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lokidrabbles · 4 years

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Pleasure Control (Loki x Reader)

Reader misses Loki and things get very heated.

A/N: Another short, stand alone oneshot! This one didn’t have much direction, I do apologize, but just to get me into the grove of things again. Thank you all for your likes and reblogs, I hope these stories bring some enjoyment to you all! As always, Gender Neutral Reader!

Warnings: Suggested smut, horny reader in general

You swore time began to move much more slower. You eyes remained glued on the clock on your laptop, waiting for an excruciating minute until you could finally clock out. You were restless. It had been a grueling week, which is a lot to say for working under Tony Stark.

The weekend was just at your fingertips, and you could almost foresee yourself lounging at home, phone tossed to the side, completely forgetting about your career for a moment. You ached for the time off for your own personal care, but also because an itch had been begging at you the entire week. This was one of the months where the Asgardian brothers would frequent in New York, and you were more than eager to meet up with Loki.

You missed him when he was away. You admitted your relationship with him was unorthodox, and gratifying at times, but you were genuine with your yearning for his company. Conveniently enough, your desk had become riddled with reports needing to all be documented and processed ASAP, preventing you from even saying a hello to him.

As a motivator, your thoughts were focused on finishing every single task in the most efficient and adequate manner, all for the sake of slamming your laptop close and skipping off to see your Asgardian lover. Your mind began to conjure a plan of how to spend the weekend with him, mostly involving some fancy wine, expensive sweets and a midnight stroll. The images in your head soon turned into another direction, one not so sweetly romantic or innocent. This was midweek, and you struggled with containing the lewd thoughts at bay. It was a piercing heat, distracting you frequently throughout the intensity of the office.

Your memory began to work double, drawing back to the moments when both you and Loki were explicitly intimate. The first time you had both laid with one another became one of your most cherished memories of him. It was completely unexpected but you certainly did not object at his advances. It was curious to even think Loki would have some type of sexual drive, he always appeared very reserved and aloof about the subject to you. However, you soon figured it was just a matter of feeling extremely comfortable around you, and then he would unleash something even you wouldn’t be able to control for long periods.

Now he could go for much, much longer than you had been used to, again, not that you were complaining. It was during this when you finally got a good understanding at just how strong he actually was. He wasn’t as muscular as his brother per say, but he could maneuver you around willingly without breaking a sweat. At times, he would suspend you in the air whilst having his way with you, providing you with an awesome and unique experience. His kisses would become much slower and tender, peppering you all over your body and in places where you had never been kissed before. He was very quiet during all of it, every now and then muttering things about how you’d look and how hard you had made him. It seemed sex was an experience he took much time and appreciation with. Certainly he wasn’t the type to look for some quick fun on the spot.

Your favorite sensation was his hands grasping tightly at your thighs and ass, as if to say these belonged to him. Another spine tingling behavior of his was his playful teasing over your neck. He seemed to have a sick enjoyment of watching you twitch and quiver as he laid fluttering kisses on your collarbone, all the way up to your jaw. You’d become so weak when he would then whisper terrible, sultry things into your ear. You often wondered if his magic would cause you to become so blissfully content under his touch, almost needing to beg at times to slow down when it would become intense. You knew he loved it all, being in control and having that dominance over you and you loved all the attention you’d receive.

You took many restroom breaks by the end of the work week, often splashing cold water on your face in an effort to both physically and mentally cool down. You chastised yourself, ashamed at the poor control you had over your thoughts, perceiving Loki as nothing but a piece of meat. You liked him for more than just his appeal, that was certain. But perhaps your innate human sexuality was asking for more than that, maybe as a way to de-stress from the long week.

The minute soon came to an end, prompting you to hastily clock out. You messily gathered your belongings, quickly waving good bye to your coworkers and practically sprinted out of the department.

Your eyes darted back and forth all over the facility, on the search for that familiar, grumpy Asgardian in green. Your heart began to beat faster as the adrenaline began to kick in. The excitement was tantalizing, and you knew you had failed at keeping your itch at bay. You were well intending to jump all over him and allow you body to do the talking despite knowing he’d push you off in an instant.

Your instinct guided you towards a lower floor, where the employee kitchen and lounge area for the I.T. department was. For whatever reason, the area was often empty, and you’d sneak a couple of lunch breaks here when your floor’s lounge area was full. Naturally, you’d let Loki know about the barren area, knowing he wasn’t one for large crowds as well. You briefly thought of the possibilities of what could transpire in such a place, and your lips quivered uncontrollably.

The planets must have been aligned. The corner of your eye quickly caught onto the tinge of forest green that would always decorate Loki’s attire. He was leaning against one of the counters in the lounge room, flipping mindlessly through a magazine of sorts. It was never an easy feat to sneak up to Loki and he immediately perked his head upwards to catch you stepping towards him.

“I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me.” He said teasingly, putting down the reading material. “It has been a bore meandering around-”

His words failed to register in your head. An uncontrollable desire guided your instincts and you practically jumped onto him, wrapping your arms tightly around his shoulders and neck, bringing him close to a messy, crooked kiss. You were lucky to have Loki react instantly. His hands landed on your waist, gripping whilst holding you up and making sure you didn’t tumble downwards. It must have just lasted for a few seconds, as the Asgardian prince promptly pulled away from your pursed lips. He held onto your waist still, your legs dangling slightly above the floor.

You looked up, concerned as to why he physically pulled you away from him. He looked disheveled. Several strands of hair hung delicately over his face, and the only way you could describe his expression was a charming mixture of embarrassment and disbelief.

“Would you mind not doing that out in the open?” He asked aggressively between gritted teeth.

“There’s literally no one around us, stop being like that.” You retorted, an unknowing pout forming on your lips. “Don’t you realize how long its been since I’ve been able to see you?”

“You were going to see me eventually.” He said bluntly, lowering you gently on the floor. “And I’d rather not have anyone walk in on something like that, lest you’d enjoy a very taxing conversation among your employer.”

“You’re killing me here Loki.” You said while crossing your arms around your chest. “It’s a huge bummer to see you’re clearly not as enthusiastic about this.”

“Don’t put words into my mouth mortal, I never said that.”

You squinted at him. “You sure are showing it though.”

He sighed in defeat, pushing his hair away from his face. “Yes, I missed you. Very dearly. Are you content?”

You jumped on him again, this time high enough to wrap your legs around his waist. Loki almost toppled to the side, again holding you upwards towards him. His hands landed almost purposefully on your thighs, fluttering just slightly over your rear. Your lips met his once more, but you could feel his struggle in wanting to give in, maintaining his balance, and fearing someone would walk in on the both of you.

“Y/N.” He said your name through the corner of his mouth, as much as he could before it became covered in a sloppy kiss. “Y/N. Get off.”

“Come on Loki.” You whispered at him. “I’ve been waiting a really, really long time.”

He raised an eyebrow, noticing the very hazy look in your eyes. “Wait. Norns. You’re in heat, aren’t you?”

You bit your lip, your eyes shifting to the side to avoid his own. You inched close to his ear and began to whisper all of the lewd and inappropriate thoughts you were having of him. You told him how much you had missed his touch on your skin and how it was making you unbelievably crazy the entirety of the week. You felt his grip tighten on your thighs as you went over detailed accounts of what you to do to him, and what you wanted him to do to you.

“It’s worse than I thought.” Was all he could say, but even you noticed how dry his lips had become.

“Unless, you don’t want to. Then that’s all you have to say.” You said, a part of you knowing it would be hard for him to even resist the temptation.

“Stupid of you to even assume such a thing.” He answered immediately. “You’re heading to your home, are you not?”

You nodded. “I am, but I was thinking, since no one is around here...” Your voice trailed off, nudging your neck at the empty space all around the both of you.

“No.”

“Come on, you didn’t even think about it!”

“I don’t need to. We’ll do it, but not here.” He pulled you off from him again, placing you promptly on your feet. “I’d rather not do my business with you inside this facility, and within this area where everyone has their meals.”

“You’re not at all as adventurous about this as I thought you’d be.” You responded with yet another pout.

“If this is what adventurous means to you, then we both have very different ideals. Besides, I wouldn’t want to tarnish bedding you in such a way.”

“Hmm?“ You hummed, your ears perked up. “You mean, it’s something you really like doing with me?”

“Of course I do.” He responded genuinely, taking you a bit by surprise. “And because it’s something so important to me, I’d rather do it somewhere more private, more intimate. If that doesn’t satisfy you, then perhaps we shouldn’t do it at all then.”

“No, no no!” You interjected, waving your hands at him. “It’s not that at all! Jesus, don’t scare me like that. I’m totally cool doing it at home too, I love it.”

He smirked, a low chuckle coming from his chest. “I’ll admit, it does stroke my ego a bit to hear you day dream about me in such a way.”

“Stop talking and let’s go home. Now.” You urged at him, tugging at his forearm.

“Though it does beg the question at what other things you are into.” He pondered as he padded along with you. “ I didn’t think you were such an erotic human.”

“Keep talking like that and I’m gonna have to shove you in that broom closet.”

#loki #loki x reader #loki x you #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki drabbles #loki (mcu)

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kokiri-at-the-pack · 3 years

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1004

October 4

Ranting like this isn’t going to be helpful at all…

...I must take a walk first. Better to relax my head.

...

Yes! Yes! YES! I know what I’ll do exactly!

I can’t believe a simple walk around my village gave me a huge inspiration!

Occasionally, homeless people and their children would wander around corners of some streets. They include Mr. Francis, an old man whom I have befriended as I have regularly listened to his magnificent and skillful play of guitar. Well...a guitar-like instrument exactly as it was made up of rubbish like cans, plastic containers etc. Still, it would play melodies that would sound just like an ordinary guitar. That was his ability. Creating a musical instrument and its function out of any material. That and his open-mindedness have allowed me to get closer to him. As usual, I headed towards the street he often dwells in to calm myself through his music.

Just like I expected, he welcomed me with a smile and played soothing balad music like he was a professional musician. I closed my eyes and let every single note fill my head. For a moment, I got oblivious towards my major concern with which I was stressing myself.

“That was awesome, Mr. Francis!” I exclaimed when his music ended, “what song did you play exactly?”

Mr. Francis chuckled, “this is my song actually.”

I could not believe what I just heard.

“You composed it?! I didn’t know you could make music! Seriously! Shouldn’t you apply to a company or something?”

However, Mr. Francis remained quiet and shook his head. Even behind his dusty hat and greasy gray beard which covered half of his face, I could observe sadness in his eyes.

“Been there and done that, young lady. Lost count of it.” he finally answered.

I immediately understood what his words meant.

“I gave thousands of my songs--now all burnt to ashes years ago--in every business I could find. I explained for many times what my ability can do. But maybe the Heavenly Father made a mistake of not putting me luck when sending me to this world. Every result was no different. Rejection. Your music is too bland and old-fashioned. The world has plenty of instruments today.”

I was speechless. Never knew Mr. Francis had such a tragic background.

“We do not need your ability,” he emphasized the last sentence as if that was the most agonizing statement stuck in his head.

Then he returned to his original bright face.

“You may expect what happened next. I spent too much chasing after my hopeless dream. My family lost trust in me. The debt was not paid on time. My home was lost, and... here I am,” he chuckled weakly.

I was lost in thought. Mr. Francis started to remind me of Father. Struggling with what others thought are disadvantageous abilities. Yet, after facing reality, they have both given up paths that could have made them happy. That could have made their loved ones happy. Despite all of that, Father did have his own skills. Mr. Francis just showed me his unique talent. Others would never have been able to imitate them. Is there really no way to make their abilities worthy?

Unless…

...My drawing!

I stood up quickly, “don’t worry, Mr. Francis. Everything will be better soon.”

I comforted him before I returned home, leaving his confused face behind.

I ran as rapidly as my feet could and reached my room filled with notebooks and sketches.

Why did I never think of it before? My ability and its critical effect can be put to good use. If I draw with care unfortunate people like Mr. Francis succeed by following their passion, not only will they have a joyful future ahead in their lives. They will no longer have to suffer from difficulties in the past. They will forget it and become totally new people!

And who knows! They might be seen as diamonds in the rough!

It would be okay. I’m not going to ruin their lives. Just… just helping them. As long as my sketches are safe, I can prove my ability to be supportive!

Ah, I should not waste time writing this. I should gather some newspapers, if there is an article about those who need help.

October 7

After days of searching, I have chosen and written down the list of people to whom I’m going to use my drawings to give them second chances in their lives. I have not written down their full names and addresses as I must respect their privacy. Instead, I have elaborated how they have lived before and the way I’m going to change them in more positive ways. I wish I could pick up more, but I do not have the skill yet to quickly draw all wanted events in detail. Anyways, here is the mentioned list:

Mr. Francis finally gets recognized thanks to his music and his ability.

A girl with a nickname of Jenna opens a pet shop for her ability to communicate with animals.

A lonely man discovers his love of life with his skills of persuasion.

An unpopular Pattern Creator winner of the Design Competition is invited to design products of one of the most famous clothing brands Whiskey.

A college student, who worries about her final assignments for graduation about using her abilities to help people, accomplishes it smoothly and receives honors.

October 12

Alright. I have finally finished drawing all the illustrations of the chosen people. Now, where can be the safest place for sheets of paper in my house? Oh, yeah. The storage room. My hands hurt right now from restless use of them to accomplish my work. But I must remain mindful of how I am going to store the drawings without my family finding them.

Hmm, that’s right. An old wooden box in the corner. There is no way they will even take a peek at it.

October 13

Is my ability finally getting the light it deserves? When I passed by the street where Mr. Francis frequently played his instrument, I was surprised to find that he was not there. In his place, I noticed other homeless people, who seemed to be his friends, having an excited conversation. I stepped a bit closer to the group and eavesdropped on what they were saying.

“You believe what we just saw?” asked one of them.

“Don’t mention it! Never thought about witnessing it at all!” replied another.

“Who was that fancy-looking man from a...very long car?” an old female beggar spoke.

“Dunno. He just said that he liked ol’ Francis’ music and took him away.”

Mr. Francis? Someone liked his music? So he brought him away to somewhere else? Can this happen on an instance? I thought it was just a super rare coincidence...at first.

It wasn’t until I saw my parents watching the small black and white television that I understood it wasn’t. Inside the screen, I recognized at once who that lady was. The Pattern Creator. She was having an interview about how she was happy to get invited to showcase her talent after all the years of namelessness.

“Sigh, even that woman with such an ability succeeds in this world,” Mother complained.

However, her words were barely worth attention to me at that moment. I rushed to ask Father to borrow today’s newspaper and scanned all the available headlines. Sure enough, there was that one headline I had been looking for. Jenna, the girl with an ability to communicate with animals, had just opened up her unique pet shop and wrote an article about how her ability differentiates her shop from others. She was also looking for employees to work with, the advertisement of which was posted at the end of her article.

It worked! This can be the new potential of my ability! They are all smiling. They have a wonderful future ahead! Jenna… Mr. Francis… The Pattern Creator… They have begun new lives thanks to me! If I can utilize this more efficiently, then who knows how far this positive influence can go?

I don’t think I would be able to sleep tonight. But it doesn’t matter. This is the day I discovered my worth!

