#in HDB you just have to be in close contact with one and get your blood sucked repeatedly | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

diabolikpersonals · 1 year

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someone in the watch party today (sorry, I don't remember who asked this!!) asked if we could make the next installment in dialovers, what would the game be like? and I didn't have a good answer at the time but I thought about it a lot and I think I've come up with it lol

(sorry this is a super long post, I went into way too much detail. cw for canon-typical dialovers stuff including suicide and incest)

so I started by thinking of which parts of dialovers haven't been adequately explored yet, in my opinion, and that got me thinking about yui specifically. I've seen posts lately saying that the more recent dialovers content has been about the relationships between the boys more than it's been about yui and her partner, which is a trend I've noticed too. I don't hate this trend, because closely inspecting the familial and friendly relationships in dialovers is honestly my favorite part of it, but the big drawback of it is...what about yui?! is she not also a part of our big fucked up family! shouldnt we also be analyzing her character! shouldnt she have full character arcs of her own in the games!! a close reading of the non-romantic relationships and an important, central part for our main character...we CAN have both things!!

so I decided I wanted my hypothetical dl game to have a plot that revolves around yui's character. it's my interpretation that some of her themes are family, belonging, feeling loved and wanted. the very first thing that happens in dialovers, where our story begins, is yui being abandoned by her father and left to fend for herself in a house full of people who want to hurt her. when her father shows up later and insists he loves her and wants to protect her, how can she believe him? she was left to die. even if she becomes close with the vampires as the story progresses, the fact that she was abandoned doesn't change, and it still hurts. and I used to poke fun at the scene where she finds out she's adopted, right? I was like "you're in a house of vampires, why are you so stressed out about the fact that you're adopted? isn't that the least of your problems?" but that is the ROOT of the problem!! yui is learning that this isnt even her first time being abandoned. her birth parents didnt want her, her adopted father apparently didnt want her.......and that's why yui gets so heartbroken in scenes where she's abandoned or left behind by the diaboys. if not them, she has NOBODY to go home to.

yui wants to be loved! she wants a family that wants her too! she wants a home where she can stay with people who love her and will protect her! so what's a good way for us to pick that apart in a dl game?

I imagine the church contacting her again; it wouldnt be the first time it's happened, but I don't want yui to just be able to say "no thank u" and start a gunfight and then walk away this time. I want the vampire hunters in the church to capture the diaboys, injure them, lock them up, all under the guise of protecting yui. with her loved ones taken, yui cant just refuse to go with them—so she has to, and this game mostly takes place in a church as a result.

now that yui isn't clueless about what the church does, the church intends to make her into a vampire hunter too. she can train there, and the members of the church will protect her until she can protect herself. (I imagine a named minor character will be her mentor and stuff.) they use sweet words that conflict yui a lot, insisting that they're her family (and these are probably people yui knows and grew up with, so they're not just saying it for nothing!!), using her religion to sway her opinion (this is the right thing to do, as one of God's children), yui would be able to help innocent people as a hunter, etc. Make her really think about what she wants and which "family" can provide her with it! It's not as simple as wanting to stay with her boyfriend. The idea that this family, the one she had been with before the events of HDB, who raised her....didn't actually abandon her and they really want her after all........it's tempting!! yui's heart is torn! she WANTS to believe that those people loved her!

but still, hurting the diaboys is too much. yui doesn't want to do that. throughout the game, yui visits [certain diaboy(s) depending on the route ur playing] to create a plan to rescue them. the members of the church figure out she's visiting them, and shake their heads and lament the fact that these demons have brainwashed her.....but they let her continue meeting them, because they want to show yui the how cruel and animalistic these monsters can truly be. they keep the diaboys starved, and even tempt them with yui's blood while keeping her just out of reach...and of course the diaboys get hungrier, angrier, more desperate...until they really do look like the monsters the church has been describing...!

"but nat, how am I gonna get sexy scenes if the diaboys are being held captive" dont you see, masochistic target audience?! it's about the DENIAL!! it's about the thrill of knowing just a few feet away, this vampire is shaking in desperation to go fucking crazy on you and the cell bars are the only thing stopping him from tearing into you right now, but who knows how long those cell bars will even last?! doesn't he seem to get even stronger and more violent the hungrier he gets— and when you finally get a moment together, with nothing between you, and he needs to make up for lost time...!!

[cough] anyway, we can graduate from masochism to sadomasochism, right? it's my game after all. caged vampires are sexy. and yui can sneak out to offer them her blood anyway, even if it means it will hurt a lot >///< so you'll get your sexy bloodsucking scenes, ok!! pic relevant. use ur imagination.

there's too many diaboys for me to go into detail about what their routes would be like, but to be flexible with it…I'd hate to just keep them in a cage the whole time, right? so let's think about what the church can do. kino's taught us that the church has weapons that can take away a vampire's powers temporarily. using those, it'd be easy to let the diaboys out so the church can use them for their own purposes. they can be threatened into doing the church's dirty work, for instance. they can be tied up somewhere while yui's mentor makes her take practice shots at them, that'd be an awesome scene!! we can put certain diaboys together and watch them turn against each other, we can keep them alone and watch how they spiral out of control………tons of fun to be had.

and the main villain? seiji komori of course!! that bastard!!! he's gonna have all sorts of chances to say the creepiest stuff to her in this game, ugh. all that stuff about yui being tainted by the vampires' evil, all that stuff about marrying her (eugh!!), or killing her if she can't be redeemed..........so much religious trauma here. he'll make a great, very hateable villain.

so yui has to strike a balance between obediently training as a vampire hunter and helping out the diaboys. the choices the player makes can probably be labelled as sadistic or masochistic, with the sadistic choices resulting in her treating the diaboys more cruelly (yknow, to pretend in front of the church members!! or is she not pretending...? heheheh) and the masochistic choices resulting in her treating the diaboys very kindly.

choosing too many sadistic options will give you an ending where yui sides with the church for real. depending on the route, she could become a hunter and kill the one she loves herself. or, after the church successfully gaslights her into thinking the diaboys were brainwashing her, she could think of herself as tainted by their demonic energy and take her own life in shame.

choosing too many masochistic options means the church won't trust her. it'll result in an ending where the church is out to kill yui and the vampires (again, the specifics will depend on the route). they'll treat it like a mercy killing, like yui had been tricked by the vampires all this time, and only the player will be left knowing this isnt the case :(

and when u pick the correct balance of sadistic and masochistic options, u get the vampire ending!! it's tough to describe the specifics because, of course, I'd like it to be different and uniquely interesting in each route. but in general, yui should come to some conclusions about her identity and where she belongs: her true family should be with the diaboys, I think that's obvious. they love her, they want her, they won't abandon her. she also has to reconcile stuff about her religion: what does it mean to her now, after all that? what is her relationship with God? does yui still think of herself as a sinful person for who she loves and how she loves them? is that what yui's religion has been about all this time, and can she recontexualize it based on her experiences? did yui learn something from her time in vampire hunter training after all?

and THAT'S the diabolik lovers game I'd make, if I could B)

#text

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veetraagelectronics · 11 months

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dialovers-translations · 4 years

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Diabolik Lovers BLOODY BOUQUET Vol. 2 Mukami Ruki [Track 1]

Original title: 穏やかな日常

Source: Diabolik Lovers Bloody Bouquet Vol. 2 Ruki Mukami [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here (00:00 ~ 10:55)

Seiyuu: Takahiro Sakurai

Translator’s note: I have only ever listened to one Bloody Bouquet CD, being Subaru’s, and I absolutely loved it. It was very cheesy, I will say that much. However, I am a sucker for the romantic fluff at times, so I won’t complain. xD Some might say these CDs aren’t very fitting for a franchise that works around the concept of sadism and the boys definitely act completely different from the HDB and MB saga, but if this is the route Rejet decided to take, who am I to blame them?

This track was requested by If you would like to request a translation, please contact me through IMs or drop an ask!

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5

Track 1: A Peaceful Everyday

*Flip*

“...Just like roses bloom amidst the thorns, love shall arise amidst the anger and burn passionately...Huh?”

Ruki closes his book.

“No, I suppose ‘no wonder’ is more fitting here.”

You ask him about his words.

“I just recited a verse from ‘Amidst anger and love’ by the German poet Ernst Arndt.”

You tilt your head to the side.

“What meaning it holds...? Good question. This is simply my own interpretation of the words, but I think he means to imply that the feeling of love can flourish feeding off a completely different emotion, and bloom beautifully just like the roses.

In other words, I suppose you could say that for love to grow stronger, it needs other emotions such as anger and jealousy. Even the most beautiful of roses has dangerous thorns. However, those thorns might be actually what makes roses so charming.”

You frown.

“Was that too difficult?”

Ruki gets up from his chair.

“Well then. It’s almost lunch time. Will you help me?”

You nod, getting up as well.

“I see. Let us get started then.”

*TIMESKIP*

“...Well then, let’s leave the clean-up for later and move onto our after-lunch tea time. I got my hands on some exquisite tea leaves.”

Ruki gets the tea set ready before sitting down and pouring you a cup.

“It smells great, doesn’t it?”

He gives it a taste.

“...Hm? Oh, you’re talking about the sandwich from earlier? I tried using a new sauce recipe, but I’m glad it was to your liking.”

You compliment him.

“You give me too much credit. My cooking isn’t worthy of such praise. For starters, sandwiches are very easy to make. Don’t you think you could say it would be difficult to make them taste bad?”

You tell him you look forward to dinner.

“Haha...You only just ate, but you’re already thinking about dinner? By the way, tonight I am making aglio olio. The pasta of despair. (1)”

You try and guess the meaning behind it.

“Exactly. It seems like they came up with its humorous nickname because you can make the dish even during desperate times when ingredients are running low.”

You ask if he’ll include Yuma’s cabbage.

“Yes. I figured we should use the cabbage Yuma sent us while it is still fresh. It seems like he is vigorously continuing his field work per usual. ...Hah, however, it seems like he finds the actual cooking part to be a hassle, so after growing as many crops as he can, most of them get sent our way.

