#Considering the money you put into building or buying a coop

[kedreeva]

There's some dude (derogatory) on FB who is PISSED people are pricing their farm fresh eggs at $2 and $3 a dozen instead of $4+, saying it's "disrespectful" and "undignified" and "I'm trying to feed my kids" like Sir, you are on a Facebook group page bitching about your neighbors egg prices because your pet chickens aren't earning you a living wage and you think it's your neighbors' fault, you do not have a leg to stand on here wrt dignity.

Also half the answers are like "I give them to friends and family free" or "I donate them to food banks" or "I'm making them affordable to folks who might not otherwise be able to get them now that they're so expensive in the store" and "if you think you're going to turn a profit keeping backyard chickens you have been wildly misled" and so on, and so forth, and I'm so living for it.

and I can tell you right now, he did NOT like my answer of "if you're trying to feed your kids, I hear eggs are edible."

#chickens #like buddy you are never going to actually make a profit #and if by some miracle you do #it's going to be VERY SMALL #Considering the money you put into building or buying a coop #plus feed and bedding and equipment (waterers feeders perches etc) costs #egg cartons and enrichment and gas to go get the feed #the cost you (personally) probably put into building the egg stand you mentioned #a 50lbs bag of feed will feed 12 adult chickens for 8 days #12 chickens generally lay 6-12 eggs per day #usually less in the fall and may even stop in winter #a 50lb bag of feed is usually $12-15 #and you wasted the first 6 months going eggless until they were old enough to lay #and that doesn't factor in oyster shell or anything else you may need to do for them #like worming or treating for coccidia or anything #and doesn't take into account your time #like asjh;dsfkgdh you really thought you were gonna make a buck doing this??? #wank for ts

[merakiui]

We got Childe with actress darling, so how about Azul with idol darling?

Fanboy Azul who hide his fanboy life from everyone, who would spent money just to buy idol darling merch, who would stay up late at night just to wait for darling new MV to drop

Fanboy Azul who knew about idol darling from idia (ofc), scoffed about it at first but end up curious, watch one (1) MV and got hooked afterwards

Fanboy Azul who learn a Few dance here and there (it would be funny if idol darling concept is cute and soft)

Fanboy Azul who planned to kill one of his classmate after he hear one of them bad mouthed darling, by saying that they're only got pretty face

🐏 anon

Aaaaa thank you for putting this worm in my brain!! orz

(cw: yandere, obsession, azul is a hater, unhealthy behaviors)

Everyone around him seems to be talking about you. He can’t fathom what’s so special about a bipedal creature who puts on elaborate and expensive outfits and sings into a microphone while telling the audience how much they love and appreciate the support. He’s seen this plenty of times in business and, unsurprisingly, it always works. Something about singers and idols always garners lots of money, especially if they act like a loving friend or a personal cheerleader. He’d like to try his hand at building an idol from the ground up, but that takes time, experience, and money. And he’d rather make more money than waste it on meaningless endeavors with no certainty of success.

It feels like he can’t escape you or your influence. Wherever he turns, you’re there. The twins are constantly checking your socials and scrolling through old photos of you when they have time and Idia has been enthusiastically relaying your entire life’s story at the board game club. And Azul, not knowing a clue about idol culture or you, asks what the appeal is. A dumb question, considering he can recognize the monetary appeals right away. But a question nonetheless. Idia’s happy to answer and he becomes so animated when talking about you and how your journey and struggles have made you such a strong, independent idol.

That’s not fair. Azul’s struggled, too. Why isn’t he famous? Why isn’t he raking in lots of money for simple things like dancing and singing? He realizes there’s more to it than that, but even so… How can your success feel so genuine and easy when his was mired in darkness? Always cutting back on meals to slim down. Turning away from mirrors to avoid looking at his face. Dirty deals on land and in the sea in order to get the things he couldn’t ever hope to possess. Lacking friends and a social circle because that same circle turned their backs on him and called him stupid, clumsy, weak, a crybaby.

Your motto is ‘work hard to achieve your starry dreams.’ His motto is ‘if you can’t have it, take it.’ And, frankly, your motto is a falsehood that you peddle to the masses like a cult leader selling the idea of self-destruction to brainwashed fools in need of so-called salvation.

One evening, after the Mostro Lounge has closed, he finds himself cooped up in his VIP room, phone in his hands as he analyzes one of your music videos. The production quality is amazing. The outfit and the scenery and the overall feeling have been perfectly tailored to fit the song and its themes. He hates to admit it, but you’re good at what you do. Perhaps even better than him. Maybe you’re up there with Vil. Who is he kidding? You’re probably acquainted with Vil, which isn’t too surprising to consider. Celebrities flock to other celebrities for exposure, to feed the tabloids and media new gossip, to stay connected and network through the rich and famous.

“Azul’s really staring, huh.”

“Indeed. I don’t think he suspects we’re here,” Jade adds with a chuckle. “It seems someone has charmed him.”

Azul’s head snaps up to view the twins as they lean over the desk, gazing at the visual on his screen with glee-filled eyes. He swats at them with a grumble. “This is research. I am not charmed.”

“Oh! That’s our cute, sparkly shrimpy.” Floyd snatches Azul’s phone for a closer look at you as you execute complicated dance moves with flawless grace. He pouts. “You haven’t even liked the video after all of our shrimpy’s hard work?”

With a scowl he reaches for his mobile, but Floyd holds it up and out of his grasp. “Jade.” He glances at the more mature twin. “Tell me. What’s so special about this…idol thing? Be short about it and spare me the earful.”

Jade smiles, razored teeth glinting in the dimness. “Idols like (Name) are usually charismatic individuals who have amassed a loyal following through music, fan interactions, and engaging interviews and collaborations.”

“So why do you like them so much? They’re a money siren, if anything.”

“They’re cute and they wear cool shoes!” Floyd lifts his leg to give Azul a view of his leather uniform shoes. “These are boring and dull. The shoes (Name) wears are colorful and I’m going to own every pair!”

“You’re throwing your money away. And get your foot off my desk!”

“You’re being stingy with yours.” He sticks his tongue out at him, brows furrowed in annoyance.

“I enjoy their captivating performances,” Jade admits, a hand over his heart. “(Name) has an energy that is difficult to describe. It’s…invigorating. Perhaps you are correct when you say they are a siren. If that’s the case, Floyd and I have found ourselves thoroughly entranced.”

Azul steeples his hands as he ruminates. Eventually he hazards a glance at them and asks, “You saw one of their performances recently, did you not?”

“Ah! That’s right!” Floyd drops Azul’s phone, which Jade catches expertly before it can shatter on the ground. Floyd digs his mobile out of his pocket to showcase the pictures and videos he managed to take. “They made us put our phones in these gross covers, but it kept them safe while we watched. Look, look! Isn’t (Name) really adorable? I wonder how they’d look with a tail. Hey, Azul, turn them into a mer.”

Azul gazes at the photos as Floyd swipes through them, stopping at a group photo where the twins pose with you. “You certainly enjoyed yourselves,” he says with a scoff.

“In more ways than one.” Jade’s smile sharpens. “We did invite you, but you refused to join us.”

“I made the right choice.”

“Aha. That’s no fun. You really missed out. (Name)’s crying face is delicious.”

“No need to rub salt on a poor octopus, Floyd.”

“The both of you are fools,” he declares after a minute of trying and failing to form an eloquent comeback. “However, if (Name) were to perform at the Mostro Lounge… Or perhaps we could work alongside our friends at the Mystery Shop once again. An event jointly sponsored… Sales would certainly increase.”

“What’s this? Azul wants little shrimpy to dance for him?”

“Oh my. I wonder if Azul has changed his tune.”

“Perish such idiotic thoughts. This is simply business.”

Yet he can’t help but wonder who you truly are beneath that glimmering façade. Surely you’re not as sweet as your fans claim you are.

- - -

Azul is on his way to Pomefiore to deliver another moisturizer when disaster strikes. The minute he emerges from the mirror and is standing in front of the elegant dormitory someone crashes into him. The force sends both him and the stranger tumbling, the delicate bottle of moisturizer flying from his hands and shattering into shards on the cobblestones. Azul remains on the ground, ferociously stunned into silence as he eyes the damaged product.

He was working on a time constraint, as always.

He wrung Floyd of his moisture, despite his protests at drawing the shortest straw once more.

He had everything perfect, as always.

He was going to uphold his end of the deal, as always.

Along with the now broken vial, his hopes are perfectly, undeniably fractured.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“You fool!” He turns on the cause for this mishap with a nasty glower. “Do you have any idea how important that was?! Haven’t you land folk ever heard the saying ‘watch where you tread’? You’ve ruined everything now and I can’t possibly make—wait.” He stares at the person cowering before him, a look of genuine grief plastered to their face as they spy the damage. You’re wearing a disguise, but there’s no mistaking your familiar voice. He’d recognize it in a crowd of hundreds after spending many sleepless nights watching your music videos, interviews, and much more just to commit your stunning voice to memory. For research purposes, of course. “You’re (Name), aren’t you? That idol from the surface…”

“Shush!” Your hands are quick to cover his mouth. He blinks at you, his flustered face betraying his initial anger. “I… Look. I’m sorry. A few fans recognized me and they were chasing me down. I wasn’t looking where I was going… I’ll pay for the damages. Just please be quiet.”

Azul considers his options. On one hand, he can’t make another moisturizer unless he wrings Jade out and the eel won’t agree to something so painful without proper compensation. On the other, he could just use his own moisture, but that still takes time and effort and he doesn’t want to subject himself to that. You aren’t a mer, so he can’t wring you out. How is he going to make a new moisturizer by the end of today? If he can’t get Vil his moisturizer, he’ll have broke his own contract terms. He absolutely can’t have that.

But you’re you. Jade is fond of you. Maybe he’ll do it for your sake.

“Why are you here?” he asks instead.

“I’m here to see Vil Schoenheit. He invited me to test a few makeup products for a Magicam livestream, one of which is this moisturizer he swears by and…oh. That was the moisturizer, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” He rubs his temples, willing himself to remain as the composed, suave businessman he usually is. “Yes, it was.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“‘Sorry’ won’t reverse it.” He inhales a breath, holds it, and then exhales slowly. “Let’s be sensible. If you’re close with Vil, you can just explain what happened. It’s not ideal for me, but the fault still lies with you. Although it wouldn’t look very good if I broke my own contract…”

“I can explain it to him, but you’re right. I can’t exactly fix whatever contract you wrote up. Maybe I can help you make a new moisturizer instead.”

“Hm.”

Looking at you this closely, Azul realizes you really are attractive. Humans have always appealed to merfolk, but you’re in another league entirely. You aren’t wearing any makeup and instead rely on your natural beauty to charm those around you. No wonder why Vil associates himself with you. You’re so naturally you. No wonder why you have so many fans.

Perhaps through his weeks-long research Azul has allowed you to strike his heart like a cupid with terrible aim. And he can’t believe that, of all the humans to adore, he’s fallen for one that is a star—out of reach, destined to shine brighter than him.

But stars can be bottled and kept safe from implosion. This is a fact that he, as a dutiful collector, knows well.

“I’ve got it!” He rises to his feet, brushing himself free of dirt, and holds his hand out to you. “From today onwards, we are business partners. If you help me solve this little predicament, I’ll consider overlooking your clumsy error.”

“All right. As long as you keep my being here a secret.” Your hand fits into his and he tugs you up from the ground. “So how can I help?”

Azul flashes you a sly grin. “What are your thoughts on transformation potions?”

#twisted chit chat #yandere twst #🐏 anon #bitter and jealous azul is a delicious flavor of azul >:) #but so is obsessive fanboy azul who would do anything for you #even changing himself just to suit your tastes

[lilyvandersteen]

Home Away From Home Chapter 2: Charming

Chapter summary:

Blaine arrives in Ohio and starts to tackle the disaster zone that is Cooper's hotel. But after he's been there for just a week, inspectors arrive at the hotel. Can he convince them to give him extra time to fix things?

Many thanks to my beta @hkvoyage!

