#which helped give them actual personalities and overall raised my investment in making sure their home essentially would be safe by the end

[theskeletoninthegarden]

I had a dream where I was playing as a thief tasked to find out the truth behind the whereabouts of another criminal on a college campus. It was fun in that I was given an overall objective, but absolutely no one gave me an idea as to where to start first. Basically a lot of it involved either me figuring out how to B&E into different offices, or eavesdropping at the right time, but there were other hired thieves that I had to deal with at the same time that added an element of "combat" to the experience.

[mislamicpearl]

Thoughts about Ninjago DR S2 eps 18-20 (finale):

I'll put the summary here so the spoilers can stay hidden. Overall, I think this might be my favorite part of Dragons Rising so far. So many things have been improved upon by leagues from season 1, with the villains being more likable, the setting and plot way more interesting, the new characters growing into their own, no more filler side plots, even the humor is better. While of course it wasn't flawless it is finally making me excited and eager to see the next season, rather than cautious and apprehensive, and not even just because I want to see the OG characters, but because I'm genuinely invested in the new gen ones.

And now for the spoilers:

Lmao Zeatrix went all uwu suddenly with that apology. But it is nice to see she's not an all the way bad person like her sister (maybe). Wonder what she'll do now?

Wyldfyre schooling her on how to apologize was so cute haha. And her suggestion of punishment hilarious. (Also when are we going to get more about how she grew up??)

It's fun seeing Wyldfyre and Arin as a duo together (despite how sad it is that Arin is still rebuffing Sora).

"Normal people lock doors. I was raised by dragons and even I know that." So many good Wyldfyre moments in this episode.

Okay Lloyd is unconscious but Zane and Cole are RIGHT THERE to help you instead Sora, you know they're spinjitzu masters too right? Heck they LITERALLY used to be teachers at one point!

Aw, Frak is a good boy actually, I like him.

The way Sora balanced on her tiptoes at the edge like that was cool haha

When Jordana handed Sora the note with the math equation on it my sister said "Sora, help me with my homework", and for some reason that made me and my other sister crack up so much we had to pause the video.😆

Yeah knew it, Roby was a red herring, of course the old guy who likes tradition is the bad one.🙄

Ahahaha Arin jumping on the exercise ball and it launching away was too real. XD

I'm not a fan of shows making young characters not know what older technology is, so I was glad that Arin called it a rotary phone, BUT it was also funny when Wyldfyre said she still doesn't know what they are because in HER case it actually makes sense.

Also my sisters reminded me that Lloyd, who's likely close to a decade older than Arin, didn't know what a VHS tape is, which makes it even funnier.

Woah woah woah what the heck that evil lair was DISTURBING, bro wants to murder his own nephew!

Love we're still continuing the joke that no one can remember Jordana's name.

Yooooo Lloyd saw Arin betraying him in a vision!😭 This boy is going to get traumatized worse than Wu with Morro.

Oh okay, Cole temporarily got his powers back through the Chekhov's gun mech, sure. I mean it's not the first time characters have gotten their powers back after losing them just through sheer will, and you know what, this isn't even the worst way it's been done, so whatever. Also guess the mech really did belong to Lilly.

Lloyd used wind!!! That feels SO satisfying somehow. Just imagine Morro's reaction if he'd seen. XD

Yikes, freaky mask...

Wyldfyre is a smart cookie with that switcheroo.

Oh my gosh, Cole's reaction to seeing Wu was so sweet, he missed him so much.😭

He really asked if he died omg

Sora's apology to Jordana was so sweet, I hope she heard it all.

Zur is revealed to actually be a very nice guy haha. (Had to search up his name though, seriously why are all the names of the new characters so unintelligible?)

I like that Arin feeling even more betrayed that Lloyd didn't immediately leave Sora's fight to deal with his revelation that Wu caused the merge, felt believable; he's young and already not in a good mental space right now, and mixed with his anger at Sora and not having learned proper spinjitzu from Lloyd, it's no wonder he'd feel especially bitter towards Lloyd not giving him more credence in favor of helping Sora, the new golden child, even if that's not what Lloyd was doing. Like really, Arin's whole "turning to the dark side" arc is written crazy good!

Lmao why was Geo cheering Nokt's win??

Nothing like making sure the audience knows your new protagonist is better than the old ones by having the previous protagonist tell her so. Hey I know that's just Lloyd trying to be a good teacher by encouraging her after her loss but still, that line felt kinda self-indulgent on the writers' part.

What do you know, someone evil took all the powers and stopped you from taking them back with the cup, Roby. Actually, what's the point in giving all the powers to the winner in the end when they're gonna return to their original owners anyway? It's not like they'd need them to fight.

So uhhh was it PLANNED by Nokt and Rox for Sora the tech master to be their final opponent? Cause there's no way they could've known that (especially considering her first match was rigged to sway in her opponent's favor), much less that she would've used her powers to remove the shock collar thingy.

DANG Ras not holding back with that warhammer, that looked painful! XD

Nya came back! Without Jay but I'm glad she's not missing the finale.

Again, Frak is a good boy. He deserved to say that "ninja go"

"I sincerely detest rising dragon" lmao at that line delivery XD

Oh my God Roby, how long does it really take to activate that cup thing?? Stop talking and just do it!

THAT 360 FIGHT AGAINST NOKT WAS SO COOL!

"How did you learn perfect spinjitzu?" "Not from you." BRO I KNOW I WANTED ARIN TO THROW IT IN HIS FACE BUT THAT WAS SO COOOOLD!!😩

Okayyy see Wyldfyre roaring in Roby's face instead of going for the kiss? That's more in character for her and really funny. And Roby just going with it? Very sweet.Still, glad this is going to stay a long distance relationship.

KAAAAIIII! Kai coming to save their butts! Kai soloing Nokt! Kai saying "don't you dare touch her"!!!

Nokt really said he would end Kai with his own daughter's powers, I can't

Love Euphrasia taking out Cinder immediately after they got their powers back. XD Good girl!

I really felt Lloyd and Sora's heartbreaking cries for Arin, it's just like seeing a father and daughter losing their son/brother.😭

Awwww the group hug tackle on Kai!

But... I'm a little disappointed Kai and Cole couldn't get their own moment together, since they're reuniting for the first time after the merge.

Aww but the Cole and Bonzle hug was cute.

Look, I don't dislike Sora as a character or anything, but calling her the "greatest elemental master of the merged realms" isn't sitting right with me. She only won by default against Nokt, without even knowing rising dragon technique, and probably would've lost to Frak too if he hadn't had a change of heart. The entire tournament was purposefully written so that she'd be the winner; Nya would've beaten Nokt if Blekt hadn't cheated, and Lloyd was disqualified for being injured, not even to speak again of how Zane was taken out like garbage for no reason in the first round, without it even having been rigged like Cole's game was. Maybe this wouldn't bother me so much if Sora wasn't designed to look so obviously appealing to the "new gen" crowd with her pink-haired catgirl thing going on, I mean she looks just like an overly designed fan OC, but the fact that she's a child genius, and always being told by others how amazing she is - except of course by the people who were completely wrong about her and were getting in the way of her potential - and now being celebrated as "the best" mostly by circumstance... is kinda making her dangerously close to becoming a special snowflake in my book.

Oh hey it's Frohicky lol. Can't say I really felt his absence.🤷‍♀️

Love that Kai promised Nya they'd find Jay together, best big brother for real.

Lloyd already putting Arin's picture up like he departed, what is it with these ninja overreacting 🤣

*chants* ev-il Ar-in ev-il Ar-in!

[all-my-love-for-harry]

Hi I’m in love with your series!! Single mom is definitely my favorite,I much prefer single mom over single dad if I’m honest! Can we get like a blurb about the first time Artemis opened up a little more to Harry without his mom around? ❤️

Hi!! i agree with you 100%, single moms are amazing! thank you for reading 💗

harry is running out of options to make artemis like him

you can find more of my shy little boy here

Three months in and Harry was convinced Artemis did not like him. He felt like he has tried everything, but the boy was yet to open up to him.

He tried making conversation about the things he knew Artemis liked and even if he did answer him (because that's what polite boys do, according to his mumma), he showed little to no interest at all to carry the conversation any further.

At this point, Harry needed to gain his trust, or else he knew he'd have to kiss his love Y/N goodbye.

"He'll warm up to you, you'll see" that's what his now girlfriend of two months would say to him every time. "He does like you, he's just not good with new people"

"How do you know he likes me?" he said, putting a package of frozen peas into the cart. Harry was helping her do groceries while Artemis was with his grandmothers for the weekend.

"Because i'm his mother. And because i see how every time you're not looking, he's looking at you to make sure you haven't left"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps he's waiting for me to leave"

"Doubt it. He used to do the same with a couple of friends. He wants to talk to you, but he gets nervous, so he limits himself to observe you" she explained.

"What should i do then?"

"Keep trying, he'll come to you"

So that's what he did. And although every day he felt like there was progress, he was growing desperate. Y/N knew that while she was there, Artemis would always have a way out of the interaction. So she came to the conclusion that she needed to be out so Artemis wouldn't have a choice other than actually talk with Harry, and once he realized Harry was a good person, he'd never let him leave again.

interesting how the mind of a four year old could work.

No longer after that, everything fell into place. Y/N had an emergency meeting at work, and Harry immediately jumped out to offer to take care of Artemis while she was out.

"Are you sure?" she asked one last time while she was putting her blazer on.

"Yeah. Could use some time alone with the lad" he smiled. This time, he had things prepared for them that he knew would make Artemis happy.

Overall, he was feeling confident this would be the day the little boy would open up to him.

"Great. I'll be back before six, if anything happens please call me" Y/N wasn't gonna lie, she was nervous. This was the first time Harry and Artemis would be on their own, and it'd be for a few hours. She had previously talked to her son and explained she had to leave for a little and Harry was gonna stay with him. Artemis asked why Y/N couldn't take him with her, she had said it was a work thing then he said it was fine, he'd be okay with Harry.

Y/N went to say goodbye to her baby, promising she'd back soon and remain him to be good to Harry. Then she walked towards her gorgeous boyfriend and kissed him goodbye and squeezed him a little tighter, knowing he was nervous.

Once the two were alone, Harry walked to where Artemis was. He was playing with legos on the floor of the living room, so Harry went and sat on the floor as well but not so close to the little boy, not wanting to invade his personal space.

"What are you building, mate?"

"A robot, but i think i'm not doing it right" he mumbled, still focused on the legos in his hands.

"Maybe i can help?"

Artemis look up from his toy, glazing at him. after a few seconds he nodded, blushing a little before he moved a little closer to Harry.

They spent some time without saying anything, both becoming invested in finishing what they were building together.

Artemis smiled when they finally finished, happy with the result. He directed his hazel eyes at Harry. "Thank you, Harry"

"You're welcome, mate. What do you want to do now?" he asked. "You hungry?"

The boy in front of Harry nodded. "Mummy gives me fruit before dinner" Now it was Harry's turn to nod. He stood up, extending one arm at Artemis to help him up as well.

"Let's go to the kitchen then" To his surprise, Artemis did not let go of Harry's hand after he stood up, so they walked hand in hand to the kitchen.

"Do you like grapes? I can cut you some apple too" He looked down at the boy.

"Can i have both?"

Even if he wasn't allowed two eat that much fruit, Harry wouldn't dare to say no to him right now so he just nodded while grabbing said fruits to wash them.

"Do you want to see how i cut them?" Harry asked again and Artemis mumbled a little yes. "Can i pick you up?"

"Yes"

Harry scooped him up and placed him on the kitchen island, he started cutting the apple in little cubes, deciding he'd only cut half of it. Then, under Artemi's gaze, he proceed to wash the grapes. Y/N had told him he only liked the green ones.

Once everything was on a plastic plate, he handed it to Artemis. "Thank you"

The pair settled down on the couch, and Harry let Artemis pick a movie to watch. "I like Moana" he said.

They watched the movie in silence, when they reached the part when Moana fell off of the boat, Artemis got a little scared so he snuggled closer to Harry, who immediately wrapped an arm around his little shoulder.

Even when that part passed, Artemis stayed close to Harry. When Maui started singing you're welcome, Artemis started whispering the lyrics of the song too, tapping Harry's thigh at the beat of the song.

"Does Maui exist?" he asked when the movie ended.

"I'm not sure, Artemis"

"He's cool" he said, lifting his face to look at Harry. "You're cool too, Harry"

Harry grinned happily. "Thank you, mate. I think you're pretty cool yourself"

"Do you want to see my trains?"

Artemis' train set was in his room, which Harry has never been in. So him inviting Harry to his room meant a lot for the curly haired man, it meant Artemis trusted him enough to take him to his space.

That's how they ended up playing in his room for what it felt like hours, resting on their tummies and finally enjoying each other's company.

By the time Y/N arrived, Harry was being chased by Artemis for absolutely no reason other than have a good laugh. The scene in front of her was so wholesome she could cry. Her boy had the biggest smile on his face that matched Harry's dimpled one.

"I'm guessing you two had fun" Y/N said, stepping into the dinning area, where they've stopped running.

"I like Harry, mummy. Can he come more often?" Artemis asked to his mother, giving her big puppy eyes.

Y/N turned to see Harry's reaction, he looked like he could cry of excitement. The night turned to be a big success, and Harry couldn't be more excited to explore further into his relationship with both Y/N and Artemis.

☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁

taglist!!

@myfavfanficsever @odetostep

@la-cey @cock-a-doodely-doo @awkwardbullfrog @mellamolayla @moorgannn @bagtan-serendipity @awesomebooklover17 @finelineribs @sunnybusiness

[thatgamefromthatad]

Seen these ads? (Obey Me! Review)

This is a visual novel/otome/gacha card RPG game with the same characters and themes as featured in the ads.

As stated in many of the ads this game centers around seven demon brother love interests (as well as some other potential love interests) although the game has a lot of plot elements other than just romance. Most of the ads that I’ve seen feature real art that appears in the game one way or another, and the ads tend to be focused more on the characters and theme in general rather than specific gameplay. Of the ads that do appear to show gameplay, most of the time it’s not really what you’ll see in the game but still follows fairly close to the actual game (for example, the “kiss, free, whip” ad on the top left doesn’t show real gameplay, but you can kiss or whip that character. But that specific art comes from a gacha card I believe and isn’t what you see when you do the kissing and whipping).

A few notes before I get into the full review:

I’m a lesbian, so I’m definitely not the target audience for this game, but I always try to be objective and open-minded when playing any game I’m not the target audience for (other examples I’ve reviewed in the past are Moments, which was also primarily targeted toward women who are attracted to men, Immortal Taoists, which involved a genre I had never heard of before and really had no interest in, Time Princess, which also wasn’t my favorite genre but was still a great game, and various Genius Inc. visual novels, which are targeted more toward high-school age boys as far as I can tell).

Speaking of lesbians, this game weirdly censors the word “lesbians” but not any other LGBTQ+ terms (that don’t include the word “sexual”) as far as I can tell; I decided it was enough of a one-off thing that it wouldn’t factor a huge amount in my overall review of the game, but I think it’s still something to take note of and not let off the hook since it definitely shows bias and can be offensive to players.

This game is rated 12+ on the Apple App Store, and I was pretty harsh on Crush Crush for being rated that way because I thought it crossed the line with some of its sexually suggestive content. I kept that in mind while playing this one, and personally I don’t think it crossed the line in the same way, at least not from what I’ve played so far; although it does have sexually suggestive content (most often when interacting with the character Asmodeus, who is literally known in the game as the “Avatar of Lust”), it’s much more occasional through tidbits of dialog as opposed to in Crush Crush where it involved a whole section of the game and was more interactive in nature. I would definitely still cringe at the thought of a 12-year-old reading some of this dialog, but I think it fits fairly within the App Store descriptors of “Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity” and “Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes.”

Last note - there is a character in this game (Luke) who has the appearance and demeanor of a small child who you can interact with in a similar way to the other love interest characters, which concerned me for obvious reasons. I looked more into this, specifically reading into all of the different dialog options involving this character, and his responses never seem to be more than platonic, which is good. He still blushes when you give him gifts and stuff, which is kind of awkward, and it seems weird to throw a kid character into an otome game, but all considered I wouldn’t say the game is promoting anything inappropriate (unlike one of the Genius VNs that clearly involved relationships between an adult and minors).

Sorry I know that’s a lot of notes and disclaimers but I just wanted to that all out of the way as general concerns anyone might have trying this game or reading this review!

Without further ado, read my full review below:

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(I’m trying a new color-coding system to help highlight some of the main points of my review if you don’t want to read my entire essay word-for-word lol. Pink is a positive aspect of the game, red is a negative aspect/criticism and purple is not necessarily positive or negative but just something I wanted to highlight.)

😈 Is the game actually fun? Yes! Just in terms of production value, this game is top notch: the art and character designs are very appealing, the transitions between characters’ poses and facial expressions during VN scenes are actually animated (which looks much smoother and more natural than switching between still images), the voice acting is great (although the VN scenes aren’t fully voice acted, some parts like phone calls are and the characters say different phrases during scenes and battles as well)(Note: all the voice acting is Japanese), and the music is FANTASTIC and perfectly sets the vibe throughout the game.

The best parts of this game in my opinion are the different personalities of the characters and the overall plot; although some of the characters’ personalities can be a bit one-note at times (for example, one character’s entire personality that I’ve seen so far is that he likes to eat and is always hungry), the characters each have their own charm and play off each other well. I found myself getting invested in each of the characters’ desires and goals throughout the story, even the characters I didn’t particularly like. The story is also chock full of humor which is always fun, and the whole world and backstory built around this game (the “Devildom” setting and the idea of an exchange student program with angels, humans and demons) are also unique and impressive.

I really enjoyed the multiple modes of storytelling i.e. how the VN chapters are supplemented with text messages and phone calls from characters and an Instagram spoof with additional side stories to unlock. I know this isn’t a new thing in mobile games (even Gardenscapes and Homescapes do it to an extent lol) but add the compelling characters and overall production value on top and it’s a really enjoyable experience. Since the home screen of the game is set up like it’s your phone, with the different parts of the game represented as “apps,” the game kind of creates a feeling like you’re really living in this world with these characters where you can freely scroll through their Instagram feeds and check the messages you get from them on your own time. The shop where you can buy items and premium currency is called Akuzon (an Amazon spoof) and the place where all your gacha cards are is called “contacts,” which further adds to the immersive effect.