If only Azusa or Kou were a little more skilled in the kitchen. If I leave it up to Azusa, most dishes would be based around mustard or pepper, while leaving Kou in charge means eating Vongole Bianco for nearly every meal.

...Haha. Good grief. They’re such an eccentric bunch.”

You ask if it’s okay to leave them by themselves.

“Hm? I’m not worried in particular. We are Vampires. We won’t suffer from hunger like we did as humans. It’s just...”

You frown.

“Haah...No, it’s nothing. Heh...I thought I was doing a good job distancing myself from my brothers (2), but once again...Although those guys seem barely even worried about us.”

Well, knowing them, I’m sure they are making it work in their own way. If anything, they might feel relieved now that the person nagging them is gone.”

You ask him if he feels lonely.

“Hm? Heh. I’m not lonely. I’m living with you like this right now.”

Ruki shuffles closer.

*Smooch*

“Since you’re saying that, could it be that you’re the lonely one instead?”

You shake your head.

“If not, why would you bring that up?”

You shrug.

“Good grief...On a whim, huh? Hmー Seems like you are still having your doubts. ...Do you have trouble believing my words? Or are you simply lacking confidence? No...I guess you are looking for confirmation. Confirmation that I am satisfied with just you.

...Lately I haven’t been calling you ‘livestock’ after all, huh? Could that be the reason?”

You get a little flustered.

“No need to be modest. If that’s what you wish, I shall cooperate at any time.You feel my love towards you much stronger when I call you that...Am I right?”

You remain quiet.

“I figured it would be better to treat you as an equal, but it seems like that was a mistake on my part. In the end, a livestock never changes. If I don’t treat you that way, you grow suspicious.”

*Rustle*

“Look my way. ...Look me right into the eyes.”

*Smooch*

“Don’t close your eyes without permission. ...Well then, I’ll take my time to thoroughly teach you that you are my livestock. ...Like this, okay?”

Ruki bites you.

“Nn...Mmh...Haah...Your blood really is more delicious than anything else.”

*Gulp gulp*

“Haah...”

You tell him the tea will become cold.

I can just brew some new tea as many times as you’d like later. More importantly...”

He continues drinking your blood.

“Mmh...Nn...Haah...How many times do I have to tell you that livestock isn’t allowed to think about anything else but their master?”

You writhe around.

“Seems like I’ll need to punish you...Mmh...Nn...Slowly losing myself while getting drunk on the taste of your blood is quite the treat...Nn...”

*Rustle*

“Seems like you’ve started feeling good as well. I’ll give you even more...Oh.”

The tea cup gets knocked over.

*CRASH*

“Haah...Good grief...Perhaps I got a little ahead of myself. ...Heh, I suppose we should leave play time at this. When you make a troubled expression, I just can’t help but want to tease you.”

He starts cleaning up the mess.

“Haah...I really made a fool of myself this time. These were our matching tea cups as well...”

You seem a little upset.

“Hm? What’s the matter? Did you perhaps take my words seriously earlier? I no longer think of you as mere livestock. Right now you’d be...my beloved pet, I guess you could say.”

You puff out your cheeks.

“Don’t make such an expression. Unlike livestock, you no longer need to fear being eaten.”

You get even more upset.

“I’m joking. You are dear to me.”

You lightly punch his chest.

“...Don’t be so upset. My bad.”

He embraces you.

*Smooch*

“Mmh...Come on, cheer up. After tonight’s pasta dish, I’ll make you some blancmange (3) for dessert as well. How does that sound?”

You stubbornly shake your head.

“Still not enough, huh? Then once I’ve finished cleaning up, let’s head out together. The weather’s nice today as well. Let’s do some shopping and then...I’ll take you to wherever you’d like to go.”

You smile, nodding.

“Seems like we’ve got a deal.”

*Smooch*

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Pasta Aglio Olio is a very simple Italian pasta dish which features garlic and olive oil as its two core ingredients. I was a little surprised when Ruki called it 絶望のパスタ or ‘pasta of despair’ at first, but as he explains later, it got that name because it has such simple ingredients which are available even during difficult times.

(2) Ruki says 兄弟離れ or ‘kyoudai-banare’, which is a combination of the word for siblings (kyoudai) and the suffix ‘banare’. The suffix itself actually comes from the verb ‘hanareru’, which means ‘to separate yourself (from someone)’ Since he is now living alone with the MC, he probably needed some time to adjust to not being surrounded by his brothers the whole time.

(3) Blancmange is a French pudding-like dessert made from milk, sugar and gelatin. From what I could find, it actually has been around for as long as the Middle Ages!

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #ruki mukami #diabolik lovers bloody bouquet #diabolik lovers translation #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

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mytampinesdentalclinic-blog · 5 years

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SingHealth and NHG Polyclinics

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Polyclinics more often than not charge the conference expense and scaling and cleaning as 2 separate things. For Singapore residents, conference begins from $15.80 to $89.50 (grown-ups) or $7.80 to $52.80 (kids). Heading off to the dental specialist doesn't get any less expensive than that!

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Road Dental Practice

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Grin Dental Group

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Q and M Dental Group Singapore

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Q and M really begun as only 1 dental facility in 1996, yet it's currently a uber chain with more than 60 dental centers over the island with a pool of approximately 200 dental specialists and 380 clinical and regulatory staff.

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Contact and areas: You can discover a Q and M facility close you here.

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sinner-from-the-neverland-blog · 5 years

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ariadnasmtk · 7 years

Text

My story~

I will now share my story with DL (even if nobody asked me) Ok... Well... My story is quite funny (or at least I think so)

The rest is under the cut~

I was quite new in this world of animes and stuff.

I remember only watching cute animes, romance, school and magical girls. I also remember watching them at crunchy roll (long time ago xD)

It was a Friday night and I had just finished an anime called "Say I love you"(?) and I was like: "Well... What should I watch next?" And there's a small section on Crunchy Roll where are the recommendations "what other members watched" and in that section it appeared "Diabolik Lovers" and I read what was it about. Believe or not I thought it was an anime of lots of guys with lots of girls (like every boy gets his girl and so) and I was like: "It sounds good... Why not?"

Imagine the impression I got: I was used to cute school couples that were shy at first but very lovey-dovey as time goes by. I was shocked!! And mostly scared. Also angry with Yui like I was one of the people that thought she was useless and stupid because she didn't fight back! It was a creepy and terrible experience... I remember calling my best friend because I was alone, it was at night and it was raining (terrible combination to watch DL for the first time really). The fun thing is that I watched all the episodes till the end (a normal person would have stopped it the first second it scared them or crept them out) and I was like: "I don't want to know anything about this serie anymore!!"

The months past and I was into other animes. School was hard and back then vine still existed (😔). I had my account on vine and I followed many accounts that made anime edits. And you know how social apps work: they know what you like and recommend you something similar that you might like. So one day a savage DL edit appeared, BUT! It was from the second season (fun fact: I didn't know about this season to exist).

My first thoughts were: "Oh! That serie... I remember it! It was creepy!" "But wait! Now there are more people!" "Eh? What? Why does Shu dyed his hair black (Ruki) and why does Laito let his hair grow? (Yuma... Could you believe it?! I confused Yuma with Laito?!)" "Argh!! There are two Kanatos!! (Azusa)" I decided to ignore it but for strange circumstances more and more DL edits started to appear! Everyday I saw a new one! So many of them that I became fond of them and became interested and curious again. In a comment one person asked which anime was it and another answered it was "Diabolik Lovers: More Blood (second season)".

That was when all made sense and I looked for it! I saw again all the second season and even though the story was still confusing I enjoyed how Yui and Ayato were evolving!! (Guess that was the moment were they became my OTP). Still it wasn't enough for me to became a fan. Then a person (again in Vine) wrote that it was a terrible anime adaptation from the game! And I was like: "oh! So it is an adaptation from a game... How strange!" "Then I looked for the game and SURPRISE!! Is was only in Japanese! But another persons in Vine recommended to search for the translations on YouTube. I didn't waste a second and I looked for them. I found just the introduction from HDB and nothing more.

You thought I gave up? OF COURSE NOT!! Because I saw how different the story and mostly Yui were from the anime.

It took me WEEKS to finally gather a couple of channels in YouTube that uploaded the videos but most importantly the videos translated!

My first complete route I read was Laito's MB route (I gave up looking for the HDB) and soon followed Subaru's MB route as well! Then something magical happened and I found Pinkcase's channel in YouTube: she made translations of the game but in Spanish!! (Note: I was lucky I knew English but is way better in your mother language). Again another person (this time from YouTube) commented that many translations were available on Tumblr! And that's when I decided to open an account to look for the translations of DL!!

What a wonderful (hell) world I found!! I was so happy!! Once you found out about all the mysteries and backgrounds... It was impossible not to fell into this amazing story!! It's been 1 (almost 2) years since I've been here in the Tumblr fandom and 3 years since I've been a huge DL fan!!

Since the begging my favorite has been Laito (since the anime I loved his mysterious yet intriguing personality) and Subaru followed soon after I read his route. Then I loved Ruki's design but I was loyal to the Sakamakis (because for me they are the originals and the first ones that introduced (pull) me into this fandom (hell)). Then a miracle happened and I found Pink on Tumblr and later on she contacted me!! We became partners and I became a translator from Spanish to English from the game!! That's when I became also a fan from Shin (I hated him at first) when I carefully read his route in Dark Fate!!

And so that's how I'm standing here: a crazy fan in love with this small yet amazing fandom!!!

When people (my friends who knows about my love (obsession) to DL) ask me "why I love DL"? I always answer:

Because it has everything I was looking for in a serie:

It has pretty boys (xD)

You always learn something new about the serie but most importantly from the characters

The story is amazing!

It touches so many topics that it leaves you always thinking about many things you thought you knew or believed

Vampires that are original classical monsters and not the weird ones from today

All the stories and pasts in a certain point join together into a marvelous web of amazing events

The fandom (a little troublesome) small yet wonderful!

