#theyre way too expensive a lot of the times so i wont really buy them but love looking at them!!!
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Darius in a Coffeeshop AU? Why, yes. And no. And also, Miguel.
So @theynanigans has a lot of the octopath characters in their sims game. and they have Darius and Miguel married. And Miguel is a criminal. and Darius is a barista. And it was hilarious.
And then this was born, less than 24 hours later.
Rated M, if i ever actually write it, but i wont get into much M parts here. also tw for abuse, violence, smoking, drugs, death, and terrible customers.
ok so it goes something like this:
Darius has been out of jail, but not for long, and has a job as a barista
he gets this problematic regular at his shift that drinks half their coffee order then comes to the front and is like "i ordered hot coffee this is scalding"
and darius cannot win. if he says no, the manager yells. if he says yes, the manager yells
that day however he's saved by the customer behind the asshole who essentially calls them out and tells them to F off
Darius is grateful, becuase he was ready to explode and he would have 100% lost his job
it's miguel. they flirt. Darius thinks it over quick and figures sure, yeah, he can be perceptive of it
especially when miguel asks to buy him a coffee
he figures he might as well tell him when he gets off and sees where it goes from there
(darius works opening or morning shifts and h a t e s it)
Miguel goes and gets him coffee from a very fancy place, greets him with it as soon as he steps out of the shop
darius is very pleased
and so it goes
coffee, hang out and chat, get to know each other
he likes miguel, he realizes. he cant use him, but he gets him fancy coffee and it is practically a reason to live right now
(and he realizes the store he works at sells really shitty coffee)
they both have a similar sense of humor and when darius casually drops the "cant go there, it violates my probation" in a conversation, migeul doenst bat an eye
instead the next day he brings the food they were talking about and outright says "this is a date now"
darius find himself oddly charmed, especially since this guy will buy him whatever, but at the same time
"fine, what's your angle? you can afford great coffee. There's no way you hang out here for the coffee"
"i saw you through the window, you were hot, and i wanna get in your pants" is the reply
darius laughs
he agrees
and they wind up as… something
darius gets coffee and fraps and a reason to look forward to the end of the shift and he cant complain much
anyways, enter erhardt, the probation officer. darius has to give an update. erhard is too smart for anyone's good. he kinda figures out miguel is trouble with a capital T and tells Darius that he's risking his probation like this and to break it off
darius hates this but also he doesnt want to go back to jail
he hates that place
its the whole reason hes trying to do better
it doesn't help that jail reminds him of before, when his old gang left him for dead after therion humiliated him
he still doesn't know who called the ambulance but he didn't want to die. doesn't want to die. doesn't want to go back to jail
so he texts miguel tells him not to come back
and miguel is "fine sure, text me when you snap"
darius lasts one week. one
the problematic regular is a lot harder to deal with, without something to look forward to, and in the end he explodes on them, calls htem names. the manager comes out ot try and save face but he yells at the manager too. a huge fight in the middle of the store. gets fired. throws his apron at the manager and storms off
erhardt is on his face before he reaches home. he gets an earful and he is so pissed.
he walks right out of where his "area bundaries" for the probation is
gets himself fancy coffee
realizes that its expensive af, how did miguel afford it?
then sits down on a bench and figures out how hes gonna text miguel
becuase he cant say "i got fired" that sounds so weak
so instead he makes a demand "get alcohol and meet me at my place"
miguel just replies with a winky face
anyways theyre on each other as soon as miguel steps into his place
it is a wild few hours because darius has no fucks to give that day
which makes him also speak up as miguel is gathering his things to leave
"what's your angle? you can afford so much shit. you have a motorcycle. you're not even mad i ghosted you a week."
Miguel just shrugs "you're hot"
"cant be it." Darius sits up, studies him. "You're recruiting."
miguel smiles like the devil and so help him, darius likes it
"drugs?" "no." "fraud?" "no"
he keeps guessing, much to miguel's amusement, until miguel fesses up
arms dealer
darius just flops back down in bed "i dont do well with weapons"
"yeah, your probation officer would hate it"
"no, i'll shoot someone as soon as they annoy me"
miguel laughs "i wouldnt have you working with the weapons. shipping, moving things around. that kind of thing"
"does it pay better than a barista and do i have to put up with idiots"
"you'd be part of the idiot crew"
exaggerated sigh "just great"
"so, gonna tattle on me?"
"no. fuck erhardt"
"id rather you fuck me"
uproarious laughter
"so how do i sign up?"
"you sure you want to? you said you were in for theft and i havent seen you steal anything."
deep, exaggerated sigh, "top left drawer"
and miguel is just !!!??? those are all my things??
(im thinking miguel smokes and darius steals his lighters every time)
a very smug "yep"
a very impressed "i'll be damned"
anyways. a week later, after erhardt has said his pieces, so he has no reason to suspect darius is up to anything, darius packs a bag, leaves his phone behind after he deletes miguel's contact info and all of their conversations, and heads out
he crashes in on miguel's couch in a very impressive apartment
(i dont think it needs to be told he didnt actually ever sleep on the couch wink wink nudge nudge)
it takes him a week to get into the business. another to get the hang of it
three to go from "one of the idiots" to "in charge of the idiots, because he keeps you guys moving"
another three to have enough money to move out
and another 6 to be directly under miguel's rank
and 3 days to decide that maybe miguel has outlived his usefulness and maybe darius can go over his head
but miguel's phone is password protected and darius tries to snoop a few times
but he gets caught quickly
miguel laughs at his attempts. "i had a feeling, after all"
darius decides, shit, fight time. but miguel is stronger, which isnt a surprise
the surprise is how fast miguel is
darius wonders if he's gotten weaker. hes scared. and miguel looks downright dangerous
but miguel pins him to the wall after a well placed punch and laughs at him
"i know your type" he says "the ones who act tough because they're terrified"
"too scared to rely on anyone or be vulnerable. just use people and then get rid of them. i know you."
darius tries to protest, but miguel kisses him quiet "now shut up and listen. we dont have to be nice. we dont have to be romantic-like. we dont even have to be friends. but there's a line. you dont cross that line. if you do, i kill you. you got it? so you do your job, i do mine, and this?" he presses close "can be here or not. it's whatever."
"got it?" he asks when darius doesnt answer. and darius is scared. terrified. because this is a dangerous man
and he thinks, i wonder if gareth was this scared of me and i wish therion was here, because he'd force him to back off
but ultimately, he nods
miguel moves away and tells him to go clean his face and fuck off
and darius leaves, dizzy with a lot of thoughts
and he keeps thinking, everyone was scared of him, but gareth cared. and he did worse. and gareth and therion both came back, until they didnt.
and he thinks he's terrified. but its a good job. better than the bs erhardt had put him through
and he thinks but the sex is good and he buys me coffee
and he wonders, if that's why they kept coming back
and he wonders, if thats why he goes back an hour later to miguel's and falls into bed with him
he resolves to try again. slowly. take his time. in the meantime, he can enjoy this
he would get his revenge
he resolves to that, while it crumbles
because he has a good position. the people who work under him dont care about him, but theyre scared of him and terrified of miguel
and after that initial fight, miguel is practically back to normal, though a bit more guarded about the trade secrets
and its good. he lives in a decent place and can afford nice things and its better than he's had it.
he keeps this up and he can retire early
and it is good. and he likes it and he hates it. he doenst want to be under anyone.
but it lasts. and it doesnt last
because that's how darius' life is. nothing good lasts for him
therion didnt last. gareth didnt last. the gang didnt last. so of course this doesnt last.
miguel comes to him one night. hes bleeding everywhere
he laughs at darius' shock. "we got set up"
darius looks at him and say "we have to get you to a hospital"
"no, they're looking everywhere for us"
so darius tries his best. he is not a doctor or a medic or any good at anything
and miguel is not doing good. hes doing bad.
he has to go to a hospital
but theyll both go to jail
darius never wants to go to jail again
but miguel will die
and he tells himself he doenst care. its fine. he can take his place.
but miguel is getting worse and worse and darius just cant handle it
so he leaves their phones and wallets behind after he calls a taxi and forces the poor driver to take them to the hospital
and when asked for an address, he puts his old address
because the new one is too incriminating
and he waits
and waits
and he doesnt leave the waiting room
its hours later, the er is moving slow, but the treatment is a success
but whatever they gave miguel to keep him down did not
the man is disoriented and cant feel any pain and he is freaked out because no hospitals
he punches a doctor, grabs a scalpel, takes a kid as a hostage
darius hears the commotion, hears miguel yelling, and goes in
he yells at Miguel, tells him to put the kid down, tells him to take him hostage. and miguel is listening, because he knows darius, because he's disoriented and scared and he knows darius
and darius is getting him to calm down, and miguel lets go of the kid, and then the security guard shoots him
(im going off america and yes, security guards would have guns)
there's screams, people rushing around. many people run to the kid. darius runs to miguel
miguel sees clearly, past the pain, he looks at the very horrified darius with a smile, like he's seeing him for the first time in his life reaches a hand to cup his cheek
then passes out
doctors and nurses take miguel away. darius is pushed back out to the waiting room. he sits in a chair, all bloody, and waits
but erhardt is there. he gives him paper towels to clean up.
"I'm not leaving"
"you are"
"No I'm not, not until i hear news about Miguel"
"I told you he was trouble"
"fuck you. I'm not leaving."
"fine then," erhardt says and sits beside him
its not long after that a doctor comes out
black hair, silver stripe, deep frown. "anyone here for a Miguel?"
darius bolts to his feet and to the doctor
"I'm sorry," the doctor says
Darius roars. all he sees is fury, rage, hurt. he moves to pounce on the doctor but Erhardt pins him to the wall and cuffs him
he wont stop struggling, wont calm down, even as he's dragged out and shoved into the back of a police car
and then the car drives off and he's still yelling every expletive he knows. until he runs out of words and cries
and he remembers, he hasnt cried since he got stabbed and left for dead. and he remembers, he hasnt cried since he ran away from home.
and he wonders if he made Therion cry. if he made gareth cry
and he thinks of the way miguel looked at him after he was shot. and he wonders what miguel was thinking. and he feebly wishes its the same thing he was thinking
i love you
----- END
#zazu writes#octopath traveler#coffeeshop au#darius#miguel twinspears#angst#violence#tw#i dont even know i liked these guys for fun at first and then i fell headfirst into rarepair territory#please if anyone has ship content for them#pleaase share#oh year erhardt is here#however you spell his name lmao
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love these bags that literally aren't that useful like u put ur phone and theres no more space but they r always so pretty i love them
#theyre way too expensive a lot of the times so i wont really buy them but love looking at them!!!#mp
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'requiem for a dream' discussion XD
update 1: finished requiem for a dream
update 2: depressed as fuck.
update 3: why did no one stop me from being a naive piece of shit and having even an ounce of hope for the characters XD.
update 4: these are not updates anymore. i am genuinely sitting and thinking about why i expected it to end happier.
for real tho, i really liked the book. i wouldnt say it's in among my favourites but i wont be forgetting about it for a while. the way all these characters, think of drugs as something that will HELP them reach their dreams, their goals is drenching me in so much sadness that i cannot process being in that state. at first i was rooting so hard for harry and marion and then halfway through im like- well yall are FUCKED up now so no italy, no coffee shops and no paintings. and then i questioned whether their dream to be on the come up was just something they could find an excuse for getting drugs. but then i was like hm harry and tyrone do everything by themselves so if that was the reason why would harry still be with marion if she played no actual role in helping them get drugs. and then i thought maybe its an excuse to THINK theyre going to get off them, their dreams were built on the hope that buying drugs would give them enough money to fulfill those very dreams. the denial to the addiction was INSANE tho, like inSANE.
i feel the worst for sara. absolutely destroyed by the progression of her character and i say not only because she ended up in such a terrible place, but also because as someone who's had a terrible relationship with food and body image, watching her cling on to her physical appearance and thinking that all her loneliness would be gone by going onthat show LOOKING a certain way, just made me say 'dont do it please dont please please'. her narration with the repetion of zophtic and thin and the refridgerators talkign was horrifying im just so so so sad she did NOT deserve any of this. its funny how tyrone was disgusted by the man in the jail. and then went on to be without alice and thinking the exact same way the man did about women and relationships. im sorry for ranting i just have a lot of thoughts about this book and its totally fine if u dont reply. also if im not wrong was a-dick-ted inspired from this? i think i remember u saying something along those lines but im not too sure if i got it right. brb gonna reread that series lol
side note: im gonna watch the movie with my crush im terrified and excited at the same time its AWESOME
um, the movie is very accurate to the book, unsure if you want to watch it with your crush LMAO the movie spares absolutely zero expense in how graphic it is and how incredibly messed up the entire situation is
and the ending is exactly like the book
EXACTLY
yeah
your crush might never look at you the same way again lol
'Requiem for A Dream' is about the fruitlessness of the American dream and how that concept can ultimately destroy you. It uses drug addiction to parallel this fixation. All of the characters are trying to "make it". The American dream is a concept that doesn't pertain only to America; it is the idea that anyone can attain their own version of success, regardless of their background, and that upward mobility is possible for everyone. America sells itself as the "land of opportunity", so it is as much a marketing scheme as it is a valid hope. Many countries outside of America still view America as the land of opportunity (and then you live here and, well... XD).
In theory, this is not a terrible mindset to have. Who doesn't want their own version of success? The problem lies in the word itself - success - and how people equate it to money, fame, fortune, and then take it to excess - a little is not enough, once you have a taste of success, you need more, more, more.