You can also read this story on AO3.

~~~~~~

Chapter 2: Charming

 It didn’t take long for Monique to call Blaine back, and the news she had for him wasn’t all bad. The property’s title was in Cooper’s name. There would be no problems on that score.

“And it’s quite a bit bigger than just the hotel. The sale also involved 500 acres of land. That’s a lot. Not around the hotel, it’s further away. It used to be an industrial area. Factory buildings that haven’t been used since the eighties or nineties at the latest. Might have squatters in them, though. Lot of poverty and crime in that area. Not really the ideal place to buy a hotel. I don’t know what Cooper was thinking.”

Blaine snorted. “I doubt he was thinking at all. Anyway, thanks a bunch, Monique!”

“Are you sure you want to go to the trouble of doing up the place?”

Monique sounded worried.

“Well, Cooper put a lot of money into this, so we’ll have to make the most of it. It’s right next to Interstate 75, so I’m sure there will always be travellers needing a place to sleep. Right?”

Monique tut-tutted. “Don’t throw good money after bad, Blaine. I doubt you’d be able to make the place profitable. I’d advise to sell it again, for the best price you can get for it, and cut your losses. Mind you, it won’t be easy to sell, what with the neighbourhood it’s in. My hubby and I passed through Lima on a road trip a few years back. I’d rather have driven on for another eight hours than sleep there. You should have seen the trailer park we drove through, and all the boarded-up buildings – it looked eerie.”

“Maybe things have improved since then,” Blaine said. “But here’s what I’ll do: I’ll ask Cooper if he wants to sell or not. It would help if you could e-mail me an estimate of what the renovations would cost. If he decides not to sell, I’ll tell him to make you an authorized signatory on his bank account, so that you can buy stuff for the hotel in his name, and pay the renovation bills and the staff’s salaries, including my own if I’m to spend my whole summer running Coop’s hotel. Is that okay with you, Monique?”

Monique sighed. “There’s no talking you out of it anymore, is there? All right, lovey, I’ll send you that estimate for the renovations, and if you decide to go through with this, I’ll help you as much as I can. I already have my eye on a lot of beds and mattresses. If I can get a nice price for them, I’ll send them to Lima asap.”

“You won’t get into trouble over this with Father, will you?”

“Nah, he trusts me blindly, after all these years. And you’re his sons, so when I’m working for you, it all stays in the family.”

“I’m not sure he considers me family anymore,” Blaine muttered, but that made Monique scoff.

“You’re his child, Blaine, and you always will be, and I’m as loyal to you as I am to Mr. Anderson himself.”

Blaine wiped away a tear and thanked Monique again. “Anyway, my roommate grew up there, and she’ll help me out, she says. I will contact Cooper, and I’ll let you know what he’s decided. Okay?”

“Okay. Talk to you soon!”

K&B

The day after, Blaine and Tina flew to Columbus, Ohio.

Cooper didn’t want to sell and had given green light to renovate the hotel.

Thankfully, however stupid Cooper was where money matters were concerned, his entourage was not. His agent and manager were competent and shrewd, and made sure he got paid well for every project he did. He’d spent the bulk of his money on the property he’d bought, yes, but there was still enough left to get started on the renovations, and more money was on the way for several ads he’d done, as well as some voice-over work.

“You tell Monique she can use it all. I trust her, and I trust you.”

As soon as Blaine had gotten the okay, he’d contacted the pest control firm as well as an electrician and a plumber recommended by Monique. Then he booked his flight and started packing.

Tina remained determined to come along, and she’d called all her high school friends to see who was in the area and who would be willing to help out. Two girls called Marley and Unique promised to drop in and help as soon as the weekend rolled around, and a guy called Puck said they could count on him for handyman jobs.

A good thing, too, for as soon as they walked into the hotel, they found out they might not be able to count on the existing staff.

A group of uniformed people were surrounding a guy in a suit, yelling at him about months of wages he owed him, about horrid work conditions, about being understaffed and having to work double shifts, and about being harassed by unhappy guests.

“And if you think I’m going to stick around to see if this new owner is gonna treat us better than you, think again! I’m out of here, and I’m gonna ask if I can have my old job at the Lima Bean back.”

There were a lot of yeahs in response to that, and muttering that they could do better, and then everyone took off their name badges, threw them at the guy in the suit and walked off, straight past Blaine and Tina.

The guy in the suit just shrugged and walked in the other direction, without so much as looking at the stuff his former staff had chucked at him.

“I know some of them, I’ll smooth things over,” Tina whispered to Blaine. ”You go talk to the manager guy.”

Blaine hurried after the guy in the suit, guessing that this had to be the one Cooper had bought the property from.

“Mr. Smythe?”

“What now?” said the guy in the suit, turning around and scowling.

“I’m Blaine Anderson, sir. I’m here on behalf of my brother, Cooper Anderson…”

“Ah, Cooper’s little brother! Yeah, he told me you’d come and sort things out here for him.”

Smythe smirked at Blaine, giving him a lingering once-over. “Guess he got the looks and you got the brains in your family. Not everyone can have it all, like me. Looks and brains and money. But don’t worry. I’m sure some people are into the bashful schoolboy vibe you give off. Plus, you’ve got a great ass. Very nice. I wouldn’t say no to a quickie, if you’re game.”

Charming. Not.

Blaine felt his ears redden, but kept his response formal and to the point. “I’d like the keys to this establishment, please, as well as to the factory buildings you also sold to my brother. The insurance information would be welcome, too. And I need to know who’s been managing this hotel until now. I’ve been informed the factory buildings are not in use, is that correct?”

“That is correct, killer,” Smythe drawled. “Come with me and I’ll give you the keys.”

Blaine shot a desperate look behind him, but Tina had caught up with the hotel staff and was talking to them, so he wouldn’t be able to use her as a buffer from this sleaze. Ugh.

It took a quarter of an hour and plenty more innuendoes before Blaine got the keys and the information he’d requested, and Smythe made Blaine very uncomfortable, touching Blaine any chance he got and staring at his lips, crotch and ass without even being subtle about it.

Finally, with one last smirk and a “Good luck”, Smythe departed.

Blaine let out a deep sigh and got up to find Tina and get an update on the staff situation.

He heard someone laugh, and looked up to see Tina in the doorway with the Latina staff member who’d been yelling at Smythe when they came in.

“Smythe takes the word eye-fucking to a new level, doesn’t he?” she drawled.

Blaine shuddered, and she laughed some more, Tina joining in too.

“He’s good-looking, though. You sure you don’t want to tap that?” Tina teased him.

“I’m sure,” Blaine gritted out, taking his laptop to send the insurance information to Monique.

Tina introduced the staff member to Blaine. Her name was Santana, and she’d been in high school with Tina.

“I sounded her out on what staff members to keep; and what others we need to recruit. And I promised you’d pay them the back wages Smythe owes them.”

Blaine nodded. “Of course.”

Santana took him to see the rest of the staff and told him their names and what each of them did to keep the hotel running.

When they heard Blaine was willing to make up their back pay and hire extra staff, all of them readily agreed to stay on, and they even suggested family members of theirs who could come and work at the hotel.

That was one worry down.

“So what’s next?” Tina asked.

What was next was the electrician and plumber showing up to tour the whole building with Blaine, and give their professional assessment of what had to be done.

Blaine followed in their wake, jotting down everything they mentioned to compile a to do list and starting to panic the longer the list got.

“This is going to take longer than our summer break,” Tina whispered.

“I know. We’ll do what we can, and the rest will be Cooper’s responsibility.”

Fat chance of that, Blaine thought sourly. It was way more likely that Cooper would wait for Blaine to finish the work he started once his next school break rolled around. No, Blaine had better hire a manager for the hotel before he left, so that he could leave the place in good hands.

While touring the place, Blaine also found out there was a family of five, the Evanses, living in a hotel room permanently, for now, because they’d lost their jobs and consequently their house, too.

“The previous manager gave us a hefty discount,” said Mrs. Evans, wringing her hands.

Mr. Smythe hadn’t mentioned anything about this, but Blaine nodded. “No problem. No problem at all. We will be renovating the hotel, though, so it’s possible you will have to move to another room at some point. But we will honour the agreement you had with Mr. Smythe, absolutely, please don’t worry about that.”

“Maybe we can help with the renovations?” said Mr. Evans. “My eldest son Sam has a job as a bike courier, but that’s mostly in the evening. During the day, he and I can help you spruce up this place.”

Blaine smiled at the man. “That would be a tremendous help.”

“I could help with the cleaning,” Mrs. Evans offered, “and I’ll make sure Stevie and Stacey stay out of your way.”

When they went on to the next room, the plumber whispered to Blaine that it was sad, really, that the Evanses had come to this. “They worked at that chemical plant that closed down. They’re such great, stand-up people. And now because they both got laid off, they’ve lost everything, and they need to rely on charity to get by. Most people who get laid off here are taken in by family, but the Evanses are from Kentucky. They don’t have any family here. And the children want to stay here in Ohio because all their friends are here, but the parents are struggling to find a decent job. It’s so sad.”

After the tradesmen had left, Blaine let out a deep sigh.

Apart from technical stuff, he’d also noticed lots of trash, dust, grime and filth.

“This place needs a deep clean,” he sighed.

“True, that, and we need to do something about the smell, too,” said Tina, wrinkling her nose.

She was right about that. The hotel smelled stale and musty because none of the air conditioning units seemed to work.

The HVAC specialist Blaine had contacted hadn’t been able to come straight away, so they’d have to have some patience.

In the meantime, all Blaine could do was keep as many doors open as possible, including the outside doors, to get some fresh air circulating.

“Cleaning party?” Tina asked, waving her phone at him, which was showing her dance playlist.

Blaine grinned and nodded.

“I’ll go fetch Santana and the other housekeepers,” Tina said. “There’s only three of them, can you imagine? For a hotel this big! How many rooms are there exactly?”

“114 rooms and suites. Yes, no wonder the rooms aren’t clean, they must have been rushed off their feet doing the bare minimum. Let me get Mrs. Evans, too. She promised to help us out with the cleaning.”

The six of them teamed up and managed to give about a dozen rooms a thorough cleaning.

Then Santana looked at her watch and said her shift was over. She and her colleagues Zoey and Kaylee went home, promising to come back the next day.

“Let’s continue cleaning for a bit longer,” Mrs. Evans said. “We won’t be able to get all the rooms done, but the more we can do the better.”

Blaine kept the receptionist updated on which rooms they’d tackled so far, so that when a new guest was sent up, Blaine could show them to a sparkling clean room.

When Blaine’s stomach began to growl, he ended the cleaning party and announced that it was dinner time.

“What do you usually do for dinner?” he asked Mrs. Evans, and she said they normally had Sam pick up some take-out.

“Would you and your family have dinner with Tina and me?” Blaine asked. “We’ll make something quick here in the kitchen. Maybe stir-fry?”

She smiled at him and said that would be lovely.

“Let’s check what’s in stock in the kitchen and then go grocery-shopping,” Tina said to Blaine. “Santana said the cook had walked out before we arrived, and that he wasn’t any good anyway, so we’ll have to hire a new one. Until we’ve found a cook, we’ll need to prepare the breakfast buffet for our guests ourselves. Nothing too fancy. Orange juice, coffee, rolls and scrambled eggs and bacon, that sort of thing. I’ve asked Santana what we need to serve, and where it’s normally bought. And we can buy supplies to make ourselves dinner. Thank heavens the electrical appliances in the kitchen all seem okay, according to Jim. I can’t live without an oven and a refrigerator.”

Blaine checked the provisions and drew up a shopping list.

“Let’s also bake some cookies to get a better smell circulating here,” Tina suggested. “Chocolate chip!”

“Chocolate chip it is!”

As they went out, Blaine told Jayden, the front desk clerk, that he’d be gone for a while, and would Jayden hold the fort in the meantime? The guy scowled. No doubt he’d been hoping to go home. It was getting late, and he had to be hungry too. But Jayden was the only front desk clerk Blaine had at the moment, so he’d have to stick it out a little longer.

Blaine resolved to be as quick as possible with the shopping.

When he and Tina came back, both carrying overflowing grocery bags, a loud voice berated them as soon as they came near.

“This hotel is the WORST I’ve ever been to! I’ve got a reservation for tonight, and I can’t even check in! There’s nobody at the desk and when I ring the bell, nobody comes. And don’t think I’m the only one! You’ve missed out on at least five customers while you were away!”

And yes, there was no-one behind the front desk. It seemed Jayden had not waited for Blaine to return and had left his post and gone home. Probably seconds after Blaine’s car left the parking lot. Ah well.

Blaine hurried to get behind the desk and check the girl in. She looked no older than he was, but stylish and sophisticated, and he wondered why on earth she’d be staying in this run-down hotel in the middle of nowhere.

He checked the reservations spreadsheet on his laptop, and yes, her name was on it. Harmony Brentwood.

“I apologise, Miss Brentwood,” Blaine told the girl. “My brother has only just bought this hotel, and we’re short-staffed. I hope you don’t mind waiting in the lounge area while we prepare a room for you, and I hope you will join us for dinner, on the house, to make up for any inconvenience.”

Miss Brentwood’s chin went up. “No, thank you. I’m going to eat at my grandma’s. I just want to leave my luggage here and get the key to my room. You can expect me back around eight thirty. Make sure my room is ready by then.”

“Certainly, Ma’am.”

Blaine handed Miss Brentwood a key, jotting down the room number in his spreadsheet, and grimaced as she left the hotel, still clearly displeased.

“We’re not making a good impression on our customers.”

Tina shrugged. “We’ll have a grand re-opening once the renovations are complete, and invite the local press. That should help.”

A while later, they were eating stir fry with the Evanses. The chocolate chip cookies were just out of the oven, and Stevie and Stacey were sniffing the cookie smell appreciatively.

“Much better, huh?” said Tina. “We’ve made good progress already. Thank you for your help, Mrs. Evans. I’m sure you’re just as glad as I am that your room has been cleaned thoroughly for a change. And we managed to do enough rooms from top to bottom to offer each of our guests a clean place to stay. Plus one extra for Blaine and I to sleep in. Thank heavens we bought those towels and sheets that were on sale at Walmart. The ones that were in the rooms were dingy, ugh. And we’ve gotten the trash out of all the rooms and put some cleaner in every toilet, sink and shower to let it soak. That’s a good start.”

Blaine hummed in agreement, too exhausted to speak. They’d not only cleaned rooms, but also the reception and the lounge.

While making the stir-fry, he’d resolved to get started on the kitchen the following day.

The state of the kitchen was horrendous – no wonder the guests had mentioned mice!

It needed a good scrubbing until all the stickiness was gone from the counters and the floors. They would also have to clean out the grubby fridge and oven and wash all the cooking utensils thoroughly, until they were spotless.

Recruiting more staff was on the agenda for the next day too. He needed more staff, and that really couldn’t wait if he wanted the hotel to run like clockwork.

After finishing the stir fry and having two cookies each, they put the rest of the cookies in a plastic container, washed up their plates and cutlery and wished each other good night.

Blaine and Tina headed to the room they’d assigned for their own personal use.

“Do you think Harmony has arrived yet?” Tina asked.

As they approached their room, the question was answered by loud singing further down the hall.

“I think Miss Brentwood’s in her room, yes,” said Blaine. “I really hope she doesn’t plan on singing long. My head aches enough as it is.”

“So what’s your plan for tomorrow?” Tina wanted to know.

“Recruiting staff. Apart from that, it’s going to be cleaning again. This place needs it.”

K & B

The next morning, Blaine woke up early, slipped into his clothes without waking Tina and went downstairs to prepare the breakfast buffet for the hotel guests plus Tina and himself.

Most guests that turned up in the dining room ate the breakfast he provided happily enough, but Miss Brentwood turned up her nose again for his cooking, requesting only hot water with lemon.

She thawed out, though, when she inquired at check-out who the new owner was, and Blaine told her it was his brother, Cooper Anderson.

“Cooper Anderson? The actor?”

“Yes, Miss Brentwood.”

“So he might show up here any moment?”

“Well, not any moment,” Blaine hedged, “seeing as he’s in New Zealand right now, for…”

“Oh, yes, I know! I so look forward to seeing him play in Dragons and Rings!” Miss Brentwood squealed, all smiles now, and she winked at Blaine. “Tell you what, if you give me a heads-up when Cooper arrives here, I’ll give you a good Yelp review.”

Blaine, who knew Cooper enjoyed being fawned over, readily agreed to that, and added her e-mail address to his spreadsheet.

Blaine spent most of the day interviewing job candidates, sent his way by the existing staff and by all the temporary employment agencies he’d contacted in the area. The very first people he recruited were Mrs. Evans as the head of housekeeping and Mr. Evans as the maintenance manager.

Mrs. Evans teamed up with the housekeepers and Tina again to give the kitchen and the rest of the rooms a thorough scrubbing.

Though Blaine had been afraid Jayden would not show up anymore after having to work such long hours the day before, the clerk was back at the front desk by nine a.m.

Blaine made sure to recruit more hospitality staff so that they could work in shifts from now on.

In the afternoon, Tina’s friends Marley and Unique showed up. Marley was accompanied by her mother, who wished to apply for the job of hotel cook.

“My name’s Millie, sir, Millie Rose. I can’t do any fancy cooking, but I gather it’s just breakfast you need here. I can do breakfast.”