The “dating” part of the game is pretty cute although I haven’t gotten super far so I’m not sure of the full scope of the romantic interactions. From what I can tell, in addition to the dialog, blushy faces and bedroom eyes you get from characters when you give them gifts and touch different parts of their body (above the belt lol), when you raise your intimacy level with them you get additional phone calls and messages from them (I haven’t played a lot of otome games but I think that’s how a lot of them go). I wasn’t that invested in this part of the game but I think there’s some strategy that goes with using the right combination of gifts and touches to maximize intimacy boosts and get certain dialog, which adds a whole other aspect of gameplay in addition to the main game. I also noticed that occasionally your choices throughout the VN chapters will give you a small intimacy boost with a certain character; I kind of wish this was even more integrated since most of the time I felt like no matter what I chose it didn’t make any difference in my relationship with characters. Also, I don’t think there’s a way to “officially” date a specific character, it’s more about raising the intimacy level to earn more interactions but it doesn’t actually affect the main plot.

As far as the main mode of progressing through the game, which is winning “dance battles” with teams from your gacha collection, this part of the game has its own positive qualities such as the cute chibi forms of the characters that appear on screen and the fact that some of the special attacks show a little anime clip of the character (of course it’s less exciting when you see the same clip every battle but I still thought it was a nice touch). I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a rhythm aspect as the “dance battle” name would imply, and your main interaction during the battle itself is basically just tapping hearts that pop up and tapping the characters when their attacks are ready, but you also have the option to skip that whole interactive sequence and just get a result based on your team’s stats, so there’s not much to complain about there (especially since the battles are sort of a side note compared to the storytelling aspect of the game despite being the main element of RPG-based gameplay that allows you to progress). If you are interested in the RPG aspects, there’s plenty of that to work with (building teams, balancing attributes, managing resources/rewards to level up cards and progress through skill trees of sorts, all that good stuff) although you’re limited to an extent by how difficult it is to get a lot of gacha draws without paying real money. It’s even harder to be able to focus on both strategy and character relationships while playing for free when the same scarce currency is used for both gacha draws and gifts.

👿 Is this a free game or a “free game”? Despite what I just said, I would still consider it a free game - you can gradually save up some of premium currency the game gives out through tasks in order to pay for more gacha draws and other items, and as far as I can tell you can access the main story and the other parts of the game without hitting a paywall. I only got to the fourth chapter so far though so don’t take this assessment as gospel. Like with a lot of other freemium games you might feel pressured to pay (especially when you run out of gifts to give your lover boys, which was the biggest downer for me, or if you’re obsessed with wanting to collect a lot of cards or get a specific card) but since you don’t actually need to pay to progress I still consider it free.

There’s also an energy system where you hit a wall and have to wait if you run out, but I never ran out because of the huge amount of energy the game dumps on you when you first start, and it seems like there are a bunch of other ways to get extra energy as well. There also aren’t pop-up or watch-to-earn ads in this game that I saw.

💀 Features

Main visual novel scenes and storyline (the visual novel scenes come between dance battle stages and there are a few short side routes that branch off but still one main route as far as I can tell, I don’t think your dialog choices really make a different except for in how the characters react to you immediately afterward. Still the main storyline in itself is fun to follow and it’s fun to get different reactions out of the characters based on what you say)

Dance battles (I’m not fully knowledgeable about the minutia of the RPG system at play here but in general the outcome of the battle will depend on the level, rank and attributes of your cards compared against the difficulty and attributes of the stage you’re playing. There also “memory cards” that can be assigned to support your team and expendable temporary boosters called “glow sticks” that boost your stats for one battle. During the battle itself you tap hearts that appear to earn extra points and you can tap your characters when their power is charged up to “attack” your opponent and use special skills. There are guides online that go deeper into stats and strategies and such if you’re interested. Different stages have different rewards for completion and you can quick complete levels you’ve already beaten to mine resources you need)

Gacha mechanic and cards (the gacha area of this game is called “Nightmare” and there are a few different pools along with event pools each with their own odds and sets of cards you can get. For the default pools you get free draws periodically and I believe you get one free draw for each event pool IIRC. You also get a bunch of vouchers for draws when you first start the game which got me handful of SSRs and a couple URs to build a couple of solid teams right off the bat. In addition to drawing directly from gacha pools you can get some cards by collecting card pieces as rewards from stages and events until you have enough to get the actual card. Each card has its own set of stats/attributes, can be leveled up and has a skill tree of sorts that can be progressed through with resources mined through beating stages, although it’s more of an attribute tree than a skill tree since most of the branches just add points onto one of your card’s attributes. Some cards, the rarer ones, have special skills that can be used in battle)

One-on-one characters interactions and intimacy i.e. the “dating” part (there are two ways this occurs: 1) you can set a specific character to your home screen that allows you to enter into an interaction with them, with a refresh period in between interactions 2) the main way, which is through “surprise guests” after dance battles. These surprise guests show up frequently but not always, and they’re always one of the three team members you used in battle, selected randomly. For each one-on-one interaction you can do three actions - either give a gift, touch the character or ignore the character. Sometimes the character will also offer you a high five which counts as an action if you oblige. Different characters have different favorite gifts and touching different parts of the body can get a different reaction depending on the character and your level of intimacy I believe. Your intimacy level with a character increases depending on the combination of actions you perform, and sometimes the character also gives you gifts back like more energy or resources. There are guides for this online as well)

Text messages and phone calls (text messages are the main mode of storytelling outside of the main VN scenes - you get messages from characters or multiple characters in group chats that you respond to with preset messages or stickers similar to how you make choices during the VN parts. Some of the text messages correspond with the main plot as you progress, ex. A character texts you to be in a certain place at a certain time and next VN scene is of you two meeting at that place. I think other text messages also come up when you reach certain intimacy levels with characters. There are certain group messages that you don’t respond to where you’re basically spying on a group chat among characters and just get to see what everyone’s saying. In addition to written messages and emoji stickers characters will also sometimes send pictures. Phone calls are fully voice-acted dialog you have with another character and they seem to pop up when you reach certain intimacy levels - I’ve only gotten ones so far with the two characters I have the highest intimacy with)

Instagram spoof/“Devilgram” (Devilgram is an in-game photo sharing social media app similar to Instagram and the photos on there correspond to gacha cards. When you acquire the gacha card that corresponds to a Devilgram post you unlock a side story, but you also need keys to unlock further scenes from that story, which can be gradually earned through completing tasks and such)

To Do tasks (completing tasks on your To Do is the main way to earn premium currency in the game along with other rewards and resources. There are daily tasks, overall tasks and tasks specific to each character. Examples of tasks are completing a certain stage or number of stages, beating a stage using a team that includes a certain character or reaching a certain intimacy level with a character. There are also beginner missions when you start the game that I think stay available until you complete all of them)

Events (there are sometimes side story events called “pop quizzes” and gacha events that are available for a limited time, or sometimes an event has both a corresponding pop quiz and gacha pool. The pop quizzes are separate chapters with their own dance battles and VN scenes, and the battles will come with reward points that you can spend on different prizes. Sometimes there are unique cards you can only get from an event. Other minor types of events include log-in bonus events and events where you can get special types of gifts for your love interests. There’s also a feature where you can “time-travel” back to old events at some cost but I haven’t explored this much)

Jobs (you can assign characters to passively complete jobs that earn you a small amount of non-premium currency over time and also increases your intimacy with the assigned characters by a small amount)

Customization (you can unlock avatars of different characters to use for your profile and set the name you want characters to refer to you by throughout the game. You can also change the outfit of your homescreen character, change the homescreen wallpaper and change the homescreen background music by making purchases in the Akuzon shop or acquiring certain gacha cards)

⚖️ Ad Honesty Rating: 4/5 (just from the ads I’ve seen, especially the ones that appear to be running currently, there don’t seem to be blatantly fake ads and the ads show real art and do well conveying the theme and characters in the game. However some of the ads are misleading about the actual mechanics of gameplay and may also lead you to believe there are actual romance routes with the characters which is not really the case)

⭐️ Overall Rating: 5/5 (I definitely didn’t want to give this game a great rating just because it’s super popular on Tumblr but I can definitely see why it’s so popular. There are lots of things to do, the characters are very lovable, it’s funny, the art is great, the music is great and the lore and overall vibe are compelling and unique. It’s a high-quality game with a good story and I’ll probably keep playing it)

▶️ Ad Example:

▶️ Gameplay Examples:

Dance Battles

Surprise Guest

If you got through this review bless your heart ❤️ Special thanks to @human-watching-ads-from-devildom which is where I was able to view some of the ads since I was having trouble finding them elsewhere online and viewing some of them on the Facebook ad library.

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[slasherscream]

A/N: shout-out to that one anon on bloodybrahms’ blog forever ago where they were like ginger fitzgerald x jennifer check x jd x reader. their mind?? i haven’t known peace since seeing the concept. 

coincidentally, you as well, will never know a moment of peace again. 

your relationship is overflowing with chaos. you can’t let your guard down for even a second because that’s the exact moment one of your partners will choose to strike and do some absolute bullshit™. it is imperative that you never take your eyes off them or leave any of them on their own. 

if you cannot stay with them at all times at least take care to make sure you never leave all three of them alone together. nothing good has ever come from you doing this.

you act as the impulse control for all three of your partners. they straight up don’t know how to act without you around. 

let’s talk about the chaotic dynamics and features of this relationship, shall we-

○ ginger and jennifer ....where to start. they dislike each other so much, both on the fundamental levels of their personalities and also as supernatural entities. werewolves and demons aren’t like…. natural enemies or anything but they can be Genuine Threats™ to one another so their hackles are always a little raised around each other.

○ that aside, jennifer is the exact type of girl ginger hated in high-school. she took one glance at jennifer and said "what a fucking vapid wanna-be barbie looking slut" and she hasn't changed her mind since. 

○ meanwhile, jennifer thinks ginger is just.... beneath her. she wouldn't have hated a girl like ginger back in high-school because she never would've fucking noticed her. once she is forced to acknowledge ginger as a sentient, living being due to your poly relationship she's just.... aggravated by her. if jennifer had to put into words what she doesn't like about the other girl it would be how fucking judgmental she is. absolutely rich coming from jennifer of all people but she's serious! you're gonna sit here.... and hate her.... because she's popular and sexy?? are you fucking twelve?? you mangy, pathetic, edgy, "i only listen to evanescence" ass bitch (and she means the bitch part literally.)

at best their relationship could MAYBE wind up like that exchange from jumanji: welcome to the jungle:

Professor Shelly Oberon : Seriously, I can't even open my mouth around you. You don't even know me, but you, like, decided you hate me.

Ruby Roundhouse : Look, I just think you live in, like, the "hot popular girl" bubble, you know, where everybody either treats you like a princess or like an object. Maybe it makes you a little self-absorbed or something?

Professor Shelly Oberon : That's fair. But do you think that maybe the reason why you are so judgy is because you are like afraid that people are not gonna like you, so you've decided not to like them first? I'm just saying, you're a babe, go with it.

but realistically they will never have a conversation this open and honest. they'll stick to bickering and being catty, thank you very much. occasionally they are so catty that they start literally fighting and yes, your house will get destroyed every time some shit pops off between them. please have everything insured. 

○ funnily enough they both like/love jd!! off the bat they both find him incredibly attractive. jennifer saw him and said "yummy.com, much?" ginger did not say anything but watched him like a hungry....well, wolf. honestly though looks weren't enough to keep either of them interested in someone when they were plain human and un-traumatized       let alone now. in fact, considering that jennifer is a succubus her finding jd hot only put him in danger adjkl.

○ lucky for him he was surprisingly resistant to her physical charm/succubus powers/allure when she first approached him, planning to make him her next meal. while she totally took his disinterest as a challenge because uhm?? are you fucking blind?? i'm a fucking buffet?? all i serve is looks?? it also made her respect him quite a bit. jennifer takes very few people seriously. her respecting someone so soon after meeting them is actually a way bigger deal than her liking them. 

○ jd takes some time to warm up to jennifer but not as much as you'd think? while he might roll his eyes at her popular, mean girl shtick he's very observant and sees that there's more to jennifer than meets the eye.

○ the fact that he doesn't immediately hop into her bed just because she sticks her chest out gives him enough time to see beneath her surface and surprises her enough that she let's him. there are plenty of things he likes about her. he admires the way she can just...bend the world to her will. when she wants something she gets it, no matter what. he loves that?? she's very dynamic and bold. excitement either follows her or she chases after it. and unlike a lot of charismatic or popular people jennifer lacks the one trait jd absolutely can't stand       being fake. jennifer doesn't hide the fact that she's a stone cold bitch. she always says exactly what she means or what's on her mind. overall jennifer is an addicting personality to have around and even jd falls for her charm eventually.

○ jennifer won't say it but realizing jd actually cares about her and likes her as a person is what makes her fall, you know       because she's a fucking narcissist... just kidding. it catches her off guard for someone to fall for her because of who she is and not what she looks like. it makes her vulnerable for just long enough that she sees all the things that are good about jd and BOOM, she's in love. now she's got two mates and one annoying hang around whom she also has sex with because she's not hideous (her mate, ginger is also her mate, she just likes ginger less than she likes the two of you.)

○ ginger loves jd's intensity. they're pretty much ' same hat! ' relationship wise.

ginger: men are fucking worthless jd: *walks around fucking unhinged* ginger: ....one man allowed 

○ she genuinely loves his personality and he genuinely loves hers right on back. they're kind of just...mirrors of each other in a lot of ways but there's just enough difference between them that they don't piss each other off. other than their tempers they get along really well because they think the same way?? have the same ideas?? want to do the same things?? kill the same people?? you know bonding shit. they're kind of perfect together? they completely understand one another. they are probably the most like-minded of the whole relationship, not the closest, but they think pretty much the exact same shit, i cannot emphasize this enough. they can make eye contact and know exactly what the other is thinking and they love that. lowkey best friends. highkey you cannot let them go on dates alone. 

○ where do you fit in here? uhm you're the glue and stability of this relationship. sure they all love or begrudgingly (and secretly) like each other but you're like.... gravity. essential and holding the world together, keeping everything balanced. you were probably the start of the relationship to begin with. they all knew you and were growing to love you separately and then each realized they had competition but while they were trying to fight each other off they just sorta...got used to one another. and none of them were willing to give you up so it's lucky they decided to share or it would've been a fucking bloodbath to put it lightly. none of them have self control or boundaries. to get what they want they'd all go ridiculously far... i don't know what's farther than murder but they'd do it. 

○ they all depend on you emotionally, honestly. you're their closest friend, the person they can be vulnerable with, someone they trust to take care of them in the way that matters most. they love you because you make them all feel....human (even jd who is the only actual human besides you. but you get the point.)

sometimes they get jealous of each other, which is ridiculous, because you're almost always together as a group. you do occasionally go off in pairs or to separate outings/activities/dates but generally?? you're all together. it's typically more like-

ginger: you've been hanging off y/n all fucking day, jennifer! they barely fucking smell like me anymore. jennifer: what's so bad about that? you smell fucking disgusting- jd: *grabs ginger around the waist before she can jump across the kitchen counter and beat jen's ass*

however!! there isn't as much inter-group jealously as you'd believe! they actually enjoy having a relationship involving four people.

it feels very secure to them? first off they all feel better in regards to you. they don't worry so much about anything happening to you because you have three over-protective partners who would die and kill for you. they also don't worry about you leaving them because you're so.... you. unlike other, unnamed people they so desperately clung to in the past they know you're not going anywhere. they feel secure enough in their connection with you to be as codependent as possible :)))

(also.... you couldn't leave if you tried lmao. get away from one of them? sure       maybe. get away from all three?? *cue clown music* they'd use ginger as a hunting hound and track you by scent alone.)

the four person relationship feels incredible to ginger because it satisfies her need to have a pack? she'd only ever had her sister before and you know how....close, they were. having more than one, single person to be emotionally attached to/invested in really helps center ginger? it also makes it easier to be in a relationship with her? she can be very intense and focused and she puts a lot of energy into her relationship. having that focus and intensity spread out amongst multiple partners is great for her and for them. 

jennifer only ever really felt connected to one person, needy. losing her was....a lot. she never thought she'd be close to anyone again let alone to three people. she can't stand the mutt sometimes but she loves you and jd!! and she loves being loved. not lusted after. not admired. not envied. loved, genuinely loved. she may be a demon, she might not have a soul anymore, but she does have a heart, and every day she's with the three of you it feels a little less broken. 

since the..."untimely" death of jd's mother (and arguably, even while she was still alive) he's never had any roots. no solid connection. no one to belong to or with. before you, ginger, and jennifer he was just...drifting. when you three came into his life it was like hearing a sudden gunshot in the middle of a calm forest. it was electrifying, and maybe even a little scary. he went from having absolutely nothing to having everything, all at once. for the first time in a long time he has something to be grateful for. he would do anything for the three of you. he'd burn the world to the ground just to see you three smile.  

jd goes on several motorcycle rides a week because while you guys have like two cars...he keeps his motorcycle because jennifer, ginger and you think it's hot and none of you are very practical. he must treat all of you to the delight that is the wind flowing through your hair while you're on the back of his bike. jennifer doesn't like helmet hair but she likes the sexiness factor. ginger likes that it's dangerous so jd always speeds when he's with her, you're not sure how they don't get arrested?? 

date nights are such a nightmare because you guys are all very opinionated?? and particular. you and jd are probably the most easy-going but that doesn't really help because jennifer and ginger are always going to be picky about what you guys wind up doing and they'll say no to whatever the other suggests just on principal. just for their own amusement. 

ginger, jennifer and jd are so over-protective of you. you're such a delicate little human?? how have you been surviving without them?? you need them to take care of you. 

sometimes you'll be like "why the fuck aren't you two stifling jd? he's a human too!!" and they're like "no he's different" which is such bullshit but also like....jd is fucking unhinged. he can take care of himself. you are their baby. 

ginger and jennifer are forever arguing about who is going to transform you and jd. you would think they’d at least agree that one of you is gonna get turned into a demon and one will become a werewolf, at least for the sake of balance, but they literally can’t even agree on THAT let alone which supernatural creature you or jd will wind up as. you two have minimal input in this choice sorry :/ this is werewolf and succubus beef. humans be silent.