See the parallels to drug addiction? XD
Originally, the 'a-dick-ted' au was not inspired by this. It wasn't even supposed to be a series at all LOL It was just a one-shot ft Yoongi fucking you next to a sleeping JK (oop). But then I wrote 'dreaming in reality' and an idea began to form. 'Requiem for a Dream' has influenced a lot of my writing (can't tell you how many essays I've written on this book, it's so easy from both a film and character development perspective); it was only a matter of time before it touched something on here lol
In the 'a-dick-ted' au, I used the concept of love. The reader is fixated on the idea that love does not exist. Yoongi's character is fixated on the idea that he is too mentally broken to be loved. Jungkook's character is fixated on the idea of a "perfect love". All three use sex to cope in one way or another. When they have sex, they are "dreaming", in a delusion where their own self-imposed rules don't apply. When they stop, they are looking for their next fix. However, the reader and Yoongi would be too passive to push their emotions to the extreme, which is why the introduction of Jungkook escalates everything. There's a purity in Jungkook's indecency (lol), almost ironic that he is the most honest of all three. He is the foil that pushes them to their dreams. The line becomes blurred; maybe, after all, reader and Yoongi do feel love and it's not as unattainable as they thought? And maybe Jungkook's perfect love is as imperfect as they come in this strange harmonious triangle of confusion?
lol
'Requiem for a Dream' basically influenced the idea that one can be consumed by an idea to the point of unhealthiness and being blinded by your own dreams - or nightmares, depending on how you look at it. If you reread the 'a-dick-ted' au, you will start to see the connecting themes, use of language, changes in word choice by the characters over time, etc.
There's a lot of intention behind every line, every word, words spoken / unspoken, even the stories that just seem like PWP XD I'm well aware it flies over the heads of most, but occasionally someone chooses to read 'Requiem for a Dream' and pop into my inbox to talk about it. I love that book :D
hey
it got me through a lot of essays for many classes, from psychology to film to literature LOL
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👐 Hand washing guide when you have sensory issues 👐
tbh. we shouldve been talking abt this a long time ago for many disabled ppls sake but ive put this post off for like a million years out of pure solidified fear of ableist harassment/kneejerk ignorance and also generalized cringe idiots but now that we got so much covid-19 fear and autistic ppl actually tend to have weaker immune systems than most people lets jump the shark;;;
i have autism and i physically struggle with washing my hands as often as i want to, having wet hands, drying them, the temperature difference, bad soap smells/textures, etc. are all genuinely painful. the good news is that ive dealt with water aversion shit since birth (its a common sensory issue), so ive had time to figure out alternatives and coping skills that still help reduce risk of disease and spreading it in ways that i can personally manage. (ie. not lazy or selfish or gross. genuinely putting more effort into this every day task than most other people would even think about. just disability lads) so heres the guide i have to offer if you’re in a similar boat, with some keypoints about hand hygiene and tips addressing the most common sensory struggles ive noticed with it;;;
1. hand sanitizer
i love hand sanitizer, i can get it in almost any scent i want and it dries down very very fast. the problem is; hand washing and hand sanitizer do different things. it only kills certain types of germs. which is all fine and dandy, but because of this, using only hand sanitizer wont actually keep you from catching or spreading many illnesses. so what its good for is times you cant wash your hands (out in public, sensory overload, no spoons, etc), thats fine, but it should not replace all hand washing if at all possible. it is supposedly effective to covid-19, but so little is currently known that it should not be considered your go to for this, and the only unanimous statement straight from the CDC is that hand washing works best at preventing its spread.
temperature - if you have trouble with it being too cold, conveniently keeping it in your pocket or closely against your body in some way warms it up and makes it much more comfortable.
scent - they come in almost any scent you can imagine, but if you have trouble with strong scents, there are ‘scentless hand sanitizers’. they usually have a faint chemical smell, so if there are any testers available, you should check to make sure it can work for you before you buy it.
texture - if gel doesnt cut it, they also make foamy hand sanitizers and liquid sprays, but theyre harder to find and might be a little more pricey.
and remember; always buy hand sanitizer that says it contains AT LEAST 60% alcohol, the higher alcohol content the better, but try to keep track of how high it is and how much you apply it so you dont dry your skin out. and right now price gouging is pretty bad, so dont be surprised if you cant find any for a while, and dont buy any small bottle that costs over a couple dollars, its a rip off.
2. hand washing
so what does hand washing do thats better than sanitizer??? soap and water lift up the dirt and oils that are carrying the germs and actually wash them off, and not only that, it also gets rid of all the things sanitizer cant, such as dust/dirt, spores, chemicals, and the previously mentioned viruses that are harder to kill. ik to an outside perspective it might not seem that hard, but obviously when you have autism and these tasks are split down into bigger ordeals and sensory nightmares, it can feel impossible.
soap - there are so many different kinds of soap! scentless soaps exist, and they very rarely have any lingering chemical smell! theres also soap for sensitive skin, and baby soap also works well for that issue. bar soaps can come in all different shapes and sizes, with many different ingredients and additives to choose from (independent soap makers are an amazing source for customized soap btw), and liquid soaps can be pure gel, frothy, mousse-y or even have tiny exfoliating or moisturizing beads in them if thats a sensory experience you enjoy. this is my number one rec for people struggling with hand washing bc of sensory issues;;; mix up the soap. finding one that gives you an okay or even a GOOD sensory experience can completely turn around an otherwise meltdown inducing task
temperature - this is the one thats always been hardest for me. cold water straight up hurts me, and our plumbing is Terrible, so the trick i have for slow pipes is to run the hot water on high as Soon as i get into the bathroom. leave it going and by the time you’re done there should be at least lukewarm water. if this still takes too long for you, try out the various sinks in your house, usually one is able to get hot water faster than the rest (for me its the kitchen sink) and that can become a designated station for you if need be.
texture - some ppl just hate water. if thats the case, it rly doesnt change much abt the process if you use less water, ie work the soap into a lather, and then only use as much as you need to rinse it off. you dont have to keep your hands under the whole time, the soap clings to the dirt, the water takes it off all together, as long as you scrub well and rinse till you see no suds, you’re good
If it really comes down to it, a washcloth with water+soap, a disinfecting wipe, or even literally just a rinse with plain ol water is better than nothing, but the stream of water and act of rubbing the soap in is the most effective combo against disease. soap/disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers are your second best option. if theres a time in your life where an issue is so disabling for you that you truly cant keep any of this up, rly the most important thing is to limit your direct physical contact with your face and commonly used objects as MUCH as possible until you can figure smth out. (you kno those old ladies that grab a wipe and open the doorknob with it between their hand and the knob? become that old lady) and if push comes to shove, if a safe and accepting therapy setting is something accessible to you, hygiene struggles are actually something many mental health professionals understand Very well and can help you cope with personally and directly, without shame.
3. hand drying
this is also. my personal hell. and what most people say is the hardest part of the sensory experience. but ya cant just walk around with wet hands right
towels - the obvious choice for most, but to me they actually dont dry enough. i always end up damp and with lint stuck to me. this kills the man. but hand towels do have some variety to them, you can find em with really long fibers or really short/flat, really fuzzy or really stiff, etc. sounds silly but its smth a lot of ppl dont think about that can change a lot. you can also try super absorbent towels (yes like a shamwow), and again baby bath towels are also an option if you want something gentle.
paper towels - yeah a little more wasteful and expensive, but imo much more absorbent. theyre also pretty thin so you can get between your fingers (MY BANE), and under your nails if you use a corner. 10/10
blow drying - ik this is the kind of shit you only see in like movie theaters and malls and they are definitely LOUD AS SHIT, but if you happen to have the money, and struggle more with Textures than Noise, ie a stream of warm air seems worth the sound, you Can actually find a small basic one of these items for your own home.
4. public restrooms
everybody hates em!!! but you can make em more tolerable;;;
soap - bring your own! little travel soaps you can keep in your bag are a godsend for ppl with sensory issues, sensitive skin/allergies, and if you just prefer not sharing soap.
temperature - most public places i notice actually do get hot water pretty fast (like,,, too fast,,, like,,, it bur ns me) so if there are no faucets and its too hot or too cold, once again you can try different sinks and one might be more comfortable. if there are faucets i recommend grabbing a paper towel to turn it off, so you dont have to touch it again with your clean hands.
sound - WHY R AUTOMTIC FLUSH TOILETS SO FUCKEN LOUDD..... honestly if you have noise cancelling earmuffs or earplugs or w/e pop em in. if you dont have any of that i just literally plug my ears with my fingers when i stand up. if you struggle with the sound of the blow dryers, they almost always have paper towels as well, but its a great idea to carry something like that around in your bag with you just in case. if its really packed and people chattering is getting to you, sometimes the ‘family’ bathrooms are actually smaller and less full. if its bad enough and you feel comfortable asking, an employee might be able to direct you to a single stall bathroom or at least a different one than that.
and though its convenient, try not to use your sleeve to touch things like doorknobs, toilet handles, etc. instead use something disposable like a paper towel or wipe, bc the germs will simply transfer to your sleeve and still risk infecting you.
5. schedule
the number one suggestion is to wash your hands literally as often as possible during a time like this but like. even for allistic/nt/abled/ ppl thats just not always an attainable schedule so the Best times to wash your hands are;;;
after using the bathroom - the most important time and generally the easiest to get used to. its smth you have to do multiple times a day that already has a schedule, and if you were to forget or go into sensory overload its usually immediately accessible as soon as you can. as i mentioned earlier, if you need help remembering, you can turn the water on when you first get in and leave it going.
the doctors - ANY KIND of health facility should be avoided right now unless really necessary, places where sick people would frequent is the quickest way to get sick but like. ya rly cant help it sometimes right. you cant stop dealing with your own illnesses just bc theres another one floating around. so, this is time to go apeshit on the handwashing. if your health issue involves coughing and sneezing, ask for a face mask. bring a scarf in case they dont have any, its not as great but better than nothing. otherwise, you honestly dont need it, face masks are more for these people bc they keep germs in better than out. whether you’re worried abt getting sick or infecting others, this is a time to use hand sanitizer, avoid physical contact like shaking hands [autistic cheering], and when you first arrive and right before you go to leave are the most important times to remember to wash your hands.
preparing food - not as commonly spoken about, but also easy to work into a schedule. i personally dont care unless its food for somebody else or if im going to be putting my hands on it a lot, but if thats the case, a lot of the time thats produce you already want to wash in the sink, so you can kill two birds with one stone there. dont just get the germs off your own hands, get em off the fruits and veggies before you eat em. carpool
after grocery shopping - not very common. most ppl just slap some sanitizer/a wipe on there or dont think abt it at all, but if you just got home from walmart thats a great time to wash. you just touched a bunch of items other people touched, including the cart, money/credit cards, and all the products people will pick up and put back, so its prime germ time babey. But again, sanitizer or a wipe will help if its all you can manage after a trip out like that.
before self care - also uncommon. ppl always say ‘dont touch your face’ and ‘apply this product with clean hands’, and what they mean is that one of the fastest ways germs get into your system is through your mouth, nose, eyes and ears. if you’re simply washing your face theres not as much concern, but applying a mask, moisturizer, makeup, etc. should all be done after a gentle rinse of your hands (and face). very hard to get into the schedule of, but if you consider it a Part of your ‘self care’ or use a special fun cleanser, it can stick a little easier.
6. stim items
STIM ITEMS!! if you have stim items, its a good idea to clean them regularly, but even moreso during an outbreak like this.
rubber/plastic - if it goes in your mouth, hot water (not hot enough to melt!) and dish soap, if it doesnt, look up how to safely make a diluted bleach solution.
silicone - silicone is usually dish washer safe.
fabric - if its light, add bleach to the washing machine, if its colored, you can use white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide which are less likely to discolor any dyes. lysol detergent is also super great. small items you’re worried about losing, or items with details/loose parts, you can usually wash inside of a sealed pillow case.
‘squishies’ - for ‘mochi’ squishies aka the rubbery ones, soap and water + some dusted baby powder or corn starch (optional) to keep it from grabbing lint for a while. for foam squishies, they can rarely be deep cleaned without the risk of growing mold or taking paint off, but a disinfecting wipe every now and then should keep it clean for a while.
slime - cant be disinfected, sorry. also a breeding ground for mold if you arent careful, so its always best to cycle through these quickly.
technology - cant really be completely sterilized, but there are many places to get sprays and cleaning wipes for the devices you use that can at least keep the areas your hands frequently touch a little cleaner.