“The hours are early, though,” Blaine warned Mrs. Rose. “You will be expected here at five o’clock in the morning, seeing as breakfast is served from six until ten.”

“Those hours are perfect! I’m an early riser anyway, and I work as a lunch lady at the McKinley High School, where I’m expected at eleven.”

Blaine pursed his lips. “The kitchen staff will be expected to tidy and clean the dining room and the kitchen as soon as the breakfast buffet is closed. You will have help, of course, I’ll hire a few bussers, but…”

“Oh, no worries, sir, I won’t leave before everything’s sparkling clean. I’ve got time enough. The school is only five minutes from here, so even if the last guests don’t finish their breakfast ‘till after ten, I’ll still have enough time to clean up after them.”

Millie smiled at Blaine with hope in her eyes, and Blaine nodded. “Welcome to the team, Mrs. Rose!”

K&B

After a week, the first shipment arrived of what Monique had managed to buy for the hotel: beds and mattresses. The entire hotel team helped unpacking the shipment, and after that some of the male staff, supervised by Mr. Evans, started taking apart the old beds and assembling the new ones.

Monique had called ahead and apologised that the lot she’d bought wouldn’t be enough for all the rooms, but Blaine was very pleased nonetheless, and thanked her with a lot of gushing.

He’d been sleeping on one of the old mattresses, and now his back was aching worse than it ever had. So even one new mattress would have been welcome, and she’d sent enough of them for at least half the rooms. Seeing as the hotel wasn’t exactly overflowing with guests, that would be enough for the moment being.

Mrs. Evans was happy as well, telling Blaine that even Stevie and Stacey had complained about back pain. “And these new beds look so comfy, and they don’t creak at all. I think we’ll all sleep a lot better tonight!”

While having a quick lunch, Blaine went over his checklist.

All the rooms were clean now – check!

The rooms that were in use had new beds, new mattresses, new bedding and new towels -check!

The reception and lounge were tidy and clean – check!

The kitchen and everything in it was clean – check!

The pantry, fridge and freezer were stocked – check!

He halted at the next item. “Provide ramps for wheelchairs and strollers.”

Right. That was definitely something he needed to do as soon as possible. And he needed to look into making some of the rooms on the ground floor accessible for people with mobility issues.

He spent the rest of his lunch break researching and then called Monique for advice on where to get ramps, automatic door and blinds openers as well as grab bars for the toilet and the shower.

She promised to order all of those for him with next-day delivery. “No skimping on that, it’s too important. Are you doing all right otherwise?”

“So far, we are, yes. Thanks for all your help, Monique!”

A bit later, the pest control firm arrived, and Blaine had to warn the Evanses that they would have to leave their room for a bit so that it could be fumigated.

Blaine was replacing a lightbulb in the lounge, humming along with Sam, who was playing the guitar and singing to entertain his younger siblings, when he saw a van arrive in the parking lot. Minutes later, two men headed towards the hotel. One of them was in a wheelchair.

“Sam, go find a few sturdy planks from the old beds please, we need a wheelchair ramp!” Blaine yelled.

Sam was back in a jiffy, carrying the planks with his dad, and Blaine helped them create a makeshift ramp.

It did the job, though the man in a wheelchair told them they needed a permanent ramp.

Blaine was so glad he could tell the guy they would have a real ramp the next day.

He forgot all about that, though, when he asked if they had made a reservation, and the answer was that they were inspectors. The one in the wheelchair was called Inspector Abrams, and the other, who was tall, stunning and sharply dressed, introduced himself as Inspector Hummel.

Wow. We’ve only been here a week and we’re already being inspected? That’s not good. There’s still so much to be done!

Inspector Hummel asked after Smythe. Clearly, no-one had informed them the hotel had changed ownership, so Blaine hastened to tell them his brother owned it now, and that they were in full renovation mode, sending the inspector his most charming smile, and hurrying to fetch the documents he requested.

The charm offensive did not work. Inspector Hummel frowned at him, a frown that only deepened when Tina turned up and happened to know Inspector Abrams from high school.

She spent some time chatting with him, which led to Inspector Abrams offering them more time to fix up the place.

Inspector Hummel looked like thunder by now. His jaw was set, and Blaine couldn’t help but admire the classic beauty of his profile – like a marble statue.

The two inspectors argued, and Blaine was quick to point out issues he’d already solved so as to tilt the scale in favour of him getting extra time.

The stakes were high, that much was clear.

From the argument between the inspectors, Blaine learned that they’d come to inspect this hotel several times, and that Smythe had made promises he’d never delivered on so as to get them off his back. And this was supposed to have been the final inspection, and if anything wasn’t in order, the hotel licence would be revoked.

Wow. No wonder Smythe wanted to offload the hotel. Bastard.

Inspector Hummel didn’t want to grant them any more time, fearing that Blaine was going to back out of his promises too.

Tina was quick to defend Blaine, and in the end, that must have helped.

Inspector Hummel agreed to give them more time. There were two conditions, though. Blaine would receive a list of issues from the inspectors, and had to solve each and every one. And the inspectors would come back every fortnight to check up on his progress.

Well, that was no more than Blaine had expected, and that list would be handy to have, so he readily agreed to those terms, and gave the inspectors his contact information, promising to keep them in the loop.

He was thankful to have averted the crisis of losing the hotel licence.

For now, yes, but Inspector Abrams was friendly enough, and Inspector Hummel, well… He’d win him over too, Blaine vowed to himself. He would put the inspector’s fears to rest by improving the hotel in every way he could.

He watched the inspectors leave, enjoying the back view Inspector Hummel provided, and looking forward to seeing the gorgeous man again.

However handsome the inspector looked when he was angry, Blaine was determined to get into his good graces.

I bet with a smile he looks even more stunning!

#klaine fanfiction #klaine prompt reverse bang #enemies to lovers #artist: justgleekout

[theveryworstthing]

So over on patreon Trevor asked for my take on the Addams Family and I grew up LOVING the Addams family movies so here we are. Instead of doing a straight up style interpretation, I decided to do a full on design challenge, using the characters as bases to make a black southern gothic Addams au. I actually drew the kids first, using the character bases of Wednesday and Pugsley to create some delightful kiddos I'm calling Sunday and Blanche. I of course then redesigned Gomez and Morticia into Carlisle and Mortesha.

The Addams have a very specific high aristocratic goth aesthetic (they've got a butler and nobody really works among other things) so in this re-imagining I wanted to go with vibes that run a little more middle class/upper middle class.  I thought it would be interesting to think about what would be considered weird and off-putting in an entirely different culture, and how being a big ol' goth is way less controversial than it used to be.

I tried to keep this short (HAHAHAHAHAHA) so I didn't spin off into an essay about villain coded families, black people in the horror genre, and normalcy as it pertains to social survival, but just...bits of that are in these designs and lore. Keep that in mind.

Also I made the kids twins because they've flip flopped in age so much in different media and also twins run in my family (i'm the daughter of one). And let's face it, I'm pulling a lot of their southern gothic traits from living as a southern goth so *shrug*.

10 thousand pounds of lore incoming loooooooooool.

The Parents

From the moment he saw her he knew that there was a 50/50 chance of him either never making it out of that swamp alive or marrying the figure that was creeping out from under the distant willow tree in a black cocktail dress. The third time she found him trussed up in one of her traps, he complimented her rope work and asked if she'd like to go out sometime after his head wound stopped bleeding.

Or while it was still bleeding.

If she was into that.

Some kids and a mysteriously burnt down Piggly Wiggly later, their love is still as strong and inescapable as a bear trap in a sink hole.

Carlisle Guillermo (now Addams through marriage but I wanted to give him two first names for a name since Gomez has two last names) makes a vaguely described living practicing ‘law’ around town. A loophole king, people come to him from miles around with contracts signed in blood, fights over chunks of hair buried in their rivals’ yard, dehydrated primate hands, memories that seemed like dreams until the evidence of their happenings became too real, and other regular Legal Items asking for counsel which he is all too happy to give. For a price. Sometimes that price is a homemade pie and sometimes it’s a million dollars, depends on who you are. Whatever you’re asked to pay it’s worth that price, and if you try to scam him out of work or he just plain doesn’t like you? Well. He knows how to twist a contract better than anything at the crossroads.

And he always gets his due.

He doesn’t just serve the local (living)humans though, there are many things that need proper legal representation in this day and age. You wouldn’t believe how many city councils try to build on sacred burial grounds even after he lets them know that his ghostly clients are totally gonna haunt the FUCK out of the ensuing shitty condos and curse their families for all eternity. At least 50% of his energy goes towards dealing with real estate bullshit.

Carl is an excitable and good natured(?) man who loves his family, cigars, dancing, and his many knife-based hobbies. People find him very charming once they get past the feeling that they’re talking to a sultry gator badly disguising itself as a human. I didn’t put a ton of deep thought into designing him, mostly I wanted to make a middle aged dude who looked like he would have been voted ‘most likely to smooch the literal devil’ in high school. Tbh he probably has, but no demonic ex’s can compare to his lovely wife~

Mortesha Addams(her name was already perfect so I just tweaked it)is a woman of many talents. A self proclaimed homemaker, she prides herself on a greenhouse full of Concerning Foliage, a beautiful wasp apiary, and a coop full of what are probably chickens that she keeps for what are probably eggs. She’s also an avid creator of the outsider art that can be seen around the estate. She has taken on the family business of selling her homemade goods in a little stall by the road just outside the swamp with her mom, and makes pretty good money doing so. A surprising amount of poison gets bought in quaint southern towns.

Speaking of poison, people who come out to the edge of the swamp to buy it are usually carrying a lot of secrets around, and Mortesha knows most of them. It’s not like she pries the truth out of people, it just so happens that many nervous hellos eventually turn into the tragic backstory power hour if she’s alone with a client for long enough. She supposes that’s just how people are. Despite the fact that the Addams are very active in the community (whether the community likes it or not) she especially, as a direct descendant of the first Addams matriarch, is seen as…Well not an outsider because the community feels A Certain Way about outsiders and despite it all the Addams are their people, but maybe something like an exception. They feel like whatever weirdness they’re hiding can’t be weirder than any given Addams, so they get a little loose with their words.

This is amusing to her, since Addams’ don’t naturally keep the kind dramatic secrets that their surface level prim and proper neighbors do. It’s much more fun to openly talk about those things.

Do they have a sadly decrepit yet terrifying grandma up in the attic? Yeah, like three. They got a tv, all the creepy porcelain dolls they could want, and they’re close to family. Where do you keep your gram-grams?

Any bodies buried on the property? Yeah some, but most are thrown to the gators.

Any creeping through the balmy summer night with ill intentions? Yeah dude, everyone loves a nice family stroll.

What about dangerous forbidden love? If an adult Addams isn’t incorporeal then they’re either queer or in a torrid romance with some person/thing mysteriously drawn to that awful swamp. Sometimes both at the same time. Most times actually.

Mortesha would know.

The current head of the Addams family is just as outgoing as her husband but a lot quieter and harder to read. She never really seems to get mad about much and always has a genteel smile for everyone whether they deserve it or not. A seven foot tall human shaped “Oh, bless your heart”. A perfectly composed Lady even when she’s, oh I dunno, burning down a Piggly Wiggly. You know. A regular southern mom. Chat her up at the hair salon for 50% off a jar of wasp honey with your next purchase of a mysterious but foreboding packet of herbs.

Designing her was pretty easy because I just drew a lankier Grace Jones and called it a day. I had some problems with her outfit simply because if we were going HARD southern gothic then she’d probably be wearing a white/cream dress with a fuller skirt but I thought keeping the silhouette and the black was more important. She’s supposed to be an anti southern gothic southern gothic character anyway. A woman who looks like she has a million secrets who is actually the most open person you could meet. For better or worse. The red hair came from a coloring error that I really ended up liking (my mom had red hair her whole childhood that only darkened up in high school so I can buy that an Addams can be naturally fire engine red) and the veil was to get more of that classic Morticia silhouette in there.

The Children

Sunday and Blanche are the twin children of Carlisle and Mortesha Addams. Some say the Addams clan got their cursed homestead when a wealthy local businessman made a deal with the devil and lost, leaving his grand mansion to his least favorite maid and cutting his losses once he realized that the swamp would do everything it could to drag the house into the water and take what was owed with its horrible curse. Others say that the family has just always squatted there and no one really cares because man, fuck that particular swamp. Have you been in there? Absolute horror show.

Anyway.

Blanche is the more outgoing sibling and quite the engineer/mad scientist in the making. He started going grey at 2 weeks old but considering he was also rocking some extra fingers, toes, and a tiny tail (he takes after his dad), his parents just put it on the 'not life threatening' pile and decided not to worry about it. He's the kind of smart that teachers find utterly infuriating, less a dog eagerly learning and obeying commands and more a hyena who keeps teaching itself how to pick locks. He has a few friends in his school's robotics club (which they honestly allowed him to make so the school could contain his... creations) but mostly hangs out with his sister exploring the swamp. They find all sorts of neat things in there! wedding rings, suspiciously lumpy garbage bags, cloaked cultists who can't read private property signs, it's an adventure every day!

Blanche is all about experimentation with his creations, his look, and his tether to this mortal coil. Is lipstick a cool thing to try? Let's find out. Can he get out of a strait jacket fast enough after being pushed into the depths of the swamp by his sister? let's find out. He's not dead yet and confused local doctors can attest to the fact that he's rarely attained more than a bad bruise so he's pretty set on continuing to kiss rattlesnakes on their cute little heads and have his sister practice her knife throwing at him until that fact changes.

Blanche is very much a country goth. Cowboy boots (customized by his mom), knife, and lighter are daily accessories. He likes to wear the crusty swamp jewelry they find (the rust adds a splash of color!) and despite appearances he does try to keep himself neat. He's just got  natural Grunge Colors and a tendency to wear clothes he likes until they fall apart. Pugsley always seemed the most modernly styled to me (which might just be because little boys clothes have been the same for a long time) so I wanted Blanche to be the most purposely fashionable Addams. Everyone else is goth by nature, but he's the only one truly familiar with goth as an alternative fashion.

I got really into designing Blanche because honestly, I find Pugsley to be the most boring member of the family. And he was hard to design! I had to mess with his vibe a lot to get him looking how I wanted. I know he's supposed to evoke an " 'evil' little boy next door who's parents never reign him in", but that's just goth Dennis The Menace.  I's 2020. We can at least go queer goth Calvin.

Sunday was much easier to design. Wednesday was my favorite as a child (of course) and I really wanted to keep the spirit of her look while adding things like billowy sleeves (it gets HOT down here), big poofy twists instead of braids, and a nice tie. She's a professional after all, been running the local pet cemetery since she was 6 and the previous groundskeeper met with an unfortunate accident after telling her that tarantulas don't have souls. Her specialty is creating beautiful naturalistic animal funerals similar to those that Maquenda (https://linktr.ee/artofmaquenda) makes, and she takes pride in creating miniature dioramas of her subjects after each burial which she uses as a kind of 3D catalog for future clients.

She really wants to try out her skills on humans one day. Well. Publicly try out her skills. Lotta random bodies float into the swamp. None of them have turned down her requests for diorama models so far. Most seem downright flattered. Plus, she usually figures out which graveyard/crime scene they floated over from and gets her parents to give them a lift back. She'll even help enact terrifying revenge from beyond the grave on whoever put them there if she's not, y'know, busy.

Besides arts, crafts, and pet based funerary arrangements, Sunday is an avid lover of archery (any ranged weapon really), books where little fantasy adventure animals die dramatic deaths, and history. She is That Kid who eagerly raises her hand when asked who Christopher Columbus was and ends up being sent out of class after 15 minutes for making 'a scene'. Her favorite party trick is just picking an item in the room and talking about how it relates to either some obscure historical figure with a buck wild life or a horrible disaster. At least one charity pancake breakfast ended with children in tears after her vivid description of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919.

Social-wise, while Wednesday is the girl that people ask to smile because they think she'd, "look so pretty", Sunday is rarely asked anything at all. People just kind of assume from her quiet nature (in between horrible history facts) that she's angry all the time and that she hates everyone. This is untrue. She hates some people but she's ambivalent to most everyone else and even downright friendly if you bother to talk to her like a person instead of a terrifying cryptid. Like, she IS a terrifying cryptid but she's also a little girl.  

