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the-conversation-pod · 10 months

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Welcome Back My Boyfriend!

AND WE'RE BACK!

It's finally time to discuss Our Skyy 2! We were playing hurt this night: Ben was still recovering from dental surgery (please forgive his voice during this episode) and Nini was nursing a headache. Still, it didn't stop us from discussing all eight shows and talking about the crossover for an hour!

Nini and Ben assess the entirety of Our Skyy 2 and rank the offerings from worst to first.

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Timestamps

The timestamps will now correspond to chapters on Spotify for easier navigation.

0:00 - Welcome 1:15 - Intro 6:07 - Vice Versa 14:23 - Star in My Mind 19:20 - Never Let Me Go 28:00 - A Boss and a Babe 36:45 - The Eclipse 49:50 - My School President 1:00:24 - Badd Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars 1:59:13 - Overall Score for Our Skyy 2

The Conversation: Now With Transcripts!

We received an accessibility request to include transcripts for the podcast. We are working with @ginnymoonbeam on providing the transcripts and @lurkingshan as an editor and proofreader.

We will endeavor to make the transcripts available when the episodes launch, and it is our goal to make them available for past episodes. When transcripts are available, we will attach them to the episode post (like this one) and put the transcript behind a Read More cut to cut down on scrolling.

Please send our volunteers your thanks!

0:00 - Welcome

Nini

Hello, hello! Your QL fandom aunty and uncle are here with giant sunglasses, brown liquor in a flask, a folded five-dollar bill to slip into your hand when no one is looking, lukewarm takes, occasional rides on the discourse, deep dives into artistry and the industry.

Ben

Lots of simping! I’m Ben.

Nini

I’m Nini.

Ben

And this is The Conversation. About once a season, we plan to swan in and shoot the shit on faves, flops, and trends that we’ve been noticing in the BL, GL, or QL Industry. Between seasons, you can find us typing way too many words on Tumblr.

1:15 - Intro

Nini

Hi, Ben. How are you tonight?

Ben

I'm battling my own body's slow recovery from dental surgery but it doesn't matter because we have so much to record so we're sticking to the schedule!

Nini

But, we're gonna be okay. You've got meds, I've got meds—a.k.a. beer—for this headache. We're gonna be fine. We're doing it live. So, what are we talking about tonight? We are talking about Our Skyy 2… What a journey. Ben, explain to the people the concept of Our Skyy.

Ben

Welcome back, my boyfriend! That's it.

Nini

[laughs]

Ben

Jojo started this off and summed it up perfectly. Our Skyy originally served as a sort of epilogue project for the initial run of GMMTV BLs.

In the first run we had the Puppy Honey crew with OffGun, the SOTUS pair with Krist and Singto, the InSun pair from My Dear Loser: Edge of 17, Tay and New from Kiss the series—before Dark Blue Kiss, and Drake and Frank from My Tee a.k.a. ‘Cause You're My Boy.

Nini

So, that's the concept of Our Skyy. So, when GMMTV put out its 2023 offerings last year: Surprise! Our Skyy 2. They are giving us epilogues for 2020, 2021, and some 2022 shows. We're gonna dive into these.

Ben

With the original Our Skyy it was kind of chaotic. So, every crew kind of just did what felt right for their characters.

Like, Pete and Kao basically went on a date that was mostly uncomplicated—something their characters needed.

OffGun did a body swap which was just so they could let Gun pick on Off for a bit.

In and Sun got closure—unsurprising, Aof was on that one.

‘Cause You're My Boy: they just kind of did just a hot mess that was weirdly endearing, which is exactly what their show was.

And SOTUS did like the the next most logical thing for Arthit and Kongpob, which was them kinda saying goodbye as they were heading into a long distance form of their relationship because Kongpob was pursuing higher schooling outside of Thailand, if I remember correctly?

In a similar vein, this particular Our Skyy run that we're going to be talking about very much captured what I think the core spirit of the original work was, and each team came back to it—for the most part—with something to say that was consistent with their original offerings.

Nini

Yep.

Ben

We went Never Let Me Go, Star in My Mind, The Eclipse, Vice Versa, My School President, A Boss and a Babe, Bad Buddy? and then A Tale of Thousand Stars.

Nini

I also think that the airing order was very interesting and maybe we'll get a little time to talk about how they chose to air what they did when they did. This Our Skyy, I think, wanted to lean a little bit into the crack. Every single outing had a little bit of a crack element to it—and I quite like that. I enjoyed that. I had fun with that—for the most part—and we'll get to the ones where I did not enjoy that.

Ben

I do think that the Our Skyy project leans into fan service, and not in an inherently negative way? They want the people who enjoyed this show to have fun coming back to the show, and it’s been notable for me that, for the most part, I found that if someone really liked the original show they also really liked their Our Skyy outing. So like, for those of you who've listened to me or followed me, you know what shows I didn't like or despised when they aired and—unsurprisingly—my takes are fairly consistent.

Nini

Maybe it's the corners of the internet that I've been perusing, which you always tell me to stop looking at…I feel like the more that people liked the OG show the more upset they were with the Our Skyy. Maybe that's just the people are being wrong on the internet corners of the internet that I like to occasionally look through. [laughs]

Ben

[laughs] I don't go there.

6:07 - Vice Versa

Nini

Let's delve into it. Let's start talking some specifics. So, if we're going from worst to first my worst without a doubt was the Vice Versa Our Skyy. I am on record as not having watched Vice Versa because I was not interested in Vice Versa. I have tried and failed so many times with Jittirain stories that I knew that I was not going to enjoy this one, and so I never watched the original. But, for the sake of the podcast, I watched every single Our Skyy including this one, except I did not finish this one. [laughs] I started watching it. I was mostly annoyed, and then something happened that just… I just said, “Oh, absolutely not,” and I stopped watching it.

So, the trope—the, the crack trope—for the Vice Versa Our Skyy; the fan fic-y, fan service-y trope is: Add a Kid. I think it's Puen? Puen and Talay have been together for a while now. They're working hard, working a lot. They don't have as much time for each other. And so Talay comes up with the idea of doing a month of special days where they pay very close attention to each other and they do special things together. And it's a really sweet idea and honestly if that had been it I would have been fine. There would have been no problem.

But then they add a kid, and the way that they add a kid is what pisses me off. One of their friends… essentially delivers his nephew into the care of these strangers… so that they can play house? But it's also like a trick that Puen is playing on Talay. Because this kid just shows up at the house and Talay thinks that it might be his kid. Like, the, the setup of Vice Versa has always—as I have said before—every time I think I know what Vice Versa is about, Ben lets me know that I don't actually know what Vice Versa is about. But there's some way that Talay thinks that this kid is his somehow.

Ben

Would you like the context for why he believes that kid is his?

Nini

Sure, hit me with it!

Ben

So, they basically spend two years in the other world with Nanon and Ohm’s characters in their bodies. Ohm's character, Tess, is an asshole who absolutely ruined Talay’s life for the two years he was in his body. He sabotaged and ruined every personal and professional relationship that Talay had.

When he got back to his own body he had to spend years fixing his own life. Which sucks, because while he was in Tess's body he basically fixed Tess's life. It's really upsetting for me that Puen, who claims to love Talay, who watched him suffer for all of the things that Tess did to his life would genuinely let Talay believe that Tess saddled him with the responsibility of an unplanned kid… because he thinks his boyfriend doesn't pay enough attention to him… like he makes his boyfriend work outside in a tent in Thailand to do graphic design on an iMac.

Nini

You were really really mad about the tent. [laughs] I remember when we were watching this. You were really pissed about the tent.

Ben

I'm—I'm not over it.

It's humid in Thailand! Why would he be outside with a Mac? Oh my God—

It's frustrating because… On the one hand, I understand the impulse of, like, how do we get these guys to consider a new form of domesticity together? But, like, why do we have to use an actual child? Why can't we use, like, a dog, or a cat? Not coercing a child into letting strangers bathe him, and treat him like he's their son, and sleep with him in their bed. It’s so, so weird… and really unhinged… and it made me like a bunch of characters even less than I already did!

It was aggravating. It's frustrating because Puen did this through the whole show. Like, he doesn't trust Talay. He lies to him. He manipulates him. Talay and he are both in entertainment and Talay was against a huge deadline the night of Puen’s birthday, and he couldn't take a break from his work to meet his deadline to go do flirty, boyfriend things with Puen.

Puen expressed this frustration directly the next day in a way that I thought was totally valid and then Talay goes, ‘You are correct. Here is the plan I've come up with for us to make sure that we don't take our own relationship for granted, and keep working at it.’ And they have a really great month doing cute boyfriend date things while trying to maintain their careers. And so the whole secret baby felt completely unnecessary.

Like, we need something to happen for the plot to justify Jimmy, Neo, Aou, and Sea hanging out together. So, we have to introduce a secret baby, I guess?

I hated it…[laughs] Like, people joke that I don't often give low scores because I don't usually watch crap. Like, if something is, like, really really bad out of the gate I am like, “Oof! I don't have time for this!” and I'll usually drop it these days, because I got too much to do. But, like, I gave the show a 3 because I was deeply put off by the coercion of a child and the audacity of it all. Because, like, you know what your boyfriend went through because of Tess.

Why would you pull on that really traumatic thread from five years ago and make him believe that Tess had done this to him as well—knowing that Talay has a strong sense of responsibility, and would of course try to do right by a potential child.

Like, it's hard to even talk about, like, any of the cute relationship things that may have come out of this because, like, they should divorce.

Nini

I did not enjoy this when it was revealed that the kid was…tricked. I turned it off, and I did not watch the end.

For every special of Our Skyy, I gave it a drama score and a crack score. My drama score for this was a -5, because I was entirely unamused—like wholly unamused. This is not what I came to see in any way. I don't care if the kid is cute. I don't care if they're all cute together. They're literally using a child to fix their relationship—

Ben

And, explicitly, the child's parents did not know that this was happening.

Nini

—which makes it worse! So, I gave it a drama score of a -5, which is of course an overreaction but it's still getting a 0. Crack score, I gave it a 10, because it is actual crack? Like, this is probably the crackiest thing that happened in all of Our Skyy. But…it's not enjoyable as crack! So, let's give it a… 5 for crack… So, 0 for drama, 5 for crack gives it a score of 2.5, which sounds about correct.

Ben

Yeah, not good.

Nini

Yeah.

Ben

Pass.

Nini

Not good. Tens or chops? One chop!

Ben

Two chops!

[both laugh]

14:23 - Star in My Mind

Nini

Let's leave Vice Versa behind in the dustbin where it belongs and let's move on to the next on the list: Star in My Mind. Hoo!

Ben

[laughs]

Nini

Ben, I can't even remember what happened, I was so bored watching these episodes, like, dead bored. Star in My Mind is also a show that I did not watch the OG show. So, I had no idea what it was about and was going in blind. And, I think that I was correct to not watch the OG show, because… if it was anything as boring as this, I didn't need to see it.

Ben

[sighs] So, the Star in My Mind special is basically just the gang going on a little vacation together, and then New tries to subvert the “You're together now. Let's throw in a jealousy element bit.” Like, you put a note on here that the trope for this one is “trick your friends into going on vacation.”

So, their friends try to tease Daonuea into believing that maybe Kluen has eyes for some girl, and Daonuea gets jealous about this, and then a fight ensues and the friends get all upset. But we in the audience know that the guys are faking this fight. They knew what their friends were up to, but they were kind of flaking on this vacation. So, he uses this fake fight to force them to go on vacation with them.

Whatever.

Like, I think the part of this that was cute was New just throwing away the whole jealousy trope for BL, and then having the gay characters just be like, ‘Yeah, this is stupid. Anyway, we're going to absolutely use this against them because these bitches will not buy their tickets and I'm [gonna] force them to.” And, like, that part was kind of fun.

I'm in my breakup era with New right now. I can see, again, him trying to do something here. New is currently over BL. He’s tired of it. You can feel that in Star in My Mind. Like, he's completely bored with all of this. And so what could have been, like, at least a cute trip, just looks like five straight dudes hanging out in the woods for like an hour.

Nini

I think my notes say “it's two hours of a bunch of dudes vibing without vibes.”

Ben

Yeah, like, it wasn't great, and I don't really like coming for actors like that. But, Dunk is still uncomfortable with on-screen intimacy—or at least it feels like he is—particularly compared to Joong, who does not suffer from being camera shy when it comes to this kind of work. And so while I've seen them in behind-the-scenes stuff, and their variety stuff, and Joong and Dunk are great bros, I'm still struggling with Dunk as a romantic lead because he doesn't kiss well.

Nini

New didn't even phone this in. Like, I think he sent an email? Maybe it was a snail mail.

This was just—it was boring, which I think might be worse than bad? What do we even say about it?

Ben

Nothing! There is nothing to say! Like, Pawin was there. He didn't kiss anybody. [laughs]

Nini

I mean… that's really all that you can say about it. It was a waste of Pawin, like.

Probably the only thing that I enjoyed about this was Joong's several pissy faces when Khabkluen is salty because all his straight friends keep interrupting his gay couple time to hang out when all he wants to do is make out. And, like, the pissy faces that he makes are delightful, and they're the only reason this has a score.

I give it a drama score of 3, because what was it even about? And I gave it a crack score of 4, and all four of those points are for Joong's pissy faces which I thoroughly enjoyed. So, It was a 3.5 for me not because it was bad but because it was boring.

Ben

I think a show has to be offensive to me in some way for me to go lower than 6 and Star in My Mind is not. It's just boring and because I've been in these gay streets a long time, I've been offended. A lot. And, I will accept boring. It's a 6. It's forgettable. We don't have to talk about it anymore.

Nini

And we will not.

Ben

[laughs]

19:20 - Never Let Me Go

Nini

We're going to move on to the actual fun and interesting ones now. [laughs] There's a definite quality bar in Our Skyy 2. There are Vice Versa and Star in My Mind, which are below the quality bar. And then there's everything else, which is above the quality bar. Now, we're talking about games of inches here.

Never Let Me Go. So, the Never Let Me Go fanfic trope for Our Skyy was they did a time travel story that was also a—.

Ben

Fated mates.

Nini

—that was also a fated mates, and also a role reversal, and also like a body hopping. Like, there were—there was a lot going on here. It was not boring. Everybody was clearly having a fabulous time making this. And, I actually really enjoyed it. It was two episodes. I could have watched maybe four to six episodes of this no problem.

This was actually incredibly interesting. It was a lot of fun. Pawin, and Pond especially, clearly had a great time.

Ben

That's true.

[both laugh]

Nini

Pond had a fabulous time. So, the plot of the Never Let Me Go special… You go ahead.

Ben

All right. So, it's been a couple of years since we left the boys in Never Let Me Go, and Nuengdiao has been studying elsewhere. He's coming back to Thailand, and Palm has quietly been setting up shop in Bangkok so that when Nuengdiao comes back to Thailand he can be closer to him. He doesn't want to just stay out by the beach because he wants to see his boyfriend more.

[Cat begins wailing in the hallway near Ben’s mic]

Nuengdiao was a little bit caught off guard by this, and didn't like him making decisions for them. They run into a fortune teller who tells them that if they don't fix what was originally broken, they won't make it in this life, either. And then the fantasy hijinks kick in, where they are sent back in time to their original pairing… into the bodies of their past selves. And in their past—in their first past together where they become a couple—Palm is the rich lord, and Nuengdiao is essentially sold to him as a slave. Also, Pawin is there in an earlier version of his character.

And so they have to play their roles. Palm is having way too much fun bossing Nuengdiao around. And also just trying to have sex with him in the past. Over the course of this they end up realizing that they have to help Pawin’'s character hook up with Mark Pahun's character, and so all of the girlies who've been waiting for that ship to reunite were fed.

Nini is correct. Like, this ended up being really fun, because we got to see Palm and Nuengdiao kind of become like the gays who have it together for other gays.

Nini

It had that crack story but there was also another story going on alongside the crack which I really enjoyed—building on Nungdiao and Palm's actual OG series story—which is that Nuengdiao believes that Palm should make his life about himself, that he should make his decisions about the things that he wants to do without considering Neung. And that they can still be together but Palm shouldn't plan his life around him. When he comes back to Bangkok, it's to tell Palm essentially that he's decided that he's gonna stay away for a longer period of time. He's gonna do graduate school as well.

And, this is actually a conflict between them that sort of leads into the whole time travel thing, but it's actually a really interesting conflict between them because it builds on their series story in a really interesting way. I enjoyed watching them navigate it and figure it out while they were also navigating and figuring out how the hell to get out of the past. I mean the internal logic of the story just about holds together. It's fun. It's enjoyable. It's emotional.

Ben

If he looks at you for seven seconds he's into you and we're all like rooting for this under an umbrella.

Nini

It's fun. It's cute. It's got a little bit of a message to it. It's enjoyable. The characters feel like themselves. At one point we get a little montage of smash cuts of Nueng and Palm: they alternate crying over each other's dead bodies through the ages.

Ben

One of them definitely felt like a nod to Aof’s work where Jojo was poking fun at him.

Nini

They were actually dressed like Jim and Wen in Moonlight Chicken complete with Phuwin wearing sunglasses, his corpse wearing sunglasses at night when he's dead and Pond crying over him. It was really funny. It was delightful. That little smash cut montage was really fun and actually upped the crack score a little. Time travel is crack, no way about it. I was fully going to give it a good crack score anyway. But that little sequence upped the crack score by at least a point. It was just very funny.

And then watching Pawin overexaggerate his “khrub’s” and fall in love with Mark Pahun's character, who's like a jewelry seller at the market. And then when they come back to the present and he's Phum again, they meet Phum at the house—which has been maintained—the lord's house has been maintained throughout the ages.

Ben

Because it had been passed down to his ancestors’ family now because they were all, like, gay besties together.

Nini

Yeah, and like, Phum and Mark Pahun's character are together in this life, too—and they're really cute—and Phum's like, “Yeah, I was a shit to you in high school. I'm sorry about that.” [laughs] It was nice. It was fun. It was enjoyable. I gave it a drama score of 7.5—I think that's reasonable for it. I gave it a crack score of 8.5 so it works out to an 8 for me, which I liked. I liked it.

Ben

I really liked a lot of this. I liked how much fun Phuwin and Pond had in the traditional garb that they were wearing. I like how much fun they had with how often they had to be shirtless. I really enjoyed them writing vows to each other in the past because they didn't know if they would be able to escape. Basically fully committed to each other. That was really beautiful, and not something I expected from Jojo. I was really surprised that Jojo did something that genuinely tender. That really worked for me.

I gave it an 8. It's one of those 8’s where it's, like, if you liked Never Let Me Go, this is going to make it feel a little bit better because the idea that the drama of Never Let Me Go is yet another instance of these two characters trying to be with each other across space and time is super romantic—and that's the kind of shit I love in my big dramas. And I was not expecting this particular show to make me go, “Wow,” [sighs] and look back at the, the original show and go, “Okay. I can see that.”

It was deeply enjoyable. If you liked Never Let Me Go enough, and you feel mildly dissatisfied by it, and you just kind of want some closure to walk away from, watch the special. I felt very good about Palm and Nuengdaio by the end of that, because they felt a little bit more grown. And I kind of like where they left the characters with Palm just being like, “Whatever, I have a rich boyfriend and I've worked very hard. I'm just gonna go hang out with you in Germany for a little while, and then we'll figure it out from there.” And I'm like, more power to you, bro.

Nini

It seemed like yes that they were just going to vibe and enjoy each other, And, after everything that those two went through? Sure! That seems like a great place to leave them.

28:00 - A Boss and a Babe

Nini

Also in the, for me, 8 category—so there is a tie here—A Boss and a Babe. This kind of…surprised me, because I ended up, with the OG show, being really disappointed by where we landed with it. But I really liked the Our Skyy.

Ben

This is a little bit weird because I think in terms of whenever the rest of you hear this. We're actually, I think releasing this before the episode where we talk about A Boss and a Babe. So, spoilers, a bit, for that particular episode, but, uh, we were…less than impressed with A Boss and a Babe.

Nini

For sure.

Ben

However, we actually had a decent time with their Our Skyy outing. Nini why don't you walk us through the setup for this particular outing.

Nini

So, the fanfic trope for the A Boss and a Babe outing of Our Skyy is, I guess, “walk a mile in my shoes” kind of thing? Gun and Cher are happy together. They're sweet loving boyfriends… but the office is in shambles. Because Gun is stressed out and he's stressing everybody at work out. And because Cher knows everybody at work because he used to work there, he has been hipped to the fact that his man is stressing everybody else. And so he goes on a mission to try to get his man to stop stressing everybody at work out.

So, trying to make him understand that he needs to dial it the fuck back. And the way that he eventually comes up with after trying a few other ways, is that they are going to spend a day walking a mile in each other's shoes. So, he is going to spend a day being the boss, and Gun is going to spend a day being the intern so that Gun gets an idea of the stresses that his employees go through. And Cher is just like whatever I'll just be the boss, and Gun is like, “Oh, it's not as easy as you think.”

And it actually turns out really fun and interesting to watch them do this. Of course it's a weird, horny sex thing because everything is a weird, horny sex thing with these two. But [laughs] it's, it's fun. It's light. It's interesting. It's…enjoyable. It's a strong conflict. It's a stronger conflict than we get in the actual OG series. It works. I think it's that because it's so short New doesn't really have time to fuck it up.

Ben

[laughs] So, like, I was frustrated because Gun’s being kind of a difficult boss, but being fairly reasonable about why he's a difficult boss. He's like, “We work in a difficult industry where we spend a great deal of time working on something, and then we release it to the public, and then it can flop. And so I have been funding people's jobs for anywhere from two to 12 months working on a project, and we really need strong turnaround for this because these people's jobs are riding on the success of this. So they do need to take their jobs seriously, and when they are given feedback or are given specific directives, they need to accomplish those directives.”

There's like really interesting tension there between, like, the boss's perspective of, “Y'all can be mad at me, but you want me to cut your checks, right?” versus, “Bro, we are not going to work well under these fucking conditions.” Like, that tension was delivered really well! Gun's perspective comes through in a way that doesn't feel pandering to anyone, and I was like he is a little bit off base in the way he talks to people, but the things he's concerned about are valid for where he sits.

It just pissed me off low-key because, like, we never figured out what Thyme’s whole deal was in the original show. Like, his friend who used to be part of the company. And it feels like that was his job here—was to be like the bridge between Gun and the team. To translate Gun’s directives and frustrations into directives for the team so they could accomplish them and to keep the team motivated. And, like, Cher was helping with that for a while but now that Cher is, like, doing other stuff, like, that has gone away. That's the biggest thing with this one. Like, this was such a solid concept that it made me even more annoyed at how the OG show just sort of fumbled every thread that they were holding.

Nini

Yeah, I have to agree. Like, the workplace conflict on this was really strong and solid, and the workplace stuff in the OG show was kind of weak. And part of the workplace stuff that was great in this was showing that, yeah, Gun does need a balancing force at work. But also, aside from that, surprisingly, Cher is not an idiot. [laughs] Like, Cher is actually pretty competent. He's not, like, ready, clearly, to be the boss of a place like this. But he's not an idiot.

Like, one of the things that happens is that Gun tries to set him up a little bit by having, like, a client come in and try to, like, have a discussion and talk to him about, like, partnering on a game or something and like talking about ideas and all that kind of stuff. And at first you think that Cher is going to blow it. But then he delivers. He comes into the meeting. You know, he takes a minute to get his bearings and understand what's going on, but then he has actual good ideas? And he can speak to the people in a way that works for the business.