you staying human isn't a choice because humans are weak and die so quickly. unacceptable?? ginger is gonna live a long ass time and jennifer is probably immortal. they are not winding up stuck with each other just because you and jd thought you could escape them in death?? fuck you. 

ginger needs all three of you to smell like her. yes, even jennifer. but mostly you and jd as you're her two humans and Preferred Mates. jennifer can smell her scent on you all but she doesn't need to smell it?? it's not instinctual?? meanwhile it straight up gives ginger anxiety when you guys don't smell like her. it's just part of werewolf mating. honestly while ginger smells different from humans she doesn't smell like dog, jennifer just likes to say that to piss her off. if she did smell like dog jennifer wouldn't touch her and would gripe any time she touched you or jd. 

cuddling is such a fucking nightmare. you guys have the biggest couch in the world and it's still a fucking ordeal. every two person couple activity is fucking ordeal for local poly couple.

it's a debate every time about who's going to sit where or who's going to hold who. oh jennifer likes to sit on the armrest? cool. except she wants to cuddle with you, but you want to sit in the middle today, and jd wants his arms around you, but ginger is laying in his lap and refuses to move cause he was riding on his bike too long today and stopped smelling like her so she'll bite him if he moves. 

your life is literally that "man has to get a fox, a chicken, and a sack of corn across a river." riddle i'm so fucking sorry for you.

jennifer likes to buy you and jd clothes. she stopped bothering getting stuff for ginger because the mutt is always so ungrateful of jennifer's taste in clothing. to be fair jennifer only buys a few things that are a bit out of you or jd's comfort range, she tends to buy things that will make you look hot but that you'd also get for yourself. 

jd goes shopping with her because he doesn't like leaving any of his partners alone for long. like he doesn't enjoy it he's also not going to bitch about it like other "dutiful" boyfriends who are left holding a few shopping bags and purses. you can't go out with your girlfriend and hold her shit for her for a couple hours?? can't give her a few minimal responses on whether something looks good or bad??? fuck you. also stop looking at his girlfriend before he pulls out his gun. 

they all encourage the worst of each others possessiveness. not only because being around each other makes it feel normal because they all agree this is a perfectly healthy amount of possessiveness but also because they all think of being possessive as something romantic. you know they love you because they'll rip apart anyone who looks at you for two long!!! 

when you wake up in the morning it's chaos. someone's hair is always in someone's mouth and ginger is a very wild sleeper. especially as it gets closer to the full moon. one of you will wind up on the floor even though you have two king mattresses pushed together. jennifer is one second away from tying ginger up before the four of you go to bed. 

you don't really have to worry much about ginger's transformation?? like she won't hurt you and jd during it because she knows that you two are her mates, she's pretty docile around you two (for a werewolf). she knows that jennifer is her...something so she doesn't try to hurt her but she's also not gonna roll over and show her belly.

if anything does go wrong like ginger gets out/away from you all or out of control jennifer can get her back or put her in check no problem. werewolf cuts/bites don't hurt more than any other type of gnarly injury so jennifer is fine with doing it.

that's one of the ways you can tell jennifer gives a shit about ginger actually. even when ginger will fight her viciously when she's a werewolf jennifer mostly just does things to restrain her, not to hurt her. you'd never point that out though because just to prove she's not soft jennifer might break one of ginger's ribs or some shit next time.

the big concern is making sure ginger doesn't get hurt or caught. jd and jen don't care if she hurts anyone else frankly adjkl. to try and keep ginger running off to a minimum (because it's very hard to keep a werewolf somewhere it doesn't want to be) right before a turn jennifer will bring her own.... food, back to the house and her and ginger will kill them together?? it satiates some of the blood-lust and makes the transformations easier. 

all three of these bastards will try and kiss you or fuck you while you're covered in blood and it's a nightmare!! somehow one of them is always covered in blood!! even if jd wasn't directly involved in a killing he will come home covered in blood because he made out or had sex with one of the girls while they were covered in blood. he thinks they're beautiful when they're blood thirsty :)))

none of them are great at emotions but all three of them together almost make one-functional human being!! and they are all, to their credit, aware of the fact that they aren't great with feelings so they are already naturally over-compensating to make sure they're always taking care of all your needs. 

you: on the phone with a friend complaining about your day, minding your own business the three of them: *manifest from nowhere because their "you having human contact that isn't them" sense was tingling ginger: *snatches your phone and hangs up on your friend* jennifer: *sits in your lap* jd: *wraps an arm around you* why don't you tell us about your day, darling?

a well-oiled machine anyone?

no friends!!! only them!! you are a pack!! you are mates!! you're a family!!! fuck anyone else. 

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #729: Dungeons and Dragons (Persona 5)

9:23 p.m. Outside of Leblanc Café........

Ann: (Smiles Brightly While Walking With Shiho, Ren and Makoto to the Café) That was a good movie night.

Shiho: (Smiles Softly) I agree. The new Godzilla movie was a lot more fun to watch than I thought it would be.

Makoto: You know, I've always wanted to learn more about the monster himself. His origins, his strength and weaknesses, how powerful his atomic laser really is.....and....how he even got it in the first place.

Ren: Pretty sure Futuba would've filled you in on all of that already. I'm surprised she didn't want to go to the movies with us.

Makoto: I'm more surprised at the fact that she wanted to spend time with my sister today. I hope they were getting along with one another while we were gone.....

Ren: (Gives Makoto a Reassuring Smile While Placing his Hand on the Café's Door Handle). Don't worry, 'hon.

'Door Opens and Bells Ringing'

Ren: (Turns Back Around Forward) I'm sure those two are doing just fine to- (Eyes Widened at What is in Front is in Front of him, Along with Everyone Else) ge....ther......

Futuba: (Gets Up from her and Speak in a Old Wizard Accent Seat While Wearing a White, Long Beard and a Wizard Hat) Greetings, love strucked travelers!

Sae: (Waves at the Very Surprised Gang While Having a Small Smile on her Face) Welcome back.

Lavenza/Morgana: (Happily Waves Hello to the Gang as Well While Wearing Respective Travelers' Robes)

Ren: (Almost Speechless) Well.......Guess we have nothing to worry about in that department.

Makoto: Sis......A-Are you..... actually playing-

Sae: Dungeons & Dragons with Futuba and the others? Why, yes my dear, yet somewhat naive little sister, I am. I play the role as a trained, Silver Knight. (Pulls out a Wooden Sword Right Beside her) While wielding an all powerful Excalibur in my grasp.

Futuba: I am the Almighty Wizard of the Ever Green Forest! Sharing and exposing my wisdom and power to those how DARES to seek them!

Shiho: (Raised an Eyebrow in Confusion) Weren't you like a mage at one point?

Futuba: Yeah, but I'd grind and grind a lot in my spare to till I was eventually able leveled up and evolved into full fledged wizard.

Shiho: Ohhhhhhhhh I see. (Smiles Softly) Nice work.

Futuba: (Smiles Brightly) Thanks! I-I mean....('Clears Throat') Thank you, lady friend of Blantent Fashion Diva!

Ann: (Gives Futuba a Deadpinned Look on her Face While her Girlfriend Giggles Softly at Her Dispense) Really?

Futuba: Yes. Really.

Lavenza: And Morgana and I are the wizard's humble apprentices who decided to leave their hometown in order to learn the ways of creating magical sorcery and use them necessary combat.

Morgana: (Pulls out his Wooden Sword) We also have swords. In case for urgent emergencies.....and if this whole magic gig doesn't work out.

Futuba: I heard that, Sir Cute & Fluffy Butt!!

Morgana: (Turns to Futuba with an Annoyed Look on his Face) Do you really have to keep calling me that throughout the entire runtime of this quest?

Futuba: Yes. (Pats on Morgana's Head) It suits you perfectly.

Lavenza: (Happily Hugs Morgana) Not to mention that your overall cuteness knows no bounds to the eyes of our enemies.

Sae: (Smiles a Little) I agree with both of them, Mona-Chan. You're quite adorable in your own unique way.

Morgana: (Starts Blushing a Little) You know, I I don't know why I didn't ask you this sooner but, HOW exactly are you able to understand what I've been saying this entire time?

Sae: I'm not really sure why myself, if I'm being honest...... Nonetheless, I'm.... somewhat glad that I am able to have a conversation with you.

Morgana: (Sighs Before Smiling a Little) Same.

Ann: (Giggles Softly) Wow, Sae. I had no idea you would be this interested that kind of stuff.

Sae: There is a lot of things you don't know about me, Ms. Takakmaki.

Shiho: Ooh! Like how you're the biggest fan of-

Sae: (Starts Rolling her Eyes While Sighing) Of Banjo-Kun and Kazooie-Chan. Yes! That is the honest truth unfortunately. You weren't even suppose to know that information if a certain SOMEONE didn't tell you before hand! (Glares at the Two Culprits, Ren and Makoto)

Ren: (Starts Getting a Little Scared by Sae's Cold Stone Glare) Ah shit.......

Makoto: (Chuckles Very Awkwardly and Nervously) I'm..... guessing....You managed to figured that one out somehow, huh?

Sae: Futuba told me everything. But it's fine..... I'm already over it. And besides, it helps become more laid back than ever before.

Makoto: ('Sigh') I'm happy for that, sis. But if you need any of us.....(Gently Grabs Ren's Hand) we'll be heading upstairs to-

Sae: Form a Cuddle Session among yourselves?

Ren: (Immediately Starts Looking Away While Whistling)

Makoto: (Eyes Widened in Surprised Before Looking Away While Blushing in Embarrassment) .............

Ann: ('Sigh') Geeez....... She's still able to see right through us, even when she's not in the courtroom......

Shiho: Yeah. That's pretty impressive.....and scary.

Sae: Very well. I'll let you four be for the night. Have fun, but not too much fun. Understand?

Makoto: ('Sigh') Yes, big sister. We understand. (Made her Way to the Upstairs with Ren, Ann and Shiho Following Her) Have fun with game night-

Sae: Makoto.

Makoto: (Turns Back to Sae) Yes? What's wrong?

Sae: (Use Both of her Fingers to Create a Heart Shape While Giving her Little Sister a Soft, Loving Smile) I love you.

Makoto: (Eyes Widened at Her Bug Sister For a Brief Second Before Smiling Softly Herself) I love you too, sis.

Ann/Shiho: Awwwwwwww~

Ren: (Smiles Softly at the Scene) Adorable.

Sae: Ren.

Ren: (Quickly Gives Saw Attention) Y-Yes, ma'am?

Sae: ............... You're a good boy.

Ren: ............................ I'm sorry. What?

Sae: You heard me. I said you're a good boy.

Ren: (Couldn't Believe What He is Hearing) Y-Y-You're kidding, right? You're not just saying that to be nice, are you?

Sae: ('Sigh') No, Ren. I meant every word I said. Despite our difference in the past......(Smiles Softly) I truly believe that you're a good person and already worthy of my respect.

Ren: (Almost at a Loss for Words) Wow. I..... (Chuckles Lightly) Honestly don't know what to say here. T-Thank you-

Sae: THAT being said.......

Ren: (Gets Startled by Sae's Serious Side Again) Y-Yes, ma'am?

Sae: (Gives Ren a Serious Look on her Face) You frequently make my little sister worried sick about you everytime you do something reckless and stupid. Which is exactly why I am ordering you to refrain yourself from doing that from this day forward!

Makoto: (Pouts at Ren) That goes double from me too, Mister!

Ann: (Glares at Ren as Well) And us too!

Shiho: (Nods in Agreement While Crossing her Arms)

Lavenza: I agree wholeheartedly in this in this request!

Morgana: Same here.

Futuba: By the power invested in me and it's everlasting glory!....( Points at Ren) I ORDER you to agree to the Silver Knight's command and take it very SERIOUSLY!...............(Sighs Before Talking in her Usual Self Again) Seriously, man. Promise us you won't be reckless idiot anymore, okay?

Ren: (Was About to Say Something Before His Phone Starts Ringing and Begins to Answer it) Hello?

Bayonetta: (On the Other Line) No more being reckless, young man!!

Ren: (Eyes Widened in Surprised) Mom!?

Palutena: (On the Other Line) Listen to your friends and mother, Ren-Ren!

Ren: Other Mom!?

Pit: Please, Ren? We're only trying to look out for you, that's all.

Dark Pit: In other words, quit being a dumbass already.

Kirby: Poyo! Poyo!

Pit: Yeah! What Kirby said!

Ren: Okay! Okay! I try not to be a reckless idiot anymore. I promise.

Sae: ('Sigh') Very well. I suppose that's good enough for us. Just know that we will have eyes on you for the time being.

Makoto: (Hugs Ren Lovingly) That's right. We won't let anything bad happen to you again, Ren-Ren.

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) I know you guys wouldn't, 'hon~ (Gives Makoto a Kiss on the Forehead)

Dark Pit: Oh God. Are they making out already? Just marry each other already!

Makoto starts blushing again while Ren starts putting on a deadpinned look on his face.

Palutena: ('Sigh') Don't make fun of your brother, Pitto.

Dark Pit: Hey, I'm just saying. If they're gonna keep being lovey dovey with one another, they might as well put a ring on it sooner or later........ Bet you $50 Makoto gonna propose first.

Pit: No way! I bet you $20 that Ren is gonna do it first!

Kirby: Poyo! Poyo! Poyo!

Dark Pit: ('Heh') Deal.

Palutena: NO BETTING ON YOUR BROTHER!

Ren: (Sighs While Rolling his Eyes) Love you, guys!

Bayonetta: We love you too, sweetie-

Ren: (Finally Hangs Up the Phone Call Before Turning Back to Sae) Seriously though, thanks for the kind words, Ms. Prosecutor. And for..... (Smiles Softly) Trying to look out for me. Means a lot.

Sae: (Smiles Softly While Slowly Nodding) Think nothing of it. You four can proceed go to upstairs now.

Makoto: 'Kay. (Makes her Way Upstairs with the Rest of the Gang) Have fun on your quest!

Sae: Will do! ('Sigh') Glad I finally got that out of my system. I hope what I said that was enough for them to understand

Futuba: (Smiles Softly) You kidding? It was more than enough, Sae. I'm proud of ya.

Sae: (Smiles Back at Futuba While Simply Nodding) Thank you, Futuba. Now then......(Forms a Smirk on her Face) Shall we continue the quest?

Futuba: Let the Quest of Dragons Begins!!

@keyenuta

@princekirijo

@caleb13frede

@26shann

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@italian-love-cake

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Riverdale 5x15 Review

I really loved this episode. I do think it was more of a stand alone episode as it didn’t really contribute anything to the overall plots of the season but it was still a very entertaining one. I kind of got the same feel from it as I did from those earlier episodes of the time jump and I think its because, like those earlier episodes, it was something new, the focus was new but it still had that nostalgia about it. I loved the focus that was given to the pussycats and the other POC on the show particularly the WOC. So lets go through the episode naturally these are just my own thoughts and opinions and there will be spoilers. 

The Pussycats

The episode starts out with a new narrator and this time it is Melody that is narrating instead of Juggie. I also love how she starts out saying ‘this is a story about a town’ but then changes it to ‘no this is a story about three girls.’ I like that emphasis that this is focussed on the pussycats and not the usual Riverdale town plots. We get given some information on what Val and Melody have been up to in the seven years+ since we last saw them. Melody is now a published writer and Val is an activist and actress looks like she also does alot of painting. They both are in healthy relationships. I have to say I did love how supportive Alan, Val’s boyfriend is of Val and how he doesn’t rush her on the whole marriage thing if she isn’t ready. Also love the relationship between Melody and Nancy and again they seem very supportive of each other and like I said both relationships seem very healthy. Also I love getting more backstory on them both especially Melody because she barely talked the last time she was on the show and the actress is very good so I am glad that she was given the chance to shine in this episode. 

Josie arrives at Pop’s and it was really adorable seeing Tabitha fangirling over  Josie. But right away its a bit of a mystery as too why Josie is back and I actually like that they didn’t tell us right away. I did think it was a little cheesy when Josie began to sing ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ but its the kind of cheese I like and I love that song, it the kind of song you just have to sing along with, plus Ashleigh did an amazing job with the song. I also think it worked well with the trip down memory lane that she takes. Also those dresses the three girls were wearing when Val and Melody showed up were stunning. All three of them just looked amazing. Also it leads into one of the best moments in the episode which is when Hiram comes to Josie’s room complaining about the noise and she calls him a little b*tch, not once but three times. I just loved how sassy she was in that scene and not intimidated by him at all. Josie goes to the school because she wants to do some writing and wants to use the music rooms which makes sense if she is trying to kind of go back to her routes and reconnect with herself then she spent alot of time writing in those rooms. Through teaching a music class as payment for using the rooms she reconnects with Archie who convinces her to come out with the gang that night. Once again we see Josie’s no holds barred attitude come through when she calls everyone out on all the crap from the past, pointing out that she was never given a choice during there old times to veronica, about jughead robbing pop’s, betty never really talking to her in school and Cheryl with the pig’s heart. As she is leaving she runs into Sweet Pea and I think he is exactly what she needed at that moment, he was able to offer her that comfort she was looking for and they were super sweet with each other. 

Josie reaches out to Melody and Val and they all meet up at the Whyte Wyrm, I think Josie was really looking to reconnect with them both because they were such a big part of her time in Riverdale as were the Pussycats. Josie is hoping they’ll record a track with her for old times sake. I do love that when she asks if they still perform both girls get their own solo performances. They kill it too I really enjoyed the songs in this episode and it does make me wish we had seen more of them in previous seasons, I think episode really did show just how much their talent was wasted in those earlier seasons. Also I am glad that they called Josie out on the way she treated them back then and how she didn’t appreciate them. But I also like that when they left it wasn’t on nasty terms you know, they weren’t trying to tear Josie down or be hurtful or mean they were just saying it how it was.  They tell her that it was good to see her and they promise to think about making the track with her.  