That’s about it for now. One day I might do the other family members but for now I’m happy with the four I’ve redesigned. Making an au! Lurch in a family that doesn’t do butlers could be interesting. Over on patreon I put forth that he could just be Motesha’s mute little brother (similar bone structure) but Amy Crook had the nice idea of quote: “ a mysterious "cousin" that "helps around the house" whose origins are both long in the past and faintly unsettling. He's good for lifting heavy things, like that tank of propane you're about to throw into the burning Piggly Wiggly... “ which i now consider canon. Who's kid is he? How old is he? Not important. Anyone willing to commit arson with you is family.

Annnnyway.  This challenge was a lot of fun! I love indulging in AU’s.

#long post #the addams family #Character Design #au #design challenge #i am incapable of doing a design challenge like a normal person #oh god i forgot the cut lol

[nyxdelanuit]

Please Let Me Take You Ch 2

You guys have voted, and so I finished chapter two of PLMTY!  Here’s the link to Chapter 1! PLMTY MASTERLIST

True to form, Katsuki stayed for breakfast and was out the door before your plate was even in the sink. With a sigh, you started running the water. You were so optimistic this morning, but Katsuki ate in silence, not responding to any of the questions you asked with more than a grunt. You nodded to yourself as you set to cleaning the dishes. Next time he came home, you would talk to him. Something needed to change. Hopefully, before you started falling prey to Kaminari's flirtatious attitude just to have some affection in your life.

 You busied yourself with straightening the house for as long as you could, reveling in the way your sheets smelled like burnt caramel before lamenting that you’d have to clean them. The flaky stains on the sheets turned your stomach, and you wondered again if this was what love should feel like.

Only an hour or two, and Katsuki’s clothes were hung on the line, the sheets were in the wash, and your house once again looked barren. You shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, unsure how to spend your time. After consideration, you shot a text to Mina. Unassuming, just checking in to see how bad the hangovers hit your friends.

 You were surprised by a sharp trill from your phone, quickly picking up to Mina's shrill voice. "My sweet angel, please save me." She cried, "the boys came back to my place to sleep it off, and now I have a grumpy Kaminari on my hands." You giggled at her whine. "He woke up in the guest bed and got all excited, now he's being all mopey knowing he didn't get into someone's bed."

 “Like he would know what to do when he got there.” Mina’s cackle made you pull the phone from your ear.

 “Hear that Sparky, Y/N says you wouldn’t know what to do if you got in someone’s bed!” You laughed as you heard the scuffle on the other side. You let yourself relax onto the couch, reminding yourself to straighten out the blanket on the back before Katsuki got back. He was a real bitch about things like that.

 “Hey angel, if you let me into your bed, I can show you just how much I know.” Kaminari’s signature flirtatiousness was marred by the heavy sleep in his voice.

 “If you can handle coming to Katsuki’s house and into Katsuki’s bed, maybe I’ll take you up on that offer.” You knew you were skating on thin ice, but couldn’t help but feel smug as you heard him whine and pass the phone back to Mina.

 “Sorry ‘bout that, babe. So, were you just calling to check up or…?” Mina prodded at you with her question.

 “Katsuki came home last night, and before you ask, he already left. Guess I’m just feeling a bit cooped up still.” You sighed into the receiver.

 "Oh, babe, give me ten minutes, and I'll be on my way."

 “You’re the best, Mina.”

 “I’ve been telling you this for years! See you soon.” The call ended with a click, and you rushed to make yourself presentable. Last night’s makeup was rubbed off and flaked uncomfortably underneath your eyes. You quickly set to removing the remainder, settling for a simple moisturizer before shedding your clothes. The warmth of your shower stung on your skin, but you embraced it as you stood in the scalding water. It used to remind you of Katsuki’s quirk against your skin, but now it just made you want to scrub him from your skin.

   Mina’s timing was impeccable as always, sauntering into Katsuki’s- your- home as you finished smoothing out your outfit. She smiled once she caught sight of you coming out of your room.

 "Hey, babe! This place is looking really… homey." Her smile tightened, looking around. You understood, you would definitely pick 'sterile' over 'homey,' but she was just trying to be nice.

 "Well, I think I've had enough of 'homey' places for now, what do you say about getting out of here?" You gave her a grin as you turned her around. She gave in quickly, heading for the door. You double-checked the alarms and the door before meeting Mina in her hot pink car. Always on brand, she was.

 She slipped big bug-eyed sunglasses on her face as she started her car. “Alright, my little turtle dove, where to now? Movies, high-calorie food, retail therapy? Pick your poison.” Even with her eyes obscured, you could still make out the arch of her eyebrow peaking over her sunglasses.

 "You know, Ochako was telling me there is a month- or less- until baby Midoriya is here." Mina's squeal was all the answer you needed. Mina quickly put the car into drive, squealing out of your driveway.

 "A month?! I don't even have one outfit ready for them!" Mina made it sound blasphemous. You squealed, half in laughter and half in fear as Mina sped down your street. The fall air was heated by the sun today, and you let it flow through your window. It tangled in your hair, and you felt the oppressive atmosphere of Katsuki's house release its hold on you.

 The ride was full of music, wind, and off-key singing between the two of you. You almost felt like asking Mina to drive a bit longer when the mall came into view. It was easy to forget about that when Mina was grinning ear-to-ear and dragging you by the arm into the spacious building.

 Going out with Mina was a breath of fresh air. You didn't have to hide, didn't have to disguise yourself. That thought clung to your mind- sure Mina wasn't quite in the top tier of heroes, but she was more than distinguishable. Mina never hid you away, though, always throwing an arm over your shoulder or hanging off of your arm even through the dense crowd of paparazzi that clamored for the hero's attention. If she was confident that she could protect you through any fallout that came from that, why wasn't Katsuki?

 That line of thought was interrupted by the chirping of your phone. Mina had wandered off to one of the maps showing the layout of the shops. You were surprised that she hadn’t memorized this place as often as she was here. You focused back on your phone.

 Katsuki texted much like he talked- clipped and unforgiving.

 Suki: Where are you?

You: Out with Mina.

 The alarm system must have notified him when you left. You rolled your eyes, catching up to your friend as she spotted the store she wanted. You let her pull you to the specialty maternity and infant shop. You indulged her tittering as she flitted between the tiny newborn outfits on display. If you weren’t here to temper her excitement, you were sure she’d buy out half the shop. Your phone chirped again as you dissuaded her from buying either of the obviously gendered outfits, they were keeping the gender a surprise.

 Suki: You went out last night and had enough fun then, judging by the booze I could smell on you.

Suki: You should be at home.

 You considered ignoring the text, but you knew he wouldn’t relent until you answered him.

 You: It’s not like you’re home today, why do you care if I’m out?

 Suki: You’re mine. I don’t need you out embarrassing me with those extras and spending all of my money.

 You swore you started seeing red. Mina had been trying to get your attention, debating between a purple checkered outfit, and adorable onesie with a smiling broccoli, or a gray ensemble with multicolored kittens on the hem. She frowned at your furrowed face and peeked over your shoulder.

 With a huff, she threw the outfits in her arm, swiping your phone from your hands and typing off a quick message before tossing it back to your hands.

 You: Shove it Blasty, she's fine with me, and I'm covering costs today- Mina <3

 “What an ass.” She huffed. While she was his friend, she was yours too. She truly hated seeing how he treated you and had told you as much often. The two of you had talked extensively on you leaving Bakugou, and what that would entail. Every time you had gotten to that point, Katsuki would take the weekend off, showering you in praise and affection, and you wavered. And every time, you slunk back to Mina’s side, saying how you still wanted to try.

 If Katsuki was trying, shouldn’t you too?

 Mina tucked your phone in your back pocket before steering you to the check out counter, throwing all three outfits down. Pretty soon, the two of you were walking out of the mall, drinks in hand. You ignored the barrage of buzzing coming from your pocket, favoring the feeling of the sun on your skin and Mina ranting about your boyfriend. Fiance. He was your fiance. Was this what married life was going to be like? The gaudy ring sat heavily on your finger, and you were tempted to slip it off.

 You slipped into the passenger seat as Mina started up her car. “I just don’t understand, what do you still see in him?” She whipped her eyes over to you, seething after you had conveyed the previous night’s events. “He treats you like a piece of meat, and you all but thank him for it!” You sank back into the seat with a sigh.

 “It’s not like that- he’s just busy and worried. You know how hard it is to get him to be honest about his emotions.” Your excuses sounded hollow even to your ears, and if the roll of Mina’s eyes was anything to go by, hers too.

 “You deserve to be with someone who shows you they care instead of keeping you locked up like some sort of trophy.” Mina’s lip curled in disgust. You quieted down, not having the energy to keep up this fight.

 “Well, I’m getting out of the house now, and it’s not like he’s home long enough to stop me.” You flashed a weak grin at Mina, who returned it softly.

  You arrived back home later that night. Mina waved from the driver’s seat of her car as she peeled out of your driveway. You returned her wave, standing still outside of your door. Even as her car disappeared from view, you stood, unwilling to enter the empty house.

 In an attempt to delay going inside, you looked over the notifications on your phone. You swiped over Katsuki’s usual empty threats and messages of ‘we will be talking about this when I get home,’ but a new name caught your eye.

 Kirishima: Hey! I hope you remember me lol

 You chuckled as you recalled your interactions with the enigmatic stranger.

 You: Of course! Any friend of Mina’s is a friend of mine!

 You cringed inwardly at your overuse of exclamation points, but allowed the conversation to distract you as you wandered into your empty house.

 Kirishima: Good to know! I was worried that you might have forgotten about me when you left the bar

 You: Well you made quite the impression

 Kirishima: So how do you know Mina?

 You: My fiance introduced me to her, along Sero, Kaminari, and just about everyone I know

 Kirishima: Who is your fiance? Sounds like I might know him

 You: He’s just one of her old classmates, what I’m more interested in is you! How’d you meet Mina?

 You sighed heavily as you sank into the couch cushion. Katsuki wasn’t exactly your favorite topic at the moment, and you were sure Kirishima would find out who your fiance was in time. Your spirits lifted as Kirishima took the hint and talked about how he and Mina had attended the same middle school.

 The two of you texted back and forth for hours, sharing stories. You especially liked sharing stories of Kaminari's failed escapades, and in return, he shared stories of your three friends from high school. Oddly enough, you hadn't heard these stories before, and none of them included Katsuki. From what you heard, their friend group was inseparable.

 You were about to ask Kirishima about it, but a shrill squeal and the angry slamming of a car door caused you to close out of the texting app. You pulled up a random social media app, not entirely understanding the urge to hide your budding friendship. Perhaps you just wanted something that Katsuki couldn't touch.

 You tried to fake indifference as the front door creaked on its hinges. Your fingers trembled as you tried to focus on the pictures and mindless statuses flying by on your screen. Although you were fairly certain Katsuki wouldn’t hurt you, his rage was never something you sought out. Katsuki slapped a newspaper down on the coffee table in front of you, and you winced at the sound.

 “What the everloving fuck is this?” Katsuki sneered. You peeked around your phone long enough to catch the name of the newspaper.

 “Some dumb gossip paper?” You tried your best to keep the waver from your voice.

 “Some dumb gossip paper with your fucking face all over it!” You put your phone down again to look more intently at the paper. It was the evening edition of a local gossip rag that few people took seriously. On the front page was a grainy black and white photo of you and Mina at the mall, Mina holding up a particularly cute and tiny onesie. The caption was bold across the top, ‘Pinky’s Pregnancy Revealed!’

 "Okay, so what? Some dumb paper got a dumb lead, and I'm in a picture with my friend. The world is ending." An unusual feeling of exasperation surged through you. The ping of your phone echoed off of the sterile walls, and you quickly slid the notification off of your screen.

 Katsuki glared at your phone, silently debating between demanding to know who was messaging you and ranting about your photo. “So what? Do you know how fucking hard it is to keep your shitty face out of the tabloids?”

 “Would it really be so bad? The world knowing what your future wife looks like?” You bit back. It wasn’t often you fought back against Katsuki, but this thought had been bouncing around your head all day. “Mina’s not too worried about being seen with me.”

 Katsuki rolled his eyes so hard you were surprised his head didn’t follow. You were already over this little outburst of his, so you opened up the camera on your phone and snapped a picture of the newspaper in front of you. “Racoon Eyes isn’t a fucking top hero!” Mina’s contact was opened on your phone as you sent the picture, tuning out the remainder of Bakugou’s rant.

 You: Congrats on the bundle of joy

 Mina: Omgg babe, I'm so happy, you're the baby daddy, right?

 You: Of course, time for a shotgun wedding

 Mina’s response brought a chuckle from you, breaking what little composure Katsuki had. Small pops exploded from his hands as he turned back to the door. A string of curses followed him out as he slammed the door behind him, shaking the foundation. A breath you hadn’t been aware you were holding slipped from your lips. You needed a drink.

 The cursor blinked back at you as you debated on inviting Mina out again today. Guilt and loneliness bubbled at the back of your throat, you were worried you were becoming too clingy to your few friends. If you lost Mina or Ochako now, what would you really have left? A tenuous relationship, a degree that was nothing more than a scrap of paper, and an empty house. A shake of your head cleared those suffocating thoughts, and you closed out of Mina's contact. Kirishima's sat underneath it, bold with the ignored message from earlier.

 Kirishima: Wanna grab a drink?

 Fuck it.

TAGLIST: @httpsambar @thecatisblackl @ihopethatwemeetinanotherlife @7teenlyfe @say-my-name-assbut @But-kairis-not-that-smart @rocorambles @animefandomally @gokm1023 @cornchipsanddip @verdandi24-blog @dadchis-girl @moonsaye @zbops

#kirishima x reader #kirishima eijirou x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #BNHA bookclub #mha x reader #bnha x reader #nyx writes #angst #cheating fic

[ushioka]

Distant

I haven't written in a long time, and my creativity has been severely lacking, but I'm still here, managing and loaded with internalized thoughts and sentiments. The last few months have been surreal to me. Everything around me seems to be moving too quickly or too slowly. When I return to reality, I see how quickly time passes and how things change. Everything slows down when I'm lost in my thoughts, and oblivious to my shifting surroundings. I suppose you could say I'm far from fully living in the moment, but I tend to hide from it. When I lived in California, I spent most of my teen years telling myself that life will take its course and that all I have to do is wait for my life to feel normal or better. I told myself this in my head without doing anything to change it. Instead, I lazily went through social media, watching other people and friends live more and become more responsible than me. If there's a word or phrase that comes to mind to describe life like that, it's miserable, or feeling trapped in a bird's nest when others are already flying out. Knowing you have the ability to succeed, yet your shoulders are dragged down by a heavy feeling of melancholy, confusion, demotivation, and fear. Months pass by while you're cooped up in your room, and it feels as though you've grown roots to ur bed. I'd really want believe in chance and coincidences, but everytime they appear in my life, they become phases. Getting an opportunity, having the mindset of achieving, or putting your whole heart and soul into something, just to fall back to square one. I understand that this isn't for everyone, but I envy those that are given an opportunity and use it to build their own success and future, they allow themselves to run with it. I'm almost 18, not 17, 16, or 13, and I'm just one number away from being considered an adult, who’s supposed to beready and prepared to begin their lives. I know a lot of people will tell me that 18 isn't when everything will change, but it is when it will start. It's difficult to notice when there have been so many changes but no firm start with a solid foundation. It feels like I'm on a very zigzag line that isn't at all parallel to other people's lines, but we're both moving forward at the same time because that's simply life; it doesn't stop for you. I may be all over the place, constantly doing new things and failing miserably, but at the very least, I've developed ten different personalities as a result of it, and I know what kind of person I can and cannot be. Like i said i’m no longer in california but indiana the name sounds less fancy and less expensive truly. but it’s that one state almost in the middle of the map that’s there but not favored. When i think of indiana i think of corn and old people, why old people? because it’s the perfect place to retire and buy a home after living a crazy expensive life and job in a booming city. Just calm and very still. People who have lived a life they knew would be tough and worthy admire me because they knew nothing in life would ever be flawless or easy, but they put themselves through college and jobs and awful people to just go to a more difficult work environment. It shows that it is possible to be in difficult situations and still make the best of them, earn money, and be successful. know I should surround myself around those individuals, and I have, but they are typically much older than me, having lived half their lives already, and they despise hearing my nonsense and excuses about how afraid I am or how I haven't experienced mine yet. For example, my grandmother and I are extremely different people, but sometimes a conversation isn't the best. She'll get irritated and angry listening to me talk about how far behind I've fallen, because it's nowhere near a successful life. She'll see me do things that everyone should be able to do but that I struggle with. She'll be furious because she knows I'm capable of so much more. But, while I cringe, she'll tell me how she did this and that when she was this age, and how I can do the same.