I've met and made good friends that have my same love from the serie!!

THE. FANARTS

The new CD dramas and games that have come (and are about to come)

The slowly revelations and answers that are being added/answered

KINO

And I can continue on and on~

The point is that DL is an amazing serie and fandom!! I love each one of the characters and I really hope that I'll stay here waaaayyy more in the future!! 😍😊 Thanks to this fandom I feel I belong and share something small in common with others!!

For the fandom I contribute by making translations and edits from time to time! I also answer to questions about the serie and also share translations from other people so more fans get informed and enjoy their time here in this small yet beautiful fandom!!

I know it is reeeeeallllyyy long and I'm sorry!!

I'll close my emotional (long and boring) story by mentioning people that are now important for me in this fandom!!

@dialover-author-couples (she's my best friend in this small fandom with the plus that she's also from my beautiful country Mexico!)

@pinkcaseotakadl (she's the reason why I'm now helping the fandom with translations from time to time!)

@infernal-iris (she's so sweet and shares amazing stuff plus she tag me from time to time in tag games!!)

@vroom-vroom-sakamaki (one of my first followers and to whom I speak from time to time as well, plus she always send me beautiful images of DL!)

And!!

@whiterxses-16 (her/their blog I first send an ask and was answered!! They have a lot of talent!!)

That's all!!

Thank you all (for those who weren't that bored to get to the end) for reading and most importantly to all my followers (even though we have never talk to one another) that beard with me!!

Thanks and that's all!!!

#shareyourDLstory #my story #DL #DL FOREVER #i love you #AMAZING FANDOM

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nlc-nessa · 3 years

Text

Sungei Api Api

“If you go there, then you jolly well don’t come back!” Sungei Api Api was notorious for its ghost stories. Josh never spotted a real spirit roaming the area, but his mother warned that they preferred to appear in other forms.

“And if you ever see a chicken, don’t make eye contact!”

Josh’s mother was a devout Buddhist, and she believed in every superstition surrounding the neighbourhood river. When Josh was six, his neighbour took him for an evening stroll along the mangroves while his mother was at work. She tasked the old man to look after her son, but she did not specify what kind of activities were out of bounds. “Remember when that crazy Uncle Hock brought you there? You came home with one hundred spirits following you!” They only found this out after their house plants started wilting for no reason, so she immediately dragged Josh to the fortune teller with her. The medium informed her that her son had just returned from a “dirty” place and urgently needed to be cleansed. Apparently, the medium could see the souls of one hundred people standing behind Josh, all in a single file and following his every move. The fortune teller proceeded to sell eighty-five dollars’ worth of talismans and herbs to Josh’s mother, which meant less pocket money for him to buy his favourite Cheese Rings from the minimart downstairs. When his mother found out that Uncle Hock was the one who brought the unfortune onto them, she cut all ties with him. She never trusted any of her neighbours since then.

“Do you really need to walk through there?” Josh’s mother had asked before he left the house one morning.

“It’s the quickest route to their place,” Josh replied. “Besides, it’s still so early. Where got ghost?”

Josh had informed his mother about his new job as a private tutor, and she would have been happier for him if it did not take place at one of the landed properties along Pasir Ris Beach. The park connector that ran alongside Sungei Api Api was the quickest shortcut there by foot. If Josh were to walk by the main road, it would take him thirty minutes longer. His mother desperately suggested for him to learn how to cycle, but the trauma from losing his father prevented Josh from ever wanting to plant his two feet on the pedals.

“Remember what happened to Pa when he rode his bicycle?” Josh snapped at his mother. They stared at each other in silence, recalling the time when two police officers knocked on their door one night to deliver news of their father’s accident. Allegedly, his father had been cycling along the river when he abruptly swerved and dove off course. Thrown off the bike and towards the mangroves, he hit his head on a sharp rock and rolled downwards into the river where he drowned. They had found white feathers stuck in the spokes of his wheel and a dead hen on the road, laying in its own blood.

“It wasn’t the bicycle, you know. The chickens killed him,” Josh’s mother said. Josh was getting late for his lesson and he knew that arguing with his mother had no end. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t believe in ghosts, and he didn’t care if another hundred spirits hitched a ride on his shoulders on the way home. There was no use in her praying at the altar for hours on end or forcing him to drink those dark, herbal concoctions if Josh’s luck in job hunting was still at an all-time low. But now that he had secured a job, he didn’t have time to entertain his mother’s superstitions.

“I know, I know,” said Josh before hauling his backpack over his shoulders. A rich little nine-year-old kid in desperate need of Math tuition was waiting for him, and he could not afford to be late.

“I’ll be careful, Ma,” Josh said before heading out and locking the gate behind him.

From the tenth floor, Sungei Api Api was just a harmless, pandan-green river that snaked through Pasir Ris, flowing past new condominiums, alongside the old HDB flats, and onwards towards the sea where the wealthy lived in three-storey houses by the beach. However, being on the ground floor where he was close enough to hear the waves and smell the rotting fruit in the soil, Josh had to admit that it was a little too close for comfort. He walked on anyway, thinking about the luxurious house he would be sitting in fifteen minutes away from there.

Josh made sure to avoid stepping on any fallen leaves that had collected rainwater. What if he slipped and fell and hit his head? He also kept his phone in his pocket and made sure to stay on high alert in case any chicken, lizard, or cat decided to dash out from the bushes. There were not many cyclists or joggers at that time as the sun was slowly climbing above Josh, beaming a painful ray of heat through the sparse trees. Walking along the river, it was only Josh, the mosquitoes buzzing round his ears, and the Asian koels hidden among the branches. No clucking yet, Josh noted.

As Josh approached a musty underpass, he noticed that the ground changed from tarmac to concrete. It was cracked all over, as if someone had just rampaged through the area with a sludge-hammer. Although an obvious tripping hazard, the green metal railings on the side of the path prevented anyone from plummeting down towards the river. If you cracked your skull open here, at least you wouldn’t drown.

As Josh emerged through the other end, he caught sight of an old man sitting on a wooden bench. Between the old man’s legs nestled an absolute hulk of a rooster, resting its chin on the man’s thigh. Unlike the wild chickens Josh was used to seeing, this rooster was the complete opposite of a scrawny kampong chicken. Its crimson red comb was high enough to tower over his owner’s knees, and its legs were as thick as chicken drumsticks.

“Want to pet him?” the old man asked. Josh hadn’t realised that he was staring. He smiled and waved his hand to refuse, and kept on walking.

Josh’s tutoring session with the child went smoother than he expected. The father had shaken his hand, invited him to the living room where a makeshift plastic table was set up for his son, and gave him a packet of ice lemon tea from the fridge. Ninety minutes passed by in an instant for Josh.

“You live nearby, right?” The child’s father asked Josh as he was leaving.

“Yeah, within walking distance,” Josh replied.

“Oh,” said the father. He looked at Josh’s shoes and noticed the grains of soil glued to the sides. “You walked by the river?”

Josh looked up at him and said, “Yeah, why?”

“You’re not scared of the...” The man finished his sentence by bending his arms and flapping them up and down like a pair of wings.

“No,” said Josh. He studied the growing frown in the father’s face and realised how serious he looked. Coming from someone else other than his mother, he wondered if he really should be afraid. “Should I be scared?”

“Hmm, just be careful,” the man said. “Someone died there, you know?”

Josh’s fingers went cold as he struggled to secure the rest of his shoelaces. Desperate to avoid further small talk, he tucked the excess string into his shoe and turned to leave.

“See you next week,” Josh said. The man nodded and opened the gate for him, and Josh headed back to the park connector with his hands clenched within both pockets, thinking about what other stories these people living by the river knew.

Walking back down the path and avoiding the same slippery leaves, Josh began to wonder when these ghost stories first came about. He could not recall if his father had ever mentioned these things, or was it purely his mother speculating these reasons to justify her husband’s freak accident?

“Ah boy!” A voice called out to Josh. He turned around and saw the old man with the giant rooster again, except this time they were taking a stroll and the old man had a cigarette pinched between his lips. The monstrous bird was disciplined to only walk beside its owner, stepping in sync with the old man. As if dressed in matching colours, the old man wore a red baseball cap, a porous white singlet and khaki cargo shorts. His grey rubber slippers were covered in mud, and Josh wondered if there was a farm nearby he had never heard of.

“Ah boy, your shoelace!” The man called out again. As Josh whiffed the approaching cloud of tobacco, he looked down and saw that his shoelaces had come untucked and were now hanging outside of his sneakers. He squat down to tie it with more diligence, in case any other stranger decides to yell at him like a little boy again.

“Must be careful you know, wait you fall down how?” The man and his rooster were now approaching Josh, and by the time he fastened a double-knot on his second shoe, the rooster was within pecking distance of Josh’s face. The massive creature looked even more threatening up close, making Josh stumble and fall backwards. His palms scraped against the road and loose pieces of gravel pressed into his flesh.

“Aiyoh, don’t need to be scared,” said the old man. “My Benny here is very well-behaved.”

“Benny?” said Josh. He pushed himself off the ground and stood up, striking his hands against his jeans to lose the dirt. The rooster flinched at Josh’s movements and he felt sorry for flinging the soil into its eyes.

“Yah, this is Benny. Handsome, right?” The old man bent forwards and gave his rooster a thump on the back. He then proceeded to stroke its feathers from head to tail. Benny the rooster leaned into the old man like a puppy would to its new master.

“Why is he so big?” Josh asked.

“He only eats premium food,” said the old man. “His favourite is Hokkaido sweet corn and Russian kale.”

“Such a good life, huh?” replied Josh. They were now walking towards Josh’s block, but it was clear that the old man had some knee problems and could only take the tiniest steps forward.

“I found him on the grass around here four years ago,” said the old man. “Poor thing couldn’t walk so I brought him home.”