So, it shows they could probably at some point in the future after Cher has learned more, they could probably run the business together. Because I think that they bring the different perspectives that's required, but, just like Ben said, that also makes me, like, really mad that we didn't get more of the Thyme stuff in the OG series because, to me, that feels like this was what Thyme’s role was. And that just completely got cast aside. So, on the one hand, I thought this was actually pretty good but, on the other hand, it made me think even less of the OG series and I was already struggling with the OG series.

Ben

[sighs] And that's where we are. It sucks because, like, again, like, Force and Book are good. And the cast of this particular show? Very good. They hold together an otherwise weak show but, man, you just really want to see what that cast looks like when they have a really good show under their belt.

Nini

Yeah, and this gives you, like, a kind of an ‘in’ to that. So my score: this was drama score of 8 because I thought it was a solid conflict. Well executed. I give it a crack score of 8 because, quite honestly, once the whole role reversal thing started. Like, if I worked for Gun’s company, I would have taken, like, vacation until that was over because it was just…It was a little too “bring your kinks to work” for me personally.

[both laugh]

I would have been like, yeah I don't need to see this. I'm gonna take a day off, and tomorrow when I come back, hopefully everything will be normal. Combined like drama score 8 crack score 8 average 8. What did you give it?

Ben

I gave it an 8, and we were joking with some of our other friends about how most of us gave it an 8, and I think it was ginnymoonbeam who was like, “We all gave it an 8, but these are all very different 8s.”

[both laugh]

Nini

Yes, that is definitely true. These are different 8s that we are giving it. My 8 is like, “Damn it. Now I got to go back and revise my score of the OG series and put it even lower.”

36:45 - The Eclipse

Nini

Moving along from the 8s and now we're starting to get into the top of tops. The top top top tops of the Our Skyy pantheon for me. And next up is The Eclipse. Ben, I'm [gonna] need you to give the people what we're talking about here.

Ben

The Eclipse picks up, it feels like, the summer after the boys have graduated from high school. So, they're away from Suppalo—we're not going to deal with any of the Suppalo nonsense anymore. It's just the two couples, Wat, and…Pawin's character for some reason, because he's always palling around them. They're getting together to help Wat shoot for a film project that he wants to submit to a competition. But we pick up, originally, with Akk and Ayan who were doing boyfriend things, and we are seeing the ongoing deprogramming of Akk continuing. And over the course of the filming for this, we see that Akk and Ayan are basically stand-ins for Golf's very complex ideas about the way our private and public lives inform each other, and how both are inherently political.

Akk and Ayan over the course of this are having a struggle about whether or not they should care what other people think. Akk thinks that to be part of a civil society you do have to care about how your actions and behaviors impact other people. Ayan, who has seen what a civil society does to people, thinks that that is bullshit and that he should be more concerned about himself and the people he cares about, and not the nebulous feelings of others. And then calls Akk directly out at one point about how his concern for others turned him into the worst version of a cop possible.

And it gets really ugly when they're working on Wat’s film project. These two are having a truly fundamental struggle about whether or not the two of them are even compatible because they do not see eye-to-eye politically. You get the sense that Ayan hoped that, once freed from the Suppalo prefect thing, Akk would start to see things more his way. And Akk hoped that Ayan would stop fighting with him so much, because Akk really just wants to do soft, cuddly things with his boyfriend. But Ayan gets off on fighting with Akk. [laughs] So he is always antagonizing him for sex reasons.

Nini

It's one of those early relationship conflicts when you're still figuring out how to be with each other. When you're dating at the beginning, you put your best foot forward. In this case, with the two of them, they put their absolute worst foot forward when they were getting together. But there's still that thing about the version of you when you're courting is…different, somewhat, than the version of you when you're not courting. For them, the issue is the version of them when they were courting was exactly who they are, but they didn't think that that was who they were.

So, like you said, Ayan really thought that out of the pressure cooker of Suppalo, Akk would be a different person, and then he's, like, coming to realize: No, this is really just who he is. And Akk is having that same realization about Ayan. They have to decide essentially—and they do decide via Wat's film—whether what they are to each other is worth bridging that gap between them. The answer that they come to is: yes it is—in a really phenomenal scene that I enjoyed so much.

Ben

Let me tell you. First and Khaotung are just really, really good together. Like, it's amazing how they can play these two characters coming to a precipice of fundamental political disagreement to the point that they looked at each other and they're like, “Is this really who I'm going to be with?” And you can see this almost weird resignation as they turn to face each other and embrace, where there are no easy answers to this.

They don't see eye to eye politically on a lot of really fundamental things, and yet they still want to choose each other each time. And that is delivered so well. Like, it's hard to watch The Eclipse with your brain off. I watched a lot of people try to do it during the original show and they struggled, because it is not a brains-off show. Golf has a lot to say about the state of their country and is using whatever platform they have to voice some of these ideas, most notably about how sitting on your phone writing mean tweets is not action. That you need to get into the work. That you have to get into the streets with other people. You have to participate in the work. Even if it's just in the support of getting the people who do do the work the tools and food they need to do the work.

And it's really fascinating that even in this little two-part special, which as far as some people thought, was just First and Khaotung making out for two hours because these boys kissed a lot in this special, they managed to say a lot. Golf managed to express their deep love of Thai cinema with the references that Wat was playing out.

It also managed to get across how much these two boys really like each other, and it was kind of fun to see Akk and Kan working their way out of their internalized homophobia. Like it was not surprising to me that Akk and Kan wanted to do a lot of touching with their boyfriends.

Nini

I really liked how it all came together: how Golf used their love of not just Thai cinema but queer cinema to sort of pull the threads together of the fight that Akk and Ayan were having. The petty fight and the serious fight, because they were having a fight on two levels. They were having a petty fight about—well, maybe not petty—but they were having a surface level fight about Ayan paying attention to Akk and being lovey-dovey and soft with him, versus Ayan wanting Akk to be tougher with him because that's what he likes. And then that going to the deep level of the political, and then, on top of that, that being pulled together by the concept of film. And then even throwing in for us a little side story about Wat and what film means to him, and how he's not necessarily supported by his family—but he kind of is a little bit but mostly not—and how he has things to say and he feels strongly about those things

Like, they managed to do a lot with very little in this special and I really, really enjoyed it. It was very deep for what it was. Very thinkable piece. I really liked it. And then on top of that, they also get to have a little bit of coming-of-age nostalgia moments about leaving high school and moving into the real world. There's so much packed into those two hours. I was really impressed with how much they managed to get in there and have it feel organic.

Ben

I was incredibly impressed by this entire outing.

Nini

I liked the special on its own. I liked it in connection to the OG show. I liked it as a continuation of the OG show. I liked the things that it had to say and the way that it carried through its themes. I was impressed by how much it managed to fit in. I gave it a drama score of 9.5. I really thought it was very, very good.

Ben

But there was singing so she took half a point.

[both laugh]

Nini

I gave it a crack score of 8. The trope really was I guess “secret surprise” because the frame that this is all put in is Ayan preparing a surprise for Akk’s birthday, but it's a secret surprise where he's pretending that he doesn't remember and he's not going to celebrate Akk’s birthday, which is a little weird which is why I took the half point off really, because I hate that secret surprise trope.

Ben

It's one of those things where I don't really like it for Akk, but if fits with Ayan’s sort of, like…Ayan is the queer kid who reads too much theory. Like, he knows more than you. And so he doesn't always see you, specifically. Like, he outs Thua in the first show thinking he's helping him. Like, he kind of is but, like, he outs Thua and oversteps, and it's the same thing here with Akk. Like, he wants to surprise Akk. Like I don't think you should be surprising Akk, because so much of his Suppalo experience is about being guided by the things that are not being said that he's supposed to just interpret.

If you're trying to deprogram him, you need to not do that to him. And the reason why, like I—I mostly let it go is because, as dense as Ayan can kind of be because he's too fucking smart for his own good, when Akk admitted in, like, the first fifteen minutes of the show that he hoped that they were gonna do cute boyfriend frolicking in the fields and taking pictures together, and Ayan was like, “Oh, I thought you were just kidding about that.”

And Akk was like, “No! I was serious.”

It's like, “All right? Well shit! Grab your camera!” And they frolicked!

Nini

[laughs]

Ben

He gave his boyfriend the cute boyfriend shit he wanted to do, even if he teased him a little bit about it first.

Nini

I did like that too. I like that they don't have it together yet but they're willing to listen, and they're willing to do what it takes, I think. But, like I said, I'm knocking out a half a point for the secret surprise because I hate that trope. The crack score is an 8 because there's these set of dream sequences which are homages to Thai film and queer film, and I thought they were delightful. There's the Brokeback Mountain one and then there's the Golden Eagle one which is a Thai film then there's the Ong Bak one which is another Thai film and then there's another—

Ben

If you have not seen Ong Bak and you like action film, please go see Ong Bak.

Nini

I have not watched Ong Bak. Of course, Ben has because he's a boy.

Ben

I am a boy! Tony Jaa is amazing!

Nini

[laughs] I really liked that Golf gets to throw that in there as well. And it's fun. The Golden Eagle one especially is delightful. [laughs] It really is. So that's 9.5 and 8. Let's call that an 8.75. Ooh the maths is coming back! It's coming back! An 8.75 for The Eclipse.

Ben, what’d you give it?

Ben

I gave it a 9 because it's really coherent and that mattered a lot for me, because we had watched a lot of—I don't remember the exact order—but I remember just not being, like, necessarily, like, great at this point because a bunch of them were kind of…stuffed…or boring…and this wasn't. I was fully engaged the whole time, because Golf has such clear ideas in their work and they're all working together at various levels that they really wanted us to not miss.

49:50 - My School President

Nini

Moving on from The Eclipse onto the next rung on the ladder up: My School President. So the My School President fan fiction trope was AU, alternate universe, for all of the characters. I had a fucking blast with this. Ben, explain to the people what happened.

Ben

I'm gonna pre-react to the criticism, unfortunately.

My School President is a high school story about pursuing your long-term crush and the final year of your high school experience. There was no way My School President was going to get an epilogue story. So instead they flipped the seats of a bunch of the characters.

So, in this version of the My School President story, Gun is the school president and Tinn is the member of the school band. This time named Lion instead of Chinzhilla. Instead of Tiwson being the school president's best friend, they keep Por, who is his bestie in this. Tiwson is a member of the band. Sound and Win switch positions in this, where Sound is the long-term member of the band. Win is the new hot boy who shows up who they recruit. They also decide to flip Yo and Pat in the story with each other, even though they're still both in the band. Gim becomes the principal, and Photjanee becomes the operator of the milk ice cream bar.

And in the process of this, like, the same beats from the show. We still hit them, but they play out very differently because the core characterization of these couples don't shift. Which forces us to reckon with certain aspects of the characters that kind of get glossed over in the idealism of the original My School President run. For example, Tinn is so much braver than Gun. Gun is kind of a coward who is gripped by an intense sense of self-doubt, and it starts off almost immediately. Like there's some political commentary with the way Gun is selected as the school president. 250 votes were cast by parents to make Gun the president instead of going through the school voting process instead, which works as a quick shorthand for the show, but also works as a commentary on Thai parliamentary politics.

And so like he's not the school president because he wants to help Tinn. He's just sort of pushed into the position by his mom, and so the moments that they hit along the way, like the dancing together scene. That plays out differently because Gun backs off and ends up dancing with someone else. The whole Questions thing they did to get close to film the thing goes differently because Gun won't ask Tinn directly, but Tinn does ask him, but Gun backs down.

It was interesting because, like, everyone still chose each other. But, like, in a weird way Tiwson and Por were the strong couple of this outing, anchoring for the rest of them.

Like, in the original show Tinn and Gun are so obviously together that the force of their mutual attraction sort of just creates opportunity for the rest of these relationships to bubble up. This time around, Tiwson and Por are working together in the background to help Tinn and Gun get together because they want to come out as a couple. Which I thought was an interesting switch-up as well.

Nini

I really enjoyed that, despite shifting the characters around in terms of their positions and roles, that the cores of the characters remained exactly the same. And you see how the same people living a different life would become a different person. Like you talk about Gun being kind of a coward and he is kind of a coward even in the OG show. Tinn’s the brave one, and Tinn has to be the brave one because Gun's the one who's gonna back down. But also the Gun of the alternate universe—the multiverse of cuteness as it is called—the Gun of the alternate universe hasn't spent his whole life on stage being judged and knocked back. And developing that thick skin that he talks to Tinn about in the OG series, so he is much less resilient than the Gun of the OG series. And that makes a difference in how he navigates his crush on Tinn.

Similarly to that, Tinn in the AU has not had the strictness of the OG Photjanee forced on him the whole time. The strictness and the straight lace-ness because things are a little looser for him. And so he feels more able to take the ball and run with it when he realizes how he feels. They redo the scene of them spending the night at the school and walking around, and this is where Tinn turns the Gun and is like, “Look, do you like me?” which is something Tinn wouldn't necessarily have asked in the OG series.

But then Gun, faced with the opportunity to actually lock it down with his crush. He says no and he runs away which is not a thing that Tinn would have done. If Gun had ginned up the, the actual courage to ask Tinn if he liked him Tinn would have been like [inhales] taken a deep breath and been like, “Hell yell, let’s date.” It's really interesting watching how they take the same characters and, just by moving their positions in the story, they create a story that's different.

Ben

And yet all the people still choose each other. They basically state the big idea at one point. The Gun character says maybe in another lifetime things would have gone better, and the Por and Tiwson of this universe slap that idea down and go, “Yeah, but you're not in those universes. You're in this one. Make the most of the life you have.”

Nini

I really enjoyed this outing. I enjoyed what they took the opportunity of the Our Skyy special to say and to do. I agree with you. I don't think that an epilogue would have worked. My School President is so of its setting. I do not think that moving the boys into college and following them there—I don't feel like I would have been interested in seeing that because that's not the point of My School President.

My tagline for My School President was “perfect high school romance” and I think that's where it should stay.

Okay, so my drama score for My School President was 9.5, and I took off a half point because nobody made out. And, I'm sorry, I am shallow. I wanted somebody to kiss in this special. I didn't care who. Just somebody. So I took off half a point. But the crack score is a 10 because I mean it's an AU. There is nothing crackier than that, so that works out to what, like a 9.75? Yeah, I'm good with that.

Ben

So, I gave this one a 9 because it was a little heady and My School President is not a really heady show for me. But the whole AU concept was. Now, I liked it, but in terms of, like, recommending it to the people who liked My School President, it's kind of hard because they wanted more of what they loved in My School President and this is not exactly that? So, I gave it a 9.

But I'm also with Nini, like nobody kissed in this one. And, again, young actors. I'm totally fine with them not kissing, but…their characters in the original show have really specific kisses, and, if they were more experienced and veteran actors, we would have gotten a different type of kiss from these characters because they are coming at each other very differently. And we don't get to offer that particular comparison here. So, minor knock for me as well.

Nini

We didn't even get to talk about the best part which was them doing a fake music video for a fake Aof song that incorporated Aof’s top three hits in the music videos, which are He’s Coming to Me, Bad Buddy, and A Tale of Thousand Stars.

Ben

We didn't even talk about that.

Nini

Tiw and Por got to do A Tale of Thousand Stars. Sound and Win get to do Bad Buddy. And Gun and Tinn get to do He’s Coming to Me. So they, they paid homage to their granddaddy in "Aof" Noppharnach Chaiyahwimhon. Three of the greatest GMMTV BLs, and also the ones that sort of set the stage for My School President.

1:00:24 - Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars

Nini

Onto the main event, and the main event of Our Skyy 2 was "Aof" Noppharnach giving the finger to GMMTV and saying, “Fuck you, I get four episodes to talk about what I want. And what I want to talk about is queer elders coming to terms with themselves, and I'm going to use anybody I want to talk about that.” AKA the Bad Buddy - A Tale of Thousand Stars crossover event.

Ben, break it down for the people.

Ben

Whereas every other one of these projects except for My School President was in many ways an epilogue this is a mixture of…it's an epilogue or a post-show story for Tian and Phupha, but for Pran and Pat it's set between Bad Buddy episode 11 and Bad Buddy episode 12. It's the senior year for Pat and Pran. They are still closeted and having to keep up the architecture-engineering rivalry, though it looks like they've tried to smooth things over over the years because most of the beef is about who's bringing…brooms to…the charity project now. [laughs] But they're having some consternation because both groups need to put on a play as part of their class president activities, and after the normal Bad Buddy hijinks kick in, Pran reveals that he wants to adapt Tian's diary A Tale of Thousand Stars into a play for the architecture school.

And once they decide to follow this route, their teacher says that, because they don't have permission from the people whose story this actually is, they need to go find them and get said permission. Pran decides that they're going to go to Pha Pun Dao to talk to them directly, tell them how important it is that they want to tell this particular story.

Before they can leave, Pat is forced to hang out with his engineering buddies and, because he has to pretend like he doesn't like Pran, he says something akin to, “That Pran guy. He'd be useless without me. I'm always having to help him.” Pran felt some kind of way about that and decided to leave Pat behind and go to Pha Pun Dao himself—much to his own chagrin—because he loves that boy, and got so nervous when he was walking around by himself without Pat.

And over the course of these four episodes, Pat and Pran learn a little bit more about themselves and their dynamic—but mostly they really help Tian and Phupha work past some really fundamental struggles that they were having as a couple that Pat and Pran realized that they had moved past a long time ago.

This crossover really elevates both works because Aof is obsessed with the idea that queer people make each other better and, by the end of this, we as a fandom seem rather split about it because those of us who liked both A Tale of Thousand Stars and Bad Buddy were able to appreciate how both stories impact each other. But, it seems like if you were really only into one of those stories, you resented the crossover in one way or another.

Nini

I think that's one reaction to it, but, I mean, we've seen among the clowns even people who were really into Bad Buddy but not so into A Tale of Thousand Stars really coming around on Tian and Phupha by the end of the special. I don't think we have like a Vice Versa situation in that, and we can discuss all the reasons that might be, but I think that definitely the crossover has made people who maybe didn't appreciate A Tale of Thousand Stars as much really appreciate A Tale of Thousand Stars and Tian and Phupha more now.

Ben

So where do you want to pick up with the beginning of this discussion?

Nini

I think I want to start with the idea one of our fellow clowns first espoused, and really sort of set me off on this thought process, that this special—this whole crossover—is all about Phupha. Because, of all four characters in the OG shows, the only character who didn't really get an arc was Phupha—this is Phupha’s arc. How do you feel about that as an idea—as a concept?

Ben

Since we're gonna start here, I'm gonna come out swinging.

Nini

Do it.

Ben

If you hate that Phupha is the focus character of this particular special, I need you to examine whether or not you actually care about gay men.

Phupha is a poor, hyper-masculine, closeted gay man, who's older than the other characters. He's about 35 at this point. There are so many queer people out there that you're never going to know about because they cannot live their lives loudly.

We're recording in June right now. Pride month. Phupha’s not gonna show up at Bangkok Pride because 1) he's not coming to Bangkok, and 2) that's just not the place where he feels safe. It's not the place where he feels seen. It's not where all of the quiet gays are gonna go, or where the gays who have to be closeted for one reason or another are going to be. And it's easy to forget them because they're boring or they're less fun.

I like that the story ends up being about: “How do we help Phupha break out of his own shell a little bit and let Tian love him just a little bit more?”

Nini

Phupha is this sort of stoic, very stern, character. I mean they lampooned that a little bit in the OG series for A Tale of Thousand Stars, and they lampoon him a little bit in the beginning of the crossover here, deflating him a little bit—kind of puncturing the whole stoic seme thing. But this is kind of who he is.

This is, as you say, he's older. He's got real responsibilities. He's got a community to protect. He's…got people that he cares about that he needs to take care of. He is not the kind of guy who is going to, like you say, go to Bangkok Pride. He is the kind of guy who maybe has some internalized homophobia that he's dealing with—definitely has some internalized homophobia that he's dealing with. He is that guy who is trying to do the right thing all the time. And so often the right thing means him subsuming his actual desires in some kind of idea of him denying himself being what's best for the community.

And one of the things that the crossover brings forward, particularly in the person of Pat, who is diametrically opposed to the idea of subsuming himself for anybody. He only does it for Pran, and only, like, grudgingly. But, to put somebody like Pat, who is just loud and proud and just completely does not care about any ideas of masculinity or propriety or anything like that, and put that character in conversation of any kind with Phupha. It's so delightful to watch that happen because, of course, Pat immediately gloms onto him. He follows him around like a duckling—he imprints on him.

He's like, “Oh, yes, Stern Daddy. I really, really like this vibe that you're givin’ off here. I'm just going to follow you around and bother the fuck out of you.”

I think it was wen-kexing-apologist who said that Pat's entire job in the special is to terrorize the local elder gay. I Love it.

Ben

Pat and Pran. They both looked at Phupha, looked at each other, and then both said at the same time ‘WOULD.’

[both laugh]

Nini

I did see that. That was funny because it's true. They hang a lampshade on it at two points 1) when Pran runs into Phupha for the first time—him really having, like, a gay boy moment. [laughs] Like, the whole, like, slow-motion, turn-around, like, gasping gay boy moment.

Ben

He's read the, the diary and he's like “I get it.” Immediately!

[both laugh]

Nini

And then, to have Pat's moment come, where—because Pat's flirtation language is competition. So, of course he basically challenges Phupha to a duel in the form of a drinking contest. And then they wake up shirtless next to each other and think that they might have maybe…done something—

Ben

They definitely did some stuff.

Nini

They made out. Just a little bit. They kissed a little bit.

But I—I loved that! I loved that they were both really into him. Like it was clear that they were both attracted to him. It was very gay and very fun. But also they're just like, “No, I get it.” They—they both looked and they were just like, “Tian, I get you. I understand why you live in this village with [both laugh] no running water, and you have to sleep under a mosquito net every night. I get you! I understand you because, for this man, I would do these things.” Like, they get it.

It's kind of delightful.

Ben

I like how, when Pran first gets to the village, and Phupha passes out, Tian runs up and Pran’s like ‘who are you’ and Tian's like, “No. Who the fuck are you?”

[Nini laughs]

Ben

And, like, if Tian had been allowed to have a knife…

Nini

Pran would have been stopped at that point—fully stabbed. “Like, who the fuck are you and why are you talking to my man?” [laughs] Like, Tian lives in the village because he doesn't want anybody else to see Phupha.

[both laugh]

Nini

Because he knows the minute any of these whores take a look at his man, if it's going to be a problem.

Ben

In terms of the serious stuff. So, they've shown up to convince them to sign these papers. Going into this Pat and Pran are fighting a little bit because Pran feels guilty, and part of this journey for him was maybe seeing, like, if he actually needed Pat as much as he does. And he learns very quickly that he is not at his best without Pat.

It's funny because Pat always knew this. Pat seemed to know already. Like, he says it in like episode 5 of Bad Buddy that he was not at his best when Pran was gone.

But Pran wants to prove he doesn't need Pat's help, and when Pran shows up to try and convince him to sign Tian's like, “Fuck yeah! I wrote the diary so people would…maybe want to become teachers and appreciate what I have out here. Absolutely!” Phupha's like, “No, y'all not going to present me as some lovesick fool on your little stage.”

And then Pran tries to talk to Phupha a couple of times and fails massively at it. Tries to lie to Phupha. And then Pat blocks the shit out of that by calling out the bullshit right away, because he's pissed at Pran for running off without him. So he's sabotaging some of Pran's efforts. And it isn't until the two of them start working together that they actually start making any fucking progress because…that's who they are.