BUT of course if your item comes with instructions on how to wash it, always follow that instead. this is just a general idea.
and as a final note;;; disabled ppl should not feel guilty or dirty for struggling with this. like. man idc abt ur cringe feels or your ignorant blame or your lack of understanding/sympathy for what goes into these tasks for us. if u dont wanna get our struggles and sensitivities when we’re working twice as hard on functioning tasks which personal ease you take for granted, thats on you. @ disabled people if you struggle with maintaining the same standard of hygiene as nts you arent gross or bad fucking person, you’re disabled and by definition that means your level of functioning will be different, and you deserve sympathy. its just that germs dont discriminate, they wanna cause problems for everybody involved (especially you!!!), so Anything you can manage is Great and if anything from this post can help make it a little easier for people in any way, i feel its absolutely necessary to talk about with respect and dignity. people with autism/adhd/sensory processing disorder/similar neurodivergencies/literally anybody else this could benefit, pls feel free to add on any tips you might have or send me questions. let disabled ppl help disabled ppl do our personal bests
#nt/allistic ppl can totally reblog btw!! just dont clown like thats literally all i ask man cuz tbh#im trying to help ppl form a hygiene habit while my nd struggle was ignored and worsened by ppl being shitty to me so to be blunt ig#im helping people by giving alternatives and coping skills and all ur doing is being ableist and expecting ppl to 100% conform so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#whos really the ...~~~~~ pro recovery~~~~ one. here#hint its me sit down rude ass#long post#im scared to put in nd tags but sjgsjddsj we're JUMPIGN THE SHARK#sensory processing disorder#spd#autism#actuallyautistic#asd#adhd#sensory overload#original
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Love Choice Review
Okay so I had no idea Masquerade Kiss would be Love Choice, but this title has managed to tempt me into reading it anyway. I can’t say I’m happy about it but there are a lot of things I have to say, since the whole Love Choice (LC) system has been controversial, or just incredibly detested/undesired, ever since its conception. And it does suck since I’ve been wanting Voltage to release more mature titles (and the whole female spy thing was just a plus, I guess). Voltage did a really good job of hyping up this release and I love/hate them for it lmao. But yeah here are my two cents on the LC feature. Sorry for the longass rant in advance. If you only care about my opinion regarding Masquerade Kiss and Kazuomi Shido’s route then you can check out my review later on my blog (if and when I get to it). But I still mention the title here and there in this review since it is the first LC main story that was released.
For most people who have been with Voltage for a long time, LC is probably one of the worst things on the planet, right after the Love 365 app debacle which caused many to lose their stories if they weren’t aware of the transfer dates or not able to transfer their data (technically they’re losing the right/license to access those stories, cause they don’t own them) and all the other customer service horror stories you can think of. Generally, for people who think that converting coins into hearts and not being able to read the story however they want are terrible ideas, they will outright avoid LC titles/stories. Since LC is F2P, it isn’t much different from the other otome/visual novels that have premium options where people have the option to spend money.
But let’s just think about it for a moment.
The appeal of LC is that you can read the stories completely free of charge. Yes, there is a countdown timer which prevents you from reading the next episode immediately and you would have to spend hearts to bypass that. But let’s keep in mind that Voltage Entertainment USA (aka the subsidiary which creates apps catered towards Western audiences) is also doing something similar with the ticket system. Plus they don’t even give you the option to buy routes anymore, which is why we should be thankful that Voltage Inc hasn’t done that with their Japanese apps yet. I just want to make the best of what we are given (and hopefully try to get a little enjoyment out of it), even if LC is terribly implemented.
So just hear me out for a second. A very long second.
If you’re not one of those people who need every single CG and ending AND don’t mind the wait, this post is mainly for you.
PLEASE JUST READ THE DAMN STORY. LIKE READ MASQUERADE KISS RIGHT NOW WHILE THERE IS NO WAIT TIME (until 2/17). It costs you nothing and you will still get a pretty complete experience. Don’t be stupid and believe that you’re missing out if you don’t get the CG’s. Go look the CG’s up online or something if you have to because I’m sure someone has posted them regardless of whether it’s allowed or not. It has a decent plot that doesn’t make me want to ram my head into a wall from secondhand embarrassment. Sure there are aspects of it that weren’t written well (will be explained in my review later) but it’s still a good story and I don’t regret reading it. It would be a shame to miss out just because you’re too busy hating on the system. If you don’t want to spend your free hearts (or don’t have enough) on CG’s that cost you 20-30 hearts and options that require hearts, just use it towards reading the next couple episodes (for when they go back to subjecting you to wait times). At least you still won’t be using as many hearts. Yeah the CG’s and love choices are hella expensive and they shouldn’t be. It might even feel like you’re being punished for not choosing those choices because in the end you won’t be getting the happy ending. But they’re not NECESSARY. However, if you still want the CG’s/happy endings, just reread it again later when you get enough hearts. I don’t know, that’s not a priority for me so I can wait on unlocking those CG’s.
From Episode 1 up to the second to last episode, you’re getting the same. exact. content. Let me repeat that. YOU GET THE SAME EXACT CONTENT. The only thing is that you won’t get all of the CG’s or the super happy ending, which are what people are really paying for. Is it really worth it??? Voltage apps don’t have bad endings. They’re either the romantic/passionate alternate endings or it’s happy(or normal)/super happy endings. No endings where it’s game over, you’re dead or oops you screwed up this entire thing. You’re essentially getting the same ending, just a slightly different view of the events. Just more vanilla, if you don’t get the “better” ending. Slightly fewer lines of text, less description. Big whoop. That and well, you don’t get the CG. Too bad. No personal bragging rights for me to put on my metaphorical trophy pedestal. For me, reading the visual novel is the main goal. The art and CG’s are just a plus, a very much appreciate plus. I would care more about the plot because if you are reading a terribly written story, what’s the point in having good art anyways? You look at it for a bit and just move on to something else that isn’t a waste of time.
And like....come on. If you hate the LC feature, that’s all the more the reason why you should try it. It won’t even hurt you to read the story if you’re adamant on not spending money/converting coins. Even if it’s terribly written, you didn’t pay for it like you would have with a P2P story. No monetary loss there, just lost time and feelings of disappointment. And if you hate waiting or think LC is a waste of time, just think of reading an episode whenever you have time. You don’t have to commit to it. You could speed read an episode in a minute or two and then go on doing whatever else you want to do with your day. It shouldn’t take up that much of your time. And if you forget to, it’s fine. Not something you’ll be too invested in.
They’re not charging you for anything, so suck it up. I’m sure you have other things you can do in the meantime while you wait for the next episode. Your life doesn’t revolve around otome games (unless you’re adopting an unhealthy lifestyle in which case you have more things to be concerned about). Don’t be a whiny bitch about it. And that’s why the hearts system exists... for the impatient people. They WANT you to spend money on their products, since that’s the whole point of running a business. Yes you’re paying for a one-time access when you’re using hearts to read episodes. Yes you have to start over if you want to reread a specific episode. Ultimately it’s up to YOU to choose whether you want to spend money or not for LC stories, but you don’t HAVE to.
Again, I’m emphasizing the word ‘time’ because if you really don’t have time, then seriously just do whatever you’re supposed to be doing jesus christ. Don’t feel like I’m calling you out for not wanting to read LC stories because you don’t have time to wait around for it. I’m not telling you to prioritize LC over Voltage’s other stuff. Just give it a chance if you can afford to do so, because money isn’t the issue here if you can read the story for free. I know people look towards Voltage apps as a way to relax and so that I understand that reading a LC novel would not be a choice if you have limited time. Because why go for LC if you have perfectly good apps that you’ve already paid for and can read whenever you want? I understand. I really do.
In regards to people complaining about Masquerade Kiss being a LC novel, I have a couple things I want to say. Voltage has the right to choose whichever title they want to be LC. Besides, what criteria do you expect them to use in choosing which titles should be LC? It’s not as if they’ll be like “oh let’s choose an okay title to be Love Choice”, just to make customers glad that they don’t have to waste money. That’s not practical. And ideally they wouldn’t want to be writing shitty stories anyway. They need to make money off them or else it’s a waste of all the money and time they invested into producing the title. For the most part, all the newer titles have been decent, if not good. There will be people who love them and people who hate them. So how would you decide the best choice to be LC among all the good titles? And it wouldn’t make sense to make a title both LC and P2P because that would be when people will REALLY start to hate LC, especially when you have to fork out a ridiculous amount of hearts for the CG’s. Then there will be even more customer complaints yay. Also, if they made it P2P how many coins would they even charge for the whole route, considering how many hearts they have to spend for the CG’s? The CG’s are “free” only if you have enough hearts for those in-game choices that you want to choose, but if you’re paying for them that would mean it’s like $2-$3 per CG.
Since they announced this feature, it’s here to stay unless they decide to get rid of it (which I doubt). YOU DON’T GET A SAY IN IT. Their company, their products, their choices. They will make whatever choices in which they benefit the most from. Sometimes those choices will align with what customers want. Sometimes they won’t. You don’t like it then you leave. That’s what most people would do anyway. Even if you do leave, there will always be more people getting sucked into the Voltage trap anyways. If you don’t, then you will continue to rot in the sin bin that is Voltage and there goes your money. Sadly, that’s how the world works.
So yeah if you’re still reading, thanks for reading my very long winded, unpopular (probably) opinion. You’re a trooper. I have respect for you. I’m just here to get this off my chest. Please don’t hate me.
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Katie I’m about to fly completely on my own for the first time this Friday and I’m pretty anxious about it. Do you have any advise you could give me about flying/the airport/packing/anything really? Thank you in advance :S x
hi b! ooooookay wow finally the 38 flights i went on last year will come in handy!
packing:
okay traveling by yourself if you’ve never done it before won’t necessarily impact your packing - just be sure that if you have a small carry-on bag that you don’t have any liquids over 2.5oz and remember that like. if you forget something, a lot of hotels (if that’s where you’re staying) will have stuff you can use for free, just ask them. worst case they usually have some stuff you can buy but most places are like really nice. if you’re staying with friends/family, just ask if you forgot something!
most people usually do like a carry-on bag and a checked bag, but just do whatever you normally do, and then make sure your carry-on has your id/passport, your phone, a charger for said phone, your wallet, any meds you have or anything you can’t go for the entire flight without, and then something to do on the plane (book, game, laptop, tablet, etc)
my necessities: phone, wallet, passport if i’m going international, keys cause i usually have to get back in my house after lmao, laptop, chargers for laptop and phone, a portable charger, headphones
here’s the hard tip: acknowledge that you probably will forget something. i literally travel almost every month of the year and i forget one thing every time. but it’s gonna be okay. as long as you have your id/passport/wallet and phone, things will be okay
before you travel:
okay so i have the apps for like all the major airlines and i usually try to check myself in right when i’m allowed to (24hr before). if you’re on southwest, set yourself a reminder so you can check in exactly 24hr before the flight and make sure you get a decent boarding number cause they do it on first come first serve
otherwise, just check in and save a screenshot of your boarding pass to your phone. i usually just do everything with the boarding pass in the app or saved to my photos but you can get a paper copy at the airport as well, and don’t stress if you lose it or w.e once you’re past security cause the gate attendants can print a new one (or you can just use the mobile)
oh the other thing here is you can sometimes choose a different seat whilst checking in? so if you see the one that’s assigned to you and you Don’t Like It, see if any others are available that you might prefer. i always go for the closest aisle seat to the front when traveling alone
and ofc you’ll want to make sure you have some kind of plan for once you arrive at your destination for how you’ll be getting wherever you’re going - taxi, uber, ride from friend/fam, public transport, whatever, just kind of have an idea what you need to do so you’re not stressing once you land
this one is one that doesn’t apply to me, but definitely something to check and look into if needed: if you have any special requirements or needs whilst in the airport or flying, ie wheelchairs or special accommodations or w.e, make sure you know what you have to do when you arrive
leaving for the airport:
okay first and foremost, depending on your airport, you’ll want to be sure you arrive at least 1.5hr early (this is like my personal rule of thumb bc i usually fly in and out of moderately large airports and i have Massive Paranoia about traveling for some reason?? even though i take like 12+ trips a year? but most places require no less than 40ish minutes ahead of time, that’s like super tight though i do Not recommend) - keep in mind like. traffic and stuff, if you’re going to the airport during rush hour or w.e make time for that
if you’re not familiar with your airport and like getting in (bc there’s usually a massive amount of like exits and ‘turn here for this’ sort of things) talk to someone who is familiar with it or like. google maps it ahead of time and street view walk yourself through it, whatever you need to do to feel comfy so if you’re the one driving, you know where to go to park/etc. if you’re ubering or having someone drop you off, just be sure you know which airline you’re on as they’ll drop you off in the right place
checking in:
okay if you’re already checked in and you don’t have a checked bag, you can head straight to security, but if you do need to check your bag, use the kiosks they’re always faster and you don’t have to wait in line. it’s pretty self-explanatory, usually, just enter the identifying info and it’ll probably note that you’re already checked in and just say you have a bag to check. you can also print a physical boarding pass here if you want. the kiosk will print out your luggage tag and just follow the instructions to attach it to the bag. there’ll be like a drop off point (they’re usually p well-labeled) up by the actual people at desks so just head up there and have your id/passport and boarding pass ready cause they’ll want to check them
security:
okay 9 times out of 10 you probably will Not have tsa precheck but if you do, it’ll be somewhere on your boarding pass and you should look for/ask someone about the nearest tsa precheck line. it’s just convenient, cause you don’t have to remove laptops or take your shoes off and it’s usually the shortest line
if you don’t have tsa precheck, just find the nearest (and shortest) security line and have your id and boarding pass ready. if you’re using a mobile boarding pass, lock your screen rotation if you’ll be using the picture you took instead of the app (this is the most annoying thing lmao i’ve done it too many times and usually just try to use the app when i can cause it’ll lock the rotation and go full brightness automatically). then you’ll have to put the phone on the lil scanner and it’ll beep when it’s scanned and done
now, again, if you have any special needs whilst going through security, you’re probably familiar with what you’d have to do if it differs from the standard procedure, but otherwise just go through as you normally would
between security and boarding:
do whatever u want basically. get food, if you need it or if you think you’ll need it whilst on the flight. drinks are usually hella expensive so i try to bring my refillable water bottle (empty!) and then refill once i’m past security
basically how you spend this time is totally up to you. i usually grab food as needed then go chill by my gate, if it’s an airport i’m familiar with and i know how long it’ll take to get wherever i need to go, but you may be more comfy just finding your gate first and then sticking nearby to get anything you need. also i’m a big fan of the charging areas which a lot of airports have now, so if u wanna charge up i recommend
boarding:
every airline is different but there’ll usually be some kind of boarding group or order listed on your boarding pass, so just keep that in mind (ie american has like,,,,6 boarding groups? united has 9, southwest has their whole a/b/c groups, etc etc etc i think one even has like a 2a 2b or something idk that might’ve been in the uk but just look on your boarding pass) if you’re confused or w.e don’t be afraid to ask one of the gate attendants that stand at the front
basically nothing here is all that different if you’re alone, just pay attention when they start boarding and listen for your group, same rule of thumb goes with turning your phone on screen-rotation lock when you go to scan your boarding pass (if it’s the mobile pic you saved)
the goal here with boarding is to go as quickly as you can, but don’t stress if it takes you a second to get in your row! it’s okay, people aren’t as in a rush as they seem. definitely try to fit ur stuff under your seat cause otherwise it’s a pain to get up and get it from the overhead bins
the flight:
honestly just sit back relax and do whatever u normally do! usually there’s no reason this would be any different when traveling alone. aside from sitting near strangers which is annoying sometimes but in my experience if u pop some headphones in everyone leaves u alone
after the flight:
i mean generally just head out into the airport u landed in and look for baggage claim signs - regardless of whether u checked a bag or not, most ground transport out of the airport is near the baggage claim. so just follow signs (and generally the people leaving the plane) and make your way there. if you get lost, again, don’t feel bad abt asking someone to point you in the right direction
if u have a bag, most places have a display board that says which baggage claim you’re at (if they didn’t announce it on the plane when you landed) and you can wait there
once ur done, depending on your mode of transport out, you can follow signs! many of the bigger airports now have designated sections for rideshares like uber and lyft as well
i hope that helps b! you’ll be fine, don’t stress too much :) i hope you’re traveling for a good/fun reason at least!