When Josie gets back to her hotel room her mother is there and we see Josie just break down in tears and we find out her reason for coming to Riverdale, whilst in Berlin she gets a call from her mother telling her that her father passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Devastated and unable to perform she just leaves it all behind and heads back to Riverdale hoping she could disappear for a while. As a quick side note here one thing I am confused about and that is are Tom and Sierra still married? Because Josie is surprised her mother is in Riverdale but that could just be because she was expecting her mother to be in New Orleans dealing with her father’s death as Sierra told Josie on the phone that she would deal with it all. But also at the end of the episode Sierra leaves with Josie. Yet I am pretty sure I saw her wedding ring still on her hand. Also in Katy Keene which I am pretty sure was set five years after the original Riverdale timeline so two years ago in the current Riverdale timeline Josie introduces Kevin as her stepbrother so if Tom and Sierra did break up then it was in the last two years. On top of that in ep 11 which I think is the last time we saw Tom he was wearing a wedding ring. So many questions. But anyway back to business. Sierra calls Val and Melody and I love her for this, she clearly understood that her daughter needed her friends support in that moment and so she explains that Josie had just lost her dad and this is what urges them both to agree to record a track with Josie but they also decide to do a one night only concert to help raise funds to reincorporate Riverdale. Josie is inspired to do this because she was given a second chance by Val and Melody and so she wants to give the gang and Riverdale a second chance too. I do feel like that has been a theme of this season, of making amends, mending broken relationships and starting over, of healing. I think last season was very much about exposing the trauma the town has gone through and this season is about trying to heal that trauma. 

So we are treated to some more amazing musical performances from the Pussycats and I actually got a really warm fuzzy and very nostalgic feeling when I saw them back up on the stage with that Pussycat symbol behind them. Also the way it was shot just looked really cool, how it started out with just their silhouettes. It was also really great seeing those iconic cat ears and tails again. Josie also had a really emotional performance when she sang a song for her dad and she sees him there. Ashleigh did an amazing job and it did bring me to tears. Come the end of the episode the three girls talk about how good it felt to perform together again and how right it felt. So they all decide to go on tour together. When they are boarding the bus we learn that Alan has chosen to go with Val on the tour but sadly Nancy will not be and her and Melody have a really sweet seeing Melody off scene where Nancy assures her that they will talk on the phone all the time. Again loving the supportive significant others. Then Sweet Pea shows up and asks if he could come with them too which is another sweet moment. I am sad to see Sweet Pea go but I am also happy that he is going with Josie and that they can be happy together. Just before they leave Josie replies to her mother asking if she is ready to go with ‘Unless this town has anymore surprises for me’ and girl honey you shouldn’t have said anything this is Riverdale. So of course a old band mate comes up to Josie and Sierra and tells them that her dad was messed up in some bad things including voodoo and that he believes Josie’s dad was actually murdered. So Josie decided that her first stop on the tour is going to be New Orleans. Personally I think this would be a perfect opportunity for a spinoff.   

Tabitha, Veronica and Alexandra  

The other storyline in this episode was centred around Tabitha and her endeavours to turn Pop’s into a franchise. At first she asks Veronica if she would be willing to invest but Veronica explains that it would be a bad idea because of the bad money schemes Chad has got her mixed up in. But then Alexandra Cabot shows up in Riverdale and it turns out she is one of the people that invested in one of Chad’s schemes and now she wants to withdraw her money which isn’t a good thing for Veronica. So she tells Alexandra about Pop’s and encourages her to invest in that. I do have one complaint about this plot point though and that is I wish they didn’t have the part where Alexandra has come back to withdraw her money and instead just had Veronica call Xandra up and tell her about Pop’s as a way of helping Tabitha out. As it was it seemed more like Veronica was more helping Tabitha because it was getting her out of a sticky situation than because she legitimately wanted to help Tabitha. For me just having Veronica call up a potential contact/ investor just because she wanted to be a good friend would have given that women supporting women moment more impact. I mean I do kind of understand why they did it the way they did, it was to remind the audience of that plot so that when it comes up in the next episode there is some consistency there. Also it was still good of Veronica to help Tabitha out I am just a little wary because from what I remember from Katy Keene Xandra was a bit of a shady one so I am really hoping that going into business with her doesn’t cause problems for Tabitha down the line. I really enjoyed the performance of Little Shop of Horrors but what I loved even more was when Xandra suggested changing the recipe for the milkshakes Tabitha stood up to her and explained the history behind Pop’s and how its wasn’t just a milkshake or just a diner it was a legacy. Also this is kind of irrelevant but I really liked Tabitha’s lavender suit. So now Tabitha is going into business with Xandra who after being inspired by Josie’s speech has agreed to not change the recipe. I do wonder if that means she is going to be on the show more often now or whether it’ll just be a background type thing with phone calls between them. I am also wondering what Veronica’s involvement in it all is. Is she just going to be redirecting the money Xandra put into Chad’s scheme into Pop’s so that Xandra doesn’t find out that Chad’s scheme was a bad one and tell the other investors so they don’t pull out too before Veronica can fix the situation? Finances and businesses are not something I really understand. Still I did like having that representation of three strong independent business women. I just really hope this deal doesn’t go wrong somehow. 

Toni and Baby Anthony 

Toni’s back! I also love that the way they introduced her again was just to have her pop up from behind a counter during a musical number. In this episode Toni is about ready to pop. I enjoyed those moments when she was hoping to induce her labour like when she was dancing. In the end she goes into labour during the Pussycat’s concert interrupting the performance. Still like they said better to be upstaged by a new baby than a dead body. I am still a bit unsure as to what the family situation is going to be and whether Kevin is still going to be involved. I mean Fangs was in the room with Toni and was often seen standing next to her like at the end when they came to introduce the baby to everyone. But then Kevin was pacing outside the room like an anxious father to be and when Josie commented about how gorgeous the baby was she congratulates all three of them, so she does include Kevin in it. I mean just because Kangs broke up doesn’t mean the three of them can’t still co-parent. I also loved that Cheryl jumped in to help deliver the baby even if that delivery did happen in true Riverdale fashion and take place in the back of a diner. She also looked genuinely happy for them too. It was also super cute that they named the baby Anthony after Toni’s grandfather. 

Little Moments 

There were some little ship moments in the episode, obviously Cheryl helping Toni deliver her baby and also she looked a little sad when Toni was introducing the baby at the end which I think indicated that she was regretful about how things ended up between her and Toni. Also when Josie congratulates them Fangs does look over to Kevin so I think he too is happy but also a little sad about how things didn’t really turn out exactly how they planned it. There was also a glance between Barchie and another glance between Jughead and Tabitha. But I am glad that whilst there were little moments there wasn’t anything that would detract from the Pussycats as this was their episode. There were little crumbs just to plant seeds for the next episode but the main focus of the episode was never overshadowed. 

Overall I do think this was a great episode that really celebrated the POC on the show and the pussycats in particular. I just really hope that this continues into the rest of the episodes going forward and characters like Tabitha and Toni do still get the attention they deserve. So far this season they have done a decent job of giving them screen time and keeping them involved with the plot. The same with the other side characters that were often neglected like Kevin and Fangs and Reggie. I would also love a Pussycats spin off so fingers crossed for that. Anyway that’s it for now so until the next episode.           

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Jay Conner - Real Estate Investing Successes

https://www.jayconner.com/jay-conner-real-estate-investing-successes/

Jay Conner, The Private Money Authority, talks about recent successful real estate deals.

#RealEstate #Foreclosures #PrivateMoney Come visit and try our four week FREE trial membership!

www.JayConner.com/Trial

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Well, hello there! And welcome to another episode of Real Estate Investing with Jay Conner. I’m Jay Conner, The Private Money Authority. And also the host of the show. And if you’re brand new to the show or never tuned in before, here we talk about all things, real estate investing. We talk about single family houses. We talk about commercial deals, lands, self storage, multifamily, you name it. But the majority of the time we do talk about single family houses and how to never miss out on a deal for not having funding. You see, I became known as The Private Money Authority back in 2009 because when my wife Carol Joy and I started investing in single family houses here in Eastern North Carolina, back in 2003, the first six years, we relied on local banks and mortgage companies.

And then I had a rude awakening in January of 2009. And that’s when I got cut off from the local banks with no notice like the rest of the world did when we had the global financial crisis going on. So I knew I had to find a better way and a more efficient way to get my deals funded. So that’s when I learned about private money. I was able to raise over $2 million in private funding from the time I started attracting the private money. So we know in the real world out there, even though there are many creative ways to buy houses and properties, at the end of the day, most of the deals are done and concluded by having all the cash ready to go.

So on today’s episode, I want to share with you four ways to get more offers accepted. Four ways. To get more offers accepted. But before I do, I have a free offer for you and you can’t be free. You see, just recently I launched my new membership site, which is called The Private Money Academy, and this is a monthly month to month membership. And we now have over 100 members that are showing up twice a month to have zoom coaching with yours truly, myself. And I’m going to give you in just a second, a way for you to have access, to enjoy the membership for a free four week trial, just to give it a trial run and see how you like it. The reason you want to take advantage of this is, first of all, I just mentioned. We have at least two live zoom conference calls a month where I’m coaching all the Academy members revealing my secrets to how we actually run this business in less than 10 hours per week. Netting over seven figures per year.

On each of the zoom conference calls for the Academy members. I have one of the members in what we call the Hot Seat Section. And in the Hot Seat Session, what we do is analyze their business, find out where they are, what their struggles and challenges are and how to overcome those. And then we put a plan together for the members to take their business to the next level. We also have a private closed Facebook group for all The Private Money Academy members to be a member of. And then I also have four different areas of training in the membership site, video training that we update every month. So if you would like to check it out absolutely for free, then after this show, get right on over to www.JayConner.com/Trial That’s JayConner.com/Trial Come on in to the membership and come join the fun and come learn a lot about real estate investing.

In addition to that, before I dive into today’s topic. I really appreciate it if you would subscribe so you don’t miss out on any future episodes of our show. And if you are tuning in on iTunes, we would love for you to not only subscribe, but rate and review and give us five stars. If you think we’re worth it. We’re on Google play and many other platforms. No matter where you’re tuning in from, we’re glad you’re here.

So let’s go ahead and jump into today’s show, which I’ve titled, Four Ways To Get More Offers Accepted. But before I go over those four ways, I want to, first of all, give you two underpinning principles that always helps you get more offers accepted regardless of the structure or the way that you have done so. Or that you’re going to structure a particular deal.

First of all, the way I do this business and the way I’ve done this business since day one is having a mindset of always creating win-win scenarios. It’s gotta be a win for everybody. And the way for you to create win-win scenarios is for you to have a servant’s heart. You see, if you have the mindset of I’m going to just come in there, you know, whether you’re looking to do a wholesale deal or you’re looking to, you know, make an all, you know, all cash offer and you’re just going to offer, offer, offer. You know, sometimes, it’s the price is not the, is not the main objective or the main motivating factor that seller has. You know, my students hear me talk all the time about when we are doing deals. There’s so many different people that win. We want to create a scenario to where the seller is going to win and they win by us solving their problem. We wouldn’t be in this business unless we had the opportunity to actually solve problems.

So we want a win for the seller. We also, if you’re going to use private money, we want for the private money lender to win by paying them a high rate of return safely and securely. When we go to sell that home, particularly if we sell that home on rent to own, then we’re creating a win scenario for that buyer because the buyer didn’t have any other way to buy a home until we came along and we have a program to where they can actually have a pathway on to home ownership. The American dream. And then we win as well because we are able to bring these solutions and these different structures together. Now, I just, I want you to really think about this win-win scenario. You see, sellers, whether you are meeting them in person or you are talking with them in person the very first time. The seller knows and can tell what your outlook is.

Are you there in that conversation just to make a deal? Or are you there to really fix their problem? You see, here’s what I’ve discovered. When my focus is on the other person and I’m really tuning into what they need and what their problem is that they’re wanting to have taken care of. And I’m really focusing on them. I don’t have to worry about me because you know, it’s like Zig Ziglar said, if you take care of enough, other people, helping them get what they want, you don’t have to worry about getting what you want in the overall scheme of things. You know, over the years we have purchased and invested in a lot of homes that were in foreclosure and I’m not talking bank and properties in this conversation. I’m talking about helping people that are in foreclosure, but their house or home has not yet gone to sale.

You see, here’s another example of creating Win-Win. When we have someone respond to our marketing and someone has received one of my letters, that’s in foreclosure. And they respond to us. One of the very first things that we ask is, do you want to keep your property? Do you want to keep your house? And if the answer is yes, then we’ve got us a checklist of 10 different ways that they can keep their house. And if any of those ways work, there’s nothing in it for us directly out of that deal. Of course, one of the first ways we talk about is have you talked with your mortgage lender about a deferment program to where payments that are in arrears can be put on the end of the note, and then you just start making payments currently right now.

So we go over these different ways. Unfortunately, most of the time they cause a financial distress and other reasons. The person is not able to bring their payments current or start even making payments on a timely basis. But at least they know we have these ways to offer. And if we can help them get what they want and that is keeping their home, then we do it. So that’s my first principle I want to share with you. Whenever you are beginning conversation with a seller, take on the framework and the hat of making sure that it’s going to be a win for them first. And then you’re not going to have to worry about yourself.

The second principle that I want to share with you before we get into the different ways of structuring these deals is I want you to right up front, tell the people, tell the seller what to expect in the course of you helping them out and possibly purchasing their house. For example, just this morning at 8:00AM I got a call last night from a individual that knew what we do here in the area of investing in single family houses. And they called me up and left a message last night. So I called them back at eight o’clock this morning, and we began the conversation. And here’s one of the first questions that I ask after we build a little bit of rapport. I ask the seller, I’ll say, well, tell me what your situation is. Tell me what your situation is, or just tell me about the situation.

Now, let me tell you what is so critical about you understanding and using that scripting of saying to the seller. Well, tell me about the situation. You see, when you say to someone, tell me about the situation, they could first start talking about the property and the condition of the property. The situation that the property is in. Or they could start telling you about the situation that they are personally in.

You see, when a seller contacts us and it’s an off market property, meaning it’s not listed in the multiple listing service. Then they have got a problem. Either the property has got a problem or they personally, or their family has a problem, or both. The property itself could be in distress. The people themselves could be in financial or personal distress, or both. The reason, one of the first questions I ask after building some rapport with the person. My question to them is, tell me about the situation. Tell me the situation. If they talk about the property, then I know that is one of their top motivating factors. And that is the property. They’re wanting relief of that property in some kind of way. Maybe they’re having carrying cost. Of course, they’re having carrying cost. If they still own it. Perhaps they need debt relief. Maybe the monthly financial burden of mortgage payments are just weighing them down. And you know, they just can’t stand it anymore.

I was visiting with a seller about a month ago, and that’s what it was. She had already moved into another home and still had the mortgage monthly payment, financial burden of the existing home. So when I said to her, well, tell me about the situation. First thing she started talking about were the monthly payments. So again, that’s one of the first questions you want to ask because when they answer that question, tell me about the situation. Then that’s going to tell you exactly what you need to hone in on as far as what the focus on, on solving their problem. So when I say tell them what to expect. This morning, as I was saying at 8:00 AM, when I was talking to this particular seller and we built a little rapport and you know, one of the first things they want to know is, well, how does your process work?

So after I had asked the question, tell me the situation. Well, let me tell you what her answer to the situation was. This is a house that’s located in Mill Creek, North Carolina. The situation when I asked that question, tell me about the situation. The answer was, well, there are six of us heirs to this house. It sits on the water. It’s got a nice water view, but there’s still some damage from hurricane Florence, which was a couple of years ago. And this person went on to tell me that they are the executor of this particular property and this person and the other five heirs had decided that they just want to liquidate the property and not put any more money in it. They don’t want to carry any more insurance on it. They didn’t want to pay any more taxes. And they told me without me even asking anything else beyond, tell me about the situation they said, we just want to get the mortgage paid off and not have the burden of this property anymore.

As a matter of fact, this person was actually responding to one of my probate letters that I had mailed out months ago, that my team had mailed out months ago. So I said, well, let me tell you how the process works. And so here’s how the process works. I said, first of all, I’m going to introduce to you. As soon as we finish this call, I’m going to do a group text introduction to Kim. Kim is our acquisitionist. And she’s been with us now for about 14 years. And Kim, what she does is she gets all the initial information on the property that you have. And then I ask, is it okay for me to send a group text to Kim and to you and get you two connected? So we can go in and get some initial information about the property. And the executor says, sure, that’d be fine.

I said, so after I introduce you all, Kim is going to call you, get some initial information about the property, and then we’ll do our research. We’ll find out what the after repaired value is on the property from our realtor. And then at that point, we will decide if it makes sense for us to schedule an appointment for my team to come meet you and whoever of your designee at the property and we’ll walk around and we will estimate repairs. And then from the time we estimate repairs, we’ll go from there and see if we can put together, listen closely. Put together a win-win scenario for everybody.

Now, again, that’s telling people and telling sellers what to expect. Now, there’s another very, very important part to telling people what to expect, because you see when you’re first having this very first conversation with a potential seller, there’s this skepticism that’s automatically built in. They don’t know what to expect. They don’t know how the process works. They don’t know if this is going to work out. So I want to tell you right here, and right now, how to immediately defuse any kind of stress or pressure that’s in the midst of this conversation, because I can tell you there’s already some type of pressure or distress from the seller standpoint, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.

So here’s how you defuse the pressure. Take it off yourself if you’re brand new. And what I’m getting ready to say to you will immediately give comfort and peace and destress your seller if they are feeling stress. And here’s exactly what you say. You say, you know, I just want to let you know up front as part of our process and we’ve done many of these deals. You know, sometimes it works out for us to buy the property or in some way help you sell it. And sometimes it doesn’t work out for us to buy the property. And I just want you to know in either case that’s okay. Even if it doesn’t work out for us to buy the property or to negotiate or, you know, put a deal together. I don’t want to use the word negotiation with the seller because I’d already sets up like an inherent feeling of conflict. I want them to be at comfort and at peace. So I was like, even though, even if we can’t work out something together at the very least, I may be able to refer you to someone that can help you out of the situation.

You see that? I keep looping back to the word situation. So you see that’s part of explaining the process. Is telling them right up front, it’s okay if It doesn’t work out for us to actually work on this directly, but because my main cause and purpose and objective here is to help you with your situation. Well it works out for me to get something out of the deal or not is okay with me. My main purpose is in helping you out. Now let me give you another sub point about how this, how helping people out works out. And that is, you, God gave us two ears and one mouth, right? And the only way, not the only way, but the best way this is going to work out is if you become a listener like nobody else. I mean, when you increase your skill and talent of really listening, for example, back to the question, tell me about your situation. Now, when you say, tell me, when you asked him about your situation, you got to put on your listening cap and the taking copious notes, because the more they tell you about the situation, I can tell you what they are talking about. It’s what’s most important to them.