Nini

But I think there's also, like, a really valid point to the fact that Pran—he tries to talk to Phupha about it at first and Phupha is not having it. You're right. But one of the reasons that Phupha is not having it is because he's looking at these kids and he's thinking, “These kids do not understand me. These kids have no idea of what my life is like. These kids have no idea of what our lives are like. These kids have never faced any kind of serious challenge. These are two dumb kids. I'm not gonna give them time of day. They don't get to tell my story.”

And then, by the end, the thing that actually gets Phupha to agree to let them tell his story…is Pran actually dropping the bullshit—as you said—and saying to him, “You think I don't know what it's like to feel insecure? You think I don't know what it's like to feel like my partner deserves better than me? You think I don't know what that feels like? Oh, believe you me, I know what that feels like.”

And, because at this point Phupha has spent an enormous amount of time with Pat, he's like,

“Okay, yeah, maybe you do understand what I'm going through.”

And the way that that works out in the end—and I mean we're kind of skipping back and forth through the story at this point—but the way that that works out at the end is Phupha saying, “Okay, you get to tell my story, but you have to tell my story because you understand me.” His condition for signing off on them doing the play is that they play the roles of him and Tian, because they understand him. I thought that was really—a really great way to follow that thread through the story. I really enjoyed that part.

Ben

I like the subtle way Aof played with our expectations about who would identify with who. Like, they made Tian and Pran resemble each other. Tian was like, “Fuck this twink,” right away as soon as Pran showed up.

[Nini laughs]

But then, like, Pran helps him. Pran helps him in the class and Tian softens very quickly to Pran.

Because of how physically macho Pat is—like, there's this expectation that he and Phupha are gonna be super similar to each other—and there's an interesting subtle commentary that Aof does there in that it's the more creative one, who's way too close to his mom, who's more like the hyper-masculine dude, because both of them are masking in their lives.

Like, Phupha is hyper-masculine because that's what's expected of him. And like people pick at Phupha about this a little bit, but he is trying to live up to the role that he is told he's supposed to fulfill. And Pran also suffers under the expectations of who his mom expects him to be, and it's interesting for me that Aof, over the course of these three episodes when they're all together, Aof says Pran and Phupha have more in common because they are carrying so much homophobia on their shoulders, and that's why the two of them probably understand each other best.

Nini

Using the yaoi tropes again, a talk about who is the seme and who's the uke in the story in terms of who's the pursuer and who's the pursued, and…if you look at it, like, then you can clearly see that it's Tian and Pat who are aligned because Pat pursued Pran and Tian pursued Phupha. They are the semes even though it seems that Tian would be an uke. He's not. He actually pursued Phupha.

So in the narrative sense. He's the seme. It's just very fun, this playing with the idea of what is a seme and what is an uke. And, again to use the yaoi terms—which you know I don't like to use ‘cause I don't really know the yaoi or rock with the yaoi. But, that idea of who is…pursuing the relationship, leading the relationship—like that's Tian and that's Pat.

And in terms of who is being pulled along by their partner in a kind of a way that's Phupha and that’s Pran. So, I do like how Aof leans into this…because again, it subverts expectations in a particular kind of way. But also it makes so much sense.

Ben

There's two subtle things that I really want to point out, and I want to talk about them a little.

First, Pat and Pran use titles for Tian and Phupha the whole time. And the other thing is about how nobody really knows anything about anybody in this. So, like, we're gonna call them Tian and Phupha, Pat and Pran, because we're inside of these people's stories with them. But it's interesting to me that Pran and Pat never cross a familiarity line with Tian and Phupha in the brief time they're with them. They refer to them as Teacher and Chief only the entire time.

Nini

I like that because it's a nod to their roles as adults because Pat and Pran are still kids. They're still college students, and Tian and Phupha are adults to them. But, in some ways, Pat and Pran have progressed much further in their relationship than Tian and Phupha have because they've been through more—just from the nature of their whole history. And they've crossed barriers and boundaries and, and parts of their relationship that Tian and Phupha are just confronting or haven't even confronted yet. And I liked that.

I liked, also, that interplay of the younger ones being the ones to teach the older ones something. I really like that because I feel like that's what's happening now not just in—not just in queer circles—because that's definitely happening in queer circles. But also just in terms of generalization. Like, if you're not a complete douche and you're our age—well I say our age. I'm about 10 years older than Ben. Not ten, but…when you've crossed a certain Rubicon in the adulting game. Let's put it that way.

Right now. The kids are teaching us like a whole bunch of stuff as long as you're not a dick, like, and you remain open, the kids can teach you all kinds of shit that you never thought was possible to learn about yourself at this stage in your life. And I really like that Aof played with that because Aof’s about my age, and I like that he is the kind of person who understands that the young uns have things to teach us as well. Like, we have things to teach them—clearly and obviously—and we want to make a better world for them—clearly and obviously. But also, there's so much shit that we can learn from them when it comes to just fucking unclenching, because that's what happens here! Like, all of this is in service of Phupha just fucking unclenching.

Ben

And this is what I mean about having other queer people, like it isn't just about your boyfriend. You need queer friends. Like, Tian blossoms almost immediately when he realizes that Pat and Pran are a couple—that they're not just friends. As soon as Pat flirts with him a little bit at breakfast and Pran shoves a spoon into his mouth, you can see Tian instantly relaxes and it's like, “Okay” and is more receptive to what these two are here for. And for Phupha. Like, yeah, it's one thing to just be into Tian and that be a thing, but to have someone like Pat roaming around actively flirting with him all the time, that also forced Phupha to reckon with who he is.

And it's funny, because, like, Pat and Pran are actually closeted. They basically, like, admit it to Tian and Phupha as a sort of a de facto thing. But, like, the two of them are away from the world where they have to hide. So they're on top of each other. They're constantly touching each other. They're flirting constantly…

Nini

They're fucking in the tent twenty feet away from them. [laughs]

Ben

We'll get there in a second. We’ll be there in a second. [Nini laughs] But they're so obviously obsessed with each other. And like Nini said, like during the rescue bit, Kampung is not in the tent with them where he's supposed to be. And so the boys are like, “Oh, I guess the kid decided to go stay with Phupha and Tian. Great! My foot is hurting me because I twisted my ankle, but let's get it in!” And then in the morning Pat limps to breakfast asking, “What's my score for last night?”

Nini

I love that they just fuck their way through all their problems. It's delightful. I enjoy it.

Ben

One of the sad things with Tian and Phupha is…they have to keep waiting for the other person to be asleep to be affectionate with them, and that's one of the big things that I'm really glad that they start to work through towards the end of this. Like, I'm really proud of Phupha for listening to the man who he loves, and the person who is inspired by the man who he loves.

Like, it’s so fascinating. Like—like Pran ran on this whole trip thinking he was Tian, met Phupha, realized he was Phupha, and was able to reach across that gap and say, “Please trust me. We got you.” And Phupha said, “Okay.”

There's a lot of consternation in the fandom right now about taking score between Pat and Pran about who sacrifices more, or what should or shouldn't be said. I'm not particularly interested in that particular conversation. Pat and Pran love each other. They're adults. They've committed to each other. Sometimes you're gonna be with other gays and you're not going to understand how they work, and you just have to accept that their dynamic is their dynamic. It's not about who wins. It's about who cares for you—and they clearly care for each other.

Nini

I think part of what it is, as well, is—it sounds bad, but go with me on this right? I am a great proponent of therapy. I believe in it. I am in therapy. I have been in therapy for years. I recommend therapy to everybody. But there is a certain level of therapized that I think is not necessarily good for us…And that is as somebody who believes in the power of therapy to change and save lives. I think that this idea that everything is pathologized, that you always have to be on the lookout because somebody's trying to get you in some kind of way—I think that it can be harmful to relationships and to our understanding of relationships in certain ways, because not everything that is unbalanced or imbalanced is harmful.

And I think that one of the problems that I'm having with…not so much the show, but the fandom reaction to it is…that yes, Pat and Pran’s relationship looks unbalanced from the outside. It probably is unbalanced in certain ways. But that doesn't mean that it's harmful. But there's this idea that because of—again this is a, a therapized lens that unbalanced equals harmful, and I don't think that's necessarily the case.

One of the things that I really don't grok onto and, to be fair…I am very…I am a Bad Buddy fun. I am a Pat and Pran fan. I am a fan of the characters separately and together. And one of the things that…I am really personally sticky and icky about is this idea in certain parts…that Pat and Pran do not love each other equally, or Pran does not love Pat enough, or Pat loves Pran more—all these ideas of particular kind of imbalances between them. And my whole thing is—Who are they and what do they need and what do they want from each other? What does Pat actually need from Pran? Is he getting it? He absolutely is.

So this idea of keeping score between the characters—or keeping score in relationships in general if you, if you broaden out to the idea of relationships—I feel like it doesn't serve. I feel like it's…reductive. And I feel like looking at these characters through that lens is not the way that Aof is portraying these characters, or wants the audience to look at these characters. Because I think that Aof is a person who is…very tuned into certain ideas that he wants to portray—certain things that he wants to portray about queerness and queer community and queer relationships—and…I think that to reduce probably the greatest queer relationship that he has put on screen in Pat and Pran to score keeping, when score keeping is a part of their history that they have deliberately stepped away from because they were forced into it. I feel like it misunderstands what he's trying to do and say with these characters…

And that's just my opinion, and I will admit a hundred percent that I am very precious about these two particular characters. I'm very precious about a lot of Aof characters because I feel that Aof writes characters in a way that I understand them intrinsically. But these two characters in particular I feel very precious about. And, I feel like to see them like that in the context of somehow keeping score between them is to not see them at all.

Ben

Pat only cares about one score and he asks Pran for it directly every morning.

Nini

And that's a fact. [laughs]

Ben

And that's the big thing for me! Like, they were kind of having a fight and most of it was Pran’s insecurity because Pran is a little bit embarrassed about what he's asked Pat to do for him. And they get over that almost immediately. They get to Pha Pun Dao. They see Tian and Phupha and they're like, “Oh, man. These guys are older than us, but they're like…four episodes behind us. [laughs] So, we got to catch these gays up quick!” And they—they instantly get over whatever their beef is and they start playing out their kinks the way they always do. They start cosplaying as Tian and Phupha…and flirting with each other.

Nini

And they do in the end have a little bit of a resolution to their…really not much of a fight, fight. And, there's two resolutions, really.

The first resolution is the resolution they get in Pha Pun Dao which is, “Look, I can't fucking live without you, and you can't fucking live without me, and we agree on that. So, let's dead the shit.” And they did! And it was fine, because the shit was never really live in terms of a fight being live in the first place. They were fucking their way through that whole fight…and that's how they deal with things, and it works for them, and it's fine.

And then they get a second resolution that Phupha gives them—a gift—which is, “I get to be in the open with you, even if it's just on stage. I get to be a lover in public.” And it works for me.

Ben

They even tried to redeem Wai a little bit.

Nini

It's still fuck Wai forever in these parts.

Ben

[laughs] He doesn't drop the curtain this time. Instead, he's like, “Give the people the kiss they need!”

Nini

It's still fuck Wai forever in these parts. [laughs]

Ben

And it's interesting, too, in terms of that particular gift. It works out in a couple of ways because Phupha gets to see a bunch of people react to their story. People are loving it. Lesbians are crying over them. One of the lesbians is moaning, “Why don't they just fuck already!”

[both laugh]

Ben

He gets to see people love them through this play, and then this gives Pran something that he's wanted: Pran his on socials after the play seeing people making fanvids about him and Pat. Which is something that he wants. He wants to be in the open with Pat because he knows that's what Pat wants, and this is the closest they're gonna get for now. And he is relieved to just see that.

But again, Pat is not worried about that. He's like, “Oh good, good. Did you get what you want?” and he's like, “All right. Let's stop fucking around with all this other stuff. Can we kiss as ourselves now?”

And they do!

Nini

We've talked a lot about Pat and Pran here and we've kind of scratched the surface on Tian and Phupha. But I really want to get into Phupha because the main thing that the special is doing is unlocking Phupha for the audience, because—like I said—all the other characters have had their arcs in the OG series that we're looking at. Only Phupha has really been holding the line, so to speak.

And this is Phupha's unveiling. It's his opening. This is Phupha getting harassed by a baby gay. Terrorized, actually, by a baby gay. Realizing that, “Oh my god. The baby gays came to town, and they fucked in a tent twenty feet away from us, and the world didn't fucking end. So maybe…I, too, can fuck my man and the world won’t end.”

[both laugh]

And then he proceeds to do just that.

Ben

I really like the way Aof went about doing it. Phupha primps himself up, rents an expensive vehicle, picks up Tian, and then goes with Tian to a cute cafe and lets Tian show him off a little bit, even if it made him a little bit nervous to be fawned over.

Nini

He let Tian, like, dress him up! Like, he let Tian take him shopping! He let Tian babygirl him a little bit. He let Tian spend a little money! It was nice!

Ben

That felt like a big deal because he mentioned it. He's like the money on one of these dishes could feed the village for a week in Pha Pun Dao, but he lets it go. Tian is actually a rich kid. This is part of what Phupha knows Tian gave up to be with him and so, when they're in Bangkok, he relents. He lets Tian dress him up like a Ken until Tian is satisfied with the look. And unsurprisingly, Tian chooses something very sleek, masculine, and comfortable for Phupha.

And then Phupha shows up and meets the parents. This is a huge deal too because Phupha was nervous about this because he feels like he took their son from them, and that he overstepped because Tian's dad was once a superior in the military. And all they say is, “We're gonna give you the thing that's most important to us. Take care of it.” And they acknowledge his filial piety to his father when Tian—when Phupha—admits that the reason he's a forest ranger is because his dad loved that mountain and felt a need to take care of it and the people who maintain it. And they were like, “Respect that.”

And then he proposes!

Nini

Okay y’all know how I feel about the BL weddings and the BL proposals. Y’all know that I am usually kind of, like, sitting in the corner, like, with my hands over my eyes. But this one, y'all, I was deep in my feelings. The tears came out. It was beautiful. I fucking loved this proposal. It was perfect.

Ben

I think I liked it because it wasn't a grand gesture in front of a bunch of people.

Nini

That's exactly why I liked it. [laughs]

Ben

It was for them. It was Phupha finally saying that he wasn't going to hold back anymore, and then they had loud obnoxious sex in the hotel room.

Nini

I just like that the loud obnoxious sex started like way before this. Like, the loud obnoxious sex started—like the idea of loud obnoxious sex of course was started by Pat, because that's Pat's entire brand. When he was walking around in the forest with Phupha, like, pretending to worry about Pran when he knows Pran is gonna be fine, and telling Phupha, like, “I mean I'm just going to sniff him out and, like, what do you mean you're not going to sniff out your man. Like, don't you know what he smells like? He smells so good.”

[both laugh]

Ben

You know, I don't think that's underlined really loudly in the show but like Pat says it quite plainly to Tian. He's like, “We don't need to go roaming around. Phupha’s experienced and good at his job, and Pran's really smart. We should really just stay here.”

[both laugh]

Like, nobody believes in Pran more than Pat.

Nini

Nobody. Absolutely nobody. Pat is like, “Listen. He's gonna be fine. I'm not particularly worried about him.” Like, both times. Both when he was wandering around in the woods with Phupha and when he was trying to get Tian to sit his ass down and be a heart patient like he's supposed to be. Both times he's just like, “I am not worried about Pran. Like, can we just focus on what the real problem is here. The real problem here is that your man is going unsniffed. Y’all are having a fight that y'all don't need to be having.”

I loved Pat’s whole energy in Pha Pun Dao. He was just like, “I'm just gonna vibe. I'm just glad to be here. I like being able to be out in the open with Pran. We are literally a million miles away from Bangkok. I can just be out here and just love on Pran the way that I feel like lovin’ on Pran—”

Ben

“I'm here to test the structural integrity of the teacher's house.”

Nini

All of that! “I'm here to fuck in a tent and ask the next morning if I did good.” He was just vibing the entire time, and then he got the bonus vibe of running into Phupha who he has—I'm sorry—a major fucking crush on. He does. It’s canon. We're gonna leave it at that. He brought the sex pest fairy godmother energy to Pha Pun Dao, and he's just like, “Listen, y'all are having a fight. Have you tried fucking about it? I have found that to be a very—”

[Ben laughs]

“—I found that to be very helpful method of solving problems. Y’all should just fuck! Give him a good old sniff. He smells real good. Have you noticed that?”

And it works! Like, Phupha at first is like, “Oh my God, get this kid away from me.”

Ben

Pat said, “Dick is not magical. It doesn't fix you. But! You look like you could use a little bit of a stress release.”

[both laugh]

Nini

And he's not wrong. And I love that despite the fact that Phupha spends the entire time being like, “Oh my God, child, get away from me. You are so annoying.” The minute Patt leaves, he's just like, “Okay. I'm [gonna] try what the kid said.”

And he does it!

Ben

He goes back to all of their most romantic moments that he downplayed previously and gives them to Tian. Tian doesn't even know what to do with it at first because they've been so cold for a while.

Nini

He takes Tian back to the waterfall, and he's just like, “You said that I sneaked to look at you and I did but I ain't sneaking now! I'ma look.” And then he goes further than that. He said, “Not only am I going to look. I am going to make sure that you get a good look.”

Ben

[singsong] Take a good hard look!

Nini

And like, like you said at first Tian is like, “What is happening here?” because Phupha is being so open, which I don't think he's ever been before.

Ben

And, like, Phupha was kind of manipulative about it because he made Tian relent and so Tian thought he was being, like, punished at first. Like, Phupha was teasing him because Tian's never made his attraction really quiet.

And then they finally get the stern dicking they've been needing. And Phupha…steals a line from the kids: “What's my score for last night?”

Nini

It was so fun. And Tian is just like, “Your what?” Like, Tian is fully enjoying this and I love that for him because one of the things I think people forget throughout the course of A Tale of Thousand Stars is that the Tian who starts the tale—he's sexy! Tian at the beginning of the story, he's got this edge to him. The sexy edge, and that kinda gets whittled away a little bit in Pha Pun Dao. But, that's still who he is.

And I like that at the end of the tale when we get here to the epilogue that he gets to be that again. He gets to pull out that sexy edge that is part of him and use it on his man. Like, he babygirls him, he takes him shopping, and then, when he lookin’ all nice, he leans into him and he be like, “You're real handsome. Do you have a boyfriend?” And I'm just like this is Tian! This is Tian that I remember!

Ben

And then he pushes Phupha in that bed, and he's like, “I've been waiting for five years. I'm ‘bout to get what's mine.”

[both laugh]

Nini

Phupha’s like, “What are you doing?” He's like, “Don't worry about it.” [laughs]

Ben

He’s like, “Don't worry about it, babygirl. I’ma take care of you tonight.”

[both laugh]

Nini

And I love that. I love that so much. Phupha is, like, panicked about it for a minute, and he's like [sighs]. He's decides. He's like, “Let go, let flow.” He's like, “All right. This how you want it?” and Tian's like, “Uh-huh,” and he's like, “All right, let's do this!” [laughs] I loved It. I loved it so much.

I love that at this stage of his life Phupha just learns to like—you know what? He's like, “Sometimes you just gotta un-fucking-clench.” And he just, he lets it all go.

Ben

I don't usually like talking about sexual positions around here because…of the way people project onto them, but I really like the implication in the final scene that this might be the first time Phupha really switches with Tian in a way that's also him emotionally… because you do have to unclench if you want to enjoy that particular act.

Nini

[laughs] In more ways than one!

Ben

It works really well because of the proposal. Like, Phupha's putting it all in the line. He's actually putting himself on the line. And he's going to be a complete partner to Tian, and is also going to relent and let Tian have some of the things that he wants.

Like Tian is happy in Pha Pun Dao. He doesn't hate their lives there. He just says, “I want you to come home and see my parents once a year. It's important to me. I just want you to come down for that. And when we're here, let me treat you nicely.”

Like, even if their lives aren't gonna always be there—like Tian may someday have to take care of the responsibilities of his parents getting older. But, I feel better about them facing that now as two people who are fully committed to each other than Phupha’s whole waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop thing all the time.

Nini

I just…really liked…getting to see…Phupha just…be… We never get to see him just be. Once he internalizes what Pat and Pran say to him, at every point from then what we see is him getting to just be. Yeah, in a slutty way—which I personally enjoy. But also just not worrying so much about what the things he's doing say about him. And yeah, there are, like, moments of that, like, when they get to the play and the curtain goes up, you see him starting to, like, freak out a little bit. But as the play goes on he relaxes.

I like that he leans into both the relaxed energy and the slutty energy, because I feel like the slutty energy is incredibly important. Like, one of the things that I really enjoyed about the final episode of the crossover was that mosquito net moment because—

Ben

Oh my God…finally.

Nini

That's so many things! That's Aof acknowledging that he was maybe slightly too precious with their sexuality in A Tale of Thousand Stars. That's Aof acknowledging that, maybe yeah, they should have kissed there. That's also Phupha acknowledging a bunch of stuff. That's also Tian getting to recast those moments in his mind.

Ben

I also love that Aof basically gave them the Bad Buddy post-credits scene.

Nini

Now, everybody’s saying that, but to me I just remember that the A Tale of Thousand Stars post-credits scene wasn't sideways either. Like, they wrastled in that A Tale of Thousand Stars post-credits scene. Like, Tian had to ask for the dick but he got it.

Ben

I'm just very satisfied by the outing this time.

Nini

I really, really enjoyed it, and I think that a lot of the Sturm und Drang around it is because of these ideas—again once again—these ideas about balance, and feeling like it was maybe unbalanced between Pat and Pran, and Tian and Phupha. But I don't think those ideas of balance are relevant to what Aof was trying to do here. I think that using Pat and Pran—who are a solid, established couple who we know are pulling through anything because we've seen their future already—using them as a conduit, or a catalyst, or a support to pull Tian and Phupha through a hurdle that could break them. I was fine with it in the end.

Like, I went through a lot of like—you know. I mean, you know because you were in these discussions with me and you and the clowns, like, sort of pulling through, like, how we feel about this.

Ben

Everybody else is having a difficult time. I was vibing so hard for like—[laughs] for like two weeks! Everybody else is like, “Oh I don't like this episode!!” Like, everybody was mad after episode 3! Me…I thought that episode was great. They're like, “I hate how long they were lost in the woods.” I'm like, “Well, that was the whole point.”

They were lost in the woods. They were all circling around an issue, and the issue is really simple. Like, just sit still and let other people find you. Because that's what you need to do, baby gays, sometimes, it's sit still so we can fucking find you! And help you!

[both laugh]

Ben

All right! Let's talk about the actors.

Nini

Watching these four get to vibe together. I want to see it. And not just the four of them vibing together, but…the…pairings because they gave us like a mix and match. So, they gave us every single pairing that you could get out of these four actors, and everyone was delightful and delectable. And I enjoyed every single one of them, but I particularly enjoyed pairing Ohm with Earth.

Ben

I really liked… the pairing of Nanon and Mix, and I don't know what we need to do to see those two work together again, but I would like to see the two of them take on meaty characters together.

Nini

I mean they're gonna be in The Jungle together.

Ben

Are they? Well well well…

Nini

Yeah, maybe you might have to watch The Jungle. [laughs]

Ben might have to watch a straight show!

Ben

No…we just did that! It sucked!