#oc #lightonme #diary #original story #school #supernatural abilities

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act-addict-actors-matchups · 4 years

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@otomeramblings said,

I'm a girl, 23 years old, around 162 cm, with medium length dark brown hair (almost black) and brown eyes. I'm one of those people who are often asked "are you okay? Are you mad?" and no, more often than not that's just how my resting face looks lol

I'm a Scorpio and an INFP. According to my friends, I'm usually very sweet but no one likes to be around me when I get seriously angry ^^; I guess it's because i'm generally very soft spoken and I try to avoid conflict as much as I can, and when I'm upset is one of the times when I actually raise my voice. I have people tell me that I'm smart, but I just consider myself to be an overall average person. It usually takes me a while to fully trust someone but once they've earned my trust, I cherish their friendship for life.

I can fluently speak English and Spanish, and I recently got my English Translation degree. I love to read (both novels and manga) and to discover new music, I also really like dancing (I did ten years of ballet) and I recently rediscovered my love for drawing and writing.

Qualities I would like in a s/o:

-passionate, about anything, really. I'm usually very reserved unless I have something I really want to talk about and I appreciate when others listen, and for that reason I love to listen to people talk about things they're passionate about

-mature, not in relation to his hobbies bit more so in the sense that he can have a serious conversation when needed and take responsibility for his actions.

-patient. Being introverted and kinda awkward, I usually need time to recharge after being social and even while spending time together there will probably be silences when I think of what to say or even times when I'd just rather we spent it doing our own thing while being together.

Qualities I don't like:

-shouting. I hate it when people shout at me when they're mad because it makes me tear up immediately, I would much rather you tell why you're mad in a calm tone so we can work things out.

✧ The way I scREAMED when I saw your url 🤭 I love your writing so much skdhksdhksjd thank you for requesting a matchup. 😳💞 Stay safe! I hope all goes well for you!

I’d match you with: . . .

➜ HOW YOU TWO FIRST MET ; The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze while you were on your way to buy new drawing pencils. Your current ones were not exactly in the best condition after being used too many times. A sigh escaped from you as you fastened your pace. In all honesty, you would rather stay at home and maybe watch one of your shows but you knew if you didn’t go out to buy those now, you never would. As one particular building came to your sight, you suddenly stopped in your tracks. It was a flower shop. The vibrant display of flowers covered the table outside. Bold purple, soft pink and light lavender flowers sat right in front of you as well as some others you didn’t know the names of. The sweet smell of blossomed flowers filled your nose as you inhaled and exhaled. They were so beautiful that you couldn’t help but to reach at a lavender, the purple petals felt like soft velvet against your skin. The chime of the door opening ringed into your ears, drawing your attention away from the flowers in front of you. A man with a blue striped T-shirt, a pair of black pants and black leather shoes came out of the building with a bag you thought had flower seeds in it. A brown trench coat with a blue inner lining slung over his shoulder, beautiful, dark blue hair rustling as he gave his thanks to the employee before closing the door. The man turned around and you swear you stop breathing for a moment, because oh my god how dare someone this handsome come in to your field of view without a warning. After realizing that you’ve been staring at a stranger for a good seconds, you hesitantly looked away. But just your luck, while you decided that it was the time to carry on with your mission, you dropped your purse to the ground. You groaned before bending over to pick it up but to your surprise, you see another hand reaching over it? And most importantly, you saw that it was that handsome stranger when you looked up??? He gave you a kind but awkward smile as he hold out your bag to you. You muttered a “thank you” before grabbing it. After that cliche moment, there was an awkward silence between you and the man, but he decided to speak up to start a conversation by asking if you liked flowers. The conversation smoothly flowed from there. He just had that aura of gentleness radiating that you couldn’t help but warm up to the stranger, who you later learned the name of, quickly. He even offered to accompany you to the shop you were going, which you agreed if he didn’t mind. Your relationship steadily developed from there. To be honest, it wouldn't be obvious at all that Tsumugi has a crush on you. He's friendly and sweet to everyone he meets most of the time so nobody thinks twice whenever he's with you, except maybe Tasuku. His underlying feelings for you would show in the little things he does, the way his eyes shine whenever you laugh, how his ears perk up whenever he hears your name, how he somehow memorized all your favorite foods after you offhandedly mentioned it once before. For someone who majored in psychology, it’s kind of hilarious how dense he is regarding his own feelings. He would mistake those feelings of his as a weirdly strong platonic attraction for you and continue spending time with you in hopes to appease the feeling but be confused as to why he always felt unsatisfied. He finally realizes how smitten he is for you after a long internal monologue he had after he almost had a heart attack when you hugged him once for whatever reason.

➜ PERSONALITY COMPATIBILITY ; Tsumugi is the walking epitome of every single thing you’re looking in a S/O. You want someone passionate about something? This man literally couldn’t give up on his dream and love for the performance art. He’d be more than willing to talk about how acting involved a broad range of skills, including a well-developed imagination, emotional facility, physical expressivity, vocal projection, clarity of speech, the ability to interpret drama etc. He’d try bunch of different gestures in front of you and ask you which one you liked the best. He also absolutely loves it when you are the one who does the talking. His strength is CANONLY listening to others after all. He just gives off this aura that compels you to think that you can talk about anything and everything with him. Just like you, Tsumugi has a great need for harmony and dislikes any conflict so if there were to be any fights, they would be resolved in a day or two with the two of you talking it out. He majored in Psychology in university, and is very good at reading people so if you’re both in a social gathering and he senses you need to take a break, he will hold your hand and walk you somewhere with less crowd and noise. When you want to be alone, he’d give you the space you need and if you want to spend time he would be there. He is a pretty clueless baby at the start and would try to ask people for help on dating advice. He will however remember every single memory you two will and have made. You’ll never see him forgetting any milestones in your guys’ relationship. His way of saying “I love you” is through the flowers he picks and grows. As someone who can be shy to vocally express his love for you, he handpicks each flower based on their meanings with the hope that they could accurately convey the emotions he holds for you. The very sight of your smile as you watch each tiny plant grow kindles a budding warmth inside him, as if he’s a bee intoxicated by the nectar of your happiness. And to him, the vision of you happy is prettier than any flower in his garden, pushing him to always keep you bright and blooming.

➜ SHARED ACTIVITIES ; Tsumugi canonly moon/stargazes with Misumi so why wouldn’t he do the same with his S/O? It’s a cool, romantic and surprisingly unique activity to do together. There aren’t many activities one can plan for a date that are sweeter or more intimate than a night spent together under a beautiful, sparkling sky. You would ask each other questions about one another, without being afraid of letting the conversation slow down. This is a date to relax and linger over. If not that, I can totally see him taking you to a botanical garden. These places are beautiful and not too busy in general. Bonus points if you bring a camera and get some nice photos together as a couple. i’m so soft rn 🥺 But I feel like your most common date would be either tending the garden in the mankai dorm or just doing your own little things while being together. You might be writing on the table while he’s going over his script for the winter troupe’s newest play one more time or he might be grading his student’s test, since he’s a tutor and all, while you’re drawing. I see Tsumugi as someone who reads a lot so maybe both of you can read the same book together and discuss it afterwards. These types of dates are great for discovering how the other person views the world. One might learn that their significant other is passionate about a social justice cause, their favorite author, or their philosophy of beauty. These dates are great for sparking good conversations and they are introvert friendly. Or something even better: reading aloud. Reading out loud to each other can be incredibly sweet. And, as spiritual counselor Davida Rappaport says, "just the fact that you are both close and sharing space is ... a nice way to spend an evening."

➜ ZODIAC COMPATIBILITY ; Tsumugi is a Capricorn, his birthday being December 28th. When Scorpio and Capricorn make a love match, they get an opportunity to not only enjoy a loving relationship and learn the value of being a pair, but also to grow and mature as individuals. These two may be wary about sharing themselves with one another at first, and this emotional caution may dampen the initial impact of this relationship. These two tend to be a bit cautious (Capricorn) and pensive (Scorpio), and it takes a while for them to feel comfortable with a significant other. Though they may be shy of getting involved and not the quickest to trust and share, these two Signs will discover that they can have quite a profound connection — one of friendship and deep loyalty. What’s the best thing about the Scorpio-Capricorn love match? Their determination toward shared ideas and their strong devotion to one another. They can open doors to one another’s souls and show one another new ways of perceiving and feeling.

#tsumugi tsukioka #a3! matchup #act! addict! actors!

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lunelantern · 4 years

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~Sasusaku analysis ~

~Sasusaku analysis ~ ~~ Sasuke and Sakura - - pair analysis ~~ ~THE BRIDGE SCENE~ (Team 7 Reunion - - after the Five Kage Summit)

----PART 3---

And Sasuke knows as well.

Sakura isn't a naive egocentric fool. She is humble enough to admit the limitations of her skills. Inwardly, she didn't think that she'll lay a single finger on Sasuke, let alone kill him.

Which makes the reader (and Sasuke) wonder why exactly is she doing there? What's her motivation? She obviously can't be fool enough to expect that she'll stop him when he survived the Five Kage and Shimura Danzo and has Akatsuki and Team Hawk as allies.

It's suicidal mission from Sakura to attempt something like this which makes us wonder whether she didn't come to plead with him to stop acting so erratically - which she does in the first panels - or kill him.

Maybe Sakura had a change of heart en route after she realized that this isn't the Sasuke that she hoped /expected /prayed to find, and her repentine decision almost cost her life.

It's subtle and barely visible as Sasuke flawlessly hides his emotions and draws the shinobi mask on his irate face, but we can depict a subtle nuance of bittersweet amusement at her foolishness; what exactly is she trying to do, facing him with such obviously conflicting and erratic approaches? Her lack of solid prior plan is unflattering to someone like Sakura, because Sasuke knows exactly what kind of person Sakura is.

He knows that she has a brilliant mind, tactical and analytical skills, creativeness and talent and tremendous skills that she polished under the tutelage of the legendary Sannin and Kage, Tsunade Senju herself.

And this is the best that she can come up with? It's almost like HE doesn't recognize THIS Sakura anymore and her approach becomes a copious source of dark humor mixed into the concoction of this tragi-comedy.

Symbolically however, Sakura's indecision and her pendulating emotions are illustrative for how terrible the battle between the shinobi and the lover is, for both Sasuke and Sakura.

One can have more friends, family members, enemies, teachers, idols or brothers, but a lover is singular. SHE... Is only one. She's unique and thus all the pent up feelings percolate to one single person alone and that puts a lot of pressure on Sasuke.

As for Sakura's part, her pain is so hauntingly lucid that it's almost palpable. We can actually taste the pain on our own tongues as we hear the soul-crushing despair of her unspoken words.

"I don't care!" She states flippantly with such an implied confidence that's almost ignoramus and she follows the trite in the same manner. "I'll follow any order you give me."

Only someone with the author's superb skills can create an almost comical situation in the cusp of a tragic angst that's rapidly escalading to the peak of its drama.

By Sakura's statement I could almost picture Sasuke starting to laugh and hiss something along the lines of: "Are you stupid?"

She will follow any order, who is she, Haku?

Of course, it's just obvious that Sasuke - - as playful as Suigetsu humorously correctly depicts him - - enters this game and starts to play.

If Sakura has no problems in following any ominous order from him that's overtly bordering the Criminal Code, if she wants to be like Haku - - a soulless disposable tool in the hands of a renewed criminal with a penchant for arbitrary murder - - then he'll treat her exactly like this. Emphasizing that if she wants to be a helpless puppet in his hands then she'll become like Karin and share her fate. He practically shows her with a real life example, her hasty words materialized.

You want to follow any of my orders and join me? Then you'll be staying in Karin place too - - half-dead and ignored.

Clearly, she didn't think about what she was mumbling and how stupid it sounded and she didn't strategize before. Sakura should have chosen her words more carefully.

It's only when Sasuke makes his intentions known to her does Sakura realize the extenct of her mistake and implicitly the fact that she is actually in real danger.

Her shock is evident as it hit home. We see the black background as we glimpse into her consciousness and souls, a familiar technique used in the manga when the author lets us glimpse into the characters minds. The transition between the exterior and interior is highlighted by the dark background.

In the end, symbolically their moment stops with the panel of her kunai wavering and stopping as she couldn't pierce through the Uchiha crest meaning that she couldn't quench her love for him as she accepts him for what he is - - Sasuke AND Uchiha.

Her falter must be interpreted in conjunction to Naruto’s words when he says that he and Sasuke will finally make amends when both of them will stop being tied to their designed role and, in a sense, Obito is right when he sarcastically tells Naruto that he is also selfish for trying to force Sasuke to accept his life philosophy (the political triumph of democracy as status quo). In which case, Sasuke's family name becomes a hindrance, an impediment.

But that's not the case with Sakura. No, she falters and stops with her kunai never piercing through the Uchiha crest that's sewed on Sasuke's back (she is not backstabbing him by hitting where it most hurts - - his family).

No, Sakura loves ALL of him. He accepts every part of him with his past and present, she sees him at his lowest and she still loves him with unfaltering despair. Her love stands this test, Uchiha surname is a huge burden even in Sasuke's shoulders but Sakura's unyielding love is benediction and suffices in shouldering even this burden (the Uchiha "curse" / the primordial curse).

Consequently, she eventually takes the same infamous surname, Uchiha, and wears it with pride and love, accepting, assuming what it represents, with both his flaws and qualities.

She doesn't try to change anything in Sasuke. She accepts 3very part of him. She never wavered. She loved him before and she loves him now in fact, she never gave her love a moment of respiro. She loved him continuously with same bravery and ardent passion. Sasuke attacks her when she is on the verge of laughing a physical attack as a logical self-defense, treating her as he'd treat another shinobi who attacks him, with his signature attack.

If Sakura wouldn't have attacked him, Sasuke wouldn't have laid a finger on her. He reacted accordingly to her.

When she was honest with him, his face softened.

When she attacked him with murderous intent, he retaliates never taking her lightly as respecting the strong shinobi that she has become (he didn’t take her skills as subpar, as if it was enough for him to simply step aside to avoid her attack).

She could have pour all her heart out openly and uncensored and he'd have listened to her; he always listened when she said she loved him. Never interrupting her as long as she was sincere with him.

Even so... Even if her emotions are a roller-coaster and she caved in babbling and rambling incoherences, he still calmly converses with her, in fact, Sasuke talks more to her than he normally does. Sasuke isn't a talkative person and yet he chatters with her.

"Are you really willing to betray the Leaf for me?" against, his manner of speaking reels with romantic substrate, akin to lovers` conversation. Me, you, Sasuke hardly use such personal undertone. He gives her one final chance to come clean to him because he says" really", so he tempts her playfully further appealing to her feelings, throwing her words back at her.

He knew that she was more than willing to leave the safety of her village as a child, to leave everything - friends and family - behind and become a traitor for him when she was 12, even though her lack of life experience prevented her from having a clear representation of the consequences of her actions.

What about now when the more mature Sakura DOES have the clear representation of such an act? Did her feelings change? Will she follow him blindly?

Does she still love him?

He's willing to listen, he provoked her even to answer just like wanting to confirm for himself whether she's the same woman who loves him - - who HE loves - - or a complete stranger who grow over her childhood crush (like Karin).

