#0 value for me as a person or employee 0 value for my to this day dedication to this company

[cbk1000]

I'm really a bit ehhhhh about this new compensation system.

So, under my old company, everyone got the same cost of living raise across the board, and then your bonus was merit-based. It was a measly raise; I think it was usually about 1%, so under this new system, even though we don't get bonuses, it will actually be more money overall...if you score high enough to merit a raise.

The issue is, there are brackets of 0%, 2.5%, and 3%. The absolute highest raise you can get is 3%. I calculated that out, and that is $140 extra a month for me. And that's calculated on my gross pay, so that would not be what I actually take home. Let's say maybe $100 extra a month, after taxes and benefits and all that. If someone threw $100 at me, I would not turn it down, but that is not very much money. An extra $50 a paycheck is barely noticeable, tbh, unless you are REALLY hard up, but it's still not going to go very far. My boss said that at a leadership meeting she attended, there was a lot of emphasis on how important these evaluations are and how this company has VERY high standards and the grades really need to be earned. So, is this like a situation where basically nobody gets that 3% because their standards are impossibly high? I've been evaluated under three different managers under the old system and always scored in the highest possible bracket. Under the old system, a manager did have to justify in their comments why they had scored someone really high or low, so it's not that different, but the emphasis on their standards and the wording of the merit breakdown just kind of really sounds like, "You better dance REALLY hard for that extra hundred bucks, monkey."

The other thing is, in the 0% bracket, the descriptions breaking down what puts you in that cover three different types of employees: employees with 'role model behaviors' who exemplify the values of the company, are 'team players', adapt well to change, etc. etc., but have inconsistent results and struggle with their workload. Then you have the employee who is extremely technically proficient and good at their job, but has 'inconsistent behaviors', which I take some issue with, especially if we're being graded on how much 'joy' we do our jobs with. The description for this category lists things like 'inconsistently demonstrates value-based behaviors', 'operates independent of the team or organization' and 'does not use a "systems" view', which isn't clarified, so I don't know what the criteria is for this. And then the third category is someone who is a very poor performer with a poor attitude. So basically, if you get excellent result, but your attitude is deemed poor, you get no raise. If you are a role model of good behavior but struggle with your workload, you get no raise.

Then for a 2% raise, you have to have solid behaviors and solid results; for a 2.5%, role model behavior with solid results, or role model results with solid behavior; the 3% is 'exceptional' and covers someone who has role-model behavior and exceptional results.

I'm not personally worried about getting screwed out of a raise, but a lot of this language is too broad in my opinion when it determines whether you get any raise at all, let alone the percentage. At least under the old system you knew you would get a raise, even if it was a small one, and the extra bonus was based on a similar system.

I dunno. I guess we shall see how this plays out.

#personal

[thegravityblog]

My alter ego: This is what I hate. Idk what happens some nights, I am like “Why?”. Cheer up boy, sleep. She never lost sleep for you. And whatever she did was just an act. It was all fake. You’re just around the corner one step away. A couple of steps more and you’re there. You’ve already started feeling a sense of relief, don’t destroy it. Fuck her! She doesn’t deserve a soul like you. What the fuck in this world do you think, a woman who in her delusional world thinks she’s strong and a girl boss but when the times were really tough, got somebody to fill the void and just escaped? You think this person deserves to be in your late night thoughts? Cmon dude. Now you being deluded. Some people are fabulous actors, it was just an act. Now sleep, you have things to tackle. Who will take care of the employees, the product, the market, the clients and the associates? The whole fucking company? You put fires off everyday. Its normal, the difference is here you are completely being human. You’re doing absolutely fine. That bitch never deserved you, she was a mistake. You would had recovered by now, but she knowingly chose to fuck you for her own happiness. Her own stupid ass self centeredness. She could had ended things peacefully, but how would she feel better about herself if she couldn’t break you and confuse you? Keep you as a low-hanging fruit? But you won. You’re still around and you have achieved more than her in lesser time. And you’re rocking. There are so many more beautiful woman out there, what are her standards? You deserve someone who is internally beautiful, but not some fake ass girl boss. Girl bosses are accountable for their shit, your own elder sister is an example. That’s what a girl boss is. She owns her stuff and is not afraid to take responsibility. That’s the truth you needed to hear. Cool? I am surprised with all that cash in the bank you still think about a worthless fake human being! Sleep my boy. Winners don’t lose sleep for losers. Reserve this mental space for something meaningful. That chick took seconds to slip into someone’s bed, what makes her a strong woman? 0 self control when things were wrong. And did she win? Leaving you? Have you seen who is she with? Is he even a man? And the lifestyle? Cmon dude, you should treat yourself a single malt next evening that she left you for a loser. Just because someone is always with a person doesn’t mean that person is a man of values. If he was, really, do you think they would had been coupling on a porn site? That’s there side hustle. So you think this man, who also takes the easy route to get rich is a man of values? High value men aren’t fiddling on a chicks tail and following her orders. They make her life better in an unimaginable way. They move their lady to do better in conventional ways. A proper side hustle, in reality that guy is just being her pimp. How much of a reality check do you need more? Which civilized guy would record videos of her girl and post them online for money? Is that a gentleman’s definition? That guy is allowing thousands of guys to jerk off seeing her girls ass. Is this enough for tonight? Reality check. Don’t be them. Don’t be deluded. Being in solitude needs courage which you have been showing, these people are weak. Ask them to be alone for just a month and they’ll get mad, because in reality they can’t be with themselves. They don’t have the time to reflect on who they are! just don’t waste time on thinking why. Why is because she is this way. Not a gentleman’s possession but a pimps public property. Sorry, online pimp sounds accurate.

Yep, my alter ego is right. Sorry dude. 😂🥲

*These convo’s are very interesting between me and my alter ego*

[particularj]

Okay I’m going to call out some bullshit on this trend of news covering a supposed amazing spike in crime.

And federal authorities now warn it's become an "absolute threat" to public safety and public health, declaring that violent gangs, dangerous international crime syndicates, and even groups with suspected ties to terrorism are increasingly dabbling in organized retail crime across the United States.

International terrorists are not sending cadres of people to America to steal power drills to sell online. It’s just not profitable enough, there’s too much of a paper trail, and they just don’t need to.

Raul Aguilar, who oversees international organized crime cases for Homeland Security Investigations, the primary investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security [says]: “And because it's hundreds of millions of dollars, [the money they make] can easily be diverted for [other] kinds of activities."

We’ll come back to this figure in a minute.

"Organized retail crime is what I call theft for greed, not theft for need," said Scott Glenn, vice president for asset protection at The Home Depot

We’re also gonna follow this guy because he’s a fucking idiot trying to further the spin on this story.

And what about theft for need? And how do you know these people aren’t stealing to feed families? I’m willing to bet they are earning more than you pay many of your seasonal, non-union employees.

Glenn said The Home Depot investigated about 400 cases of suspected organized retail theft in the past year alone. … Home Depot alone loses "billions of dollars a year" to organized retail crime, according to Glenn.

So, if it is nationally hundreds of millions of dollars, how is it billions for just Home Depot?

For it to even reach ONE billion, each of those 400 cases would have to be theft of $2.5 million EACH.

That isn’t happening. Especially when the surveillance photos show and the article estimates it’s clearly about $3,000 or so.

These aren’t bank heists or jewelry store robberies, come on. Because if it was that level, we’d be hearing about it.

Asked what's behind the recent spike of organized retail crime, Glenn cited two things in particular: the proliferation of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed people to stay "a little bit more anonymous," as he put it, and the explosion of online marketplaces, where people can be even more anonymous.

And there it is. It’s the masks! It’s the anonymity! We need mass surveillance everywhere online and in person! We need cameras tracking everybody! We need a police surveillance state!

This is a bullshit story puff piece blindly unchecked by the reporter by corporate conglomerate retailers (the article cites their retail association, which is NOT unbiased) and pro-police and surveillance systems.

A Homeland Security Investigations report issued last year said estimates regarding organized retail crime found "the average American family will pay more than $500 annually in additional costs due to the impact."

They even try to claim this hurts YOU! Don’t you want to stop this because it hurts you!

Bullshit, it doesn’t hurt me. Retailers are hurting me by charging more even while they make billions in profit and can eat this loss. Retailers are hurting me by harming my community with poverty wages while getting tax breaks through dealing or force. (Google “dark store theory” to see how these retailers have actually won $0 tax assessments by claiming if they magically left tomorrow the property would be worthless.)

They also give two examples of employees being killed by robbers.

Yes, this is sad, and the killers should be held accountable.

But I want to point out the number of retail workers harmed and killed each year due to shitty corporations not granting sick leave, violating OSHA regulations, and put their staff in dangerous situations at far higher rates than organized thieves.

In addition, said Aguilar, "some of these networks are tied to the terrorist financing networks around the world."

When pressed for more details, he said, "There's still too many active investigations, so I can't really specifically get into those."

So it’s bullshit. Got it.

Some media reports and others have questioned whether law enforcement officials and retailers have been exaggerating the scope of organized retail theft and the threat it poses to the U.S. homeland. As far back as 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported that although retail and law enforcement sources cite "eye-popping figures," there is "reason to doubt the problem is anywhere near as large or widespread as they say."

But Aguilar rejected such suggestions, insisting organized retail theft "absolutely is a threat."

Uh huh. The LA Times had facts and figures to back it up. Aguilar rejects it without evidence and this reporter just reports that as the facts and truth? What the fuck.

Glenn said The Home Depot is looking to stem the tide of organized retail theft by "taking a multifaceted approach": locking up often-targeted items behind cages, launching new forms of technology, and pushing Congress and law enforcement to do more.

There it is. We don’t want to spend our profits, we need more police!

Retailers expect the newly-passed INFORM Act, which requires online retailers to verify certain information about their sellers, to help combat the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods -- but they say they also want Congress to allocate funds for a federal task force specifically targeting organized retail crime. The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, which would establish a coordinated multi-agency response and create new tools to tackle evolving trends in organized retail theft, was introduced by the House of Representatives in February.

Again, we need more money for cops and surveillance! These won’t stop this, but will create problems for all of us and lead to more surveillance tools and privacy invasions.

"The feds ... actually have some really, really good data-sharing and intelligence-sharing capabilities," Glenn said.

How the fuck would you know, Mr. Home Depot man? How the fuck would you even know?

But Aguilar said that to really help stop organized retail crime, consumers need to be "part of the solution."

Go fuck yourself.

The end.

#news #theft #Home Depot #bullshit journalism #acab #abolish police #homeland security #long post

[thebuckblogimo]

A jumble of thoughts on a "Monday Moanin.'"

April 3, 2023

People my age--in Michigan, at least--will remember the late Detroit Free Press columnist Bob Talbert. At the start of each week he wrote a piece called "Out of My Mind on a Monday Moanin.'" Here's my attempt at something similar:

Why is it that screw manufacturers persist in making fasteners with "star" heads and other odd shapes. Seems to me they should be "standardized," i.e., able to be turned with either a Phillips head or flat-head screwdriver.

Phrases such as "Dear Valued Customer" or "team members" (when referring to employees) don't ring true for me.

I've always been envious of people with prominent eyebrows. Wish I had them.