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Dear Charlie,
I hate my body. How it looks, how it works. How it feels to be in it.
Sorry this letter is so long, Charlie. I just really need to let something out of my head.
I try not to say IRL how unhappy i am with my weight, because i dont want to accidentally make M upset. But i really do feel terrible about it. I am constantly thinking about how much heavier than everybody else i am and it sucks. It’s because i can’t stand most vegetables. vegetables are gross. yuck. So chubby I will stay.
My period doesnt come naturally, on its own. It stopped coming in 2016 ish, and i went 8 months without my period until my aunt found out and went ballistic to my parents about it. I got to go to the doctor for the first time in 7 years after that. I got prescribed birth control, and I cried when I got my first period after 8 months of nothing. I had never been so happy about a period before, because they really sucked. But it made me feel normal again, it made me feel human again, and i felt great for a while afterward.
My family couldn’t pay for my insurance over the summer in 2018. Summer is always tight moneywise. I couldn’t get my birth control anymore after July. When the summer was over, i asked them to get my insurance back so that i could keep taking my meds, and i was met with an “ok, we’ll do that later”. It didn’t happen later.
My insurance is stupid. It kicks you off of it at the end of your birth month when you turn 19. that means i have until the end of April. So that means its pretty much too late for me to get back on it. Ive found a solution for it, but dad probably won’t like it because i dont think he likes Planned Parenthood. But theyre cheap, thayre local ish, and i really need it.
Its so stressful not having a period. Since I am in a stable healthy relationship, I am always a little worried that the first form of contraceptives wont work. I love condoms. they’re cheap and easy to get to. but, they dont work 100% of the time. I am always worried that i might be pregnant because I dont naturally have the first sign of the possibility of it. My period is always missing, so that indicator is gone. I’m a chubby person who’s weight fluctuates constantly, so the weight gain indicator is nixed out too. I have acid reflux, so I always feel nauseous. Morming sickness indicator is gone.
I’m praying pretty much every day to the gods above that I have PCOS, so that I can remove the worry of pregnancy from my mind. I don’t want a kid yet. I’m too young for that. I feel so much stress every day at the possibility of being pregnant. It’s super unlikely, I know that, but I honestly have no idea how to tell if I am or not besides doing an actual store bought test. I dont wanna do one of those again, what if somebody finds it before I get rid of it?? I think I’m gonna buy one of those packs on Amazon that has 100 little tiny test strips for $20. Do you know those? They’re super tiny, like maybe a few millimeters wide at most. They’re super accurate, and way less expensive than the big tests at the store. Those would be pretty easy to hide. Yeah, i think that would be a worthy investment for me, since I’m always so worried. Next time I get some money that’s what I’ll use it for.
Again, I’m sorry this letter is so long. I feel a lot better after getting some of these thoughts out of my head.
Thank you, friend.
~Ellie Z
3-9-19
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k-armys are spreading a tweet namjoon made in 2013 about korean independence where he says 'There is no future for people who have forgotten history' which shows he probably won't agree with working with a japanese imperialist, hopefully he still has this attitude in 2018 twitter(.)com/BTS_twt/status/367906282012831744
yeah i have seen them doing that ;; and fancafe and all the official tweets since then have been flooded with people talking about these things too, but bighit is playing dead fish so far :(
microwavehater said:Am i the only one who never believed that bts has ~creative freedom~ (anymore) ? If they (still) had, they’d use their influence to spread msgs like baepsae, not just love urself uwu (considering yoongi made political pre-debut releases &interview stuff) Also, their newer releases (LY her onwards) are v much lacking in the hiphop department which (i assume) was a marketing choice. Hiphop just doesn’t sell as well to a female audience (along w the fact that vocalists are the face of BTS).
i think they still have creative input but creative freedom definitely not, but it’s debatable if they ever had it anyway? idk.. and them moving on from hip-hop was definitely both trying to change things up as well as appeal to a broader audience, love yourself era overall was an attempt to basically touch as many people as possible, i don’t mind them changing their musical direction but what has bothered me was the loss of their involvement (because it is less)
Anonymous said:I totally agree with you about BTS losing their originality. I’m almost starting to get annoyed of them. Now bc they know people love their music for its topics such as mental health, etc I almost feel like they’re thinking that they’re obliged to constantly write music that only has a “social” message. I did not like Idol at all. It was pretty tacky and the idea of loving yourself seemed so forced in the lyrics. I want them to make songs about whatever they want at that moment. (1/?)
Anonymous said:Also every fan keeps saying the same thing about them being unfiltered when actually they’ve become SO filtered now. They’ve almost created this illusion of being super open with us when actually we barely know anything about them. I don’t mind that but I hate how they’re touting that as something that applies to them. Honestly most fans now are the bandwagon type and the fandom is starting to feel more like a cult versus a community like it used to. (2/2)
i don’t know if i ever talked about them losing their originality? because originality is debatable in this case too, if you mean their original intention then yes i agree with that, and i agree they definitely created the illusion, once i got out of the bts bubble a bit and also thought back to the old days, i realized how closed off and filtered everything is comparison to the past and even to other kpop groups nowadays that are way more direct, i feel like even exo is more outspoken these days and direct with their fans which i thought could never happen??? i used to stan them and it was hell hah.. and these days.. wowza..
Anonymous said:Fuck yesss we need new yoongi mixtape and i agree abt what you said i wish bts could read that and be like okay guys i think they are right we have done some questionable things and shit has to be addressed whether we like it or not and just fucking do so. Some fans will drop but some would drop anyway bc it is getting out of hand i would never want to call bts problematic bc shit i cannot imagine that being true but them supporting problematic people is kind of making them ones
i just feel like nothing will change because bang pd is too greedy.. he really is eyeing like building a global empire with all the business deals he has been making.. also bts have done plenty “problematic” things themselves, though not to that extent, but some of their actions have hurt a lot of people too, but it depends on what bothers you, i find colorism and things like that a problem, but ofc definitely different thing than pedophilia and such, i just meant to say that nobody is perfect
Anonymous said:Do you ever just wanna randomly bump into bts and be like “hey lets talk!” And then tell them about all these issues and fandom drama and just tell them to wake the hell up? Cos I do haha
well even if we bumped into them, most of them wouldn’t talk to you so dkajsdka
Anonymous said:i agree with everything you have said but what bothers me is he is a co produce of produce 48 and nobody really complained about it even though he is know for sexualizing minors... or did i miss something?? also i feel sorry for you getting hate you were just saying your opinion and people should start to accept some facts! it's not the first time bighit did something questionable ://
oh but actually when that was announced there was backlash? i remember seeing complaints about the producer as well as some of the trainees due to their supposed right wing associations, there were also complaints about women’s rights cause of the oversexualization of some of the girls back in japan and the producer’s lyrics, i think this backlash seems bigger or more visible to you because it’s happening in your fandom ;; that season of produce even ended up having the lowest rankings and voting participation so :/
Anonymous said:I have three words to describe the part of the fandom that blindly accepts all the things, even the problematic ones, BTS do. 'Situationally woke cult'.
that fits perfectly
Anonymous said:i rly appreciate sou voicing your thoughts even if they r not in essay form or refined for days. I agree with you on many things but at the same time it's not as disappointing to me bc I guess I never held them to high standards. like in the beginning I could kinda imagine that they were somewhat sincere (but still remained sceptical) but the more they got famous the more I accepted that that sincerity and authenticity would stop bc that's just the kind of business that kpop is... (♤)
Anonymous said:like it's an inherently dishonest industry. they sell an image just like everyone else, and at best(!!) they were as real as possible with us in the beginning. no doubt they wanted to be different from everyone else and it was easier as long as not that many people gave a fuck about them. but as soon as they started to this chance was over. so i guess what I'm saying is that my view didn't change and I'm not surprised, because I never really bought what they were trying to sell...(♤)
Anonymous said:I still love them, theyre likeable & adorable boys. but theyre not changing the world. they're not in the right kind of industry for that. they love their luxury expensive stuff & the glamour of it all & that's okay. I just take every concept the whip out w/ a grain of salt & a knowing smile & enjoy the entertainment. that's just my own two cents that nobody in the fandom wants to hear so I'm bothering u. & its not an analysis or anything just what is on top of my mind while watching TV lol (♤)
Anonymous said:(♤) oh ps. except for that whole controversial stuff with that misogynist jpn songwriter and supreme boy and what not. I take that seriously , I wont act as if that's just a cute quirk. but they're men so I didn't expect much lmaoo. I knew that those kind of disappointments are just part of the deal ever since I learned that jimin (a whole cutie pie and my ultimate bias) stans chris brown. definitely would kick jm in the shin for that if I ever got to meet him. at least keep it to yourself lol.
haha i wish you didn’t start this with a backhanded compliment but dkajsd yeah overall i see your point and agree... i understand like if you didn’t buy into that whole spiel, then of course you can just keep on going and stanning them as idols and all that comes with that, but many people and me included sincerely thought that they were different, i have stopped stanning kpop groups for a while and got drawn back in with bts because i felt they were so fresh and unique, genuine and open with fans in comparison to other groups i have stanned.. but ofc that image crumbled as time went on.. things have changed as well... and i agree, it’s fine to enjoy it for just the entertainment and like the boys as people, accepting they are just as any other idol.. and maybe i will continue with that perspective myself!! but i honestly find it difficult having believed in it and also bighit continually selling this image to their fans despite evidence of the contrary, i can deal with idol business but like continually being blatantly lied to and then being in a fandom where most of the rhetoric is build around blindly believing it and eating anything the boys and bighit sells? it’s honestly emotionally exhausting sometimes.. but yeah.. you’re honestly right.. even with the last point lol... they are men, and korean men at that sigh.. that’s why i’m burying myself in girl groups nowadays adkjsd to heal my soul
Anonymous said:Hope you have a wonderful day filled with only good things ❤ - the cutest person in the world
thank you so so so so much! you have a wonderful day too ♥ cutie
Anonymous said:simple question, not loaded at all, no wrong answer, the honest answer is the right answer- yaddah yaddah you get it -what do you think bangtan is lying about and what exactly are you saying overall? i just need the language simplified for my 3 braincells :) if i do get what you're saying - whether the actual members of bts are real or not, their message is. "dont let anyone tell you what to do" "live your own life and not a borrowed dream" "life is a marathon, not a race - go your own pace"etc
you can read this post as well as the tags to it to see some of the examples, i mean i have been saying lots of things so i don’t know what exactly you want me to clarify? i think their message is compromised when their actions contradict it, whether it’s their actions or bighit’s is up to debate, like i was talking about in the post though, you can’t have things both ways, can’t hail the boys as woke independent kings while propagating the idea that they are just the company’s pawns at the same time, if you accept their authenticity isn’t there then ofc it’s a different argument, and the things you have listed there may be true, but isn’t is soured knowing they are just things that are said in order to sell bangtan as a product to you? to me they are
Anonymous said:I'm not gonna disagree but I like to see all the sides of a story. Bang pd is their boss, bts made a contract with him, he will ALWAYS have the last word on, well, everything they put out. We like to think that bc bts has creative freedom they can do whatever they want, well obviously they can't. Even if bts wanted to talk more about issues and not work w bad ppl, bang pd wants them to succeed, he wants to make money bc it's his business and bts is the only thing bringing money to it.
i get this argument a lot and to that i will answer again this and this, i don’t understand what your point is exactly though, so you are saying bts are pawns that have to do as they ceo says, yes and? i am criticizing the decision he has made? i’m criticizing that what he cares about the most is money? that he will stop at nothing to widen his wealth and influence? i will not support bts cooperating with vile people just because it wasn’t -completely their decision-, i’m sorry i’m really struggling to see what your point is about the other side of the story, it’s a shitty situation and if they all go through with it, it be greatly disappointing
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am struggling a bit lmao, a vent. pls like if u read it all, if you can. long post.