As if joining in the conversation, Benny let out a squawk and scratched the ground with his thick claw. Josh laughed at the bird’s sudden reaction, but the old man thought otherwise. Squatting down and pulling Benny into a bear hug, the old man said, “Shh, chicken crossing the road.”

As if on cue, a brown hen the size of a soccer ball emerged from the mangroves and made its way across the path. Its neck bobbed back and forth as it walked towards the opposing grass patch, looking for food. Benny was getting agitated, but the old man shushed him with more calming strokes and a series of soft coos into its ears.

“What’s wrong with the chickens here?” Josh asked, lowering his voice.

“Boy, you stay here and you don’t know?”

“My mother only says not to disturb them,” Josh replied.

“Good,” said the old man. “Listen to your mother.”

“But why?”

Benny and the old man were now inching towards another wooden bench, not far from Josh’s block. The old man sat down with a grunt and spread his legs, allowing Benny to huddle in between them.

“Maybe it’s better if you don’t know,” the old man said, pulling out a zip-lock bag of uncooked rice from his back pocket. “Unless you have a big boy like Benny to protect you!” He held the rice in front of Benny’s face, allowing the bird to peck at it directly from the bag. Studying the short grains, Josh guessed that it was probably some sort of imported Japanese rice.

“Okay Uncle,” Josh said. The old man didn’t seem willing to reveal any more about the chickens, so he thought it wiser to just leave things there. “Take care.”

“Why so late then come home?!” Josh’s mother yelled the moment he stepped through the front door.

“Ma, it’s only two o’clock.” Josh sat on the sofa as he struggled to untie his shoelaces. His mother scanned him from head to toe with a feather duster in her hands.

“You walk home by the dirty river, is it?!” His mother said, pointing at his sandy shoes. Josh made a mental note never to wear those white sneakers again.

“There’s no ghost at this timing lah, Ma.”

“How you know? You can see them meh? Should I bring you to my fortune teller again?”

Josh threw his shoes onto the rack and headed for his bedroom.

“I’m gonna take a nap, don’t disturb me.”

Before his mother got another word out, Josh slammed the door and locked it. He threw his backpack into the corner of the room and plunged into bed, covering his eyes with his forearm. He was sick of his mother telling him what to do and shoving her silly beliefs down his throat. He was already twenty-five but still felt like a little kid at times, not having the freedom to walk where he wanted and whenever he wanted. He wondered what life would be like if that stupid chicken hadn’t run in front of his father’s bicycle. The smell of burning incense wafted in through the gaps of his door, and Josh was lulled to sleep.

White wings, sharp claws, and a dangling red flap beneath his chin. Josh was a chicken, and he was running through the darkness. He didn’t know what from, but he was scrambling along the river, hopping over mangrove roots and digging his claws into the soft mud. Find the light, a voice told him. Run. An orange glow beamed from beyond the mangrove and Josh hurled himself towards it, tucking his wings tighter against his body. Mud soon turned to grass, and grass then turned to pavement. The screeching of brakes filled his ears before he was knocked in his side by a tire, and was forced to watch his father roll off his bicycle and down towards the murky waters. Josh tried calling out for him, but nothing escaped his throat except a spurt of warm blood.

Josh woke up to the sound of chiming bells, yet another one of his mother’s daily rituals to cleanse their home. Combined with an even heavier scent of incense now, it drove Josh mad. He needed to prove to his mother that there was no such thing as haunted chickens, that the accident was just a coincidence, and that he didn’t deserve to be subjected to a life of unnecessary spiritual cleansing. He grabbed his keys and left his room.

“Where are you going? It’s so late already!”

“Going to buy dinner,” said Josh. He slipped on a pair of flip-flops and rushed to unlock the gate.

“But I already cooked for you!”

Josh closed the door on his mother and slammed the gate shut. He couldn’t stand to listen to her shrieking any longer. He needed some answers, and perhaps breathing in the river’s scent could help him. His side was still aching from his nap, and he couldn’t stop thinking of his broken wings and the man he hit and left to drown.

Josh glanced at his watch and then the route ahead, wondering how it was already that dark at seven thirty. Dim orange lamp posts sparsely lined the trail ahead, leaving large black gaps in between. The darkness matched what he saw in his dream, except for the mangroves that now looked even thicker from the outside. The tangled trees and protruding roots made it dense and unexplorable, and Josh could barely see the water on the other side. But the occasional splash and the smell of mud reminded him that the river was still there, ready to swallow anyone who took a wrong step. Josh stared ahead and walked, accompanied by the ballooning sounds of the mangrove forest. The calls of crickets, frogs, and birds were all mushed together in a constant ring. It was hard to distinguish the noises around him, but Josh was certain that none of the sounds belonged to a chicken. He wondered if he should start cooing like the old man in order to lure them out.

When Josh reached the end of the underpass with the cracked cement flooring, he noticed a giant wooden signboard right beside the exit. It had the words “Sungei Api Api” painted faintly in white on its planks, and it was nailed against two sturdy logs that were hammered deep into the soil. The entire wooden structure was scratched up, and one of the posts had a deep “18+ only” carved in its side.

Past the signboard, Josh spotted a figure ahead of him. It looked tiny in the distance, but Josh could tell that he was no jogger or night stroller. He had on a light blue shirt with rolled up sleeves, long pants, and a laptop bag slung over his shoulder. Perhaps he lived in one of the beach houses up ahead, but Josh found it odd that he was walking instead of driving.

Josh tried catching up to him to ask if he knew about the chickens, but the man had made a sudden right turn towards the river, trudging through the grass with his black dress shoes. Josh watched the man march forward until the faint shine of his shoes disappeared completely into the mangroves.

Josh jogged to the spot where the man had left the path and peered into the trees. He squinted as hard as he could, but the faint orange lights from the path could not penetrate the dense forest. Although he could not see the man, Josh managed to spot a glowing white orb scampering through the roots of the mangroves. Finally, a chicken!

Josh stepped off the path and ventured towards the wall of trees. The grass pricked his toes with every step, and the closer he got to the trees, the stronger the scent of fresh flowers, like the pink ones his mother would buy from the market every Sunday morning. He then recalled her advice to keep his mouth shut if he ever encountered such a sweet smell in a strange place. It meant there was a spirit nearby, and he had to protect himself from swallowing one.

Josh pulled out his miniature torchlight attached to his keyring and shone the light into the trees, scanning the area. There really was nothing to see except fallen leaves, roots, and the occasional litter of plastic bags and cans. He inched closer and closer till he heard footsteps come from within. Josh stopped moving and listened. There was a sudden girlish giggle that made his hair stand, and he would have backed away instantly if it wasn’t for the deep cough that came right after. All thoughts of the supernatural aside, Josh assumed it to be the man he had seen earlier on.

Just then, two people emerged from the shrubs and Josh pointed the light at their faces. Just a stone’s throw away from him, Josh could tell that it was that same man, still in his office wear but with mud smudged around his ankles. The man was probably in his late forties. He had well-groomed silver hair and a dark blue tie, half loosened around his neck. Hooked around his arm was a fair and plump woman. The man was clearly shocked by Josh’s presence, but the lady seemed disinterested and almost annoyed. She had on the brightest red lipstick Josh had ever seen, and her skin was ghostly pale. Silky black hair framed her face and hung down to her waist. Josh had a million thoughts running through his mind, but the couple took off before he could say anything. The man had grabbed the lady’s wrist and dragged her downstream towards the beach. Her flowy white dress swept the floor beneath her and Josh realised that she was barefoot. He couldn’t stop staring at her feet. They were incredibly clean, unlike the man’s own mud-covered shoes.

“Hi sir, looking for someone?” A voice sang behind Josh. He turned around and there stood another young lady in a white dress. She had the same shade of red on her lips, but her skin was tanner and glowed orange under the lamp posts. Her black hair rested neatly on her shoulders.

“Uhm, I’m just taking a stroll,” Josh said. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the pretty lady by telling her about his hunt for chickens. His torch dangled downwards, shining its white light towards her toes. They were barefoot and clean.

“Would you like me to accompany you?” she said. Josh was once again hit by the intense smell of flowers, this time with a hint of rotting fruit.

“No thanks,” Josh mumbled through his teeth. He didn’t dare open his mouth. He started to walk away but the lady did not leave his side.

“Why are you here then?” she asked, bursting into a slight jog to keep up with Josh’s strides. Maybe if he made himself sound like a mad man, she would leave him alone.

“I’m looking for some chickens,” Josh replied. “I’m going to bring them home and feed them with premium Japanese rice and sweet corn.”

The lady’s neck straightened up and she smiled. She jumped in front of Josh and stopped him in his tracks. Her eyes looked strangely yellow, and Josh could not turn away. She wrapped her bony fingers around his wrist and tugged him towards her.

“I’ll bring you to them.”

Josh couldn’t refuse her offer. Something about her grip made him submit to her every move and follow her around. She walked further down the path as her nails dug into Josh’s skin, dragging him along. Perhaps, out of all the people living there, this lady would have the answers Josh was looking for.

“Come sir,” she said, and just like the man from before, she stepped off the path and turned towards the trees by the river.

“Where are we going?” Josh asked.

“You want to see the chickens, right?”

As they reached the edge of the mangrove trees, she let go of Josh and used both hands to push her way through the dense branches. It looked impenetrable from the outside, but giving them a slight shove made it easier to walk through. The ground beneath them got softer and muddier the further they walked in. Josh clenched his toes around his flip-flops, hoping they wouldn’t fall off and get lost in the mud.

“Are the chickens sleeping?” Josh asked.

“No,” the lady said, chuckling again. “They’re waiting.”

The lady picked up her pace as her excitement grew. The river was getting closer and Josh could see the moonlight bouncing off the surface. He followed the white dress in front of him and wondered how she learnt to see so well in the dark.

