing the nation to drift as it has done today.

However, his admonitions were mistaken for inimical dissent and he was made to suffer for it, marked for destruction. But events of today have proven him right as Nigeria grapples for life. Having defeated his traducers at the courts even up to the Supreme Court level, and emerged victorious against all their shenanigans, Saraki suddenly became the beautiful bride of his oppressors who were believed to have induced him with mouthwatering juicy offers.

However, Saraki had concluded that he had had enough of sharing the same table with a party that has supervised the killings of Nigerians in droves, a majority of the survivors who go to bed hungry on a daily basis and left to the whimsical and capricious dictates of their murderers despite the billions of dollars the presidency earmarks for security on a regular basis.

No amount of inducement would stop him. Saraki’s mind was made up. He had to leave and wash his hands clean of all the evils the APC has brought upon the land. And in collaboration with other Nigerians of good conscience and spirit, he is one man, one trained surgeon that a battered Nigeria needs to better and restore her back to succor!

__________

 *Mr Jude Ndukwe wrote this piece from Lagos . He can be reached on jrndukwe@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter: @stjudendukwe. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Pulse.

Go to Source Author: Pulse Mix Opinion: This badly broken Nigeria is in urgent need of a surgeon Nigeria is badly broken and damaged and in dire need of a surgical operation. Political commentator, Jude Ndukwe, writes that Nigeria needs a surgical operation to take back its place in the community of nations.

[maryannmassina-blog]

Sunlight As Well As Moon Design.

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[rapmonster-notdancemonster-blog]

Mutilation pt. 1

warning: rated R for violence and character death 

I am aware of how lame this story is. I wrote it like in the 8th grade, sorry ya’ll. 