mentions of parents, homophobia, abuse, suicide, self harm. brief, not graphic.
so like. i wanna move out and get away from my toxic mother. shes homophobic, to the point where i’d probably be disowned anyway if i came out.
i dont know how long i can stay closeted for, it. hurts. so much. not only that, she restricts me a lot - won’t let me buy or wear certain clothes, for example. (if i had my way, i’d shop in the mens section for most things.)
i’m not just hiding being gay, i’m also hiding all my mental shit. i am 100%!!! sure i have adhd. also have struggled with eating issues/s.h./s*icide attempts and so on. mother thinks mental illnesses are fake, wouldnt let me see anyone and would likely shame me for even bringing it up.
seeming i’m 18, i should be able to go and get myself diagnosed and maybe medicated, specifically for the adhd, preferably.
some issues with this: paying for the appointment, paying for medication. we have public/private healthcare (hell yeah australia), but the physical cards are required - my mother keeps them in her wallet, theres no way i can borrow them without her knowing. i cant make up an excuse for another reason to see a doctor.
i have the card numbers, but i worry that she’ll get a bill/receipt saying when the cards were used. dont wanna take the risk.
i dont have my drivers license (i have a learner license - law in my state: can get learners license at 16, must log 100 hours of supervised driving and have license for a year)
i didnt start driving as soon as i was 16 (may ‘16), got learners lic in september ‘16... mother wouldnt let me drive until we could afford lessons as she didnt want to teach me her bad habits
so i didnt actually start driving til april 2017... its nearly 2019 and ive done.... 60-70 of my required hours but that isnt enough, i cant park or anything and dont have the opportunity to drive often as we now have one less car.
its taking me a really long time and im struggling because... i assume, adhd!
head shit = no license, no license = no job... whys that? well.
i live in a rural area, about 40 mins from the city centre. theres no public transport in my suburb, i have to go to the next suburb along (9km, too far to walk) to the nearest bus stop.
parents would be unable to drive me to the bus stop for me to get to work as they both work 5 days.
so i have very little money, hard for me to move out. since i still live at home im not eligible for any government benefits.
i was thinking i could move into accomodation at my university campus but its so expensive
no family i can move in with and no friends can take me in. i’m in a really tough spot.
not only that, my dad might be moving away (i get along better with him, most of the time.) he wants to move to another state to be closer with his parents/nieces, thats fine, im 18 now and he doesnt owe me anything
he’s happy to help support me money wise, but he wouldnt go against my mother and help me move out unfortunately. think he knows im gay and would be okay with it... cant tell him about the mental shit bc as i said he probably wouldnt be able to hide it from my mother. theyre not really ‘together’ anymore but we all live in the same house for now, they get along fine but are more friends than anything else. i assume when he moves he will want to remain friends.
shes mad at him for wanting to move, she wants to stay here. she now guilts me, saying we’ll have to sell this house, and she wont take any money from him (he’s happy to help us w mortgage etc if he gets a good job)
my plan was to gtfo as soon as possible but it looks like if he moves away i’ll be stuck with her for at least... 2 years or so? she accepts that i’ll have to leave eventually but says she’ll need my help once he leaves
sorry to vent abt my personal shit im just really stuck and sad about it.
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The Diary of Losing You
Day One
I cant believe it, never did we ever talk about breaking up before this .. and now all of a sudden its happening. I cant process it. I cant accept it. Sure, we’ve had fights but I never felt like they were toxic. We never got to that point - we weren’t even close to that point. Was I too stubborn? Did you not like that? Because no matter how much I begged and bargained - you kept telling me, it was over. That you didnt have to explain things to me but you were doing it out of courtesy. But its hard to accept - not only because it was so sudden but because you told me you still liked me - and god knows, i still like you. You told me, you couldnt change and you knew that about yourself and honestly, I kind of admire that. I havent had a lot of boyfriends but the first one I had to accept cuz he stopped liking me - the other two were long over by the time we broke up - there was resentment in our relationship but we didnt know how to let go - so we kept holding on - even when it got so toxic and even when it was obvious we were much better off without each other.
But its still hard. Why don’t you think we’re worth a second chance. i didnt even think it was so bad that it needed to be classified as a second chance - just that we were still trying to figure out the kinks with the first one. Even when I told you that if the same situation happens even one more time, you could break up w me - even if it was two weeks later - i wouldnt complain. But you told me that in that case you would just break up with me two weeks later because for you, the relationship was already over. You didnt think we were worth a second chance and that hurts a lot.
I spent hours begging you to reconsider - knowing that you wouldnt - but i still had to try. and then I spent hours after talking to two friends and crying my heart out to them.
all i could think about was all the plans we made that would no longer come to pass. I questioned myself if I was missing the thing wed do together or miss you and yeah at that time i was grieving our breakup but grieving more the things that would no longer come to pass. Im used to seeing you once every three weeks but three weeks werent up yet and it still felt relatively normal i guess. but the fact that I also knew the sadness would hit when the three weeks were up also scared me.
sleep was my solace - when i sleep, i dont need to think anymore.
Day Two
teaching as usual but then in the times i didnt have to actively teach - i could feel the tears forming in my eyes but its okay, i dont think anyone noticed. but then we had a break between classes and i started to talk to another friend and then i couldnt stop crying. crying so loud that my coteacher heard it and asked what was wrong, and of course needing to explain things out loud with my voice made it that much worse. I could pull myself together for when i was actually teaching the class but - i still miss everything about you. I had my sixth grade class and I was so happy. They were my worst class last year but they did so well on this exercise we thought they would have trouble with - and they did, but with some help they managed to finish, and they did well. The first person i wanted to talk to was you. I felt like all i ever did was complain in our relationship I really wanted to give you the good news. And you were nice enough that you listened to me, and told me that even before, just hearing from me was good news. and that felt incredibly bittersweet. before leaving school my coteacher told me to feel better but all i could think was that i missed you. I had dinner plans that night but they got cancelled - I called my cousin and he talked to me for hours just listening to me cry - and then talk about life - and listening to me cry again. He told me that you probably didnt like the way we communicated and decided to end it before it gets harder later on. I can respect that I said, but its too soon to call it quits - we never even tried. To him, I just wasnt worth trying.
Day Three
teaching kept me busy for most of the morning - i didnt have much time to think about you. but after lunch, the sadness began to manifest itself again. I dont think anyone noticed, or maybe they pretended not to. but I started to think back on the times before you moved away. Before we were long distance or even a couple. How you were so good to me. How you made me food. How you stayed with me when i was sad and i just have so many regrets I wasnt adquately able to tell you how i felt about you. How i was constantly unsure about myself but how when you did ask me out, you told me that it was okay that i didnt know - it was okay if i was never able to say i love you because you could feel that saying “love” signified a very strong emotion for me that i wasnt sure i ever felt before, and even with just me saying “like” you knew and could tell that my feelings for you were really deep. Why is it that you miss them so much more when theyre gone? Why do i feel like I shouldve treated you better i shouldve done more and thought of you more and expressed my feelings to you better. but hindsight is always 20/20. I went to pole and then to see my friends at night. we went to karaoke and at this point only one of the two friends knows because i didnt wanna ruin the birthday celebrations coming up of the one who didnt know. Well we were singing “payphone” and she said that we were singing it like someone had broken our hearts and all i could do was pretend to laugh. For the record, I dont think u broke my heart. or i dont blame you. i just wish things ended differently - i wish we were worth another shot in your mind. But all of this, is just wishful thinking. And i know that.
Day Four
its the weekend, and the day we celebrate her birthday. its a rainy day and somehow every little thing reminds me of you. I havent felt like this after a break up in a long time - im not sure if ive ever felt like this after a break up at all. My last two were long over before we ended things and the one before that was the definition of puppy love - sure i thought about him, and maybe its because its been so long but i dont remember every little thing reminding me of him. The rain reminds me of you. I saw a couple walking under an umbrella and remembered that you bought this hella big and expensive umbrella so that we could share it together in the rain. when I was at the aquarium all i could think about was how nice it would be if i was there with you. I saw a boat and i could just think about your job and how youre a shipbuilding engineer. Even looking at myself in the mirror, i thought about how you bought a jean jacket so we could match. I thought about the white tennis shoes we wanted to buy so we could match together when a friend mentioned she needed new white shoes. I thought of all the cute little cafes you took me to when we went to eat a cafe. my friend said she wanted to go to a marsh she saw in my photos - the very same one you took me to. we went to a coin karaoke place and the first time i ever went to one was with you. and sometimes i didnt need a reminder - my mind would just wander and i would remember things i didnt even know I remembered. the time when we fought about women in the workforce and your industry in the cafe and at the car. how when i asked if you were still mad at me you said that you wish you said “oh maybe i am a little bit, but ill make a lot of money and buy u a nice purse” to defuse the situation instead of getting mad. How our very first date lasted two nights and three days. How you couldnt spend my birthday w me but spent valentines w me the next day. The night you asked me to be your girlfriend - and how scared but also how happy i was. How you always took me to so many places. How i always could complain to you and you would always listen w patience - how i just wanted you back - how i wanted you to hold me and tell me it was a mistake - that you didnt really wanna break up w me that you thought about it and you wanna try again.
but i also know, its wishful thinking and i know, that you wont come back to me.
Day Five
No plans. it’s still raining. No reason to go out. Can’t find the will to clean my apartment thats getting messier and dirtier by the day. I just want to lie in bed. I’ve been swiping on tinder and talking to some ppl - not to find a rebound but just to talk to people - to feel less - lonely? dejected? idk. but it doesnt really work - it feels like a lot of effort that I cant give. Were conversations always this hard? i feel like ours were so easy. And then i start to think again. all the promises we made. You said you would still try to be friends with me. Can we still do the little things? even before we went out you said u would take me skiing in the winter - is that still on? you told me you would buy me a hanbok - how about that? will you still take me? I keep asking why its over for you. why another chance will never happen. but the whole day, i just lie in bed. I cant bring myself to do anything. I keep searching up things like how long it should take to get over you - but at the same time im not sure i want to. Its not over for me yet even if its over for you. I guess, im feeling all the beginning stages of grief at once.
Shock and Denial - i know its over - my head knows it - my head knows that you wont take me back or give us another go but my heart still has that false hope. my heart doesnt want to give you up.
Guilt and Pain - well the pain is self explanatory but the guilt - i just keep wondering if this was my fault. if I was too unwilling to change - or didnt know i needed to change until i realized u were serious when you said you were thinking of breaking up w me - if i never said “how about we just never talk again” in anger and sadness, would we have gotten to this point?
Anger and Bargaining - im not really angry - i mean i dont think this was your fault or mine but i guess i am kind of upset at the fact that you dont think we’re worth a second shot. anything we argued about, even if it spanned across a couple of days, has never come up again. and this was the first time this particular issue came up so why could we both make steps and amends to keep this from happening. are we both too stubborn? but i was willing and it felt like you werent. you told me that even ur past gfs have said that sometimes they didnt feel like they really had a choice and it wasnt just me. so im assuming that this is something youre eventually going to have to fix for yourself or you find a girl whos okay with that - but you also said you didnt want a gf or a wife that was like a doll who just agreed w everything you said. so this just means to me that youre not willing to try and change. honestly, if youre aware of it, it shouldnt be a hard fix but you already made up your mind that you werent going to do it. in reality i just wasnt the one you were willing to make those steps towards. and that is where my sadness and anger come from. now bargaining - im really willing to make changes and kind of the biggest testament i can give to that is that if we could be together again, i could quit that game ive been playing for 2 years cold turkey. For whatever reason, you never liked me playing that game and if it means i could have you back, i would gladly get rid of it. as for the other things - i promise i wont pressure to be with you longer cuz i know your tired - now i know youre tired. because you never told me before. Im sorry i dont like to lose arguments and i get defensive - i know i need to communicate better too. but i just really miss you and it kills me that we never even gave it a chance. yes, maybe youre right and things wont change and i know you think youre doing me a favour by ending this sooner rather than later but it kills me more that we never tried.
Depression Loneliness and Reflection - self explanatory maybe im not fully in this stage yet but I do realize that the bargaining is not going to work even if i hope that it would.
it isnt over to me and to be honest, im not sure i want to get over you yet, even tho i know i should.
Day Six
a monday. i asked you yesterday if we could talk and you said you were busy. I’m sure even tho i know your answer, i will ask you today if you would reconsider. im sorry if this puts pressure on you but i think its also necessary that i know I at least tried for my own sanity instead of letting this go. I’m going to tell you everything ive been thinking the last several days just to get it out. and yes, there is still that false hope that you’ll take me back and when that’s crushed i will probably inevitably cry again. I’m not sure if talking to you so soon is the right answer, if later would give me a clearer head. but my heart is telling me that i need to ask you to reconsider now and not later - if only for the confirmation - that nail on the coffin, that we’re really not happening anymore. I asked you when you had time and you said 10pm. So after work, i go home and i write down everything i want to talk to you about - at least everything i can think of at the time of writing much of which i talked about here already - how i thank you for loving me and all the things you did for me, how i still hope youll keep ur promise about buying me a hanbok, about a possible snowboard trip, about my stages of grief - my denial, my anger, the bargaining, how it wasnt just you who needed to change but i do think you will eventually need to change for someone - that i was sad it wasnt me. how i wish you told me about the stresses of your job so id be more understanding, how you were the first guy i thought i could say i love you to. how im not good at this cuz my last two and only serious relationships ended long before we called it off but right now i still feel like i was starting to like you more and more. how u know to break it off now because it would hurt more for me later and you no longer wanted to see me cry but for me second chances and trying is important - which is why im bargaining with you even tho i know you will say no. i need to know i did everything I could. that im sad we didnt meet earlier and have a more stable realtionship and maybe it woulda worked out - that i was sad you had to move for your job because if you were still here things wouldve worked out differently. but i dunno - i hope youll listen with as open a mind as u can, really think about it before you reject me and ill know i did everything i could.