“Look what I brought for you girls!” the lady squealed into the darkness. They had reached a clearing large enough for Josh to stretch his arms out. There was an open space around him and Josh could breathe slightly better, although the cold air continued to sting the back of his throat. Josh turned his torchlight back on and looked around. Small cardboard boxes were laid out in a semi-circle in front of him, and in each box nestled a chicken. The moment they saw Josh they rushed out of their boxes and gathered at his feet. He counted four of them.

“Oh, cute,” he said, amused at how friendly they were.

“Pick one, sir,” said the lady.

“What?”

“Pick one that you like.”

Josh panicked and thought that he had somehow gotten involved with some illegal animal trading. He started to back away from the lady and her wares.

“Wait, I’m not here to buy a chicken,” Josh told her.

“But you came all the way here!”

“I was looking for something else!”

“You said you were looking for a chicken,” she replied, gripping Josh’s wrist again. “So, pick a chicken.”

“Okay, okay,” Josh replied. He was afraid to anger her further. Besides, the lady had the upper hand of navigating the area better and potentially murdering him right then and there. The sleek mud would make it even easier for her to drag his body towards the river and leave him to drown like his father.

Josh looked down at the chickens and pointed at the biggest one. It had light brown feathers and a little black tail. It beat its wings so vigorously that Josh could feel the wind cooling the back of his ears.

“I’ll take her,” Josh said, mumbling once again. He found it difficult to hear his own voice over the chirping crickets who were getting louder, as if cheering Josh on for making his selection.

“Great,” said the lady. She smiled again and Josh felt somewhat relieved. She huddled the other chickens back into their boxes.

“Have fun and come back before sunrise.”

“What?”

The brown chicken Josh picked began to cluck as it morphed. He shone his torch on its distorting body as its stubby neck stretched upwards and its breasts grew outwards. Its skinny chicken legs plumped up into fleshy calves, and wrinkled claws grew into two smooth feet, barefoot and clean. Her brown dress flowed loosely around her thighs as she took her first steps towards Josh.

“Shall we?” she asked. Josh stared at the fully-grown woman in front of him. Her curly black hair covered her eyes, and her red lips made it look like she had just dipped her mouth in a bucket of fresh blood. Even with no shoes on, she towered over Josh. He could not move.

“Are you okay?” she asked Josh again. He wanted to scream, but his throat made no sound. He felt like he was dreaming again, except this time, it was harder to run with two aching knees and no wings to help him take flight.

“I’m sorry,” was all Josh could master after snapping out of his daze. He tried to run but the tall lady grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.

“You can’t leave,” she said. Her sharp nails dug into Josh’s flesh and the pain made him drop his torchlight. “You picked me.”

The lady moved her face closer to Josh and prodded his cheek with her parrot-beaked nose. Her eyes were like two glowing yolks, making Josh feel like vomiting. He dove to her left and tried to take off, but he tripped over a snaking tree root and fell with a resounding crunch onto one of their boxes.

“My eggs!” screamed the lady. Josh pushed himself off the ground and looked beneath him. A gooey liquid seeped through the box and had smeared all over his shirt. Everything went quiet. No crickets, no frogs, no birds. Just his heavy breathing and the drumming of his heartbeat in his ears. Everyone had stopped moving. Find the light. Josh spotted a faint orange glow leaking through the opening they had come from earlier. Run. He locked his eyes on the clearing, took a deep breath and leaped towards it. Wet leaves slapped against his face as he bulldozed through the shrubs. Screw the slippers, Josh thought. His toes no longer had a grip on them, so he burst out of the mangroves barefoot and ran back towards the underpass.

Grotesque clucking followed him as he ran, piercing the air with what sounded like a massacre of screaming children. Josh was hit with a sudden headache, but the pain was nothing compared to the guilt he felt for not listening to his mother. Josh’s muscles contracted with every step and he could feel himself sinking lower and lower to the ground. Josh ran so fast he felt like he could fly. He finally reached the wooden signboard but it looked much bigger than before, and Josh wondered if he had gone the right way. He pushed forward anyway, desperate to get out of that place and return to the main road, far away from the dirty mangroves. Josh didn’t want to die that night. He didn’t want to vanish like his father.

The ground beneath him felt like broken glass, and the sand under Josh’s toes dug deeper into his skin with every step. The crumbling cement of the underpass didn’t slow him down though. Josh was already halfway through, but the end seemed to stretch further and further away the more he ran towards it. It didn’t help that the walls around him started spinning and that his head was bobbing back and forth. Josh’s vision grew blurry and he felt like throwing up again.

“There’s nowhere for you to go!” sang one of the deranged women. Her chilling voice gave Josh an adrenaline boost and he scampered on till he heard the sound of speeding cars ahead of him. Josh gave an aggressive lunge forward and pushed himself off the ground, spreading his wings and flapping as hard as he could, hoping to land back within civilization.

“Mummy, look!” A boy shouted. Josh whipped his neck towards the voice and felt a jerking weight beneath his chin. He tried grabbing it but his arms could not reach his face. Josh didn’t even have arms anymore. Just two feathery wings that beat furiously up and down. His vision started stabilizing, but the lights were overwhelming, and the scene was a strange mix of purple, green, and a whole spectrum of colours Josh had never seen before. He stood there and watched as the cars drove by and the pedestrians walked around him. The little boy continued to stare as his mother dragged him away.

“Don’t disturb them,” she said to her son. “The chickens are dangerous.”

Josh thought about his own mother and how much he wanted to go home. He tried to cry but no tears came out. Josh could only hear himself croaking. He struck his claws against the concrete and spun round a few times deciding on a direction to head towards, but it didn’t matter which way he went. Someone had already picked him up and cradled him like a baby.

“Ah boy, I told you to be careful,” said the old man. Josh recognised the scent of tobacco on his fingertips, followed by the smell of sweet corn. The old man was now carrying Josh and walking back towards the darkness. A second voice grunted beneath Josh, saying, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.”

As Josh, Benny, and the old man walked back towards the river’s edge, Josh thought about his mother and how she would cope with his disappearance. Perhaps his bedroom will now be filled with more statues of deities and a pot of incense that will never burn out. He wondered how much money the fortune teller could now exhort from his mother too, when he tells her that her son has been turned into a chicken.

#fiction

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drtanstravels · 4 years

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Note: As mentioned in the previous post in this series about selling an apartment in Singapore, this instalment was also written over the course of many months. In fact it was started more than a year ago, beginning on Friday, May 3, 2019 and then being periodically updated, combined, and adjusted over time, albeit rather inconsistently. To document the entire excruciating process as accurately as possible, I just kept adding more and more to it as events unfolded. I was initially going to cover both our experiences with buying and selling an apartment in Singapore, as well as renovating in a single piece, however, as we encountered seemingly perpetual red tape, endless delays, and the process as a whole dragged on, this piece got painfully long so I decided to edit into three parts, and here is the second chapter about purchasing our future home. Enjoy.

Last year Anna and I had already decided on exactly what kind of apartment we wanted this time around. Until July 2020 we had lived in the type of apartment we were after when the opportunity first arose to buy, a walk-up HDB apartment in the neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, the oldest housing estate in Singapore, that we purchased just after we got married. For those unfamiliar with the term, HDB apartments are public housing that you can rent or own and make up around 82% of all housing in Singapore, but there is a lot of bureaucracy, red tape, and restrictions when purchasing, selling, or renovating an HDB property. We loved our place, it’s exactly what we wanted that was within our budget when we bought it, but at 920 ft² we had simply outgrown it; we didn’t have anywhere near enough storage space, plus I do a lot of cooking so a larger kitchen with more bench space would be ideal, and we would also like a second bathroom and an outdoor area. Thus, we want to buy an old, private, ground-floor apartment to renovate in the same neighbourhood. This guide should give you a decent idea, we were living in a pre-war apartment and want to buy a post-war apartment:

The architect for the pre-war flats was Alfred G. Church, a British appointed by the colonial government. Block 55, the first block of 20 blocks was done by 1936. Built in the late Art Deco movement, the flats featured a style known as the Streamline Moderne. This style incorporated curved horizontal lines that embodied the machine age of automobiles. As a result, many settlers regarded the buildings as ‘fei ji lou’, or aeroplane flats in Chinese. Other architectural features include the use of masonry from the Alexandra Brickworks Company.

Built between 1948 to 1954, the design of the post-war flats was done by the SIT senior architect and the first locally appointed assistant architect. This featured an International Style with boxier, cleaner lines and modern materials such as steel, glass and concrete. In addition, the design was the first time the climate was taken into consideration as it include tropical elements such as higher ceilings, large windows, and balconies.

Even before we started looking at available apartments we had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted, but one thing was 100% certain — We wouldn’t even consider leaving Tiong Bahru. We love it here and besides the first three months when I shared a room with Anna’s brother at her parents house, this is the only neighbourhood in which I’ve lived since I first moved to Singapore almost 13 years ago. We’ve seen this place transform from a traditional, old-school, low-rise neighbourhood with simple little local stores and a chicken walking around, a place where I was the only white person and everyone knew everyone, to a gentrified home for hipsters with cafes, wall murals, indie boutiques, start-ups, galleries, bars, and restaurants, but we still love it here. Oh, and who wouldn’t want to live somewhere that has this in its early history:

Tiong Bahru was then also known as Mei Ren Wo (“den of beauties”) as it was where wealthy men would keep their mistresses. Due to close proximity to the Great World Amusement Park, there was a predominance of ‘pipa girls’ within the SIT estate, which refers to a more polite term for prostitutes. It was speculated that the pipa girls use the staircase access at the back of the flats to entertain the men, and flee whenever the men’s wives return.

That’s pretty badass for what is now such a sterile country! Anyway, we started looking at apartments when we got back from Melbourne in the middle of April 2019 and were fortunate enough to find pretty much exactly what we were after on the very first viewing with a normal, female real estate agent. She was knowledgable and asked us our intentions for the place, as opposed to just constantly telling us what we should do. This place was pretty much perfect, despite the fact it was going to need a lot of work if we got it, but we thought we should still see what else was around and that’s where things got interesting.