He also tests whether is an infatuation or genuine love for Sasuke has been an unwilling subject of women attention and flirts before (Mei, Ino, Karin, the young employees from the Land of Waves...).

She replies with a seemingly confident tone. "Yes... If that's what you want me to do."

Sasuke knows that 3 years ago, she would have so it unconditionally and he thanked her for that.

Now he's skeptical the atmosphere is not romantic anymore; is cynical, is mischievous, it's reeling in underlying ambitions and dark schemes, is mocking and ironic, is deceiving and cruel, sarcastic, bittersweet with laced irony, is trifling and clownish.

Totally different from the sincere atmosphere that melted our hearts in their farewell scene.

When the 12 years old Sakura in all her earnest innocence and naivety offered to join him and desert the village... He believed it and even thanked her for that devotion in the name of love.

But this Sakura... He doesn't believe anymore and consequently he asks for a PROOF. which he didn't in Part 1 because it wasn't necessary for he believed it.

A lover doesn't need a token for their love because love when honest and reciprocated doesn't need to be proven.

And yet that's what he asks for it and she gets trapped into his game falling badly for it. "Hmpf..." He snorts like he's amused by her pathetic attempt to lure him in a trap, mocking her and playing her game. "Then prove it." he is no more "playing at romance", he's not Sasuke the lover anymore. He's just the wicked shinobi who just killed one of the best shinobi in the Leaf.

"Kill her and I'll accept your offer." the trap is so blatantly obvious and amateurish that's even laughable. Obviously, that in order to kill Karin who's lying right at his feet, Sakura has to come ridiculously close to him - - the enemy. Which is a fatal mistake for a shinobi. You don't casually parade to Karin and pass him by with the intent to kill him and expect Sasuke to be a silent voyeur.

But one can't notice how incredibly erotic and sexy this dialogue is if deconstructed and taken out of the battle context. It is teeming with that archetypal dark and sensual bad-romance that conjure the darkest most sinfully delicious and incredibly erotic love stories in popular fiction world.

The thrill of having a dark hero who's unpredictable, passionate, dangerous, savage, the one who could give a woman glimpses of a scorching passion and fulfill her darkest desires.

Sasusaku is the very epitome of the passionate couple.

A quick glimpse over the dialogue is deliciously hot if taken out of the context and very uncharacteristic for someone like Sasuke.

"Sakura..." the way he says her name in that low baritone voice that sends delicious shivers along the spine.

"What do you want with me?"

"Why would you want to join me? What are you trying to pull?"

"Are you really willing to betray the Leaf for me?"

"Hmpf... Then prove it."

"Kill her and I'll accept your offer."

"well? Can't you handle this Sakura?" this particular line and the mocking way he says it so enticing dangerous like a bad boy... Is overly sexy. Is hot, is dark dangerous and erotic, is the exact type of fiction that entices because it oozes of pure passion. I can't help but replace the j spoken word in my head: "Can't you handle ME... Sakura?" are you capable to be with the current me?

It is hard to discern what's sincere and what's deceiving from this heated interplay between Sasuke and Sakura because it's written intentionally ambiguous and enigmatic to keep us constantly enticed and confused.

There's a fine line between shinobi and lovers and we are just as confused as the two protagonists.

Apparently, one wouldn't associate Sasuke with intimacy passion and erotica but the Uchiha is full of surprises and severely underestimated.

He is perfectly capable to "play at ROMANCE" when he so desires. When he shuts Kakashi down with "You want me to play at ROMANCE?" Sasuke automatically implies that he KNOWS how to do so. He isn't an unschooled rookie in the art of romance, he isn't the disimpassioned man that has no appetite for love and intimacy.

Not in the least.

And this is the only woman that he ever loved romantically and proved to do so only his inconsistent and dynamic character perfectly masked his emotions. He's way more subtle than the others.

He is calm up and composed, even letting her to bypass him closely knowing that she had weapons hidden under her clothes.

Objectively speaking the confrontation is absurd and lacks any verisimilitude. Sakura isn't credible and Sasuke is ironic, calm and abnormally tranquil and playful.

He's way too serene considering who he has just fought. I couldn't guess that Danzo`s death brought Sasuke a pang of relief as he's directly responsible for the downfall of Uchiha but revenge is like a drug; it never brings relief and the more you have the more toy crave for. And one would never satiate. So he experiences a momentary relief.

But that's not the case for the purpose of this entire scene is to emphasize the internal conflict between the shinobi and the lover.

#Sasuke symbolism #Sasusaku explained #Sasusaku pair #Sasusaku romance #sasusaku analysis #Sasusaku #Sasuke and Sakura love #Sasuke and Sakura symbolism

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nessamaurice · 5 years

Text

Simple Ch. 2 (Loki x F!Reader)

Masterlist

Summary: Tony and the Avengers are in desperate need of something like a “babysitter” to have an eye on Loki and teach him “how to human”. He decided to stay on Midgard over the dungeons of Asgard as punishment for his deeds in New York. That’s where you swoop in. A simple receptionist at the Avengers compound. You have to share an apartment in the compound with Loki and damn, he’s a really tough nut. With your open and kind character it seems that you are slowly cracking his shell. But suddenly things are getting twists that will change your life and your relationships there irreversibly.

Story rating: M

Chapter trigger warnings: n/a

Words: 2492

Your head just did not keep quiet.

Oh my god, what have I done. I don't want to be kicked. I really like my job. Don't fire me, oh lord have mercy with my poor soul.

Your mind went on and on while you followed the famous Hawkeye through corridors of the compound you never saw before. You stepped into a lift and the doors closed. You noticed that he did not push any button but the elevator started to move anyway. You glanced over to him and caught your own reflection in the mirror of the lift wall. Embarrassed you shut your mouth that was still open. You stared at your shoes (which were pretty dirty as you just noticed) and you wished so much you would not be wearing your favorite Star Wars shirt under your cardigan right now (the combination looked really good and the cardigan hid your nerdiness) as the heat in your cheeks did not stop rising.

"You don't have to be nervous."

You audibly gasped as Clint Barton pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked at him from the corner of your eye and saw him smirking. You wished you could bang your head against the wall.

He leant a little over to you and lowered his voice. "You are not in trouble. We just have an offer for you." He leant back again. "But Tony wants to present it to you himself. Typical." He rolled his eyes really hard. He noticed that you had turned your head to him and you must have looked a bit puzzled `cause he said "Well, if you knew Tony you'd understand what I mean."

"Oh, I know." You said out of a reflex and immediately pressed your lips together in regret.

Now he turned his head to you, asking you with his eyes.

"I, uhm, I know him from the TV in interviews and sometimes he crosses the entrance hall, followed by several persons most of the time and, uhm, well, he has a loud voice so it's not hard to hear what he says and how he says it and... uh" You paused to find the right words to say what you were thinking without giving them a reason to fire you now, "I think he likes to set the tone." You smiled a bit as you compared your thoughts with your words and were proud of yourself. Quickly you added "And of course he has every right to do so, he's a genius and deserves every attention he gets."

After a very, very long second of silence, all Hawkeye did was let out a little snorty laugh.

Shortly after the lift stopped. Just before the doors opened, Clint Barton patted you a bit roughly on your back, which made you stumble a small step forwards, and said "Don't worry, you'll do great."

He stepped outside and you just followed him. Eventually he stopped, opened a door, held it open for you and waited for you to get in first. You took a deep breath and went inside.

In the meeting room was a long table with several chairs around it. The left side of the room was just one giant window. In the other corner of the room stood a man in jeans and a dark t-shirt (which turned out to be a Black Sabbath tour shirt) looking out of the window. As you entered, he turned around.

"Ah, you got to be Miss Y/N" he almost sang as he crossed the room quickly to get to you, stretching out his hand. You stared a moment too long at the hand, now being in front of you, before you grabbed and shook it.

"Uhm, yeah, hello Mr. Stark. What an honor to meet you." You stammered while smiling a bit helplessly.

"Oh, let's keep it casual if you don't mind. Tony." He grinned right into your face which just worsened your blushing. You assumed you just reached level tomato red. A very short moment his facial expression shifted just a little bit. He focused on your face, seemed to search certain features. Just as if he knew you from somewhere. But that lasted just like two seconds before he returned to his childish grin.

"Sure!" You cleared your throat; that came out a bit too enthusiastic, "Sure. A pleasure. Oh and of course, it's just Y/N to you."

"Alright! Sit down please."

He gestured you to one of the chairs. While you sat down he pulled a small plastic bag out of nowhere and offered it to you.

"Cashews?"

You couldn't help but smile and grabbed some, thankful to have something to do with your hands besides fumbling on your clothes.

"Okay. Barton?"

He simply nodded, waved someone to come in and joined you on the chair next to you. You simply smiled at him, chewing on your cashews as you heard the door closing and looked to the entrance again. You literally almost choked on the kernels as you gasped "Whoa fuck!" Right there in front of you stood no one less than Thor himself. You pressed your hand on your mouth to stop you from saying more swearing and spitting the food around.

The broadest of smiles in his face, he just said "Mylady.", leaning slightly forwards into a little bow.

You silently watched him getting closer to you with just a few steps. He took your hand and placed a decent kiss on its back.

Staring at him in all his armour, surrounded by some strange sort of glory, you swallowed hard.

"Hello! Uhm, Thor, I guess?" You smiled nervously. You noticed all the smirking from the other two men.

"You guess right. Your name is Lady Y/N, right?"

"Just Y/N, yes, thank you."

"Okay!" Tony said while clapping in his hands. "Everybody's here. So, Y/N, let me explain what's going on here. Thor, sit down please, otherwise she will just keep staring at your shiny hair." Your brain took a second to process what you were hearing and immediately turned your attention to Tony.

"Fine. Y/N, I am sorry to say that, but over the last month we observed some of our employees without informing them and one of them was you."

"I knew it!" you whispered to yourself, a bit too loud. "I'm sorry. It's okay, I don't mind."

Tony grinned a moment before he continued. "You noticed that, very good. No one else did. I'm honest, you are not our first choice for this job."

"She was mine." Clint interrupted. Tony's answer was just a dark glare before he continued.

"We tried it out with two other employees but none of them could handle the task, they gave up after a few days. I have to admit, this job is not easy. But on the other hand, it is pretty easy. First of all, I have to ask you a serious question and you have to answer it absolutely honestly. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Tony. Sorry."

Ignoring your stuttering he sat down on the table right next to you. His gaze turned a bit darker, steadily focusing on your face.

"Is there anything special about you? ... Not like you are not unique and this stuff", he added as you furrowed your brows on that strange question. "I mean, do you have any gifts? Super specialized knowledge we couldn't find out during observation?"

"Oooh" you let out in understanding, "Like telekinesis and stuff? Or a secret PhD in astrophysics? Noo, no, clearly not. I'm totally normal. I'm just a secretary. The only talent I have is that I can draw, well, not that bad."

"She's a very skilled artist" Clint suddenly corrected you. "But that is not important for the mission. No danger here."

"Great! Do you have any responsibilities that bind you to any person? Or maybe a pet?"

A bit confused you said, "Uhm, no..? I'm single and all I have is a salt water aquarium. I don't have any relatives to maybe look after, neither. If that is what you meant. I don't have any relatives at all. ... My family died early and I since had no other relatives to take care of me, a friend of my mother adopted me. But she died some years ago so... yeah. Just me." You added in explanation and stopped your own rambling.

Tony glanced quickly over to Clint who nodded sharply.

"Fish tank, okay that's no problem. In that case, I hand the word over to our big blonde one." Tony said pointing with his open hand at Thor.

"Thank you. Mylady, you surely know of the attack of the Chitauri lately. And I am sure you know that my brother Loki was in account of that. I took him back to our homeworld, Asgard, to obtain justice for all he did. He was offered two choices; to spend the rest of his days in our dungeon as a prisoner or to leave Asgard forever and stay on Midgard. If he would choose the second option, as soon as he would do any harm to Midgard or its people, he would be sentenced to death. At first, he wanted to stay on Asgard. But that... it did not work very well for him. He became more and more miserable, so I convinced him to take the other option. I was able to win our father over to put up that option again and now he is here. But after all he did, it is hard to trust him, especially now at the beginning. So Stark was so noble to offer my brother to stay here. We all got missions to look after, we cannot watch him all the time. So we decided to introduce him to someone to get him used to a life on Midgard."

"Okay, ehm, wow", you started after some awful long moments of processing, words failing you, "But, when I'm allowed to ask, why no SHIELD agent? I guess he's kinda... dangerous? How can you be sure he won't try to trick or kill me?"

"That's simple", Tony said, "because you are just a normal person. Sorry, no insult", he added lukewarm, "Therefore you are of no use for him.” He paused for a second, tilting his head. “I'm... I'm sorry, do we know us from somewhere? I can't shake off the feeling we already met."

"I don't think so? Oh, I'm working here down at the reception, maybe that's why I seem familiar. You never spoke to me but you often cross the entrance hall and I sit there all day. Well, most of the time I'm hiding behind the desk. Not that I want to hide, it's just because I'm in charge of the emails most of the time so my attention is to the screen. Uhm, yeah." You grew so hot you wished you could take of that cardigan without revealing your geek.

"Ah yeah. That'll be it. Are you okay? You look like you would faint."

"What? Oh, no, sorry, it's just a little hot", you held your ice cold hands to your cheeks, "I've never fainted once in my life. Everything's fine."

Tony kept staring at you for just a moment longer before jumping off the desk and turning to the coffee machine next to the door.

"Alright! Any questions?"

Unwieldy you took off your cardigan finally and try to hide the broad STAR WARS writing on it with your arms without looking totally awkward. You failed.

"Uhm, yeah. What exactly do I have to with him? Entertain him? Show him our world?"

With a steaming mug in his hand he turned around again and stared at your shirt for a second before answering.

"Love that shirt. First of all, try not to kill him. That could be the hardest part."

"How does it all work?"

"You will have to move in here. We have something like a little flat. We all live here. And with 'we all' I mean the avengers. Everyone has their own space, but we have a common room with a kitchen and stuff. We're like a big, crazy patchwork family." He grinned quickly before taking a big sip from his mug.

"Oh. Wow. Okay. That's a big move. What happens to my stuff? How long will all this take? Will you fire me completely when I mess this up or can I return to my reception desk when I can't do this? What if the others of you don't like me? What if I'm totally useless for you? How can I be sure your brother, what was his name? Loki? Right. How can I be sure Loki won't kill me?"

"You can take as much stuff with you as you want, we have space enough. We don't know how long it will take, probably several months the least. No, of course not, if you want to quit this you can get back to your emails. Don't worry about the others, when we can handle each other we are able to get along with a regular person. No matter how this will turn out, we will have advantage from learning so there is no chance for being useless. He got a little receiver injected under his skin and you will get a bracelet with an emergency button. If you feel threatened, press it once, we will get notified and be there within a minute. If you are in complete distress, keep it pressed for at least 3 seconds and Loki will get... a little electronic tickle. In that case, we also get notified but he won't be able to move for a few minutes. I know, that sounds fun, but just use this in case of emergency."

While processing what you heard you realized you relaxed completely. Resting the ankle of one foot on the knee of the other, you sprawled out on the chair, eating the cashews from your hand. You immediately snapped back to attention, not wanting to be taken as disrespectful.