I've tried all sorts of body wash products. However, a good old-fashioned bar of Ivory soap still smells the cleanest to me. After all, it's "99 and 44/100 percent pure."

For some reason I still have trouble when trying to properly use the word "existential." Same for "fraught" and "co-opt."

Another tune I've never heard a bad version of is "Stranger On The Shore." Originally recorded by clarinetist Acker Bilk in 1962, my favorite interpretation is by tenor saxophonist Houston Person.

I wonder why people don't do "calisthenics" any more. They were the staples of football practice when I was in grade school and high school: trunk rotations, neck rotations, bridges, shoulder rolls, running in place, jumping jacks and sit-ups while someone holds your feet to the ground.

Back when you could hold a newspaper in your hands, I rarely spotted typos in stories and editorials. Now I see them daily in the online versions I monitor.

When I was a kid I thought it was the coolest thing when I first noticed a party invitation that said, "8:00 p.m. until ?" Loved the mischief that conjured up in my mind.

There is a whole category of words that sound cool to me. Three examples: "shiitake," "charcuterie," and "Kamchatka." (Sort of like the sounds I make when I sneeze.)

I take credit for inventing the "foot shake," as when the sole of the shoe of one person meets the sole of the shoe of another person, after one of them says, "Slip me some sole."

My favorite craft brew is Bell's Two Hearted; my favorite "water beer" is Yuengling (not the light version).

I have no problem with twisting the top off a bottle of beer, but I much prefer using a bottle opener.

When it comes to mass produced domestic beer, I generally prefer "high octane" types as opposed to "light beer." But when I do drink light beer my favorites are, in this order: LaBatt Blue Light, Busch Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite and the late, great Old Milwaukee Light. But never Bud Light. (Stay thirsty, my friends.)

When my favorite football or basketball team is playing on the tube, I prefer watching an important game alone, as opposed to with a large group of people. I see more, notice more that way.

Going all the way back to fifth grade basketball, I can't recall a single kid who wore "0" on his jersey. Maybe that's why today I still can't get used to seeing it on football and basketball uniforms.

I love the numbers 26, 84, 90 and 95 (with a special shout-out to number 59) on football jerseys. My college friends will know why.

I dislike seeing an athlete wearing number 1. I interpret it as saying, "Hey, look at me."

Whoever selects the musical interludes between stories broadcast on NPR has amazing taste. If only I were quicker on the draw to Shazam them so that I could identify the name of each song and it's artist.

I heard the Who's "Pinball Wizard" over the speakers at the gym the other day. I still think it's an ATT--"all-time-terrible."

Last year while visiting my daughter in Chicago, I purchased one chocolate covered glazed donut at Do-Rite Donuts for $3.45. Last fall, while perusing my high school's 1963 year book, I noticed an ad for Golden Boy Donuts with a sign in the background that indicated a dozen donuts cost 75 cents.

I was never one to win spelling bees in grade school, but I eventually got pretty good at spelling words. Now, I seem to be as crappy at it as I ever was.

During the years before retirement, Debbie and I owned three wonderful dogs (Angela, Erma and Wanda). Now, sometimes we walk our kids' dogs (Gadget, Rambo, Gonzo and Paya). It kills me when they try to back-kick grass onto their deposits after doing their duty.

[peaachykeeen]

a ✨brief rant✨ if you will

so here’s the thing abt losing ur childhood to a mother who is both an alcoholic and a drug addict, abusive in every sense of the word, a father who is incredibly absent bc he works away most of the time and being the one to raise your siblings: it’s really fucking lonely. like, i’m hyper independent and struggle to accept help from people and will find myself being jealous of people who have parents that love them, or families that care for their well being etc etc. best example? i was jealous of one of my closest friends for years bc someone who they loved was recovered. THATS FUCKED UP!!! and it honestly wasn’t about either of them it was legit just because i wanted my bio mom to recover and love me. and now, i’ve spent the my life taking care of everyone around me in an effort to not be my parents and have lost my identity both in that, and years of mental illness and i’m at the point where i don’t want therapy or to talk it to death or whatever i just want to be okay. i just wanna be a happy lil 21 year old who feels some sense of direction in life but instead, now that my bio mom is sober (thanks to an accident that almost killed her and has caused a life altering brain injury that i blamed myself for until recently) all i want as a daughter is to know her and spend time with her. but as a person, i don’t think i’ll ever forgive the things she did or said. i don’t think i’ll ever forgive the things she allowed others to do and say. but i’m both a person and a daughter and am literally unable to outrun my biological desire to know this god awful intellectually defective person that she is!! and my father is a whole other story but basically he’s decided i am the biggest disappointment when really, we should all just be shocked that i’m alive and living a relatively normal life?? like bro i am genetically inclined to be just as fucking crazy and unstable as bio momma is but here i am with a stable job where i’m pretty damn valued as an employee (people pleasing is a bad habit 0/10 do not recommend) and financially independent so am i a disappointment or a miracle?? no one knows honestly. i’m a wreck but i hide it pretty good like no one knows so?? i’d like to think we’re ok. maybe. considering getting a work visa and moving to australia. who knows.

[willowfey]

gonna bitch in the tags real quick x

#sick of my manager pushing the 'i love all of you soo much ur like my family we value u and care about u loads!!' thing #not bc i dont believe her.. bc she is a rly nice person and i think she genuinely does care about us #BUT.... #she uses it as a way of like.... acting like every little decision she makes is for our benefit. but it's NOT bc she's a MANAGER like.... #idk she sends out the monday memos calling us nuggets and is like. telling us Manager Things while hiding it in We're Besties Tho :) #FOR INSTANCE: we've been so slow lately that she's cutting back everyone's hours. if she laid ppl off they'd get unemployment but instead #she's just like.... asking some ppl to take a week here and there off unpaid to 'give the shifts to ppl who need them more' #which is kinda fucked up to ask bc like... u dont know who needs it more. everyone needs it. #so she was like 'hi my lil NUGGETS i love u all so much and we're not laying u off bc ur sooo important to us!!!' #but its RLY so if one of us gets covid she has backup employees that can come in #and like the other day basically a dump truck picked up the bins and some trash bags fell out and got crushed and stuck UNDER the bin #which meant there was food and melting ice cream everywhere by the dumpsters #and me and my coworker had to go clean it up and then come right back inside to serve ice cream??? even tho we didnt fucking do it. #and there are other ppl who work maintaining the building and we had to SERVE PEOPLE FOOD AFTER? lke we washed our hands n wore gloves but #STILL #and also she never lets us have a SECOND of downtime even when we're slow we have to be doing all these tasks even if they're unnecessary #like even if we've pinted a thousand containers and refilled everything and been baking all day we need to keep going #to the point of shit going stale lately bc there's not enough ppl to buy cones and cookies but we have to keep making them #and if she hears about one of us looking at our phones briefly when theres 0 ppl in the building #we'll get a slack group msg like 'i love u guys so much :) and i trust u as capable adults to not look at ur phones ever :)' #just.... maybe these are unreasonable things to bitch about but like.... #it's starting to RLY annoy me that she acts like shes NOT our manager and we're just besties bc ur literally. a manager. #U KNOW??? #i dont even know how to explain everything i just dont like it. and i dont like going to work and i dont like the energy bc it feels dumb #AND sugarcoated for no reason so i like.... dont notice the dumb shit that happens #like i wont be annoyed at her taking away shifts if she calls us 'the cutest nuggety nuggets' #if this isnt relatable dont tell me just let me feel bitter safjbasjkfbjkas

[softprincesso]

✨HOW TO BECOME A WEALTHY MIDDLE-AGED MAN✨

PT.2: Overview to understanding different saving/retirement methods, investments, and forms of income

2.1 Savings and Retirement

Welcome lovelies to (what I hope will be) a helpful series on gaining wealth and becoming financially literate and independent!

*disclaimer: while this advice can generally apply to many it will not apply to all. Everyone is in a different situation and should do their own research before they take what ANYONE says as fact or law. This is also coming from the perspective of a young, biracial, first generation female business student following a hypergamous lifestyle and who does sw so some advice may be specific to my like-minded ladies, but for the most part I just love money and want to help others find joy in their wallets as well. I am also operating in the US so things regarding accounts, stocks, and certain laws will vary by your country. Also, this is just a fun thing I wanted to do because talking about leveling up and learning and growing and money are my favorite past times. None of these pictures are mine, however I am using some links which may compensate me in some way, but I only used links which were mutually beneficial and would help you gain something as well, they are still just actual sources I use for myself.

✨THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND✨

Financial independence is different than financial confidence.

Financial Independence: “The most common sense of the term is that someone has enough wealth to live as they wish for the rest of their life without having to work.” -Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0611/declare-your-own-financial-independence-day.aspx

Financial Confidence: “We define financial confidence as having three aspects,” says Miler. “The first is awareness of how money can be a tool for helping you reach your goals and dreams. The second is financial literacy and understanding economic factors. The third is trust and knowing where to turn for financial advice.” -Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleyzalis/2018/06/16/women-money-8-steps-for-growing-your-financial-confidence/?sh=2175b65e2468

While the ultimate goal is financial independence, financial confidence should be the main focus. I’ll give an example why. Imagine there are two people: Rhonda and Jill. Both of them like nice things, love to shop, and participate in the occasional splurge. Rhonda works a regular 9-5 and has a decent salary. She doesn’t have much financial knowledge (translation: financial confidence), but she has a savings account at her local bank and puts a couple hundred into retirement each year and she thinks that's enough. Suddenly, Rhonda wins the lottery. Overnight she has become a millionaire, so she quits her job, moves to LA, and goes on to live life to the fullest. She would now be considered financially independent. However, Rhonda has no idea how to manage all that money. She puts a small amount into that bank savings account and takes the rest to do what she will. One day she tries her luck at a casino, in less than five hours she has lost all of her money and has to start back at square one with no job, only a few thousand to get her through, and no-good way to explain to employers that she just wasted the last 5 years spending money on handbags she now has to sell at a depreciated value. (BTW you would not last not working with only a million dollars in LA for that long)

Now, let’s look at Jill. Jill is an independent contractor and has a relatively steady income. She knows very little about finances, but she actively learns how to manage what she has and keeps up to date on the latest money news. The day that Rhonda won the lottery was just another Thursday for Jill, the only unique point for her was that she opened a savings accounts with a high APY (we’ll say 1%) and put in $5000.00. A little later she also opened a Roth IRA and puts in the maximum yearly allowance of $6000.00. Along the way she opened a brokerage account of her own and started trading in the stock market along with investing in real estate which has given her some extra income to play with each year. Unfortunately, another housing crash occurs, and all of the money Jill invested into real estate is gone. However, since Jill learned the skills behind her choices early on, she is knowledgeable and understands the ups and downs of the market and how to invest her money in other places in the meantime. And, that High yield savings account accrued around $50 more without her doing anything and she has that to fall back on, or worst case she can take out part of her principal Roth IRA contribution. 10 years from now Jill should start to see a steady increase in her Roth IRA that by retirement will be a little over 1 million and she should be comfortable and invested enough into stocks that she gains around $200-1000 extra each month.

I think you understand why you want to be Jill.