Cosy, but this is what some consider a bedroom with ensuite

We looked at five other apartments, a couple of which had already been renovated in the exact same style that everyone here seems to go for so we ruled those ones out, but it’s when you’re looking at ones that need to be renovated that you hear the true bullshit from the agents. Rather than be comfortable here, many people in Singapore just think of resale value and trying to cash in so they build in every possible area, from balconies to backyards to air-wells, and try and claim it all as interior floorspace. Quite often they will also wall off part of the apartment and claim it as a separate unit that they sublet, or some will even go as far as to put a mattress, accessible only with a stepladder, on top of the clothes-dryer and a table in the area that would typically be the laundry and lease it out as an additional bedroom (above, right). The way it was advertised on this occasion also claimed that this bedroom was equipped with an ensuite, because it happened to be right in front of a toilet. Yes, that is the third bedroom with ensuite in what was marketed as a three-bedroom flat. Others also had the toilet and shower in separate cubicles, but listed them as two entirely separate bathrooms. We even saw one place that had walled off an entire area to sublet as an office, but had no way of accessing the rest of the house except for walking around the block. They had renovated it in a such a way that the only way to link the two parts together was to knock out the wall between the office’s toilet and the house’s main bathroom! “Don’t worry,” the agent explained. “That would work well for you, you need a big bathroom because he’s big.” What that agent failed to understand is that nobody would currently be able to access or leave what would be the living room without circumnavigating the block if there was anyone in the house taking a dump! Not an ideal scenario.

Then there are the agents themselves. We had two decent female ones when we were looking to buy, one of whom we had helping us sell our own apartment as well, but the rest of these sweaty-palmed mouth-breathers are among the most socially awkward people I have ever encountered, and as you may have read in my previous post on this topic, it only gets worse when you’re trying to sell a place and they are looking to make a commission. Anna organised the viewings and would send me the address at which to meet when she was on her way straight home from work, thus often I would arrive at the property first. The initial interaction between each agent and myself would generally start out somethng like this:

Agent: “Are you Anna Tan?” Me: “No, that’s my wife. My name is Tim.” Agent: “So… what are you, 180, 190cm?” Me (rolling eyes): “About that.” Agent (mouth agape): “More? What, two metres?!? Wah, you’re so tall… so very tall, you should play basketball! You know, I had a friend that was almost…” Me (looking at phone): “Oh, Anna’s almost here.”

Usually Anna hadn’t contacted me at all, it was more a matter of trying to change the topic, because I have been getting asked these very same questions about my size, followed by the exact same responses, at least once every day that I have left the house since I have lived in Asia. The only problem with changing the topic was that there would now be an awkward silence and it is difficult to sell something to someone with whom you haven’t built a rapport. This brings about another problem for the agents as they seem the type that still live at home with their parents and don’t have a whole lot of life experience, yet they want to be all chummy and make smalltalk, just with a very limited range of topics:

Agent: “So, have you tried Singaporean food?” Me: “Yes, I’ve had it for almost every meal for the entire time I’ve spent in Singapore.” Agent: “Wah, so you can take chili?” Me (rolling eyes again): “Yes, I love chili.” Agent (wracking his brain for new topic): “Have you had your lunch?” Me: “Of course, it’s 6:30 in the evening!” Agent: “What did you have?” Me: “Lor mee.” Agent: “Oh, but you know that those noodles are typically a breakfast dish…” Me: “You can eat Corn Flakes in the afternoon if you want and besides, the stall was open.”

It was usually at this point that Anna would arrive and the agent could attempt to bond with her while I just walked around taking photos. Anna is a woman you don’t mess with and is a bit obsessive when she has her mind set on something so she would do most of the talking with the agents, but hardly any of them could answer her questions. Rather, they would just go through a pre-prepared script that you could tell they had spent hours rehearsing in front of the mirror, pointing out changes and adjustments that could be made, but essentially ignoring Anna’s many queries related to what we wanted to do with the place. Luckily the woman who showed us around the first place that we liked was quite knowledgable. We’ve also been pre-approved for a loan that will combine with the amount for what we sell our apartment, plus some cash we’ve been putting aside for this purpose, to purchase that apartment and renovate it.

Fast forward to mid-December, 2019 and our own apartment still hadn’t sold, the weird neighbour living behind us was dead, and our top two options for a place to buy had been sold so we were now targeting the place that would need a bathroom ripped out to enter the rest of the house. You can tell that whomever owns the place has a ton of cash, because they had the asking price listed quite high, despite the fact that it would cost a fortune to make it liveable, and had rejected every reasonable offer for the place, preferring to let it sit empty than compromise on the price. We knew for a fact that it was still empty because the mail was really starting to pile up out the front of the place. Once we had sold our apartment we would be in a position to make a higher offer, because so much time had passed that we had accumulated significantly more cash than we had first anticipated having when it came to buying.

Anna had initially thought the asking price for the place we wanted was too high, but as I mentioned earlier, we were now able to afford it, however, she is an extremely stubborn woman who likes to get cut a deal, just like her father, leading to her constantly increase our offer in small increments until we were almost at the asking price. Finally we were at the stage where we just had to cave in and give the owner what he wanted so we informed our agents on the night of Wednesday, January 22, 2020 that we were willing to offer the full asking price just to get it all over and done with. The following morning I had to take a cheque to a bank branch a couple of kilometres away, but Anna also told me that we’d be viewing another apartment that evening that had just come on the market, it was in the original condition from the 1960s due to the person who was most likely the first owner recently dying, and was significantly cheaper than the one for which we were about to put in an offer. I was skeptical at first, because we had already missed out on the two previous places we had wanted, plus we had now finally sold our place so we could be screwed if we didn’t finalise the apartment we were trying to get. It would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, because we ended up getting beaten to putting in the offer for the other place, missing out now on three apartments in a row. Once we had a look around the new place we decided to put in an offer there and then. It was old and dirty, but when it came to renovating it was going to cost us roughly the same, this place was going to be a completely blank canvas and we would have plenty of cash left over from our original budget for fixing up the other more expensive property to spend on cool furniture and appliances. Here’s how it looked in its original state, but never fear, we are going to make it awesome:

The outside of our new place

Our ugly new front door

A sign across the street stating the history of the area

Looking toward the front door from inside the living room

Now looking from the front door

The view down the hallway

This will become my new man cave

The view from the rear of the same room

Now what will become the master bedroom

Looking back toward the hallway

The current toilet

What currently classifies as a shower

A dining room

An outdoor kitchen

An outdoor area, part of which will become our ensuite and walk-in wardrobe

The back gate from the outdoor part, the end of which we will make a garden

Looking back into that dining room

It’s now August of 2020 and we finally got the keys for our new apartment at the beginning of the month, but our biggest hassle had been simply buying the new place. Nothing went as planned with the purchase, but we had expected that — The lawyer for the siblings of the owner who were to inherit the property prior to sale was away for two weeks over the Chinese New Year period and then took an extra two days of sick leave after that so we were left hanging for quite a while for the deal to be finalised. We were also out of the country from late February to early March, there was then some in-fighting between the next of kin over multiple issues including the price, and finally covid-19 hit and real estate agents and property lawyers weren’t considered essential services when Singapore shut down for 10 weeks during the “circuit breaker” period from the beginning of April until early June. Getting things processed after the reopening was still extremely slow due to the backlog for everyone involved, but we were lucky that the people who bought our old apartment let us stay there for an extra three months on top of the customary three after the sale, but it still wasn’t enough. Despite initially believing that we would’ve renovated and moved into our new home by this stage, we were instead looking for another place to live temporarily while the status of our newly purchased abode was still in flux.

We ended up taking out a six-month lease on an apartment on the 22nd floor of the Highline Residences at the end of June, just a short walk down the road from our old place and directly across the road from my local pub and that brings me to where we currently stand; the place definitely looks nice and it is, but for the foreseeable future Anna, myself, and Kermit will be living in this tiny condominium with the bulk of our belongings still in boxes, sitting on some of our old, uncomfortable furniture until our renovations are completed and we can move into our new home. Admittedly, we do like having a pool and a balcony, but it definitely isn’t worth what it is costing us to stay here, although we are able to afford it mainly due to the money we saved being locked in during the coronavirus and all of Anna’s overseas conferences being cancelled. The plans and designs for the renovation are all completed, but nothing has even begun yet, because there’s a lot of bureaucracy involved, approvals to be granted, and just endless stress and headaches when you’re trying to transform a heritage-listed apartment that possibly hasn’t been cleaned since the 1950s into your dream home, plus there are a couple of people I have never liked that will now be our immediate neighbours, but that part is all a story for next time. With a bit of luck we will have moved in there by Christmas and, after having already moved house 10 times in the past 14 years, hopefully this will be the final stop.

The Hell That We Experienced In The Real Estate Process In Singapore — Buying Note: As mentioned in the previous post in this series about selling an apartment in Singapore…

#agents #apartment #private #property #real estate #Tiong Bahru

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homeguidedesignsg · 4 years

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Everybody dreams of living in a perfect home. We all have a specific vision that unfortunately, very few flats will come close to. As a result, extensive renovation work may be required to get the desired outcome.

How much should you be prepared to spend on bringing your dream Singapore home in existence? The answer to that question depends on numerous things. Today, we will take a look at the factors that affect the cost of home improvements and the best ways to save some money (without compromising the quality of the outcome, of course!).

Most Important Factors That Affect the Cost

It’s impossible to come up with a renovation cost number that will be universally valid for all Singapore homeowners.

Some entities have developed renovation cost calculators you can use to input the variables and determine the amount you should be prepared to spend on the modernisation of the property.

Based on these calculators, some of the most important factors that affect the cost include the type of apartment, its size, the number of rooms you wish to renovate, the specific projects you plan to carry out and the nature of materials you want to utilise.

The bulk of renovation costs is accounted for by major types of work like hacking, masonry and carpentry. If you’re planning to carry out any of those, you should be prepared to handle the cost.