[both laugh]

Ben

I loved Mix in this. Like, we've seen MIx and Earth together a couple of times, and you talked about this during episode two. Their drunken walk home together felt like Phupha and Tian, not Jim and Wen.

Nini

They made it feel so different, even with similar framing, even with similar camera work, even with the same actors, and the same director. They made that moment feel completely different from Jim and Wen's moment doing the same activity, and I—hats off, I bow down. I appreciate actors—y’all know that.

Ben

I like how all four of them managed to make their dynamics feel lived in.

Like, Pat and Pran felt settled. Like, they have some long-term difficulties to deal with—some of which are never gonna go away—but it was kind of interesting for me knowing that they're rock solid by the end of BB 12 that you can see them starting to get there now. Where Pran is nervous that this can't work forever because Pat is too loud. He…needs to be loud about stuff.

But, like, you can see the signs here of them giving themselves openings. Here, like with the play, with Pat going home to his dad later and giving him the liquor that Pran got in Singapore, loudly climbing through Pran's window when he comes back to Bangkok…to go play with his guitar in his room.

Nini

Pat needs to be loud. Pran knows Pat needs to be loud. And the journey that they're setting off on through the special—I can't even say that it culminates in Bad Buddy 12 ‘cause it doesn't. It continues in Bad Buddy 12, but it culminates at some point in a future that we don't get to see. And there's something to be said about Aof putting that way-way off…and the things that he wants to say to the baby gays and the elder gays.

Hoo! Man, I've been feeling Aof lately. Like, Moonlight Chicken, like, unraveled something in me. And going back to some of his earlier works in the light of Moonlight Chicken because part of the whole point of the crossover—and of crossovers in general—but in this particular crossover is intertextuality. When we were talking about Bad Buddy. When we were, like, thick in the things of Bad Buddy. We're talking about text and subtext and metatext working together to tell this story, and the thing that didn't become a part of that story—there were hints of it, mostly in the Pa and Ink storyline—but the thing that was hinted at, but not really fully grasped onto, was intertextuality.

Like, the conversation that different pieces of art are having between themselves. And one thing that this special—that the crossover delves into now—is the intertextuality.

Ben

I particularly like it because you have two leads interacting with each other and I find that sometimes we can get a little too archetypical about the leads of shows. By forcing the audience to consider who Pat and Pran are relative to Tian and Phupha, it forces you to revisit how you've been viewing them the whole time. Like, Pran thinking that he was Tian, and us maybe getting a little too caught up in that. Because, like we called it at the end of the first episode! We're like, “Why does he look so much like Tian? That feels off.” And it was off!

Oh. I wasn't trying to make a pun there.

He's not like Tian. Like, as soon as I saw them I was like, “Why would they compare him to Tian? He doesn't feel like Tian to me?” I was right! And so, we get to the end of this whole shebang, and I am having a blast. Like I'm watching people having to sort themselves out like “Did I like this? Did I not like this?”

I was drinking a mojito, having a good time, after this ended. I was drunk at the reception hanging out with some lesbians.

Nini

I mean in the end is it not the place that you want to be? I feel like it all worked out super well, and one of the reasons that it worked out super well is that these two stories had to be in some ways told together. And yeah, one got a little subsumed to the other. But that's the way that it had to be at this point in time.

Ben

I think it was pragmatic.

Nini

Yeah, I think if we had caught up with them and done this crossover at a different stage in each of their relationships a different problem would have come to the surface, and maybe a different arrangement of the two couples might have happened. And that's also something that we need to think about in terms of the specifics of when in the story narrative and the timeline of the stories that Aof chose to set this particular crossover.

When it comes to Aof I'm always thinking about what he's trying to do, because one of the things that has been very clear to me throughout his oeuvre, but particularly in Bad Buddy, is that…he is always going to tell the story that he wants to tell. He's not overly concerned about making it fit into certain narrative structures. He's not overly concerned about making it fit into audience expectations. He wants to tell certain stories, and that's what he's gonna do. And that was made very clear to me with Bad Buddy 12, because that defied every narrative expectation—every audience expectation—to speak a truth that Aof had on his spirit.

Ben

The other thing for me—this is the part where I’m gonna get a little bit grumpy again. It is expensive to make television. Like, the biggest thing that stands out to me with all of Our Skyy is how stripped-down all of it looked.

Like they filmed in like one or two locations at most it felt like half the time, and they had really short filming schedules, and everybody had to be good very quickly. There's not a lot of runup time. It feels like people just brought whatever they still had left from the last performance and they just ran with it. Everybody had to be really good, and it's expensive to film on that mountain. And so Aof needed to justify that particular crossover, by using the most potent talent he had.

Like, there's a huge Bad Buddy fandom. There's a pretty solid contingent of people who like A Tale of Thousand Stars. And for A Tale of Thousand Stars to get something good, he needed to merge the Bad Buddy budget with the Thousand Stars budget.

But also, they didn't want to touch their ending, which is why he sets Bad Buddy before its ending, but Tian and Phupha only at the beginning of their romance when we leave them. They have more work to do, so they can have an epilogue story that really hammers into some really interesting stuff, which we just spent the last hour or so talking about.

But it's done really efficiently! Like for the most part we all seem to enjoy Our Skyy, and they manage to do that with their limited budget. Like Pat and Pran are in a different room because it's probably cheaper to use this room. There's less people in Pha Pun Dao this time. Au is running around in the background as an extra! Wasn't he the damn director of the Kwan and Riam play? [shushes] Don't pay attention to that. A bunch of guys are running around with masks on—that's probably just crew members!

Nini

I did sort of love that chewing gum and string energy these productions can bring that is really sort of the heart of the Our Skyy franchise. I feel like I like that because to me that means it's for the art. If you're going to do this on chewing gum and string it's because you really fucking care. Like if you're going to do a story like this on string and chewing gum, it's because you really want to tell this fucking story. And in the end that's where I land on the vast majority of Our Skyy 2.

Ben

So what's our final verdict on Our Skyy then? Worth it? Not worth it?

Nini

Before we get to our final verdict on our Our Skyy, we didn't give our final verdict on the crossover.

Ben

Oh, it's a 10. [slams desk and laughs]

Nini

It's a 10! It's a 10! It's a 10! Let's just—let's just—let's let it go. Right? It's a 10 for drama and a 10 for crack because what is more cracky than a crossover? And so it averages out to 10. Have I got quibbles with it? Yes. Do they, in the grand scheme of things, matter to my enjoyment of it? Absolutely not. It's a 10—point blank period.

Ben

It didn't waste my time. They set out a really interesting premise: what if Tian published his diary? What if “lonely queer looking for meaning and community” Pran found it? What if he met them? What do they do if they meet each other? Like, they follow through on that in a way that gave us so much to talk about for two weeks.

And it was fun seeing the whole fandom come alive and see people revisit characters! It was fun seeing people change their opinions on Phupha, and even Earth and Mix as the result of watching this. That was so much fun.

Nini

It was delightful. It was enjoyable. It was meaningful. It was narratively enjoyable at least for me, it was a 10. I loved it and one of the things that I love most about it is that Pat gets to lick Pran's finger this time.

Ben

Oh my god.

Nini

I mean, it's just the slutiness of it all! Pat gets to lick Pran's finger. Phupha gets to touch his titties in a sexy kind of way. They get to make out with that damn mosquito net, and I enjoyed every single second of it. I laughed, I cried, I…felt warmth deep inside.

1:59:13 - Overall Score for Our Skyy 2

Nini

All that said, in terms of the overall—let’s give an overall score for Our Skyy 2. Ben, what do you think?

Ben

With the caveat that you should only really engage with the Our Skyy content if you liked the original show, it's a 9.

Like, I didn't like Vice Versa and I didn't like Star in My Mind when I watched them the first time, and so everything I didn't like about those shows was present in their Our Skyy offerings. I don't think it's very fair of me to be especially mean about their Our Skyy offerings when they are in line with what the audience has been taught to expect. If the audience likes that more power to them. But for the six shows that I genuinely liked, I had a good time with these.

Like, the weakest shows in this that I had a hard time with on the front end were A Boss and a Babe and Never Let Me Go. And I really liked what Jojo did with Never Let Me Go, and I thought that A Boss and a Babe actually had a really interesting story this time. But I loved The Eclipse and I thought Golf was great with this outing. I thought the cast was great in The Eclipse outing, and I felt like that about Bad Buddy and A Tale of Thousand Stars, and I felt like that about My School President.

I had a great time! It gets a 9 overall. Like, there are quibbles—it's not always the best thing, and it forces you to maybe look back at a show and alter the way you felt about it. And if you'd rather lock the show in a mental prism of where you last left it, maybe don't watch these offerings? But if you grow and change, and you kind of want to imagine what your characters are like if they also grow and change, then maybe it's worth checking out for you.

It's a 9. Highly recommended.

Nini

For you, the score is always about a recommendation. For me, it's always about do I like this? How much do I like this? And for me, for the vast majority of Our Skyy, I fuckin’ loved it. So I also give it a 9. I don't have any caveats about recommending it to anybody or anything like that. I just had, for the most part, a whale of a fucking time. And so, it's a 9! I enjoyed myself!

So kind of in our own form of intertextuality harkening back to our Season 2: Electric Boogaloo episode of the Spring Series, and talking about sequels. So, Ben, after Our Skyy 2, how are you feeling about sequels?

Ben

Enthusiastic? [laughs] I mean, come on, man, like, this was fucking good. We need to think about how these characters stay together. That can be so rewarding to think about and it's good for the audience to think about it.

I hope we see Pat and Pran in 10 years after their little sprout has blossomed, and maybe they're considering something else. I'm totally down to return to characters every couple of years for check-ins. That totally works for me, and I think that there is value in transitioning the types of stories we tell with characters over time, because they're going to face a variety of situations over time, so it can be so, so rewarding for us as viewers to go on those new journeys with them.

Nini

How do I…feel about sequels? Again, it's the same way I always feel. I feel like when there's story still to tell, I'm ready to see it. I'm ready to hear it. And if I feel like there isn't anything left to say, then I'm not interested. That's largely where I landed with the Our Skyy episodes for the most part where I felt like there was story left to tell. I thoroughly enjoyed getting that story and then those, like Star in My Mind, where I felt like there was no story, I wasn’t really interested.

So, do I feel pumped about sequels and the whole idea of following these boys into the “staying together” part of things? Yes, that's something that I'm always going to enjoy, and if that means conflict, I am fine with that. I enjoy watching them navigate that, whether the conflict is minor or major, I am having a blast with that in my mind.

And…I can't wait for Our Skyy 3.

That is going to wrap us up on the Our Skyy 2 episode. Y'all are going to hear the edited version of this, but I just want you all to know that we've been talking for three hours, and we've been having a great time. See y’all in the next one. Say bye to the people, Ben.

Ben

Welcome back, my boyfriend!

Nini

[laughs] Bye.

#podcast #our skyy 2 #bad buddy #a tale of thousand stars #my school president #the eclipse #vice versa #star in my mind #never let me go #a boss and a babe #thai bl #bl series #ben and nini's conversations #the conversation #on art #season 3 #summer 2023 #summer series #Spotify

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starplusfourletters · 7 months

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Random takes on ahsoka ep 5

Okay actually spoilers this time

Thesis statement: Ep5 was absolutely ridiculous and I loved every second of it

For those wondering what it would look like if the peak of Zirakzigil and King’s Cross smashed into each other at a thousand miles an hour…

YASSSSS THIS IS THE ANGST CONTENT I SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED. I’m not even gonna think about it for a minute just gonna sit here and wallow

Ohhhh he’s got the early season CW armor on he’s just a little guy <3

[Referring to the Teensoka section] Man I was emotionally prepared to hate whatever this was gonna be but I really liked it. Like, multiple different character beats that all hit really well. Nice job guys.

When you’re 45 and just learning what intergenerational trauma is. Better late than never

Why is S7 Teensoka so short. I just think Ahsoka from ~S7 onward should be freakishly tall and yes I know Rosario Dawson isn’t super tall but let me have this

I guess there’s an argument to be made that all Ahsoka character beats get executed multiple times (lookin’ at you, Vader reveal) but guys. Guyyyyyyyys. How many times can she go swimming and then return as Gandalf the Orange because I’m counting three now (I feel like world between worlds and rebels finale are separate level-ups, but if you see them as one beat I’d throw Mortis into the mix). Admittedly part of that might be that I’ve been taking post-Rebels S2 Sith Temple Baptism as canon and I guess not everyone watching this show became completely feral in May 2016

This is totally unrelated but omigod those were Topps cards? The makers of Dinosaurs Attack? Universes are colliding for me rn

Huh we’ve never seen how her face and her montrals meet up before. And… I’m not sure I like it. Put the headband back on

Yeah I know we all knew the white robe was coming but Dave. Dave this is a lot. Like she has white gloves now? And white boots?? ([Channels Bojack Horseman] Do you get it? Do you get my joke?)

Also possibly unpopular opinion but I’m just sayin’ white isn’t her color. The combo with her montrals just makes her look washed out.

Alternative hypothesis: the white clothing is the spare outfit she hates but hasn’t gotten around to getting rid of yet and the grays are coming back as soon as they’re out of the drier

Alternative alternative hypothesis: Seatos’ ocean is 0.1% bleach.

Oh sweet baby Space Jesus she can do psychometry now. She hit level 20 at Malachor and just kept taking levels anyway. My blorbo is op and I can’t even be mad

I’m not even gonna touch “surviving without oxygen for several hours without even intentionally meditating”

Suddenly realized we’re more than halfway thru this show and we haven’t seen Thrawn and we still don’t have any substantial information about the Dark Jedi so like… who is the villain? Is it intergenerational trauma? Please tell me it’s intergenerational trauma

Why do space whales have baleen? Oh to filter feed on midichlorians. Never mind I retract my question

Aaaand Filoni just hit “Jonah” on his Biblical Hero Dartboard

So you wasted billions of dollars on this technology when you could have just asked a whale nicely? How embarrassing.

Come to think of it tho why didn’t Ezra just take a whale BACK? Then again if I start thinking too much about this it’s just gonna devolve into “How Rebels Should Have Ended”

#ahsoka tano #ahsoka show #ahsoka spoilers #long post #gonna need to rewatch that soon tm #it was A Lot

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castillooutzen33 · 1 month

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Traders Are Dumping Stocks And Buying Gold And Silver

China, already the most important bullion miner, imported more than 209 tonnes of gold throughout the primary 10 months of the year, a five-fold improve from an estimated 45 tonnes last 12 months. 2. Photos are value a thousand phrases, however make sure not to be decieved, typically footage are magnified to ensure a very good view is on the market for the merchandise, nevertheless this may increasingly not relfect the precise dimension so you could test this prior to buy. So best place to buy gold bars online can see, trying to check yesterday's gold value to at this time's - on an excellent basis - is like trying to match apples and armadillos!In at the moment's dollars, 1975 gold at $196 is extra like $750 in the current market. We offer a variety of ways to spend money on precious metals. He'd made his personal fortune inside the basic bear marketplace of all time, and that he certainly not discovered this can be a once-in-a-career chance. This traditional design is immediately recognised internationally as a timeless picture of energy, grace and protection. Fraser grew up in Winona, Minnesota and used his life on the plains of the Upper Midwest as inspiration for the nickel’s coin design.

youtube

Scottsdale Silver 1 OZ .999 Silver $2 Niue Coin Bar.. 4 completely different sizes of fractional gold bullion coins - the twentieth-, 10th-, quarter- and half-ounce pieces - will see the biggest increases, rising from mintage limits of 200,000 in 2011 to 600,000 next 12 months, per measurement. Simply to put the value of gold into perspective, with the present monetary base of the United States, gold value has to go up to between $8,000 to $10,000 per ounce to match gold value excessive in 1980. But there is an estimated amount of about $12 trillion of US Treasury bond exterior the US. The purple arrow point out the time interval associated to the RBA annual report where the 0.15% figure was reported. Beautifully accommodated by the broad, crown-sized 40mm diameter flan, this iconic Australian motif seems simply sensational struck to the very best Proof quality from the world’s favorite treasured steel. Credit Suisse, for instance, one of many world's most reputable minters, might cost extra for a similar quality metal than a smaller, lesser-identified outfit.

PAUL SOLMAN: And all as a result of, says historian Richard Sylla, who chairs the board of Wall Street’s Museum American of Finance, there’s a lot skepticism about government and its cash in and around the high-tech group as of late. The primary objective of the upcoming assembly is the institution of the brand new World Reserve Forex to substitute the US dollar, and that may be very very bullish for gold, as the new reverse forex may need to be partially again by gold. Things solely turn interesting with a break AND hold above $22.00, but that appears troublesome for the remainder of this year, with the m/t bearish equity market, and the broadly sturdy greenback. Though you more than likely will get a return on the collectors silver bar, equal to the spot worth of silver that day, you would possibly still see your invested premium within the “collectors item” fly out the window as you liquidate you silver. Silver products which was sold to prices far above spot was earlier reserved for collators artefacts, silver jewellery, and household silver gadgets. This pattern is ready to hold on all by way of this particular decade as intelligent traders recognize by which gold is de facto a proper protection in opposition to rising value of residing and likewise the devastation from the shopping for energy of money. So I went to my coin seller and purchased about 20 Silver Eagles.

The table under displays the number of ounces of gold bullion bought by the United States Mint in the course of the month of July. Famed marine artist and photographer Man Harvey© has brought his artwork to a brand new medium - silver! The coin options a picture of the Pronghorn Antelope by Canadian artist and coin designer Emily S. Damstra. But JPMorgan has also bought silver in the form of American Silver Eagles and Canadian Maple Leafs to the tune of 150 million ounces over the previous five years, shortly re-melting the coins into 1,000 ounces bars as a result of it can be unattainable to promote so many coins in coin type. Real Casa de la Moneda has issued (fifth November) their latest set of coins which spotlight internationally famous Spanish painters - that is the fifth such collection. Be aware that the government CPI number is extraordinarily flawed as it grossly understate the actual world inflation charge. We are approching the top of our paper cash system. This is actually an historic moment, where a actually distinctive treasured metallic product comes onto the market, and we're simply excited to be those to have pioneered it. https://gravesales.com/author/mattiemerry/ makes an attempt by central banks and governments to delay deflation of forex are hindering the market, and even making a worldwide crisis, while buyers move to extra tangible arduous property to protect their investments.

#buy gold online

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newstfionline · 5 months

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Saturday, November 25, 2023

Teacher shortages are spreading around the world (Worldcrunch) The world is short on teachers. According to a UNESCO report, last year 9% of primary school teachers left the profession, double the rate in 2015. The report blames low pay, poor working conditions, and the high-stress nature of the job for this exodus. In the United States, teacher shortages have led to doubled class sizes, the burgeoning of online courses, and, in some cases, lowered standards when it comes to hiring. One analysis found that the majority of U.S. states are experiencing a shortage of teachers, with turnover rates increasing sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 45% of public schools reported being understaffed, and “hiring elementary and special education teachers remains a challenge”. Europe’s wealthy countries, including France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, and Sweden, are also grappling with the teacher crisis. Part of the reason for this, according to Régis Malet, professor of education at the University of Bordeaux, is the gradual erosion in the social status of teachers. The profession went from “a job with high added social value, prestige, to a form of uncertainty in the mission, loss of meaning and ultimately dissonance between the school and life,” he told Euronews.

Nicaragua’s Miss Universe title win exposes deep political divide in the Central American country (AP) Nicaragua’s increasingly isolated and repressive government thought it had scored a rare public relations victory last week when Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition. But the “legitimate joy and pride” President Daniel Ortega’s government expressed in a statement Sunday after the win quickly turned to angry condemnation, after it emerged that Palacios graduated from a college that was the center of 2018 protests against the regime—and apparently participated in the marches. Ordinary Nicaraguans—who are largely forbidden to protest or carry the national flag in marches—took advantage of the Saturday night Miss Universe win as a rare opportunity to celebrate in the streets. Palacios’ victory—along with photos she posted on Facebook in 2018 of herself participating in the protests—overjoyed Nicaragua’s opposition.

Violence in Dublin over knife attack (Washington Post) Right-wing protesters angered by a stabbing attack they believed had involved someone of immigrant background rampaged through central Dublin on Thursday night, leaving behind a trail of burning destruction. Ireland’s police chief on Friday described the unrest, in which double-decker buses, trams and police cars were torched, as “scenes that we have not seen in decades.” The violence and looting through some of Dublin’s most famous streets began after a stabbing attack outside a school that left five people hospitalized. They included three young children and a woman. Police detained a man who also is being treated for injuries. Rumors spread online that the perpetrator of the attack was an immigrant or had an immigrant background. The BBC said the man was an Irish citizen who had lived in the country for 20 years. People the police later described as far-right protesters disrupted the crime scene, chanting anti-immigrant slogans and took to the streets of Dublin, setting vehicles ablaze and clashing with police. 34 people were arrested.

Families Ripped Apart as Pakistan Expels Tens of Thousands of Afghans (NYT) On the day Baz Gul’s world was shattered, he was out scavenging garbage with his 10-year-old son, hoping to earn a few dollars to provide for his family of five. He and his son were arrested on Sept. 12 in the Pakistani city of Karachi during a raid on Afghan migrants. Mr. Gul, 30, was born and raised in Karachi and married his wife there. But as the son of refugees who fled to Pakistan in 1992, he is a citizen of Afghanistan—and no longer welcome in the country of his birth. His wife, Ram Bibi, 29, also an Afghan citizen, sold valuables to hire a lawyer who could argue that Mr. Gul was a legal resident of Pakistan. But he was deported to Afghanistan on Nov. 13, after Pakistan set a deadline for all 1.7 million illegal migrants to leave, most of them Afghans. Mr. Gul is now stranded in a country he does not know, leaving his pregnant wife and his children at the mercy of impoverished relatives to survive. The Gul family is one of hundreds that have been torn apart, rights activists say, as refugees from Afghanistan have poured out of Pakistan, heeding the deportation order or being forcibly removed under a crackdown that followed a rise in tensions between the two countries.

Myanmar’s rebel groups (Washington Post) For decades, Myanmar’s ethnic minorities have rebelled against the country’s military, but mostly on their own and with little success. Now, however, nearly three years after a military coup ousted Myanmar’s democratic government and triggered a civil war, it’s these ethnic rebels, camped out in the country’s mountains and jungles, who pose the biggest potential threat to the ruling junta. While Western governments and international aid agencies have focused much of their attention on the pro-democracy forces led by exiled members of the ousted civilian government, it is increasingly the ethnic rebels tenuously allied with them who are shaping the trajectory of the conflict, security analysts say. These groups have troops, guns and grenades. They control territory, collect taxes and run schools and hospitals. Just in recent weeks, they’ve notched battlefield victories that security analysts say have pushed the junta into its weakest position since the coup. The decisive role of ethnic insurgents in the conflict has come into sharp relief in recent weeks after an alliance of several other rebel groups launched a surprise offensive in Myanmar’s northern Shan state, forcing the military to publicly cede control over major townships. In the south, Karen rebels and their allies, the Karenni, launched simultaneous attacks on military bases, while in the west, a militia representing ethnic Rakhine people opened a new front in the war against the military.