Now, as I mentioned a couple of minutes ago, a lot of the times, it’s not always about the price. Let me give you an example. Not too long ago, I was talking with a seller about, I was actually talking with the daughter of the mother that lived in the house. This was in a small home, over in Newport. And I was talking with the daughter and I said to the daughter, tell me about the situation. And here’s what the answer was to that question. You know, the first answer was there were six heirs on this home in Mill Creek. They didn’t want to do any more to the house. It needed repairs. The six heirs don’t want to mess with it.

When I’m talking to the daughter on this home, over in Newport, here’s the answer to the question and I’ve got my ears wide open. I said, tell me about the situation. The daughter says, well, my mother has been living in this home for years. In fact, it’s been living in this home for decades and she’s come to a point in her life to where she needs to move out because she needs to move to an assisted living area or an assisted living home. And she doesn’t know where she wants to go, but we know we need to sell the house in order to provide income and revenue to pay for the assisted living. I said, after she answered the question, tell me about the, she didn’t say anything about the property. It wasn’t the property. It wasn’t the upkeep. The problem to tell me about the situation was the mother needed to move on and did not know where they were going to go. And they needed money to start making that decision.

Since I had my listening ears on. Here was the way I structured the deal. I said, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll pay you all cash. Using private money. I didn’t tell them private money cause they wouldn’t know what I’m talking about. I said, I’ll pay you all cash for the property and I will let your mother live in her home for a another 90 days, three months, rent free. For you and the family to have plenty of time to find a place in assisted living area. And you can go ahead and get, you know, I’ll give you a partial cash upfront as a down payment before we, or earnest money before we actually close on the deal. So you all can all start. You can go in and start making arrangements on the move.

Guess what I discovered from that offer because I had my listening ears wide open. I learned after we closed, the daughter told me after we closed, she said, Jay, I just want you to know that I had another investor offer me more money than you did, but I want you to know the reason we took your offer was because you understood what my mother needed. My mother needed some cash now to go ahead and start finding the assisted living home to move into. And because you were able to work with us and give us some money up front and then close out a completely 90 days down the road, then we took your offer. Even though it was a lesser amount.

Now, let me tell you how I structured that deal. Okay? So I structured that deal with seller financing. So I told you up front in the beginning of this episode, that I was going to teach you four different ways to get more offers accepted. So this was a combination of seller financing and private money cash. Alright. So this is seller financing.

So number one way, I call it Seller Financing with Principle Only Payments or Seller Financing with Equity Payments. So this strategy can be implemented in many different ways. Seller financing with principle only payments or equity payments. That means the same thing. What that typically means is when the seller is selling a house that’s free and clear of any mortgages, have any notes or liens attached to it. Then I offer to make them payments that will go 100% towards purchase price until I cash it out.

Well, let me tell you what I did in this case. So you say, Jay, how can you give them money up front and you’d be protected? What if I take the money and run? Well, they can’t take the money and run. What we did is we went ahead and closed on the property at the agreed upon price. But all I did was a 90 day note. You see, they needed cash. In this case, $10,000. They needed cash $10,000 down to go ahead and start finding the assisted living area, moving and et cetera. So I had my real estate attorney draw up a note and a mortgage. And so I gave $10,000 down at that point of the down payment at my real estate attorneys closing office. Title was went ahead and was transferred to me.

So I own the house. I own the house. You never give a seller any money. Of course, all the money goes through the trust account, right? They get the money at closing. Alright. So now we have a note in place. And so I’m going to pay it off in 90 days. But as part of the agreement in this negotiation process, I’m not going to pay it off until the mother has moved out of a house. So you see, that’s how I structured that deal, making it a win-win scenario and giving the mother and the daughter exactly what was needed. So that’s number one, seller financing with equity payments, principle only payments, or in that particular case, a down payment that 100% of that went to purchase price. And then the balance was paid in 90 days. Now, where did that money come from? Private money, of course. But it was a combination of seller financing, a 90 day note, transfer the title and ownership at the time of closing and then paying it off with private money at the end of 90 days.

The second way that I want to teach you today on structuring deals is what’s called, Seller Financing with Interest Only Payments. Seller Financing with Interest Only Payments. This is also called Seller Financing by Your Seller Being a Private Lender. This is making the seller of the property, your private lender. Well, how in the world does that work? This strategy works when you’re dealing in higher end, higher priced properties, where the seller is very, very intent on getting their price. Okay. So I have a friend who recently negotiated a deal and the price of the property retail was $800,000. Well, the seller wanted full retail.

Well, they knew they could negotiate this deal, but they could only, they didn’t have private money lined up for $800,000 price. So they negotiated with the seller to sell to them with just interest only payments for 12 months. And for the, during that 12 months, that gives them. So it’s, you know, interest only payments can typically be less than principle and interest payments. By doing interest only payments that gave the real estate investor, my friend, plenty of time to locate a rent to own buyer on this very high end property over on the beach, it’s a resort property. And they can negotiate the deal. So that’s two ways to use seller financing, seller financing with principal only payments, seller financing with interest only payments.

There’s actually another seller financing strategy. I’ll go and share with you right now. I’m not going to have it displayed at right now, but that is, Seller Financing with NO Payments Until Cash Out. Seller Financing with NO Payments Until Cash Out. So when you have a seller, particularly on a free and clear property and they don’t need the cash flow, then you can, Oh, my podcast producer is brilliant. He’s already got it up there. Seller financing with ZERO payments. So you can negotiate the deal to where you buy it with nothing down and no payments until you find a buyer. And when you find the buyer, you use the buyer’s money to then cash out your seller, and then you retain of course the profit over and beyond the price that you all had negotiated.

So that’s two ways. Actually three ways. So now what is the next way? And y’all have heard me talk about this a lot. And that is Buying with a Subject to the Existing Note. Buying Subject to the Existing Note. So simply that is when someone will, they’re wanting retail value or they’re giving it to you at a discount. They’re willing to sell you their house, leaving the mortgage in their name, and they’re going to sell it to you, transfer the deed and you are agreeing to make the payments until you find a cash out buyer. Who’s willing to do that? A motivated seller who is interested solely in debt relief. You see the person I just told you about a few moments ago that I met about a month ago. They, that was their main motivation. When I said, tell me about the situation. And the situation was they needed a debt relief. So this strategy even works when a seller wants full retail price, where you can buy a house at full retail price, subject to the existing note, if and only if, the underlying monthly mortgage payments are less than what you can bring in per month with, you know, a rent to own monthly payment. So subject to.

And then the fourth way, of course, is Paying Cash with PRIVATE MONEY. Using Private Money. And I can tell you that this in the real world out there is the way for you to ensure, to never missing out on a deal because you didn’t have the funding. Most sellers, even though we’re talking about these different creative ways are going to require all the money. Now, if you’re wondering about how in the world, you can get private money, regardless of your credit score or verification of income, whether you’re a seasoned real estate investor or you’re brand new, that’s another reason for you to get involved and take advantage of the four free weeks that I’ve offered you. Of The Private Money Academy. So if you want private money for your deals, then be sure and get in the four week trial at www.JayConner.com/Trial.

Well, those are the four ways before I let you go on today’s show. I want to give you a strong negotiating tip and strategy on how to negotiate when it really is all about price with the seller. And that is I have got a formula. And for all of you that are in the Private Money Academy that I just offered with the trial. I have a formula that I share with all the Academy members that shows a formula to the seller as to how on average, they get only about 78% of their asking price when that is listed in the multiple listing service. So if you’ve got a seller that is just, you know, dead set on the price, then use this formula and showing them.

Here’s what I do. First of all. Well, here’s the price they want. If you put your house, if the seller puts their house in the multiple listing service at that price, first of all, national average, 6% is gonna come off of that. We’re already down to 94% of the asking price because 6% is going to go to the realtor community and commissions. Well doing business with a real estate investor, there are no realtor commissions. In addition to that, when you sell it in the multiple listing service, there’s always going to be, I say, always 99% of the time, there’s going to be a home inspection by the buyers home inspection company. And of course, what is the home inspectors job? The home inspectors job is to, is to point out every nuance of inefficiencies. And of course, anything that is not working that is intended. Well, I can guarantee you after the home, after you’re under contract to sell the house, when the seller’s under contract to sell the house and the home inspector comes along, do you think there’s going to be now more negotiation asked by the buyer of a house? Absolutely!

I rehab houses all the time. Carol Joy and I have rehabbed over 400 of them here in Eastern North Carolina. And after the home inspection, the buyer always wants more to come off of the price. In addition to that, how long is it going to take to sell the property with carrying costs? So while the property is on the market, then there’s carrying costs still going on. Mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, unexpected maintenance. In fact, I was talking to another seller this morning that it is his mother-in-law, his 91 year old mother-in-law that is wanting to sell the property. When I asked the question, what is the situation? The answer was the 91 year old mother-in-law and the family don’t want to spend money anymore to upkeep the property. And it’s just too much. And so just two weeks ago, and this may have been the cockroach that showed up for the most recent motivating factor of the seller.

When I’m talking to the son in law, he says to me, the hot water heater just went out two weeks ago. And now we and my siblings have had to replace the hot water heater. We’re done. We’re just tired of upkeeping this property, keeping the upkeep on this property and we’re ready for it to go. So again, the formula that I use on showing a seller as to what the real cost of selling a house, when in the multiple listing service versus selling to a real estate investor, many times can make the difference on whether you buy the house or not.

Well, there you have it. Not only the four ways. I think I did maybe five ways. That you can get more offers accepted. Remember the underlying principles that I went over with you as well. And that is, always creating win-win scenarios, telling people what to expect and making sure that you always have their interest first at heart. Because again, when you take care of them, you don’t have to worry about yourself. Take me up on my offer. Four weeks free trial in the membership. Jay Conner’s Private Money Academy at www.JayConner.com/Trial.

Thank you so much for joining in on the episode. If you found it valuable, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review, and I look forward to seeing you on the next episode. I’m Jay Conner, The Private Money Authority. Wishing you all the best. And here’s to taking your real estate investing business to the next level. We’ll see you on the next show.

[elisafrag]

Flawed Renovation Ideas that Might Devalue Your Home

Ever thought of incorporating home renovation ideas to boost up its value? While some of them actually help in increasing its worth and get Sell My House Fast Tulsa, faulty renovation projects may end up giving the worst payoff.

We’ve discussed such flawed ideas in the following to help you remain cautious of any awful investment:

1. Over Personalization

Home customization provides ease and comfort to your life, yet over-personalization of various aspects of your home may contribute to its overall de-valuation. Over personalization refers to altering the features of the house to a level that reverting them becomes seemingly impossible. They include:

·        Wallpapers: Stylizing the walls of your home with quirky textures certainly gives an appealing look, but preferences in this regard are highly subjective. Apply simple, decent, and natural textures to allure your potential buyers.

·        Carpeting: Excessive carpeting is a nightmare of germ ophobes. It raises hygiene and sanitary issues. Avoiding the unnecessary use of carpet minimizes cleanliness issues as well as slashes the expenses of carpets.

·        Tiling: Tiles get stained and grubby more quickly than you expect. Similarly, the preference for tile texture is area-specific. Therefore, you must remain extra-careful when renovating the floor using tiles, since they are one of the costliest upgrades.

2. Costly Additions

A yard is something that appeals the most to prospective buyers. Altering your yard for mere sunroom addition may turn out to be the costliest blunder you make in terms of renovation.

With the least return on investment, a sunroom is a luxury more than a necessity. Don’t expect homebuyers to pay bulk money just to have an outdoor reading and relaxing privilege in the afternoon.

Similarly, remote working may compel you to have a separate workspace in your home. Setting up an entire office within the premises of your home, more specifically your bedroom, is a major downgrade. Quite obviously, it will rule out the potential buyers who expect to have more bedrooms or a broader living space than a dedicated workspace.

3. Lavish Chandelier and Lighting

Getting overwhelmed by lavish chandeliers and ceiling lights, and installing them in your home may bring up a notion that you implemented a great renovation idea.

On the contrary, installing a fancy lighting system financially harms you in two ways; costly bills due to high consumption of electricity and is expensive itself. Replace them with energy-efficient LED lightings to cut back on your electricity expenses.

4. Extra Luxurious Bathroom

The bathroom is one of the most significant portions of your house and demands a timely maintenance service. A mid-range bathroom improvement surely adds value to your home. However, an overly luxurious remodeling not only turns out to be extravagant but also increases the chances of making mistakes.

A thoroughly revamped bathroom typically accompanies customized features which aren’t, in any way, conformable to your home’s future clientele.

5. A High-End Kitchen Revamp

A lavished kitchen is perhaps the most anticipated home feature for buyers to look for. It is vital to keep your kitchen well-maintained since it is the primary aspect that reflects how hygienic you are. But it is equally important to refrain from a high-end kitchen refurbishment.

Adding a built-in appliance to your kitchen is a highly expensive feature. It may ease your life a little but is a major financial loss in the long run due to its extreme consumption of electricity. Replace the outdated appliances with rather new yet cost-effective ones. Keep your kitchen clean, uncluttered and orderly, as much as you can.

6. Installing a Central HVAC System

Having controls over the heating, ventilation, and cooling system of your home indeed provides unmatched privileges. Homebuyers may prefer a house with a central HVAC system. But don’t expect them to pay you a bulk of the credit to account for its installation cost as well as your profit.

If you have plans to sell your home soon, there’s no need to install an HVAC if it lacks one. Sure, it comes with various cost-efficient features but it never adds value to your home for Sell My Home Fast Tulsa  from a resale perspective.

7. Combining Rooms to Create a Master Bedroom

Never abandon the idea of downsizing after kids move out. Downsizing provides hefty savings with huge investment potential.

Even if you consider living in your existing home for long, combining rooms to create a bigger room always remains a bad idea. It is yet another costly customization that never increases the overall worth of your home.

Instead, a house with multiple independent bedrooms carries better functional utility. Rather than adding space, keep it uncluttered and less stuffed with furniture to give it a wider look.

Final Thoughts

On a final note, we find it prudent to mention that maintenance and renovation are two separate things. Cutting back on maintenance faults just to add value to your home may turn disastrous if you’re planning to sell it soon.

Never shy away from keeping your home well-maintained, and always evaluate to Sell My House Fast Tulsa how a revamping idea would fare in the long run.

[wondereads]

Personal Recommendation (2/28/21)

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

Why am I recommending this book?

I loved this one. I finished it in less than two hours and then spent an extra hour lying there thinking about how great it was. I think this is the first book I’ve felt this way about in a long time, so anticipate a very long, spoiler-filled review. (Please keep in mind, this review discusses things like rape, abuse, and extreme misogyny. If this is a trigger for you, please do not read this review! Also, if you’re looking to avoid spoilers, skip to the Overall section.)

Want something quick and short? Check out my tiktok

Plot 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

In the land of Harding, it’s tradition that after the previous king dies, the prince will venture out, slay a dragon, and rescue a damsel. When Ama wakes up in the arms of Prince Emory of Harding, she has no memory of the dragon or anything before that. However, as she starts her new life as Emory’s fiancée, she starts to realize that life in the palace isn’t quite what it seems.

One thing you must understand is that this book is character-driven. There is no grand plan or kingdom-threatening evil. It’s all about Ama and how she deals with life in Harding. As such, the plot section will be a little short. The gradual transition that takes place in Ama from her arrival to the wedding is very well done, and the slow revelations that take place really begin to up the ante towards the end. Even if this wasn’t the most exciting book I’d ever read, I was entirely invested in Ama and her search for the truth.

There was also a very cool bit of symbolism in this book with the comparison of Sorrow, Ama’s lynx kit, and Pawlin’s falcon. The falcon represents what Emory wishes Ama to be, the perfect pet. An obedient creature that will always return to him. Sorrow represents what Ama actually is. A wild animal that was partially trained before eventually finding freedom again. Both Ama and Sorrow return to Harding with Emory, are trained to behave a certain way, and face pain and sickness before escaping.

Also, this was the most satisfying ending to a book that I’ve read in a long time. It’s a bit open in that we don’t know what the characters will be doing after or what will happen in Harding, but Ama gets what she wants and takes out the people who were keeping it from her, and even though I don’t know what will happen to her after, I know it’ll probably be something good.

Characters 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Now, this is the section that will be quite long. Ama has her quirks and traits, but I believe that first and foremost she is average. She has the sort of compassion that you would expect from any human being, and she doesn’t always speak out. Sometimes, she’s scared, and she ends up giving in. As the story progresses, Ama begins to lose some of her fire, she begins to give up. It’s very easy to see how her treatment is having an effect on her character, and that’s why I felt so strongly about her arc. Seeing her gradually lose herself makes me all the more insistent that she will win in the end. And she does, and it’s a very satisfying win at that. I’m particularly fond of how she turns Emory’s words on him during her escape.

Emory is an incredibly well-written character. The transition from savior to captor is very smooth and convincing. When Ama first meets Emory, he’s very sweet. He showers her with compliments, he prioritizes her comfort over his own, and he protects her fiercely. He was so nice that I at first thought that he would be Ama’s ally in Harding. However, once Ama and Emory enter Harding, a place where he is now king, he changes. He expects Ama to fit the mold of the perfect bride; quiet, docile, pretty. He humiliates her, does whatever he pleases, and he can get away with it all because he has undeniable power there. To put it simply, Emory slowly begins to show the classic signs of an abuser. He exerts his power in every way, he cuts her off from the outside world, he tries to deprive her of Sorrow, her only protector, and he and his friends gaslight her at every turn. And it’s slow enough that by the time Ama is exposed, she’s already under the watchful eye of an entire kingdom. A realization of Ama’s puts it in perfect terms - he likes her best when she’s in need of rescuing.