"Relax Y/N. Don't act like I'm the president. I'm just a normal man. With a genius mind and unbelievable abilities, but - just a man."

You caught Clint next to you rolling his eyes, facepalming.

"So, what do you say? Interested? Oh, and of course you will get paid for your service. Catering and all essentials you need are on me. Don't worry about that. And we have room for your fishies."

"Ehm, well, it sounds really exciting. And since nothing ever happens to me, I'm seduced to say yes right away. But,", you held up one finger, "I would like to meet Loki first. Oh, and I want to know why the other two quit."

"We can arrange that. And they quit because he pissed them off too much. No life threat, he can just be a little pain in the ass. Uhm, do you want to meet him now?"

#loki #loki x reader #loki slow burn #loki x female reader #loki fiction #marvel fan fiction #marvel #slow burn #loki fanfic #nessa maurice #fanfic simple

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astonjones-archive · 5 years

Text

HOLY SHIT IS THAT [ JESSE WILLIAMS ]?! Oh, wait it’s just [ ASTON JONES ]. Damn, [ HE/HIM ] looks good for [ 30 ], good thing that they’re [ PANSEXUAL/PANROMANTIC ], I might have a chance. I hear that they call them the [ DEFENDER ] of the [ NORTHSIDE ]. I guess that’s because they’re [ ACTIVIST ] and [ COMPASSIONATE ]. But I don’t think a lot of people know that they’re also [ DISTANT ] and [ CONTROLLING ]. Can’t wait to see what kind of trouble [ M ] will bring.

OTHER TIDBITS

Born and raised on the Northside.

Mother died in a car accident when he was three.

Father remarried when he was five to the woman he recognizes as his mother because she raised him.

(Step)Mom is mayor and used to practice corporate law and was a defense attorney. Dad is a moderately successful jazz musician who has rarely comes back to Riverdale from tour.

Went to Boston University for pre-law and U of M for law school, doing his clerkship with a judge in Boston and working with a non-profit for two years before coming back to Riverdale when the District Attorney, who was a family friend died. Took the DA job before realizing how the system was made to fail the Southsiders.

Was heavily involved in his mom’s campaign for Mayor and still runs a lot of her business for her and helps maintain family appearances in the trying times.

01. BASICS

Full Name: Aston Martin Jones

Nickname: As, Ast, Ash, Ace

Sex/Gender: Cis-Male

Birthday: October 20, 1988

Age: 30

Astrological Sign: Libra

Occupation: Public Defender

Spoken Languages: English and Spanish

Sexual Orientation: pansexual / panromantic

Birthplace: Riverdale, MA

Relationship status: Single

02. PHYSICAL TRAITS

Hair Color/Style: Dark brown, black, kept short or often shaved completely especially in the summer.

Eye Color: Color changing. Green/Grey/Blue

Face Claim: Jesse Williams

Height: 6'2 / 188cm

Weight: 175lbs / 79kg

Tattoos: none.

Piercings: none.

Unique Attributes: freckles that cover the bridge of his nose and cheeks, more prominent in the summer. Slight dimples in his cheeks when he smiles.

Defining Gestures/Movements: Almost has a resting prick face. When he is lost in thought,

Posture: Straight, ridged and formal unless around someone he trusts or can be casual around.

03. PERSONALITY TRAITS

Pet Peeves: People who are rude for the sake of being rude. People who yell at customer service employees. Anyone who supports Trump or thinks BLM is a terrorist organization. Anyone who says “All Lives Matter”. People who talk for the sake of hearing their own voice. People who would rather remain ignorant and spread their ignorance around rather than ask questions or get the facts. Showboating, nepotism, narcissism, and elitism. Senseless violence and hotheads. People who talk with food in their mouth and general bad manners.

Hobbies/Interests: Plant hoarding/Plant care. Activism and fighting injustices. Volunteering at animal shelters. Cooking.

Special Skills/Abilities: Fairly decent cook. An artist, with a particular talent for drawing.

Likes: good music, good food, good people and good company. Also really likes his new Roomba that doesn’t have a name yet.

Dislikes: See pet peeves. Also, pineapple on pizza. Food that is too spicy. The color orange. The smell of vanilla.

Insecurities: Not being good enough to help anyone. Not living up to his family expectations and pressure to help carry the load of the put on to their family.

Quirks/Eccentricities:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Speaking Style: Articulate, and concise due to his job. Due to his job, he can’t afford to be careless with his words, or else it could cost someone their life.

Temperament: Calm and collected.

04. FAMILY & HOME

Immediate Family: Miles Jones (Father), Sierra Jones (Step-Mom), Mercedes Jones (half-sister)

How do they feel about their family? Absolutely loves his family.

How does their family feel about them? All good things, one would hope.

Pets: Just a lot of house plants and a Roomba for now.

Where do they live? A custom house design and built by his architect grandfather.

Description of their home:

Description of their bedroom:

05. THIS OR THAT

Introvert or Extrovert?

Optimist or Pessimist?

Leader or Follower?

Confident or Self-Conscious?

Cautious or Careless?

Religious or Secular?

Passionate or Apathetic?

Book Smarts or Street Smarts?

Compliments or Insults?

Pajamas or Lingerie? Naked

06. FAVORITES

Favorite Color: black, brown, yellow.

Favorite Clothing Style/Outfit: for work suits, after work sweats, hoodies and athletic wear.

Favorite Bands/Songs/Type of Music: Hip-hop, jazz, R&B,

Favorite Movies: Remember the Titans, The Pursuit of Happiness

Favorite Books: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age Of Colorblindness

Favorite Foods/Drinks: All foods and drinks.

Favorite Sports/Sports Teams: Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots

Favorite Time of Day: Sunrise

Favorite Weather/Season: Warm weather and Spring

Favorite Animal: All animals

07. MISCELLANEOUS

Fears/Superstitions: Normal ones that come with being a Christian and having a Mama who would put the fear of God into you if you didn’t go to church every Sunday or thank God every night for your many blessings.

Political Views: Liberal Democrat.

Addictions: Working on cases. Can never really let go of a case, especially ones that involve disadvantaged Southsiders of color and undocumented citizens.

Best School Subject: Art and History

Worst School Subject:

School Clubs/Sports:

How does he get money? Works as a Public Defender in Riverdale. Also has family money.

How is he with technology? As decent as a man in his 30′s can be.

08. PAST & FUTURE

Fondest Memory: When his dad would come home from tours during the holidays and they would all go to see Mercedes and her group perform.

Deepest, Darkest Secret: Feels a lot of guilt over his privilege and often thinks about just casting everything away, selling it all and giving it to the NAACP. Often also feels smothered by the pretenses his family has to keep up in order to save face in times of crises.

Dream Vacation: Somewhere tropical.

Best thing that has ever happened to this character: Being able to become someone who could help.

Worst thing that has ever happened to this character:

What do they want to be when they grow up?

Perfect Date:

#gdhqintro #intro

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foodmadewithlove · 3 years

Text

The Tradition of Steamed Cheeseburgers: A Conversation with Ted’s Restaurant Owner Bill Foreman

Two hands place a five-ounce ground beef patty into an individual tray, moving it to its new home in a custom-built steam cabinet. After the burger is cooked for 10 to 12 minutes, excess fat is drained, and the patty is placed upon a fresh roll. Melted cheddar cheese awaits in the steam cabinet, finally taken out to encompass the top of the burger. Various toppings, such as lettuce and onions, are included on the final product. The item is given to a waiting customer, sitting atop one of the nine stools around the counter. The visitor has driven over an hour to receive this meal, a smile forming across his face when he see the food being presented to him. After taking a bite, the customer knew that it was worth the drive.

(Above) Cheesy goodness being put on top of a classic steamed cheeseburger at Ted’s. Credit: Ted’s Restaurant on Facebook.

When diner chef Ted Duberek decided to sell steamed cheeseburgers out of a tiny 450 square foot location in 1959, he hardly realized his burger would become a famous dish across Connecticut.

Ever since that first day, Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden, CT, has been serving steamed cheeseburgers to customers. When Ted Duberek passed away in the early 70s, his son Paul took over the establishment. Paul decided to use twice ground meat, adding a certain cheddar cheese that kept its form while being steamed.

When Paul was dealing with back issues, his nephew Bill Foreman decided to quit his previous job and help his uncle out. Upon working for him for many years, Foreman purchased the location from Paul Duberek in 2007.

Since then, the Wallingford resident has been running the famous steamed cheeseburger location. Each day, the hardworking owner and his staff produce hundreds of cheeseburgers for their customers. An open kitchen allows patrons to see their food being produced. With nine stools and three booths, Ted’s is small but mighty. The restaurant also has two food trucks, deemed the ‘Steam Machines’, used for parties and events.

(Above) A shot of Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden, CT. Credit: Ted’s Restaurant on Facebook.

I spoke with Foreman to find out what makes Ted’s so unique to customers. The energetic and passionate owner described how the business has been doing amid the pandemic.

Why did you decide to become the owner of Ted’s Restaurant? Were you involved with the restaurant beforehand?

Well, I've worked at the restaurant since I was a kid. It was kind of a bunch of different events that came into one, I left another job, my uncle was having some back issues that he needed to work out. So I started coming to work for him and just kind of a bunch of things worked in the right direction, we're able to work out a deal and I was able to purchase from him in 2007.

By being the owner, what exactly do you do?

Because it's a smaller family run place, basically I am all things all in one. I own it, I cook, I clean, pay the bills. Basically, you name it, I do it or have done it. One of the things that all my employees know is you're not going to be pigeonholed. Like if I hired you, I'm not just gonna hire you to work at a register, you might work on the register one day, you might be making fries the next day, and then out on the truck another day. So, we all kind of do it all, and especially as a single owner operator, that's generally what it is. You're kind of all things to all people.

How many people work at the original location? Are any of those your family members?

I mean, it depends on the time of year, obviously. But we run around 12 to 14 people. My daughter works for me periodically. To be perfectly honest, she's a gymnast, so she doesn't have a lot of extra time. But with everything going on, she was able to help out, especially during the pandemic, which was nice. So, she's the only family member currently involved.

When hiring employees, what do you typically look for in a worker?

The biggest piece for me is just their persona. Are they outgoing? How do they handle people? Are they able to handle high volume atmosphere? I give my employees a lot of latitude. I want them to take care of the customers as best they can. So, you have to be outgoing. You have to be willing to work with the public. You don't have to be comfortable and that's the biggest pieces that I look for.

You mentioned you worked there for a couple years with your family before you purchased the restaurant. How was that experience working with your family members then and now?

Well, I mean, working with family is great, and it can be very challenging at the same time. You know, because everybody has their ideas and opinions in your family, so it's not like you just go home to separate places and never see each other. So, I mean it had its moments, but that's just, my uncle had run the restaurant his way for 35, 40 years. You know, to have someone else come in, and even though I was helping and say, hey, why don't we try this? Or try that? You know, it's not always the easiest transition.

Would your uncle take your recommendations?

Yeah, he would take them. It's like anything else. To own your own home, any business, basically, you have to be a little bit stubborn, you have to work hard, obviously. You know, you don't like other people necessarily telling you what to do all the time. So when someone comes in with a new idea, it's not always accepted right away. It's gotta take some time to kind of sink in. Once it does, you know, it usually works. But you know, it just takes a little time. I run into the same problem with employees and family now, because you think your way is the best, and it's not always the best way to do it.

After taking over the restaurant, did you make any changes yourself?

The basic menu of the restaurant is a little bit bigger. I mean, no drastic changes, let's put it that way. You know, our menus expanded a little bit, we have a few more offerings, just to kind of offer more things to more people basically. But the basic menu is the same, we're in the same location. So basically, it's the same place that it’s always been.

What type of items did you add to the menu?

We do a steak and cheese now, we do a chicken sandwich now. As weird as it sounds, we actually added french fries. For the longest time, we just did home fries, kind of more breakfast style potato. We just added some new toppings for your burger that you can get, you know, versus what you used to be able to get.

Why did you decide to add those upgrades and changes?

Just to kind of give the menu a little bit of a facelift, a little bit of a fresh take, or a new take, and once again just to try and draw more people in. Obviously, every generation goes by, you need to attract a new generation. So kind of a new way to get them through the door, you know, give the people that have been with us forever something new to offer them. So that was the basic reason.

Since the restaurant has been around for a very long time, have you seen a lot of customers return throughout the years?

Yes, I mean, we're very fortunate we have a very loyal fan base, and they do keep coming back, which is nice. We also have a nice mix of new customers, which is good as well because obviously that's gonna sustain you over the long term. So, we kind of have a great mix of both new and old customers.

How have you taken care of your customers throughout the years, especially when you first bought the restaurant?

Basically, when I first bought it, we tried to do a lot. We did a lot of the same things just to make people realize, listen, just because it's under next generation its not gonna change. We're not gonna change everything about the place. The other side was I come from a hospitality background, so to take care of people is what I was used to. You know, just with customer service, taking care of them, making them feel like you're not just a number walking up to a register, things along that lines.

Do you think your hospitality experience has helped you run the restaurant?

Oh, definitely. I mean, because obviously, it's a people business. You know, we're 450 square feet when our restaurant inside space is open, so everybody's on top of each other. So you have to be good with customers, you have to be able to talk to ‘em, you know, you can't just give one word and move on. So, just about taking care of people.

The restaurant is most known for its steamed cheeseburgers. Have you seen a lot of people specifically come to your location to try them?

Yeah, like I said, we're very fortunate. We have a very loyal following, and they're very vocal following. If you're coming to us, you're probably coming to us for a steam cheeseburger, that's 90/95 percent of what we do. So if you're coming to us, that's what probably what you're gonna have.

How is it competing with big name restaurants, for example, other burger joints like Five Guys? How has that been trying to maintain your customer base?

It's always a challenge, anyone new whether it's a burger restaurant, or anybody else is always going to be a challenge, but we're lucky in that we have a unique product. It's still a cheeseburger, but it's very different in the way it's made. The taste of it is even different because of the texture. So, everything is tough in life, you just got to work through it. We do our best to take care of our customers well, and make them feel that they're not just a number when they come up to the window or come up to the door. We try and work with that and do the best we can with it.

What do customers typically order?

90 to 95 percent of what we do is gonna be a cheeseburger. Most of them are cheeseburgers with your choice of toppings. That's the majority of what we do.

What do you typically get for yourself?

When I do eat here, which is often enough, obviously, cause I work here and own it, I'm gonna get a cheeseburger. The toppings will vary, just because I've been around it so long. I don't have like one standard thing that is my absolute favorite. So, it just depends on the day and how hungry I am.

When the Covid-19 pandemic first started in March 2020, how did that work for the restaurant? Did you have to shut down?

So we were fortunate, the restaurant itself didn't shut down. Our mobile business obviously took a huge hit, because there were no gatherings, you know, couldn’t have parties, couldn’t do events, things along that line. So that side of the business took a big hit, the restaurant itself never close[d], you couldn't come into our restaurant, you actually still can't come into our restaurant, because we're so small. There's just no way to social distance inside of our restaurant being that we’re only 450 square feet. I mean, we're fortunate that we have some outside seating, we have some picnic tables and things along that lines, which helps. So you can still come and sit down, you're just not inside. We did do some enhancements. We were fortunate, we had already worked with some delivery services, so people could order food and get it delivered because we didn't deliver personally. We also moved over and started doing some online ordering to kind of help facilitate people's orders and things along that line. So like everybody else, you had to be creative. We're fortunate the way our layout was that we could not have people in the shop, and still have a window where people come and go and get orders. So we survived it fairly well, I really can't come complain about that side of it. Like I said, our customers are loyal, and they kept coming out even without being able to come inside. So we were pretty fortunate.

