#not great for productivity but i was less lonely while doing the thing

[mistykaru]

i couldn’t make up my mind for who would be who for this meme but this is what i thought of first therefore

#andreil #aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #comic #i was going through my twitter likes and re found this meme again and remembered i wanted to do it for them lol #the main reason i had neil think of the nom is bc as . a fellow ace smooches would not be the first thing i think of #guesssss what time it is #(: #that's an upside down smiley it's 3:30am #i finished this earlier but i was doing another picture and mostly chatting tbh bc i streAmed #not great for productivity but i was less lonely while doing the thing #my art #i think my art tag is wrong bc i used to not have a space and then i added a space #so now on my actual blog it is Not Correct #i'll fix it one day #idk if i wanna post this to instagram lol it feels a bit too doodly but we'll see how i feel tomorrow

[rin-and-jade]

Is This (Truly) My Reflection..? : A Post on Imposter Syndrome [Master Guide]

" Did well on a test? Must be luck. They think im smart? Man, i must've tricked them because im not. My condition is bad? Well it could be even worser than this. Im struggling? Must be a minor thing, plus everyone struggles worser right..? "

If these words hits close to home, take a moment to look in the mirror. What do you notice? Maybe you fear lots of things, having horrible self-esteem, or being a perfectionist and overthinking everything?

Fear not! They're just blotches obscuring your true reflection, let's finally clean your mirror, shall we? So let's get on with the post;

How did go dusty?

Materialistically speaking, we all know that objects also need regular maintenance to keep it's best quality and lifetime,, mirrors are one of them, especially glasses because magical smudges spawns in once in a while, pretty annoying to see with when things are not clear isn't it?

I think the imposter image also clouds you the same way, it doesn't change the facts, but it does change the way you perceive them.

But, how did they spawn in your vision? It doesn't just pop out, maybe we didn't see it coming when it's small, dust and smears are more visible when they cluster together. What this means is how criticism, out-of-reach demands, and unrealistic expectations you hear most often gets accumulated, slowly obscuring you. Make sense right?

Since the things you hear the most echoes through your chamber harder than the less frequent ones, and that nobody hear's the same thing/words automatically means there are different forms of this syndrome's manifestation, i'll list them down: (bare in mind this is read in a pov of talking to oneself)

Perfectionist - "It all has to be right" You must do it perfect, everything must go smooth, if it doesn't go like how you planned you could've done better in many ways because why can't you see it coming before? That's impossible and unforgivable, there's no toleration for mistakes. Makes you look like you're not as good enough as others.

Expert - "Until then, i may be competent" There's a lot to master or learn, only then you can call yourself worthy of a title. Because the greatest ones must know everything, they don't have any weaknesses--since that's what an expert is! What are you, who learnt most things it has to give, but still missing a lot of little gaps? Once it is all flawless and understood you can call yourself that.

Natural Genius - "I am great, as long i can wing it" Everything must be an easy feat, you must be able to do things right on first try, if not, you might be no other than an average person. Geniuses are fast learning--and they can do everything right where people least expect it. Only then you can truly be smart or intelligent, wrong deductions are associated with less bright people! So if you just make one mistake out of anything, You are just the same as them, you don't have such talent!!

Lone wolf - "It's not real effort if it's intervened" A status or level means nothing if someone helps you, because thats cheating! You should start from scratch like everyone else, asking for help will equate to not being competent or worthy. You will never be able to asses your competence or abilities if it was assisted by someone else, you need to prove being worthy by doing it all yourself!

Hardest Worker - "I should perform as the best" Only if you work the most, the hardest, diligently and with no rest, is only when you can settle down and claim your achievements. What are you if you are not as special? You are nothing but a fraud if you're not the hardest working person ever, you also don't deserve to take a break until you reach to a higher level than others! You are nothing if you are not productive, or didn't achieve any amazing outcome.

Each types has its own fixations and areas where self-doubt comes around, you might even be a mix of these 5 (pick the dominant one if can), the manifestations are endless. Note that the main theme it all has are fear of being fake/inadequate and, or causing extreme doubt, one way or another.

If you need more assurance, i have prepared links for two short quizzes to figure out if you are showing signs of the imposter syndrome! They're already tested by me, so give these two a try.