Ama and Emory at first seem like the perfect couple. It matches what we have been taught, the brave prince and the beautiful damsel, and Emory is dedicated to the show. In fact, Emory never once physically abuses Ama. He loves to give her compliments, and it’s obvious he genuinely wants to marry her. Unfortunately, the reasons for marrying Ama are probably due to his coronation and his belief that, as king, he needs a damsel as queen. The psychological abuse on Ama is profound, and, because of the culture in Harding, he can get away with it no problem. It’s only through Ama’s own strength and the help she receives from other girls, such as Tillie and the queen mother, that she is able to escape.

The last major character I want to talk about is the queen mother. She is very important for Ama’s discoveries, and she’s a classic abuse victim. She has come to accept what happens in Harding as the norm, and she encourages Ama to accept it as well so she won’t get hurt. However, she still is an important character to Ama, and she still, perhaps on purpose, helps Ama escape what she had to experience. I have high hopes for her at the end.

Writing Style 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

This book is written in a similar style to a typical fairytale. It has similar language, and a lot of the descriptions, especially of Ama’s inner feelings, are rather abstract. It really does feel like an exceptionally long fable. Also, the pacing in this book, the way the revelations of Emory’s character and Ama’s memory are spread out, is perfect. It held my attention just enough, and once it began to pick up speed towards the end I was absolutely ready for it. It’s not hard to predict what the big secret is. Odds are, if you’re on Tumblr as much as I am, you could tell by the time you finished the summary. However, Arnold leaves it right up to the last moment to reveal what impact that secret will have. Although it was the ending I was hoping for, I wasn’t sure it would be right up until it happened.

Meaning 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

There is some great commentary in Damsel on rape culture, psychological abuse, and the effects of misogyny. First of all, Harding is one of the most misogynistic kingdoms in the fictional world. The worst part is, most of it isn’t through actual physical threats to women. There is one scene where two men attempt to sexually assault Ama. However, her savior is Emory, her abuser. 

The big problem in Harding is the absolute dehumanization that woman face. Multiple times, women are referred to as vessels, having no worth beyond the children they carry and raise. It is so heavily ingrained into the damsels when they arrive that the queen mother believes it to be true. All of the girls that have lived in Harding, such as Tillie, agree with it as well. Women are expected to sit quietly and look pretty while the men around them make crude jokes and treat them like objects. This is why Emory can do what he does. He can almost rape Ama and literally lead her around on a leash because the entire society of which he is king is filled with enablers and bystanders. Ama knows throughout the entire book that the way Emory treats her is wrong. It goes against her very nature, but she submits to it. Why? Because everyone around her acts like it’s normal. Because it’s better than being held captive by a dragon. Because it’s better than being on the streets where much worse could happen to her. Because it’s just the way things are. 

Damsel has some pretty powerful statements on how rape culture can enable abuse and psychologically wear down women. It shows what horrible things a abuse victim can be subjected to. However, it also shows what happens when Tillie and the queen mother help Ama in the little ways they can. It shows that woman can stand up to their abusers and have a much brighter future; that they are not defined by what they have endured. And I think that’s why I loved this book so much.

Overall 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I was wholly invested in the book. I absolutely loved it, and I will definitely be getting a personal copy for myself. Ama’s journey of self-discovery (literally) pulls the reader in, and Emory’s quiet transition is so subtle and powerful. The social commentary is amazing, and you will absolutely love Sorrow. Please do keep in mind that this book deals with some heavy topics such as rape and abuse, so do not read it if you have issues with that. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fantasy, fractured fairytales, and people getting what they deserve.

The Author

Elana K. Arnold: American, also wrote A Boy Called Bat, What Girls Are Made Of, and Red Hood

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, and I take recommendations. Check out my about me post for more!

[professorspork]

ANOTHER BUSY DAY IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY

I started the day running errands on Havarl, culminating with finishing off Jaal’s loyalty mission! I took Vetra with us thinking ‘hey, if anyone knows sibling dynamics...’ but then she factored into all of that absolutely 0%, lol @ me. but no matter! Jaal was super flirty as we made our way to the Forge, and it was adorable when he was like “HERE MEET MY FRIEND SO YOU CAN SEE AKKSUL IS WRONG” and bodily dragged me toward his siblings. their fight was absorbing and intense; I LEGIT GASPED WHEN HIS SISTER SHOT HIS BROTHER. LIKE!! the whole confrontation with Akksul felt super weighty and I really enjoyed it-- keeping my trigger discipline to not shoot that dude was really hard! there was a split second there where his bolt was headed toward Jaal’s face and I was like “if I kill off Jaal in his loyalty mission I’ll be so upset” but nope it all worked out, he has a bitchin cheek scar now, and the respect of his people, and I got a forehead touch so y’know. i melted. GOSH. then I died laughing at Akksul’s not-apology email.

now Jaal wants me to meet his mom(s) but Helen said that’ll lock in the romance, so I’ll probably wait just a little longer so I can uh keep having FWB sex with Peebee and ?maybe??? flirt with Vetra at some point? altho I teasingly called her MOM last time we were in Kadara Port so maybe not. (Jaal still hates it there, he’s so grumpy and it’s cute, but I digress)

this one got even longer than usual so doing a cut

one thing that I really like, that the game navigates in interesting ways, is that to the angara, we’re all just “Milky Way people.” like. so much of the original trilogy is about navigating the differences between all these aliens, and like, some of that is here too, esp with the krogan, but it’s actually really neat the way we’ve flattened out. and even with the krogan it’s still night and day-- like. comparing what Tuchanka is like in ME2 when Wrex is still solidifying his status as warlord is miles away from what it’s like for me to wander around New Tuchanka or, especially, just run into random krogan out and about (like the nice water scouts. WHY COULDN’T I JUST GIVE THEM THE WATER? but I’m getting ahead of myself). I know some of it has the Watsonian explanation of, like, only forward-thinking, open-minded krogan would be interested in the Initiative in the first place, and some of it is the Doylist explanation of ‘well people really liked that Charr/Ereba romance so let’s have more sweetie pie krogan’ but like. overall. it’s interesting, and I’m sure there’s more angles I haven’t considered.

I traced more of those comm buoys for Addison and learned that the doctor she’s obsessed with ran away to get pregnant! I definitely read that whole situation as Addison being in love with this lady and tbh it still doesn’t refute it? but I won’t get any more progress until I make a new outpost. the whole idea of ‘the first human baby born in Heleus’ thing is really cool, though, and I’m invested.

then I went to Elaaden! I feel some kind of way about Lexi diagnosing all of these scavengers with Brain Disease, but I can’t put my finger on it exactly-- other than, I guess, my general discomfort with pathologizing criminality. I was glad she said we couldn’t vaccinate people without their consent, but the whole thing smacks as very... self-conscious on the part of the game creators? like they thought people would say “hey it’s a huge plot hole that the Initiative screened every person before putting them on the arks and yet so many of them do crimes, explain that to me” and they were like “oh yeah shit that makes no sense, it’s not like people faced with the existential crisis of being in a brand new place 600 years away from everything they’ve ever known with no way back and not enough resources and multiple things wanting to kill them might just make desperate, risky choices, that’s not good enough, obviously we need to explain it with BRAIN DISEASE.” come on.

I made it to New Tuchanka, where the postings on the terminals are literally my favorite part of this whole game. THE ONE KROGAN WHO WANTS GINGERBREAD. THE ONE WHO DOESN’T WANT TO FOCUS ON CONS AND SUGGESTS A “PRO-VERSATION.” THE ONE ABOUT THE “PROBLETUNITY” OF MATING SUGGESTING WATCHING KRANTT HARDLY WAIT. THE ONE WHO INVENTED BLOOD RAGE FOR GUN TURRETS. but also, the best one, my favorite one of all: KRANTT THE RAGENING LARP. there is nothing I would not give to play Krantt: The Ragening.

I sort of tripped and fell and decided to finish Drack’s loyalty mission even though I intended to do more Elaaden things first, and that was a blast. Vorn is so presh! and also Drack is my dad so there’s that. I loved that Vorn helped save the day with a poison vegetable, and I love that Kesh pretended not to like the flower he got her. it was like-- okay. real talk, I just spent like 20 minutes trying to find proof that there is, in fact, a scene in parks and rec where someone gives April a friendship bracelet and she pretended to hate it until they threatened to take it back and could not find it ANYWHERE and felt so gaslit until I realized that that scene was not about April at all but Louise Belcher so. GOOD JOB ME. anyway. it was like that. kesh pretending her comm was broken when Tann tried to talk to her is the oldest joke in the book but I laughed anyway. 

and then I TOOK SPENDER DOWN FOR GOOD. I’m a little miffed that neither Kesh nor Tann got to be in on that discussion; like, I recognize he was Addison’s underling but given all the bullshit he pulled with the krogan I especially felt Kesh deserved to be there? at one point there was a dialogue tree where I could either say it was Addison’s fault or Spender’s fault, and I picked the latter because I think they both such but Spender sucks worse, but in hindsight I wish I’d stuck it to Addison more because my dialogue was way too nice. when faced with the choice of jailing or exiling Spender, I picked jail despite my desire to defund Nexus Militia because I was scared if I exiled him he’d just come back as a worse enemy because of all his off-station contacts. when reviewing the choice in the codex, though, it narrativized my choice by saying I imprisoned him knowing he “would never survive life on the run from his former associates.” that wasn’t my assumption at all! quite the opposite! I jailed him thinking he’d start a coup from without if I didn’t, and it’s really interesting to me that the game isn’t framing that as a concern Ryder would have reasonably had. anyway, now Brecka has his job, which is good because Brecka is the best.

before leaving I unlocked my last memory, and SURPRISE MY MOM IS ALIVE. WELL. FOR A GIVEN DEFINITION OF ALIVE. i don’t know why I’m surprised; of course my dad sucked that much. but also, the fact that all of that got nestled in with the reaper ‘reveal’ (if you can call it that) felt... very strange? like. this is such a personal, emotional thing for Ryder. obviously for the player harkening back to the trilogy is supposed to be a gut wrench, and objectively, yes, I can see how the knowledge that they might have narrowly escaped certain death is a big deal, but like. the reapers aren’t HERE. they aren’t relevant. my MOM, on the other hand, is and is, apparently! it’s occurring to me I didn’t even try to find her mis-labeled pod, I was so turned around by all the benefactor stuff after the fact. anyway.

swung by Kadara to get drinks with Drack and had an epic bar fight, and then Lexi p much lectured us both abt it because Drack is like 90% spit and duct tape at this point. him talking about raising Kesh giving him a new lease on life was VERY sweet, tho, and his line about how parents aren’t the finish line, they’re the starting line was very good.

went back to Elaaden, which Jaal called “a big planet” while discussing hunting someone down and AU CONTRAIRE, JAAL, IT IS A MOON. wish I’d had Drack with me when I found Annea’s water because I bet he would have had better dialogue than Cora, but alas. felt very weird giving control of the reservoir to the Nexus, but like. Annea being like “you can’t, this is my emotional support monopoly on a vital natural resource” just wasn’t gonna fly with how I’m playing Ryder. I was gratified to hear the Nexus guy at Paradise say we were giving the water to everyone, including krogan and scavengers, because I 100% did not trust Tann not to overrule him with some shitty call.

then I went to the Remnant ship to stop Morda from making a bomb out of the drive core, and it was all going swimmingly until I traced the signal to that cave inside the flophouse and suddenly my triangle button stopped working, making me unable to activate the console. YIKES. a quick google of the issue tells me that this mission is buggy for a lot of people and reloading from an earlier save tends to help, but I tried that and the issue persisted so I gave up for the evening. hopefully a fresh start tomorrow and time for the ps4 to cool off is all that is required. 

[k-s-morgan]

(1/5)Hi again!) Hm, I don't think that Merope could have influenced Tom that much? If we take for granted that his lack of impulse control and not-so-great-ability to fully comprehend the consequences of his own actions aren't the result of his upbringing and are the result of pre-born circumstances. (Otherwise, sure) She herself didn't really think about consequences too much, if I think about it. Could she really present a logical argument why you shouldn't hurt people? One he would listen to?

(2/5)In fact, I don't think she had that integrity in the first place, hence the whole Riddle affair... (I suppose, one could work with thought patterns to prevent needless cruelty, APD-therapy-ish, but it would be hard, just on an intellectual level - because Tom is clever enough to catch obvious bullshit.)Speaking of "asexuality being used just to justify the lack of same-sex physical intimacy", people might often forget that aro ace couples can and frequently are physically or/and emotionally 

(3/5) affectionate with each other. Like, we do not just stare at each other lovingly and talk about purely platonic things. We cuddle, sleep together, explore our sexualities (kinks, rated fics, etc; a lot of aces actually are more willing to discuss sex than an average non asexual person, at least where I am), talk about relationships.. I am afraid that people just don't understand that asexuality isn't an absence of sexuality. It is a sexual orientation. Er,well, that was definitely rambling.

(4/6) I hope you don't mind. Sorry? P.S. What's your stance on "manipulative Dumbledore"? I recently 've been told an opinion that Harry wasn't "his responsibility", that he was just a Headmaster (+ a bunch of other things) and he doesn't have an obligation to be invested in the lives of his student on such a personal level so he would deal with their individual personal problems.P.P.S. Have you read The Train to Nowhere? I checked and you haven't mentioned it in any of your fic rec lists.

(5/5) It has quite an oblivious Voldemort in it - he completely doesn't read the signals as sexual, even though they'd be pretty obvious to an average observer. I absolutely loved it, partially because I nurse I headcanon of him being ace in there, even though it's 100% not gonna happen.( Well, for what we need slow burn if not for the opportunity to headcanon characters as a-spec and relationships as qpr for as long as possible (at least, a lot of aces told me it's the case with them.)) -- Alen

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Hey, Alen! Thank you for as always interesting message))

1) With Merope, I can see several ways of development. From how we see her in canon, she doesn’t seem likely to provide Tom with a healthy environment, but some people transform drastically when they give birth to a child, so maybe this could have happened to her? She could have regretted her actions and tried to raise Tom to the best of her abilities. She could seek help from magical and Muggle communities both. Or maybe she’d raise a monster still - it’s interesting to speculate about it. But I think Tom would love his mother anyway if she stayed by his side.

2) Very true about asexuals and the attitude of many of them toward sex. In fact, the guy I lost virginity to told me later that he suspected I might be ace because the topic of sex and sex itself never fazed me and I treated it like a curious puzzle :D And yes, people who know little of asexuality try to use it as an excuse while also failing to understand what it means completely. So many of them think asexual = celibate.

3)  Dumbledore is very manipulative, but he’s not a villain either. He had to make some of the toughest decisions in his life, and his gray morality is the reason why I like him. All in all, he treated Harry terribly because he did raise him like a pig for slaughter, but it was for ‘greater good’ - and greater good is greater in terms of its scale. Dumbledore tried to rid Harry of the Horcrux, like with the Basilisk’s fang, but when it failed, he knew Harry would have to die to defeat Voldemort once and for all and save all other people. Granted, I think the whole existence of  Voldemort is partly Dumbledore’s fault because he treated Tom unfairly and cruelly from the start. The fact that he hid his parentage from him, even though Tom was likely mocked and bullied for it for the first year or two, definitely contributed to Tom’s overall bitterness. 

As for Harry not being his responsibility... of course he was -  Dumbledore made it so from the moment he chose to leave him in an abusive household to raise a potential hero with no feeling of self-worth. Harry was always special.  Dumbledore wasn’t just a Headmaster, he was a key player in the fight against Voldemort, and while I believe he loved Harry, he was prepared to sacrifice him to win this fight, which warranted a more personal contact and influence. 

4) I did read The Train to Nowhere and I absolutely loved it! I think I spent the entire night reading it. The reason why I don’t mention it in my lists is that the pacing there is very slow, and by the chapter I read last, we clearly weren’t even half-way close to the ending. I’m a bit cautious about labelling something as my favorite work when I have no idea of where the story might still go and how the central relationship will develop. I think I’m going to catch up on all the chapters I missed, though))

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

Hellooo! What's your opinion on He tian and Jian Yi friendship from the start till now? And Mo and Zhang friendship from start till now? Also, I loveee your 'the cycle of the sunflower' fanfic!♥️

Good evening, anon-san, sorry it took me this long to answer You had interesting and quite broad questions but first things first: I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my fic so much, and thank you very much for letting me know! I was actually entertaining some tentative ideas for a sequel today while procrastinating. But you know, not that I will ever write it.

“What's your opinion on He tian and Jian Yi friendship from the start till now?”

Tl;dr: I was pretty annoyed by He Tian at first when he was trying to get close to Jian Yi but these days I quite like their friendship. I especially enjoy those little heart-to-hearts they have sometimes.

You gave me quite a long timeline, and I had to go all the way back to chapter 60 when HT was apparently featured for the first time:

That panel doesn’t give us a lot to go on, and I’m sure most of us didn’t even pay that much mind to the random black-haired guy. I know I didn’t. But in retrospect, it could be interesting to wonder if OX’s intention was to make a fleshed-out character out of that random black-haired kid at that point already.

After his first appearance, it takes about 40 chapters before we see HT again (ch. 102):

This time their interaction seems different, like it has more meaning and HT is not just a random passer-by teasing him a bit. JY is upset and conflicted after giving ZZX the confession letter entrusted to him by Xiao Hui. He doesn’t tell HT what’s wrong but he’s obviously down, and HT seems to attempt to lighten the mood, perhaps even comfort him a bit. It’s hard to say how serious he’s being. What’s interesting is that he’s again patting JY’s head, but this time it doesn’t have the same teasing vibe.

After that chapter HT started to pop up more often and increasingly annoy me. Before long, I was fully in the “okay, buddy, you need to go be somewhere else” mood. Whenever he spotted JY’s mop of blond hair in the crowd he annoyingly stuck to him and draped his arm around his shoulders like they were the bestests friends.

What annoyed me the most, though, was that it was hard to say why he was acting so buddy buddy. One thing that struck me about their friendship from the beginning was that it seemed rather one-sided. It was HT who seemed to initiate hanging out and being turned down time after time. I didn’t know much of anything about HT, so at first, it all came across as him being romantically interested in JY. And I couldn’t have hated anything else more. I was fully invested in Zhanyi and worried the already slow pace was going to be hindered by some cliched love triangle. The only thing I was happy about was that JY didn’t have any interest whatsoever in HT.

For quite a long time, I didn’t really question or go back to the idea of HT being interested in JY in a romantic sense. I just thought his interest shifted to MGS. Now, after learning about HT’s past, goals and priorities, those early chapters tell a different story to me. 