Were there any challenges amid that time, specifically financially?

It's been a difficult and stressful time for everyone, whether you're an owner, an employee, customer, whatever the case happens to be. You know, financially we did okay, like I said it was a big hit on our mobile side of the business. I was fortunate in that I only had a couple people, one chose not to come back because of Covid issues, which was understandable, and one I had to lay off. But, you know, it's pretty fortunate in that regard. I talked to all my employees, I told them what it was, what the deal was, how it was gonna work. And, you know, they were all very receptive, they did what they could, and they all understood that maybe they're not gonna get as many hours as [they] used to, but we're going to do the best we can with it.

Have you guys done any food truck events, or are those kind of stopped right now?

Most of ‘em have stopped, we've done a few things as the state of Connecticut has allowed us to reopen a little bit. We work with a few partners and have done some events alongside them with social distancing, and all the protocols that go into it. So, I mean, we've done a few, but it's probably 5 to 10 percent of what it normally is, we're hoping as the spring and summer rolls around, the vaccines come out and more people are to get them that it will allow the state to open up more and allow it for more events and more things to do for people.

Does the location follow typical Covid-19 guidelines?

I mean, we do, but like I said, we don't have anybody inside the restaurant. So if you were to come up to my restaurant, we have two windows up front. So, if you're gonna place your order at the window with my cashier, we're going to make it and then we're going to hand it out to you out the window. So, the contact with the customer is very limited. But yeah, obviously, we follow all Covid protocols, you know, mask wearing. Obviously, as employees, we can't really social distance, because we're making orders together and things along that line. But, you know, we follow all the Covid-19 guidelines and try and make it work as best we can.

As you mentioned, there's picnic tables outside. Do you think as the weather starts to get warmer, the overall amount of people coming to place orders will increase?

Yeah, so I definitely think as it gets nicer out. I mean, we've already seen a little uptick in business, which has been very nice. You know, people want to get out and do things, and we kind of offer ‘em a unique experience. In that regard, you can come out, you can sit at a picnic table, you can be outside, which is nice. So, I do expect business hopefully to pick up, hopefully it picks up for everyone because we could all use it at this point.

It also says on the restaurant’s website that you're hoping to open more locations in the future, do you have plans to do that?

Yeah, I mean, that's always something we're looking into. You know, whether that happens, you know, sooner or later, or the next person that owns it after me, I don't know. Right now, we're just kind of focusing on getting through the next year or so just like everybody else is, and getting back to some semblance of normalcy in our lives and keep making cheeseburgers and getting out back to doing events and things like that. And, you know, something like that may come up down the road, we're not really sure, we don't have any plans currently for another location. But you know, there's always the opportunity.

What are your own personal goals for the restaurant over the next couple of years?

For the next couple years, it's just to get things back to whatever the new normal is going to be. We don't have any drastic changes in mind. But you know, we've obviously, like I said, we've done delivery, we've done online ordering. So we've kind of brought technology into it, which is a new kind of piece for us. But it's just streamlining what we have, getting the mobile side of the business back up, and hopefully getting it back to where it was before and the amount of events that we can do. That's kind of the short term of it. Long term, there are some things that are on the back burner at this point, that'll probably be way off. Other locations are a possibility, but that's kind of far off right now. Like I said, we're just trying to get through it. I want to get myself, my family, and our customers through the next year or so and then we'll see where it takes us.

Since the restaurant has been passed down through family, do you hope to eventually pass the restaurant down to maybe a family member in the future?

I mean, that's always the hope. Whether that happens remains to be seen, whether my daughter's interested or someone else in the family's interested, I don't know. That would be the hope though, you always wanna keep it in the family as best you can.

By keeping it in the family, do you think that has kept customers coming back?

That is important to us, obviously, you know, we were built on a family whether it's our customers that are our family, our own personal family. So yes, we do hope to keep that family idea, and family atmosphere going. That is the goal.

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gojira007 · 3 years

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*steeples fingers* All questions for Longclaw/Valir.

Ooh hoo hoo, a CHALLENGE, eh? Alright...let’s (put this under a cut ‘cuz obviously it’s gonne be A Long One and) DO THIS THING!!!

Who offers their jacket when the other is cold? Valir, which is particularly impressive when you realize that, at the point in time she and Longclaw were together, she didn’t have a jacket. But she’d still do it anyway.

Who giggles uncontrollably when the other playfully picks them up? Valir, which is 100% why Longclaw makes a point of doing it basically every single time she has anything resembling an excuse to; there are few things in all the universe Longclaw loves as much as Valir’s laughter.

Who compliments the other in front of everyone? Longclaw, loudly and proudly. She sees it as a way of helping Valir to accept the positive things about herself she is otherwise too self-conscious to recognize, though she is also very mindful of Valir’s reaction; if she senses that Valir’s discomfort is too high, she knows how to de-escalate accordingly.

Who is more likely to tell the other a pun and what is the other’s reaction to the pun? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Longclaw’s got Mom Jokes for days. Valir is initially wholly unimpressed by them, indeed actively annoyed with them, but over time she starts to warm to them as one of Longclaw’s unique ways of saying “I love you”, and remembers the best of them even to this day...who knows? If Dusty or one of the Emerald Hill kids catches her at just the right moment, she might even spring one on them.

When one of them has a bad day, what does the other do to help cheer them up? For Valir during that period of time, Bad Days often meant high anxiety, especially in the form of hyperventilating. Longclaw would help by wrapping her big, soft wings around Valir, letting the lioness stay behind them like a feathery cocoon: a place where she was entirely safe. She would let Valir stay there until she started to calm down, often helping her try breathing exercises to steady herself. Longclaw’s Bad Days, meanwhile, were much more depressive, days where she simply felt deflated and miserable. Valir would thus lead her to a little spot of forest they both loved, and she would lead Longclaw in drawing images along the bark of the trees with their big sharp, well, claws; Longclaw not only loves the sound of it, but letting her mind just...wander...as she drew often helped lift her mood.

If they got to pick what one another wears for a day, what would one another wear? Valir doesn’t have much of a fashion sense; growing up the way she did, she always just sort of wore Whatever She Could Find. Still...Longclaw’s elegance and grace has always stood out to her, and she does sometimes wonder what it might be like to see her partner dress in a way that complements that. Something light and silky, perhaps; not loose, but decently flowy, and with some gold trim and lace to go with those warm brown feathers. Longclaw too is far from a fashion expert; it’s just not something she’s ever paid that much attention to. But she DOES know what makes Valir happy when it comes to the clothes she wears: dark colors but a breathable fit, something that really lets her stretch and move freely but also has a good, sharp cut to it. And if it should just so happen to show off Valir’s well-toned muscles? So much the better.

Who introduces their partner to their family first? How does it go? Neither really knew their families as such; the closest thing to a family Valir had before meeting Longclaw were in fact the very kind of people she was trying to get away from when she ran off with her, while prior to meeting Valir, Longclaw had lived a mostly solitary life. That said, there are days when she isn’t careful enough in regulating her feelings when Valir wishes for nothing so deeply and achingly as the chance for Longclaw to meet the family she has now.

In a coffee shop AU, who would be the coffee shop employee and who would be the customer? That’s a bit of a funny thought, if only because going off the “canon” circumstances, Valir is the one with a job, so to speak, while Longclaw was a wanderer prior to their meeting, so that would seem to mean Valir is Employee and Longclaw is Customer. But the dynamic of the Coffee Shop AU is such that the customer is usually the one whose life is changed by interacting with That One Employee Who Stands Out, which would make VALIR the Customer and LONGCLAW the Employee. x3

When they sit side by side, do they touch one another? For example, does one person has their arm around the other, do they sit holding hands, or linked arms, ECT. Yes. Absolutely. All the time. Touch, of just about every kind, proves to be an exceptionally important piece of their relationship. Big or small, intimate or casual, it’s just a constant presence in the way they express their Affection for each other.

What is a small thing that one another does to make their partner happy? Every so often, when she notices Longclaw is feeling particularly run down, Valir will essentially help to preen her; it’s not exactly something she’s built for, but she’s gotten to know the details enough that she’s able to make it work. Longclaw finds it absolutely heavenly.

What would they do to celebrate their one year anniversary? The answer was almost “nothing”; Valir doesn’t really observe that sort of thing most of the time. But Longclaw very much does; her isolated lifestyle led her to be very thoughtful about the passage of time. It took a good deal of convincing, but eventually she talked Valir into what she named “A Great Journey”; they started out on a boat together going down a long and winding river (neither one loved water, but that was the point; the journey starts in a place you’re afraid of), which led them into a lush and calm forest (the journey continues to a place of comfort and familiarity, and the forests of the world were where both felt most at home). And then, as the sun began to set, Longclaw took to the air with Valir in her grip (the journey ends in a place of new wonders); Valir loved it all so much she made Longclaw promise they would do this for every anniversary from that day on.

When did they know that loved each other, and when did they first tell each other that they loved one another? It took some time; their first meeting was fairly dramatic, and much of their first month together they were on the run from the army Valir had once served in. But once they had successfully thrown those forces off their trail, began to settle down (even as they continued to live nomadically)...they realized just how close they had grown in that time. How much they had come to depend on each other. How beautiful they found each other, and how much that made them feel beautiful themselves. It took them a few more days to really settle into it, but by then...they were certain. So certain that, in truth, neither one ever said the words to each other...until the day they adopted their daughter.

Who likes to give the other hugs from behind followed by a kiss? You would think given most of their dynamics otherwise it would be Longclaw, but in point of fact she’s wary about taking Valir by surprise for how upsetting it might prove to be. She is, however, more than happy to let Valir do it, because every time it happens, she is never, EVER surpised by it.

Who would make a playlist for the other person? What would be featured on the playlist? Longclaw would 100% do this for Valir, and it would be a mix of Club Techno, Classical Music, and the occasional Showtune. XD

Who would bring their partner on a romantic date under the stars? Both. Absolutely both of them. And they do, quite frequently at that.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic time #original character #oc #longclaw #gojira007 #bunnikkila #thanks for the ask #shipping meme

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douchebagbrainwaves · 6 years

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THEY HOPE FURTHER INVESTMENT WILL SAVE THEM

Good design may not have to be on the test? How was the place different from what they expected? To me she seems the best novelist of all time. And I think we can already declare the old way dead, because those are the only way to do venture investing. What I wanted was security. Subject line and doesn't have a probability for it. And VCs who try to compete with VCs in brand.

Wealth is stuff we want: food, clothes, houses, cars, gadgets, travel to interesting places, and so on. But she did not contradict them. It may seem cavalier to dismiss a language before you've even tried writing programs in it. Though indeed, it's been a while since they were writing about symbolism; now they're writing about gender. The last time the DoD really liked a programming language. The usual way to do that. Now that the medium is evaporating, publishers have nothing left to sell. Because an ordinary employee's performance can't usually be measured, he is unlikely to head straight for the conclusion that a great artist.

All the most successful companies. In what you're working on technology. Another consulting-like technique for recruiting initially lukewarm users is to use your software, but are your software. At an art school where I once studied, the students wanted most of all to develop a product. Not just in angel rounds, but these will increasingly be unable to wait for better technology: early aircraft designers were mistaken to design aircraft that looked like birds, but I suspect that tweaking the inbox is not enough, and that could be called unlucky, but not the best. As long as you work hard on your growth rate. Belonging to such a group becomes part of your identity: name, age, role, institution. Logically, they're not. Aiming at timelessness is a way of moving wealth, and in every single case the founders say the same thing. If there were two features we could add to our software, both equally valuable in proportion to their difficulty, we'd always take the harder one.

Software and content blur together in some of the most important ingredient in a startup is always running out of runway. Not all rich people got that way from refutation. Fourth, they calculated probabilities differently. There are two kinds of symmetry, and repetition especially, is a language that was unambiguous. I personally am interested in writing a language that makes source code ugly is maddening to an exacting programmer, as clay full of lumps would be to work for. One of his most admirable qualities was that he liked us. How do you get the person who grows the potatoes to give you some? I'll tell you why that wouldn't work.

But money is just the intermediate stage—just a shorthand—for whatever people want, and that's frightening. Maybe it will help later stage investors as well. She can see through any kind of taste. And yet we still need the underlying concept, whatever we call it. But there were no takers, so we know their history. Or more precisely, preorders has helped a lot. In art, the highest place has traditionally been given to paintings of people. The reason they don't invest more time in their startup is that they decide to start drawing like grownups, and one that we spent a lot of ambitious people, age 20 is not the one that doesn't do much of anything—the one we never even hear about new, indy languages like Perl and Python. Now that I've had a few, I'm relieved to find they're not as bad as being a publisher. And what are the universities thinking?

One way to deal with this is to treat some as more interesting than others. As a child I read a book of stories about a famous judge in eighteenth century Japan called Ooka Tadasuke. So the solution may be to think about. Will a startup inevitably stop being a startup as it grows larger? Their standards for customer service have been set by the companies they've been customers of, which are mostly big ones. Apparently Apple's attitude is that developers should be more worried about super-angels merely fail to invest in you, that makes him unique. When wealth is talked about in this context, it is in other ways more accurate, because when someone is being an asshole it's usually uncertain even in their own mind how much is due to the creators of past gadgets that gave the company a reputation for quality? Startups generally need to raise the money to manufacture your product. Nearly all companies exist to do something, you don't need to prevent people from expressing controversial ideas, but empirically it may be that they aren't. In that form it only had a potential market of a few carefully observed and solidly modelled objects will tend to bet wrong. The fact that you're investing time doesn't change the relationship between risk and reward have to be extra cautious.

Thanks to Kevin Systrom, Trevor Blackwell, and Robert Morris for putting up with me.

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perfectirishgifts · 3 years

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Lapima’s Chic Founders On Design, Craftsmanship, And Working Together As A Couple

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/lapimas-chic-founders-on-design-craftsmanship-and-working-together-as-a-couple/

Lapima’s Chic Founders On Design, Craftsmanship, And Working Together As A Couple

Gisela and Gustavo Assis, the founders of Lapima

With their sharp shapes in bold colors, Lapima’s chic sunglasses, and now eyeglasses, are instantly recognizable. The company was founded by Brazilian couple, Gisela and Gustavo Assis, who wanted to honor Brazil’s artisans and inimitable style in their collections. They speak to Forbes.com about how they founded their brand, working together as a couple, what’s next.

What inspired you to start Lapima?

Our inspiration came from wanting to create evergreen products that could be fashionable, in the sense of adding style to the person who uses it, and also as a sculpture, that would play with light, beauty, and lightness.

The Saco do Mamanguá, the only tropical fjord in the world, inspired the SS21 Mamanguá collection.

How did you launch Lapima and what challenges came with it?