✨HAVING ADEQUATE SAVINGS = BEING YOUR OWN LIFEGUARD✨

As discussed in Pt.1 the first goal you should achieve is securing an emergency fund that could sustain you for a couple of months if things were to ever hit the fan, and starting a retirement fund should be in your top 5 goals to complete. The saying, “the rich get richer” is popular for a reason. Wealthy people know how to make their money work for them instead of them having to work for money. An easy way anyone can do the same is by opening the right accounts for your savings and retirement.

Savings: 

All of your savings should be in a high yield saving account or split between different high yield accounts. This is an account which will reward you some interest every period for having money in your account with them. This is incredibly easy to do. You can either research/ask your bank about their high yield accounts or do some googling to find some other bank. Then transfer your money and there you go! When looking at banks understand that the highest Annual Percent Yields (APY), or the interest they will reward you, are going to be from online banks because they have less operational costs than a brick and mortar, but they will also come with their own disadvantages, like less ATMs to access or the inability to use when outside of your country so make sure to look into that. IMPORTANT: Make sure that whatever bank you choose is FDIC-insured so if the bank were to ever collapse or lose your money you have insurance up to $250,000.This won't generate a lot of extra cash, but an extra $20 every year is better than $0.

Retirement:

These accounts usually go by your current situation and what you see for your future.

401K: Probably the most known (I believe it’s only in the States but there might be something close to it in other countries) and that’s just because this is what employers usually offer if they offer anything. It is a retirement fund that your employer will set up and you can predefine how much of your paycheck you want to automatically go into it every time. Sometimes, the employers will also have a match program, and if they do you better max out the money they will contribute because that is FREE money! Most advice that I have seen has said to really only focus on this fund if your employer has that match program, otherwise I would focus on one of the accounts below. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/retirement/08/401k-info.asp

IRA: An IRA stands for Individual Retirement Account. There are three kinds…

                         Traditional: This IRA lets you put in pre-tax money and lets it grow tax-free until you make a withdrawal. Once you make the withdrawal that money is taxed at the current rate of your income at the time. Your contributions are tax deductible so you can write them off of your taxable income of that year. There are limits to how much you can contribute depending on your income, status, and whether you have another retirement fund as well.

                          Roth: With this IRA your contributions are taxed, but when you withdrawal money later on it is tax free. For those of you in a lower tax bracket than you believe you will be in the future, this IRA makes the most sense as you will pay less taxes now than you will when you are 59 ½ (The official age of retirement in the States). There are limits to how much you can contribute depending on your income, status, and whether you have another retirement fund as well.

                           SEP: Simplified Employee Pension. This is also an employer-based plan and may also work better for my self-employed gals out there. I don’t really know a lot on this one so I’ll just leave a link you can look into if it interests you: https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/102714/how-does-simplified-employee-pension-sep-ira-work.asp

You can have both a traditional and Roth IRA as long as you are eligible for both. Anyone with earned income (with a job or can prove a steady income) can contribute to a Traditional IRA, however with a Roth IRA, as a single you can earn up to $139,000 and contribute. Personally, if you are just getting started with all of this just set up one IRA and as you learn more you can take steps to get another or switch accounts.

https://www.investopedia.com/retirement/roth-vs-traditional-ira-which-is-right-for-you/

There are a plethora of other accounts, but they are more specialized and the top four should get you started on the right path to saving for retirement. I’m guessing that the majority of the audience reading these are women between the ages of 20-30. Trust me when I say that I love to spend money as much as the next girl, but I also would like to be completely comfortable should anything happen in my older years that screws up my marriage or job, and no one is going to secure that for you.

Also, I’m sorry this is so US-based, but once again it is all I know. I believe IRAs are more widespread than a 401K, but all that takes to find out is a Google search on your part.

Either way, make sure you have a plan going into 2021 for your savings and retirement because this economic whirlwind is far from over and there is always a chance for another recession, depression, or disaster. (Wow O, way to keep the mood light)

This was getting way too long with the investments added so look out for Pt.2.2 on the overview for investments (where the actual fun begins and I can stop being such a stick in the mud)…

VOCAB TO KNOW/RESEARCH:

Financial independence

Financial Confidence

APY

Roth IRA

brokerage account

High yield savings account

principal

401K

Traditional IRA

Once again… if in these posts I ever give bad advice, F- something up, or am just generally ignorant PLEASE call me out! Remember that just like you I am a young woman figuring everything out and while I am confident when talking about money, I am by no means a genius (only in spurts) so any chance to learn I appreciate. I hope you all learned something new today and as always…

With Love,

O

#how to become a wealthy middle aged man #wealth #money #money management #wealth management #finances #hypergamy #affluence #heauxlife #heaux advice #heaux tips #spoiled girlfriend #spoiled gf #spoiled heaux #black woman in luxury #luxury #sugar tips #oadvice #softprincesso

[felikatze]

SIGIHSBISBS IM SORRY FOR RAMBLING AGAIN

I think that the reason why "redemption through death" works for A **IS** because his redemption is not just him yeeting himself at the very end but rather also his own redemption is already the entire process of lobcorp where both him and the Sephirah cycling through their own personal self made hell and to be "punished for their sins in the past" which they try to redeem themself from trying to improve/become better than they are now and the his death at the end is hmm it kinda morbid but kinda a "reward". Like exactly how you said about the ghostness of the sephirah and like everything inside the facility including both the employee and the manager honestly. Throughout a lot of lob we have the sephirah talking to A about this process of how they are not allowed to die but simply cycling over and over again through a repetitive loop, unable to move on since certain someone does not refuse to let go therefore they cannot move on even in death so by "freeing himself" from that in the end he in turn also finally be able to free everyone else who is trapped in the cycle which is also what other Ssphirah were expecting from him I.e the most evidence being Hokma at the end of suppression prefer for the end that would finally come for all of them saying "give a proper end to everyone in herein, and for yourself". I would like to add in like, in Angela's case it is bad for her since she is the being that has never been allowed to live her life or would ever actually benefit from the result of the thing that she has to suffer for or would earn the freedom like everyone else but talking about Lobotomy Corporation's meaning to Angela is another whole can of worm but tldr I think I tend to see lob a little differently since I does not use really Angela as a base to think of a personal value of lob as a whole since that journey to her is something entirely different than everyone else in game and Angela's own definition is very different.

I would not say this action is perputating the cycle since its final is actually very different from Carmen's despairing death imo and lor doesnt really prove that A's ending is something that is I guess, a wrong solution for himself either? As lor Binah has when talking about A's journey she said that "the cycle has been broken once" but at the same time I understand if this solution and conclusion would unvibe some people since on the surface it kinda just "man beat depression and canon ball himself into the sun" yeah

(0) (1) (2) (4)

OH YEAH IT'S. PURGATORY. that's it.

maybe if everyone is already dead, that includes A and we can also see him as a ghost. Since, "I was the first witness to his death and one of the culprits to his murder" (paraphrasing angela). so in a way it's like also his own ghost story.

problem is in his case death is mainly metaphorical and not actually physical lmao

in a weird way you can also apply a very like... buddhist? reading to it, i.e the cycle of reincarnation ending once you reach nirvana, even if the main symbolism is rooted in judaism

angela's personal feelings do taint a lot of how we perceive A because she's just the most outspoken abt him post lobcorp so a lot of readings, including my own, change a lot depending on whether or not you include angela!

so like, to A and the Sephirah, the cycle of suffering was broken, but to Angela, it was perputated, since she wasn't a participant in the sins being atoned for and she like you said wasn't allowed to live.

Thank you for rambling actually because now i see that a lot of the ambiguity does come from Angela's reading of the story.

Since lor puts so much focus on her and her feelings about this, and since that leads to "what happened to angela was wrong and fucked up and shouldn't have happened" but that doesn't exactly mean that to the other characters it was wrong and fucked up, since vry often the patron librarians do agree that they were actually also looking forward to uh being dead and this changes because now they have to live and like might as well have a good time am i right.

also their whole lives' work got destroyed so they're still kicking as long as that's not fixed

it's the right solution to the characters involved but the wrong solution to outsiders, is what i'd sum it up as. that also gets reinforced by roland as an outsider supporting angela's view of "hey isn't that kinda fucked" because yeah it was.

honestly i do not mind when people ramble at me about stuff i care abt at all!! it's so nice to see different takes and feelings on this stuff.

#feli gets asked #lobotomy corporation #library of ruina #THANK U FELLOW AYIN ENJOYER #every one of my followers gets to read all the ayin takes <3 love yall

[notebooknebula]

Become A 7-Figure Real Estate Investor with Nick Perry and Jay Conner, The Private Money Authority

https://www.jayconner.com/become-a-7-figure-real-estate-investor-with-nick-perry-and-jay-conner-the-private-money-authority/

Freedom to go on different ventures, explore different areas of life, helping other real estate investors become financially free.

These are the things that Nick Perry wants to share with everyone as he talks with Jay Conner about how he started his real estate business until his company became one of the largest wholesaling companies in the US.

Nick is the Owner/Founder/Executive Chairman of Want To Sell Now. The largest nationwide wholesaling company in the United States is based out of Austin TX.

He also owns a fleet of semi-trucks multiple eCommerce businesses and invests in multiple companies and commercial real estate. He also owns the 7 Figure Cartel mastermind that gets people quickly through the hurdles to become multiple 7 figure real estate investors.

He grew up in Northern Virginia and spent the first 5 years of my career in Personal Training before moving to Austin TX where he now resides. Nick moved to Austin with no job, network, and very little money. Soon as he got to Austin, he decided he would do whatever it took to be successful in real estate in pursuit of new opportunities.

He didn’t come easy. It took him 11 months to get his first deal but he did not give up. Nick worked 18 hours a day 7 days a week. He got a six-figure sales job at Indeed.com while he was building my real estate business. Nick devoted all of his sales commissions and time outside of my 9-5 to building my real estate business until he was able to go full-time. As soon as he went full-time, he quickly scaled his real estate company to where it is now in less than 3 years. He now has 8 streams of income and is working on creating more.

Timestamps:

0:01 – Get Ready To Be Plugged Into The Money

1:02 – Jay’s New Book: “Where To Get The Money Now” –https://www.JayConner.com/Book

1:59 – Today’s guest: Nick Perry

4:45 – Nick Perry talks about how he got started in the real estate business.

5:47 – What is your definition of freedom?

6:25 – When did you start your real estate business?

6:47 – Nick talks about some of his early struggles.

8:40 – As the owner of one of the largest wholesaling companies in the USA, Perry talks about what his company looks like and the number of deals they are making now.

10:04 – Nick Perry talks about what wholesaling is all about.

11:32 – Nick explains what is a Novation deal.

12:28 – What makes your company/organization different?

14:00 – How do you run your real estate business remotely?

16:10 – Nick talks about how he manages the rehab or repairs of a property.

17:51 – Tips on building buyers lists.

19:40 – Do you agree that it’s more challenging to find real estate deals now than a couple of years ago?

22:18 – How much money do you spend in marketing to get a contract?

23:21 – What tools in your real estate business that you can’t live without?

24:19 – What is the most important lesson that you learned from real estate investing?

26:42 – Nick Perry talks about his passion for helping other real estate investors.