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hey fam, do all of the aesthetic asks
thanks sun goddess ily
Flower Crown: when did you last sing to yourself
yesterday bc i always sing in the car, i think it was me putting “starman” “here comes the sun” and “ticket to the moon” on repeat the whole way home
Fairy Lights: if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about anything, what would you want to know?
i’d like to know what the world will be like in like a century bc i worry about the world i hope she’ll be ok
Daisies: what is the greatest accomplishment of your life
well i’m a seventeen yr old and not even one of the cool ones that compete in the olympics so its either like UH starting college @ 16 or being published in an official writing anthology
1975: what is the first happy memory that comes to your mind, recent or otherwise?
last year when i went to busch gardens w my sister n my mom and i got to hold a penguin named Turkey ON MY LAP i have pictures to document this (i was chubbier back then tho no judgment)
Matte: if you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you’re now living?
yeah i wouldn’t be fucking living in florida and going to school id be using whatever money i could to travel overseas, and then i’d go on a big crosscountry roadtrip
Black Nail Polish: do you have a bucket list? if so, what are the top three things?
not an official one, just vague “i’d like to do x someday” things
Moodboard: do you feel you had a happy childhood?
yes absolutely
Stars: when did you last cry in front of another person?
last week i went to a funeral and i cried so much they got a picture w me sobbing in the background
Plants: pick a person to stargaze with you, and explain why you picked them
my best friend tomas probably because he’s the only person who wouldnt make fun of me for stargazing
Converse: would you ever have a deep conversation with a stranger and open up to them?
BITVH NO LMAO I DONT EVEN TALK TO MY FRIENDS !!
Lace: when was your last three am conversation with someone, and who were they to you?
again, tomas, my best friend. about 4 days ago?
Handwriting: if you were about to die, and you could only say one more sentence to one more person, what would you say and to whom?
oh man i dont even know
Cactus: opinion on brown eyes?
i have them and i love them. got my brown eyed angels all over the place. i know like three people w not-brown eyes
Sunrise: pick a quote and describe what it means to you personally
Oil Paints: what would you title the autobiography of your life so far?
[Redacted]
Overalls: what would you do with one billion dollars?
id get new cars for my sister and mom bc theirs are v old like ten minutes to start and cough like a smoker old, and id pay my mom’s house off, pay off my sister’s student loans, deposit a lot to my grandma who’s living in an expensive nursing home, donate 2 houston, put away more for my college, lots of stuff
Combat Boots: are you a very forgiving person? do you like being this way?
Yes and yes
Winged Eyeliner: write a hundred letter word to your twelve year old self
I don’t need 100 words I just need to tell her to shut up, stop eating so much, try being friends w the girls you don’t like, they were actually nice, you’re not as funny as you think you are save your words for later and think before you speak. Also, thanks for attaching our self worth to our school performance, this isn’t sarcastic, its turning out really well for scholarships
Pastel: would you describe yourself as more punk or pastel?
Leaning more towards pastel, but honestly the most accurate thing would be primary colors/
Tattoos: how do you feel about tattoos and piercings? explain.
I like them but not on me
Piercings: do you wear a lot of makeup? why/why not?
I usually do a quick face for school, but if im in the mood then I like to do the most just because im a teenager and im living in a time of really weird fashion and this is the only time in my life where I’ll be ballsy enough and free enough to buy and wear green eyeshadow. You think that’ll fly when im 30 w a 9-5 job? I think not. Lemme get it outta my system now, while I have ~~~being a teenager~~~ to blame it on
Bands: talk about a song/band/lyric that has affected your life in some way.
This is gonna sound really depressing but I don’t believe in love bc of the avett brothers song “January wedding. He was so in love with her when he wrote it and for years I was like “this is love theyre so in love” and then bam we get the true sadness album and January wedding gets followed by “divorce separation blues.” Who can be that in love with someone and then just. Stop. I don’t get it, love isn’t real.
Messy Bun: the world is listening. pick one sentence you would tell them.
This is too much pressure
Cry Baby: list the concerts you have been to and talk about how they make you feel.
Ive seen the avett brothers 3 times and they were amazing every single time, just wowowow I got the “fuck it, im standing up and singing” mood. Ive also seen boston and foreigner, which were also fun, but mostly bc of the 50 yr old stoners in the crowds.
Grunge: who in the world would you most like to receive a letter from and what would you want it to say?
My papa, and I’d like it to say [classified] and maybe I’d like him to say [redacted].
Space: do you have a desk/workspace and how is it organised/not organised?
I have a permanent set up at the kitchen table from august thru may, and its perpetually in disarry.
White Bed Sheets: what is your night time routine?
Face mask, hair care, moisturizer, vanilla tea, set up the coffee maker for the next morning, pack my book bag, pray, bed.
Old Books: what’s one thing you don’t want your parents to know?
I’d like my mom not to know that she’s kind of annoying to watch movies w (it’d break her heart shes so sensitive aw) and id like my dad not to know where I live
Beaches: if you had to dye your hair how would you dye/style it and why?
I have dyed my hair I went red for a bit but now its brown. Id never do anything that require I bleach it bc I love myself and wont do that to my head
Eyes: pick five people to go on an excursion with you. who would you pick and where would you go/what would you do?
Id take my mom, sister, my friends [classified], [classified], and [classified] to new york w me so we can do horrible cheesy touristy stuff, and then I’d have them go w me on a cross country roadtrip
11:11: name three wishes and why you wish for them.
If I tell u my wish it wont come true
Painting: what is the best halloween costume you have ever put together? if none, make one up.
Its gonna be this year’s ive already perfected the make up im gonna be a mime and its amazing
Lightning: what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done while drunk or high?
Literally nothing ive never gotten high bc it seems uhhh not fun, but ive gotten a lil drunk before (I don’t like to drink bc it makes my head hurt and it’s a lot of calories) but I get sad id be a sad drunk so I just cried.
Thunder: what’s one thing you would never do for one million dollars?
Anything thatd harm a person/animal. Never kill, never maim. If u handed me a gun and said “shoot a deer ill give you a million dollars” I couldn’t do it. If I had to break someones arm for a million dollars I couldn’t do it.
Storms: you on only listen to one song for the rest of your life, or only see one person for the rest of your life. which and why?
Song, bc I love people, ill just listen to a podcast while I run I guess
Love: have you ever fallen in love? describe what it feels like to realize you’re in love.
Not really, only a little bit of an “I’d like to love them” sort of thing
Clouds: if you’re a boy, would you ever rock black nail polish? if you’re a girl, would you ever rock really really short hair?
Im a girl and id never rock short hair bc I don’t have the jaw for it, and I like my long hair to make my jaw look sharper
Coffee: what’s your starbucks order, and who would you trust to order for you, if anyone?
I just get iced black tea bc starbucks coffee is ass, and id trust my mom. Not my sister or my friends bc theyd get me sugar in my tea instead of unsweet w honey
Marble: what is the most important thing to you in your life right now?
The things my life has revolved around for years lmao my loved ones and school
#if you cant tell im a fucking loser#im doing notes right now#its friday night im doing notes i should be out#but no im in and im writing notes and theyre beautiful ill post then on my studyblr#also a bonus for how fucking lame i am: i have a separate studyblr and langblr#ask#answered
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What au would fit tina and each ship best?
i love aus
thanks for sending this!!! ♥
okay so! shina woud def be fairytale au. as them being royalty, and probs betrothed… or maybe shiro saving tina from a dragon? except tina actually befriended the dragon that was just lonely and sick of being attacked and shit, and explained so to shiro, so shiro didnt harm the dragon, the dragon just became their friend and pet and everyone truly lived happily ever after
tidge would be roommate au!! they wouldnt know each other and would like study completely different things and everything, but theyd be comfortable living around each other, and theyd start getting more involved in what the other is studying and doing and theyd just end up knowing each other very well and start falling and everythings cute and pure. also theyd pull allnighters together and then die together
keina is!! man i dont know if theres an au for this and how its called?? tina just works reception at keith’s gym, and shes there when he gets there really early and its pretty much just them, and while she enjoys the sight, sometimes they chat when he stops for a break buys a bottle of water at the vending machines in front of the reception, shes bored and asks him questions and hes not that bothered, and they end up talking a lot and they get acquainted and then everytime keith comes in shes cheerfully saying goodmorning to him even if shes dying from tiredness (and proceeds to faceplant on the desk and be like “kill me i hate being here so early in the morning”. he snorts and is like “and whose cute face am i supposed to see if youre not here?”. he realises what he said and they both blush and he just nyooms to the changing rooms)
tince coffee shop au!! lance works at the coffee shop, tina is there often because she likes the coffee and its a cute quiet cozy place she feels comfortable in so she comes in whether to do work or just spend some time, esp when shes in a bad or depressive mood and she needs to be away from home but somewhere she feels safe. lance always cheers her up and he always knows what to say without going overboard and making her uncomfortable! lance doesnt want to be too bold so he never gives her his number but one day she comes in and she tries to be chill but its obvious shes crumbling from depression and whatever happened at home so she just slumps over an armchair and orders the usual with a weak voice and just keeps her head down and just kind of tries not to cry and breakdown there and then, and lance gets it and does super cute latte art and gives her her favourite pastry even if its not her usual because its more expensive, and he pays everything for her, and asks someone to cover for him for a few minutes (and uses up his break for that, pretty much) and joins her and likes the way she lights up at the sight of the pastry, and when lance tells her that the bill is already been taken care of, and he tries to ask her whats wrong and she doesnt reply but she folds up a little more and looks away so its obvious she doesnt want to talk about it, so lance casually changes subject like “you know whats wrong in my life?” and dramatically retells of like something super stupid that happened, probably with his siblings, and makes her laugh and cheers her up and never leaves her alone, for the entirety of his break (that his coworkers make as long as they can before they need him back or theyll die, but their coffee shop isnt usually busy so thats good luck), and just takes her mind off of stuff and makes her feel better and she? appreciates it so much. and when hes like “ah man they need me back, theres not enough lance for everyone! ill see you later, sweetcake” but before he can leave she calls to him and just thanks him and hes like, “im always here for a cute girl like you” and winks at her before going back to work.
she finishes her coffee and before leaving she writes her number on a piece of paper and when she brings her cup and plate back she also leaves the paper, making sure lance sees it, and leaves.
he calls her as soon as hes off and they start going on dates and theyre adorable. i wrote too much about this. i swear i didnt think about this before.
tink highschool au!! theyre in a lot of the same classes and they exchange notes sometimes when they sit close and they end up helping each other a lot in different subjects so they end up sitting next to each other more often and end up being friends and then start liking each other eyyy
allina mermaid au!! tinas the mermaid and shes so curious of the humans?? (or… alteans whatever) and shes told repeatedly to not contact the humans but she decides to take secret trips to the beach anyway ofc. she sees from far away allura, sitting on the beach humming and enjoying the dawn with her feet in the water and she looks so calm and so pretty that tina decides that, since no one else is around, she wants to try and get closer! allura is at first confused about who would be out in the water at that time, but she then sees her tail and is so excited?? and tina at first is scared but allura still has a calming aura so she explains with a soft voice that she wont hurt her, shes just never seen someone like her, is she a mermaid? so tina slowly gets closer and nods, and they end up talking a lot about each others kingdoms and cultures because theyre both curious people, and tina never gets caught and allura is smart about how to avoid being caught and respects tinas wish of not being known to anyone else so she keeps it to herself, but they meet most nights at the beach and sometimes they play around, but mostly they talk. and they never end up married or anything, in my idea of this au, but they do end up having really strong romantic feelings for each other, so they decide to start dating. and its all a secret and all, but they meet often, and tina gives her a special seashell they can literally call with whenever they cant see each other or alluras on a trip or if they just want to hear each others voice during the day, and they definitely have good morning calls!!! and allura is a princess so she needs to marry for her kingdom, but it is always clear to everyone in the kingdom - and to alluras spouse - that it is not a love marriage, just a marriage for the good of the kingdom, and her spouse is a good friend and confidant (although theyre never told about tina either) and they respect it and alluras such a good queen anyway that no one doubts the ability for her and her spouse to be good rulers without being actually romantically involved. so allura still secretly dates tina and tina knows of this and shes?? so touched that allura still wants to date her and didnt want to forget about her to have a love marriage?? tina loves her so much. she just peppers her with kisses so much for a good deal of nights. theyre happy and in love and dating is enough for both of them
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LONG below cut, just cosplay thoughts, nothing beyond lists of what i’d need for certain characters and some rambling
the reason for all this is that the friend who went with me to geek kon last year asked if i wanted to go this year. i told them maybe because on the one hand it was super fun but on the other hand i have a job now, so we’ll see. any amount of this may or may not pan out.
for jasprose:
white wig
white face paint
fur? (just for cheeks)
white cat ears
purple/pink headband
long-sleeved white tunic (with purple/pink trim and puff sleeves)
white leggins with pink/purple trim
pink/purple socks
white shoes with pink/purple trim
the fucking, neckpiece thing
pink/purple party hat
fangs (opt.)
pink/purple contacts (opt.) (ONE EYE OF EACH WOULD BE SICK AS FUCK)
for davepeta:
so much god. probably not worth it, sadly.