[alovelymoonbeam]

Deaf Newsies Fic ch 1

Right, I’m finally doing it. I’ve been half writing this story for a few years, but I’m finally posting the first chapter for the newsies quarantine project day two. If you actually like it/want me to post more/have an idea for a title, lmk

disclaimer: I am not Deaf, nor do I know anyone who is deaf. Everything in this is based on what I learned about Deaf culture in my ASL class, so if something is wildly inaccurate, or offensive, or anything, please let me know, and I’ll fix it.

also i wrote most of this like two years ago so it kinda sucks sorry

@watchwhathappensfromafar

________________________________________________________________

I was starving. That was the only thought that could really cross my mind at the time. It wasn’t that I’d never gone hungry before. After all, missing meals had been a favorite punishment of the school I’d been at. But this was different. I hadn’t eaten at all in three days. The first day I’d been too busy running until I keeled over with exhaustion to bother with finding food. It hadn’t seemed as important as getting away at the time. The next two days I’d spent hiding, and trying to avoid the police. Today the lack of food had finally caught up with me, and it dulled the intense fear of getting caught enough that I attempted to beg for money so that I could actually buy some food. Unfortunately for me, I was having quite a bit of trouble, since I couldn’t really speak to anyone I met, nor could I understand them very well. 

This wasn’t anything new of course, seeing as I was deaf. I had very little residual hearing, so I hadn’t yet managed to figure out speech (though not for lack of trying). I could lipread fairly well all things considered, but it was kind of like attempting to read something in extremely low lighting. I had to concentrate really hard, and didn’t understand most of what a person said. Unfortunately my slow learning and lack of understanding often got me in trouble back at the school, which was the main reason I was out on the streets in the first place.

I had no idea where I had ended up. Back then the streets of New York confounded me. The buildings were like the walls of some complex maze, full of dead ends and wrong turns. This was mostly because the people who had raised me kept me cooped up at that stupid school, where I’d had little to no access to the outside world, and during school breaks I hadn’t been allowed out because they were scared that I would get lost (or something like that. They never bothered to tell me). I was so clueless back then. I mean, I’d lived in New York my whole life, but I didn’t know the first thing about it!

Anyways, I had mostly given up trying to beg for money. The people around me couldn’t understand me, and I couldn’t understand them. There wasn’t much point in signing to them. The small part of my brain that wasn’t focused on my hunger was cursing my parents for insisting I spend my time trying to figure out lipreading and speech rather than learning how to get around New York on my own. Stupid parents.

I followed the current of people, too exhausted to know or care where I was headed. My only comfort was that I was still better off than I had been before. As I made my way, I felt a hand on my shoulder. My entire body tensed up. I had always hated it when people touched me unexpectedly, and my recent experiences hadn’t done anything to help the fact. I turned to see a police officer.

Now, before I continue on with this story, I’d like to take this moment to say that I am normally a smart, rational person, who is very good at getting away from the police without incident when the time calls for it. But I was starving, scared, and exhausted. I was drained from my escape, and the stressful last three days. So when a cop grabbed my shoulder, and asked me a question that I hadn’t managed to see, I panicked. 

I yanked my arm out of the officer’s hand, and I ran. An instant later, I realized what a bad idea that was. I knew he would be chasing me. I may as well have painted the word GUILTY across my forehead. I also knew that there was no way I could outrun him or hide. I was too exhausted. As I ran, my lungs burned, and my legs ached. I wove my way through the crowd, praying for a miracle. In the middle of said prayer, I slammed right into one.

The person I had not managed to avoid was a boy, a few years older than me. He wore a blue shirt, with a black vest over it, and a grey cap. He wasn’t wearing a coat, which was a pretty bad idea, since it was January. His clothes were worn, but clean, and he looked rather confused, which made sense, considering I had just plowed right into him while being chased by a police officer. 

He said something to me probably along the lines of What’s wrong? or Who are you? or Why on earth did you run into me, and why is there a police officer chasing you? Of course, I couldn’t be sure, since I was a bit busy panicking. 

I shook my head, and said the only thing I know how to say in English. I’m deaf.

His eyes widened in understanding. Just then the cop caught up with me. The boy and I turned to face him. I probably would have started running again, but the boy put his arm around me, keeping me in place. Normally this would have made me either panic, or kick him to get away, but he was acting completely carefree, as if an out of breath, angry cop wasn’t standing in front of us.

What seems….problem officer? the boy asked. His unruffled behavior seemed to confuse the cop as much as it confused me. 

That girl did something, the officer answered. I scowled at the officer, then turned to the boy and shook my head. Sure, I had run when he asked me a question, but that was still quite a bit of a conclusion he was jumping to. 

….mind explaining what happened? he asked, readjusted  the strap on his bag. The officer paused, probably realizing that I really hadn’t done anything that would warrant his pursuit, other than running.

I asked….she….okay. She didn’t answer….I put my hand….her shoulder and asked again, and when I did, she started running, he said. The boy raised his eyebrows, and the officer’s scowl deepened. I doubted he liked explaining just how unintelligent he was to a couple of kids half his age. 

I think I understand the problem, the boy said after a pause. See, officer, my sister here is deaf. ….as been since she was born. Couldn’t understand a word you was saying. She gets spooked pretty easily too, on account….her not being able to hear people coming and all. When people touch her, and she isn’t expecting it, she gets scared, and runs. Specially if it isn’t someone she knows. 

I was proud of myself for understanding what he said. Usually I didn’t get so much out of a conversation, but even though he seemed to have a rather strong accent, he talked at a good pace, and wasn’t exaggerating his words to make it ‘easier’ for me to understand. What he said surprised me. If you were smart, you didn’t stick your neck out for other people, especially one you didn’t know. But he had gone and lied to a police officer, who I didn’t doubt would arrest him for less, all so he could help some random kid who happened to run into him.

...sorry… the officer said, and walked away. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Not only had the boy lied for me, but the officer had believed him. As I was puzzling over this, the boy began to lead me somewhere. 

I stopped, and he turned to look at me. Yes, he had saved me from the cop, but I still didn’t know anything about him, and I didn’t know why he was willing to risk being arrested to help me. In my experience, when people helped you out, it was because they expected something in return, and I wanted to know exactly what I was getting myself into.

“What’s your name?” I signed to him, hoping he would somehow magically understand.

Sorry, what? he asked, confused. I sighed. Looks like we were doing this the hard way. 

I pointed to him, hoping that would do the trick. Fortunately, it got the message across.

Oh! My name’s Jack, he answered. I smiled, and shook my hands, in the sign form of applause.

“Why did you help me?” I asked.

Sorry, is….don’t understand, Jack said. I was pretty sure I missed something he said, but I decided to figure it out later, and try to get him to understand my question. 

“Before…” I mimed the cop chasing after me.

When the bull was chasing you… he guessed. I nodded.

“You…” I mimed putting my arm around someone, and mimicked his carefree demeanor. “She’s my sister. She’s deaf. It's fine,” I signed. 

Is that me? he asked with a smile. I nodded. When I helped you? he asked. I nodded again.

“You helped me,” I signed.

“You helped me,” he repeated. I shook my head, and corrected him. “I helped you,” he tried again. I nodded.

“You helped me. Why?” I asked again.

Why did I help you? he asked. I nodded, and signed yes. Oh, well….. needed help. That cop was one…. Snyder’s….. He…..taken.... refuge, and no.... deserves that and...

Oh gosh, I thought as he continued to ramble. Evidently his accent got thicker when he was nervous. That was gonna make things difficult for me. I didn’t understand several of his words, and he was still going.

“Wait, stop.” I signed. 

What? he asked.

“Slow down,” I signed. I mimed him rambling, and my confusion. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

Oh, am I talking to fast? he asked slower, but thankfully not agonizingly slow. I nodded.

Sorry. I was just saying that no one deserves to go to the refuge. That’s the jail for kids, he explained. It's a terrible place. 

“You’ve been there?” I asked. He didn’t know the signs, but he seemed to guess my meaning.

Have I been there? he asked. I nodded. Yeah. I didn’t do anything. But the more kids they bring in, the more they get paid, he explained. They arrest….kids over nothing.

“Okay,” I signed.

Do you need a place to stay? he asked, changing the subject.

“What?” I asked, confused.

You look like you don’t have anywhere to go, he explained. Do you need a place to stay? 

I hesitated, deciding whether or not I should give him that information. Even though I still barely knew him, and I found out he’d been arrested at some point, I felt like I could trust him. He had done his best at understanding me, and hadn’t treated me like I was stupid. And he had saved me. I figured the least I could do was give him a chance. Plus my escape had been pretty poorly planned, and I had no other ideas on what to do.

“Yes,” I admitted, nodding so he would understand.

Well, a couple…. away....lodging house….not super fancy, but....bed, and food. They take any kid….pay, long as they don’t....trouble, he said. Me…. other newsies stay there. If you want, you can too.

“I don’t have money,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t pay.”

You don’t want to? he guessed. I shook my head. No wait, you can’t? he tried again. I nodded.

“I can’t.” I said.

“Can’t,” he repeated, speaking the word while doing the sign. I nodded. Okay. So why can’t you? Oh, wait, do you not have money? he asked. I nodded.

Don’t worry about it. Me and a few….kids have a little fund so we can help new kids get back on their feet. It’ll only pay for a night, but tomorrow, you can sell with us.

Before I could answer, Jack grabbed my hand, and began leading me through the crowd. I yanked my hand out of his. He stopped, and turned towards me, confused.

“Don’t touch my hands,” I signed, doing my best not to get angry. I hated it when people did that. Hand grabbing might be fine for hearing people, but for me it was the equivalent of shoving a gag down my throat. My hands were my way of communicating, and I wasn’t going to let anyone silence me, intentionally or otherwise.

Your hands? Oh! You don’t want me to touch your hands, right? Jack guessed. I nodded.

“Don’t touch my hands,” I repeated. He nodded.

Okay, I won’t. This way, he said, turning the corner. I grabbed onto his shoulder to avoid losing him on the crowded streets. 

As we were walking, he pulled newspapers out of his bag, and said things that I didn’t manage to catch as they weren’t directed towards me. When he did this, people would come up to him and buy the papers. At one point while talking to someone, he pulled me close to him and put his arm around my shoulder, like he had to escape the cop. I turned towards him to see what he was saying.

….my sister here….deaf, you see….I did my best not to laugh at how pitiful he looked. He was definitely overacting, much more than he had when he had gotten the cop to leave. 

Poor thing...all I can spare...hope you two will be alright….said the man, handing Jack a coin. I realized that he was using my deafness to earn pity points with the man he was speaking to. Nowadays I do the same thing (hey, if people are going to treat me like less of a person cause I communicate in a different way than they do, I have no problem making myself appear more pitiful to get a few extra cents), but at the time I was pretty angry about the whole thing. I was about to say some rather unsavory things and leave, but he handed me the coin. 

Looking in my hand, I saw a dime. The man hadn’t even bought a pape, but playing up my deafness had gotten us a whole dime! I looked up, eyes wide, and Jack smiled mischievously at me.

Rule one a being a newsie, if you have the pity card, use it, he said.Then, nodding towards the coin, That’ll pay for a meal and a place to sleep tonight.

“Thanks,” I signed distractedly, still considering the events that had just taken place.

 I hated it when people pitied me or acted like I wasn’t quite a person. I hated being ignored or stared at when I signed. I didn’t really mind being deaf, but I hated how people reacted to it. But Jack had just shown me another side to it all. People would pity me no matter what. But I’d just been shown how to use it to my advantage. I smiled. This whole thing was going to work out just fine, it seemed.

One shortcut through a broken fence and a few minutes later, we arrived at the Newsie Lodging House. It was a building with several floors, including, but not limited to, a dining room, a schoolroom, a gym, and dorms for the kids, not to mention Jack’s penthouse (though I didn’t know about that at the time). The bottom floor was almost all rented out to different shops, leaving nothing but a small entrance and stairway that led up to the rest of the lodging house.

Jack opened the small door of the lodging house and into the entryway (if you can call it that). It was a room not much bigger than a closet, with walls covered in hooks, presumably for coats. I remember being confused about why there were so many hooks when, judging by the size of that room, there couldn’t be more than a dozen children there. 

I followed Jack up the stairs and onto the third floor. It mainly consisted of a schoolroom, full of desks, and complete with a chalkboard. I didn’t know it at the time, but the room was so that the kids who worked during the day could still get some form of education when they were finished selling. It also happens to be where Mr. Heig’s office is.

Pop! You….here? Jack called. If I had to guess, I’d say that Mr. Heig replied based on Jack’s reaction. A moment later, he appeared out of a back room. Mr. Heig has been running the lodging house for as long as anyone can remember. He’s an older man, with grey hair and a beard. He has a little bit of a pot belly, and even though he can be strict when it comes to how he runs the place, we all love him.

Why...back...selling, Jack? He asked, walking towards us.

I found…. Jack started to say something, but at this point I stopped paying attention to the conversation. Neither of them were directly facing me, and when hearing people are talking to each other, they go so much faster. It makes it impossible to keep up. Instead, I observed my surroundings. 

The schoolroom reminded me of the school I had come from, but it was a lot bigger, and a lot more run down. The desks were old, and mismatched, and some of them looked like they would fall apart at any given moment. The chalkboard had the remains of a math lesson smudged on it, as if the teacher couldn’t be bothered to erase it properly. The eraser itself was actually just a piece of old cloth, dirty and covered in chalk, and really should have been replaced long ago. But in spite of everything, the room in general was neat and clean, and everything seemed to be in its proper place.

At that moment, Jack tapped my shoulder. I turned back to the conversation to find the both of them looking at me expectantly.

“What?” I asked.

Didn’t you say she could read lips? Asked Mr. Heig.

“I can, but it's hard, and the two of you were going to fast,” I answered, annoyed at having to explain this. Hearing people assume that it's so easy to lipread, but it's really super freaking hard! You try understanding a conversation that’s not directed to you and in another language that you only vaguely know! 

Was it too fast? Jack guessed. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Hearing people were so much work.

“Yes, and the two of you….” I turned away from them, and mimed them talking super fast. “When you talk fast, and turn away, I can’t understand.”

Sorry. We were just asking why you were on the streets? asked Jack. 

“My mom got sick and died, and I don’t have any other family,” I answered. It was a lie. A complete and total lie. Luckily, they couldn’t understand me at all, since I had signed fast, and kept my face blank to give them no clues to what I was actually saying.

Did you understand anything she said? Mr. Heigs asked Jack. He shook his head helplessly. I rolled my eyes. Hearing people were ridiculously inept at reading people. They turned away just enough that I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Probably not on purpose, but it was still annoying. I moved to a position where I could see them a bit better. 

....race...sign language….ask him... I only caught the bare minimum of what Jack said, and it left me confused as always. I did my best to stifle a yawn. I hadn’t slept properly or really at all since I ran away, and evidently, it was starting to catch up with me. Mr. Heigs took notice. 

….upstairs. She looks like….about to fall over, he said. Jack nodded, and then turned to me. 

Come on, he said. We’ll find you someplace….sleep. 

I nodded, and followed him up the stairs.

#deaf newsies #deaf newsies fic #asl newsies fic #newsies #newsies fic #newsiesquarantineproject #watchwhathappensfromafar

[olesnicabiega]

The Reason Why Purchasing In A Condo Can Be A Great Choice

Most of us have heard about condominiums, and have a quite clear picture of how it appears. Yet , we ask ourselves why is it called a condo? In pasir ris central, some parts of it, like your residence - are possessed privately, while some - common areas - are possessed jointly by all the construction's citizens.

A less technical way of describing a flat is an apartment that you possess. In real-world provisions, condos often take the sort of an apartment or even similar shared elaborate, but theoretically, a condo could physically look like anything. Condominium components are generally popular in most areas having higher real estate values, and vacation hotspots and urban preferences are both equally locations at which you can expect to discover them on the market.