28:18 – Connect with Nick Perry: https://www.7FigureCartel.com

Private Money Academy Conference:

https://jaysliveevent.com/live/?oprid=&ref=42135

Have you read Jay’s new book: Where to Get The Money Now? It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at https://www.JayConner.com/Book

Free Webinar: http://bit.ly/jaymoneypodcast

Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. Without using his own money or credit, Jay maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $64,000 per deal.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

https://youtu.be/QyeBbDOF4wo

YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/RealEstateInvestingWithJayConner

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/private-money-academy-real-estate-investing-jay-conner/id1377723034

Listen to our Podcast:

https://realestateinvestingdeals.mypodcastworld.com/11198/become-a-7-figure-real-estate-investor-with-nick-perry-and-jay-conner-the-private-money-authority

Become A 7-Figure Real Estate Investor with Nick Perry and Jay Conner

Jay Conner (02:10):

I don’t know about the rest of you, but today he’s down in Miami, on the beach. Anyway, this company is the largest nationwide wholesaling company in the United States, and it is based out of Austin, Texas. Now my guest also owns a fleet of semi-trucks, multiple e-commerce businesses, and he also invests in multiple companies and commercial real estate. Now he also owns this mastermind, the 7-Figure Cartel Mastermind. I can’t wait to hear about that. And that gets people quickly through the hurdles to become and enjoy a multiple 7-figure real estate investing company. Now he grew up in Northern Virginia, spent the first five years of his career in personal training before moving to Austin, Texas, where he now lives and moved to Austin with no job network, very little money. And as soon as he got to Austin in pursuit of new opportunities, he decided he was going to do whatever it took to be a successful real estate investor.

Jay Conner (03:12):

Well, it did not come to him easy and as it does for most of us. It took him 11 months before he got his first deal and he didn’t give up. He worked 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, got a 6-figure sales job at Indeed.com, while at the same time, he was building his real estate investing business. He devoted all of his sales commissions and time outside of the 9 to 5 to building his real estate business until he was able to go full time. So as soon as he went full time, he quickly scaled his real estate company to where it is now and did all that in less than 3 years. And today he has 8 different streams of income and is working on creating more. With that, let me welcome to the show here, my friend, Nick Perry. Hello, Nick. Welcome to the show.

Nick Perry (04:04):

Jay, what an intro man. That was incredible, but I’m honored and excited to be with you guys right now. So looking forward to learning it from you and, hopefully, being able to give it a lot of value to the audience as well.

Jay Conner (04:15):

Absolutely. Nick. So it looks like you’re relaxing down there in Miami.

Nick Perry (04:22):

I am. I actually just moved into a new house here in Miami Beach. So I’m getting my office set up, the interior designer’s coming back and forth. So I’m hanging out on the couch, working from the couch today.

Jay Conner (04:33):

Awesome. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. Well, I appreciate you taking time out to join me and the audience here on the show. So are you ready? You got your seatbelt on?

Nick Perry (04:43):

Let’s go.

Jay Conner (04:45):

All right. What got you into real estate?

Nick Perry (04:49):

My entire life, coming from a kind of middle-class family, everybody that I surrounded myself with was your W-2 employees. They work 9 to 5, just like the majority of the world. And when I was a personal trainer, most of my clients were really, really well off. They were business owners, they were in sales. And those were the guys that were taking nice vacations, they were driving fancy cars, they had freedom and all the things that I wanted in life. And so rather than going with the flock to continue on a 9 to 5 path, I realized that in order to be financially free, I better go out and build a company or get into some high-ticket sales because that’s what everybody who actually had money was doing. So I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but real estate ended up turning out to be that vehicle. And it’s been incredible, as you know, it’s the best decision I ever made in my life.

Jay Conner (05:47):

So you mentioned the word “freedom.” What’s your definition of freedom?

Nick Perry (05:50):

Well, I mean, I’m sitting here right now in Miami Beach. I live two blocks from the ocean. I’ve got the freedom to be able to go where I want when I want, be with the family when I want, so yeah. If I was working at a 9 to 5 job, you just can’t do that kind of thing. So that is also freedom just to be able to go into new ventures and explore different areas of life. That’s really what it’s all about for me. So yeah, I’ve been able to create that for myself and it’s been a heck of a ride.

Jay Conner (06:26):

So, what year did you start?

Nick Perry (06:29):

I landed in Austin, Texas, like you said, without really anything. I had like $5,000 in my name and I just started learning and taking action and I just didn’t give up. And now here we are 7 years later.

Jay Conner (06:45):

Yeah. So what were some of your early struggles?

Nick Perry (06:51):

Early struggles? Obviously, everybody’s got a learning curve, but in 2014, I was doing a lot of direct mail. I wasn’t getting a lot of results either. I would handwrite the cards myself because I didn’t have enough money to pay for a fulfillment house. And I had to get good at sales, too. When I moved down to Austin, it was a much different place than Northern Virginia where I grew up. So, I had to adapt my sales style. You can’t talk so fast down in Texas like you can up in Northern Virginia. So I had to slow down a little bit, and really, the biggest thing was I was getting too much information. I think this is what happens to a lot of investors, as I’m watching YouTube video after YouTube video, trying to absorb as much as I can. And I really didn’t start getting traction until I hired my first mentor and just plugged directly into him. So I started working with Sean Terry, a great guy, in the very beginning, and I would visit with him every quarter and he would tell me exactly what I needed to do and I’d come back the next quarter. And I did that for a couple of years and that really got me going. So hiring a good mentor early was critical for my success. I was fumbling around trying to watch YouTube videos for the first 11 months.

Jay Conner (08:17):

Right. I got you. So yeah, getting a mentor, getting a really, really good coach up front was very important for you. So you’ve got one of the largest, if not the largest, wholesaling company in the US. What does your company look like?

Nick Perry (08:51):

Basically, what does it look like physically? It’s an inside sales office, right? So we’ve got 11 employees and inside of it, we’ve got 5 in Acquisitions. We’ve got 3 in Dispositions, we’ve got my seat as CEO. Then we’ve got a couple support admins and then myself. So we’re not huge, but we’ve been doing it long enough that all of our people are just A players.

Jay Conner (09:23):

So, how many deals are you doing these days in your organization?

Nick Perry (09:28):

So, when we’re in the office, we’re getting anywhere from 3 to 5 contracts every single day. So between 40 to 60 closed and funded deals every month.

Jay Conner (09:39):

Gotcha. And how many different markets are you in?

Nick Perry (09:43):

So the unique thing about my company is we market the entire United States. So I don’t have a specific market or pockets or different markets. I literally blanket the entire US.

Jay Conner (09:59):

Got you. So about five contracts a day. Day in and day out. Let’s make sure everybody understands what we mean when we say “wholesaling.” Different people have different definitions of wholesaling. So what’s your definition of wholesaling? How does that work?

Nick Perry (10:14):

Yeah, wholesaling is, you’re going and you’re contracting a property. Wholesaling, you could literally wholesale any item, but we’ll just use real estate for the example. So you negotiate with a motivated seller to get a property under contract for a certain amount that you can turn around and give it to an investor for a higher amount. So easy numbers, you’ve got a $100,000 property. It’s worth a hundred grand. You get the seller to agree to let you have that property and put it under contract for $65,000. And then you turn around and you find a fix-and-flipper or an investor that wants to buy that property. And they’ll buy it for $75,000. Well, when you get a contract with both parties and turn them into the title company, the title company will give you a $10,000 check or however much the difference is.

Jay Conner (11:03):

Right. So would you say wholesaling in your company is sort of synonymous with assigning or collecting assignment fees?

Nick Perry (11:11):

Correct? Yeah, so we collect a lot of assignment fees, but we’re not just a one-trick pony either. We do “subject to” deals. I hold a lot of rentals in my portfolio, as well. We do novations. So we’re always looking for different exit strategies to monetize more deals.

Jay Conner (11:32):

Right? Explain to everybody what a novation is. What’s a novation deal?

Nick Perry (11:36):

So a novation deal is basically if you have a seller who wants close to retail, their house is in pretty good shape, right? You can go ahead and contract that property. Say they want thousands. We’ll use the $100,000 example again. You got a house that’s a hundred and the seller doesn’t want to take a dime less than 90. Well, you put that property under contract with a novation agreement at 90,000, and that novation agreement will allow you to actually list that property at full retail. Sometimes there’s minor repairs that you do as part of the novation agreement. You may go in and do some carpet or paint or landscaping, but you’re not doing any heavy remodels. These are properties that are in fairly good condition and you can put them and list them and get full retail from a conventional buyer at the end.

Jay Conner (12:27):

Right. What would you say is different about your organization, say from some of your other friends that have real estate investing companies, or say, from some of your other competitors?

Nick Perry (12:41):

Well, being nationwide is completely different than being in a select handful of markets because we don’t have boots on the ground. That would be really impossible, as well. So in order for us to be successful, we have to literally do everything over the phone from acquisitions to dispositions, to coordinating the showings. Literally, everything from A to Z is done remotely from our office in Austin, Texas. So that’s something that’s different than a lot of people, is we’re not having any boots on the ground or anything like that. And then, additionally, my people, that’s the biggest key to my success is the caliber of candidates that we’ve attracted into our organization. I think bar none, I’ll put my team up against anybody’s team that I’ve got a great group of guys.

Jay Conner (14:02):

Give us a 30,000 foot view of how you run a totally virtual remote operation, no boots on the ground. Like what are the key components that you have to have in place for that to work?

Nick Perry (14:27):

So, we do a ton of inbound marketing pretty much through PPC. So we do all online marketing. We don’t do any telecommunications. So a lead will come in and we’re talking to them very similar to the way that most people are talking to these sellers, but when we negotiate, we negotiate over the phone. So we’re going through the property condition. We’re evaluating the property right there on our computers in Austin, and based on the comparables and the condition that the seller describes, we’ll go ahead and contract that property via DocuSign, like electronic signature. And once we have that electronic signature, then the next step is to actually get real photos on file. And that way we can actually start to market that property. So we’ll have the seller take photos for us, or we’ll hire a local handyman or a realtor to go get photos for us on our behalf.

Nick Perry (15:22):

And then from there, once we’ve got our photos, we’ve got our contract and we know how to get access into that property, then we can start locating interested parties who actually want to buy that property. So we’ll go out, we’ll find the buyer, we’ll have them usually put a deposit down before they even go out to the property, once their deposit is in and they’ve agreed to purchase it based on the inspection, we’ll give them one walkthrough after they put their deposit down. Then from there, they’ll do their walkthrough and we’ll use a local title company, or we have national title companies that we use that’ll facilitate the closing with all parties and you send the wire right into our bank account.

Jay Conner (16:08):

So a little more specifically, how do you get really close on estimating repairs?

Nick Perry (16:17):

It’s an art. So one thing that we do is we have a detailed property description and then pictures tell a thousand words, right? So yeah, sellers don’t always know the exact condition of their property, or they try to hide things, you know? But once you have a detailed Rolodex of photos to look at, that’s going to get you really close. Also, after we send somebody in there, if they find out that there’s additional repairs that are needed, we’re going to disclose that to the seller and all parties and make sure that it’s a win-win for everybody involved. We want the investor to get a great deal, solve the seller’s problems. So, nothing’s really getting past us.

Jay Conner (17:08):

You say the majority of your buyers are other real estate investors that are taking the deal down and you’re planning on an assignment fee from them?