Rather than being in love with JY, I think HT sought him out for two reasons.

First of all, we all know this kid is so lonely it hurts to watch but making genuine friends isn’t a simple matter in his situation. I already talked about this in one of my earlier posts, but the bottom line is, HT isn’t like his classmates. He was born and raised in a vastly different world but can’t tell anyone about it.

It’s almost like he’s living a double life. In front of his classmates and fangirls, he appears easy-going, cool, and carefree, but in the shadows, he looks much more intimidating and colder. Both of those sides are a part of him, but no one knows about his dark, shadow side. Not only that, but HT himself wants to get rid of his other side and deny it. If anyone learned about it, he’d risk putting them in harm’s way but at the same time, he craves the “normal”; acting his age. If he was being careful, maybe he could try and have friends even if he couldn’t show them all of himself.

However, I think HT also had another objective to get close to JY. I think he knows more about JY’s family than JY himself and was low key keeping an eye on him. I’m sure the surname “Jian” means something to him if She Li can recognize it as well (ch. 117):

It’s unclear to us how much he knows about He Cheng’s business with Mr. Jian, but I’m sure he’s guessed by now that dirty underworld wants something to do with one of his friends. He seemed to be in the know enough to rush over when HC was trying to get JY for the first time (ch. 166) and later warned his brother to not “get any ideas” (ch. 229). He’s probably pieced together that they’re trying to get to JY but since there’s nothing much he can do to stop that he’s just going to have to follow him. It’s still better than to let him get pulled into the lion’s nest alone. If that means he has to go all the way to the doorsteps of his own family, then so be it.

What I probably love the most about HT and JY’s friendship are those little heart-to-hearts they started having. The borderline philosophical nature of them reveals interesting new sides to HT’s character especially. I think JY was the first one who formed a deeper connection with HT and is still the only one who ponders those kinds of life-sized questions with him.

Chapter 133 is my favorite chapter about the deeper side of their friendship. Earlier JY had asked HT what people are living for, and HT’s half-serious answer was “probably so that they can do the things they want~”. He hadn’t meant it to actually stick with JY, not to mention prepared for JY to get back to the topic and ask something seemingly simple but rather personal from him later on (ch. 133):

Not only do I think that no one had seriously asked HT that before but that question also invited HT to open up. Though, all JY got out of him was:

Even in all its vagueness, it was the first time HT had implied being from a different world to someone who’s not a part of it, at least not knowingly. And that’s a quite sad line if you think about it. The things HT wanted to do in life were no doubt vastly different from JY and most kids of his age. He didn’t want to grow up to a man who would hurt others for a living. He wanted to belong in the world of JY and ZZX. He wanted to protect his friends. He wanted to do good and rid himself of his past that way. He wanted his brother to want to be like him, too. He wanted the puppy and wake up one morning to a normal family and life and it’s all been just a long nightmare. 

All of that remains unspoken and is replaced by silence, instead. HT just pats JY’s head while they stand in the rain and tells him to go to ZZX already; he hadn’t skipped just to sit around with HT, after all. JY wants to go but is also a bit worried about leaving HT like that. When he asks, “what about you?”, HT goes back to teasing him. Before leaving, though, JY gives him a little side-smile that warms my heart. That smile somehow has an understanding undertone to it, and he’s cursing HT almost affectionally.

They had a moment, and no one can convince me otherwise. It was as if JY got a feeling that maybe there was more to HT than what appeared.

And that’s how I see them now; JY was probably the first and closest thing HT could call a friend and it’s become more than just looking after him for HT. JY’s genuine, curious, and obliviously frank nature brings out certain kind of depth and platonic, big brother kind of affection in HT. It also seems JY was the first person to be cool with HT’s “dark” side and not think any less of him.

“And Mo and Zhang friendship from start till now?”

Tl;dr: They’re a bit odd together but I really like their little bonding moments. They’re weirdly similar but in different ways. Mo Guan Shan definitely needs and deserves a level-headed and no-bullshit friend like Zhan Zheng Xi.

This friendship certainly had a rough start (ch. 126):

There’s one thing I’ve always wondered about that fight: Was ZZX actually getting the upper hand? I’m hesitant to say ZZX is a better fighter than MGS, but he still seemed stronger. Did MGS also notice he was about to lose (in front of his posse, no less) and picked up the rock which was somewhat of a dirty move? Did ZZX get strength and courage from the need to protect JY? You know, when you think about something that matters to you and get a mental/physical boost to your drive that takes even you by surprise a little? He didn’t have a delinquent reputation like MGS had but if he lost this fight JY could be in trouble and he had vowed to protect him since they were little kids.

Well, either way, I was surprised how easily ZZX let the thing go when he and MGS came face to face again. He suggested an act of revenge but was actually the only one who wasn’t serious about twisting MGS’s balls in the end. Not only that but he seemed to even think MGS wasn’t that evil (ch. 150):

If I had been ZZX, I’m not sure I would’ve wanted to have anything to do with MGS after that. It’s still a bit unclear to me why ZZX suddenly thought like that, but maybe that’s just how his mind works. He doesn’t dwell or hold grudges, perhaps he finds that even a little childish.

He certainly started to consider MGS his friend and wanted to genuinely help him when the whole She Li situation unraveled and was frustrated when it looked like they couldn’t do anything (ch. 184):

Overall, compared to HT and JY, ZZX was a different kind of friend for MGS. HT would raise hell and go up against anyone who dared to mess with him. JY didn’t lack enthusiasm and oblivious courage to stand up for him and loudly demand justice. To both of them, MGS reacted with varying degrees of annoyance.

ZZX, on the other hand, was silent, calm and mature. He doesn’t talk bad about people behind their backs and when he’s done with something, he’s done with it. He’s in touch with himself and grounded. But it seems MGS wasn’t used to having people like that around. The way ZZX wasn’t bothered by being alone with him made him uncomfortable (ch. 248):

MGS is always half-expecting people to negatively react to him somehow; avoid making eye contact, look down on him, and whisper behind his back. When ZZX just stands there in silence and faces him head-on it bothers MGS. He feels awkward because he never apologized for the fight and bashing ZZX in the head. Pulling stuff like that in the heat of the moment could have had serious. long-lasting consequences. He seems to be ready for ZZX to bring it up and hold it over his head, and he’d have the right to do so, too. But it doesn’t look like ZZX is expecting an apology, either. As far as he goes, the matter is over and done with.

Interestingly MGS and ZZX are quite similar deep down but in a different way as weird as that might sound. They’re both very responsible; MGS has had to work and take care of the house from a very young age to support his mother. ZZX is very close with his little sister, he’s always taken care of her and learned the responsibility that way. They both have tsundere characteristics; Others being touchy-feely with them might earn them curses and a couple of punches, but they’re good at taking care of others. ZZX can be quick to lose his temper with JY but also quite tender and reassuring and surprisingly comfortable showing affection. MGS takes a certain kind of pride in cooking for his friends and can’t quite hide his concern for HT if he’s bleeding or having a nightmare. His help is always very practical.

What I love the most about ZZX and MGS’s friendship is that they kind of join forces being the only responsible voices of reason of the bunch. As a huge fan of my precious MGS, watching them bond over cooking warms my heart so much (ch. 289):

I’m so happy MGS has gained such a strong and loyal friend as ZZX. I’m really interested in seeing more of them together.

Thank you for your interesting question, anon-san, and sorry for such a late reply again.

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

TTS-Cass Character Analysis (My Personal Opinion) Part 1

There has been something I have been thinking a lot for quite a while. I’ve been thinking a lot about how views about Cassandra in the fandom are very polarizing, which I found to be super interesting that there are so many different interpretations about this one specific character.

I personally do not have a crush on her lol (my one only is my boy Eugene!!) nor do I romantically ship Cassunzel, Cassarian, or her with Eugene. But at the same Cass is a character that actually grew to not only be my favorite series exclusive character, but also has become my joint favorite character alongside Eugene and Rapunzel in the whole entire show (And believe me, I never saw that coming when I started the show because I was only interested in New Dream haha)! I found the amount of complexity that we see in her in S1, S2, and S3(to an extent) to be really interesting and enjoyable. It made her a very cool and well rounded character that I became so invested in her story, mostly in S1 and 2. But I wanted to reflect more on how I felt about this character throughout the show.

When I was first introduced to her in the show, I wasn’t really quite sure how I was going to feel about her like a part of me was like: Yeah! Rapunzel is finally getting a gal pal! Something we hardly see a Disney Princess getting! I enjoyed her in the Wind In My Hair scenes, her telling Rapunzel about the black rocks, and the scene where they tried several ways to cut her hair lol! On the other hand, I was completely mad at her whenever she interrupted New Dream scenes or when she pressured Rapunzel to keep a big secret which was negatively affecting her relationship with Eugene, but overall, it was more of a “Honey, I’m mad at you but I’m enjoying this kind of mad” lmao. 

I wasn’t entirely mad at her for insulting or picking on Eugene because I know my boy is strong and can stand up for himself, like he calls her names too! I personally don’t think she was mean to Eugene for fun, but it was more like she was very distrustful of him because he was the wanted thief that her father was hunting down and the fact that she thinks he’s “too laidback” or “self-centered” or a “freeloader in the castle” lol. (Just to make things clear, I’m the kind of person who can absolutely love a character, but still call out their individual flaws and actions, which are qualities that makes them more realistic and human, and makes me adore them even more). I for one enjoy Eugene and Cass’s sibling rivalry dynamic (My favorite friendship and platonic ship in the whole show haha!) I found it so hilarious and enjoyable how those two are throwing insults back and forth and annoy each other lol. I think I started liking Cass more than I did before in Rapunzel’s enemy and definitely Fitzherbert P.I. when she was actually rooting for Eugene against her dad!

Then of course, I was spoiled about Moonsandra!! Until this day, I hated getting this spoiler when I was still watching the show (I started about a year ago) and still in S1! I still wish I was surprised by it at the end of S2! Of course it didn’t help that the first episode I watched after that was none other than Challenge of the Brave! I was trying to keep in mind that this spoiler was going to happen much later and that I should enjoy the episode I’m currently watching but I felt so conflicted this entire episode I could hardly enjoy it lmao! I will get back to my thoughts on this episode later because it took me so long to re-watch it. 

Thank goodness Cassandra v. Eugene was the next episode because it helped ease the conflict I had about her more lol!! I found it hilarious how she and Eugene were locked in the cell and forced to work together but we see them bonding more! Overall, I liked seeing Cassandra’s arc for the rest of S1 and I liked seeing her grow a lot more. I felt like we got to see her be more compassionate, especially in Queen for a Day where she was willing to hug Rapunzel when Eugene and the guys were going to save her parents or when Rapunzel thought Pascal died. I loved seeing this side of Cassandra so much and has shown how much she grown since we first saw her! I also loved seeing her be a trio with Rapunzel and Eugene in a lot of latter S1 episodes where we see them working together more! I loved seeing Cass start to loosen up and not only be nicer and a better friend to Rapunzel but also seeing her start to get along with Eugene more while still maintaining their comical banter! I also liked seeing her and Eugene working together to help or save Rapunzel like in Painter’s Block and The Alchemist Returns. 

At the same time, I loved seeing more of her goals, like wanting to become a guard or proving herself to her dad. I loved that we also get some insight into her insecurity, which I felt like we got more of in Secret of the Sundrop, Under Raps, Great Expotations, and yes even Challenge of the Brave. The two latter episodes weren’t really episodes I liked or enjoyed, even when I rewatch them but at the same time, I felt like they do give clearer insight into her insecurity and COTB definitely does show a lot of what lead her to become Moonsandra. Cass is someone who wants to feel like she is noticed, appreciated, she wants to feel like she matters. While in that episode, Cass had done extremely shitty things and took it way too far, which I do not think is ever going to be acceptable like ever, I didn’t entirely see this episode as one sided conflict.

Now I know that people might disagree with what I’m about to say and I totally accept that. I decided to re-watch this episode a lot later while S3 was airing so I could get more insight into the whole Moonsandra turn. I felt like this episode showed so much of her insecurity and how she felt being looked down at as “Rapunzel’s Handmaiden”. This goes into that Cass wanted to be seen for who she is and for her combat skills, which is something that means so much to her. While I do love Rapunzel so so much (She’s the number 1 character I relate to and see myself in) I did feel like she was in the wrong as well, maybe not as much as Cass but still. Even though Cass didn’t talk about how much this meant to her, Rapunzel did notice signs of Cassandra being nervous and even told Eugene. Even throughout the challenge, there were several instances where Rapunzel could tell that Cass was bothered, but still continued anyway. I just felt that in this episode Rapunzel did act in a way that was inconsiderate and selfish (somewhat similar to Goodbye and Goodwill, but that played out differently), but at the same time, I don’t entirely blame her. She was locked in a tower for her first 18 years with no human interaction except with a horrible, abusive “parent” that never loved her. Of course she is going to lack a lot of social skills and knowledge about how friendships work, but over the course of the series she goes through many things that teach her more and I absolutely loved seeing her grow in this.

Back to Cass, while I do think that this was more of two-sided issue that could’ve been prevented by better communications on both sides, I’m in no way excusing what Cass did. However, what I did admire is that when they did talk and Raps apologized, and although Cass should have apologized and said she was wrong out loud, at the end, Cass at least came to realize that she was wrong and has owned up to her mistake, maybe not completely or in the most traditional way, but when she saved Raps from Wreck Marauder, raised Rapunzel’s arm up to declare her champion, and actually hugged her, that was her way of apologizing. Now I know that not everyone will agree with my interpretation of this episode but it’s just how I saw it and I tried to see it from the points of view of both characters and be unbiased as much as possible.

I personally don’t think of Cass as a horrible person or toxic friend, at least in S1 till the mid/end of S2 because on a more personal note I have dealt with so many toxic friendships in real life. In those toxic friendships, one major issue that has lead me to cut ties or create distance is that when the toxic friend hurt/used me (Which I really don’t wish to go into detail on atm), they NEVER and I mean NEVER admitted their actions were wrong or ever even bothered to see it, even when I called them out on it. I refuse to see Cass as a toxic or horrible person because even when she does something wrong, she’ll admit it, she’ll own up to her actions and accept the consequences, and eventually she actually started apologizing.

I know this post is super long but I really wanted to express my thoughts on Cass and still want to go over her arc in S2 (my personal favorite!!) and S3 (which might actually might be super painful! I would say I had overall mixed-negative feelings on that lol) But this concludes most of my thoughts on S1 Cass I wanted to reflect on!

[lia-jones]

Growing Stronger - Chapter Two - Pulling Strings

People deal with breakups in the most different ways. I had a friend that was a hopeless romantic, and each breakup was, in her words, the loss of her soulmate. She would spend weeks in deep depression, unwavering on the fact that the love she lost was the only one for her, and no one else could fill his place. That is, of course, until she met someone else. She probably had had around fifteen soulmates by the time she got married. On the other hand, I had a friend that was the complete opposite. As soon as she broke up with the guy, he would become her enemy. She would hate him with the same intensity she loved him, and spend days trashing the guy, celebrating how she certainly dodged a bullet, as she counted every flaw she could find in him in-numerous times.

Obviously this would lead to an argument every time one of them ended a relationship. Their views on how to deal with heartbreak were just too different. But they could agree on one thing: there is no pain like the one we feel when we end a relationship. In fact, studies show that when we feel rejection, we use the same neural pathways that are usually used to experience physical pain. So much so that painkillers are proven to numb the feeling of rejection. Apparently, it is something deeply rooted in our very human fabric. When we were nothing more than gatherers/collectors, our survival depended on living in a tribe and continuing to procreate, so rejection was our brain’s red alert that we were actually in danger.

But guilt can be a lot more devastating. Guilt is triggered by our brain’s “accountant”, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and his function is to assess potential gains and losses in every aspect of our life. The very fact that we can’t make amends with the person we believe we hurt can change our brain function, increasing flight or fight responses, and decreasing activity in both hemispheres of our brain. Translating, we are prone to engage in dangerous behaviors, like drinking or using drugs, because we can only feel the pain and the fear. The rest of the brain just can’t “think straight”.

That lunch with Diane ripped off the band-aid that was holding my heart together, making it bleed profusely. But I was no longer feeling the painful rejection of a broken relationship. I was feeling guilt. Despite that very ugly fight we had, Victor was nothing but kind and loving to me. Yes, I could point out several things he did wrong, he did not trust me, he used some very ugly arguments, but overall, he was a good man. And I broke his heart. In the end, I was the one who slapped him, I was the one who walked away. Knowing this hurt way worse than knowing I would never have him in my life.

I had to focus on someone else to ease the feeling, so as usual, work was my method. I traveled as much as I could to visit potential partners, planned all my classes until the end of the semester, and, with the help of my fellow researchers, developed all the strategies to implement in each one of the partner companies. After a couple of weeks, the study was finally drafted and the most important meeting took place: the one with all the faculty members.

It was like defending my doctorate thesis all over again, only now I was doing it in front of my peers. That meant two things: first, since I was working with my peers, I was considerably less nervous, and second, the University’s name (and their jobs) was at stake, so I was demanded even more than I was before.

After unanimous approval of my project by all the faculty members, it was time to discuss how we get funding.

“It is customary to throw a gala, or if you prefer, a fundraiser party.” Olive told me. “We invite the CEO’s of the most influential companies, the partners, some big names known for funding other researches. Before dinner, you’ll be presenting your study, dazzling them with facts and figures, and then it’s a whole night of grooming and, forgive me the jargon, buttering up. That is usually my job, not yours.” Olive explained.

“You need me to prepare a presentation, then. Sure.” I nodded.

“We will be inviting the companies you worked with for your doctorate thesis as well. Our other guests will hear from them how dependable you were, how good your ideas proved to be. Good publicity.”

“I will send their contact information right away.” I took my phone from my purse.

“No need.” Olive interrupted me, a worried look on her face. “Andrea, we need to talk about something.”

I blinked at her, wondering what was troubling her.

“We have already found someone who will be funding the majority of your study.” Olive confessed. “LFG will be funding your study.”

I could feel Olive preparing for my outburst. However, my initial shock left no room for any reaction.