for karkat:
new, better wig
loose plain black shirt (to add symbol)
plain gray pants - do i already have these?
teeth (opt.)
gray/red contacts (opt.)
ears (opt.)
for dave:
wig (throwback to when i had dave hair haha)
shirt
red contacts (opt.)
for rose:
new, better wig
white/lavendar pencil skirt
purple contacts (opt.)
for dead aradia:
wig maybe
horns - wire, tinfoil, yarn, paint
black t-shirt - cut up sleeves + slit in bottom hem
long gray skirt - cut up
red and white socks
black vans w/ white laces (opt.)
white mesh contacts (opt.)
ears (opt.)
for kanaya:
wig maybe
black t shirt
red skirt - make?
white face paint (opt.)
green lipstick (opt.)
purple sash with green stain (if white face paint) (opt.)
gray/green contacts (opt.)
ears (opt.)
for roxy:
wig
shirt
skirt
legwarmers
scarf (opt.)
pink contacts (opt.)
for dirk:
wig (and id have to style it, ugh)
shirt
glasses - probably part thrift, part make, though it depends on what kind of stuff i can find
i have a broken styrofoam head so its a pipe dream of mine that i sculpt that with clay into a semi-realistic severed head and then either carry it around as dirk with the sendificator over my head or as jake and kiss it occasionally, but i have a lot of different feelings over the latter lately so probably i’d do the former. either way, that’d be a lot of work.
for sollux:
wig (hopefully not same wig as karkat/kanaya/anyone else)
horns
shirt
gray pants
a pair of white shoes and a pair of black shoes (which is annoying as fuck BUT i could use the black shoes for aradia w the white shoes’s laces and vice versa for roxy so id be able to use them for other stuff. plus vans-type shoes are cheap)
red and blue glasses (probably make somehow??)
red/blue contacts (opt.)
teeth (opt.)
ears (opt.)
nepeta’d be cool but a pretty particular (purrticular) type of person (nepeta stans, basically, and i’m not one of those) tends to cosplay her so ill pass
for terezi:
wig
horns
shirt
glasses - make somehow
red shoes
red contacts (opt.)
teeth (opt.)
ears (opt.)
for vriska (pre loss of eye and arm because that shits hard):
wig
horns
shirt
gray overshirt
glasses
red shoes (preferably something that looks like converse but i could just use the same shoes for her and terezi)
i dont actually remember if i have good blue lipstick or not. i know i have shitty blue lipstick that basically doesnt have pigment but im not sure about good blue lipstick. in any case i know tricks for that but hm. not sure.
blue/gray contacts (opt.)
fangs (opt.)
ears (opt.)
equius... im just not really interested. i once thought about doing eridan but i dont like him anymore so nah. feferi... would be cool, but i think the skirt would be a little beyond my knowledge of sewing. i could do jane or jade but frankly i find them harder to emulate as a cosplayer and i could do john, jake, or dirk, but i just dont wanna.
for meenah:
braids - i wont make the mistake of trying to make them out of real fake hair again, i promise you that, i still have two seven-foot chunks of loose hair in the basement that im not doing anything with
trident - i literally have all the materials for this i just havent made it
glasses - make somehow/thrift a pair
shirt - the one i used to have is ruined (i know canonically she wears a t shirt but for some reason everyone cosplays her in a crop top, including me.) (i fucked up my shirt by not knowing how to work the printing stuff i got, like, the night before the con.)
tank top (depending on whether my current one fits me still)
horns - the ones i have are pretty much beyond fixing now so i’d have to start over. that’s fine though, i have plenty of materials.
teeth (opt.)
mesh contacts (opt.)
ear fins - i have these but i could stand to paint them pink since atm theyre purple, but otherwise theyre pretty close to perfect as is.
universal items i’ll probably need no matter what:
black and white t shirts (thats pretty much everyone)
screenprinting paper for dark or light shirts, depending on who i do
i have paint but having more wouldn’t hurt, and i might want/need white paint as well
fangs/teeth - for these i’d like to buy nice scarecrow fangs and use those and then maybe make some shitty mouthfuls of teeth with fake nails and that melty plastic shit
wigs - i’m willing to shell out a bit more for these as well. i’d like a nice short black one for karkat, kanaya, and if i ever decide to do jane, john, or jake, and though i have a long black wig it sucks pretty hard and i need a better one, probably curly, with bangs. though straight would be okay for most of these anyway. the only person who needs a medium length wig is terezi, and that’s actually pretty much true for all of hs, which is... too bad.
horns - i have a few pairs of horns already and PLENTY of clay to make more, but for bigger horns i’d need more than model magic. for aradia (and probably eridan and mmmaybe equius though im not doing either of them) and maybe vriska and kanaya (just to make those joints easier) id use the wire, tinfoil, and yarn method, but anything smaller than that i can use my clay. i already have peixes and vantas horns, though the peixes horns are broken and are resisting being fixed and the vantas horns don’t attach very well. i also have leijon horns in the works as well that were originally for davepeta. but id use clay to make vantas, captor, leijon, maybe maryam, pyrope, and maybe equius horns, and i used it for my peixes horns (though i didnt attach them well to the headband so those didnt go great).
contacts - i have actual regular contacts now, so now i wont have to worry about being blind ever. the next step is to get cosplay lenses (yes i know safe sites to get them from, yes i know my prescription and what size to get, yes i know how to be safe buying contacts). the best investement for sure would be a gray pair and a mesh pair, just speaking in terms of sheer number of characters. beyond that, it depends on who i end up cosplaying as to what color lenses i buy. for instance, if i decide on aradia, meenah, and dave, white and red lenses make the most sense. if i decide on rose, jasprose, and karkat, purple and gray ones make the most sense.
for any glasses, i’m going to be looking at thrift shops first and foremost. if i don’t find anything in a reasonable time, i’ll find stuff online.
i have probably two-thirds of a pot of snazzaroo, which will probably be enough, but if i decide to do a sprite or vampire kanaya, i’ll need white paint as well. plus if i decide to do more than one troll, i might want more gray paint anyway.
ears - i dont have any rn. i know a few methods to make them and a few places i can buy them but i’d probably end up making them anyway, mostly for cost-effectiveness.
as for money... well, i’ll do my best. i have an actual job now, and it’s pretty good. ive worked a lot in my first few days and ill keep working so even with taxes my paychecks are gonna be pretty sweet. id take commissions but i still have yet to consistently create any kind of art so im waiting til i can do that. also i dont have a way to get that money rn. nbd either way; i dont have any expenses besides this type of thing atm so its not like im hurting for money.
also i wouldnt have to cosplay only homestuck but a) im lazy and b) ive never loved anything the way ive loved homestuck so i kind of wouldnt want to betray my brand(tm)
(but if i wasnt going to cosplay only homestuck, which might be a good idea since idk how much homestuck the person i’d be going with is doing, i’d probably do taako.)
#id kind of actually prefer if yall didnt reblog this its mostly just a post for me#cosplay ref#i guess#i literally did every character i'd be willing to cosplay and then some#i dont think id really want to cosplay sollux if it came down to it lol he just seemed pretty easy#same w dirk#dirkjake mention in there but it's really subtle - it's when im talking about cosplaying dirk#it also refers to a canon event#decapitation under the cut but again its for like two lines while im talking about cosplaying dirk so#god i remember back when i did used to regularly cosplay though#well regularly is a loose word i guess#i did like three omeglestucks and posted fifteen bajillion pictures of makeup tests#i also did a SICK ASS BLOODSWAP i was fuchsia karkat and my friend was purple kanaya and it was GREAT
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i was going to say The Marvs, but i have no idea how that would work. Do it if you feel like it?? Otherwise, Raimi/anyone you want! :D
umm heck.. ill just do both!
Who said “I love you” first: I’m gonna uhh, assign the Marv’s numbers so it’s easier tho. Yours is 1 and mine is 2, and Marv number one definitely says I love you first… i can’t imagine either would say it in like a genuine way though- it’s mostly just “haha wtf your amazing i love this, i love such-and-such-else, i love you”
and I’m gonna try and figure out Raimi/ace/aro!Yutani? so umm definitely Raimi. He blurts it out because he’s upset and admitting his feelings to be honest and put everything out in the open and he can’t help it. Yutani doesn’t know how he feels, and definitely doesn’t say it back.
Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background: um BOTH of the Marvs tbh, they’re both proud of how gorgeous the other is bc 1. a hot fuck and 2. its basically himself.. saying the other is hot is like a compliment to himself too
ummm Raimi APPRECIATES his friends a lot and totally had a picture of him and Yutani and Weyland as his lockscreen since forever because he loves them both so much? Yutani changes his lock screen all the damn time, but at one point he probably had a picture of Raimi? (not after he admitted his feelings though)
Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror: um Marv 2? he likes giving that little confidence boost in the morning. Mostly it just says stupid cheesy crap like “Hello Handsome!” or “Looking Great Today!” in big bold childish letters.
neither on this one. Raimi thinks it’d make Yutani too uncomfortable and Yutani genuinely wouldn’t be able to think of something to say if he tried
Who buys the other cheesy gifts: BOTH no explanation needed here
Raimi totally buys all his friends stuff when he can afford it, but Yutani in particular! Mostly because he had a crush and just wanted Yutani to like him even if they never dated? He would save up and buy him expensive old swords or out of print dvd boxsets and Yutani being excited about it was the sweetest thing to him!
Who initiated the first kiss: Marv 1, idk why, just a notion. Practically at the same time though, so it doesnt matter that much >_
Yutani! Raimi was letting him go slow and see what he wanted! He definitely didn’t want to rush anything or push him too far, so mostly he tries to let Yutani initiate stuff (unless he says something about it)
Who kisses the other awake in the morning: neither on both couples this time! Marv lets himself sleep bc he knows hed be a BITCH if someone woke him up earlier than he had to! Raimi would REALLY want to do sweet things like that, but it would make Yutani freak out so he doesn’t.
Who starts tickle fights: neither. Tickling is a grave sin to both of them; tickle either of them and you die
Raimi? but just being a dorky friend, he would do it all the time before Yutani even knew he had a crush and it was fine (The first few times Yutani probably tried to punch him in the face though because he wasn’t used to it/hes really ticklish; but that just makes it more fun for Raimi). Raimi tries to use it to get their old dynamic back but Yutani just looks at him taken aback and he quits (Yutani was probably just startled by being touched tbh). A few times Yutani might of as a joke before Raimi confessed, but definitely not after.
Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower: they just KNOW, its obvious, why even ask
Neither, again because Raimi doesn’t want to intrude. They don’t mind seeing each other naked at all, Yutani totally gets ready while Raimi takes a shower to save time, but taking a shower /together/ is a little too intimate.
Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch: umm they just eat lunch together anyways
both of them would, just to be nice though, not to be couple-y or anything
Who was nervous and shy on the first date: neither?? theyre both really confident and now shy at all! plus they would hardly go on a date anyways- they can just skip that step
If they ever even figure things out and go on a date then Raimi would be more nervous! He wants everything to be perfect and he wants Yutani to enjoy it and then maybe they could even ~kiss~. He worries about and overthinks everything. Yutani is just a little uncomfortable tbh, he doesnt like Raimi holding his hand too much until he sees Raimis huge fucking grin and he cant not let him. Yutani tries to think of it as an outing between friends rather than a date- but thats not very productive towards what Raimi wants at all
Who kills/takes out the spiders: the first one to find a shoe, or a book murders the poor thing in cold blood bc “fuck nature” (what was the book quote “mother nature is an US colony” or something??)
they kinda just let the spider do his thing? they wont take it outside unless its really dangerous. At one point Raimi probably had a pet spider, so hes sympathetic (Yutani would have had a pet snake or komodo dragon or something like that)
Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk: both; not really love again per-say, but they will yell compliments at the top of their lungs
Neither on this one, but it’s sad to imagine Raimi just getting wasted and mumbling about how much he loves Yutani/drooling at over him and then Yutani knowing but never mentioning it again until eventually he forgets? When Raimi brings it up again Yutani realizes that hes been just letting Raimi suffer through that without ever confronting it and feels really bad.
woa that was long; the Marvs were useful to council out the sadness tbh
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10 Lethal Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Real Estate Investment
Your first investment will be a learning process.While youll definitely make a few mistakes along the way, there are a few common pitfalls that can be avoided if you educate yourself beforehand.From financing errors to underestimating repair costs, newbies are at risk to lose serious cash if theyre not careful.Still, a real world education is invaluable, and this guide will help steer you down the best path possible to your very first real estate investment.
You may have heard that your first real estate investment is the most difficult one. Its true.
Your first deal is difficult because you dont know enough. How could you?
Yet you still need to move forward and get started. If you wait until youre 100 percent ready, youll never make progress.
But even though your first deal wont be perfect, you still dont want it to be so bad that it will knock you out of the game.
So, this article will help you avoid the 10 most lethal mistakes on your first real estate investment. Use this like a checklist to ensure that you avoid the worst case scenarios.
When you prevent the worst from happening, you will gain confidence so that you can buy your first deal, move forward, and begin your real world education.
Here are the 10 lethal mistakes to avoid.
10 Lethal Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Real Estate InvestmentMistake #1: Bad Financing
Bad financing can be one of the most lethal mistakes possible. I have personally seen more real estate investors lose money or go out of business from bad financing than from any other mistake.