The Taiwan party toughest on China has a strong lead as election nears (Washington Post) China’s hopes for political turnover in Taiwan—to a government more favorable to Beijing—appear likely to be dashed, with the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party on course to secure an unprecedented third term. That is raising fears of even more Chinese military aggression around the democratic island, and the prospect of reignited U.S.-China tensions. Taiwan has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, but Beijing claims it as its territory. The fate of Taiwan has long been the most volatile issue between Beijing and Washington, and a flare up over the results of voting Jan. 13 could derail efforts to stabilize relations. In the past, Beijing has ramped up military intimidation toward Taiwan before and after the vote, to signal readiness to use force if Taipei refuses to submit to Chinese Communist Party rule indefinitely. This time the presidential races come as Chinese military planes and ships have surrounded the island so frequently and in such large numbers over the past 15 months that U.S. officials warn of “miscalculations” spiraling into accidental conflict.

Ceasefire takes hold in Gaza ahead of hostage release (BBC/Worldcrunch) Fighting has paused in Gaza and, after a 24-hour delay, the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas has come into effect. 13 Israeli hostages, 10 Thais and 1 Filipino were freed. After the guns went quiet, humanitarian aid began entering Gaza from Egypt—200 lorries a day are expected, which aid workers say is not enough. In Khan Younis, further north, Palestinians tell say they are "very happy" about the pause in fighting, though they know they may only have four days before the bombs start dropping and tanks start rolling again. Some will continue sifting through the rubble, looking to find trapped family members, after searches were interrupted by new rounds of air attacks. Other Gazans will try to find shelter in what they’ve been told are safer areas in the south of the Palestinian enclave. Some will hurry back to inspect their homes, especially in the northern half of the strip where Israeli ground forces have battled Palestinian militants for weeks.

Many in Middle East blame United States for devastation in Gaza (Washington Post) The entire front page of a Lebanese newspaper this month displayed President Biden’s face superimposed over pictures of dead Palestinian children, under a headline declaring “Western genocide.” In Egypt and some Persian Gulf states, once-bustling Starbucks and McDonald’s outlets sit empty thanks to a boycott of U.S. brands. And in Beirut, Tunis and other Arab capitals, protesters have marched on U.S. diplomatic missions, sometimes burning American flags, to vent their fury at the staggering death toll in Gaza. The prevailing view throughout the Middle East is that while Israel is doing the fighting, this is an American war. Without the diplomatic cover and high-tech munitions provided by the United States, the reasoning goes, Israel wouldn’t be able to carry out the massive operation it launched in Gaza to “eradicate Hamas” that a U.N. official this week said has caused “complete and utter carnage.” In Arab nations, where solidarity with the Palestinian cause has endured for decades, millions are watching as the only force they see as powerful enough to stop the bloodletting in Gaza instead defends it. The U.S.-backed pause in fighting is generally welcomed, but it falls short of Arab calls for the United States to back a longer truce.

In Harare, warnings about dollarization for Argentina (Reuters) From Zimbabwe’s capital Harare to Quito in Ecuador, green bills circulating on the streets and in shops with images of U.S. presidents reflect a big choice that has been made: picking the dollar over the local currency to bring economic stability. The two countries offer a lesson—and warnings—for Argentina, the latest nation globally to toy with the idea of ditching an embattled local tender in favor of the greenback, a signature campaign pledge of President-elect Javier Milei. Zimbabwe abandoned its currency in 2009 to combat hyperinflation, opting for a multi-currency system centered on the U.S. dollar. The government reintroduced the local currency in 2019, but it rapidly lost value. Most transactions are currently in greenbacks. Zimbabwe’s dollarization story is as full of warnings as it is with promise. Many people watched as their savings were erased when the dollar was adopted in 2009. “We just woke up and there was nothing in the account anymore,” banker Bongiwe Mudau told Reuters. “This included my life assurance and medical aid. All was gone in just a day. Dollarization wiped out everything I had saved.” The 47-year-old mother of three, said, however, that dollarization eventually brought stability in prices. From 2008, when prices were doubling almost every day—one of the largest hyperinflations ever recorded—prices fell 7.7% in 2009, according to the International Monetary Fund. “For the first time in years I could budget with a clear understanding that prices would not change. We had a semblance of order in the economy,” Mudau said.

Madagascar president on course for reelection as supporters claim they were promised money to vote (AP) Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina was on course to win reelection Thursday after a vote boycotted by most opposition candidates and as supporters of his party claimed they were promised money in return for backing him. With 85% of ballots counted, Rajoelina had received 59.7% of the vote in last week’s election, according to the national electoral commission. Such a margin of victory would eliminate the need for a runoff election and give him a third term as leader of the Indian Ocean island of 28 million. People have lined up outside the offices of Rajoelina’s TGV party in Antananarivo and other major towns since last week to collect party membership cards, which they claimed would allow them to be paid for their votes. Some said they had been promised about $75 for voting for Rajoelina. TGV has denied promising any money to its supporters. However, party officials have said the membership cards would give people preferential treatment for any future government handouts of food and other provisions in a country the World Bank says has one of the world’s highest poverty rates.

#headlines #news

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bentsenhein24 · 1 year

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Harvest Individual Personal God-Given Water

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ericorcoranmeansbusiness · 2 years

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YouTube Has Announced That They are Planning to Monetize ‘Shorts’ on Their Platform

Since TikTok has become a giant in the Social Media industry, many competitors such as YouTube and Meta have installed similar short form vertical content to their platforms such as Shorts and Reels, respectively. On Sept. 15th, 2022, The New York Times reported that YouTube has announced they will be monetizing their short form content, Shorts, to entice more creators to join the platform. Previously, YouTube has only paid creators through their YouTube Partner Program by enabling ads on longer form content. According to The New York Times, YouTube is planning on paying its creators 45% of the total ad revenue from the ads that will be played on Shorts, whereas YouTube Partners were originally paid 55% on their longer form content.

Andrew Hutchinson from Social Media Today points out that adding ads to content that is under a minute long may prove to be difficult. Hutchinson speculates that the recent pop up of “cluster-ads” at the beginning of YouTube videos in recent weeks may hint at the direction YouTube may be going. These cluster ads are usually a maximum of six seconds long, appearing in groups of 10. Though users have complained about their sudden appearance, Hutchinson states “[...] (possibly) YouTube has been working to build its inventory of very short promos, so that it can then attach single, 5-second ads to specific Shorts in its app”.

YouTube has reportedly created over 425 thousand jobs off of their platform, becoming a reliable place for creators to make a working income. TikTok’s Creator’s Fund, on the other hand, pales in comparison. Blog Hootsuite reports that TikTok creators usually make between 2 and 4 cents for every hundred views, where users who garnered 1 million views on their video will be paid anywhere between 20 and 40 dollars. Whereas for YouTube, according to Thinkific.com, creators can roughly make between $1,200-$1,600 for a million views. And now that Youtube has started to monetize Shorts, TikTok creators may make the decision to follow the money. (335 words)

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bighousecats · 2 years

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The seal point Ragdoll cat's life expectancy varies, but they typically live to around 25 years of age. There are many factors that influence the lifespan of this breed. These factors include size, color, and any health issues that may arise. The lifespan is also determined by the health of the individual cat. The seal point Ragdoll cats are a sharp breed (which means they have a relatively pale body and darker markings on the face, ears, tail, or legs). Colors include seal, chocolate, blue and lilac in three pattern variations. Lifespan: Not reaching full maturity until age four, life expectancy is usually up to 15 years. Size Seal point Ragdoll cats are one of the largest domestic cats. The average size is around 10 to 13 inches and 8 to 20 pounds. They are larger than the Savannah and Siamese cat breeds, but smaller than the Maine Coon. The fur on these cats is thick, silky and long. Male Ragdolls are larger and heavier than females. They can reach up to four years of age. Seal point Ragdoll cats can have different colors. The blue color on their eyes varies from one to another. This color is due to a mixture of genetics and environmental factors. The breed is recognized by TICA and CFA, which have specific standards. There are two main types of this breed: the mitted and the unmutated variety. Seal point Ragdolls are beautiful pets. They are adorable and intelligent. They are also very friendly and playful. While they tend to be more expensive than most cats, many people find their temperament and personality to be well worth the extra expense. Although seal point Ragdolls are a different breed, their personality and temperament are identical to those of other Ragdolls. Seal point Ragdoll cats are prone to certain health issues. As a result, it is important to find a reputable breeder to adopt a kitten. These cats can live well into their teens with proper care. Color Seal point Ragdoll cats are one of the world's smallest cats and are usually between 8 and 15 pounds. They mature slowly and can live up to 15 years. Because they are small, they are also often referred to as puppy cats. They are very affectionate and enjoy human attention and play. They can be trained to do tricks and play games like fetch. The seal point Ragdoll cat Seal point Ragdolls have dark brown fur on the tip of their tails and ears. Their coats are dilutions of brown and black, and their eyes are blue. The seal point Ragdoll's coat is seal brown, but it can be tortoiseshell or blue. These cats can also have white "mittens" on their paws. Aside from their beauty, seal point ragdoll cats have a high price tag. They can cost a few thousand dollars. However, they are very intelligent, friendly and have an impressively good temperament. Seal point ragdolls are the perfect choice for anyone who is looking for a small, sweet cat with a good temperament. Seal point Ragdoll cats can be expensive to adopt, and the initial costs for their care can run up to $355. This does not include vaccines, which can cost anywhere from $50 to $150. However, if you plan on adopting one of these kittens, you can expect recurring costs of $45-70 a month. Complications The health of your ragdoll cat can be at risk due to a number of conditions. One of these is feline infectious peritonitis, a fatal disease caused by a coronavirus that affects the immune system. Ragdolls are especially susceptible to this condition, which damages blood vessels and causes fluid buildup in the abdomen. The disease is difficult to detect using blood tests, which may not differentiate between harmful and non-harmful coronaviruses. This disease is highly common among Ragdolls, and is caused by a genetic mutation that causes the heart muscle to thicken. This leads to heart failure, poor circulation, and fluid buildup. In some cases, the condition can be detected early with ultrasound scanning of the heart. Another serious health concern in Ragdolls is obesity, which may be hereditary, but is common among these cats.

Obesity can lead to a variety of problems, including diabetes and joint problems. Proper diet and exercise can help reduce the risk of obesity in your cat. Another common problem is behavioral problems. To prevent this, ensure your ragdoll cat is socialized and has plenty of stimulation. In addition, regular vet checkups are important so you can identify early signs of behavior problems. Sudden behavior problems can also be a sign that your cat is suffering from a disease or pain. Lifespan Seal point Ragdoll cats typically live to be around 12 to 15 years old. Although their lifespans are shorter than many other types of cats, they can still lead long, healthy lives with the proper care and attention. They are also quite gentle, and do not mind children, although they are not known for being particularly affectionate. Seal point Ragdoll cats are distinguished by their coat colors. The black color is controlled by the B gene, while the brown color is controlled by the D gene. These two alleles have two different effects on the coat's pigmentation: the "B" allele turns on the dark black color of the fur, while the "D" allele dilutes the color. Seal point Ragdoll cats typically grow to be about 10 to 13 inches tall and eight to 20 pounds in weight. This makes them among the largest domesticated cats. They are larger than Siamese cats and smaller than Savannah cats. However, some Ragdolls are enormous and may even grow to be larger than a Maine Coon. They are also known for being chunky, with males usually being slightly heavier and taller than females. Seal point Ragdoll cats are not immune to common health problems. However, some breeds are more susceptible to certain diseases, and it is important to seek medical advice if you suspect your cat is suffering from a certain illness. Cost Seal Point Ragdolls are small cats with medium-length coats. They're very affectionate and make great pets. Depending on the age and gender of the cat, they can cost anywhere from $300 to $800. These cats are fairly easy to take care of and need little grooming. Seal point Ragdolls are the most popular type of Ragdoll cats. They're a popular breed and can be expensive, but they're worth it for their lovable disposition and gorgeous coats. Seal point Ragdolls aren't a distinct breed, but they do have a very distinct coloration. Seal point ragdoll kittens vary in price, depending on the breeder and the cost of veterinary care in your area. Generally, pet-grade ragdoll kittens cost $450 and up. However, a high-quality breeder will charge much more. Places to find a ragdoll If you are looking for a seal point Ragdoll cat for adoption, there are several places where you can look. These are all non-profit organizations that have a wide range of adoptable pets. These organizations partner with rescues and shelters to make the adoption process as easy as possible. Whether you're looking for a kitten or an adult cat, these organizations are a great place to start. seal point Ragdoll cat for adoption Seal point Ragdolls are often born white, but they develop colour after they are around 12 weeks old. Seal point Ragdolls will have points on their faces, and will have different colours in their eyes and coat. They are usually around three months old when purchased from a breeder. The best time to choose a kitten is when it is at least three months old. It will give you ample time to bond with the kitten before you make your decision. Ragdoll cats are gentle and sweet, and they are often shy and reserved. Their personality makes them an excellent choice for families with young children. They do well with other pets, and another pet can be a great companion. However, you will need to be prepared for their needs and be ready to do routine tasks. Seal point Ragdolls are not cheap to adopt. The initial cost of a kitten can be as high as $355, which does not include the cost of vaccines. Vaccine shots can cost anywhere from $50 to $150 for a full set.

The monthly cost can range from forty to sixty dollars per month.

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softwaresolutions2022 · 2 years

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Emerging Trends for Mobile App Development

The growing need for more functional applications has led to a huge demand for developing mobile apps, particularly among self-employed and game developers who are independent. Anyone can develop an app that will eventually become the next game, like the indie game Flappy Bird, which earned fifty thousand dollars per day, during the height of its popularity. This was a huge success for the tiny developer!

There are many aspects of developing mobile apps that the mobile app developers of today should be paying attention to. Older technologies as well as new ones that are standing in their own space and with the rapid development of new programming languages in 2021 has plenty to offer you and not just for the users but also for developers. Here's everything you need to be aware of

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will continue to expand Artificial intelligence isn't something new, but it will be utilized in an increasing variety of industries in the future. It is estimated by the International Data Corporation estimated that the AI market would be worth $ 45 billion by 2022. IDC states that worldwide expenditure on cognitive and artificial intelligence will rise to the sum of 77.6 billion by 2022!

Blockchain technology is being increasingly utilized The last few years have witnessed the growth of blockchain technology. this trend is likely to continue for coming years. The largest financial institutions as well as investors have greatly benefited of this new technology particularly in terms of their assets. Transparency Market Research estimates that the market for blockchain technology could grow to $ 20 billion in 2024. That means mobile apps are expected to be more popular in 2021 andare anticipated to increase in the end of the year.

A growing number of demand-based apps On-demand apps are those which serve as intermediaries for service suppliers and consumers. In the realm of apps, it's getting more exciting in 2021 since more and more companies are launching apps on demand in the market. Uber along with Taxify are two examples of companies which recently gained recognition, thanks to their on-demand app services. Appinventiv claims that the market for on-demand apps was worth $ 106.83 million in 2017. Analysts from the technical field are saying this will only increase in 2021 and beyond.

Chatbots Will Have A Wide Field Of Application Recent trends in mobile apps showing that chatbots could take on multiple lines of communication within the mobile app industry. The increased use bots comes from the requirement to have real-time interactions between users and the vendors. It is essential to remember that this technology obfuscates the need for human-to human interaction.

Mobile apps for supremacy is increasing Technology for mobile devices is getting more prevalent throughout the world. Statistically, there will be a rise in wearable technology that could increase to 1029 million by 2022 out of 453 million as of the year 2017. We must assume that mobile apps and devices are soon to be element of your routine.

Instant Apps must be paid for Mobile apps will keep you in mind of their memory-saving and user-friendly features. The instant apps can be described as native applications that are user-friendly, smaller , and more simple to navigate than traditional web applications. Because they are instant apps. There is no need to download. The name suggests that this app can be used without having to open the application.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Are set to be utilized more widely Virtual Reality as well as Augmented Reality will continue to remain on the market for a while and 2021 will witness an increase in the use and adoption in these technology. App development trends for mobile apps indicate the fact that AR or VR tech isn't just used to enhance the gaming experience and other apps, but can be utilized in many different applications.

Rapid Development Of the Mobile Pages (AMP) will speed up The accelerated mobile page (AMP) are an open source initiative launched by Google and Twitter to improve the performance of websites when viewed on smartphones and tablets. The technology behind accelerated mobile websites will help make it simpler and quicker to enable lighter pages to load quicker on tablets and smartphones. It is expected that mobile app developers of 2021 would be much more involved using this technology to improve the loading time of your mobile devices.

Mobile Payment Will Be Made The need for portfolios, apps techniques, and programs have risen significantly since the beginning of 2019 and is expected to continue through 2021. The methods of making an app that is mobile and portfolio, as well as the preferred smartphone users and wide range of applications for integrating payment methods are evolving with the way consumers shop. Today, each successful and well-known mobile application is expected to have at minimum 3 or 4 active kinds of payment, such as Google Pay, Bhim UPI, Amazon Pay, Paytm, PayPal, credit and debit cards, gift cards and many other mobile wallets. Additionally, the expansion of mobile payments is anticipated to begin in 2021.

IoT Opens Up New Opportunities The IoT is also known as the Internet of Things, is already established and, over the course of five years over 5 billion people will utilize IoT-related technologies, within a single The other or one. In the present, the Internet can be found in modern mobile technology, smart thermostats and smart light bulbs. dimmable lighting, etc. In the coming year, the requirements of laws governing creating mobile applications anticipate that this technology being implemented in mobile app development, and provide users with a more customized experience across different devices.

Cloud platforms will continue to expand. No surprises! From a typical consumer to a tech expert We've all heard of the advantages that cloud computing technology offers and about how it could change our lives. Cloud computing isn't just quick and easy to implement, but also affordable and affordable, but it's also ideal place to work in both big corporations as well as small scale companies. In 2021, we will see more cloud-based services and the latest technologies are expected to become increasingly built on cloud-based technology. Dropbox and other cloud storage services, such as OneDrive as well as Google Drive are only the beginning of the of the iceberg. In 2021, you will see modern, cutting-edge apps which run in the cloud and they will take up small amounts of space on the mobile phone's storage. Data-teaching will be a key feature. using an app on your phone. It can also remain prolific using your tablet or computer. It is becoming more widespread.

Mobile apps for business are gaining new life It's not a secret that more more developers are pointing towards the creation of enterprise mobile apps. One of the primary reasons for this is because these apps enable users to connect with your entire team and track the most crucial information and performance indicators. These are often required by both big and small businesses at present, to an extent.

Location-Based Wi-Fi Services Will Become A Commodity Over time Wi-Fi networks are not just for providing internet access. Internet increasingly, access points that are public are expanded to include a specific location to serve as access points. App developers should adhere to this pattern, as well as develop apps that benefit from services like Wi-Fi internet connection depending on the current location of your device.

M-Commerce will pose a significant issue Since e-commerce giants like Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, eBay are examples of highly successful m-Commerce apps the growth of the use of m-Commerce apps will likely to grow over the next few years. With a wide range of smartphones and technology like NFC and fingerprint recognition etc. as well as. When you use a mobile device for an online transaction, particularly you'll also discover that you're ready to accept that app developers are able to benefit from m-Commerce apps which can assist in providing additional functions for the customer.

Quality UX is the expectation every day Alongside looking great and feel, today's smartphone users are expecting that apps be user-friendly and provide relevant content that is best suited to their tastes and preferences. In the coming years developers must concentrate on answering customer concerns about whether their application is secure, safe and does not violate the rights of the user or rights, etc

#mobileappdevelopment #mobileapps #mobileapplications

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kim680 · 2 years

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Emerging Trends for Mobile App Development

The increasing demand for more functional apps has led to widespread interest in mobile app development, especially among the self-employed, and independent game developers. Anyone can create an app that could become the next smash hit, like, the indie game, Flappy Bird, which earned 50 thousand dollars every day, at the peak of its popularity, which led to a huge success for the small developer!

There are several areas of interest in the development of mobile applications that today's mobile app developers need to pay attention to. New technologies and old ones who are on their own feet, and with a spurt of new programming languages of 2021 has a lot in store for you, not only for consumers but also for the developers.

Here's what you need to know about it.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will continue to grow

Artificial intelligence is not a new thing, and it is going to be used in an increasing number of industries in the years to come. The International Data Corporation estimated that the AI market will reach $ 45 billion by 2022, IDC says that the worldwide spending on artificial intelligence and cognitive systems will reach $ 77.6 billion in 2022!

Blockchain technology is increasingly being used

Over the past few years have seen the development of blockchain technology, and this trend is expected to continue in the years to come. The major financial institutions and investors have benefited greatly from this technology, especially when it comes to their resources. Transparency Market Research estimates that the blockchain technology market will reach $ 20 billion by 2024. This means that mobile apps are becoming more and more in use in 2021 and, expected to increase at a later period app developers sacramento ca.

A growing number of on-demand apps

On-demand apps are the ones that act as intermediaries between service providers and customers. In the world of apps, it is becoming more interesting in 2021, as more and more providers will offer on-demand apps in the marketplace. Uber and Taxify are a few of the companies that have recently gained a lot of popularity, with on-demand app services. Appinventiv, says that the on-demand app market reached $ 106.83 million in 2017. Technical analysts are saying that this is only going to grow in 2021 and beyond.

Chatbots Will Have A Wide Field Of Application

Recent trends in mobile apps, giving you that chatbots can occupy several lines of communications in the mobile app world. Part of the increased adoption of chatbots is due to the need for real-time interaction between the customers and the suppliers. It is important to keep in mind that this technology circumvents the need for human-to-human interaction.

Gartner claims that chatbots will be responsible for 85% of all customer interactions by the end of 2021. An interesting (or worrying) prediction is that the average person begins to interact more with chatbots than with their partners.

Mobile app for supremacy, is growing

Mobile technology is becoming more widespread all around the world. Statistics predicts that the number of wearable devices will reach 1029 million in 2022, out of 453 million in 2017. We have to assume that mobile devices and apps will soon be a part of your everyday life.

It is expected that the app developer will be able to create apps for mobile devices, which are dominated by the smartwatch. 2021 promises to bring more and more mobile devices in the market, with more advanced applications and technologies, from fitness bands, watches, and Instagram apps.

Instant Apps will have to be paid

Mobile apps are sure to remind you of their user-friendly and memory-efficient features. Instant apps are native apps that are more user-friendly, smaller and easier to use than traditional web apps. This is due to using instant apps, there is no need for downloading. As the name suggests, this app can be accessed without the need to launch a specific app.

With more and more users asking for a better user experience and faster page load times, instant apps will no doubt become more and more common in 2021, to reduce or eliminate the waiting period that is required for the installation of the app.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Will be used more widely

Virtual reality and Augmented Reality will continue to stay in the market for some time, and 2021 will see more widespread adoption and proliferation of these technologies. Mobile app development trends show that AR and VR technology is not only for the improvement of the quality of the gaming and other apps, but it can also be used in several different use cases.

In 2021, you can expect to see a mobile app developer have a greater mobile experience in AR and VR, and more with compatible hardware on the market, and the party's just beginning.

Statista predicts that the global AR and VR market is expected to increase to $ 209 billion in 2022, up from $ 27 billion in 2018.

Rapid Development Of the Mobile Pages (AMP) will Speed up

The accelerated mobile pages (AMP) is an open-source initiative by Google, and Twitter, to enhance the performance of web pages on mobile devices. The technology of accelerated mobile pages will make it easier and faster to allow lightweight pages to load more quickly on smartphones and tablets. We have to assume that the mobile app developers in 2021 will be more active in the use of this technology to speed up the load time of your mobile devices.

Mobile Payment Will Be Made

As the demand for mobile apps, portfolios, programs and methods have increased significantly since 2019, this trend looks set to continue in 2021. Methods of creating a mobile app, a portfolio, preferred mobile phone users, and a variety of apps for integration of payment methods is significantly changing with the ways customers shop.