Nick Perry (17:21):

Yeah. And unless it’s a novation agreement or sometimes, we’ll just list the properties on the MLS on behalf of the seller. And in those cases, it’s a conventional buyer, but the majority of our clients are all real estate investors like yourself. And you guys that are watching the show that are fixing-and-flipping property, or you’re a buy-and-hold investor looking for additional cash flow properties. Those are our end clients at the end of the day.

Jay Conner (17:51):

You’ve got someone that’s starting out and they want to be in wholesaling. One of the first things they need to do, I suppose, is build a buyers list, right? So what are some of your tips and secrets and strategies on how you quickly build a buyers list of other real estate investors to market wholesale deals today?

Nick Perry (18:15):

Well, yeah, that was one of my biggest challenges going nationwide. I had leads coming in from everywhere, but I didn’t have buyers everywhere. And so one thing that was really helpful to me was you’re going to these masterminds and things like that because I got to know so many other investors from different markets. I was either able to barter, trade, or buy a ton of different buyers lists. So I quickly built up a large buyer’s list just from that. And then, additionally, Facebook is a great tool. There’s tons of real estate investment, Facebook groups, all over where there’s active investors looking for deals. So that and a lot of these small towns, we just reach out to the realtors there because those realtors know everybody, right? They know the doctor that wants to buy a couple of rental properties a month. They know the big fix-and-flipper that’s doing 40 homes a year. So you just get resourceful, roll your sleeves up, and talk to people.

Jay Conner (19:18):

You can’t be picking up the telephone, can you?

Nick Perry (19:22):

Now, we are big on that. I’m big on being on the phones. We don’t do a lot of texting or emailing. My guys, it’s old school, pick up the phone, and make contact and have a conversation.

Jay Conner (19:37):

Yeah, there you go. I love it. We’re in a crazy market nationwide, pretty much every market. There’s no inventory to speak of in the multiple listing service. I hear a lot of my real estate investing friends say it’s the most challenging time that they’ve ever had, finding the off-market deals. And so we gotta be consistently marketing. So first of all, would you agree with that statement that it’s more challenging to find deals today, say than a couple of years ago?

Nick Perry (20:13):

I don’t know. I mean, I’m making more money than I’ve ever made in my career right now. So I think it just comes down to being smart with the way that you’re marketing because if you’re doing telecommunications, which is cold-calling, ringless voicemail, texting sellers, that’s an uphill battle. You’re beating on their door, knocking on their door, asking to give them a cash offer and everybody else is doing that. So one thing that was critical for me was to get really good at online marketing. All I do is pay-per-click advertising. I don’t do any other form of marketing. It’s been that way for a long time just because it’s a completely different approach when somebody’s reaching out to you, asking you for help versus you reaching out and trying to help somebody.

Jay Conner (21:06):

Absolutely. I was gonna say, it’s a whole different conversation when they’re raising their hand looking for you versus you raising your hand and you looking for them. It’s a different, whole conversation when somebody is clicking on your ad and saying, “Hey, please contact me,” versus you’re coming into somebody’s newsfeed or a Facebook ad or anything like that. I love it. So that’s interesting. You’re the only person I’ve talked to that only has one marketing channel. So that’s fantastic. I would think your sales guys, your acquisitions guys have a lot happier day than some other wholesalers.

Nick Perry (21:54):

Big time. If I were to give them cold calling leads or texting leads, they’d probably quit because I mean, it’s a completely different vibe. We get our conversions and it’s 1 out of every 10 to 15 leads is a contract. So they’re having to do much less outbound dials to get deals.

Jay Conner (22:16):

Right. What’s your average cost of a deal these days? What’s your conversion cost? How much money do you have to spend in marketing to get a contract?

Nick Perry (22:31):

I know it fluctuates between $800 and $1200. So our cost per contract’s really low because I’ve been working on PPC for so long. I’ve got my cost per lead really low at this point, which obviously plays a huge part in the cost per contract and profitability and all of that.

Jay Conner (22:49):

That’s fantastic. Do you use virtual assistants in your business?

Nick Perry (22:55):

We do. We have some virtual assistants that help out on the disposition side. We have some a couple of full-time virtual assistants that help follow up within our internal database, but the majority of my staff is all in-house right there in Austin, Texas. And they’re 5 days a week, Monday through Friday just going after it.

Jay Conner (23:21):

What kind of CRM or tools or systems do you have in place that your business really couldn’t live without?

Nick Perry (23:31):

We’ve customized our Podio to do everything that we needed to do. So that’s been phenomenal. If you’re using Podio, find a good developer to help customize it to the way that you like to do business. And then additionally Zillow, we comp using Zillow and we comp using PropStream. So those are really helpful. And then on the selling side of the properties, we use a software called InvestorLift, which is really helpful. It’ll show you all the LLCs of the people that are flipping property there in the area and give you their contact information. So InvestorLift has been a powerful tool for finding those investors across the country.

Jay Conner (24:18):

Interesting. So you’ve got quite a few years of experience right now. My next question, you would probably be able to answer this in more than one way, so I’ll just let you pick one. What’s one of the most important lessons you’ve learned since being in real estate investing?

Nick Perry (24:35):

Oh man. There’s so many. If I had to boil it down to one though, I don’t want to give you a cliché answer, like, “Don’t give up” or anything like that, but in terms of real estate investing is, “It’s going to be okay.” So here’s what I tell a lot of my students, too. It comes down to your team, and let me elaborate on that. “A” Players are the only thing that work in this business. If you have an A Player and B Player, here’s what happens. You got the B Player that ends up getting half of the leads, and that deal that your A Player would have closed and made $70,000 on, your B Player is going to fumble on that and it’s not going to become a deal. So you end up having a lot of lost revenue. So you look at that and you take that scenario and you extract it out over a week, a month, a quarter a year, you could, you could be potentially losing your multiple 7-figures if you don’t have the best talent. So I think people want to try to settle for inexperienced people, people that aren’t A Talent because they don’t think they can afford them and things like that. But I’m telling you, good talent is really the key to my success.

Jay Conner (26:01):

And what are your favorite ways to find that talent?

Nick Perry (26:06):

So I worked at Indeed before coming into real estate. So I know a lot of the tricks on how to get a ton of candidate flow there. And then we’ve come up with a proprietary way of just being able to quickly funnel through people and get near the best people that rise to the top on Indeed. So, Indeed, by far is number one and then referrals, as well. We’ve had a lot of great people come through who work with me just through referrals.

Jay Conner (26:36):

Gotcha. Super! Well, Nick, I tell you what, you have got the experience and you are one impressive human being. What is a final thought or thoughts that you would like to share with the audience?

Nick Perry (26:50):

Yeah, final thoughts. The biggest thing is if you’re already in the business, what tends to happen a lot of times is you plateau, you end up getting stuck. I got stuck in what I call “wholesaling purgatory” for 3 or 4 years where I couldn’t get past 5 to 8 deals a month. And what I did was now that we do 40, 50, 60 deals a month, the biggest difference was 1. Your team, 2. Your marketing, and then 3.) Also being nationwide. So I literally downloaded everything I know into video format and then created a mastermind behind it, as well, where I work with already experienced real estate investors that are looking to get from maybe a handful of deals a month to 7+ figures, multiple 7-figures a year. That’s what I’m really good at is helping people that are already successful in getting them quickly through those growth pains in this business because I already went through it. So that’s my new passion now is working with other investors I get to help. That’s really rewarding to me. And that’s been my new passion since I don’t do much in the day-to-day of my wholesaling operation anymore. I just get out of those guys’ way and let them close deals.

Jay Conner (28:11):

Yeah, man, and I’ve gotten the same passion and that is making a difference in other real estate investors’ lives. So let’s give everybody your website because we got some viewers and most of the people that are going to be listening to us will actually be listening to the podcast. So that website is www.7FigureCartel.com. Did I get that right, Nick?

Nick Perry (28:49):

You got it. Or you can just reach out to me on Instagram. It’s just my name, Nick Perry and then REI like real estate investments. So just Nick Perry REI, or you can go to the website, but yeah, happy to connect and help you guys any way I can.

#Jay Conner #Private Money Lender #Real Estate Business #Real Estate #Real Estate Investing #Real Estate Investor #Real Estate Profit #The Private Money Authority #Flip Your House

[okitanoniisan]

hiii sorry i might be thinking of the wrong account, if so feel free to ignore!! a friend of mine is trying to get into rgg and i think?? you were the one who like said dni for those justifying "those scenes" i've only ever skimmed playthrus of the game so i dont know every scene, but i dont mind spoilers. i just wanted to ask what these scenes are so i can appropriately trigger warn my friend if needed! thx

There are several sexual assault scenes in Yakuza 4, one involves a young girl being pinned down by an adult man (nothing happens, but it is very heavily implied that he's struggling to resist taking advantage of her – there's also a series of very uncomfortable closeups). The other scene involves a woman being restrained and having her shirt ripped open and cleavage ogled, which wouldn't bother me as much personally if it wasn't so unnecessary and gratuitous with the angles and intention behind it.

There used to be an unfortunate amount of t-slurs in 4 (and one in 5 as well), but they've been taken out of both in the remaster.

Yakuza 4 also had a scene where one character laughs at his employee saying she's worried that she'll be r*ped, with the implication being that no one would r*pe her because she was fat. The remaster censors it and replaces it with a line about how she's "not a delicate flower" and can fight them off herself.

Other than that, general warnings for the entire series are about what you'd expect, the series can get quite dark, but for the most part I think the other games tend to handle these things a lot better than 4 did (Yakuza 4 has a lot of moments that rely on shock value and showing how edgy they are, it's the only game in the series that's like that) but Yakuza 0's plot involves human trafficking and trauma from sexual abuse.

Nothing else really bothered me enough for it to stand out, I can think of some substories that could require warnings but that would take forever to go over for each game, and I haven't even finished every single one myself.

I wouldn't consider myself to be someone who is easily triggered by disturbing scenes, but the first one I mentioned caused me to drop Yakuza 4 entirely because to me it was incredibly upsetting (the aftermath of it is very dismissive and essentially condones it, there is a character standing and watching it happen to his daughter and he just goes "well obviously you'd have urges, you haven't seen a woman the whole time you were in jail!" as if a 13 year old is comparable to a consenting adult woman...) and I honestly recommend skipping the entire cutscene if you do bother with Yakuza 4 (I don't recommend it).

If you or your friend have any specific triggers that you're concerned about, I'd be happy to compile a more detailed list, but these are the ones that bothered me personally.

#ask ada #ill leave this untagged because the purpose is to warn people of triggering subjects so... #tagging with trigger warning tags would mute the post #and yeah it is on my dni list #it originally said 'dni if you defend The Scene from Yakuza 4' but i changed it to be less vague recently #its specifically the first scene that i was referring to

[pandoricpies]

My Opinion on the Current Community ‘Tension’ with SSE

I haven’t really formally stated my opinion on this. After seeing multiple posts and discussions from Tumblr and Instagram on this topic, I’ve come to a conclusion:

We’re all outsiders.