What is bad financing? For me, it includes a combination of the following:
High interest rateAdjustable interest rateHigh monthly paymentBalloon paymentPersonal recourse
Most residential bank mortgages at least save you from the first four mistakes because the interest rates are low, fixed for 30 years, with amortizing payments, and there are no balloons. But they almost always require personal recourse, meaning you personally guarantee the loan with your other assets and future earnings. This is probably a reasonable trade-off.
Many commercial, portfolio, hard money, and private lenders, however, do not meet any of these criteria. And that could be a problem, especially on your first deal.
If you borrow at 12 percent interest with a large monthly payment, a balloon due in one to threeyears, and full personal recourse for the loan, you are likely taking too much risk.
Why? Because the property will likely have negative cash flow with the high interest rate. A balloon note means you will have to refinance or sell in a very short period of time. As many learned in the 2008 credit crisis, trying to refinance when credit dries up is very difficult even with perfect credit and good income. And personal recourse means that if anything goes bad and your lender loses money, they could chase you around and take your other assets in order to collect.
I have always used a lot of private and seller financing for my real estate deals, and I keep this list of financing mistakes in mind. For example, I might trade off a little higher interest rate and a larger down payment in exchange for a longer loan term and no personal recourse.
Related: The Biggest Mistake I Made as a New Investor (& How You Can Avoid It)
The beauty of private financing is that everything is negotiable. But no matter what type of financing you use, be sure to negotiate hard and avoid the worst mistakes.
Mistake #2: Bad Location
Real estate value always begins with location. The people and businesses who will rent or buy from you begin with location, and then they evaluate other criteria like the lot and the house.
Because its so important, you should study the best and the worst locations in your area before buying. There are investors who make money in bad locations, but its a challenging game that beginners should probably avoid.
I bought a lower-priced single family house once at a below market price with excellent seller financing terms. But the location was awful. I could not consistently attract good tenants because the neighbors were not pleasant (or safe) to live around.
On the other hand, I have bought properties in good locations that I made mistakes on, like paying a little too high of a price. The good location helped to bail me out of some of those mistakes.
Mistake #3: Misjudging Resale or Rent Value
I would argue that our number one job as investors is to understand how our end customers (renters and buyers) make buying decisions and then to translate that to a value. If we cant determine the full value potential, we will have a hard time making a confident purchase offer that earns us a profit.
This job is important. But its not easy. Its a skill that you must commit to learn and then continue to refine every day for the rest of your investment career.
On your first deal, its likely you are not yet an expert on value, so there are a few things you can do to help yourself:
Reduce your target market to a relatively small, manageable area.Study all of the transactions in your market daily using tools like the MLS, Zillow, or your local tax assessor. For me, this is like the daily weight training of real estate that keeps me fit and competitive. Hire professionals for assistance. For resale value find a very competent real estate agent and/or appraiser. For rental values find property managers with multiple units in your area.Take courses on valuation at your local Associate of Realtors or other continuing education school.Mistake #4: Underestimating Repair Costs
It is inevitable that you will underestimate repair costs at some point. But you want to avoid enormous cost overruns that could cause you to run out of cash or face other problems.
To avoid large mistakes, learn a good repair estimating system. I use the one taught by J Scott in BiggerPockets own The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs.
Also be sure to get help from other more knowledgeable investors or contractors. Dont be afraid to pay these people for their time and knowledge.
You can meet these people by:
Mistake #5: Running Out of Cash
Your investment properties are like your race car. Cash is like your cars fuel. Whenout of fuel, even the most powerful race car in the world sits still. If you run out of cash, even the best investment property will hurt your wealth building.
So you want to avoid running low or running out of cash.
This usually happens for a couple of reasons:
Underestimating repair costs (see mistake #3 above)Underestimating future capital expenses on a rental property
Capital expenses are big ticket items like a roof or a heating-air system replacement. If these costs hit you unexpectedly, it can become a big problem.
Related: Want to Lose All Your Money & Cry Yourself to Sleep? Make These 4 Newbie Mistakes!
Brandon Turner wrote a really good article about estimating capital expenses and budgeting for them on your rental properties.
Mistake #6: Letting Emotions Drive Your Decisions
This is a huge mistake for newbies. And its understandable. I mean it IS an exciting chase to look for your first deal.
But you have to balance your enthusiasm with cold, hard, and objective analysis.
I love enthusiasm. Its critical as an entrepreneur because it helps you push ahead through the many obstacles you will face.
But I have also learned to never make big financial decisions with emotion alone. I use a process of analysis that filters each of my deals. I also run every deal by someone else, which typically means my business partner but sometimes includes other mentors and advisers.
My process begins with basic criteria, including general locations, neighborhoods, housing types, construction quality, etc. This helps me to filter down the enormous number of properties out there.
Then I use a deal analysis process to analyze the numbers. Here is my basic go or no-go system for a deal.
I also like to calculate key metrics like the cap rate (or return on asset), the cash on cash return, the discount from full value, and the internal rate of return.
My favorite book to teach you the cold, hard analysis of real estate is What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow by Frank Gallinelli.
Mistake #7: Choosing the Wrong Real Estate Strategy
Fellow investor and BP writer Erion Shehaj introduced us to the dreaded Shiny Strategy Syndrome and showed why its detrimental to your financial future.
Real estate investing has MANY strategies. And as wonderful as BiggerPockets is, its easy to get overwhelmed or waste time chasing the wrong strategy.
Heres a tip: You wont find a perfect strategy. But you can find one that pretty well suits your unique strengths, your short-term needs, and your long-term goals.
So, instead of borrowing the perfect strategy for someone else, think hard about what you really want and which real estate strategy will get you there.
To get you started in this process, I wrote: Investors: DONT Begin by Wholesaling. Take One of These 7 Paths Instead.
Mistake #8: Choosing Bad Contractors
My business partner and I bought our very first fix-flip deal in December of 2003. We proceeded to go through three different painters, two different heating and air companies, and two different carpet installers before we got the house looking decent.
These were expensive mistakes. We were lucky to even make a small profit on that first deal!
Finding contractors who will do good work, finish up on time, clean-up after themselves, and charge reasonable prices is harder than finding buried treasure on a beach. Yet the people who do work on your fix-flip or rental deal will make or break its success.
J Scott does a great job discussing this issue in The Book on Flipping Houses. He discusses the different types of contractors, when to use each, and how to manage the relationship well.
Mistake #9: Not Using Your Due Diligence Period
Some experienced investors make offers with fast closings, in as-is condition, and with no due diligence period. This may help them get a lower price, but for your first deal this is probably not the best route to go.
Instead, include a short but reasonable due diligence period that allows you to get out of the purchase contract if you find a problem.
Here are a few of the important things I usually do during due diligence:
Obtain a very good professional third party property inspectionRepair estimates (see mistake #3 above)Evaluate zoning and local ordinances (for example, the college town where I invest has a law that you cant rent to more than two students in a residential zoning district)Get a professional third party opinion of value and rental comps
Basically, you want to double check all of the key assumptions you used to make your offer. If you find that you made a bad assumption, you may need to renegotiate or walk from the deal.
Related: The Rookie Landlording Mistake Most New Investors Make
Some of your best deals may be the ones you dont do.
Mistake #10: Not Learning From Your Mistakes
You have just read 9 mistakes to avoid, and I could probably tell you another 20. But no matter what you learn, you will still make mistakes. I guarantee it.
This is called The School of Hard Knocks. Go ahead and listen to Annie sing Its a Hard Knock Life and join the club.
But the biggest mistake you can make is not learning from this School of Hard Knocks.
In our first year of business, my partner and I agreed that we didnt know everything. We knew we would screw up many times. But we decided to call each mistake a seminar, and then write down the lesson.
We have attended thousands of these real world seminars since then, and our education continues today.
Go ahead and decide to create your own personal School of Hard Knocks. Its an invaluable education.
Conclusion
Real estate is an entrepreneurial venture. We entrepreneurs shoot for the stars, but we also take risks that could turn out badly.
This can be a difficult pill to swallow on your first deal.
But risk doesnt have to be a bad word. I see it as a barrier to entry. It means that the less committed, pretender-investors dont bother. They drop out when it gets too tough.
The successful real estate entrepreneurs arent perfect. They have scars to prove all of their past mistakes. But they learn to avoid the fatal mistakes that would knock them out of the game. And they learn to always keep moving forward.
Forward movement. Thats what entrepreneurship is all about.
I hope the lessons of these 10 fatal mistakes help you to continue moving forward at whatever step of the entrepreneurial journey you find yourself.
Were republishing this article to help out our newer readers.
What did you think of the 10 fatal mistakes to avoid? Are there others that I missed? What challenges are you facing as a new investor?
Id love to hear your thoughts and comments below.
https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2016/03/22/10-lethal-mistakes-avoid-real-estate-investment/
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Your favorite Xmen ship (For the send me a ship meme)
@balsa-the-spear-wielder aieeeeeeeeee thank u for sending this in!!!!! (also im sorry im super late w the reply, i was doing some arty stuff!!!!)
anyway, im going with charles/erik for this, so…
who hogs the duvet - charles, even despite how luxuriously large the blankets he buys are. midnight tug-of-wars between them are not uncommon; erik has even pushed a sleeping charles out of the bed because of it before, once (okay, more than once…)
who texts/rings to check how their day is going - if erik’s out of his immediate telepathic range, charles. he’s a bit of a worrier. though, depending on their current situation (i.e. if there is anybody actively trying to hunt them down and kill them), erik, too, sometimes.
who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts - erik. from the suspiciously extravagant (original copies of very expensive scientific books and manuscripts that charles was certain were not for sale or borrowing) to the hilarious (a coupon for a free trial of hair-loss treatment on april fools day)
who gets up first in the morning - whoever drank the least the night before. but really, it varies, depending on who has the more urgent task to see to that day; a lot of the time, they wake each other and stay in bed together for a while before actually getting up.
who suggests new things in bed - at first, it was charles, which surprised erik. now, theyre both as creative as each other.
who cries at movies - charles cries at everything, from ‘the titanic’ to a nature documentary to a death scene on coronation street (erik can even predict when charles is crying without even looking). but then there are certain things that just break erik (which only makes charles, who is undoubtedly already crying, cry even harder).
who gives unprompted massages - erik, all the time. he’s very good at it, too (big, strong hands, you know…)
who fusses over the other when they’re sick - charles is a notorious fusser in general, anyway, but when he gets sick erik somehow, amazingly, manages to outdo even him. there is nothing he wont do for charles - even almost attempting to write a paper for him, once, until charles gently reminded him that, love, you have no idea what half the words in the title even mean.
who gets jealous easiest - erik. charles has the benefit of the whole mind reading thing, yknow? (damn telepaths…)
who has the most embarrassing taste in music - he doesn’t play music often, but when he does, oh god can some of erik’s choices be bad. charles can be, too, but he at least somewhat understands when something is bad (and its his dancing that is far more embarrassing, really).
who collects something unusual - erik is like a magpie. if he finds something metal and shiny that he thinks is interesting, it gets added to the collection (which includes such wonders as an old, dented bottlecap shaped like italy).
who takes the longest to get ready - charles. he’s a worrier and a control freak, and at any time may be carrying a thousand and one papers about who-knows-what with him. erik has been known to take naps while waiting.
who is the most tidy and organised - erik, mostly because he has very little to get disorganized in the first place.
who gets most excited about the holidays - charles is very, very over-extravagant with any celebration (erik stopped asking him how much he spends on christmas decorations alone). erik sometimes likes to frighten kids on halloween (but always makes sure they still get some candy from charles).
who is the big spoon/little spoon - erik is big spoon, charles is little spoon, obviously (they just fit together so perfectly).
who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports - theyre both as bad as each other, especially when competing against each other, but the moment charles senses he has even the slightest chance of winning…lets just say, erik is a very patient man.
who starts the most arguments - erik, by doing everything charles really wishes he wouldnt (‘erik, please stop scaring the children on halloween…’)
who suggests that they buy a pet - charles likes cats, okay? and the poor abandoned kittens at the shelter just looked so sad…erik is pretty sure hes allergic.
what couple traditions they have - it’s how he made his move in the first place, so erik is always putting together the most romantic dinners he can for charles. oh, and forehead, cheek, nose, hand, etc. etc. kisses, all the time.
what tv shows they watch together - erik is way too soft on charles when it comes to the television, so probably at least 50% of what he watches (the documentaries arent so bad, but erik is still not sure whether the british soap operas or recordings of theses on biology put him to sleep faster). erik does like the gritty cop dramas, though.
what other couple they hang out with - pshh, all of them. theyre that couple that giggle at and make fun of other couples for even the smallest public displays of affection, but are then totally unabashed about it themselves.
how they spend time together as a couple - they challenge each other a lot, whether that be through physical games and challenges (so many chess games…) or deep conversations. they both tend to busy themselves during the day, so when they get time with each other, its not uncommon to find them simply relaxing together on the couch or bed.
who made the first move - erik, following previously-mentioned intensely romantic dinner. for a telepath, charles was fairly oblivious up until the last minute (but thankfully, very much reciprocated).
who brings flowers home - erik, but without much fanfare. most of the time charles will be working, hear erik walk in, look up and find a bouquet suddenly before him.
who is the best cook - charles has a tendency to rush things, always feeling like he has something better to do than cook. erik, on the other hand, is a master of several dishes from all over the world (and is sometimes quite appalled at charles’ laziness).
again, thank you!!
send me a ship meme
#AHHHHHHH thank u so much for asking this!!!#seriously i had so much fun doing this#[coughcough] and this may have been one of the ships i was thinking of when i reblogged this in the first place#also again so sorry its such a late reply!!!#thank u again tho#love you <3#xmen#cherik#balsa-the-spear-wielder
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