Chapter One:          Carolyn sat on the jagged, wooden chair located at the back of the smoke- filled bar. She heard laughter, cheering, and the clinking of glasses. It seemed as if everyone in the room was happy, the total opposite of what she was feeling at the moment. Carolyn reached into her jacket pocket a took out a box labeled, Camel. She took out a cigarette and lit it up, sighing, and thought back to about 3 hours before. When her world was sill flying and hadn't crash landed.              Her life was good, great in fact. She had a loving boyfriend of 3 years, whom she was sure was going to propose that night. Jim had been speaking of marriage lately and he had told her himself that she was the light of his life and wanted to spend the rest of his life wtih her. And the week earlier, he had taken her to a ring shop, and together they had looked at all the beautiful rings. There was this one ring had caught her eye in specific. It was a gold ring with emeralds and diamonds encrusted in the spiral design. It was the most beautiful article of jewlery she had every laid her eyes upon. And before they had left, Jim had told her to go wait outside for him while he spoke to the merchandise man behind the counter, who he claimed was his old buddy, Jonathan, from high school. She had left the store with a curious expession touching her almost flawless features. But, as she left, she had seen Jim talking to "Jonathan" and handing him his credit card and Jonathan handing Jim a small velevet box. Jim quickly shoved the box in his pants pocket and retrieved his credit card back from the man. Just before he saw her peeping, Carolyn had turned around and ran back outside from her hiding place. Smoothing out her clothes to look less suspicious. Jim had come out, the genuine smile she had learned to love over time, dancing on his lips.         "M'lady? Shall we?" Jim asked, offering her his arm, like the gentleman he was. Carolyn too smiled, and gladly accepted his arm and linked her arm in his, pretending to not have seen anything that she had just witnessed. She wanted him to ask her the traditional way, Carolyn wanted the moment to be perfect. And it would be perfect.          So when her told her that he had reservated a table at her favourite restaurant, and wanted to have dinner with her to tell her something extremely important, Carolyn's heart was flying and she was sure she were close to heaven. In her case, heaven was wherever she was, it didn't matter where, as long as she was with Jim and she was sharing his last name.                The day of the date, she had gone shopping earlier in the morning to buy herself a new outfit for that special night. She had gotten herself this beautiful red dress that brandished her dark brown eyes. The dress had fit her perfectly, as if the dress had been made for her and the angels in the heavens above had skillfully handcrafted and weaved it themselves. The dress had showed off her curvy yet slender figure. When checking herself out in the mirror, she smiled and thanked Fabio, her personal trainer, for all of his help in making her look sexy. Tonight is going to be perfect. No it will be perfect. Nothing could go wrong, and nothing would. She thought to herself.                That is, until at the fancy 5 star restaurant, Jim had told her that she was too low for him, and he needed someone that hadn't dropped out of college when studying fashion design. She told him that just because his mother was the head of the most successful lawyer firm in the state and his father was the Senator of the state did not mean that he could not get married with her. Jim didn't care, he told her that his reputation meant more to him than his love life. Even if it meant marrying someone yet had a masters in college. Carolyn was in tears, crying because she knew that was Jim's weakness towards her. Carolyn was hoping to make him change his mind or tell her that he was pranking her. She yelled at Jim, telling him that she couldn't believe that she had fallen for a fake like him.                However, her pleads and tears did not phase him, in fact, Jim had laughed in her face. He laughted at her, clutching his stomach and doubling over in pure hilaiousness. Carolyn could still remember how his cruel and evil laughter sounded. His laughter sounded as if he was choking on his own words and the low oxygen intake he was taking in. He pointed at her, humiliating her. Making it seem as if she had just told him a spontanious joke. When he had collected himself he sat up straight in his chair wiping a tear of joy from his eye and looked at her with a rude teasing look in his eyes.                "Darling," he drawled out, "you really had me going there, you actually believed that I, the son of the very important leader in politics and son of a prestigious leader would propose, and later on marry a woman of your kind and social staus?" Carolyn grimaced at the use of his taunting words, using her own words against her. "My dear!" He exclaimed, "You had to be joking!" Carolyn then ran out of the restaurant, (very impressive I must add, she was wearing 6 inch heels, that takes years of practice) tears running down her sunkissed face. Laughter trailed behind her, she could already imagine the traunting smirk on his face, "Don't worry love, I'll get the check!"                 Now here she was, inhaling the fumes of the dreadfull white stick of paper that could potentially end her life (message recieved, don't smoke cigarettes kids). Carolyn lowered her head into her hand, scratching her scalp with her left index finger. What would become of her now? She had nothing. All of her life revolved around her precious Jim. She had no friends to depend on, and she had left her family for Jim. It seemed as if Jim had blocked her from any socialization. This mae her weep even harder, thankfully, her pathetic sobs were quiet. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have not seen this comming? How come she didn't plan for this, she was always prepared. And so, what would become of her? Where would she go? What would she do? She had no money and all of her belongings had stayed at Jim's flat, and she could never go back. She never wanted to see the face of the man that had so evilly took advantage of her feelings and controlled her life. She did not want to see the tauting look in his eyes, she never wanted to see the playful smirk on his lips. She never wanted to see him. She wanted to erase his image from her mind. If only she could burn it away with a lighter. If only life were that easy.                Across the bar, a tall man dressed in a black leather jacket and hand shoved in his right pocket was leaning against the wall, very most casually. Unbeknownst to Carolyn, the man was sneaking glances at her. About 5 long minutes later, the dark haired man walked towards the weaping beauty, a very special shiny object in his jacket. When he stood in front of her, her gently placed his palm at the bottom of her chin and they stayed like that for a few moments.            "Chin up deary," he spoke finally, gently lifing her chin up for her to meet his eyes. When Carolyn's chocolate eyes met his warm obsidian coloured eyes Carolyn nearly melted in her seat. He was strikingly handsome. The man had a pale yet glowing complexion and the perfect jawline, high cheekbones and everything. It was as if this man were truly the man of her dreams, the perfect man she had created when she was a hormonal teenager. She was suprised that such a handsome person were speaking to her and not to the other sensual woman dancing together on the dancefloor. The man and Carolyn had talked for a while, apppreaciating eachother's company. If a bystander were to glance in their direction, they would've seen two longtime life friends having a chat and reminiscing over the good times of their lives.                 When the man had fully gained her trust, he had persuaded her to follow him to a safe place. Carolyn was desperate for company as any other woman were to be in her situation, especially be one as dashing as he, and so she quickly gave into his charm and accepted his offer and quickly followed him to the empty alleyway.                The man smiled, loving the feeling that was rushing through his veins, and the thrill of what was going to happen next sent exhilerating chills down his spine. Meanwhile, Carolyn was feeling a bit better, perhaps the worst had came and left. She was with a good-looking man that she knew was going to ask her out. She looked up into the dark sky and at the moon that was lighting up buildings around her, as if she were in the spotlight. The curves of her mouth lifted into a soft smile. Everything was going to be okay, this would be a new start for her. And this time she would be prepared, tomorrow, she would phone her mother and tell her what had happened. She knew her mother would understand. And with this man, would help her and be a supportive friend, maybe even more. Oh, how dreadfully wrong she was.                      Suddenly, the dark haired man's hands shot out and grabbed the woman by the throat, squeezing with all of his might. His own lips curve into a cruel and sinister smile. Carolyn frantically panicked, and struggled against his solid tight grip. The lack of oxygen caused tears to spring into her red rimmed eyes and cause the veins of her eyesballs the pulse dangerously, as if they were to explode. She grabbed at his hands and tried to pry them off her neck, scratching him and leaving temporary scars and open wounds in the process, but it was no use. The man smiled even wider, his eyes traveling up and down her struggling body in a maniac matter. He then released her when her brown eyes looked as if they were close to popping out of their sockets.                He threw her upon the floor and started to kick her stomach, blood immediately gushing out of her mouth. She didn't even get the chance to breathe. The tears had came out, like water works and she was choking on the substance of her clood mixed with tears. She weakly looked up at him when he stopped kicking. She hoped he would leave, that he was satisfied with her and leave her alone. She curled into a ball and hoped that somehow, someone would come and save her. She wouldn't even mind if it were the devil himelf. Anyone,  anyone that would save her, but.... anyone but Jim. The thought of her ex- boyfriend made the tears come out faster, in larger quantities and this time, the sobs were loud, and they shook her body violently.                The man stood above her, rolling his eyes at her display weakness, he took out the special shiny object that was hiding in his jacket pocket. It was a beauty, a silver shiny knife that glistened in the light of the moon and the light coming from the street lamp. The man stopped for a few seconds, admiring the weapon in his hands, his shit-eating grin widening even more, if possible. His eyes reverted from the knife to Carolyn's weak shivering body on the cold cement ground.                 The man then brought the knife down slowly and tauntingly, down to her face and gently trailed it against her bruised neck. He growled lowly and quietly, Carolyn almost missed the strange sound, which in her opinion, sounded aroused and made her ears redden. The man opened his mouth, as if to speak to her.                "Sweet dreams..." he whispered and cooed to her, looking like the complete psycho maniac killer he was. He let his deep and alluring voice be carried off into the wind down to her sweaty and red ears. He then rose the knife dramatically over his head, Carolyn flinched out of reflex, and the man struck her in the chest repeatedly, never missing her heart. Forever mutilating her. And just before that happened, the moment she flinched, one thought made it through her mind. He didn't even tell me his name...

Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do it better a second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.                                                                                                                                                                                                               -Oprah Winfrey

wow, you made it this far? how about reading chapter 2?  ​​​​​​​

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For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.wthr.com/article/direct-flights-from-indy-would-boost-economy-business-leaders-say

You spend the whole time trying to get to sleep, and when you finally start to drift off, the flight attendant asks you to open the window shade.Ugh. Agonising light floods in and, yeah, it means you’re about to land, but why do they do it? Is it just a cruel trick to punish you for turning your nose up at the microwaved mush food? Well, no, not exactly. Tech Insider asked one flight attendant to explain, and they revealed that, actually, they ask you to raise the shade for your own safety, thank you very much. The stewardess said: If there’s an emergency, we have to be able to look out the window to assess outside conditions. If there is debris, fire, or water blocking the window, we won’t use that exit and will direct people elsewhere. It may seem like a small thing, but in an emergency, every second counts. You don’t want to have to fiddle with a window shade when you’re trying to safely evacuate a plane in 90 seconds. Now it all makes sense, doesn’t it? So next time a flight attendant ask you to open the window shade, do so with the best smile you can manage, safe in the knowledge that they’re looking out for you. You Might Also Like

For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit https://www.yahoo.com/news/real-reason-flight-attendants-tell-105736789.html

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