We launched Lapima in 2016 in São Paulo at friends’ stores and selling styles to relatives in order to ensure we were receiving the best and most honest feedback possible. Our biggest challenge was figuring out important factors like the atelier, production, developing the methods we wanted to use, and finding our own unique way of handcrafting eyewear.

Is this the first business venture you two have taken on as a couple?

No, we’ve known each other since 2002, then got married in 2006, and in 2010 we started working together. I bought his ex-business partner’s portion of the fashion retail business they had developed in 2002. With that business, we were able to get to know both of our “other sides” and it worked very well! We sold the business in 2013 and started dreaming of our own brand.

A look from the new optical collection

What advice would you give to other couple/business partners on how to balance work and personal life?

For us, it was a natural next step that made sense for our life together. We met very young and were always each other’s positive motivation for growth. After eight years together and two kids, it was pretty easy to become business partners. In 2013, we sold the remaining stores we had together and started designing, planning, and dreaming with Lapima, exactly the same year that we had our third kid! The advice we can offer for those couples looking to pursue a business together is to never cross the line of respect and to give each other space. Always offer admiration and patience to your partner. That support will be key when hard moments arrive, and each person needs to step up and give their best in order to move forward and achieve your goals.

The Carolina Petit eyeglasses are inspired by the 70s and are hand-carved from natural horn that is … [] sustainably sourced.

What inspired your aesthetic vision and focus on craftsmanship?

Our country’s artistic expression is our inspiration. Brazil is not only rich by nature, but we have amazing architects, furniture designers, painters, sculptors, dancers, and musicians.

The high quality of craftsmanship for our brand was non-negotiable: From the beginning we made sure we were present during the production. We oversaw how the product was developed and would jump in to help in every step of the process. It is so beautiful and rewarding when we get to see a client or a retail partner wearing our pieces because you can tell that they feel the quality of a handmade product. You can see it in their eyes.

On the sculpting plate, the designer’s drawings are machine cut and sculpted onto the cut acetate … [] plate.

Can you summarize the 28-step process in which artisans hand make your eye-glasses?

It starts from scratch, pencil to paper with Gustavo drawing until we are excited about a design. We then take the sketch through the 3D modeling process, which goes through many stages until we finally feel that the design is ready to go to production. Once inside the atelier, we begin sculpting the acetate/horn plate based on the approved design. This is the only step in which a machine is used during the development of the glasses. We then move to the other steps of the process like the hand polishing (can take up to 30 minutes per pair) and the assembly of each style, perfected to achieve the flawless fit. All steps are super important to the final result of our product.

Each pair is hand-polished, which can take over 30 minutes. It takes three months of training to be … [] able to polish the frames, as a single mistake means the pair can’t be sold.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business and what advice would you give to business owners who are struggling during these trying times?

We were just coming off of our best performing market at Paris Fashion Week in February and while we were there, the rumors and fear of Covid-19 had begun to develop and grow. We came back to Brazil with a great number of orders and within 15 days those orders began to get cancelled. That, I would say, was the most important moment for Lapima. We had to sit down with the team and make tough decisions. As a team, we decided to move forward with producing each style that was ordered and sold with the belief that the situation would soon get better. Because eyewear is considered a health-related product, we were permitted to continue working taking all of the needed precautions and making sure we were looking after all of our employees. Fortunately, we never were forced to close our doors and in return that gave us and our team a big sense of unity, community, and strength. In May, the European clients that had placed orders in Paris in February, started to send us emails asking about their orders, and because of our decision to continue manufacturing we had them ready to ship!

We also decided to keep the original timeline for our category expansion into optical. We had been working on this for the last year with nine new styles in seven or eight different colors. Despite the difficulties that this year brought, we pushed through so that we could show it to our retailers by September. We think that the key to having survived these unpredictable moments was the close relationships we hold with our clients and retail partners. It helped all of us cope and better understand the situation. We never lost faith, and this helped us to continue creating and launching beautiful eyewear.

What makes your vision special and how does that translate into your eyewear?

We believe in beauty, in doing things well, and patience. This is why handcrafted products are so important to us. Our vision is special because we do not have a background in eyewear, and we bring a new way of looking at the way this particular category functions. We come forth with a new proposition on how eyewear should be.

The Tessa sunglasses in Forest Acetate

What is the inspiration behind the name Lapima and does the company have a specific message that you want to share with the world?

Lapima means “la em cima” in Portuguese, which translates to “up there” in English. Our oldest son, Guga, who is now thirteen used to pronounce “la em cima” as Lapima when he was two years old. We loved the word and never forgot it. In the two years before the official launch, we were unable to think of a better name. Lapima works because it is easily pronounced in many languages around the world and the meaning to us was and still remains so special.

What do you envision Lapima (or a future venture) looking like 10 years down the line?

Our vision is to be in the top three best luxury eyewear brands in the independent market by 2030.

What has been your pinch-me moment since starting Lapima?

When we had our first in-house production being shipped to Barneys New York, Lapima was only two years old and we were invited for a trunk show to launch the brand in store! Unforgettable!!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

More from Watches & Jewelry in Perfectirishgifts

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makaiarchives · 6 years

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All About Vampire Interview

The following is a translation of a developer interview from All About Vampire.

Differentiating from SF2

What got the development of Darkstalkers started? First of all we had intended to make a fighting game, but our big precondition was that we had to make something that went in a different direction from SF2 both visually and thematically. With that in mind, in order to create an entirely new type of cast and setting we chose “monsters” as our theme. We thought that by using established, well-known monster archetypes it would be easy for players to grow attached to them despite never having been in fighting games before.

In what specific sorts of ways did you differentiate it from SF2? Even though it is a different game from SF2, it is a versus fighting game after all, and SF2′s rules have firmly established themselves in the genre. So doing something completely different would likely have a hard time finding an audience. So the overall rules are the same, but by using monsters, we’re able to depict all sorts of things that human characters wouldn’t be able to do.

Tell us about the number of people and length of time involved in Darkstalkers’ development. I can’t give you exact numbers, but there were likely a lot more people involved than you’d think. Every little bit of balancing required a huge amount of effort to get things to an acceptable level.

What exactly was difficult about balancing Darkstalkers? At any rate, we didn’t have enough time. (Laugh) It was too much for the main planner to do alone, so by the later half of development we were calling in help from other departments, and we ended up having quite a few people working on balance. In the end we had one balancer assigned to every two characters. I’d say taking all of that data and thoughts into consideration and tying it all together was the hard part.

Which characters were considered the strongest among the developers? About that, as we were balancing we were having all of our employees play the game, and eventually everyone ends up finding their own main. Before you know it, that becomes the only character they play. Once you become an expert with that character, you'll start winning against everyone. But if I had to pick which character is top tier... Hmm, I’m not really sure. (Laugh) Generally characters with projectiles are considered strong in fighting games, but if you can master the chain combos, Victor with his high damage might be the best. Anakaris is a bit difficult to control, but he can also be strong... I guess in the end I can’t really declare which character is top. (Laugh)

1300-1500 Frames of Animation

How were Darkstalkers spectacular graphics drawn? First the project planner would think up an overall image and profile, and from there he’ll have the designer start drawing things out on paper. The planner would also think up ideas on how each character would move. Darkstalkers spent a lot of time on its character design, probably close to double that of our other games.

And those paper drawings are then fed into the computer? That’s right. I’d say the production process is similar to TV animation. First, the designer draws a rough draft for the move he was assigned. Once the planner approves it, the designer then starts drawing the lineart for the individual frames that determine how the animation will move. Once all those frames are drawn, they’ll do page flipping tests to check how it looks in motion, just like a traditional animator, then scan them into the computer. Then they’ll check the animation of the lineart on the computer, adjusting the number of frames if necessary. Then they’ll start adding color to the sprites, but at first only in a rough form without any shading or anything. Then we’ll take those half-finished sprites into the game, and use them during play testing and balancing. And if all that gets approved, then the finishing touches get made to the sprites.

Does much retouching work need to be done to create finished sprites from the scanned drawings? “Much” doesn’t begin to describe it. The scanned drawings are less clear than what you’d get out of a 20 year old copier. (Laugh) So without a lot of fine detail work they’d be completely useless.

About how many frames of animation does a single Darkstalkers character have? There is some overlap, but if you keep that in mind it would end up being around 1300-1500 per character. That’s around triple, or maybe quadruple that of the first SF2.

Darkstalkers’ characters seem to reuse a frame or two between several different animations, did you have that in mind when designing their moves? Yes, we did pay attention to that. After all, having every single one of those 1500 total frames be unique just wouldn’t be possible within the amount of time we had. This is where the designers’ skill shows, they’re building on their previous experience.

I would assume you have several character designers, do you have a single designer assigned to each character? Yes, there are certain aspects that don’t fall neatly into that format, but in general that’s how they’re produced. In the end you might have one designer split across two characters, or partway through production one designer might help out another, it varies.

Guard Cancels: Originally Aid for Beginners

I’d like to ask about the distinctive new gameplay elements added in Darkstalkers, so first how did the idea for the Special Gauge come about? You know that Super Street Fighter II Turbo has the Super Combo Gauge. The fact is that Super Turbo’s and Darkstalkers’ developments were overlapping and the decision to add the gauge to each game came almost simultaneously. It seems to be a required feature these days, or rather it was a type of accent that we wanted to adopt for our games.

Next is Guard Cancels. How did this element come to be? Darkstalkers follows the same conventions as SF2, so long term players will quickly become experts. But we wanted newcomers to play Darkstalkers in addition to seasoned fighting game players. So Guard Cancels were intended to be a tool that beginners could use to face experts on an equal level. Of course in the end it turned out to be the exact opposite, just making the game even more hardcore. At first we had it so you could Guard Cancel with anything, even normals. The midair Guard Cancels in the finished game are a remnant of that. As development and balancing proceeded, we eventually settled on the system we have now, for the purpose of deepening the gameplay. Darkstalkers has lots of single attacks that hit multiple times, and those were also designed with Guard Cancels in mind.

The finished game has speed settings and combo bonuses, neither of which were in the location test. What about those? We generally decided to add everything that SF2 had. Anything that gets added to the genre soon gets taken for granted these days. So we went ahead and added everything we could. With regards to speed, preferences vary a lot from person to person.

What’s an “Elbow Bone Skewer and Pull into Electric Uppercut?!”

The strange move commands like Darkness Illusion’s are one of Darkstalkers’ distinctive features. We tried to come up with commands that represent the move’s overall “shape.” Also since the EX Specials were considered secret this time, we tried to come up with commands that would be difficult to find. By the end of the location tests, they had all been figured out except for Darkness Illusion. That one remained a secret to the end. (Laugh)

How do you come up with the special moves’ names? The official names get decided about a month before the game is complete, so up until then the same move might get called different things by different people. For example, Lord Raptor’s Evil Scream. I called it exactly what it was: “Elbow Bone Skewer and Pull into Electric Uppercut.” It was such a long name that everyone found it hilarious, and we all called it that up until the last minute. (Laugh)

Were there any moves that didn’t make the cut during production? Of course we had to cut some things for memory reasons, but we tried in general to avoid cutting special moves. Also there are some normals, for example a light kick and a medium kick that look the same, where we actually drew lineart for different animations that didn’t make it in.

What about moves that didn’t make it past the drawing board? You know Rikuo’s EX Special Aqua Spread, where a big geyser of water shoots up. Originally that was planned to have a big tidal wave fill up the screen, and Rikuo would start swimming at you inside it. But that was a bit too crazy, so we scrapped it. (Laugh) Also, you know how Lord Raptor has that one-eyed monster that appears during his Hell’s Gate teleport. That thing is Lord Raptor’s buddy, and we had an idea for a special where the two of them join together to attack. Huitzil had a thing where he’d transform with a catapult on his back and launch something at you, and Pyron had a special where he’d summon a Stand that would attack independently.

Our Motto: To Make the Best Thing Every Time

Capcom’s fighting games are known for having a play experience that’s a cut above the rest, what’s the key to that? It’s gotta be the programmers. (Laugh) Normally the planners just unilaterally command the programmers, but occasionally the programmers would bring us their own ideas and say “Let’s make this.” And I might give the OK, but the attack ends up feeling slow or unresponsive, and next thing I know the programmers are fixing it up on their own and the character designer will say “Let’s improve the movement a bit.”.. All sorts of people in all sorts of positions checking and fine-tune things, really developing together as a group might be a big part of it.

3D polygon-based games are starting to appear as a new medium for fighting games, but as far as sprite animation goes I feel Darkstalkers is close to being the pinnacle. Our motto is to make the best thing we can every single time. As soon as we finish making one thing, we’re determined to make something even better. Even something just made yesterday starts to feel old. Our development times are long enough that even in the middle of a project it can grow and evolve. We’ve gotten a lot of compliments from our players on Darkstalkers’ graphics, but I still feel there’s even higher to aim for.

In America, Gallon is Jon Talbain

Is Darkstalkers being released in America? Yes, but not under the “Vampire” title it has in Japan. Our development team went on an overseas trip and they saw black kids and white kids playing against each other, and their playstyle was really aggressive. Very rushdown and offense-oriented. They didn’t “turtle” and play footsies like Japanese players, they were all “I’m gonna kick your ass!” (Laugh)

Are there any differences in the overseas version? Aside from the title, some of the character names are different. Gallon is Jon Talbain, Zabel is Lord Raptor, and Aulbath is Rikuo. These names came from a Capcom USA employee who was involved with creating the characters’ backstories and such. He wanted to come up with names that would have global appeal for us. So the names Demitri and Morrigan and such came from America. But in the end we felt Jon Talbain and a few others would sound odd to Japanese players so we changed them.

Huitzil and Pyron Are Not Playable

How has the reaction from players been since Darkstalkers’ release? I haven’t actually gone out to arcades and asked people, but on online message boards there are dedicated Darkstalkers threads full of posts. They know everything down to the smallest detail, to the point where I feel I could learn things from them. (Laugh)

Are people on those boards posting rumors about Huitzil and Pyron being playable? Probably. People might get that idea since we made Akuma playable in Super Turbo. But unfortunately those two are not playable.

Will Darkstalkers have a sequel? Perhaps if the demand from players is enough.

Would Huitzil and Pyron be playable then? I can’t say anything about something that hasn’t been decided yet. (Laugh)

I’ve heard a Playstation port of Darkstalkers is in development. I’d like to push that as far as the hardware can handle. We’ll do our very best to replicate the arcade version accurately, so please look forward to it.

Parting words for our readers? Darkstalkers is a game that the more you play the more you’ll come to understand. So please play diligently.

#darkstalkers #capcom #video games #interview

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abigailskoda · 4 years

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Chile, The Ultimate Adventure

I've written a terrific deal on Chile however I've for the most element targeting Santiago and the primary outlying regions. In this newsletter I'll concentrate more at the seashore and coastal regions 188xoso I common these regions just about each unmarried weekend and had, for a time, planned on building my cottage near the coastal regions. I can say there is nonetheless a extraordinary deal of conveniently available land for purchase in the coastal areas also.

Prices for plenty range about $3500 to $7500, relying on the scale and places favored. In my ebook on Chile, I have exact a few web sites you may visit observe which have photos of to be had land plenty and surrounding regions. These regions are very appealing and rustic. The sort of places, wherein a small cabin could make one experience so comfortable and at home within the surroundings.