With all of the new trends in mobile applications, the spread of mobile payments and Internet-based services such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, you can pay by more such payment apps like PayPal, Bhim UPI, PhonePe, Paytm, Amazon Pay and Mobikwik.

Currently, each successful and popular mobile application should consist of at least three or four active forms of payment methods, including Google Pay, Bhim UPI, Amazon Pay, Paytm, PayPal, credit and debit cards, gift cards, and other mobile wallets. Further, the expansion of mobile payments is expected to occur in 2021.

IoT Opens Up New Opportunities

The IoT, or Internet of Things, is already well-established, and over the next five years, more than 5 billion people are expected to use IoT-related technology, in one

form or the other. Today, the Internet is available in the current mobile technologies, smart thermostats, smart light bulbs, dimmable lighting, etc.

The following year, the provisions of articles associated with the development of mobile apps, expect to see this technology soon be implemented in the mobile application development while providing a more personalized user experience across multiple devices.

Cloud platforms will continue to grow

No surprises! From an average consumer to a tech professional, they've all heard about the benefits of cloud-based technology and how it can help transform our collective lives. Today, the cloud is not only fast, easy-to-implement, and affordable, but it's also a great place for you to work for both large corporations and small scale enterprises. In 2021, there will be more cloud-based applications, and new technologies are going to be increasingly based on cloud-based technologies.

Your Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive, are just the tip of the iceberg. In 2021, we can expect to see the new, cutting-edge apps that run directly in the cloud, and they take up very little space in your mobile phone storage. Data-teaching will work

with an app on your phone, and also continue to prolific on your tablet or desktop computer, and it is now becoming more and more common.

For business mobile apps are getting a new life

It's no secret that more and more developers are leaning in the direction of the development of enterprise mobile applications. One of the main reasons for this is that these applications make it easy for you to communicate with a large team, and keep track of your important data and key performance indicators, which are almost required for both small and large businesses, now, to a certain extent.

43% of enterprise app developers are earning over $ 10,000 per month, as compared to 19% of the people involved in the development of customer-facing applications. Enterprise app stores are expected to be the next big thing, as well as more B2B interactions, and new engineers have a wealth of opportunities.

Location-Based Wi-Fi Services Will Become A Commodity

Mobile location services and Beacon technology have started to blur the boundaries between online and offline advertising, especially in the retail sector. Apple had already integrated the technology within iBeacon, and in 2016 Android followed their footsteps.

Over the years, the Wi-Fi network is not only used to provide access to the Internet, more and more public access points are also doubled down on a location for the access point. App developers need to follow this example, and the creation of apps that take advantage of services such as Wi-Fi internet access included, based on your current location.

m-Commerce will be a major challenge

As e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, eBay are examples of hugely successful m-Commerce apps, the development of the use of the m-Commerce app, can be expected to increase in the coming years. With a large number of smartphones, using technologies such as NFC, fingerprint recognition, etc., etc. Using a mobile device or a transaction, in particular, you will also find that you are ready to accept the fact that app developers can take advantage of m-Commerce applications that will be able to help provide additional functionality to the end-user.

High-quality UX will be the norm of the day

In addition to having a great look, smartphone users today expect their apps to be more intuitive and to provide more relevant content that best suits their likes and dislikes. In the upcoming periods, developers will have to focus on answering the customer's questions of whether the app is safe, secure, or too much of the user's rights, and so on.

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sarahcadiz-blog1 · 2 years

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Life Insurance Buyer’s Guide: What Type, How Much and Who Will Benefit

Steven A. Loeb, a lawyer, offers advice on how to keep life insurance beneficiaries out of probate court.

You’ve probably seen the life insurance commercials in which small children, all wide-eyed and adorable, ask questions like, “Hey, Dad, what’s life insurance?”

While these campaigns are supposed to put a small lump in your throat, most people don’t think about life insurance until they absolutely have to. That usually happens when their financial well-being becomes increasingly intertwined with someone else’s, which can come with getting married, buying a home or, the big one, bringing a child into the world.

Those happy events don’t make the task of buying life insurance any more pleasant — just more urgent.

“It is one of those things that people put off,” said Emilie R. Goldman, a financial planner in San Mateo, Calif. “Most people I talk to are pretty surprised about the amounts they need and often think because they have coverage at work, it’s enough.”

That’s hardly ever the case. So consider this a back-to-basics guide that will help sort out what you need as quickly and efficiently as possible. Buying insurance has a lot in common with ripping off a Band-Aid: You just need to do it and then get on with the business of living.

Below are answers to some of the most common questions that are likely to arise:

What type do I need? Most people are best served by a plain-vanilla term insurance policy. At least that’s what many financial planners — who are paid a fee for their advice — will recommend. As the name suggests, these policies pay a set amount if the policy owner dies within the boundaries of the term, typically somewhere between 10 years and 30 years.

Term insurance is simple, the policy features generally don’t vary greatly across providers (other than the cost), and it’s cheap compared with other types of insurance.

A healthy 30-year-old woman might pay $38 a month for a $1 million policy with a 20-year term (men pay $10 more), according to PolicyGenius, an online insurance brokerage. A 45-year-old woman might pay about $48 a month for a $500,000 policy with a 20-year term ($60 for men). Smokers can expect to pay two to three times as much.

But don’t be surprised if you find yourself sitting across the table from an insurance agent who tries to push a permanent insurance policy, like whole life or universal life insurance. Those policies generate higher commissions, so there’s that temptation for the agent.

And even if the agent truly believes in the merits of permanent insurance, which can accumulate a cash value, it is far more expensive, often costing several thousand dollars a year.

Permanent life insurance can, however, be the right choice for people who will always have a need for life insurance. They might include the parents of a child with special needs or a wealthy family who will owe estate taxes.

How much to buy? The rule of thumb tossed around most often is to buy coverage worth 10 times the policyholder’s salary. But each family’s needs will vary depending on what amount of income the family is seeking to replace and what other items family members may want, or need, to pay for.

Would you want to take time off from work if a spouse died? Pay off the mortgage (or just receive enough to continue making payments)? Pay for a portion or all of college? Are there any debts that would need to be repaid?

Matt Becker, a financial planner in Florida whose practice focuses on younger families, said working parents should buy enough insurance to replace their income for five to 20 years, depending on how old their children are and whether a spouse or partner could support the children on one income.

“For a stay-at-home parent, you should consider the cost of hiring someone else to perform all of your daily duties,” added Mr. Becker, who created a life insurance guide and a work sheet to calculate how much insurance you’ll need. The costs can add up, particularly when considering child care, buying and preparing meals, chauffeuring children around and the overall job of keeping a household running.

One policy or more? Families’ needs will probably change over time, so some individuals may consider buying policies with different expiration dates: maybe a $1 million policy with a 20-year term that gets the children through college and another $500,000 policy with a 30-year term that gets you to retirement.

That’s a strategy suggested by Mark Maurer, president of Low Load Insurance Services, which provides insurance to other fee-only advisers. “You’re layering it for different milestones,” he added.

But since it’s usually cheaper to buy term insurance in bulk, he said it wasn’t always cost-effective to buy policies in increments of less than $500,000.

Buy the policy as soon as the need arises, or even earlier. Pregnant women, particularly late in their pregnancies, may pay more because of their weight and naturally elevated cholesterol levels.

Whom to name as beneficiary? The easiest alternative for a happily married couple is to name one another as the beneficiary.

But if both parents die and a minor child is named as a contingent beneficiary, or if a single parent names a child as a beneficiary, matters can get complicated. Surrogate courts will probably get involved.

The simplest and most inexpensive way to avoid this situation is to have the policyholder’s will create a testamentary trust after the holder’s death. The trust is named as the beneficiary, providing instructions for a named trustee, said Steven A. Loeb, a lawyer with Fein, Such, Kahn & Shepard, in Parsippany, N.J.

But that’s not the only option. An individual can also create a revocable living trust, which essentially serves as a will but has the added benefit of avoiding probate, the sometimes-lengthy court- directed process to settle a will. Unlike a will, the trust remains private and doesn’t become a public record, as long as it’s properly funded.

Then there’s the bulletproof option. Parents can name an irrevocable life insurance trust as the owner and beneficiary of the policy. Not only does that protect the money from creditors (helpful for doctors subject to malpractice suits), it also removes the proceeds from the estate for tax purposes.

Life insurance proceeds aren’t subject to income taxes, but the amount is included in the deceased’s estate, said Brett J. Barthelmeh, an estate planning attorney with Squillace & Associates in Boston.

That isn’t a problem for most people, now that the federal estate tax exemption is $5.45 million (double that for married couples). And while there are states with far lower exemptions for state estate taxes — New Jersey is a mere $675,000 and Massachusetts is $1 million — many families don’t set up trusts to avoid those taxes.

Why? Assets left to a spouse are not subject to estate taxes. And the surviving spouse is likely to spend a big chunk of the insurance money anyway. But state estate taxes could become an issue, at least in certain states, if both parents died with substantial policies.

Where to buy it? It pays to shop around to see which insurer offers the best price for specific circumstances. And instead of working with a broker exclusively affiliated with a single insurer, work with an independent agent who has access to the top term insurance providers.

That’s important because some insurers may provide better pricing for people who are overweight, while others may be more competitive for policyholders, say, in their 40s and 50s. Financial planners should also have solid recommendations.

Then there’s the online route. AccuQuote is an independent brokerage that has been selling life insurance online since the Internet was in its infancy. PolicyGenius is a newer entrant with easy-to-use calculators that help determine how much you need, factoring in estimates like the cost of fully funding college.

Both AccuQuote and PolicyGenius provide quotes only from providers with strong financial ratings, generally above an A−. But consumers can check an insurer’s rating on their own through services like A.M. Best, which tracks the financial stability of insurers.

What about just buying coverage through an employer? It’s usually not a good idea.

“If you’re healthy, individually underwritten coverage is better than group,” said Byron J. Udell, founder and president of AccuQuote. That’s because employer-provided group coverage doesn’t usually require a medical exam, so workers pay a bit more to account for less healthy people in the mix. Also, employer policies are generally not portable if you switch jobs.

But the biggest mistake people with dependents can make, however, is not buying any term insurance at all.

#lifehealthadvisors #areteautomation #financialfreedom #retirementplanning

Credits: Tara Siegel Bernard

Date: February 19, 2016

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/your-money/life-insurance-buyers-guide-what-type-how-much-and-who-will-benefit.html

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blandaaen1 · 2 years

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Bulgari Perfumes

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copperbadge · 4 years

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I am not by training or inclination someone who is adept at building statistical models, but my work is data-science adjacent and I’ve been around enough wonks to understand the basics, so I set a really ambitious goal for myself last December. The goal was to build a spreadsheet that would measure any given donor or prospective donor’s inclination to give to our nonprofit, based on a model of an “ideal” donor. We could then take our database, and/or my privately built list of Very Wealthy People In Our Database, run it through the spreadsheet, and automate a process where the best people to ask for money were floated directly to the top.

It’s scary and it was a lot of programming in Excel at a level I’d never done before, and I had no idea if the way I selected and weighted data points would work, or how to do stuff like base an if-then statement on a date. I had to figure out how to account for people who’ve never given or who haven’t given much, since we don’t just want to find people who have ALREADY given us thousands of dollars -- we want to find people who CAN and haven’t yet. And then I had to test it, which just seemed...insurmountable as a task.

So I built the thing and I admired its code and I 100% did not test it for like. Two months. And my boss has been kind about the slow progress, but he has poked me occasionally, and he poked me this week, so this morning I knuckled down and tested it: I plugged 500 wealthy donors into the sheet and checked the results.

I say “this morning” even though it’s 9:45 because testing it took literally 20 minutes.

It would have taken even less time if one specific data field can be automated, but it can’t, so it was basically two minutes of cut-and-paste, fifteen minutes of doing the non-automated bit, and three minutes of adjusting the code. Fixing an issue with the dates (anything between three and six months ago was turning up a “FALSE” instead of points) took another 5 minutes once I looked at the code and realized I was missing an IF field.

This is the very fucking epitome of the Millennial mood, I know that, but I absolutely spent 25 minutes completing something I procrastinated on for two months. IF I CAN DO IT, GUYS, YOU CAN TOO! :D

#excel #motivation #fundraising

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ezatluba · 2 years

Photo

Americans adopted millions of dogs during the pandemic. Now what do we do with them?

With the country thrust into uncertainty by the omicron variant, a nation of dog lovers grapples with how to return to ‘normal life’ and care for their pandemic pups

Jacob Bogage

January 7, 2022

Americans face a moment of reckoning with their pandemic pups — and the money they spend on them.

Apollo, a black Labrador in Silver City, N.M., is complicating his owner’s moving budget with his voracious appetite. In Los Angeles, Zuri the Chihuahua mix’s surprise bee allergy has her mom fretting over more unexpected medical bills. In Sacramento, Cowboy the labradoodle’s parents are trying to train him out of his shoe-chewing separation anxiety.

With the country thrust into uncertainty by the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the millions of Americans who welcomed pets into their homes since the first shutdowns in March 2020 are facing shocks to their household budgets and logistical challenges as they try to predict the course of the pandemic and make preparations to return to work and social activities in person.

More than 23 million American households — nearly 1 in 5 nationwide — adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Even President Biden adopted a new dog, Commander.

And many dog owners have spent the pandemic pampering those pooches. Americans spent $21.4 billion on nonmedical pet products through November, plus another $28.4 billion on dog food, according to market research firm Euromonitor International. Rover, a gig-economy platform that focuses on overnight boarding and dog-sitting, reported a record $157.1 million in revenue for the quarter ending Sept. 30.

Now some puppy parents are facing as much as thousands of dollars in additional costs as they prepare to return to life in person.

With many doggy day cares and boarding centers nationwide reporting months-long waiting lists — and newly adopted pets often lacking the socialization for boarding — pandemic pet owners are appealing to families, friends and businesses to ensure their dogs are living their best lives, or at least not spending the day alone. Veterinary practices report being slammed with appointment requests. Vet emergency rooms are warning of longer wait times.

In a pandemic, these pups have made all the difference

Gig-economy dog-walking and boarding platforms Wag and Rover say they have received waves of new customers as different parts of the country emerge from social distancing. So far, Wag CEO Garrett Smallwood said, spending and memberships have followed red state/blue state lines, with Republican-leaning states more likely to open up faster. The newest customers are about 20 percent more active on Wag than customers pre-pandemic, Smallwood told The Washington Post.

“If you had your pet before the pandemic, you had a routine, you knew what you were doing,” Smallwood said. “Whereas, if you adopted your pup during the pandemic, you’re building this routine together now, and you’re learning about leaving your dog alone.”

Danielle Diaz, a county government employee in Silver City, N.M., adopted Apollo, a black Labrador retriever, as a birthday present to herself in July 2020. He was 4 weeks old and he’d been weaned too early. Diaz fed him a paste of puppy food mushed with water when she first got him home, because he wasn’t old enough to eat dry kibble.

Nearly a year and a half later, Apollo is 100 pounds. He eats 12 cups of dog food per day, a $45 40-pound bag of dog food every three weeks.

Adopting Apollo cost $80, Diaz said, an easy investment for a loyal companion. She’s spent probably thousands of dollars more on him since. Day care costs $400 a month. Between food, toys, treats and vet bills — he’s had multiple infections after eating deer and rabbit droppings in the yard — “pretty much all my money, my whole paycheck, goes to him,” Diaz said.

The additional expenses have complicated plans to save for a house with her boyfriend when Diaz finishes graduate school in a couple of years.

“I’ve never sat down and done the math, because I don’t want to know how much it is in total,” Diaz said.

Many dog owners report spending the money saved during the pandemic — from not commuting, going out to eat or taking vacations — on their pets.

Fauci is my dog

Barkbox, the subscription treat and toy service, saw membership increase by 39 percent compared with the same period a year ago, the company told The Post, and revenue increased by 130 percent between April and September compared with the same period in 2020.

Siobhan McKenna, a high school teacher in the Boston suburbs, found a day care run out of the home of a veterinary technician for her Australian shepherd, Smokey, when she returned to in-person work at the start of the 2020 school year.

Compared with other day cares with their own storefronts, this one is much cheaper, she said, but she and her boyfriend still felt they had to cut things out of their budget.

They don’t go out for date nights as much, both to practice caution during the pandemic and to save money for Smokey. McKenna and her boyfriend are cooking at home more, rather than grabbing Chipotle on a weeknight or buying lunch.

McKenna said she hopes to get a dog walker for Smokey this year on the days when her pup does not go to day care. Lately, though, she’s more interested in taking training classes with Smokey for more mental stimulation and to ease separation anxiety.

Others are easing their dogs back in to the day-care routine — and that can be costly.

Dog days

Amy Mercadante, the owner of Affectionate Pet Care, a boarding, grooming and day-care facility in Fairfax City, Va., said some regulars kept up their monthly membership payments during the pandemic, even though they weren’t bringing in their dogs, so their pups could return to a familiar routine when their humans return to work.

In Los Angeles, Janet Kim, who owns the day care Oh Hello Dog, turned her “introduction to day care” training course — basically, How To Be A Dog 101 — into a break-even business and a feeder program to build up her day-care client roster. Her new dog evaluation schedule has a four-week waiting list.

Zuri the 1-year-old Chihuahua mix’s surprise bee allergy upended owner Cheyenne Matthews-Hoffman’s budget the same week of the pup’s adoption, when she swallowed a bee in the backyard.

Within moments, Zuri’s eyes fluttered and she passed out — requiring a trip to the nearest veterinary emergency room. Matthews-Hoffman handed her seven-pound puppy to a vet and bawled, then walked to a nearby Target to buy treats and dog toys.

Zuri emerged two hours later with a healthy strut and a wagging tail. Matthews-Hoffman, a digital content creator in Los Angeles, came out with a $600 bill, which she paid in two installments because she’d already spent hundreds of dollars preparing her home for Zuri’s adoption.

“After I paid that bill, I thought, I have to find a vet that’s not that expensive,” she said. “And was this expensive because it was an emergency, or are all vet appointments like that? I didn’t do any research on how much emergency vet appointments cost. And then I had to research how to get rid of bees in your backyard.”

The lofty cost of such care is not uncommon for people who adopted pets during the pandemic, said Rebecca Axelrad, who runs the nonprofit Buddy’s Healing Paws, which raises money to help pay for emergency veterinary treatment.

Dog owners can budget costs in advance for food and toys and routine vet bills, but that’s harder for emergency medical expenses.

The voices we make when we pretend our dogs can talk

The costs can leave pet owners in an unthinkable position: scrape together the money to care for a suffering animal, or euthanize a creature many people view as part of the family.

“During the pandemic, I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me saying they got a dog or cat during the pandemic but then they lost their job, or their spouse lost their job, or money got tight,” Axelrad said.

Since August 2020, Buddy’s has disbursed more than $20,000, Axelrad said, raising it through online donor campaigns and auctions.

For Matthews-Hoffman, it means saving more. “I’ve kept the mind-set, to make me feel a little bit better, I always think she’s going to exceed however much I’m saving for her, so maybe I should save a little more,” Matthews-Hoffman said about her budget for Zuri. “You literally never know what could happen. What if she’s allergic to something else?”

Changing schedules and separation anxiety

Cowboy the labradoodle is a professional sleeper. He cuddles up to his toys while his human mom, Caroline Cirrincione, works from home outside Sacramento. He sleeps in the car on the way to and from his monthly grooming session. He squeezes in between Cirrincione and her boyfriend on the bed when they go to sleep at night.

He also chews on her shoes.

“All of my Christmas gifts this year were shoes,” Cirrincione said. “I had to do a big overhaul after he ate a few pairs.”

As Cirrincione, who works in advocacy around the California state legislature, spends more time outside the house for work, an anxious Cowboy has fallen into some destructive habits.

He’s learned how to open the closet door to access shoes. Locked in a bedroom once while Cirrincione tried to get him accustomed to being alone, he chewed a hole in the door.

“Everyone says he has the purest intentions, but he’s this massive dog with no boundaries and he chews your shoes,” Cirrincione said. “He knows when he’s done it and it’s wrong, and we’ll look at each other and he’ll look at me like, ‘I’m so sorry I did this.’”

Cirrincione and her boyfriend are experimenting with sending Cowboy to day care as they venture out of the house after getting their vaccine booster shots. They’ve found one that fits their budget but can only send Cowboy a couple of days a week. In the meantime, they’re making more of an effort to bring Cowboy with them on vacation, out to eat or when visiting with friends to cut down on his chances to gnaw on their footwear.

Caitlin Mahoney, a musician and office worker in New York, has leaned on family, neighbors and a hired dog walker for her 2-year-old Chihuahua-cattle dog mix Annie.

Mahoney is fully vaccinated and got a booster shot before Thanksgiving. She is starting to play shows again in New York and thinking about scheduling tour dates — which would probably not be compatible with a canine’s schedule.

In the new year, she is moving to Los Angeles and booking West Coast tour dates for her forthcoming album. She’s in the market for a new dog-sitter.

“It’s been a great joy,” she said, “to learn how to share Annie.”

Best friend and business inspiration

For Sekayi and Farai Fraser of North Potomac, Md., their 20-month-old black Lab, Brock, went from the center of their family’s affection — complete with a raincoat and a Christmas tracksuit that he refuses to wear — to the hub of a growing neighborhood business.

After a family friend offered Sekayi, 16, and Farai, 14, a few dollars to look after their dog for a night, the boys founded “Potomac Pooch Pals.”

They charge $35 a night to check in on a dog at another home or to bring a dog over to spend the night with Brock. The dogs end up tuckering each other out, said the boys’ mother, Mondi Kumbula-Fraser. The extra exercise means Brock needs fewer sessions at day care.

Before the emergence of the omicron variant, Sekayi and Farai were preparing for an uptick in business around Christmastime. By the start of December, they already had four reservations. Then, their booking calendar — and plans to expand their business — were scrambled by increasing infection rates. Both boys are vaccinated, but while omicron rages, taking new clients is difficult. Kumbula-Fraser is wary of other dog owners coming into their home to drop off their pups and of her sons going into others’ homes.

The boys are making plans to sign up new clients as soon as coronavirus cases in their community drop again. They’ve recruited friends from school and around the neighborhood to market their services and walk dogs, too. A cousin promised to advertise in her neighborhood.

There’s one condition, Sekayi said: The dogs must be compatible with Brock. “I don’t want to take any clients that don’t get along with priority numero uno.”

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lunarr-rrose · 3 years

Video

Feasibility and Due Diligence

https://u109893.h.reiblackbook.com/generic11/the-storage-stud/feasibility-and-due-diligence/

Feasibility and due diligence, this is one of the many facets of real estate that Fernando loves. He likes computing numbers and making analysis.

This is necessary for the sense that this will make or break your deal. Don’t ever go to a real estate business if you do not know anything about this topic.

The important thing about self-storage is as soon as you get the numbers from the seller at the same time you should also discuss the due diligence.

First, check the market. Before you even look at the property itself, before you even do the math for the income and expenses of the property, you have to check the market. Look at the market and the competitors first because in self-storage there is a supply and demand meter that could make or break your deal.

Study the supply index number in the area. This is calculated based on the amount of storage in an area divided by the population.

To learn more about the feasibility and due diligence with Fernando, continue watching this video.