This is mainly because buying a single-family household can be fairly expensive in towns where additional building space may be scarce. As such, condos can start home ownership to whole new groups of men and women if you believe you're all ready to own your own home, but can't afford a larger residence, a pasir ris central could be a excellent alternative for one really to receive in the market, Pasir Ris Central price.

Recommendations In Searching For A Very Good Condo Unit

On the lookout for an appropriate pasir ris central showflat involves precisely the same procedure as buying a single-family dwelling. If you have a general idea of what you're enthusiastic about, visiting a real estate agent can become a much better proceed into finding out about possessions that you just may not really be able to locate by yourself.

If you would rather get this done by yourself, you can also search around the net, at which many real estate online websites and listings for condos in the area which you are interested in, are shown. For those who have a specific building or sophisticated in your mind, many offer you onsite sales workplaces at which you can learn more about the residence and perhaps even watch a show suite.

Reading The Fine Printing On A Condo Purchase Contract

There are many aspects that you want to put into consideration if purchasing a condo, and it is not only the sales contract that you simply have to think about. Condos also have an agreement, or declaration, that dictates the way the condominium operates and can be regulated. Ahead of purchasing your condominium unit, you ought to ask and read the records that apply to the management of this complex. You need to learn what are the popular issues to this particular complex.

How enormous is the the condo's reserve fund? How can management deal with customers' requests and complaints? Is it true that the condominium impose stringent principles and guidelines on owners that you may be unhappy with? You also have to find awareness of perhaps the condo you are considering is well-maintained, and whether the house's guidelines and limitations might allow your home is the lifestyle you are seeking, and perhaps the building is undergoing any problems that may lessen the value of your share of possession later on.

Reasons For Obtaining A Condominium

There are many good of reasons that a flat could be a great alternative to an apartment or even just one house, and money is surely one of them.

It's also notable to try to remember that the purchase price isn't the thing to take into account when you are buying a condo. Most coops and condos have monthly fees for maintenance of the typical property, and these can be very costly and, as opposed to leasing an apartment, you'll also have to pay property taxes.

Whenever you're thinking of purchasing a home, there are a good deal of options available. One of them is your condominium. As you may already understand , a condominium is a large house complex that is broken up and sold at individual units.

#Pasir Ris Central showflat #Pasir Ris Central floor plan

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT Fic: Dating... With Children - Chapter One

(Also on AO3 if you want to leave a kudos/comment over there)

Plot:  Benjamin Draxum hardly considered himself a man of high social standing. Not because he was uncouth or unworthy of it, mind you, but simply because he didn't have much of a social life. Hard to have one when he usually spent his days at work, cooped up in a lab for so long that he often had his lunches in there, and his nights at home reading or doing research for more personal projects. But perhaps meeting handsome semi-retired movie star - as well as his four young sons - could change all that...

((Human AU time! Another idea I’ve had for a while, heh.  Originally this was going to just be a oneshot, but after thinking about the idea for so long, I decided I liked it enough to turn it into a sort of series. I'm not sure when the next drabble for this universe will come out, but I hope you all enjoy the beginning of it! ^v^ Also the title of this story is meant to sorta be a reference to the show "Married... With Children". I figured it would fit since I see this fic having just a bit of a sitcom feel to it, lol.))

Benjamin Draxum hardly considered himself a man of high social standing. Not because he was uncouth or unworthy of it, mind you, but simply because he didn't have much of a social life. Hard to have one when he usually spent his days at work, cooped up in a lab for so long that he often had his lunches in there, and his nights at home reading or doing research for more personal projects.

The only real interactions he had were with his slightly-incompetent interns and with the occasional opponent whenever he decided to participate in amateur MMA fighting at a small ring downtown. (It was amazing how great legally punching a man’s face out could make you feel after a day of little to no success with your experiments that day.) But, perhaps that was why his benefactor for his research - a title he was still sure she only held just so she could annoy him - invited him to be her plus one for the latest art gallery opening plus charity auction. Hmph, nothing more than an excuse to dress up and flaunt money, in his opinion.

“You need to get out more, Draxy~” She had told him on the phone, just one day before the event, “Let the fresh air flow through your hair and actually smile for once in your life!”

“I get out plenty,” he had argued, “And I doubt that there will be much to make me smile at an event like this.”

“You never know! One doesn't go to these events just go stare at the art, after all~” She giggled, easily reminding Draxum of a witch or a demon. “Besides, if you don't go, I’ll cut your funding down to a third of what it is now for the next quarter.”

“...You're a wicked woman, Arachna, I hope you know that.”

“Of course I do~ I’ll see you tomorrow night, Draxy!”

Draxum had slammed the phone down after that, too annoyed to even focus on his work for the next half hour or so. He cursed that woman, and silently hoped she went bankrupt one day, hardly caring how it would affect him.

But, unfortunately for him, a sudden stock market crash never happened, and he had been forced to leave work early the next day to insure that he wouldn't be late. Once home, he ate a quick supper of leftovers and put on the suit that he wore to practically all events when black tie wasn't required - a dark teal jacket and dress pants with a light blue shirt underneath and a gold colored tie bringing the look together. He also spent nearly twenty minutes braiding his auburn hair, figuring that Big Mama would complain if he kept it in a simple low ponytail.

After all that, he had driven over to the gallery, given his keys over to the valet, picked out a spot outside the building, and waited. ...And waited. ...And waited, until nearly half an hour had passed. Needless to say, if he hadn't been aggravated before, he sure was now.

Of course, because the universe loved to toy with him, the familiar gaudy purple limo finally drove up to the gallery just before Draxum had finally given up on his ‘date’ (ugh) making her appearance - and just before he could try and make an escape.

Morganna “Big Mama” Arachna stepped out of her limo, her red-framed glasses gleaming in the lights of the city as she grinned back at Draxum. “Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, dearie!” Draxum just glared back at her, his arms crossed. Mama simply ignored her date’s pouting and looped one of her thin arms around one of his buff ones. “Let’s go in, then, I'm sure the paparazzo are already wondering where I could be~” she told him as she lead them inside, her security team right behind her.

That had been nearly two hours ago. In that time, Big Mama had quickly abandoned him, instead choosing to gossip with a fellow old-money heiress. She did however station one of her security team right by the door, once again foiling Draxum’s attempts at heading home early. So, with a sigh, Draxum did his best to ‘enjoy’ himself.

This consisted of picking at whatever small snacks he had decided to try from the refreshments table, browsing at the art that he had no intentions of buying, going upstairs to briefly look at MORE art he had no intentions of buying, and finally finding a small spot in the corner of the museum where he could read the latest science-journal articles that he had downloaded onto his phone.

“What a waste of a night,” he mumbled as he read through the last article, “Ugh, at least she didn't insist on keeping me company all night.” Now THAT would've been torture. “Surely two hours is enough… Though, knowing her she'd make me stay until the last painting is sold…” He then gave a thoughtful hum. “I wonder if there's a back exit somewhere…”

“Why are you talking to yourself?”

Draxum blinked, looking up from his phone, only to see no one there. The feel of a tiny hand tugging on his pants brought his gaze back down to the floor, where a young boy stood. He was dark-skinned with bright eyes and curly hair that had been somewhat tied into a bun. The boy wore a bright orange and yellow kimono, the edges of the sleeves littered with small, faded stains. Spotting the half-eaten cookie in his hand, Draxum could easily guess what the stains were from.

After taking a small step back, Draxum replied with, “I was just thinking out loud.”

“Oh yeah, my brother does that sometimes too,” the boy nodded, understanding. Judging by his voice and speech, Draxum could guess that the child was at least five years old. Though, with how small the boy was, he wouldn't have blamed anyone for guessing that he was only three instead. “I like your hair!” He then said with a smile, “It's long an’ pretty!”

“Yes, I've noticed,” Draxum nodded, his attention already back on his phone. But as he switched from his ‘Books’ app to social media, he still felt the stare of tiny eyes on him. “...Was there anything else you needed?” He asked the boy, allowing himself to scowl slightly in the hopes of scaring the boy off without completely bringing him to tears. The last thing he needed tonight was a crying child.

But the boy didn't cry, nor did he leave. He just shrugged, and sat down next to Draxum as he finished off the dessert in his hand.

Draxum’s scowl deepened, annoyed at feeling obligated to stay now. If he tried to leave, the boy would probably try to follow him out, or at the very least try to make him stay. Would probably start to make a scene too, ugh… Whatever this kid wanted from him, Draxum wanted it taken care of right then and there.

“Was there something you needed?” He asked again, “Or did you just want to say hi?”

“Just wanted to say hi,” the boy replied quickly, “And go know why you were talking to yourself. But now I know.”

“Yes, you do. And you've also said hello.” The boy nodded, but still didn't move to get up from his spot. Draxum held back a frustrated growl. Alright, plan B then. After all, there was no way this child came to the museum by himself. “Why don't you go and find your mother,” he encouraged, “I'm sure she's-”

“I don't have a mom.”

“Fine, your father, then. Or nanny or-”

The boy nodded again. “Yeah, Papa’s somewhere downstairs I think. My brothers wanted more snacks, but I wanted to look at the art and talk to people.”

“Well, I think you should go find him now,” Draxum told him, “I'm sure he's wondering where you are, and we wouldn't want to worry him now, would we?”

The boy thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I don't wanna make him worried.” He stood up and brushed the crumbs off his hands before looking back up at the man next to him. “You wanna help me find him?”

“Fine,” Draxum reluctantly agreed, suspecting that the child wouldn't take no for an answer, “But let's be quick about it, alright? No dawdling. We’ll just find your father and get you back to him, understand?” The boy grinned, and before Draxum even knew what was happening, he was jumping at him!

Despite being startled, Draxum still managed to catch him, and glared at the sneaky child when he settled into his arms. He opened his mouth to argue, but ended up giving a sigh instead, surrendering. If carrying him would get the kid out of his hair faster, so be it.

Remembering what he told him, Draxum headed down the stairs with the orange-dressed boy in tow. From the top, he couldn't see any families nor panicking fathers at the snack table, indicating that the boy’s family was probably already looking for him. ...Which would make finding them that much harder. Of course.

“See anyone familiar yet?” Draxum asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The boy looked around, a small frown on his face as he shook his head. Suddenly, a loud laugh caught both their attention.

“She's got pretty hair too,” the boy commented quietly as he stared at the woman in purple with shiny, silver locks of hair who was happily putting on a charming show for the press.

Draxum rolled his eyes, turning away from Big Mama before he could see her, knowing he'd never live it down if she saw him in this sort of situation. “Yeah, and she's got a big mouth too…” he mumbled.

They walked around for a couple minutes, keeping their eyes and ears open, until finally Draxum heard a voice - deep with a hint of a Japanese accent - rise above the rest, even at a distance. “Excuse me, have you seen a five year old wandering around here? He's wearing orange, and has curly black hair?”

After taking a moment to listen, Draxum figured out that the voice was coming from just up ahead, near the restrooms. Sure enough, as he rushed over there, he quickly spotted a tall (and if Draxum was being honest, handsome) man in a baby blue suit and red tie, with yellow tinted glasses to complete his ‘look’. Beside him were three children varying in height, all with dark skin and black hair. On the man’s right was a boy in a blue and yellow kimono with pale vitiligo patches around his eyes, and on his left were his other two children. One was about the size of the boy in blue, wearing a purple suit with a worn backpack and glasses. The other boy was dressed in a red suit, and was at least a foot taller than his brothers.

Yes, this has to be them. “Excuse me,” Draxum said, raising his own voice as he increased his pace, “Is this-?”

“Papa!” The boy in orange grinned and leapt right out of Draxum’s arms. He would've been lying if he said he didn't gasp at the action, a small part of him worried about the child injuring himself. But the man didn't even flinch, and instead stepped forward and caught his son with ease, as if the boy did this sort of thing all the time.

“ There you are, Mikey!” The man sighed in relief, hugging his son tightly. The rest of his sons looked up at them with smiles, just as happy as their father was to see their brother back safely. “Michael, what have we told you about running off like that?”

Mikey pouted a bit, nuzzling into the crook of his father’s neck. “But I didn't leave the building this time. I just wanted to go see the art an’ see more people.”

“And we can still go look at the art, together as a family,” the man told him before making his tone a bit more stern, “But please promise me no more running off, otherwise we will go home, alright?”

“Kay…” “Thank you.” Unable to stay too mad at his son, the man gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, instantly putting a smile back on Mikey’s face. With that situation taken care of, he turned his attention back to Draxum. “And thank you for finding him.”

“Well, it was more like he found me but, you're welcome,” Draxum nodded. Now that he was closer to him, Draxum could see more of the man’s features. His strong chin and smile, his bright slightly-mischievous eyes that were undeterred by any wrinkles that might have surrounded them, and the small streaks of grey in the man’s dark hair, making him look rather distinguished instead of just middle-aged. Yes, the man was certainly handsome, Draxum could admit, and… Sort of familiar.

Not wanting to seem like he was staring, Draxum glanced away as he continued. “It helps that this gallery isn't one of the bigger ones in New York, just one of the more exclusive ones.”

The man chuckled, setting Mikey down so he could talk with his brothers - the one in red already taking his hand so he couldn't run off again. “Tell me about it. But, unfortunately, I don't think space matters much to a child. You give them a second, and they'll run off in the blink of an eye.”

“Seems like you've got your hands full,” Draxum commented. The man nodded, letting just a bit of fatigue slip into his expression, though it did nothing to cancel out his happiness.

“What can I say?” He shrugged, “‘Having your hands full’ is pretty much a father’s job description. But, it's the job I want so, what can you do?” A bit sappy, maybe, but Draxum still found himself smiling back at the man, just a little. “Anyway, thank you again for your help.” He held out his hand. “Name’s Lou, by the way.”

“Lou…” Draxum repeated as he extended his own hand, and as they shook, it came to him. “Wait, are- Are you Lou Jitsu?”

Lou smirked, his glasses gleaming slightly as he tilted his head. “You know, I wondered if anyone would recognize me tonight. You a fan?”

“Hardly,” Draxum smirked back, “As far as I'm concerned, most of your movies are too cheesy even for ironic enjoyment. Though, the action scenes are usually the most impressive parts.” He had seen the man’s skills in other forms too, like in demonstrations or on talk show segments on tv a few years ago. He certainly wasn't the best actor, but the man certainly knew how to fight. (Had strong muscles and a pretty decent figure too, if Draxum remembered correctly.)

Choosing to focus on the positive part, Lou laughed again. “Yeah well, that's what happens when you do your own stunts. Much more of an impressive show~” Once they finally released each other’s hand, Lou crossed his arms, striking a bit of a subtle pose. “So, what can I call you?”

“Draxum,” he replied simply, “Dr. Draxum.”

“Well-” “Wait!” The two men glanced down at the boy in purple now staring up at them. “Did you say doctor?” He asked, “Have you ever cut someone open?”

“Donnie!” His red brother whispered, giving him a small nudge.

“What, Raph? That's what doctors do!” Donnie scowled back, “It's how they fixed Leo’s arm when he broke it.”

The boy in blue leaned over and quickly argued, “It was that tree that broke my arm, Donnie, not me! Would’a made it to the top if it wasn't for the branch!” Donnie just rolled his eyes while Mikey giggled at his older brothers’ antics.

“I'm afraid I'm not that kind of doctor,” Draxum answered, “I'm more of a scientist, actually. I study genetics and biochemistry with a bit of biology mixed in.” Realizing this might have been a bit too complex for a child, he added, “I try to figure out what makes people and other things the way they are, as well as how to possibly improve them. But no, no cutting people open for me.”

However, Donnie was hardly disappointed. If anything, he looked MORE excited and impressed. “Well, looks like you've earned yourself a fan, doctor,” Lou said, clearly amused.

Draxum gave a small chuckle. “I suppose so.” As annoying as children could be, he could admit that these boys were sort of endearing, in a way.

But even charming children could still be impatient and insistent, especially younger ones, “Can we go see the art now, Papa?” Mikey asked, already trying to pull away from his oldest brother’s grip and run off once again.