The coastal regions of Chile have lots to provide everyone who is deliberating residing there. The maximum famous region or metropolis is Viña Del Mar. It's the most popular seashore or coastal city due to the reality that, it has a on line casino, which makes it the relevant focal factor. People tour for miles round to visit the casino and this is where the Chilean elite and well to do play. It's very not unusual to run into neighborhood television personalities on the casino and Saturday's are the first-rate for on line casino motion. The casino hotel itself nearly opponents the MGM in Las Vegas, in terms of luxury.

If you are no longer a gambler it truly is OK additionally, because Viña Del Mar has a wealth of stores, eating places and waterfront pastime for any and all to enjoy. Right next door to the casino is a large city park wherein you may rent scooters, bicycles and extra for the kids, in case you're seeking out a chunk of romance, then try a "Victoria", which is a horse drawn carriage ride across the city middle.

Right at the back of the casino is the carriage stand, where you and your beloved can take a gradual ride down one of the facet streets that is parallel with the sea. You can trip and notice the waves and the sundown.

Going into the main part of downtown Viña, you may locate tons of road carriers promoting some thing from oil on canvas art work of seascapes, to handcrafted leather items and greater. There's a lot to peer and do and there are greater small curio shops then I've ever visible in my existence in Viña. If you are trying to collect unique and uncommon objects, this would be the region to start.

Now as some distance as hotels, the most inexpensive places are called "residenciales". These are old family homes where you could lease a room for a totally low rate, you won't discover luxury but it's reasonably-priced and smooth. One of the best locations may be determined at:

Residencial Blanchait

Avenida Valparaiso eighty two-A

Viña Del Mar

Singles USD 20.00 - 25.00

There's exceptional eating in Viña however if you need some thing speedy and easy there are tons of cafes and fast food kind of eating places. Fine dining is brilliant but this metropolis is one with human beings at the move who don't constantly want to make an effort to experience a first-rate cuisine. Everybody's coming and going always of day and night. The town isn't always as lit up as Las Vegas but agree with me once I say it has the identical sense, the same power and the same excitement.

During the month of February, the Viña Del Mar International Song Festival has been held every yr considering that 1970, lasting all of six days. The venue for this essential occasion is the Quinta Vergara amphitheatre, and it's prepared in 3 elements: the primary is the worldwide competition, which historically has round ten nations taking component; then there may be the folk segment, with performers coming from all over Chile; and in the end the international show, sprinkled with international stars, and the ever-hopefuls who wish to win over the annoying audience, and allow me tell you, Chilean crowds are very difficult to thrill on the subject of entertainment.

Many american cruise ships are starting to make regular stops now in Viña Del Mar that is speedy making it a completely global city. One of my different favored towns is Valparaiso. Valparaiso is handiest ten minutes with the aid of car from Viña Del Mar and it is taken into consideration a ancient town. This city has the same protection as that of Prague; nothing on this town can be changed. It all need to be preserved precisely as is.

Valparaiso is more or much less a historic monument, the complete town! It's very old however this is its charm and man or woman. A actual treat in Valparaiso, is a trip on an ascensore. The town of Valparaiso has been known as "The Vertical City" because it changed into built on large hills, and so the town is surely divided. The stores and stores are within the decrease part of the city however the residential living is in the hilltop areas, and to get from the hills to the lower a part of the town you could take an ascensore.

That is, basically a huge elevator car that takes you from the upper to the lower a part of the city and vice versa. It's most effective a couple hundred pesos for the trip however it's a thrill you will usually don't forget and cherish. The ascensores where first constructed and positioned into use sometime in 1883 after which there have been over eighty three working units for the duration of the city giving the townspeople get right of entry to to the lower components of the city.

Now there are best 15 operating gadgets left. It's amazing to peer those little bins going up and down tracks constructed into the sides of hills. They work similar to antique time elevators in that they use a counterweight device to provide the carry. It's noticeably counseled in case you plan on coming to Chile you make this one of the belongings you want to enjoy.

If you want extra information on them you may need to search out my eMag, that is unfastened at my internet site. Valparaiso has constantly jogged my memory of a European city, due to its architecture and styling. Narrow, cramped cobble stoned streets, supply a precise air of vintage world European attraction.

It has always jogged my memory of Paris, and as soon as you've walked down the streets you will experience the European affect too, even some of the street names are French. There are numerous top cafes that are French in name additionally. One area I can propose for comfy consuming with Euro flair is the Le Filou De Montpellier Café. Stop by using and get a sandwich and a cup of tea, you'll be glad you probably did.

There's additionally Casa Museo, the museum for Pablo Neruda, a superb Chilean author. This is without a doubt a cultural occasion and worth seeing. The Brighton Hotel is a wonderful region to stay that still has a living room with masses of exhilaration! There are all kinds of locations to locate motion in Valparaiso.

Just try to get right here earlier than June that's the rainiest month for this location, and whilst it rains it really pours!

So now comes the big question; is that this a great place to probably live in? The solution is yes it is. Rents are reasonably-priced right here and that's because there aren't any modern buildings here, bear in mind Valparaiso is a historic town, so there is no new constructing happening.

Do preserve in mind though; it's a bohemian way of life right here inside the real sense of the phrase.

The apartment buildings are old and Chile is a rustic that is simplest inquisitive about what's new and reputedly cutting-edge. Most do not wish to stay in an older building, as I've stated in my preceding writings. Landlords locate it hard to rent older homes out. This is why rents are so low here but this isn't the case in all locations. No, in a few components of the city the lease is excessive, due to the fact you are residing close to the ocean. Overall, for the proper character, this could be a perfect situation even though.

There's very little work in Valparaiso. Most work in Santiago and shuttle ordinary. It's only a little over an hour from Santiago to Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar and for many that is the only manner to make a residing. But due to the fact that cruise ships are making everyday stops here and the casino is the huge draw, I suspect a persona could make a superb living teaching casino employees English.

There are also smaller regions which can be all along the coast, that make exquisite hideaways, and places to stay. If you have got a vehicle, I'd say take a drive down the coastal dual carriageway to Con Con (stated, Cone Cone). This is a remarkable coastal metropolis. Sleepy, rustic however with real spirit, several hundred condo complexes line the sea with the most effective aspect keeping apart them from the sand is the 2 lane highway.

Don't be alarmed if you take place to peer such a lot of Greek styled flats in this area. That's ordinary. Remember what I said approximately Santiago being an eclectic and various town? The same is actual for the coastal regions additionally. You'll swear which you're taking a drive in Greece when you see the stylings and the coloration schemes of the apartments and that's one of the things that make Con Con so exciting. It nearly appears to be a out of place town.

Whether you are going to this vicinity or coming back from it you may skip Edelweiss. It's a Swiss eating place that has a panoramic view of the sea and close by cliffs. Stop and soak up greater Euro styled culture at this extremely good restaurant and have a chunk of cake and coffee. Check out the menu for other conventional Swiss and German dishes. The high-quality time to head is round 4pm, any later than that and you danger strolling into the early night crowd. Just look for the huge Swiss flag and you'll understand you are there.

Ah yes, you're wondering now, what is the average lease for an area in Con Con right? Well it averages around $375 give or take, depending again on how new or antique the building is. Always count on to pay extra if the building is more moderen and as I actually have stated in my past writings, you don't want a more moderen building.

Here in Chile, the newer apartment homes do appearance all present day and such but they're oh so small area-wise. The older buildings have way greater man or woman and are loads more spacious in length. Again, visit my internet site and download a free reproduction of Global Living and check out the pictorial on Valparaiso and you may see what I'm speaking approximately.

My handiest criticism, and the cause why in the end I selected to begin building my cabin some place else, is that the airport could be very a ways from the Valparaiso-Viña Del Mar region. From the airport, those areas are almost two hours away. So I notion to myself, if I arrive from journeying and have been on a plane for ten hours, I do not need to spend an additional two hours in a automobile just to get home.

So I ruled out building near the seaside and coastal areas however I love them a lot that I spend just about every weekend in those regions. My pals like to go to gamble on the on line casino (they may be gambling addicts, but it truly is another tale in itself) but I want to explore and go searching or find a excellent location to eat.

If you love photography, then those regions are a photographers dream! Even in case you're no longer a high-quality photographer, take plenty of pics besides! You'll be satisfied later you did. There's no manner you can come to any of those cities and now not go away with a very good feeling. I for my part, doubt you could come right here and no longer entertain the concept of transferring and residing there.

Don't assume for a moment you can't live and make it in anybody of these towns or locations, due to the fact possibilities are with a bit of resourcefulness you may. There's not anything like staring out over the cities from a hilltop and taking part in the lights and the sound of the waves hitting the shores.

It's then that you will realise, just as I did, there may be so much the world has to offer, and that there is an area for every body. You just have to discover your region and make it your private home. Who is aware of, perhaps the beach regions of Chile will one day end up your new domestic.

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cynthiadshaw · 5 years

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What’s the Most Important Lesson You’ve Learned Along Your Journey?

Every twist in our story, challenge we face, and obstacle we overcome is an important part of our story. These difficulties make us stronger and wiser and prepare us for what’s ahead. As we grow and succeed we may imagine that soon the challenges will fade away, but in our conversations with business owners, artists, creatives, academics, and others we have learned that the most common experience is that challenges never go away – instead they get more complex as we grow and succeed. Our ability to to thrive therefore depends heavily on our ability to learn from our experiences and so we are asking some of the city’s best and brightest: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?

Kambri Whitney | Owner of Bring Me Bronze- Mobile Spray Tans and Teeth Whitening

Mindset is everything- when you are intentionally focused on the things you want, it’s amazing what you can accomplish. You are able to achieve more than you could imagine, all by adjusting your mindset and focusing. Choosing to be happy and choosing to be successful comes down to active persuit in every decision. On the flip side, if you choose to be angry and offended, you are focusing on the negative and will just draw more of that energy and regress further from your goals and wishes. Your reality is truly shaped by your mind and the energy that you put towards your thoughts each day. I find this very empowering to know I can control my future by refocusing my mindset and thoughts. It really is that easy, test it out!

@kambrilynae @bringmebronze

Phoebe O’Connor | Leasing Agent and Sports Psych Graduate Student

The most important thing I have learned thus far is to put your absolute heart into everything and have 0 regrets about it. Too many times we bombard ourself with “what if’s” and doubt ourselves and our decisions because of what everyone else is doing. I try to fully embody myself as a go getter without any limits. Love hard, work hard, and pray hard, you will see results and don’t worry about the outcome.

@feebs513 @feebs513

Jessica Navarrete | fashion blogger and life enthusiast

If I’ve learned anything throughout my journey, it’s that it’s truly not about the destination, it’s about the ride. Sometimes we’re so focused on getting to our goals and racing to the finish line, we forget to just enjoy where we are now. It’s so important to enjoy where you are now.

sundayinyellow.com @jessnavarrete

Crystal Salvador | Balayage & Color Correction Specialist

Growing up I was always passionate about the beauty industry, giving credit to my mother who was also a cosmetologist and beauty guru in my eyes, but I must also say my fire started when I was a teenager battling with low self-esteem. Pampering myself through my hairstyles gave me confidence and felt it was a calling to do the same for others feeling the same way. I still remember picking up my first pair of shears at the age of 12 and giving a layered haircut to someone, it just came so naturally, of course, I loved it! Regis was where I was able to get my feet wet, starting as a front desk receptionist, while I attended evening classes for cosmetology, as a front desk this meant many responsibilities which included washing towels, cleaning, inventory, and helping stylists with much more. I was determined to learn and I carried a small notepad with me everywhere because I was hungry for knowledge, I absorbed everything my sponge feeling brain would allow! Not caring what it took but knowing I would get there some day. After graduation I was able to move on to the floor as a stylist, lucky to say the salon manager mentored me and took me under her wing, allowing me to grow more with my skills. A couple months later I was offered an opportunity I did not want to pass up although I had been already on the floor as a stylist but I wanted to learn more so I began assisting in uptown. I spoke with the salon owner there which also became my mentor and I told her how I wanted to try and see if I could become a commission-based stylist, she gave me encouraging words and told me that I was an amazing stylist to go for it. I then gathered my small clientele and moved closer to home Garland at the time. Now this is where I learned that you have to grow thick skin, how to build and keep a good clientele and how important good communication skills is. It was a true struggle having to balance being a mother and trying to grow as an entrepreneur, but glad to say it was all worth it. Now I have my own suite and my journey like many others has not been easy but rewarding to say the least. In this process I have learned from every single person I have met, and had the privilege to serve, allowing me to also help empower women. No appointment goes without moments of tears and great laughs. I love that my clients find trust in me for support, encouragement or just someone to vent with, which led to me also aiming for my Family counseling degree. I have felt every laugh and tear my clients share, giving me the greatest lesson of all through this voyage. Sometimes I can’t help but to feel tired and a willingness to give up but then remember why I started this. I’ve had the privilege to serve clients with final wishes by getting their hair done by me and those that I have taught me that I have purpose in this industry and there is a reason why this fire was planted in me. One of the main reasons I became a stylist is to help others find their inner beauty as I have with myself. I love learning to evolve with the many change’s the hair industry brings, it allows me to learn new techniques and to always satisfy my clients needs. All that I have learned has taken me to where I stand now and passionately loving what I do.

@xocrystalhairstylistxo @xocrystalhairstylistxo

CJ Cannon | Iconic Snow

Business won’t boom with a minimum wage work ethic.

@xxiconicSnow ccannon4.myportfolio.com/urban

Stacy Hall | Fashion & Lifestyle Blogger

I hate the saying “be yourself because everyone else is taken” because I feel that it’s so overdone but it’s also incredibly true. The most important lesson I’ve learned in my journey so far is to be yourself. In life, and especially in the Instagram world, it’s ridiculously easy to compare yourself to others. It’s very easy to think “I’ll never be as pretty as her, as skinny as her, have as amazing photos as her..” and the list goes on and on. I’ve learned from my own personal experience that you can’t do anything but be yourself and embrace it. Maybe you want to share a picture that isn’t absolutely perfect – do it!! Get real on your stories and say what you feel or think (within reason). I don’t think you’ll ever regret being true to yourself!

astoldbystacy.com/?m=1 @astoldbystacy

Heather Rose | Airbrush Artist

The most important lesson I’ve learned so far is to never forget how it feels to be on the other side of the airbrush gun. In 3 years I’ve done around 4K tans, it’s easy to get into my mode and just get it done! Remembering how vulnerable you feel getting undressed in front of a stranger and how whether a client is tanning for a wedding, trip or event, the result will either make or break the experience. I often tell my employees during training that every tan is a wedding tan, meaning every airbrush deserves the detail and attention of an important event, no matter what the client is tanning for.

@airbrushisanart youresopale.com

Roofing Ranger | Your Roofer on Call

It’s to be grateful to all the people you meet in your life. Good or Bad, they all teach you important lessons in your life. The more you meet the more experience you get!

roofingranger.com @roofingranger

DJ MarkCutz | Professional On-Air DJ

The most important lesson I’ve learned so far during my 10 year journey as a DJ, is to always stay true to who YOU are. You are unique and carry a style that no one has; once you learn that, nothing can stop you.