Some other, less expensive aspects of the renovation, include plumbing, electrical works, ceiling work, painting and the cleanup after all of the work is done.

Average Costs to Anticipate in 2020

Based on these guiding principles, we can determine the average cost of renovating your apartment in 2020.

According to Qanvast, the average that four-room apartment owners in Singapore should be prepared to spend on a property renovation in 2020 is 53,000 dollars. The lowest possible amount for the work to be done on this flat is 5,000 dollars and the figure can go up to 110,000 dollars.

The average for a three-room flat is 32,000 dollars for a new flat and 42,600 dollars for a resale flat. When it comes to larger apartments, the average for a five-room flat in 2020 will be 52,100 dollars for a new flat and 65,200 dollars for a resale flat.

If we stick with the four-room example quoted above, the overall price can be broken down into separate processes.

The costliest one will be carpentry work with an average of 24,000 dollars for a four-room flat. Flooring and tiling comes second at an estimated average cost of 11,625 dollars, followed by the purchase of appliances (7,000 dollars), demolition (6,000 dollars) and electrical work (4,000 dollars). The least expensive work type is plumbing with an average of only 875 dollars.

The average cost of a home renovation can also be broken down on the basis of the style that the homeowner is interested in.

Contemporary renovations for an HDB flat come at an average of 72,530 dollars. A minimalist home interior design project execution will cost an average of 62,471 dollars and a Scandinavian project will cost an average of 55,315 dollars.

It’s interesting to point out that the eclectic style ranks as the second most expensive renovation option after the contemporary flat. Such a project will cost 69,314 dollars for an average HDB apartment. A traditional renovation is the least expensive one with an average 46,890 dollars.

Bringing Down the Cost of a Property Renovation

Is it possible to get a price cut without accepting a quality compromise? If so, how can you achieve both of the goals?

Finding the right Singapore interior design company is the most important prerequisite for an affordable renovation that yields a beautiful outcome.

Reputable interior design companies like Home Guide, for example, often announce promo packages for their clients. As experienced interior design and home renovation professionals, we understand the fact that many people who have just acquired a flat lack the money needed to carry out the perfect renovation. This is why we’ve created a range of promo offers to address the specific needs of these people.

Currently, we have BTO promotions tailored to the needs of three-room, four-room and five-room flat owners.

Alternatively, you can explore our new condo renovation package – a comprehensive selection of services aimed at providing a design consultation, perspective drawing of all the carpentry work, project management, job site supervision & work with sub-contractors, material and colour scheme proposal, as well as the submission of the required renovation permit.

We have also thought about the needs of home owners who will only be carrying out a partial renovation. Our resale toilet renovation package and resale kitchen renovation package are provided as opportunities to make these projects happen without breaking the bank.

Our partial packages focus on the bathroom and the kitchen since these are the two most functional spaces in the house. As such, they can be the costliest ones to modernise and upgrade.

Please check out our offers to see what you’ll be getting and to determine exactly how much money you can save by partnering up with Home Guide. If you want to learn a bit more about who we are and what we do, don’t hesitate to explore our residential portfolio for examples of our best projects.

You can get professional apartment upgrades on a budget. The secret is knowing exactly what you want to achieve and finding the right partner for the job. Contact Home Guide right now if you’re ready to get started.

#Blog #residential

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dialovers-translations · 4 years

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DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE, MORE BLOOD Vol. 3: Sakamaki Shuu [Track 2]

Original title: 躾けの時間

Source: Diabolik Lovers More, More Blood Vol. 3 Sakamaki Shuu [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke

Translator’s note: All the sadistic Shuu fans are in for a treat because w o a h, things get pretty dark in this track. I’ve been playing HDB, so I’m kind of used to the darker version of the boys by this point but I can imagine some people have forgotten how sadistic they can be. It’s nice to see Rejet pay some homage to the original CDs though. They even reference some of the events (e.g. Shuu using knife play on the MC/Yui)

This track was requested by @kurosaki! If you would like to request a translation, please contact me through IMs or drop an ask!

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5 + Epilogue

Track 2: Education Time

Shuu opens a door.

“Hurry up and get inside. It’d be a pain if somebody were to spot us. ...Nhg!”

He pushes you inside as you stumble forward and hit the floor.

“What are you collapsing for? Your blood shouldn’t have run out from the little bit I had earlier. Being sprawled across the floor suits you very well though.”

You ask him why he brought you here.

“You won’t give me any answers, yet you flood me with questions. We can’t guarantee that nobody would pass by the inner courtyard. That’s why I moved places. If we close the storage room from the inside, I doubt there will be many people interrupting us here.

He slides the door closed.

“Perfect for your interrogation.”

Shuu steps closer.

“Honestly, I don’t like having to do something this bothersome, but it seems like you don’t intend on talking unless I give you a bit of a scare.”

He starts rummaging through some things.

“...Guess this will do. Aah...This one could be useful as well. Hurry up and come here. Stand next to that shelf.”

You hesitantly walk over.

“Why are you so shaky on your legs? It’s still too early for you to become anemic. You’re aware, aren’t you? I’m not the kind of guy who gets a kick out of being resisted. You better behave.

...Give me your left hand.”

You speak up.

“Just shut up and stand still. Come on...Give me the other one too. I’ll tie them above your head.”

He ties your wrists together.

“This will do. Ahー Is it too high? If you stand on the tip of your toes you can barely manage. But isn’t it fine? I’m sure the rope digging into your wrists makes for a great stimulation. Next up...I’ll put this on too.”

*Rustle rustle*

“...Don’t cry right by my ear. It’s just a piece of cloth that was laying around around those parts. I figured I could use it as a blindfold so I pulled it out. Not being able to see anything triggers anxiety. It’ll be much easier to break your spirit (1) like this.

Although in your case, it seems like you only get more in the mood when these kind of kinks are involved. Having your movements restrained while not being able to see anything...You won’t get any forgiveness, I won’t let you go either...Those kind of things turn you on, don’t they?”

You shake your head.

“Hm...Regardless of what your mouth may say, your body seems to be enjoying it. You really are a slut. But don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not here to please you.”

*Cling*

“Say...Can you tell what this is? ...Don’t move. Although I won’t stop you if you want to get cut. You can tell from the sensation as it hits your chest, right? The feeling of hard, cold metal... I’ve played with you like this before, haven’t I? Tracing your skin with a knife...Cutting you...Even though you like my fangs, you’re still afraid of blades, aren’t you? Back then you were shivering in fear and crying while making a horrible face too. Right now your breathing is getting heavy as well.

Say, tell me what this is?”

You answer reluctantly.

“Heeh...A knife, huh? Hold onto that thought. I’ll run it across your body just like I did last time. I don’t know what will happen if my hand happens to slip though.”

You ask him to stop.

“I’m surprised you still have the nerve to ask me to stop. After you messed around with other guys to your heart’s content.”

You deny it.

“Heeh...If I’m wrong, then explain yourself. Tell me why your blood was so seethed earlier. You were spreading around your sweet scent everywhere...Claiming nothing happened won’t get through to me.”

You try and explain.

“Is that your attempt at talking your way out of it? You saw a dream of me biting you, which exicted you? Cut out the jokes. Actually having your blood sucked and experiencing it in a dream are different. I’ll admit that you are a slut who goes in heat over the slightest little thing, but you should still be able to tell the difference. I guess you won’t tell me that easily after all.”

You defend your case.

“...Shut up. Everything you say now is an earsore. ...I bet you’re underestimating me, thinking I wouldn’t actually use a blade on you. Believing I would never hurt you. I can tell even through your fear, you’re blinded by the arrogance of being loved by me. Deep down you’re relieved, assuming you’re safe. Should I rip that delusion to shreds?

Shuu leans in close.

...Don’t move. It’s right by your ear so you should be able to hear it well.”

*Snip snip*

You start struggling.

“It finally clicked? These are scissors. What a shame it isn’t a knife. ...Hey, your heartbeat has increased. So you did think those things after all ー That this isn’t a blade, that I wouldn’t hurt you. I went too easy on you. I should have tied you down from the very beginning. After all, you’re the kind of woman who will do anything in her pursuit for pleasure.

So, where do you want to get cut? Your skin which has always been marked by my fangs...Today I’ll engrave it with these. Aahー Guess I’ll go for this spot?”

*Thud*

“Why are you getting scared just from me touching your neck? Don’t make me laugh. You can’t even tell the difference between my fingers and the scissors? Or have you become sensitive because you can’t see? I can clearly tell when stroking it, you’ve gotten goosebumps. Your pulse has increased even more compared to earlier. The thick veins hidden underneath your thin skin are easily noticeable.

I don’t mind doing it here, but I feel like you might just die the moment I cut through. In that case, I can’t go through with the interrogation. ...Guess I’ll have to settle with this after all.”

*Rustle*

“This uniform only ever gets in the way, so it doesn’t matter if there’s no sleeves, right?”

*Snip*

“Heeh...You won’t scream? Aah...Your voice just wouldn’t come out? That’s perfect. So it isn’t noisy.”

*Snip snip*

“Hm...No foreign bite marks on your arm either, huh? There’s plenty of the ones I left behind though. Say, if I were to pierce your upper arm, would you prefer my fangs or the scissors?”

You flinch.

“I’m giving you a choice. Answer me.”

You choose his fangs.

“Heeh...So you prefer the fangs? Looking at you right now, I don’t feel like giving it to you though. These scissors should suffice. You’ll take anything as long as it can give you pain, right?”

He runs the scissors across your arm.

“Can you tell from me gliding it across your skin? These scissors must have spent quite some time in the storage. The tip has rusted. I heard it hurts almost unbearably when you get cut with these. I wonder if that’s true. Well, I suppose we’ll know after trying it out.”

*Snip*

“Hahaha...What are you crying for? You have to keep standing on the tip of your toes or the rope will dig into your wrists. You look pathetic. You really are pitiful right now. Seems like fear won from pleasure for once. The sickily sweet scent has left the air, I feel relieved. Fine. I’ll give you the fangs you so long for. I won’t hold back though.”