Fernando O. Angelucci is Founder and President of Titan Wealth Group. He also leads the firm’s finance and acquisitions departments. Fernando Angelucci and Steven Wear founded Titan Wealth Group in 2015, and under his leadership, the firm’s revenue has grown over 100% year over year. Today,

Find out more at

https://www.TheStorageStud.com

https://titanwealthgroup.com/

Listen to our Podcast:

https://thestoragestud.podbean.com/e/feasibility-and-due-diligence/

--------------------------------------

Hello everyone! Fernando Angelucci here, Storage Stud. So, we're going to be talking today about feasibility and due diligence. This is one of the pieces of real estate that I really love. I love jumping into the numbers and doing analysis. I'm kind of a deal junkie that way. Some people are not a big fan of this, but it's super necessary and this is what's going to make or break your deal. You never want to walk into a real estate deal, not knowing anything, because that's how you can lose your shirt. So, very first thing, when it comes to self storage as soon as we get the initial numbers from a seller and they basically raised their hand, they're saying, yes, I'm willing to sell, let's do this dance. Then, we get right into the due diligence as quickly as possible.

So, the very first things that I'm going to do is I'm going to check the market. So, before I even look at the property itself, before I even look at the income and expenses of the property itself, I'm going to look at the market and the competitors, because with self storage, there is a supply and demand metric that can make or break your deal. So, the very first thing we look at is something called the supply index number or the supply and demand in the area. So, this is typically calculated based on the amount of storage in an area divided by the population. And we use trade areas. So, we won't use like a city, we'll say, okay, based off of this asset type or this asset grade. So, if it's a, let's say classy self storage facility in, let's say a suburb of a major city or an excerpt of a major city, we'll say, okay, in this five mile radius, how much square feet of storage is there net rentable?

We say net rentable square feet. And what is the population in this five mile circle? That's just an easy way to start. Some people also use drive time, as opposed to just a fixed circle, because let's say you're looking at a property in the mountains, something that's, you know, if you have a Philly here and the edge of a three mile radius is here, but what you don't realize is there is a mountain range that goes there in between, to get to this three miles, you have to drive like 45 minutes around the mountain pass to get there. That's probably not going to be one of your customers. What we've found is that 90% plus of your customers will come from a set area, a set trade area. So, let's just use the five mile example. Let's say in an area, I find that there are 100,000 square feet of self storage, and then that same trade area, there's 20,000 people.

So, using that ratio, we have what's called a five supply index number or a five net rentable square feet per capita number per population, per person. That's one caveat. And what we see is that, the national equilibrium is roughly 5.96 net rentable square feet per person. So, that's a good average baseline to start on, but that doesn't tell the whole story. So for example, if you're looking at a property in the downtown Metro area of a major population hub, like here, let's say I'm looking at a property in River North in downtown Chicago. The supply index number may be way higher. Just because just the amount of people that fit into a small square footage, or maybe if you live in downtown, you know, you're living in smaller, you know, you maybe you're in a thousand square foot apartment, as opposed to, if you lived out in a rural area where you can build a 5,000 square foot house and sit on, you know, 40 acres of land.

So, the supply index number will change depending on where you are. So, if you're in a rural area, the supply index number may go down or may even go up, depending on where you're looking and what the population is like versus how much square footage is there. So, that's a caveat to kind of take with a grain of rice. The second part of what we do in the demand study is we look at our competitors. If we call all of our competitors in that trade area, and they're all a hundred percent full, that's a good sign for us. That means that there is pent up demand in this market. Even if the supply index number is say 11, right? This is there's a deal is looking at recently where the supply index number was 11. It was in a more rural area, but every one of the competitor was at a hundred percent occupancy plus having a waiting list.

So, we will actually wait those two things. So, we put about a 30 to 40% waiting on our supply index number and then a 60 to 70% rating on the competitor analysis to see what occupancies they're at and what they're charging. So, that's the very first thing that we'll do is look at the supply index number. The second thing that we'll do is once we're calling around all these competitors, we're going to start getting their rates as well, and figuring out how much they're charging. Say, for example, you have a self storage facility, that's a hundred percent full that you're looking to purchase, but all of the facilities in the area are at 50% occupancy. And then, you find out the reason why is, because all your competitors are charging maybe $20 more than you are, or you're charging $20 less than everybody else. So, you really don't know until you've done the market rent, study to see, like, where is the street rates in this area? What are the street rates? So, you have a couple options on your hand. Do you buy this facility and raise rent until your occupancy starts dropping down? Or do you leave it where you're at because you want to stay a hundred percent full? So, these are some things to consider when you're looking at the due diligence and looking at the feasibility of a market.

The second thing, There, I guess, the third thing that we'll start looking at is the actual metrics of the facility itself. How much income are you bringing in? What are your expenses? Are there any areas where I can have the opportunity to increase the income? Maybe, I start increasing the street rates because maybe let's say we have an opposite situation. Everyone in the market is much more expensive than you, but everyone's still full and you're a hundred percent full. So, you have the ability to raise your rents up. So, that's one of the very first things we'll look at as far as adding income. Another thing we'll look at is, how many additional income streams are you creating from the self storage facility? Are you only renting boxes or renting you know, storage units or are you also selling boxes locks and moving supplies? Are you, do you have additional profit centers like printing and shipping are you renting out trucks?

So, these are all things that we look at, where can we increase our income from this property. On the flip side, then we look at our expenses and see, where can we drop expenses here? Maybe they have a manager that's getting paid way too much. You have a manager of a small facility making $80,000 a year. That's something that you can probably find a new manager that's willing to work just as hard for much less. Maybe their property taxes are super high and they've never gone to their County to contest them. So, maybe you can contest the taxes after you purchase them, or even better. What we like to do is we'll split the purchase agreement. You know, we'll say 60% of the purchase price is going towards the land and the improvements there on and 40% of this purchase price is going to be split towards goodwill and buying the business, the non-tangible assets of this real estate investment.

And that way, when the County Assessor, the tax assessor looks at the property and said, okay, well, you know, for this million dollar facility, Fernando paid $600,000 for the land and the improvements and the rest was to buy the business. So, this land and the improvements are now worth 600,000, and we're going to tax it as if that's the value. So, now you get to drop your property taxes substantially in some cases, another thing that we find a lot of savings in is insurance premiums. Usually when you're getting insurance for property insurance, for self storage, you don't want to go to your residential insurance broker that, you know, down the street, because they don't know self storage, like they know residential properties, self storage is a very low liability asset. And that's what insurance companies are worried about, is how much liability do I need to bake into my annual premium to this customer?

So, that in the chance that something happens across my entire book of clients, this is accounted for, so this is called actuarial science. So, somebody that knows storage realizes that a lot of the liability is taken off of our shoulders. The tenants have to carry their own renter's insurance. It there's no habitation. So, no one's on site, which automatically drops your insurance substantially because if no one's on site to potentially get hurt, then the chance of something happening is much lower. The insurance premium will be lower as well. And then again, you know, these are, this is concrete and steel. That's really, it, there's not much that can happen to a self storage facility aside from, you know, occasional hail or just some act of God, like a hurricane or a tornado. But again, you can buy additional coverage for these types of things.

Another area that we find a lot of efficiency is by putting in automations and software packages to help us run the facilities without as many man hours. So, say a facility before you buy it. It has two managers and a part-time manager. Let's say it's a little bit larger facility, a hundred thousand square feet, but you find that once you go in there, you can automate all the locks and all the doors. You can automate the sales process of getting somebody, a new unit, selling them a new unit to rent. They can get in and out of the property using a key pad instead of having to call a manager to open it up. And all of a sudden you realize, now you can go from two and a half people, you know, two full-time people and one part-time person down to one full-time person or even one part-time person, ideally and you know, the biggest expense in a self storage facility is going to be your labor, your man hours.

So, that's another thing that we always look at. When it comes to other parts of the due diligence in the market feasibility. You know, we're also looking at things like, is there a moratorium against parking your boat and your RV's on your property? You know, if that's the case, if the local municipality that you're buying in says, Hey, homeowners not allowed to park their RV's in their driveway overnight or on the street overnight, then that almost forces a demand for boat and RV's storage. So it might make sense to buy a property that has additional land that comes with it, or buy a property, put lease options on land, surrounding it, to then eventually buy that or transfer it to a new owner when you sell. So, that you can capitalize on the opportunity to fill that demand for people that are not allowed to park their large vehicles on or around their properties.

The next thing we do is we'll look at the condition of the property. If all of those things that I mentioned previously are good to go, then we'll start looking at the actual condition of the property. And depending on the size of the property, we may even hire a third-party consultant to do what's called a PCA or Property Condition Assessment. They're typically a civil engineer. They'll walk the property and then they'll tell us here's everything that needs to be done to the property. And they'll break it apart into a schedule, usually 10 year schedule. And they say, the second you buy the property, you have to fix all these holes. Like you have to repair the roof in a certain section. Anything that might be causing damage right now to possessions, but then they say, okay, now over the next 10 years, you need to a lot X amount percent or X amount of dollars per year to exchange or to changing doors or changing springs, to doing a new paint job or to redoing the asphalt in year three or year five.

So, it gets broken down so we can see what our true costs on this facility. Cause the cost is not what you're buying it for. It's what you're buying for. Plus all the capital expenditures that you're going to have to make to that facility, either keep it running or to get it to a state where it's allowed to be run. You know, if you're buying something that's really defunct. So, we'll go ahead. And in order that PCA for larger facilities on smaller facilities just because we all have knowledge as contractors, we have a contractor on our team. We can usually do that ourselves, but as soon as the purchase price goes over about a million bucks then we're hiring a third party consultant to do a PCA. They're pretty cheap depending on the size of the property. It's really good information to get.

I've gotten them as low as 2200, I've paid as much as 6,500 for a PCA, depending on the size of the property. Usually a lawn side that PCA we'll also make sure that we're covering our bases when it comes to environmental liability. Now, this is super important and I really want everybody to listen to this because environmental liability is a really nasty type of liability. So, to mitigate this, we'll always have an environmental assessment done by a, an environmental engineer. Usually these are called phase one, Environmental Assessments or ESS. The phase one, the environmental engineer, when they're doing their phase one, they're going to look at any potential hazardous material or anything that can be considered heavy pollution, that may affect not only the use of the land, but may even endanger people that are using the land or using the property.

So for example, somebody, a hundred years ago put up a chemical manufacturing facility and they produce really nasty stuff. Some heavy hydrocarbons, some really nasty pollution. And this was all before the EPA was formed. So, there was no standards on how to dispose of this stuff and they just put it into the ground. They just had a fire pit in the back. And anytime there was something that they couldn't use it, just go put it in the fire pit and light it on fire. And then they buried it. Well, then let's say 50 years ago, somebody bought that land and puts self storage on it. And then, you go and you buy you a non-sophisticated investor. You do not do an environmental assessment. You buy this property, not knowing of all these hazards that are all over the ground. Then all of a sudden 10 years in the, you into, you owning this property, your property manager develops some type of rare cancer.

And then they find out that that rare cancer developed because of these environmental toxins that were in the ground that you purchased, that you're not aware of, the property manager creates a lawsuit. And let's just say for the purpose of this example, they win that lawsuit. And there's a $10 million judgment against you. The way that environmental liability works is that it's non diluting and it carries through the chain of title. So, even though you are not the one that put those environmental pollutants in the ground, you are still on the hook for that $10 million because you didn't do your due diligence, but it's also a non diluting liability. So say for example, not only do you owe that $10 million, but the person that sold you the property, Oh, is that $10 million. And the person that sold him that property, was $10 million. So you gotta be very careful, when it comes to any type of environmental issues.

You're always gonna want to hire an engineer to do a phase one for any type of industrial or light industrial property, including self-storage. Cause you don't know what could have been on that land. I have actually have a good friend that this happened to him. He bought a property, he increased the value almost four times. But then, when he went to go sell, the sellers or the buyers did a phase one and it came back hot, as I would say. It came back with environmental contaminants. So not only was the bank not gonna allow their buyer to buy that property in its current condition, but it also stalled the timeline.

And now that environmental issue was discovered and now goes into a database. So it's not like, okay, I'll just get rid of this buyer and I'll go to another buyer. Now, every buyer that comes into the line to buy this property, once they pull the report, their initial phase one report, it will show up right there, right in one of the databases. And they'll say, Hey, this property is a hot property. There's nasty hydrocarbons on it. You have to clean this up. So the phase one, the engineer will look at databases. They'll look at site plans, they'll look at site maps and they'll see what the property is used for for the last hundred or so years. If something comes back hot, then they'll usually recommend to go to a phase two assessment. So, after walking the property and doing all their searches of the database, they find something that may be an issue.

They'll do a phase two, which usually requires taking samples. So, taking air samples, taking ground samples, taking water samples. And if that comes up hot, now you really got a problem because you have two options. One option is to just own the property for the rest of your life. And you're never gonna be able to either refinance it or sell it, which is not ideal. Or the second option is to clean it up and to do remediation. Typically remediation of hazardous materials is extremely expensive. You need special contractors to do that. That are licensed by the EPA to do these types of removals. You usually have to store and pay for ongoing storage of this hazardous material. You own it. So it's one of those things that I cannot stress enough if you're buying any type of property, any type of industrial light industrial commercial property, you must, must, must get an environmental assessment done on that property.

So, let's say that all comes back clean, so, okay. Okay. Let's go to the next step. So once we get to that point, then it really comes down to seeing what type of future opportunities can be had at this problem. So one of the things that we usually look at is, how can we monopolize this market? Once we have a foothold in that market, are there other facilities around us that are willing to sell? Maybe we could pay even a little bit more than what we traditionally pay, because now we have economies of scale. I can use the same manager to manage two facilities that are nearby or three facilities and four facilities. And once you get a portfolio large enough, now you can sell that portfolio as a, at a premium to what you would be able to sell the individual parts because you have big money out there chasing self storage, and they just want to write large checks cause to them doing the due diligence, it's all the same amount of time required, same amount of man hours.

They would rather stroke a $15 million check than, you know, five, $1 million checks or 10, $1 million checks. There's always a premium. It usually comes at maybe 1% discount to, or 1% premium to the cap rate. So, say you'd be able to sell these facilities typically at an 8% cap rate. Once you get over that $10 million mark, all of a sudden this portfolio is now being able to be sold that 7% cap rate or maybe six and a half percent cap rate. So those are some other things that we'll look at, when we're doing our feasibility and due diligence. Of course, we're going to need all the due diligence documents from the seller, that will allow our lender to lend on the property. So, there's going to be tax returns. These are going to be insurance statements, contracts, rent rolls verifying income, verifying expenses.

All these things are going to be standard, but so that's, without getting too far into it. Cause I've already done a video that's over an hour long on how to do self storage underwriting. Those are kind of the main things that we focus on when we're looking at purchasing a self storage facility. Is the market, you know, does the market still have demand? Are the competitors charging appropriately? Are we charging appropriately? Are the competitors full? Does the property produce solid income? Is there opportunities for us to increase that income and drop the expenses? Does the property carry any type of environmental liability or does it have any extremely deferred capital improvements that need to be made and then last but not least is the property itself, is it gonna qualify for a loan or the type of loan that we're trying to get for that property? So, let me know if you guys have any questions about that or any other topics you want me to cover, feel free to drop them in the comments below. Feel free to reach out directly through our social media or through our website. You can always go to the storagestud.com It's easy way to get in contact with me or on any social media platform. If you just type in, you know, The Storage Stud, you should be able to find me. So thanks again, guys. Talk to you soon.

#Real estate #Real Estate Investing #the storage stud #storage stud #Fernando Angelucci #self storage #alternative funds

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labyrinth-runner · 4 years

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Abby’s Original Stuff

Okay, so. Disclaimer. This is completely original stuff. (Currently untitled. Currently have like. 4 chaps written?) This is the first part. Its about 8000 words. Essentially the story is told through like first person and then there’s diary recaps in it because she’s keeping a journal.

Prologue, Somewhere in New England

“Alright, Class of 2018, turn those tassels!”

I couldn’t help the giant grin I felt spreading across my face as I stared out at my classmates from the podium. I had done it: I had finally finished law school. It had been a long, hard, and very expensive process, but I hadn’t given up. Inside I felt a mixture of happiness with a tinge of fear. Sure, I had just finished countless years of education to come out the other end, and I already had a new job at a law firm in New York City waiting for me to start at the end of the month, but I was also terrified. College is so easy compared to the real world. I had considerably less bills to pay while I was in school, and I didn’t have to worry about when my next meal would be since I had had a meal plan. Now, I would have to pay for the thousands upon thousands of dollars I had spent to receive my education on top of basic living expenses in New York City. That would be a problem for later, though. For now, I would celebrate with my classmates for what would be the last time until our reunion years from now where we’ll be showing off the successes we’ve had since law school.

I pushed any negative thoughts I had to the furthest reaches of my mind as I gripped my cap in my hands. I tossed my cap in the air, watching in soar towards the heavens along with my classmates’. In that moment, the sky was the limit and the world was my oyster.

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My eyes scanned around the light pink room, taking in the posters on the wall of boy bands since disbanded, the dozens of books on a bookshelf that had seen better days, the shelf of miscellaneous snow globes that had been collected from adventures over the years, finally settling on a small music box on top of a bureau. I looked down at the small blue box adorned with the word “Daughter”, rubbing my thumb across it fondly before flipping it up. My ears were greeted by the sound of “You Are My Sunshine” playing, having been wound up long ago but forgotten. I carefully pulled out a ring made up of gemstones of different colors. I slipped it onto my finger and closed my eyes. I could almost picture it being on the hand that originally wore it. It was an older, slightly wrinkled hand, but it was attached to my grandmother.

“Oh, if only you were here to see how far I’ve come,” I sighed before taking the ring back off. I gingerly placed it back into the music box, closing it and carefully placing it into a box. I closed the flaps and taped up the opening before turning back to look at the boxes strewn around my room.

I promptly decided that I was way too stressed at the moment and decided to head down to the kitchen for some good ole stress baking. It had been a week since I had graduated. I was busy packing my things into three separate piles: trash, storage, and New York bound. Looking around my childhood bedroom, I felt a pang of nostalgia as I carefully weighed the sentimental value of various items, deeming them worthy of finding a home in my tiny future apartment, worthy of making it into my future home, or worthy of the landfill. My parents had told me to sort through my things, my mother had insisted that they were going to turn my room into a guest room. However, I knew better than to take mom’s words to heart. I knew my dad would make sure that most of my things that were labeled as “storage” would end up in a room that would serve as a guest room, but would still closely resembled the room I knew and loved as a child. My dad is of the belief that every child, no matter how old, deserved to have a bedroom they could come back to when they visited home.

As I walked into the kitchen, I immediately preheated the oven to 350 degrees. I had no idea what I was going to bake yet, but that’s the magic number for most baked goods. I went around the kitchen opening and closing cabinets looking for maybe a bit of divine inspiration as to what to bake when I accidentally closed the fridge a little too hard, sending a piece of paper that had been tacked up with a magnet spiraling to the ground. I bent down to pick it up and smiled. It was a recipe for snickerdoodle cookies that I had left for my mom when I had first left for school. I discovered it by accident one day during the summer when I was stressed about work and was looking for something to bake, but didn’t have any of the conventional ingredients to bake with. I ended up using pancake mix to make cookies. They were so good that my mom made me write the recipe down before I left for school that fall so that she could make them for work parties.

I glanced down at the recipe, written in my very messy handwriting. It read:

Snickerdoodle Cookies (The internet may call them “Friendship Cookies” but they are wrong!)

3 cups pancake mix

2 ½ sticks of soft butter

¾ cups sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

2 eggs

dash of vanilla

cinnamon and sugar for dip mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mash up butter, molasses, and eggs in mixing bowl.

3. Pour in pancake mix, sugar, and dash of vanilla.

4. Mix together until a dough-like consistency forms.

5. Cover bowl in cling wrap or foil and chill in fridge for 30 to 45 minutes.

6. Add equal parts of cinnamon and sugar into a small cereal bowl. You can really just eyeball this.

7. Spray either your hands or a spoon with cooking spray depending on how messy you wish to get.

8. Form dough balls and then coat them in the cinnamon sugar mix from the bowl before placing them on a bake tray.

9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can stab them and they pass the toothpick test.

I nodded to myself, taking in the recipe before setting up the counter with my ingredients. It had been a while since I had stress-baked. I hadn’t done it since before my big law exam two months ago. Most people don’t like to bake when they’re stressed, because then it easily turns into stress eating, but sometimes that’s just a risk you’ve got to take. Really, stress baking is only problematic when you live by yourself and don’t have other people to also eat your baked goods when you’ve finished them. Baking, to me, was easy. It was something I could do kind of on auto pilot, but it was time consuming enough that it took my mind off whatever was worrying me. It also helps when you have music going, so I pulled my phone out and started blasting some tunes out of the speaker before starting to mix my ingredients together. My dad peeked his head into the doorway.

“Packing is going that bad?” He asked as he came in and sat down at the counter.

“It’s not that it’s going bad, per se, but it’s just a reminder of how far reaching the looming shadow of my future has become,” I responded as I folded my ingredients over and over again trying to get the right dough consistency.

“It’s not as scary as you think,” he assured me, “but, we can talk about it if you want. I’ll even break out the good scotch from the top shelf.”

“I’ll take you up on that. Let me just pop this into the fridge to set for a bit,” I replied as I pulled the aluminum foil out of a drawer. I cut a piece to fit the bowl, tucking it around the bowl’s edge before returning the rest of the foil to the drawer and popping the bowl in the fridge. My dad grabbed two glasses from the dish cabinet and the scotch from its place on the special occasion shelf. That was the shelf where we kept the fancy booze and the serving trays reserved for company. It’s also the highest shelf because I couldn’t reach it as a kid and I had a habit of breaking things on accident.

I set a timer for 35 minutes and walked around the counter to our designated dining room space. It was basically an eat-in kitchen, but since the dining room table wasn’t actually in the dining room, my mom would get mad at us for calling it that. I plopped down into a chair, taking a glass from my dad. He sat across from me, passing me the bottle of scotch after he had poured himself a drink. I only poured myself a small amount, just enough to get me through this conversation.

“So, what are you stressed about?” my dad asked in that way that parents ask their children questions even though they know the answer will be a silly one.

“I’ll be in a new city. Alone,” I sighed.

“You were at college. Alone,” my dad responded, taking a sip of his drink.

“Yeah, but that was different. College isn’t real life. College is like fake real life. It’s like a weird in-between step between adolescence and adulthood where you’re not quite a full adult, but you also can’t get away with the things you got away with as a kid either. It’s like going from a tricycle to a bicycle with training wheels,” I explained. My dad just chuckled.

“Ella, you have to take the training wheels off at some point. Sure, it’ll be a little hard to get your balance at first, but then you’ll be fine,” he said, patting my hand. I took a sip of my scotch. It burned my throat a little. I’m not sure if I actually like scotch.

“Dad,” I continued, “what if I fail?”

“You’re not going to fail. Besides, even if you do, although it’s highly improbable, you know you can always come back home. You know you’ll always have a room here.” See? I knew he wouldn’t let mom turn my room into a guest room.

“I guess you’re right,” I sighed.

“Is there anything else that’s bothering you?” he asked.

“Aside from the fact that I have too much shit?” I countered.

“Well, if you went through your stuff all those times your mother told you to back when you were younger, this wouldn’t be as hard,” he teased.

“Yeah, yeah,” I waved him off. My timer on my phone went off, so I downed the rest of my scotch and went back into the kitchen. I pulled my bowl of dough out of the fridge and started to finish my cookies so that they could be baked.

“Ella?”

“Yes?”