Lou nodded. “Yes yes, Mikey, we will go see the art.” The boys each gave a small cheer, eager to finally get going again after such a long and worrying delay. Knowing his good deed for the night was done, Draxum began to back away when a small hand grabbed onto him once more.

“You can come see the art too, Dr. Draxum!” Mikey insisted, “We can all see it together!”

Draxum hesitated. “Well, I-”

“Yeah, come on!” Raph agreed, the twins nodding along with him.

“You can keep talking to Dad about grown up stuff,” Leo offered.

“And you can talk to US about science stuff!” Donnie added.

“Yeah!” Mikey grinned, “It’ll be fun, right?” “Really fun!” “Super fun-!”

“Alright boys, settle down.” Lou took a moment to gently pull them all back before looking back up at Draxum, his slightly-cocky smile a bit softer now. More inviting, though not insistent, letting him know that he wouldn't be forced to stay if he didn't want to. Draxum definitely appreciated that. “Well, what do you say, Doc? Do you feel like putting up with us for a bit longer?”

Draxum looked at the family, and then at the front door. Sure enough, one of Big Mama’s guards were still there, causing him to still feel a twinge of annoyance despite his change of mood. He really did feel like heading home and curling into silent solitude with an old science fiction novel he had been meaning to finish for some time now.

...But, if he HAD to stay there, he knew for a fact that there was much worse and much more annoying company he could have… Turning back around, he allowed himself to give Lou a small smile in return as he gave his answer. “I guess I could accompany you all for another hour or so.”

The kids cheered again while Lou just grinned. “Well then, what are we waiting for?” And just like that, Draxum was led back upstairs, making sure to take small steps on the way, lest he trip over any tiny humans as he walked. He also felt a hand - one much bigger than a child’s - brush past his, just for a moment... He tried not to think about it too much.

Instead he focused on the art, and the idle chatter of the children that now surrounded him. They’d ask him questions occasionally, about the paintings or about his line of work as a scientist (Donnie especially focused on the latter). Naturally, he answered the questions as best he could, not minding them after a while. It helped that Lou also remained interested in the conversation, offering his own comments and answers and even questions.

True, the semi-retired action film star wasn’t much of an artisan - in fact, Draxum was starting to wonder how he managed to get an invite to this event in the first place - but at least he was enjoyable to listen and talk to. A bit over the top, yes, but not yet obnoxious and instead settling around entertaining.

They jumped from topic to topic as they went around the exhibit, and even when there was a pause, it was a comfortable sort of silence. They stayed to watch the auction for a bit, but after Raph tried to bid on a stylized painting of various reptiles and his brothers started getting bored, Lou and Draxum decided it was time to call it a night. While he knew he didn’t need to, Draxum still stayed just long enough to walk the family of five outside to the valet.

The kids said their goodbyes (with Mikey even giving Draxum’s legs a quick hug) before racing to the car, leaving the two men alone. Not one for awkward goodbyes, Draxum simply gave Lou a small nod before sticking his hand out

Lou stared at it for a moment, and then produced a pen so fast that Draxum almost thought he pulled it out of thin air, and took the other man’s hand before he could pull it back. Draxum raised an eyebrow. “What, repaying me with an autograph?” he asked, holding back a smirk.

“Nope. Something even better.” Not bothering to explain any more, Lou wrote down what he needed to before turning on his heel and walking to his car. Draxum looked at his palm, and-

“...Seriously?” Draxum said flatly, eyes going from the phone number in his hand to Lou, who just gave him a wink before ducking into the car and driving away. Draxum scoffed, shaking his head. Honestly, what was this, some cheesy 80s rom-com? “...Guess I should’ve suspected that from a movie star...”

He stared at the numbers in his hand, memorizing them within a few seconds but only putting his hand down when he heard sharp footsteps coming up behind him. “Well well~ I didn’t see you bidding, but it looks like you’re still taking home a sweet souvenir, hm?”

“And here I thought you had abandoned me for the night,” Draxum replied, “But it looks like I wasn’t that lucky.”

“Oh, I think you were VERY lucky~” Big Mama giggled, “Don’t think I didn’t see all of you. He certainly was a looker, and those babies of his were abso-tivitilly adorable~!”

Draxum glared at her, but Big Mama didn’t even flinch. “What, am I wrong?” He said nothing, and began walking as soon as he saw his own car pull up.

“I’ll see you at the next budget negotiations, and I expect to see all of my funds accounted for until then, Arachna.”

“But of course! I’m a woman of my word,” Mama assured, “Oh, and don’t you worry that pretty, silly head of yours, Draxy. If I invite you to any more evenings out, I’ll be sure to check the guest list ahead of time.”

“I’d rather you promise to never speak to me again.” Again, his words just bounced off the heiress, for both of them knew who really had the power in their business arrangement, and she just waved as he drove off. But, for once, Draxum didn’t let his annoyance towards the woman ruin his night.

...Instead, he remained annoyed at the part of him that actually wouldn’t mind a couple more evenings with a certain someone. The part of him that kept thinking about the numbers in his hand, and the bright smile that refused to leave his mind...

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #baron jitsu #baron draxum #lou jitsu #human au #fanfiction #my writing

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ford fiesta insurance 17 year old

[lilyvandersteen]

Out of the Blue: Chapter 3

Cover art: @redheadgleek​

Beta extraordinaire: @hkvoyage​

Author’s Note:

I'm in a terrible mood whenever I haven't slept enough, and Blaine in this story is just as moody and irritable when sleep-deprived :-) You have been warned!

Chapter 3: Mr. Grumps Down in the Dumps

Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room; he was lively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield. Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves. What a contrast between him and his friend! Mr. Darcy danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party. His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that he would never come there again. Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs. Bennet, whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her daughters.

(An excerpt from Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

That Saturday, Blaine was in a horrible mood. He’d been woken in the middle of the night by loud squeals. Cooper’s latest conquest was a screamer, it seemed. What’s more, she hadn’t left discreetly after the hook-up. Instead, she stayed for breakfast, never noticing how her shrill peppiness made both Anderson brothers wince, and she addressed Blaine like he was a child. Now, he’d be the first to admit that he wasn’t too tall and that he looked young, but he looked teenager young, not toddler young.

When she exclaimed over his ‘cute curls’, and threaded her fingers through them, he gritted through his teeth, “Don’t touch me!” and stomped away, his stomach growling in protest when he left his breakfast half finished.

He was working on an essay for school when Cooper came in and flung himself onto Blaine’s bed. “She’s gone, squirt.”

“Don’t call me squirt,” Blaine snapped. “And good riddance. You sure know how to pick them, ugh.”

“She had great boobs.”

“That must have been the only great thing about her.”

Cooper tilted his head to the side, conceding the point.

“And now I’m starving because she chased me away from breakfast!”

Cooper chuckled. “Aw, Blainey, you didn’t like having your curls played with by a beautiful lady?”

Blaine shot him a dark glare, but it only made Coop laugh out loud.

“If you’re only coming here to laugh at me, you can clear out. I have work to do, and I don’t need any distractions.”

Coop rolled onto his stomach. “I came here to touch base about our plans this evening.”

“Plans?”

“The wedding! It starts at 6.30 PM, it says on the invitation. And it’s in Brooklyn, so we should probably leave by 5.30.”

Blaine groaned. He’d forgotten all about the wedding.

“I got you your guitar!” Cooper said, dashing out of the room, and coming back with a gleaming guitar case. “Here you go!”

Blaine’s fingers itched to open the case and try out the guitar, but he had school work to do, so with another groan, he turned away from Cooper and his bribe and focused on his research.

“And I’ll bring you a sandwich. And coffee. Okay?”

True to his word, Cooper brought Blaine food and coffee five minutes later. Blaine grabbed the sandwich right away, bit into it and mumbled a fervent thanks.

“5.30, squirt, don’t forget!”

Blaine, his mouth full to bursting, just nodded, letting the ‘squirt’ slide for now. Getting food in his system was more important. Ah, but he was hungry!

K&B

At four o’clock that afternoon, Cooper bounded back into Blaine’s room.

“Blainey… Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the wedding? I know how long it takes for you to fix your curls and make yourself pretty!”

Blaine let out a deep sigh. “All right, all right, I’ll stop working and hop into the shower.”

Cooper beamed. “I’ll be in the living room.”

“Oh, Coop? What did you buy them as a wedding present?”

“The pet pavilion, of course! They’re going to be so pleased!”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “If you want me to tag along, buy a NORMAL present in my name, please. You can waste your money on this ridiculous overpriced cat stuff, but I want to give the brides something useful.”

“Like what?” Cooper asked.

“Like a nice duvet. Or a set of bath-towels. Or some top-of-the-range kitchen stuff. Let me see the invitation, please?”

Cooper went to fetch it, and handed it to Blaine, who looked up the wedding registry. He was pleased to see that the brides had, in the meantime, added regular stuff like pots and pans and a clothes hamper.

“Get me that set of fruit bowls. That’s a nice gift.”

                        Cooper saluted. “Consider it done. A fabulous gift from me and a boring one from you.”

By the time Blaine was showered and groomed and suited up, Cooper had bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a congratulations card for the brides as well, and handed it to him with a wide smile. “All set now! Let’s go!”

When the town car came to a halt at the address mentioned on the invitation, Blaine frowned as he got out. The neighborhood looked derelict. And the people hanging around seemed a little too interested in Cooper’s gleaming car, which stood out like a sore thumb.

Blaine shivered and hoped they wouldn’t get mugged. That was all he needed to ruin the day further.

Cooper seemed to get the same vibe, and said to their chauffeur, “Best not stay here, Bill. I’ll call you when I need you to come pick us up.”

“Right, sir. Good evening, sir.”

And the car drove off. At once, Blaine felt very vulnerable. Holding the bouquet, he wouldn’t be able to fight if someone were to attack him.

“Let’s go inside,” he urged Cooper.

The building looked just as run-down on the inside. There was no elevator, and the stairs were worn and creaky.

The apartment numbers weren’t clearly indicated, but there was music floating down, so they only had to follow the sound to find the right place.

When Cooper knocked, nobody seemed to hear him. Not the first time, not the second, nor the third. After five tries, Blaine huffed, shoved the flowers at his brother, and tried to open the door. It slid open easily to reveal a loud and colorful chaos. All the guests were clapping and dancing, and in the middle were two gorgeous women in white dresses, singing Valerie and dancing with each other and giggling.

“Well, nothing like jumping straight into the party,” Cooper said. He put the flowers and the card on the nearest table and joined the dancers.

Blaine stayed where he was, looking at the brides and their guests and feeling very much out of place.

“Ooooh,” the brunette bride sighed as she sank onto the sofa after the song. “You know, Britts, that was the first time. That I felt like… I wanted to be with you forever. You were dancing with Mike, and I came to dance next to you, and you smiled. And I just knew. That you were the one.”

“Awwww,” Cooper cooed loudly, and more than just the brides’ heads snapped up.

“Oh, the last guests have arrived!” said a clear, high voice. “Welcome, welcome!”

The voice belonged to a tall man with blue eyes, a high coif and a clear complexion. He was dressed in a velvet burgundy three-piece suit that hugged him in all the right places.

Blaine felt attraction flare up bright and wild, but squashed it quickly when he saw that Mr. Gorgeous only had eyes for Cooper. Figures. Who’d see me next to Coop?

He wished he could just disappear. Nobody wanted him here anyway, not even Cooper, who was charming everyone already and having a splendid time, so it seemed.

But he felt himself grabbed by the arm as Coop loudly proclaimed, “And this is my younger brother Blaine. He was in show choir too!”

Blaine, taken off-guard, could do no more than say, “Uh, hi!”

Coop whispered in Blaine’s ear, “Smile! I saw you looking at the fashionable guy. If you want him, hit him with that Anderson charm!”

Blaine did as he was told, but he might as well have been invisible for all the reaction he got - a few polite nods and a once-over from a few of the girls. Mr. Gorgeous didn’t even spare him a glance. He was too busy sucking up to Coop, and mentioning emphatically that he was single, and hadn’t had much luck in love so far. Unlike Ohio, where he was from, New York City had plenty of gay men, but none that wanted to commit, it seemed.

Coop nodded. “I know what you mean. I’m not ready to settle down yet, but my brother is, and he tells me the same as you.”

Coop helpfully pointed to Blaine again, but Mr. Gorgeous didn’t look his way.

Blaine sank deeper into his sulk, scowling when Mr. Gorgeous urged everyone to head up the fire escape to the roof for the ceremony and then went up the stairs right in front of him, flaunting his endless legs and perfect ass in pants that seemed painted on.

He paid little attention to the ceremony, though he noticed that the man officiating was delectable too, tall, dark and handsome, and with a smile that rivalled Cooper’s in charm and intensity.

After the ceremony, Mr. Gorgeous and a tiny loud brunette went around with sparkling wine and platters of hors d’oeuvres. There was a wide assortment of finger food, all of it delicious, and for dessert a cake that was light and fluffy and so scrumptious that Blaine indulged in it until his stomach hurt, and then he felt disgusted with himself and even grumpier than before. He sat down on the nearest chair, feeling queasy, and hoping that Coop wouldn’t stay too long.

The brides’ first dance was beautiful. Even in the midst of his sulk, he had to admit that. Their faces were radiant, their moves were flawless, and they were perfectly in sync at all times. After the dance was over, they stayed put for another while, holding on to each other and whispering in low voices, punctuating each sentence with a kiss.

It wasn’t until the others joined them on the makeshift dance floor that it dawned on Blaine he had seen hide nor hair of the brides’ parents. Wasn’t it customary to have a father-daughter dance? And where were the drunk uncles and the loud aunts? Come to think of it, Blaine hadn’t seen anyone around from another age bracket than his own. Well, except for Cooper.

Even the officiant looked student-aged. Hmm…

Blaine looked around at the terrace. Tastefully decorated, yes, but it had clearly been done on a shoestring budget.

The food, too, however stellar, had all been clearly home-made, including the wedding cake. The sparkling wine had tasted great, but it had definitely not been champagne.

When he heard police sirens cut through the music for a moment, all his misgivings about the neighborhood came back with a vengeance, and he wondered who on earth would want to get married in a place like that.

It was nice enough for a party, he had to give them that. Lots of room, good acoustics. But it had more of a party vibe than it screamed wedding.

He headed to the table that held the presents from people who hadn’t bought something from the wedding registry, and got even more suspicious. The only decent gift on the table was a set of crystal champagne glasses in a silver bucket, donated by someone who called herself Sugar. The rest was a mishmash of cheap kitchen accessories and low-quality booze. How anyone could think a six-pack of Budweiser constituted a proper wedding gift, Blaine couldn’t fathom.

Nearby stood a tray with wedding favors. Blaine raised his eyebrows at the tulle bags holding a few tea lights. It was elegantly done, yes, calligraphed with the brides’ names and a romantic quotation, but again, they had kept their expenses as low as possible.

If they were all this poor, how on earth had they gotten acquainted with Cooper? The Andersons were an old money family, and Cooper had struck out on his own and become richer still. He hung out with celebrities and other billionaires all the time. When and where would he have met the brides? Did they actually know him at all? Or did they just send the invite to angle for a handsome gift? That was it, wasn’t it? Cooper had been duped into spending a fortune on that stupid pet mansion, or whatever it was! And they probably weren’t even getting married for real, and this was all a sham for Coop’s benefit!

Blaine was livid in Cooper’s stead, and stewed in silence until the brunette bride tapped on the bedazzled pink microphone they were now using for karaoke, shushed everyone and thanked all the guests for coming, and in particular Kurt (pointing to Mr. Gorgeous), who was the best friend anyone had ever had, and who had planned the whole wedding, apparently.

Cooper whooped and clapped, and Blaine couldn’t keep it to himself any longer, so he let it all out.

“Okay, this charade stops NOW! Maybe you fooled Cooper, but I can see right through you. This whole party is as fake as all get out! If it were real, you’d be getting married with your family surrounding you, not with just a handful of friends! If it were real, you’d have chosen an actual wedding venue, instead of this… this dump in the middle of nowhere! If it were real, you’d have had everything handled by professionals, instead of taking advantage of your friend to whip something up on the cheap for you. And all that for what? For that ridiculous pet pavilion that Cooper shelled out good money for? Is that really worth all this deception? You disgust me! You’re awful to take advantage of my brother this way, and I won’t stand for it!”

As soon as Blaine had gotten it all off his chest, he looked at everyone’s shocked faces and felt awful. Had he misjudged? The brides seemed aghast at his accusations, the guests looked at him like he was a train wreck happening, and Kurt… Gorgeous Kurt glared at him as if he wanted to tear Blaine limb from limb.

#bbb2020 #blaine big bang 2020 #klaine fanfiction #my fic #out of the blue

[mirandashadowborn]

(warning- I have another idea. Mind-blowing right? Ok but this one has two things I REALLY want in game (a character development arc involving a bad guy, and a place to live), and maybe some of you do too! Ok listen…)