Yes, I most certainly agree that SSE’s management could be a lot better, regardless of any job site reviews. The game and updates themselves prove that much. I mean, one update dedicated to just a re-colored outfit set? And a very expensive one at that? Not a great call. I would have had no problem with that update had the outfit itself been a reasonable price.

However, here’s my problem: The full character (raring racer) riding apparel set in any given color comes to a total of 434 star coins. The full tack set of any given color is 390.....

That comes down to a whopping total of 824 star coins. You could buy a number of horse breeds for that.

Here’s my main problem with SSE at the moment; it’s almost as if the company is trying to ‘out-sale’ their players if you will (my brain cannot think of a better word for that atm). They keep pricing items in the game, whether that be clothing, tack, or horses, higher and higher.

I am well aware that they need to pay their employees, constantly upgrade tech, etc.. Unfortunately, I think these higher prices are what is turning so many players away from the game. Most players got into this game for the horses, the equestrian atmosphere, the adventure.... and the fun. That’s all being grayed by constant revenue involved updates (new horses, expensive clothing/tack sets) for which most of us who don’t buy star coins very often really can’t get much enjoyment out of.

Personally, this lowers my interest in even buying star coins in the first place. Why keep buying currency when I’ll never have enough to keep up with updates and get enjoyment from them?

Therefore, the company ends up losing more revenue and popularity from the decrease of players than if they just kept the items in game at a steady, reasonable price. This then obviously becomes extremely counterproductive.

Besides that, I also wanted to address the Glassdoor reviews; I definitely agree that they are very concerning, and most likely have some air of truth.

But, that’s just it.... we have to give them the benefit of the doubt. There’s no way to actually prove that any of these are from a real SSE employee. I don’t doubt that some of them have come from employees who are tired of the way they/their teams are being valued (or the lack thereof) under higher management.

But, how do we distinguish between the real and the fake?

I, as I’m sure many of us do, follow SSO’s Instagram page. I occasionally scroll through the comments on their posts..... and they’re annoying to say the least. Most of the comments are being made by younger fans who think that bullying a corporate company is going to change a single thing.

Newsflash, it’s not. The only thing that that negative comment is going to do is fuel more similar comments and discourage the social media team who have 0 control over anything that happens within the actual production of the updates/game.

How do we know that one of those harsh reviews wasn’t some raging fan having a rant because they didn’t get what they wanted?

That brings me back to my main point; we’re all outsiders. We don’t have direct access to anything within SSE (unless ofc you’re an undercover dev). We can’t prove/disprove anything we’ve heard. This leads into my last point:

The response to criticism from some employees at SSE has been..... concerning.

When the company you work for or the team you work on is being criticized, (regarding @lisa_ws Instagram post/comment not sure which one it was) you don’t respond by not only saying ‘oh you’re wrong this breed is beautiful’, tag a person who left a negative comment in your own, and then proceed to call the criticism a ‘trend’. That comes off as extremely unprofessional and honestly.... childish.

This just relays information to us that the company/teams are not taking criticism well. So, are they taking it at all?

I don’t want to take one employee’s comment and give a general statement off of that. However, it gives me a lot less faith in change for SSE and the game.

This is in no way to attack any one dev or general employee. I appreciate the work that they do individually (as long as they’re not leaving rather concerning comments). As I said in an earlier post, it’s important to keep in mind that these individuals only have so much ability for input in their individual teams; separate higher management from the individual artists/developers.

This is more of a long rant than anything, but figured I’d put my own opinion out there.

#star stable #sso #star stable online #sse #soul riders

[gally-hin-phantom]

Tutorial/Step-by-step/Tips 4

I will this time mainly talk about how to create coherent Characters Design, break down my thoughts process and give additional general tips

Since it's Concept Art, I won't do a "clean" lineart (I will mainly use my usual comfort textured brush and won't go further than a clean 2nd Sketch) nor add any shadings/effects (to not alter the color palettes)

Those characters are my friend pages_of_altaire's OCs, Vlad Masters's employees

I’m not a professional and nothing is “rule”, just an art nerd sharing what they learn in their free time

Long post !

xxx

Step 0: Collect Information

It’s tempting to straightly jump into the drawing but I really don’t recommend it

I usually make a tab with a part including basic information like : Name, Hair color & type, Eyes color, Skin color, Height, Body type And a part with : Cloths, Particular Accessories, Personality

If your characters are good with themselves and not hiding personality traits nor secrets, their personality and what they do in life/where do they live should be reflect in their clothing (however it’s interesting to make contrast if you want to create surprise, like a ruthless evil character with childish traits, or a very kind and sweet muscular tall man)

Pages_of_altaire made me a tab with all the information + mood boards 👌💚

Tip: We artists are often confront to same-face syndrome, but I will add that same body type syndrome is also very common while less talked about (even in the professional world like comics, or mangas) I highly recommend you to try going outside the “perfect standard body type” we usually start our drawing journey with if you want to vary your characters and give more depth to your world & stories (manly to feminine, thick to thin, tall to short, muscular to frail, old to young...) Tip: Like changing eyes types, varying hair is also very interesting to give your characters more personality (long, short, straight, waivy, curly, coily, braided, tied, messy, clean) Tip: Including a little personalized accessories and details really make a character stand up and more “unique” (a ring, a watch, glasses, jewelries, freckles, make up, a printed t-shirt...) Tip: If you don’t have any ideas, searching clothes and fashions references on Google or Pinterest could help

.

Step 1: First sketch

This is just a really rough sketch to choose the eyes types and what poses would reflect each characters’ personality best

Eyes and face are the reflect of the character soul, it’s what we tend to look first and focus on (it’s biologic) so obviously we will have to be careful about the face

If the eyes are the soul, the hands are the spirit Don’t neglect how important hands are in a pose, are they showed ? hided ? crossed ? opened ?... A good pose includes good hands poses

Ask yourself, is your character cheerful ? grumpy ? confident ? cool ? shy ?...

Tip: The spin also shows how confident a character is, they could rise up or bend Tip: To make an interesting character sheets composition don’t sort the characters by height smaller to taller, try to vary and make height “waves”

.

Step 2: Second sketch

I’m usually don’t bother doing a second sketch, unless I really want to have a clean final result But the cleaner your sketch is, the cleaner your final lineart will be

Since I’m still not totally comfortable with my anatomy (still working on my memories library) to make clean final product I generally use 3d models with the free app Easy Pose and adjust my sketch to give them the height & body type I want (changing the hips, busts, shoulders, muscles etc...), correcting the pose if necessary

There is nothing wrong with tracing a pose as long as you trace responsibly, it’s really common in industries (like Disney or Ufotable) to use 3d models to speed up the work and make artists’ lives easier Good tutorial and explanations by @pesky-poltergeist under @the-stove-is-on-fire‘s art tutorial => https://pesky-poltergeist.tumblr.com/post/646558144390119425/wing-drawing-hack-trace-a-photo-no-seriously

Tip: Use a dark blue instead of pure black to draw to rest your eyes, you will focus better this way and could still change the line color after :) Tip: To make a lively lineart, vary the line weight; thick for separate shapes & intersections, and thin for details & textures Tip: We tend to draw the eyes first, but try to draw the eyes at the very end of your sketch/lineart As said above, us human are social creatures, we are biologically programmed to search eyes and faces, by drawing the eyes first we tend to unconsciously search the eyes of our characters and then are distracted from the whole picture

.

Step 3: Silhouettes

The silhouette help to understand how strong a character design is, iconic characters like Sonic or Cloud have very distinguished figures A silhouette also help to see how confident a character is If the silhouette is still clear the pose is strong and the character confident, on the contrary if the silhouette is more blurry the character is more shy

.

Step 4 : Values + Textures (useful for greyscale comics like mangas)

The most important in a drawing is values (brightness), before saturation and color/hue (if you don't know value/saturation/hue, I recommend you to search some tutorials about the color theory on Youtube) I always start with choosing my values before adding any saturation or colors

Values could drastically change the mood of a piece (calm, drama, tension etc...) and for character design, artists use a full range for clarity; from high key to low key

There my example with bad values, as you could see cloths, hair and skin blend together and make the visual difficult to read

My final values, with define separations between the different parts

Tip: When you are drawing a group, try to vary where the darker and lighter values are between each characters to make an interesting and harmonious blend Tip: Adding textures/patterns give more life to a flat 2D drawing, especially for clothes or backgrounds; you could hand draw it or use premade brushes

.

Step 5: Values / Hue / Saturation (Finished Concept Arts)

The value “rule” for clarity is still there for a colored drawing, you will just have a bit more values to consider

Since I was working on a group, to not clash characters I decided to give each of them a different main color based on their personality

Abby - Green : Youth, Energy, Freshness (bonus: green go well with redheads)  Nate - Blue : Serenity, Stability, Wisdom, Reliability Jolie - Red : Passion, Danger, Importance Angel - Purple : Independence, Nobility, Bravery Brad Yellow : Joy, Optimist, Enlightenment

While adjusting my hues I adjust at the same time the saturation to make something harmonious to the eyes, I usually choose to saturate one/two piece(s) of clothes or accessories by character to make it pop, usually the main cloth or the hair

To finish I just blur the line a bit, a bit of blushes, eyes lights and a paper texture on the whole piece Tada it’s done !!

Bonus: Step-By-Step gifs

Thank you pages_of_altaire for the character design exercise opportunity

I haven’t draw braids nor curly hair for a while now and it’s good to challenge ourselves a bit sometimes It’s help me go back on art after some rough weeks, and force me to go outside my comfort zone and comfort characters (aka Danny & Dani)

If you have any questions don’t be scared to ask me, I’m not a professional but I like to nerd about art ^^ 💚

#tutorial #stepbystep #gally draws #gift art #might be my last tutorial so #spreading the art nerd mode

[gdsplay]

I've been a BB fan since I think 2016, and rn I don't know if i can continue or not. Please help me rationalize this, but do you really think they didn't knew/support him? YB is obvious but GD's insta posts were pretty on the nose. There's also Daesung's building situation, and I know this is old but with the news of YG threatening to kill people to protect B.I., even his old accident seems shady to me... I don't know. I feel like they are some scummy men now, this really isn't an attack at you or any other VIPs I just don't get it. I wish to like them again, but with the situation rn I can't. So I wanna know how you view these situations.

I’m here to debunk some of these assumptions;

Starting with support, what support? They’ve been living in silence since military service. They barely even update their own social media. Ot5’s will over analyzes any kind of picture or post to create a deep meaning behind it in honor of Seungri. These fan’s recently just spammed TOPs Instagram over a Picasso bug picture he reposted from a professional artist/photographer. A deep meaning over a bug… you can think like ot5s and always try to interrupt to create a deep meaning, perhaps what if Seunghyun was calling him a bug? See what I mean it’s all in the head.