“I know you’re worried about your future and failing, but that’s a normal feeling. You’ve always done well, so I know you’ll do fine in New York. Don’t stress out about it too much,” he told me before placing our glasses in the sink and returning the scotch to the top shelf.

“I’ll try not to.” My dad kissed my forehead as I continued shaping my cookies.

“Do or do not, there is no try,” he said and winked at me before leaving the room. I used up all the dough and popped the baking tray into the oven, setting another timer for 15 minutes. I cleaned up all the things I had used and put them back. I used to not always do that when I was younger, and my mom would read me the riot act for it. I’ve since learned that if I can’t clean as I go while baking, that I should at least clean up everything afterwards to avoid her wrath.

I rapped my knuckles against the counter, trying to think of something to do while I waited for my cookies to bake. The kitchen was already starting to smell like cinnamon. It reminded me of the holidays. I looked over and saw my cat slinking out from the living room, stretching like he just woke up from a nap. I smirked as I slowly tiptoed over to where he was near the table before I pounced. I picked him up in my arms, rocking him back and forth as he tried to push off me.

“Hey, Mac, is that any way to treat the person who loves you,” I asked as I gently placed him down on his cat tree. He looked up at me with an indignant glare, but I just scratched his black fur behind his ear. He started purring and kneading his tree.

We’ve had Mac for years, so I can play him like a fiddle. Mac’s short for Macbeth. We were reading it while I was in high school when we adopted him. Dad worked in a theatre, though, and saying Macbeth is considered unlucky, so we shortened it to Mac. I’ve seen him high on catnip, though, so I can confirm that he is just as ruthless when he wants something as the Shakespearean character. I’ve got the scars to prove it. I know he didn’t mean it, though. You can’t hold a cat accountable for his actions when he’s high on catnip.

“Are you going to miss me, buddy?” I asked as I kneeled down to be eye level with him. I tilted my head forward and he bumped his forehead against mine. I read somewhere that that is the equivalent of a cat kiss. Or at least, I like to think it is.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I smiled, “I’ll miss you too. I’ll even miss having to constantly buy lint rollers to get your fur off my clothes.” He always had a way of sitting on my white shirts, which wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that he’s a black cat that sheds a lot. Mac looked up at me and blinked. It was almost as if he knew I had kind of insulted him, but also, he’s a cat.

I went back into the kitchen to check my cookies. My timer hadn’t even gone off yet, but I had made them smaller than normal so they were already done. I pulled them out of the oven and left them on the counter to cool. Although, I couldn’t help picking one up and eating it. I had to make sure they came out okay, after all. It burned a little bit, but it tasted amazing. I shot a thumbs up at Mac and went back up to my room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a bit of energy, I started packing again. I was getting into the zone, which is hard to do when you’re packing. It’s almost like when you’re trying to clean your room, but keep getting distracted by all the cool stuff you forgot you had accumulated over the years. That’s what packings like, except it’s worse, because they you have to evaluate whether or not that item is worth keeping, whereas with cleaning you just have to find another drawer to shove it into and forget about it until the next time you clean. I went on this way for quite some time until a knock at the door pulled me from my task.

I smiled, knowing the familiar sound of the Shave and a Haircut rhythm as the calling card of my grandpa. He had always used that knock since he moved in with us when I was a kid.

“Come in, Gramps,” I called out as I finished taping up the box I had just filled.

“How’s the packing going, sweet pea?” He asked as he peeked his head around the door. His slippers finally passed through the doorway. He was in his flannel shirt and a pair of jeans, probably just coming back from a trip out to the river to read. He entered and handed me a hot cup of tea, “I figured you could use a pick-me-up.”

“Thanks,” I replied as I took the mug from him and sat down on my bed, “and it’s going pretty good. I’ll hopefully be done by the end of the week. I guess I overestimated how much time it would take to pack things up since I don’t leave for New York until two weeks from Saturday.”

“Well, that works out perfectly!” he beamed as he sat down on the bed next to me.

I crinkled my nose in confusion, “Perfectly for what?”

“For your trip!”

“Grandpa, I’m not taking a trip,” I told him slowly. I know people can become a little forgetful when they get older, but I had hoped we had a few more years before Gramps started going senile. I guess I was wrong.

“Don’t speak to me like I’ve got Alzheimer’s. I know what I’m saying kiddo,” he said as he patted my leg.

Alright, I’ll admit I was intrigued. I decided to bite. “I don’t understand, Gramps. What trip?”

I watched as he reached into the front pocket of his flannel shirt and produced a folded envelope. He handed it to me with a cat-ate-the-canary grin. “This trip.”

I took the envelope from his hands, skeptically looking over at him as I opened it. He definitely looked proud of himself. As I looked down and pulled out the printed sheet of paper, I knew why. It was the confirmation information for a two-week cruise.

I gasped, “Grandpa, you didn’t! But why? And more importantly, how? You don’t even know how to work a laptop when you want to find the stores for your hobby models.”

He shrugged, “I just figured that while most people take breaks and go places during the school year or during the summer, you never did that. A vacation is long overdue. Plus, you should start your new job feeling refreshed and rearing to go. You can’t give ‘em hell if you feel like hell.” Then he smiled at me, “as far as the actual logistics behind how I got the ticket, I had your dad look it up.”

I smiled at the prospect of another family vacation. It had been years since we had all done something together. “This will be so much fun! How are we splitting up the cabins?”

“There’s no need to split up anything when it’s just you.”

I paused, looking down at the confirmation paper in my hand. It just had me listed as a passenger. “You guys aren’t going?”

“Not this time. It’s time you did something for yourself and have your own adventures. You know, get some stories to talk about at the water bubbler during breaks,” he smiled, “and on a two-week trip around the Caribbean, that should be no problem. Your dad even helped me find a ship that has studio cabins, so you’ll have it all to yourself. You even get access to a special lounge for other solo travelers. Knowing you, you’ll easily make friends with some of them.”

I was in shock. “Gramps, I don’t know what to say. Thank you!” I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

I felt him pat my back as he hugged me, “We’re so proud of you. You deserve a break, sweet pea. It’s long overdue.”

I pulled back and put the ticket on my nightstand so that it wouldn’t get lost in the mess of my packing.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it,” he sighed as he pushed himself up off the bed. He reached the door and turned back to me, “Oh, and your Ma wanted me to tell you that dinner should be ready by five.”

I nodded to him and he left. I scooted myself back so I could lean against my headboard. I took a sip of my tea and surveyed the room before letting out a sigh. It looked so bare. If I closed my eyes, I could see myself as a teen struggling through some mundane high school drama or as a small child in the corner of the room playing with my old dollhouse. Where had the time gone? Sure, I was antsy to move out and start living my life, but I felt like I was a tight-rope walker who had been taught enough that I would be expected to do the tricks without a safety net now. What would happen if I fell? I shook my head and took another sip of tea before placing the mug on the table next to my ticket. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at the slip of paper. That was enough motivation to finish packing in a record time if I kept up this pace. I turned back to my room, sliding off my bed and picking up another box. I assembled it, taping up the edges before placing more of my memories inside it. I pulled out the marker and labeled it “NYC.” My movements were almost mechanistic as the time ticked on until it was time for dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I slid into my chair at the table after setting the table for my mom. I didn’t set the table that often, but knowing I would be leaving home in a couple weeks made me want to try to help out more. Part of me knew that I would miss them like crazy, which is silly considering I had just spent the past couple years apart from them at school. Moving away was basically the same thing, but it just felt different. I figured that I should try to memorize everything about my parents, even the small things. Those are the things we usually forget about people. I didn’t want to do that.

My mom placed the Dutch oven on a pot holder and lifted the lid. We were having stew that night, which for most people would be considered too hot to eat in the middle of May, but it had been a chilly, rainy spring day. In other words, it was the perfect day for a nice warm stew. I’d also like to take this moment point out that there is a difference between soup and stew. Soup is for cold, snowy days in winter, or for when you’re sick. Stew is for those wet and rainy days in spring and fall. You know the days, they’re the days where it’s not quite freezing outside, but it’s cold enough that if you stayed out long enough, a chill would probably settle deep into your bones. They’re the days where I like to watch the raindrops slide down the window from my spot on the couch where I’m wrapped up in a blanket, sipping tea, and reading a book. In fact, that was my plan for what I was going to do after dinner was over, but I still had to get through my meal first.

I dipped my spoon into my stew and lifted it to my mouth, but I put it back down before I could even take a bite. Everyone was looking at me expectantly.

“What?” I asked, bewildered.

“Are you excited?” My mom beamed at me as she tucked her brown hair behind her ear. It was beginning to fall out of her hairclip. She always put it up when she was cooking.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice to get away and relax before jumping into my new job,” I nodded. If I were to be honest, I still hadn’t given it much thought after the initial excitement had worn off. I was too overwhelmed by packing everything. That isn’t to say that I was ungrateful for the gift. I had just forgot about it for a little bit.

“I would love to go on a cruise, but you know how I get on boats,” my mom sighed.

“Oh, I know,” I said as I went to go pick up my spoon again. She gets very seasick. The last time we went on a boat trip together, she refused to go above deck. Apparently the seasickness gets worse if she actually looks at the water moving.

“Have you thought about what you wanted to do on the trip? The cruise has quite a bit of shore excursions you can sign up for. I can show you the website after dinner,” my dad chimed in. He carefully took his glasses off before he started to eat. Even with just having the bowl sitting near him, it was hot enough to fog up his glasses. I smiled at the small gesture.

“I hadn’t even thought of that,” I admitted. I had been too busy packing up my life and thinking about how much I was going to miss my parents that I didn’t even think about the things I would be doing on the cruise.

“They have all sorts of things at each port. You can still get off the ship even if you aren’t going on an excursion though,” my dad informed me.

“Tell her about the manatees, John,” my grandpa told him.

“MANATEES?” I exclaimed. Manatees are one of my favorite animals. A lot of people thought that was weird growing up, because basically they’re just knock-off mermaids, but I always thought they were cute. They’re these big sea cows and I am so happy that they are no longer as endangered as they once were.

“Oh, yeah. Your grandpa and I were looking at that. It’s one of the excursions in Florida, you can go swim with the manatees,” my dad nodded as he took another bit of his stew.

I couldn’t help it, I squealed. “Sign me up!”

“I have to tell you, though. There’s a catch to this cruise,” my mother told me as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. I sighed. There’s always a catch.

“What is it?” I asked, feeling a bit deflated. I probably had to host holidays at my new apartment for the next ten years or something like that.

My mom got up from her chair and went over to the closet. She came back with a little gift bag and handed it to me. Ignoring the inner child in me that wanted to tear through the tissue paper, I gently removed it and took a peek inside. Sitting in the bag were two books. I pulled them out and put the bag on the floor so I could take a closer look at them.

“A photo album and a journal?” I asked, tilting my head as I looked them over. They were pretty cute. The journal had the phrase “adventure is out there” written over a picture of the globe. I could dig it. The photo album was fairly plain in comparison, with only a leather spine and a navy cover.

“I want you to document your adventures. You start work soon, and I know how you throw yourself into your work. I figured that if you ever get super stressed, you can pull this out and remember a time where you weren’t,” my mom shrugged. It was a thoughtful gesture.

“Do I have to take the photo album with me on the cruise, or would it be okay with you if I just packed it for New York and put it together afterwards?” I asked. I wouldn’t have a use for it while on the boat since I wouldn’t be getting the pictures developed until later anyways.

My mom tapped her chin in thought before rolling her eyes, “I guess that would be okay.” She smiled at me before looking over at my dad and grandpa, “Does anyone want seconds? Or do you just want desert?”

“Helen, I know I didn’t raise you, but I think that I’ve lived with you and John long enough that you should know the answer to that question by now,” Gramps said, giving her a look.

“Alright, Dad, I’ll go get the cookies that Ella made earlier,” my mom nodded.

“Is Mom’s stew not good enough for ya, Gramps?” I teased.

“No, it was really good, but I want to sample some of my granddaughter’s baking before she moves away and I don’t get to have them for a while,” he laughed.

“Nice save,” I said, gently elbowing him. I was going to miss this. The witty banter and jokes. All I’d have to look forward to at home in New York would be streaming websites to watch movies on after work. Maybe I’d get a pet. I’d always wanted a rabbit.

My mom returned with a plate of my cookies and placed them on the table. Everyone seemed to enjoy them. To be fair, they were really good. They basically melted in your mouth, but left you with a nostalgic after taste. Maybe I was just biased because I made them and snickerdoodles were my favorite cookie, but I thought they were great.

“How’s the packing going?” Gramps asked.

“Well enough. I should be finished in a day or two,” I said after giving it a quick thought.

“That’s good. Don’t forget to start packing for your cruise now, too. You don’t want to pack all your clothes just to have to unpack them to pack for your cruise,” my mom pointed out. She made a good point.

“I’ll start that tomorrow. Can we look at the shore excursions?” I asked my dad.

“Sure, let me just bring up the website,” my dad said as he went into the other room and came back with his laptop.

We spent an hour or two looking over the different shore excursions as well as what was offered to tourists at the various destinations that the cruise ship didn’t have as an excursion and it helped me narrow down what I wanted to do a lot. The manatees were a must, and there were some other cool excursions to beaches and historical sites that I decided to add onto my trip as well. It was shaping up to be really cool.

Eventually, I started to get tired and said goodnight to my family before heading back up to my room. I had to move some boxes around, dropping my new photo album into one of the ones labeled “NYC.” Then, I pulled out the travel journal my mom had given me. I knew I technically wasn’t on my trip yet, but I felt as though finding out about it really marked the start of my trip, and that was just as important as the stuff that I did on the ship as well. I changed into my pajamas, and crawled into bed. I turned on the light on my nightstand and decided to write my first entry.

May 20th

Today my mom gave me this journal so that I could chronicle my adventures at sea. She wants me to be able to look back on them whenever I get stressed from work. It’s a pretty good idea, so I decided to do it. I’m not currently on the cruise. The cruise sets sail this Saturday, but I decided to document the events that led up to my journey as well as the actual journey itself, because I think they’re important. Plus, it’s been a while since I journaled and I forgot how cathartic it is. I really should get back into it, especially with how stressed I’ll probably be at my new job. I can’t constantly stress bake a batch of cookies. If I did, then at the rate that I’ll be baking I might as well just give up my dream of being a lawyer and just open up my own bakery. It’s either that or end up as a contestant on the biggest loser from all the cookies I’ll have eaten. Is that show even still on? Who knows. I’m not even really stressed about the job. I’m more so just stressed that I’ll mess up and end up having to move back home. That would be so embarrassing, not to mention my parents will probably be pretty disappointed. They would never say that to my face, though. I really just want them to be proud of me. That’s part of the reason I became a lawyer. It was something that they could brag about to their friends and coworkers. I mean, sure, I love the law, but I love seeing my parents happy more. Wow, this got deep for a journal entry about receiving a cruise ticket from my Grandpa. Dear old Gramps… my mom always used to say that my dad was my favorite family member whenever she and I used to go at it during my teenage years, but it’s really my Grandpa. He’s my hero. Not just because he bought me those tickets. That’s just the kind of stuff he does, though. He just wants to make his family happy. I can’t wait to go on this cruise! I just have to start packing tomorrow.

WHAT TO PACK:

-bathing suit (Duh)

-Flip flops (best shoe known to man)

-cocktail dress(es?)

-heels to go with the dress (beauty is pain)

-Those strappy wedges I bought a couple years back

-Tank tops

-Flowy shirts

-Bottoms

-Maybe a light button down

-Sundresses?

-Sneakers (For exploring)

-Sunscreen

-Umbrella (Be prepared)

-Sweater

-Jacket

-Toiletries (INCLUDING TOOTHBRUSH. No repeats of freshmen orientation)

-Underwear, bras, socks

-Pajamas

-Floppy sunhat. (It’s the Bahamas. Everyone needs a floppy sunhat)

-THIS JOURNAL

I’m definitely going to need to use the big suitcase…

-E

My days passed by in a blur until it was the day to leave for New York. My parents had offered to drive me to the docks so I wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with my car while I was gone. I really appreciated it. The plan was to move my things into my apartment, unpack enough that it’s functional for when I come back, spend the night and then drive to the ship in the morning. My parents were packing an air mattress so they could crash on the floor of my living room for the night. I was currently driving my car down the highway into New York, singing along to the music I listen to when no one’s around while my parents followed closely behind in their car. I was kind of shocked that most of my things fit into our two cars, but it helped that I was able to buy most of my furniture online and have it delivered later once we arrived. If it did get there before we do, then my landlord said he’d let them into my apartment. My bases were covered.

It was that confident feeling of having everything in place for once that made me crank up the volume on my radio. I could feel the bass course through my veins as I held onto the steering wheel. I have a weird obsession with early 2000s punk music and movie soundtracks. Really, my music taste is all over the place and there’s no in between. I was almost driving as fast as the beat of the song when we hit the infamous New York traffic. If I wanted to listen to something that went as slow as I did once we hit that, I’d probably listen to Largo, but who wants that? I opened my window and leaned my arm against the door. At least it was nice out. It was sunny and warm, but not hot. There was a nice cross breeze. I went to breathe in deeply, thinking it would be like the nice ocean breeze from back home. I was wrong. It smelled like sewer and pollution. I don’t think I could close my window fast enough. When I had gone apartment hunting, I had taken the train and almost went directly to Queens, so I hadn’t experienced the rich aroma of the part of the city I was currently trapped in. Then again, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for this moment. I felt like a tourist in this city that was going to be my new home. I looked at the estimated time of arrival on my phone’s GPS. Apparently we were only a couple of blocks away, yet it would take us another thirty minutes to get there at this rate and with the way the city is laid out. I just hoped my parents were doing okay in their car. My dad wasn’t exactly the most patient driver.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually we made it to my apartment building on 37th avenue in Murray Hill, Queens. I parked my car on the side of the street before getting out to stretch. It wasn’t like I had been in the car for a super long time, but it had been long enough to cause some discomfort. My parents pulled up behind me shortly after. They got out and looked around the courtyard that marked the entrance.

“Not bad,” my mom nodded.

“For New York,” my dad added, “remember, there’s no shame in moving back home.”

“John! Be nice,” my mother hissed.

“I am, Helen. Ella knows I’m just kidding,” he said defensively.

I rolled my eyes and popped the trunk of my car to grab a box. “I don’t think my furniture is here yet, but I figured we could take a box or two in on the first trip and check,” I told them.

“Alright, honey. Just tell us where you want things to go when we get in,” my mom said.

I balanced my box on my hip as I shut my trunk before heading to the building. The landlord had given me the keys when I signed my lease last month, so I dug them out of my purse and opened the door for my parents.

“It’s not a penthouse suite, but I like it,” I shrugged as we walked through the front door. I put my box down against the wall and turned to see my parents’ reaction. My dad was looking around and nodding appreciatively, while my mother was craning her neck to see into the different doorways.

“As you can see, it’s fairly spacious for New York. I know you both thought I would be living in a broom closet under a set of stairs. This is the living room and possible dining room if I ever feel like buying a table. The kitchen is the first door to the right, the door straight ahead is my bedroom, and the bathroom is the second door on the right,” I explained as I pointed out the appropriate doorways.

“It’s cute,” my mom said. She then went to go put the box she was carrying into the kitchen.

“Well, I went through and labeled all the boxes with their appropriate room destinations. Go team!” I laughed as I went back out to my car to get some more boxes. On my way back, the men with my furniture showed up and started unloading their cargo. My dad took over directing them while my mom started unpacking my kitchen items for me. It kind of reminded me of when I first moved into college. All of my roommates had taken hours to unpack their things, but it had taken me two hours with the help of my parents. I had the same expectations for today’s move. We Manchesters know how to get things done efficiently and we work together really well. That’s probably something that I’ll miss the most when my parents go home. I couldn’t help the small nostalgic smile that crept across my face as I placed the box I was carrying in the bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took about five hours to get the furniture in place and put back together. While my dad worked on putting things together, my mom and I unpacked the various rooms. I finished unpacking my closet and went to check in on my mom in the kitchen.

“How are thing’s going?” I asked. My mom closed the cabinet she just finished filling and broke down a card board box.

“Well, your kitchen is set up. Your father is currently testing out the couch to make sure it was put together properly when he should be unpacking your living room boxes,” she smirked.

“To be fair, Mom, he did help put together a lot of furniture. He can take a break. I can unpack my movies and books,” I told her as I walked towards the boxes next to the entertainment center.

“How’s your bedroom looking?” my dad asked from the couch.

“Pretty good. I have the sheets on my bed, my clothes are away. The only thing I have left to do is hang up some art, but my arms didn’t feel like going above my shoulders anymore, so I figured I’d come out here. At least I can sit on the floor to unpack this,” I smiled.

“If I’m being honest, I was a little worried about what your apartment was going to look like since you refused to show us photos, but it looks great. With all your stuff in here it feels really home-y,” he replied,

“As home-y as you can get without actually being home,” my mom added as she sat down next to my dad.

“So, I was thinking pizza for dinner?” my dad offered.

“Sounds good. There’s a pizza parlor down the street. Do you guys want to eat there or do you want to order in and watch a movie?” I asked.

“We can order in. It’ll be our last meal together for a while. I’d rather spend it together in your new home. We should set up the air mattress soon, though. Just in case the walls are thin. I’d rather not blow it up in the middle of the night and risk irritating your neighbors,” my mom reasoned.

I nodded in response, unpacking the last of my box. I walked into my room to retrieve my phone from my bed. I ordered us a large pizza and a regular salad. Then, I grabbed the air mattress from my closet and dragged it out into my living room.

“I don’t think I have the sheets that fit this, so you might just have to sleep with a comforter,” I told my parents as I set it up.

“That’s okay. Your father is essentially a human heater, anyway. I don’t need anything that will make me more hot when I’m trying to sleep,” my mom chuckled.

“What movie do you guys want to watch?” I asked, thumbing through my options.

“Pick a classic one that we all like,” my mom replied. I smiled, slowly pulling out Kiki’s Delivery Service from my collection. We always watched this movie when I was a kid. Somehow it always made me feel better no matter how bad of a day I had had. It seemed fitting to watch it together now.

“Oh, that’s my favorite!” My mom smiled.

Eventually, dinner arrived and we settled in to watch the movie. Afterwards, we all got ready for bed. It had been a long day, but I still wanted to write something in my travel journal before sleep claimed me.

Dear Journal,

Today was the day of the big move. It didn’t seem as big once I got home. I think it took us about six hours to get everything into my little apartment. It’s hard to believe that this will be the last time my parents and I are under the same roof for a while. It’s also hard to believe that this is my own apartment! I feel like such an adult. Although, saying that you feel like an adult makes you seem like not actually an adult. It’s crazy to think that my trip is tomorrow. I honestly don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling at the moment. I’m excited for all the new adventures I’m embarking on, but I’m also sad for the things I’m leaving behind. I just have to keep telling myself that when one chapter ends, another begins, and that a chapter ending does not necessarily mean a bad thing. Sure, this is a major life change, and sure this feels like taking the training wheels off of a bike and then immediately getting pushed down a hill… wait, where was I going with this? It’s been a long day, journal. Don’t judge me. I should go to bed now since we have to get up kind of early. The dock isn’t too far from here, but New York traffic is notorious, and my parents want to get breakfast before we leave at this little café across the street. The next time we talk I’ll be on a ship heading into the great unknown… well, not really unknown. We have an itinerary, but, you know what I mean, don’t you? See you tomorrow!

-E

#original story #Abby's work #Working Title

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