Shuu bites you.

“Nn...Haah...”

*Gulp gulp*

“...Bitter. It’s been a while since it tasted like this. This used to be my preference, but right now it’s too harsh, I can barely even swallow it. It’s your fault my palate has been ruined. (2) Honestly...You are an unbelievable woman.

So, do you have anything to say to me?”

You say sorry.

“I don’t need your apologies. Tell me what happened earlier.”

You hesitantly speak up.

“What’s with that response? I did all this stuff and you still insist on feigning ignorance...I don’t know who it was, but you must really want to cover for that guy.”

You deny it.

“If I use this thing, I’ll be playing right into my father’s hand which pisses me off ...But to discipline someone as stubborn as you, I have no other choice.”

You ask him what he’s talking about.

“Aah...You’re blinded so you can’t tell. I told you about it, didn’t I? The hourglass I received from my old man. If I use this, I can rewind time. I don’t believe you’ll fess up even if I bite you right now. If you die before, it’d be my loss. However, if time rewinds, it’s a completely different story. The inflicted wounds and lost blood will return back to normal. We can stay like this forever.”

You shake your head.

“Seems like it finally clicked. Like this it’ll never come an end...”

*Tick tock - Tick tock - Tick tock - Tick tock*

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Shuu uses the word 心 or ‘kokoro’ here, which has many different implications in Japanese. If you look it up in a dictionary, you will probably find ‘heart’ as the first translation. However, it doesn’t refer to the actual organ, but more so someone’s feelings/soul/spirit/etc.

(2) Literally, he says that 舌がバカになった or ‘shita ga baka ni natta’, which means: ‘my tongue has become an idiot.’

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #shuu sakamaki #diabolik lovers more more blood #diabolik lovers translation #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

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quicklynoisyparadise-blog · 7 years

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Creative Home Planning Ideas: Pimp Your Walls Using Canvas

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#interiordesignerinSingapore

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weblistposting-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Weblistposting

New Post has been published on https://weblistposting.com/what-happens-to-property-at-stop-of-lease/

What happens to property at stop of lease?

Land possession in Singapore falls under two classes: freehold and leasehold.

Freehold proprietors will maintain on to the land name in perpetuity. This means there’s no expiry date.

At the same time as there are many exclusive tenures for leasehold assets, 999-12 months and ninety nine-yr leaseholds are the maximum commons. On the give up of the rentals, the rights of the leasehold owner are efficaciously nullified.

Some apartments in older estates may be selected for redevelopment below the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), but a majority will possibly see the end in their rentals. Sers is executed by means of the Authorities – the HDB homeowner can’t initiate any collective sales.

however, for personal belongings proprietors who want to preserve living off their homes, they are able to apply to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to pinnacle the hire again up to 99 years. It requires SLA’s approval and the top class may be decided by means of its chief values.

non-public assets owners also can together sell or greater devices to inclined customers, together with property developers, in what’s known as an en bloc or collective sale. The most not unusual collective sale is that of all the gadgets in strata or flatted improvement. owners of adjacent trends or landed homes also can together sell their properties to a single buyer. The sale proceeds are divided among all of the unit proprietors. however, there may be no guarantee of success for both alternatives.

proprietors must first reach consensus. If the belongings are older than 10 years, as a minimum 80 in line with a cent of the proprietors must conform to the sale or the lease top-up.

In a collective sale, the incoming developer will pay to take the closing hire again as much as ninety-nine years. This makes it greater tough for proprietors with shorter closing leases to discover an inclined consumer.

Repossession houses – What takes place After assets Repossession?

When your property is repossessed, it is essential to understand that because the owner of the belongings, you’ll be the one who’s liable to pay the difference inside the great mortgage amount and the quantity the residence is resold for.

This price can frequently run into the thousands. Among the time that the house is repossessed and bought once more, there are different expenses which want to be paid – solicitor fees, property sellers charges and all interest gathered will need to be paid by you.

Once the belongings are bought the loan enterprise can chase you for the wonderful amounts for a length of 12 years if the house has been repossessed inside the Uk. In Scotland, the regulation states that you are chargeable for a period of 5 years.

The quality manner to keep away from high payments is to look to try to promote your home as quickly as possible yourself. Repossession houses are frequently resold at a cheap rate in a property public sale. via selling your own home yourself, it is able to be under marketplace price but not as little as a potential auction rate.

As soon as your house has been repossessed the mortgage organization must follow A few guidelines Whilst contacting you. These guidelines have been set via the Council of loan Creditors (CML).

Once repossession houses are resold the mortgage enterprise will contact you by way of recorded delivery within a 28-day duration. They’ll send to you.

1) Cope with info of the repossessed home. 2) The date at which the belongings became sold. 3) info on the sale of the belongings along with info of vendor and client. 4) The rate at which the repossession domestic was offered. five) The approach of the sale of the property, eg. public sale

keeps in mind that the lender could be obliged to promote the assets at the highest rate feasible after repossession, however, in fact, the property will often be offered below fee after which it’s far you’ll be paying the difference.

If you are stricken by financial issue and are not able to make mortgage payments, then we would recommend accomplishing the sale of your property.

What happens to property in a Bankruptcy 7 Financial ruin Case?

Chapter 7 Financial disaster is a clean start Financial ruin. A person lists all of his money owed in a Financial ruin petition that is filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Clerk. A standard Chapter 7 debtor gets a sparkling begin in that some of the debts in a Chapter 7 Financial ruin case are removed. There are exceptions to this trendy situation which I will explain in greater element later. Bankruptcy 7 is essentially for Someone who does now not have sizable assets and who’s strapped with an overburdening amount of unsecured money owed. Unsecured debts are debts that aren’t secured by way of Some shape of belongings. These generally include money owed from credit score playing cards, medical bills, private loans, utilities, automobile deficiencies as a result of a repossessed automobile and apartment deficiencies among others. Given that there may be no assets or protection attached to the ones money owed, the debt is without problems eliminated in a Bankruptcy 7 Financial disaster case. money owed which might be secured by assets which includes homes and vehicles are dealt with differently in a Bankruptcy 7 Financial ruin case. those money owed must continue to be paid if the debtor needs to preserve the residences.

options in regards to secured belongings:

The debtor can truly retain to make the shriveled payment, on time, just as he did earlier than he filed for Financial ruin comfort. This act of continuing to pay on a debt is known as reaffirming a debt. by reaffirming on a debt, the debtor re-obligates himself on the loan. Any other option might be to give up the property and get rid of the underlying debt. The 1/3 alternative would be to redeem the property secured through the creditor. The act of redemption involves creating a lump sum fee for the marketplace price of the property. Considering that a debtor not often has the capacity to make this sort of price, the redemption option is virtually now not invoked all that frequently. The very last alternative with reference to secured debt is to maintain to make voluntary payments on the belongings. That is on occasion called the fourth choice; however, this option most effective exists in positive states. this option does now not exist with reference to buy money safety pursuits. An average purchase money protection hobby could be a furnishings purchase, rings purchase or family equipment buy. The voluntary fee alternative does exist with regard to real estate belongings in the ones states that permit the fourth choice.

belongings that can be kept in a Chapter 7 Financial ruin

If A person has sizable assets, he’ll now not probable decide to report a Chapter 7 Financial ruin. This is due to the fact there are limits on the amount of fee that you can keep loose and clean At the same time as On the equal time being able to dispose of miscellaneous debt. Every nation has exemption amounts that can be without difficulty used by a debtor to shield assets While he’s in a Financial disaster. There are Federal exemptions and person nation exemptions. A few states utilize the Federal exemptions, other utilize the kingdom exemptions, While other states can choose Among the 2. Manifestly, if a debtor is living in a kingdom in which an election can be made, the debtor will pick out the exemption that best protects his property. The exemption limits fluctuate so it’s far extremely critical to discuss your rights and alternatives with a qualified attorney who concentrates in Financial ruin law. If assets isn’t always included nicely via leave out-making use of the right exemption and the right quantity of the exemption, belongings may be taken in change for the clean begin.

How is fairness decided?

A few human beings battle with the concept of equity in the property. They don’t know whether it is the marketplace fee, the quantity owed, both or neither. Here’s a easy way to calculate the fairness in assets. First of all, consider fairness as possession. the amount of fairness in property is the amount of possession that you have the assets. As an instance, let’s consider which you have a domestic with a marketplace value of $250,000.00. Permit’s further say that you have a mortgage at the belongings with an wonderful balance of $two hundred,000.00. While you take the marketplace value of the property and subtract the mortgage debt associated with the property, you are left with the equity. in the above example, the fairness or possession inside the belongings would same $50,000.00. This identical idea would follow to vehicles, boats, jewelry, furnishings and every other belongings this is secured via alien.

How is fair market price calculated?

Any other trouble arises While calculating the truthful market fee of assets. truthful marketplace fee of property isn’t always what you watched it’s miles well worth. Alternatively, it’s far what the belongings could sell for if positioned in the marketplace for an affordable time period. On the subject of real property belongings, market cost can be determined by way of acquiring an appraisal. On the grounds that value determinations can be high-priced, Every other option is to get a free, marketplace evaluation from a certified realtor. Any committed realtor could be satisfied to offer a listing of similar houses which can be currently indexed for your vicinity or which have these days sold on your vicinity. Whilst requesting your unfastened market analysis, advise the realtor that you are searching out an accurate evaluation. You don’t need one this is elevated or unrealistic. You want one as a way to as it should be list the likely price that the home might sell for if vicinity on the open market. You could test general domestic values at realtor.Com or housevalues.Com. with reference to autos, You can check the fee with Kelly Blue Ebook or N.A.D.A. (kbb.Com) You could additionally have the vehicle evaluated with the aid of an vehicle dealership. They may put in writing what you vehicle is worth as a exchange-in. Of course, don’t depend on handiest one character or entity to offer a market price for your property. check with some resources so that you recognize that the values being supplied are accurate.

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