The five hands? Well I don’t feel anything bad about it. The members aren’t ignorant. Why should we have to forget BigBang and not value the memories? Daesung used a screenshot and blocked all five faces, he won’t just block only seungri’s. They’re not doing to be petty and repost edited photos let alone full face ot5 photos. GD is very sentimental, it’s not that he’s particularly showing a stance but more so keeping the spirit of BigBang in the lest problematic way which a hand picture from Made was a good choice, a more reassuring picture so fans know they’re not going to disband or retire as a group over Seungri with or without him. I’m pretty sure they’re not allowed to speak on any of this burning sun scandal for their own good. Even if it’s against Seungri it will cause chaos from all ends including media. I know it sounds like a good idea but you have to understand the culture over their in handling these situations is nearly similar to how us oversea people address issues. I know ot5 have been disgusting obnoxious about that post, so what? Let them, it can be their last crumb. BigBang are well aware they are now a four member group, they knew it was coming sooner or later just by all of their own quotes regarding it. Why should they announce they obvious? It’s not anyone’s fault that a group of these active fans can’t let go and move on. There’s nothing to explain to them or anyone. The popular attack of ‘contract fans’ thrown, it’s true though, bigbang would not of renewed their contracts as four members if the oath of 5-1=0. The guys would have disbanded or called quits on the band.

As far as that goes the members scolded Seungri for years about his behavior and choice of friend group or the way he treats women like objects. They’ve tried maturing him, even help him to lead him out of the off vibe of friends he befriend. His ‘hyungs’ always wondered where Seungri’s whereabouts are. He would stop hanging out with them, going out for birthdays or celebrations and even being the only member to not physically sit down and meet Taeyang’s girlfriend at the time, someone important who meant the world to Taeyang. He couldn’t even do that for his own brother, everything was business and business only. So they’ve spat that in his face multiple times and wonder why he became distant, wondering where he’s been.

They may of predicted the future but they had no idea about the secret business he was really up too and it’s very ashamed and disappointed to find that out publicly like everyone else. A stab in the back I will say.

BigBang, the hyungs, have always respected women, they’ve never expressed perverted or shady behavior with any of them. Most of GD’s personal friend group is full of women whom he is close with, many feel safe with him and trust him just like the other three. While Seungri on the other hand.. their has been some uncomfortable signs as of body language. He always always been in the running ‘jokes’ or caught too many times with his p0rn watching— more like unhealthy addiction where his personality is pervert-like.

Now don’t take my wording the wrong way I’m not trying to come off snarky at all; The problem is too many of people take what they hear and run with it. Daesungs building? Let’s talk about that, Daesung bought a building back in later 2017 was at? Somewhere around before he enlisted, he seemed to of not studied the building enough more so just a quit purchase. Since around 2005 before BigBang we’re even a thing, making Daesung a minor that building has been running secret sex services their or over a decade. Nobody knew about these acts happening. Daesung didn’t run the building or even work within this building, he was just the owner who at the time recently bought it. What I trust in Daesung is how well he handled the situation compared to Seungri. As soon as the news hit Daesung immediately reached out to the fans and expressed his shock and disappointment about the news accusing him. Right away he apologized making a statement hours after the news to reassure fans. Taking on the mature adult route, he said he will do everything he’s acquired to do to get to the bottom of this accusation. Daesung sadly got thrown under the bus and invoked since he was the owner, now he was doing his mandatory this whole time unaware as well as when he bought this building. He ha:d nothing to do with the tenants, again he onlt owned the building. That would be like an accident happening at your local store, let’s use as an example! Someone dealt with a very disrespectful employee, now is that the owner of the buildings fault or the employee that works there? What would the building owner have anything to do with that encounter, the building owner doesn’t hire the people to work in their building that’s all within management of the building who work their not the owner. Does that make better sense?

Daesung went through about a month of working with the police, Daesung was clear of all charges and he chose to not own the building anymore. At night time the tenants would run illegal activity in secret without anyone’s knowledge, it sure was bad timing but I’m glad he got cleared and quickly. It’s unfortunate he had to be dragged into the mix of that with just buying a building. Perhaps he will be more careful next timeZ. I feel he should of waited and not rush into something right before enlistment since he would be gone. These activities took place for around 14 years beforehand. There is a huge underground prostitution ring within Gangnam no one knows where all the secret hot spots are just the ones who are getting caught.

Unlike Seungri who ignored the news of burning sun first being talked about including himself, not only did he pretend that the news didn’t occur but his reply later in February at one of his solo concerts was ‘I don’t care, I like when people talk about me’ that was his bright and witty choice of phrasing to use regarding a serious scandal about to stir.. I knew then he wasn’t worth my time or support with such a gross and cocky attitude.

These assumptions many have regarding BigBang can be negative judging by what they hear and choose to believe. Which I understand if you don’t follow them you’re not going to know everything or keep up. Just like you I hope to educate and explain further deeper into these issues. This may help or not but I’m glad you came here wanting to know.

#bigbang #Seungri #lee seunghyun #big bang #burning sun

[atltexts]

(1-0) THE CONTROVERSIAL SIGH OF RELIEF

OK... good morning

I can’t believe I have to seriously explain why this is not a r*pe score, but here we go 🥴

I was there the day BVH was exonerated in April. Waiting for the outcome, I stayed up all night, making sure I would be available if anything bad were to come of this. This wasn’t anything new for me. When the letter came in, BVH immediately broke down in tears. At first, I didn’t know what he was feeling and asked him a number of times what it said. I couldn’t make what he was saying, then he just kept repeating “not guilty, not guilty”

We really thought this nightmare would be over from there. This was a huge sigh of relief and as anyone would, BVH felt intense emotion in that moment.

PRECURSOR FOR CONTEXT: BVH was not a religious person prior to any of this, but on December 15 2020, he suffered from his first sleep paralysis episode. Sleep paralysis is more prone to happen to a person when they are either under immense pressure or are deeply depressed. He felt a malign presence in his bedroom & his knee-jerk reaction was to immediately start praying Psalm 91. When this happened, all the noise around him subsided, the presence left, and he was able to gain control over his body again. Since that day, he has prayed the rosary every night before going to sleep. This gave him hope, something to believe in.

CELEBRATING INNOCENCE? THANKING GOD? NOT ON MY WATCH, BUCKO: Just like how his knee-jerk reaction was to pray to banish the sleep paralysis influence, his knee-jerk reaction to being exonerated was to publicly praise god. He asked me “should I write this?” And i paused, thinking it was a little strange, but I also didn’t want to ruin his moment, so I said yes. It was benign! What could possibly happen!!

He was immediately kicked out of the group after a girl weaponized his religion to call him ugly (67+ students liked this!). Another girl wrote “finally,” and comments continued from there. Of course, everyone but BVH got off the hook and BVH was penalized for being “unprofessional.”

Not only was he penalized for being “unprofessional”, but he was also penalized for being happy! “How dare you be happy the day your accuser lost, you should feel sadness and remorse!!!” Yup… he had to go through empathy coaching for this. Wish I was kidding.

BEWILDERING INTERPRETATIONS: We later found out that this was misinterpreted as a r*pe score. “He’s saying he did it before and he will do it again.” Initially, there weren’t that many complaints (maybe 2-3), but when these students instructed other students to do the same, the number obviously increased greatly. So far, over 30 complaints have been filed — while the initial ones were about the Title IX investigation & the Group Me post, the last handful of them said “I don’t care if she couldn’t prove it, I know something bad happened.”

GLOATING SHMOATING: That night, the school sent a mass e-mail to all students about “gloating over the misfortunes of others”, but as they usually do, they denied this. I guess there are just that many coincidences, even though they themselves accused him of… ‘gloating’ over the misfortunes of others.

THE COURTEOUS ADMINISTRATOR: Also that night, BVH got a separate e-mail from an administrator demanding they have an urgent meeting. On this “courtesy call” as the administrator called it, he told BVH to “watch himself” and abruptly hung up on him. BVH was literally just chilling. At least BVH got his 5 minutes of relief before the distortion campaign got stronger over his praise for God, I suppose.

QUESTIONABLE PETITIONS: Soon after, the student leadership wrote & circulated a petition for “the expulsion of (BVH)”. I don’t hold it against the people who I signed it. Not knowing the depth of the situation, it’s understandable and also scary to be seated in a classroom with someone you think is unsafe to be around. In the petition, they suggest BVH is a narcissist (it really said “narcissist” in it), further and deliberately spreading more misinformation. They write that he is too unprofessional to become a physician and was “accused of gender-based violence”. Even though BVH wrote literally nothing about the Title IX investigation, this petition states that he is, again, “gloating over the misfortunes of others,” that he’s deliberately trying to intimidate, share people’s private information, abuse social media, lacks empathy, and “implicit threat of future abuse.” None of this is true (and it’s all written like it’s fact — which is pretty unprofessional). Just some more malicious fabrications in attempts to get him kicked out. It also says “reports of comments that devalue his peers” which, as someone who knows him well, I highly doubt is true. He cares too much about his education to put his peers down. The petition proceeds to say “gender-based violence cannot be tolerated”, suggesting their own opinions are fact, further strengthening the distortion campaign. Given the way the petition was carefully written, I don’t blame people for trusting student leadership and taking it seriously. They also say, as though it is fact, that the school’s inaction is jeopardizing BVH’s future patients…. Anyway, I’ll bite my tongue & move on.

MORE TRIALS, BEFORE MORE TRIALS. WHY NOT: The school sent him to the pious court of the medical school for a second trial. He had to explain the story of why he posted the Group Me comment, and for the 3rd time he was exonerated, but it didn’t end there… To this day, the Committee on Students is still having periodic hearings most recently because his empathy coaching as about “having empathy i ngeneral, not about the Group Me post specifically.” Why he needs empathy coaching, or why it’s called “empathy coaching” is beyond me.

OVEREXERTING BVH, HE MUST PAY FOR BEING BULLIED! MAKES SENSE TO ME: The medical school refused to accept the Title IX decision so they did an additional review of the investigation report of the title IX process. He has been assigned to do multiple assignments, attend multiple meetings, to the point that, with the added stress, I don’t think any other student would be capable of doing. He was barely granted an extension for his schoolwork or any accommodations for that matter. BVH doesn’t matter to them, they only do what benefits ATL (post with proof pending… there’s a lot to uncover). They even changed the rules of an assignment on him after he had submitted a really nice paper, so he had to write a new one.

IGNORING EMOTIONAL NEEDS DESPITE FILING “CARE” REPORTS!: The medical school is still, to this day, giving him an extremely hard time. I am a person with a physical disability & I had to drop out of school to be BVH’s support system to do what the medical school should have done. I am deteriorating by the day and this is how I am spending my life. I have read many books to BVH, teaching him meditation & mindfulness. I have found him the absolute best puppy I could find to help him cope. I have cried with him (makes the puppy cry too). I have been available every day to witness and experience this with him, and believe me when I say, every day a new issue arises. And believe me when I also say…. BVH is extremely careful, has done nothing but kept to himself & follow given instructions (other than quitting his dream to become a physician). I have called the school and spoke to several different professionals, begging that someone AT LEAST provides him an ounce of emotional support. I even filed an elaborate concern form (CARE report) I found on the CWRU website. All without BVH’s knowledge I’ve been trying to make things happen for him behind the scenes. Again, they know he is in pain. I can’t work, and I can’t afford to eat or pay rent on my own — I should be focusing on starting a business, but all my energy is going into making things right for BVH, because, yes, he genuinely has it worse. That’s what friends are for! I am not trying to victimize myself (anonymous person here). He never once asked me to do any of the things I’ve done. If anything, he feels guilty that I am still by his side. Without pay, I am doing their job full time while being bedridden and in excruciating pain. I am overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, and disappointed that the school does not stand by the values they claim to have… if I feel this way, if this is the only thing I can think about, imagine how BVH feels.

EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE SITUATION, PLEASE DO NOT FEEL GUILTY: I know that most of the staff feels for BVH. I don’t blame the staff who deals with BVH directly. I blame whoever is giving them these instructions. The person who is being CC’d on all the e-mails even though he chose to ‘step out of the situation’. Most likely, he will try to pin my actions on BVH, because that’s how the hierarchy of this school works. This is why no one can say anything, we’re all afraid that if we stand up for BVH it is going to hurt his education — BVH is even afraid to ask a question in class because he could literally sneeze and surely someone will google “the meaning of sneezes” to find a way to twist things, and the school will penalize him (totally OK for someone to call him ‘scum of the earth’ while he’s leading a discussion though). I don’t get why this man has such a hard on for BVH (with peace & love), and I’ll leave it at that.

#1-0 #CWRU maltreatment #exoneration #highlights

[allthebooksandcrannies]

When I Was a Young Boy (A Bruce Wayne Fic)

Read on AO3

Read on Fanfiction.net

Chapter 1:  “ In My Heart (I Can’t Contain It)”

If you were to ask the average Gothamite what Bruce Wayne was like as a baby, they would tell you that Gotham’s “white knight” was probably a very happy, very sociable kid. After all, someone who was that friendly and philanthropic while living in Gotham of all places, must come by it naturally.

If you asked any member of the Justice League who was trusted enough to know the Batman’s identity (and, therefore, was likely among the man’s closest friends) what Bruce Wayne was like as a baby, they would insist that he had to have been one of those quiet, calm children that always strike an embarrassing amount of envy in the parents of especially colicky newborns.

Alfred Pennyworth, if pressed for a response, would reluctantly tell you that both parties were completely correct on all accounts.  

-0

[ApApAp]

-0

“What do you think, Alfred? Thomas insists he looks just like him, but that is a Kane nose right there if I’ve ever seen one” Martha asked as she helped adjust said babe in Alfred’s arms so that his head was better supported.  

Alfred considered the newborn. He had never actually held an infant before, and it felt incredibly wrong for hands that had caused so much damage back in his army days to be cradling such a fragile being.

Alfred had long known that parenthood was not in the cards for him, but he was suddenly so, so grateful that it was for his friends. If there were any two people on this planet who would make truly good parents, it was these two, of that Alfred was sure.  These people who had taken one look at the damaged soldier called to them at the request of a dying man and decided that they would be the family this man so obviously needed, no matter how much he protested along the way.

Surely if anyone would be a good father it was this man, this man who sat up till three am in front of the fire with an employee he hadn’t even known a month, just rambling about the latest medical journal article he had read to let his companion ignore just how much he really did not want to sleep.

Surely if anyone would make a good mother it was this woman, this woman who insisted that Alfred sit down to tea with her in the garden every morning, asking his advice on her plans for each of her charity project because she wanted him to know that he and his opinion were valuable to her at a time when he wondered whether his life meant anything at all.

Yes, Thomas and Martha were capable of loving a child far better than someone of Alfred’s background. But, Alfred thought as baby Bruce’s face scrunched into startled confusion after he gagged himself on his own tiny fist, this is Gotham, and it never hurts to have extra protection in Gotham. If Alfred’s army years were going to be good for anything, it would be for protecting those around him.  Yes, in that moment, staring into a pair of blue eyes that seemed to peer into Alfred’s very soul, Alfred promised himself that he would protect this child with his life. Whatever it took.

But he had been asked a question, hadn’t he.

“If I had to wager a guess, madam, I would say he looks more like the entry hall portrait of Master Thomas’s great-great-uncle than anything.”

He could see the moment Martha recalled the portrait he was referencing, a portrait that had been painted when its subject was about ninety years old. Her eyes narrowed to a dangerous squint.

“Alfred, are you saying my baby looks like an old man” she asked in a dangerous tone.

Alfred looked up at her and was just beginning to wonder if he had somehow crossed a line he didn’t know existed when a mischievous smile broke through Martha’s attempt at maintaining a faux-stern expression. Alfred couldn’t help but match it with one of his own.

 -0

[TwTwTw]

-0

If someone had come to Thomas on the day of his wedding and told him that that was not the happiest day of his life, he would have argued with them.  That changed the day his son was born.  

He had devolved into downright panic when Martha’s water broke and had been subjected to both Alfred’s sarcastic quips and Martha’s cheerful giggles the whole way to the hospital.  He supposed it was ironic that the trauma surgeon who regularly faced the worst Gothamites could inflict on one another was left hysterical by something as natural as childbirth, but it was different. The operating room was his domain. He had control of what happened there for better or ill, but there was no personal stake their outside of its reflection on him professionally.

Here, however, he had no control. He was no obstetrician, and he was well aware of how many things could go wrong in childbirth. Thomas struggled to relinquish control at the best of times (something that made Leslie despair every time she was unfortunate enough to find him as a patient) and with two lives he valued even more than his own hanging in the balance… well, let’s just say that he was grateful for the easy familiarity of Martha and Alfred’s teasing keeping him grounded to the moment.

Now, six months later, the memory of that day feels more like a dream.  It feels strange to think there was ever a time when his world didn’t revolve around this wonderful child who was an amalgamation of Thomas and Martha and something that was entirely Bruce.  Now, he could think of nothing better to do on a Saturday morning than to spend time with his infant son.

“Where to now, chum?” he asked as Bruce looked up from the leaf he had been examining. The infant lifted his hand to point insistently at another tree a little further down the walking trail through the manor’s grounds. Thomas followed the chubby little finger until Bruce stopped pointing in favor of touching this new tree’s leaves and bark, exactly as he had been for the last hour and a half. But that was fine. Thomas would take his son to every single tree in Gotham if he wanted him to, especially if it meant he got to keep watching the sheer wonder all over his little face. Thomas knew babies grew too fast, so he intended to enjoy every second of it.

 -0

[MwMwMw]

-0

 Martha smiled down at Bruce from her seat on the sitting room loveseat as he pulled himself into a standing position and grabbed onto his mother’s legs.

“C’mere, little one” she crooned, pulling him up into her lap. “Can you say ‘mama’ for me? ‘Mah-mah.’”  

Their efforts to get Bruce to say anything had picked up a new urgency after his first birthday had come and gone several months ago with Bruce still not having said his first words.  

Bruce did not say ‘mama,’ but he did match Martha’s smile and throw his head into her chest as though asking for a hug, so she considered that enough of a win.

“Does someone want a hug from his Mama?” Bruce squealed in response. “Oh, is that how it is, mister?” Martha grinned. Words weren’t the only way to make sure her baby knew he was loved. “Well, if you don’t want a hug from Mama, then I guess you’ll get a visit from the tickle monster!” And with that she started a furious tickling campaign that left her baby boy laughing louder and longer than she’d ever heard before, and Martha was laughing right along with him.

As the moment faded away, Martha tightened her grip almost imperceptibly, and Bruce snuggled deeper into her neck in response.

“Well, aren’t the two of you a pair,” Alfred said from behind her.

“Alfie!” Martha exclaimed. “How long have you been standing there?”

Alfred pushed the tea cart he had brought over to the side table beside the couch and started pouring Martha a cup of green tea.  “Long enough, ma’am.  Shall I take the young master while you have your tea?”

“That would be lovely, my friend,” she said, reaching to pass her child over. “As long,” she continued, “as you don’t take him too far.”  Martha picked up her cup and saucer as Alfred settled down in the armchair across from her, Bruce cradled in his lap and quickly falling into a contented sleep.

And they just sat there, in silence, watching as Bruce’s little breaths gradually deepened and evened out. Eventually, Martha rested the empty cup and its saucer on her lap. Loathe to break the true serenity of the quiet moment, she spoke just above a whisper. “We’ve got a good one here, Alfie. I can tell we’re going to be so proud of the man he becomes.”

Alfred didn’t respond right away, pausing to brush a tuft of fine black hair out of the child’s face. “I would accuse you of being a bit biased, but something tells me you’re completely correct in this case. I have complete faith that this child will do great things, no matter how clichéd that sounds.”

#bruce wayne #thomas wayne #martha wayne #alfred pennyworth #batman fanfiction #dc comics #kid fic #baby bruce #thomas/martha #Thomas Wayne/Martha Wayne #background pairing #Thomas Wayne & Bruce Wayne #Bruce Wayne & Martha Wayne #Bruce Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth #accidental emotional adoption #bruce is a cute baby #bruce wayne is not batman yet #multichaptered fic #welcome to the black parade #crossposted on ao3 #my writing #original post

[miriossunshine]

Regular matchup for me? 👀 👀 If you have the time dear. I’m a Libra, INFP, introvert. I’ma raging biromantic asexual and use she/they pronouns. (More they but I look like a girl so I don’t get upset when someone uses she.) I’m short (5”0) have a pixie cut, very cubby, just. Everything is Big. Pet peeve: I don’t like it when someone treats me like I’m dumb, or people who think being mean is funny or a joke. I don’t like people who are loud on purpose. (I’m scared of loud noises and if someone keeps yelling after I tell them that I don’t like em) I like anything fictional. Games, shows, reading, drawing, writing. I’m messy, can’t keep anything organized but ik where everything is. I can’t keep on schedule to save my life, I forget things all the time, and I have no self confidence to speak of. But I’m trying my best to be better, and keep a positive outlook on everything, even if I fail some days. I’ve got bubbly personality and will do a lot to get someone to laugh, so my friends think I’m chaotic. I’m the type of person that would be too anxious to ask a worker for more ketchup for myself but won’t hesitate if the ketchup is for someone else, even a stranger. I’m the one my friends come to for advice and an honest opinion. I always try my best to support people’s decisions. Above all I just value being able to laugh with someone I’m close to. I’m currently going to school for veterinary medicine.

hi, love!! tysm for requesting!! 💕💕💕

i ship you with:

𝐦𝐬. 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞!

you both have bubbly personalities and love to make others laugh! your personalities compliment each other really well ^_^

emi will protect you with her LIFE i stg- if anyone treated you like you weren’t intelligent she won’t hesitate to call them out on it (she does it humorously and will make a joke at their expense to give em a taste of their own medicine 😌) also when she notices that you’re out of ketchup at a restaurant, she’ll walk right up to the employee for you hehe \(//∇//)\

emi is quite loud at first but when she learns that it makes you uncomfortable she makes sure to lower her volume around you. when people are being too loud (looking at you, mic-) she’ll shush then comically and cover your ears ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ 💕💕

she loves hearing about your favorite fictional stories and interests, and gladly watches your favorite shows with you >\\\< 💖

emi seems laid back and immature at first glance but she’s very professional and mature when she needs to be. she helps you keep track of things in your schedule like appointments and events, as well as writes things down that you have to remember that may slip your mind ^_^💕

she’s basically your personal cheerleader!! emi is so proud of you everyday for trying your best to stay positive, and reminds you that it’s okay to have a bad day. she tells you jokes to brighten your mood, and offers helpful advice when you’re feeling particularly down. (*´꒳`*)

honorable mentions~

ryukyu, fatgum, mandalay

#ms. joke matchup #mha matchup #bnha matchup #mod honey #ifithasafandomimapartofit