“Wait…” I almost whispered, trying to understand fully what I had just been told. “I’m supposed to be present in all meetings regarding my study. When did this take place?”

“Mr. Lee required a private meeting. It was only me and him in the room. He found it… less troublesome that way.” Olive’s voice was calm and final, hoping I would drop the subject.

The hell I would.

“First of all, it’s my study, Olive. I should’ve been there.” I was trying hard not to show the full extent of my anger. “Second of all, you told me my relationship with Victor would discredit my work. LFG funding my work won’t? It’s his company!”

Olive turned pale. She understood exactly what I was implying. She cleared her throat and gave me a polite smile.

“Mr. Lee assured us that he will personally make sure that his presence won’t hurt your work in any way. And since he is investing in the project, I only have reasons to believe he will keep his word. This could be very good for us, Andrea. LFG’s interest in any project is the greatest stamp of approval one can get in Loveland. It will make heads turn. The scandal involving you two may give us even more publicity. People will want to know what you have to say.”

“Which part? My abuse or my failed relationship with Victor? Which one of my painful life chapters will serve the university better?” Olive silently lowered her head, slightly ashamed. “How much is Victor giving to my study? I just want to know how much my private life is worth in your eyes.”

Again, Olive was silent. I could only assume the amount he offered was more than generous.

“If you have nothing else to say, I need to go now.” I said, getting from my chair.

“Andrea, what are you going to do?” The Dean asked, when she saw the look in my eyes.

“I’m working on the study. If LFG’s CEO is being so generous with us, I have to make it worth his while.”

I was fuming with rage when I got to my office. I should’ve guessed that money would trump integrity. The University was adamant that I kept my private life private and now it was okay to milk it for the sake of publicity? My abuse and my story with Victor were now things they could use? I started rethinking my job at the University. Maybe I didn’t belong there at all. And that wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg of my rage. I spent all this time worrying about Victor, wondering how he was doing, and he was doing things behind my back? Why was he so interested in my study, all of the sudden? He never expressed an interest in funding my study before, so why now? Was it his way to interfere with my life somehow? Did he think he was helping, by pulling the strings?

All the guilt I was experiencing for hurting his feelings was suddenly gone. I had been so in love with Victor’s soft side that I had completely forgotten he had this cold aspect in him, the CEO mode, the side of him that made him a spectacular businessman. Although I knew he was honorable, I also knew he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, using his money as a master key to open all doors. And I wasn’t sure why, maybe all Victor wanted to do was to help me, but I couldn’t allow him to pull strings in my life just like that. Even if he meant well.

I had been dreading the moment I would see Victor again, since that crappy afternoon. The moment had arrived sooner than I expected.

I strode into LFG’s financial department dead set on one goal: to talk to the CEO and put him in this place. If Victor’s presence would discredit all that I worked so hard for, he would have to leave. Love or no love. Money or no money.

Goldman spotted me from the distance and tried to deter me, to no avail.

“Is he in his office?” I asked, my face dead serious.

“Andy…” Goldman stood in my way, trying to appease me.

“Is he alone?” I raised my eyebrow at him. Goldman took a step sideways, letting me pass. He knew I wasn’t going to give up like that.

I knocked on Victor’s door and walked right in, not even waiting for his answer.

Victor was busy working on his computer, and looked up, shocked to see me standing there. The surprise on his face was quickly replaced by an icy expression. I felt my resolve fade for a moment. It was a long time since I had been at the other end of that cold stare.

“We need to talk.” I said, reminding myself why I was there, not wasting any time.

“Well, come in. Have a seat.” His sarcasm was almost palpable. “How can I help you?”

I didn’t sit down. I went straight to the point.

“I want you to withdraw the funding for my research.”

Victor was unfazed. He looked at me with curious eyes.

“Your hair looks different.”

I sighed. It was clear he wasn’t going to make this easy.

“Victor, you need to withdraw your funding for my research.”

“I disagree.”

“How can you disagree? You were there too. Our story was all over the media, you know as well as I do this can affect my career. Your investment in my work will discredit it.” I couldn’t believe how passive he was. He simply ignored me, resuming whatever he was doing.

“Is that all you came here to say?” He said from behind the screen of his laptop. “All your concerns are unfounded. It’s already being taken care of.”

“And how, if I may ask, are you taking care of it?”

“Do you find me unable to diffuse a little gossip?”

“It’s not a little gossip, it’s my life!” I could feel my blood boil again, seeing him treating it all like some meaningless business deal. “My name on those tabloids! And yours! Drop the funding!”

“I will not.” He stated.

“Why are you doing this in the first place?” I raised my voice, anger and frustration making me lose my temper. “You went behind my back, spoke to the Dean, requested specifically that I wasn’t present in that meeting, for what? You are trying to pull strings in my life. This is personal for you.”

I had pushed a button. Victor’s eyes bore into mine, full of venom. He got up from his desk and placed both hands on it, almost like he was defending his territory.

“No, you are making this personal.” Victor spoke with disdain. “Yes, I am pulling strings, because funding and participating in your study will bring LFG great benefit. Do not flatter yourself thinking I am doing this because of our history together. I stopped thinking about you the exact moment you walked out my door. Start acting like an adult and work nicely with your sponsor, because whether you want it or not, that’s what’s best for your project.”

His words were like a dagger in my heart. He hated my guts. He wanted me to know how insignificant I was to him. That was his punishment. But instead of making me sad, all he said just made the bad blood rise faster.

“Withdraw your funding or I will withdraw myself from the study.” I threatened. He would not get the upper hand. Victor looked at me, his impervious mask falling, pain and disappointment in his eyes.

“Would you give up your dream and your career just to avoid working with me? Do you loathe me that much?”

Something in me softened. I looked at him, and saw the real him. The Victor I loved. I sighed, exhausted. Instantly, all my will to fight was gone.

“I told you, I’m not doing this for personal reasons.” Victor reassured me, his voice a little softer. “Truth be told, since the fashion show and its success, the partners have insisted quite adamantly on working with you. Rest assured, this is my investment, and you know I take good care of my investments. Whatever problems you may find, I will fix them.”

I let myself fully relax, and noticed Victor relaxed too. It was like we were holding an inflated balloon deep inside, and we had finally let all the air out. As for myself, I was tired of all the back and forth, and it seemed to be pointless, so maybe conceding this time was a good idea.

“I really hope you know what you are doing.”

Victor suppressed a smile.

“I always know what I’m doing.”

I turned to leave. Before I could reach the doorknob, I heard him clear his throat.

“You look well.” Victor said, raising the proverbial white flag. Respect between opponents. Very like him to do that.

“I am well.” I lied. “I’m glad to see you are doing well too.” He gave me a small nod and I opened the door to leave. “See you around, Mr. Lee.”

“Until the next time, Miss Jones.”

[dansiere]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm. tagged by: @breselin, & @citialiin; thank you for the tag! I was planning on stealing it. tagging: @rosiqe, @noirtux, @goldgliitters, @ndeavor,  @reminiscentsky, @battleshell, @ettards & whoever else wants to do this. Just steal it & tag me. -- go wild.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated [loosely affiliated mainly due to the fandom’s size. I am quite open to crossovers of any kind, really even if it takes me a while to open up.]

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO. [she is one of the deuteragonists; has been around since the pilot & while she has been sidelined during the epilogue, she was usually at least around with her story arc / actions having a huge impact on the overall story as such.]

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. [I guess so? Then again, that’s an objective statement so I am just? Assuming? I personally find her general aesthetics to be quite amazing; she is a dance battler, graceful & elegant; a ballerina with a classical theme that runs through her design & attitude like a red threat. I have a weak spot for stuff like that.]

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. [surprisingly, Pearl is considered to be the strongest non-fusion Crystal Gem according to the show (until Lapis Lazuli comes around). -- I assume prowess wise Pearl is high up next to Garnet & Rose whenever she can actually get her crap together due to having fought countless battles &, most importantly, survived the war in which she fought & shattered opponents thrice her size.]

Are they underrated?  YES / NO / IDK. [partially yes, partially no. She is controversial for sure but just as popular. At some point, the show delved deeper into her issues & actually had her mess up quite severely; the fandom’s reaction was so harsh that the showrunners had to interfere by “apologizing for making her human”. Pearl has always been a target for extreme criticism; some of it justified, some just straight down ridiculous.  -- It’s easy to forget what kind of complexity a character can offer when her resolution arc happens literally ten episodes before the show ends.]

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. [Pearl becomes Steven’s guardian / mentor after the death of his mother Rose Quartz & can later be considered his stand-in mother alongside Garnet. It is safe to say that her actions have influenced Steven the most, both negatively & positively.]

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO. [she earned herself the title ‘The Renegade’ during the war for being the first (& arguably only) pearl that broke out of her conditioning; she used to be a wanted criminal / traitor to her own kind for 5000 + years until her record was cleared upon the beginning of Era 3 (aka official end of the Gem War). She is still being referred to as ‘The Renegade’ now & then; while she used to be proud of the title she has grown to resent it a lot these days.]

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL. [it depends on who you ask; Homeworld Soldiers? Well, they despise her; she is a defective Gem & a war criminal. She stands for all that is wrong with the rebellion; I mean a pearl who refuses to serve & calls herself an individual? a warrior? THE SCANDAL!! Some soldiers are afraid of her, call her ‘Rose Quartz’ terrifying renegade’, even. However, in her ranks aka the rebellion, she is being seen as a silent heroine. A celebrated war hero, Rose Quartz’s right hand & sole confidante (some even whisper that there is more between them).]

How strictly do you follow canon?  — uh... well. Not really but... kinda? Steven Universe’s canon is messy & occasionally QUITE inconsistent. -- while it gives you vague details, some lore can best be compared to a gaping void. Thus my reason for partial divergence isn’t lack of good character writing (because Pearl is very, very complex even on screen), but rather inconvenient lore holes & SU’s habit of leaving important facts uncommented, “unshown” or just stuck between the lines. While I don’t mind deep analysis, some of those “buried facts” fly other people’s heads which leads to terrible, terrible fanon takes. -- in order to distance myself from that, I usually take canon & expand it with my own headcanons & metas based on lore / show analysis. I often alter / cut what does not fit my narrative BUT I always root my stuff in actual canon occurrences.

     Sometimes, I just straight down change certain things that canon messed up in my pov. For example, in order to make it explicitly clear that she fell in love & rebelled on her own volition (even if it has been confirmed like ten times by now), my Pearl is around 1500 years older than the original & (in)directly served White Diamond before being handed to Pink (not the only reason for that change but well I will elude on it eventually). She was a default pearl with no customization & usually spent most of her time with organizing matters in the palace until Pink accidentally broke her customized pearl; Pearl was then 'poofed’ & handed over; she possessed a more sensible personality & a strict rule protocol that was supposed to help her “raise” Pink Diamond into the ranks of a ruler. Most other changes are rather minor but very important or essential to my portrayal (for example whenever “A Single Pale Rose” is concerned: Pearl suggesting the “sealing of the secret”, her not wearing the dress from the beginning, her not calling Pink “my diamond”, her arguing with Pink long before the fake-shattering took place, etc etc.); the epilogue series is another can of worms I will get to eventually but lemme just say I didn’t really like the way Pearl behaved / the plot-bound ooc-ness she sometimes yielded to & other stuff. 

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  well, she is a lesbian space rock from a strange universe; whose body is basically a manifestation of light? She is probably the most passionate being you will ever meet. -- if you are looking for a speedrun through human history, she is your gal. If you need someone to beat up some bullies, she will gladly come & smack sense into people; if you want to learn everything about Gemkind, sit down & listen because she won’t stop talking any time soon. 

     By definition, Pearl is a good person; the extreme loyal kind, absolutely & helplessly dedicated to a cause. She wears most of her emotions on her sleeve, comes off as genuinely caring, protective & trustworthy. She is empathetic & observant, she will always be there for you in one way or another. She is smart, loves to read & indulges in the higher arts such as (romantic) poetry, singing, painting, music (violin, piano, bass) & dance (predominately classic ballet / waltz but she has grown rather fond of jazz lately). Her knowledge about Earth & all that lays beyond is vast & if you ever want to see whatever is out there, she is the type to take you on a space tour with no questions asked. She fences, has learned to wield a lance, can engineer very well, has a very peculiar but... sorta adorable kind of humour that can either be hella obnoxious or super funny. There is no in-between. Pearl loves science, baking, housekeeping, ice-& roller-skating & is more than willing to take people along whenever she visits the rink. If you ask her for advice, she will gladly give it; if you need help, she will be the first to raise her hand. Pearl is orderly, has a strong sense of justice & a fierce, dedicated kind of resolve. 

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  Pearl. Is. A. Mess. No questions asked. She is an introverted, nervous, neurotic, grief-- & trauma riddled mess who loves to pretend & rationalize things to death. Her self-esteem is abysmal, she is extremely jealous, obsessive & possessive [to the point where she straight up murdered men just because they dared to be around her girlfriend]. Her mind is a compartmentalized mess of repressed memories & heavy, untreated cptsd woven into it; Pearl lives too much inside her head & gets overwhelmed by her emotions far too easily; she feels too much all at once & lets her temper get the best of her. 

     She is self-centred, does not seem to understand that words & reckless actions hurt people, believes that only she deserves to grieve Rose & willingly destroyed relationships just to soak in her own misery; self-destruction is her forte & she will indulge in it no matter the consequences. She is often high-strung, judgemental, always has to be right, overachieves & overdoes whenever a chance is given. -- she can be petty, arrogant & desperate for validation. --  Needless to say, Pearl is the kind of person that pretends to be fine for years but once she cracks she reveals that she is anything but. -- she cannot move on, hates men, & just is a lot to deal with. Getting in touch with her means you run the risk to get dragged into her mess, whenever you want it or not. 

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  first & foremost, my love for complex, purpose-driven female characters. I am a sucker for the “introvert, plagued lady” type & once parts of Pearl’s past were revealed during Season 1 I was sold. Pearl seemed relatable to me, extremely human & raw in her behaviour. While I love most of the SU cast equally, Pearl just wouldn’t let me go. Her aesthetic is amazing, her past intriguing. -- her connection to ballet & classical music, her elegant & graceful design just spoke to me. 

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  music. music. oh, and music. Poetry, long walks (I am not kidding), analysis, meta & hc writing, discussions with writing partners or my rl partner @rosiqe.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO? [ despite my emo peculiar take on the character, I do hope that people hear her voice whenever they read my replies. ]

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO / SORT OF? [ I wish I could post more but I am very, very slow & a perfectionist at heart. -- I try to compensate for my lack of actual hcs by rambling in my tags. Most part of the time said ramblings include personal headcanons or analyses of specific scenes that include personal takes on pivotal situations; while I gather & write them down eventually, it can take me a long time to get stuff done. -- it is easier for me to jus blabber on & on in the tags. ]

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO [ all my ask replies are drabbles, ngl. ]

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO / SORT OF? [... a sore topic. While I love my headcanons & have gotten quite proud of my writing over time, I constantly doubt myself regarding the “ic”-ness of my responses. I like to believe that I am doing rather well, but I am not confident, no. ]

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO. [ it took me a long time to develop my style; while I always struggle to believe in my portrayal I am quite confident in my writing as such. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but in general? I am proud of it. ]

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO. / SORTA.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?  —  Well, yes. As long as it is the constructive kind. I love receiving feedback, may it be negative or positive. I will most likely try to discuss criticism with you; aka if you (i.e) tell me that Pearl shouldn’t have (C)PTSD, I will deliver canon proof & state my reasoning for my decision to implement it in my canon, etc. What I will not do is tolerate character hate or unreasonable hate towards my writing. Be assured that I will never headcanon something that has no solid footing in canon.

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  —  ABSOLUTELY. Send me random hc / meta asks, I beg you.

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  —  sure. As stated above, I will probably discuss stuff with you. The chance of me dropping a headcanon however are rather low.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?  —  Hm... it depends on what they don’t like. If it’s my writing, well, why are you following me to begin with?? If it is my take on things... well again, why are you following me? I stated in my rules what you should expect & that I will not water down specific aspects of a complex character. Disliking my portrayal is fine since I know that my kind of writing / analysis isn’t necessarily everyone’s tea but... again, why would you keep following me?

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?  —  um. Not... well? While I will never excuse my muse’s actions, I dislike groundless bashing. In regard to Pearl... well. As stated above, I expected backlash the second I created this blog. Pearl is one of those characters the fandom either loves or hates; her canon relationship to Rose was branded toxic by a ton of people, people call her uncaring, salty, insane & straight up manic, she seemingly has no redeeming qualities, she is a bitch, too perfect (LOL) or arrogant & apparently has no character? I love it when people say stuff like that because... did we watch the same show? Is there a version of SU I don’t know? Please tell me, I wanna see it for myself! Some hot takes in this fandom are atrocious & make me want to commit a crime. 

     -- but I digress. I have spent too much time in her tag in 2014 + & I have seen quite the fights over the most ridiculous things; Pearl, in particular, got quite the flack for stuff that eventually got resolved in season 5 [which, again, was way too late but well]. In the end, clowns will be clowns, no matter what you do. I just don’t get why you would follow someone if you hate their character to begin with.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  —  yes, but please don’t be rude about it. I am German, English is my second language. I am currently learning Swedish / improving my Swedish so mistakes can always happen. Additionally, I am someone who posts her replies in the middle of the night & while I proofread a lot & most likely fix posts after I posted ‘em, some mistakes can still slip through. 

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?   —  ... I like to believe I am but I know that I am overly passionate & I can come off as too strong or too fierce sometimes. I can be too much, I can be too excentric (I’m a Scorpio, Karen); I have strong opinions in regard to my characters & I will not hold them back. I criticise shows mercilessly & I will plough through canon as much as I please. Stans & I usually don’t get along. HOWEVER, I am a meme. I love lame jokes, I am awkward, & sometimes very, very insecure. In the end,  I just wanna talk about my favourite characters & develop sth wonderful. I keysmash unironically, I use old memes unironically. I mean I have been writing for ten + years & I am about to smooth sail post the 24 age border aka I will turn 25 soon which renders me old according to tumblr standards. I am just here to have fun before the staff comes to lock my account down due to my status as an rp-senior. -- yeah... that is the kind of stupid ass humor I mean. I digress but... please, I am an awkward, rambling mess, just hit me up via dms & you will see what I mean.