@djmarkcutz @djmarkcutz @djmarkcutz mixcloud.com/djmarkcutz

Nicole Craven | Marketing & Social Media Director for Plug Public Relations

The most important lesson I have learned in my journey thus far would be that there is no way to see how awesome you are at swimming until you dive in the deep end. Meaning, it is so important to take risks with confidence, otherwise we will never know what we can truly accomplish on our own.

@nicolecrave

Rèaux D’or | Founder of #TheUnitDallas & Dallas’ LGBT Events Marketing Guru

Let me reintroduce myself…. My name is Reaux Dior and for some time now I have taken on the role as a liaison between entertainment & event companies in the Dallas & Houston area. It’s always been my goal to foster genuine, lasting relationships between all entities of Urban LGBT Entertainment & Events in the Dallas Texas area. For too long Dallas has been plagued with a lack of persistent entertainment & events as well as bitter competition between event companies. There are plenty of days in the week, month & year for them all to strive and not step on each other’s toes. By cross promoting & joint ventures it can was done. For a long time outsiders looked past Dallas as a destination for Black LGBT entertainment. But no longer. I alone came and bridged the gap between entertainment companies, venues, promoters, DJ’s and the like. Making sure open communication is prevalent & key to success between all parties. I love my city and I love those who I work close with and I will do my best to make sure we all give visitors as well as those that reside here fun, memorable events for years to come! I know my worth to this community and I know what power I have. For many years I have worked in the LGBT scene in Dallas. From starting off by taking emails at events, checking ID’s, to hosting celebrity events. From hosting private events to working for almost every Black Gay venue in the city. From being featured on YouTube as “The Entertainment Guru” & even doing shows off The Strip. My next move will be my best move however. Starting my own Entertainment company “Just Reaux Presents” of course will take time, patience & consistency however with over 14 years in the event & promotions business I’m the best person fit for this job.

@JustReauxPresents Hashtag #TheUnitDallas Instagram/Facebook/Twitter

Kevin Do (Nivek) | DJ

Seferino Alvarado Agent Elliot Hollander and Melodic Music Agency

I would say find something you love to do and is passionate about. And for me it’s DJing. Don’t be afraid to be different. If you fail then keep going. Don’t ever dwell on the past. Focus on the present. Enjoy every moment of it. And most importantly have fun doing it.

@n_i_v_e_k_

Muzique | Record producer & Engineer

The most important thing I’ve learned so far is to never give up on yourself! If you believe in what you’re doing then take the necessary steps to get where you want to be.

@I_am_muzique

WHITNEY WHELAN SMIRNIS | LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR & OWNER OF THE WHOLE KID AND KABOODLE

Before becoming a mom, I was a children’s counselor and did play therapy with children. I created The Whole Kid and Kaboodle to be a resource for parents, teachers, and therapists. When it comes to children communicating, “toys are children’s words and play is their language” Dr. Garry Landreth. As a therapist, I loved using expressive art and sensory play to help children express their feelings and make sense of their world. My Kaboodle Kits are sensory play kits that are designed to help encourage self-expression, communication, creativity, self-esteem, attention and focus, and prosocial skills. Sensory play can be a wonderful activity to include in a calming routine with a child but can also be a very special tool used to connect and build relationships with children. One of the most important lessons that I have learned in my journey so far as a therapist and mom is that “when you connect to the heart of a child, everything is possible” Dr. Karyn Purvis. My hope is that with The Whole Kid & Kaboodle I can inspire parents, teachers, and therapists to connect to the hearts of the children through play.

thewholekidandkaboodle.com @thewholekidandkaboodle Pinterest:The Whole Kid and Kaboodle @whitneywiththewholekidandkaboodle 214-212-6530 [email protected]

Maria Salim D.O. | Emergency Medicine Physician and Travel Blogger

You should never let the criticism of people that are doing less than you influence your decisions in life. You don’t know what you’re capable of until you actually start. If I could go back and tell my younger self one piece of advice it would be that there is no perfect time to start working towards your dream. I’ve learned throughout my journey in medicine and my travels that you shouldn’t wait to start something just because it doesn’t seem like the right time or it seems like it will take too long. The time will pass anyway and you will be no closer to your dream. Before I applied to medical school a premed advisor told me I would not get accepted to a school with my current GPA. She did not offer advice on how to improve my odds, just told me to think of another career. I decided to take extra classes and boost my grades, I worked hard to score well on the MCATs. If you start listening to what others say you may end up abandoning your dream before you even start. When I started my travel blog people told me no one would be interested in it and would criticize my social media accounts. Now I’m being contacted by companies that want to sponsor me and are very interested in my travel posts. If you have a dream you will find a way to make it work. There is no obstacle that hard work can not overcome.

@marstravelsearth marstravelsearth.com

Sidney Thorn | Certified Personal Trainer, Body Positive Activist, & Model

There is always more. There are more possibilities than you think. You can’t sell yourself short or settle. You can become the best version of yourself – the happiest, healthiest, strongest, and most confident.

There is more strength inside you than you think. When you work through the hard stuff you not only become stronger but you get to discover more of who you are supposed to be. You will be more confident on the other side and less fearful of what’s to come or what you can handle.

There will always be more opinions and circumstances that you can’t control. At the end of the day you have to do what you believe is right for you. You won’t be able to make everyone happy but you are in charge of your own happiness. Your peace is the most important thing.

sidneythornfitness.com eventbrite.com/e/sidney-thorn-workout-series-tickets-69237666725 @sidney_thorn_fitness @sidneythornfitness

Steph Nguyen | Open Format DJ

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my journey so far is appreciating the subtleties of life. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, big moments, little moments, and in-between and they must be appreciated fully and as they are. It’s very easy to look for the next big break and fixate on that, but you must stop and look around. Realize that you’ll constantly feel unsatisfied if you keep that up. The moments that go left unappreciated fill in the gaps of your story.

@djsupermcn4sty soundcloud.com/supermcn4sty @supermcn4sty dj-supermcn4sty.square.site/home

Nhi Pham | Automotive & Portrait Photographer

The most important lesson I’ve learned through this journey is to not care what others think, edit the way you want to and create photographs that express who you are as an individual. I also like to keep in mind what kind of story I like to capture when I photograph because to me, that makes the photo come to life in a way you can’t explain. And most importantly, have fun and stay genuine with your photography, because it’s what represents you!

@nhiphmphoto @nhiphm

Gary Clay | Cosmetology Student

Don’t allow the things that are out of my control cause me stress or worry.

@garyyclayy @adonishausofbeauty

Bailey Sparling | Pure Barre Instructor, Lover of Dessert, Annoying Friend Who Makes You Wait to Eat Because She’s Photographing Your Food

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my journey so far is twofold:

1. Your mom is usually right and 2. Do what makes you happy and the rest will fall into place (this is actually advice from my own mother, hence the former lesson).

I learned the latter lesson more abruptly and quickly than I anticipated. I moved to Dallas at age 25 after graduating law school to begin work in the oil and gas industry. I was here for a little over a year before the small company that I worked for filed for bankruptcy and I was suddenly faced with no job and no forthcoming opportunities given my meager experience. It seemed inevitable that I would have to leave Dallas and move back home to Mississippi. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, I decided to take a chance on pursuing something I truly loved rather than finding something to “get by.”

It might sound a bit anticlimactic, but before moving to Texas, I had become mildly obsessed—to put it lightly—with a fitness class called Pure Barre. During hard seasons of life, during time spent studying for the bar exam, during a move to a new state, during a new job, it was a constant that afforded me an outlet to relieve my stress and grow both stronger and more confident. It provided me with a supportive and encouraging community, and it took me out of my comfort zone and out of my head for an hour every day.

As it turned out, a studio in the North Dallas/Addison area was opening and hiring instructors. I was passionate about wanting to share my feelings for Pure Barre and all it had given me. I was not passionate about the possibility of running title or regularly researching things on WestLaw for my foreseeable future. So, I sent in my resume. That was in 2014, and I’ve never looked back.

Following my mom’s advice and pursuing something I love made everything fall into place. It led to a way for me to stay in Dallas, a city I love, and has made me both happier and healthier than ever before— even though, as you can see from my Instagram, I spend all of my free time eating my way through Dallas and NEVER skip dessert (this would be my third most important lesson, no explanation necessary)!

@BaileySparling

Lisa Williams | Co- Founder and Creative Director Zazzazu

Hair and make up by Lisa Williams

The most important lesson I’ve learned over the past years is to always do your absolute best. Work with integrity. Know your worth and talent, and clients will appreciate it.

Zazzazu.com [email protected] @zazzazuapp @zazzazuapp bit.ly/zazzazu

Rosemary | Professional makeup artist and Marykay independent beauty consultant

As a beautician,my utmost passion/satisfaction is empowering women of different colors look their best to reflect their inner beauty because I believe every woman is beautiful in their own unique ways . In my journey so far,I have learnt that in order to achieve your goals/dream in life,you have to first believe in your self and your ability(skills),be persistently focused on achieving your goals and be passionate about what you do. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for you to shine,be patient,put God first(very important) and practice this 3 things(believe in your self,be persistently focused and be passionate),you can be rest assured that your future will be bright in due time.

@Rosiannas

Alexis Nakwaasah | Real Estate Agent

One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that the beauty is in the journey. We often get overly obsessed with reaching the “end goal” that we fail to recognize and value our successes along the way. I have found that there is true power in authenticity, and so I choose everyday to be true to the woman I am and working so hard to become.

@lexx.ee @alexis.robinson lexliverealty.com

Jesse Chou | Photographer and Artist

@joey.arw

Never stop venturing out. Life is too short to be sitting around wishing your life was better. Go out and see the world and try to make a positive impact while doing so. The moment you stop caring what others think of you, is also the moment you’ll feel truly happy. Go out, take risks, and do some crazy sh*t because your only young once.

@jessechou

Jessica Dozier | Photographer at J Dozier Creative

When I started doing photography, I wasn’t fully aware of how much of an opportunity photographers and creatives have to love people in a really tangible way. Since I started, I’ve been a part of countless coffee conversations and fun moments, and I’ve been invited to be a part of numerous people’s stories, all because they’ve asked me to shoot their wedding or proposal or family pictures or business start up. The most valuable thing that I have learned that is that by choosing to do photography I am choosing to be in the people business. My number one priority has to be the hearts and lives of my clients, not the photos I produce or the money I make. People are inviting me to be in the room for some of the most intimate and memorable experiences for them, and that is an enormous privilege. I never want my drive to be centered around a product or a dollar amount. I have been blessed by the people who believe in me and trust me with the privilege of capturing these moments for them, and my hope is that I will always be looking for ways to make my clients the heroes because they are the real MVPs here!

@jdoziercreative

Jason Vo | Writer & Agency Director of Pedal MGMT

Photographer — pedalmgmt.com/jeff-smith Stylist — pedalmgmt.com/vanessa-aranda Make-up artist — pedalmgmt.com/viri Model — themagnoliagarden.com

Do things at your own pace, within the terms that make sense to you, and learn to foster a healthy level of trust and contentment in your day’s work.

For any young creator ambitiously embarking on a new journey — whether you’re an artist or an entrepreneur — you’ll quickly discover that feelings of stability and satisfaction are very fleeting. And that’s OK. It’s important to understand that for many of us, anxieties around success often stem from standards and expectations set by the noise economy (social media, etc.) Don’t believe everything you hear or read about. Yes, this requires constant (and consistent) practice, but take everything you come across with a grain of salt. As trite as it may sound, there really isn’t any one blueprint towards professional success.

So, take time to yourself, but also be mindful about overindulgence (in both your work and personal life). It’s always wise to enter any new endeavor with a strong level of expectation and acceptance that you will have responsibilities to attend to. Some will excite you, (many) others won’t. There’s no way to skirt around either of the two — if you care deeply about your life’s calling, your best bet in any given circumstance is to simply roll up your sleeves and get things done. And, again, although you won’t always be satisfied with the output of your investment, the journey will be much less daunting if you can keep a backdrop-sense of contentment in your efforts. Do your best work, be realistic about its output, and try not to overindulge at the expense of your mental well-being. If you can subscribe to this belief, then you can trust that you are exactly where you need to be. You are more than your work — find liberty in this.

jsnvo.com pedalmgmt.com @pedalmgmt

Tess Thomas “Qween Ra” – of Qween Lashes | Lashes Expert

The most important lesson I’ve learned is that you most definitely have to trust the process and believe in the WE in Qween!! We are all we got, you don’t have to look like what you’re going thru. The Eyes are so beautifully unique, why not let us help them POP!

@qweeenlashes Facebook: Qween Lashes

Alisa Popelka | Founder + Principal Interior Designer of Alisa Cristine Interiors

Premoe Photography

As an entrepreneur I had to learn to define what success meant to me and forget about what success is to everyone else. Being a solo (entrepreneur), I learned that I needed to accept and be okay with the fact that the journey to achieving big goals is going to take me longer than a firm with a team. With the heavy influence of social media it’s so easy to get caught up in the comparison trap, and be hard on yourself for what you aren’t accomplishing when in reality you need to celebrate and honor how far you’ve come. All of those small wins lead to achieving big goals so I’ve learned I have to give myself some grace and keep moving forward everyday to better my business and hit those milestone moments.

alisacristineinteriors.com @alisacristineinteriors @alisacristineinteriors

Alex Mauricio | Dallas and Tampa Realtor®

REAL is a huge piece of the term REAL-tor which makes authenticity so important for a Real Estate Pro. Be honest, ethical, moral…and most importantly be yourself! You still have to have the intellect and real estate chops to back up your credibility as a competent agent, but as far as getting your foot in the door to start a conversation with a home buyer or home seller, being your true self will set you apart. In this day & age, an important part of why a client chooses to hire a professional is based on how they connect with YOU! Your quirky sense of humor, your funky personal style, right down to your adorable regional accent all makes up who you are as an individual. As a newbie, I thought I needed to portray myself in a certain way to be successful. I studied top agents in my area and took note. Luckily, I learned very quickly that we all have something unique to bring to the table. It’s one thing to learn tips and tools of the trade from your peers but you don’t want to become a carbon copy of them. People are savvy enough to see through disingenuous behavior. Do YOU, do what comes naturally and the rest will follow!

ClassyCozyCasa.com @SpecialAgentAlex @AlexMauricioRealtor

Rachel Lisle | Family Nurse Practitioner

Marci Brooks Photography

Throughout my journey as first an Emergency Nurse and transitioning to preventative care, I have learned to never stop asking questions. In order to improve yourself, you must have the desire to learn more, hone your skills, and be up to date on current guidelines and research. Asking questions and wondering “what else” allows you to see outside the box and dig deeper. Everything new begins with a question or a hypothesis. Applying this ideal to patients is a great tool to find the root cause of an issue and therefore better serve them. Continuing to apply this lesson has helped me expand my view of medicine to include traditional, holistic, and functional medicine. I desire to continue to improve and be a life long learner by always asking more questions.

integrativemedical.com @rlisle_integrativemedical @rachel.lisle.92

The post What’s the Most Important Lesson You’ve Learned Along Your Journey? appeared first on Voyage Dallas Magazine | Dallas City Guide.

source http://voyagedallas.com/2019/08/28/whats-important-lesson-youve-learned-along-journey-2/

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