So you see a yellow quest dot in Firgrove. You take a trailer (cause who really wants to run all that way? Not me!). Mrs. Packard asks that you pick up some eggs from Andy, and you’re like ok whatever as long as you bake me another one of them pancake cakes. Mmmm good. 

Andy is not there, but you find him down by the chicken coop. He’s looking down over the Silverglade Mine, and asks if you know what they’re building, since he sees construction going on. He tells you he’ll deliver the eggs himself, but that you should go investigate and see what they’re doing down there. You head down to the mine and see a familiar sign…

Uh no.. what the hell is this guy doing back?!?!?! (not the actual dialog).

You’re a little concerned about confronting this guy, since he must REALLY hate you by now, so you decide to ask the Firgrove mayor whats up and why are they allowing this?? Mr Franklin is all like “Uh, sorry, anything south of the sandpit is considered Silverglade. That’s out of my jurisdiction!” 

You ride to Silverglade (or take a trailer, whatevs) and the Councilman says “Oh I left Mr Bucket in charge while I took a few days off. Let me look at the paperwork here. Yep, looks legit. He purchased the mine and got all the required documents signed. He owns it and there’s not much we can do about it, except maybe next time I’ll have Mr Bucket wait on me for any property matters”. 

You decide to confront Mr Kembell. 

You ride over to the mine and see him standing there, looking at blueprints, but there isn’t as much construction going on as you thought. You ride up and he sees you and… sighs? 

Kembell pulls out the paperwork and hands it to you, tells you he owns it, fair and square. But.. his dream isn’t turning out the way he thought it would. 

You’re like.. “dream?”

He tells you he got an inheritance but not enough to live on. His parents always pushed him to make money any way he could, and he tried- but found that cutting corners and doing things unscrupulously didn’t work out for him. He realized that he’s taken a lot from the community here and wants to give back. He was hoping to purchase the mine and renovate it. His ‘dream’ had always been to be an interior designer or architect but his parents insisted on something more lucrative. You almost don’t believe him until he sighs deeply and asks if you want to see what he had planned. A cut scene reveals his ideas… 

At the lower part, a stable, since he’s come to understand the bond the people of the island have with their horses. 

a walkway to the apartments. The structure would be divided into spacious lofts, with a bathroom (where we click on to change our hair or makeup, which we will be able to do after this update XD).

The little courtyard would have a cafe and maybe a furniture store, where he can sell his designer furniture (another couple slides, that I did not bother to draw, sorry, but everything is cute and homey - you can buy all the sleek modern stuff in Governers Fall). There would even be a storage space (for additional storage since what the hell would be the point of buying a place to live otherwise?)

He would live at the top, and be security and landlord, and be able to retire from scheming. He apologizes for the way he’s treated you, says he’s been taking anger management classes. And says he really just wanted to give back, only his contractor bailed at the last minute so… it was all for naught u_u

But wait! You know a contractor! You rush over to Jarlaheim to speak with the builder. Does it involve water or heights? No not really! Ok then he’ll be over tomorrow! 

You go back to the site the next day and construction is underway. Kembell thanks you and says he hopes people and their horses are happy here. He admits he’s always been afraid of horses and asks to pet yours. he wonders if anyone will ever lend him a horse since everyone seems to hate him! 

But wait! You know someone with a horse they aren’t using! You ride over to Bjorn and ask to borrow the old horse he gave up on riding. Agnetha asks why and you tell her. She says if they get the exclusive contract to do the landscaping, he can borrow the horse. 

Kembell writes her an offer and she refuses it and they go back and forth (through you cause we know how this quest ends, and no ones gonna make it easy for you lol). They finally settle on a number and you lead this horse whose name I forget over to Kembell. He asks if you would guide him on a trail ride one day, as he just wants to get used to the horse first, you agree. He tells you to come back the next day. 

The next day he tells you he isn’t sure about the cafe idea. He was just going to put one of his old employees in the position of running it, but they’re all so scary. Do you know anyone whose young and hip and maybe wants a better job and might have a future in the food industry? Of course you do! 

(pic from starstablestudies) As you approach, Conny is being yelled at by the older worker. He messed up again. You ask him if he’d like to run a cafe, thereby getting a start in the food business and one step closer to being a sommelier ?(which why didn’t we get the Baroness to hire him?? but oh well). He says he’d love the job! You run back and tell Kembell. He is thrilled, and starts to get working on the designs for the cafe. He tells you he’d love some wrought iron chairs and you say you’ll ask the blacksmith….. 

Only Conrad is all like 

He says he can’t believe you would help that guy after what he tried to do to Moorland. He’s ashamed. Your rep with the druids go down (jk)

A clock appears over Kembells head….. 

You come back the next day with a plan: You’re going on that trail ride. And its gonna be a doozy. 

First you ride over to Firgrove. You bring him to Mr Franklin and have him apologize for whatever he was trying to do at the spies house. Mr Franklin shakes his hand and forgives him. You tell him to take the trailer to silverglade vineyard. 

You ride over to the Baroness, where kembell is apologizing. The Baroness accepts his apology, but only since her grapes have been flourishing now that he’s left. 

At this point, you ride together to Moorland. He makes little comments about how nice it is, and how he sees now that it would’ve been ruined by his other development. You ride down to Mr Moorland, where he apologizes to Thomas and offers him a very nice wooden bench or something, of his own design. Thomas accepts. THEN you ride to Conrad, and they talk it out. Kembell tells him he’s using only recycled material, and the surrounding land won’t be too affected by the construction. He wants to keep that area as close to its natural state as possible. Conrad forgives him and agrees to make chairs and a sign for his cafe. 

Maybe a day after this- after a few finishing touches (Agneta and Bjorn with plants, Conrad with furniture, Conny with a menu) - the homes are open for business! 

I was thinking- if you are lifetime, you can buy a loft. If you aren’t, you can rent (for a reasonable fee). (I honestly feel like it would be SCs taken out early on but then he never really asks you for rent after cause what would you even charge for that per month? If you end your Star Rider, the furniture goes into those little rooms in your stable.) 

This would of course come after you’ve thwarted Kembells last business (The house in Firgrove afaik), and then after that you’d see him in a polo shirt, bermuda shorts and flip flops, drinking a frosty beverage up in his little cottage. You can make this your home stable of course, and after this they would introduce rooms at the other home stables that you can decorate and stuff. Maybe you can have parties here (music and dancing), click on the bed to sleep to skip through on quests you have to wait a day, or just display things. It would all be customize-able - paint, carpet, wallpaper, curtains. There would be more furniture places in towns after this, natch. 

Anyway, that’s my second idea for the day. #starstable I’m here if you want to taco bout them. 

#sso #star stable online #My sso ideas

[jodybensonsharp]

Jody Benson Sharp Tips And Tricks For Bettering Your Lead Generation Experience

Jody Benson Sharp Expert tips provider. When it comes to lead generation, gaining the skills you need means gaining all the knowledge you can. To get that knowledge, you'll have to learn by reading and asking questions. If you want expert advice that will ensure you are a leader in your field, then this article is for you.

Use social media as a lead generation tool. In social media, you need to not only build a presence, you also need to build a community. It's an opportunity to build trust which will lead to more and more leads coming your way. Don't just look at the obvious social media channels. Consider them all.

Always seek validation of lead information. Verifying real-time information for a lead is important. If you take the time to make sure that you have a good phone number, zip code and/or email, you can ensure that the lead you have is strong. Not doing so can waste a lot of your time.

Check out events in your area and see if there's a way you can use them to generate leads. For example, if there is a cycling race, buy a sponsorship package. Then you can get yourself on TV talking about it, or in the paper, or just talk to people who are there to watch.

One of the highest visitor to lead ratios you will find online is with LinkedIn. Therefore, this platform should be high on your list of tools for lead generation. Put together a polished and professional profile that includes links to all your landing pages and make LinkedIn a valuable part of your lead generation success.

Check for lead groups in your area. These groups with a mix of different local business owners share leads. The possibilities created by this can be surprising. At that time, you could hear clients talk about toothaches, so you can return the favor.

Never overlook or underestimate a lead source. You will have many avenues for gathering leads such as buying or self-gathering or even word-of-mouth. Always look at each avenue for validity. Buying leads can be a great way to jump start your efforts, but they may not be the same quality leads you gain from a targeted effort.

Jody Benson Sharp Skilled tips provider. There are many frustrated people that can't figure out how social media sites can be their best lead generation tool. While it's all-inclusive and goes in many directions, understand the main goal of social media is to help people. Secondly, think about the fact that you're communicating with potential customers in a much more relaxed and unique fashion. Now it's time to get creative!

Publish high-quality content. You're more likely to get good leads if you create interesting content. Always produce error-free content. This makes your site look more professional.

Don't overlook the concept of actually paying for quality leads. It can take some time to generate leads on your own using SEO or pay-per-click methods, but paying for leads can help get your business off the ground. If you are looking to pay for leads, make sure that you do so from a reputable company.

Remember that you have to think more about marketing than just your lead generation strategies. Do not spend more than a few hours a day on this. Much of your time should be spent improving your skills, focusing on retaining existing customers, learning all you can about your niche and doing whatever actually makes you money.

Use your website to convert leads. Many people that visit your product site may not buy. The key is to find ways to gather some information and target them in the future. It is important to remember, they were on your site for a reason. Gathering information means you can target them in the future and convert to a sale.

Consider creating websites for all the different niches of potential leads you have. For example, "NewlywedHomes.com" for a real estate agent marketing to newlyweds, or "EmptyNestHomes.com" for the same agent marketing to those whose kids have flown the coop. Targeting your pages to your leads will boost the number which convert.

Know what you expect from your leads. If you plan to purchase leads, do you know what you want? Is your promotion targeting certain ages or economic levels? This is important to know before you drop a lot of money on leads. You want to know who your leads are before you send your promotions.

Qualifying a lead starts before the lead is generated. Asking for specific pieces of information is going to allow you to categorize all of your leads for future promotions. When you have them corralled properly, you will not waste time and energy on over-campaigning or complete misses due to demographic oversight.

Jody Benson Sharp Top service provider. If you have a blog online, be sure to comment on other blogs with a link back. CommentLuv is a tool you can use to link to your site from other blogs. It automatically includes a blurb and a link from your last blog post when you comment elsewhere.

Try using incentives. You may find that they work very well for some of the audience. Some people need a bit of motivation to buy something. What you should do is focus on using these incentives on those that you know will be motivated by them. Don't waste your money on giving them out to everybody.

Consider taking part in trade shows that are relating to your industry. If you are selling a product or a service, this is a good way to give you a chance to demonstrate what you offer in person. You can offer a special drawing for a prize to those who fill out an information card.

Jody Benson Sharp Professional tips provider. You've spent the time to read this article, now you have to take the advice here and put it to use. If you can do this today, you'll be able to reach your goals tomorrow. When you look back on your efforts, you'll be so proud of the hard work you put in!

#Jody Benson Sharp

[robertmraz]

Robert Mraz Techniques To Help You Find Lead Generation Success

Robert Mraz Proficient tips provider. A successful business understands how to go about finding consumers and turning them into customers. The way to get more people to your business so you can be successful is through lead generation. If would like good strategies on lead generation, then you will want to continue to the following article.

Be mindful of consumer buying cycles so that you can generate more leads that have a huge impact on your profits. Most consumers consider offers, research it and then make a buying decision. If you target your promotions to the cycle, you can motivate them to make a decision that will benefit your business.

Be more active on niche-relevant forums and discussion boards to generate easy leads. If you hang out where consumers ask questions, you can gather trust, brand yourself and be a go-to source for them. Not only will they appreciate your assistance, they will also most likely visit your site for more info or to make purchases!

Always seek validation of lead information. Verifying real-time information for a lead is important. If you take the time to make sure that you have a good phone number, zip code and/or email, you can ensure that the lead you have is strong. Not doing so can waste a lot of your time.

Know your target market. When you understand the specific group that most needs the products or services you offer, you will be able to reach them more efficiently. For example, if you are trying to reach elderly customers, you have a better chance of generating leads if you avoid a skateboard shop.

Find ways to qualify leads that you've brought into the company. Yes, it's important to get as much data as you can, but leads are of different levels of quality. Some leads are more likely to be bigger customers than others. One way is to develop a survey to learn more about their buying habits.

Many people forget about LinkedIn when it comes to networking and lead generation. They focus more on other social media sites. But, if you knew that conversion rates were much better within LinkedIn networks that have been formulated, you wouldn't be waiting to use this service. Utilize LinkedIn to help you get new leads!

Consider live chat as a valuable tool for possibly generating more real leads for your business. When you offer potential customers the opportunity to ask live questions and get immediate answers, you can really influence the buying decisions. Keep an expert on hand for your site, and start generating more leads with live chat.

Generating leads can happen when you talk to your customers. Knowing what drew your customers or what drives them within your niche can be very useful. This can allow you to tailor your lead generation to target that customer niche. This allows you to better separate your leads for each marketing push.

Use time sensitive offers to generate more valuable leads for your business. Since people usually want what they can't have, they will be more likely to sign-up if they know the offer is set to disappear. Stay true to your word and dissolve the offer at your stated deadline, then count your new leads!

If you're waiting in line, talk to the person next to you. It can't hurt to be friendly, and you can never tell when someone may need what you are selling. Don't run away from them, continue your sales pitch to feel them out, because they might still be interested in what you have to offer.

Make sure that you have a calendar set up. Targets may be offended if your lead generation initiatives are excessive or intrusive. Using a set schedule allows you to seem professional in your approach. You also won't harass the same leads constantly.

A good plan ensures you can market well on any budget. Make sure to get rid of what is not working though. If your budget is especially tight, you'll have to monitor even more carefully to put your money where it's bringing the most benefit.

Robert Mraz Top service provider. Make sure not to forget your target audience. An example might be someone who is in a rush to buy a home, and if you're a real estate agent you would need to advertise to these types of urgent buyers. However, if someone is looking for the perfect place to retire, slow and steady approaches will be needed.

Pay for leads if you must. Buying or renting them is perfectly acceptable if it increases your bottom line. Find a source of high-quality leads, and use them in addition to other methods until you get your business off the ground. Once you have enough leads coming in from other directions, you can stop using a pay-per-lead service.

Say thank you in your marketing efforts. If someone fills out a form, have an email set up that sends them a thanks. If a person contacts you directly for more information, immediately give them a verbal thanks. Thank you goes a long way to building quick trust, and that means a stronger lead.

Keep in mind that direct mail isn't dead. Direct mail may not be dead. Many marketers have turned to email, so now is the chance to make any direct mail stand out. Figure out if this method is right for you through testing and segmentation. This can help you figure out the right people to send it to without wasting your money on those that aren't interested.

Consider creating websites for all the different niches of potential leads you have. For example, "NewlywedHomes.com" for a real estate agent marketing to newlyweds, or "EmptyNestHomes.com" for the same agent marketing to those whose kids have flown the coop. Targeting your pages to your leads will boost the number which convert.

Robert Mraz Skilled tips provider. To succeed in business today you need to be able to attract many customers through your doors. There is much competition, and the businesses that do well understand where to find their customers. You can too, now that you read great techniques on lead generation. Stick to the tips learned above, and you will see how many more customers you can attract.

#Robert Mraz