How should i clean it??

Good question, but before that, i want to mention that this inner critic is a common automatic second voice where it's created in a place of potential abuse or mistreatment for many kinds of victims. Just like how you wipe your stuffs clean can go dirty in a few days despite leaving it be, this is the same. But the more you take care of your glass, the harder the specks will stick on it. That's our goal right there: Make the critics bother you less and more weak the more we deflect them.

Now to the main point, its a tough one here, because depending on what type you have, has it's own root of cause that needs to be tackled accordingly. This post is how to specifically tackle the sense of fraud in being a system, but you can apply this to any other general things the syndrome is causing you problems at.

--

Dear Perfectionist, here's how you can clean your mirror:

Understand that CDDs have no 'right' way of how it'll present the symptoms to you. Like, for someone to have a cold who have a sore throat for the early onset, while you're having runny nose,, does not mean you are the odd one out for not being the same as other's manifestation.

Nothing is constant, or the same, in frequency or intensity. You don't have to suffer 24/7 to finally accept you have a CDD or anything else. Just like for those with chronic pain, who doesn't experience pain for a day, does not mean they are cured of, or not having it. One minute of feeling okay still can happen to those with illnesses.

Perfectionism seeks outward assurance to fit whatever it finds 'right' or it's prime example as reference, which is the opposite of what you truly need: Acceptance. Comparison can be helpful, but oftentimes it causes counterproductive results. Your experiences are already real and it uniquely belongs to you, no amount of external validation will fill you, accept as how you are.

--

Dear Expert, here's how you can clean your mirror:

Having CDD means having a very covert disorder, it is not that you're a fraud for not knowing, or have proof of what caused you to be one, or know every parts and places in the innerworld, or need a perfect book filled with documentation on anything you can find. You do not need to 'master' or understand how your disorder truly works in order to feel like you have it--because guess what, you do have despite it, buddy.

You cannot rush things! Take things slow and steady, a microwaved meal may not taste good but it sure gets served in a mere minute, but gourmet are made from long and tedious work that trusts the process instead of the final result. Many systems rush to develop a better communication without fully learning what type of communication they have, like communicating with vibes instead of the stereotypical type for example.

Nobody ever figure things out by a 100%, so ease back and embrace uncertainty and the unknown. If the greatest researchers still can't make sense of how our galaxy works, then you should not be guilty or feel incompetent for not being able to figure it out, we are not perfect ofcourse, there are limitations to what we can know of our CDD.

--

Dear Natural Genius, here's how you can clean your mirror:

Having a disorder does not mean you immediately know what it does, will do, or how it'll turn out. Never feel bad about learning from scratch, you also don't have to get things right first try because it might be a new topic you're unfamiliar with. If you once think you have DID, but turns out to be Polyfragmented the longer you learn and research, it is a very natural thing to experience as CDD's have many similarities between each other.

You can't keep relying on being unprepared, but expect to do it perfect. It is not a negative thing to always recap, or learn it again, and whenever you do get things wrong, it is a valuable information to learn from, it's not your enemy. The lightbulb isn't invented at first try, but after hundreds and thousands of tries, and the worth still never gets devalued.

--

Dear Lone Wolf, here's how you can clean your mirror:

It is never cheating to ask for help, or get insight from another person. It never means you are not competent if you need some external help, rather like how you cannot see crumbs in your face until someone points it out. One can do an okay amount of progress, but if with many, it can progress even better and faster.

You must dismantle whatever makes you think of this way, things like hyper-independence are caused by a deeper root, you must delve and explore why are you only deemed worth, or feel okay, if you do everything yourself. We grow better when we surround ourselves with many other things.

--

Dear Hardest Worker, here's how you can clean your mirror:

healing is a journey, i understand that you want to get over with the whole CDD's symptoms and it's problems and start getting into final fusion/functional system, that the fluctuation with everyday's progress may frustrate you, but everyday doesn't have to be succeeding something or have an eureka, progress is never linear. You will still get there one day, don't fret on it too much okay?

Worries may not leave you alone fully, and just so you know, your worth or validation isn't tied with productivity. Whatever guilt or doubt you have that is causing this, i hope you can incorporate more self-compassion. For the alter with role jobs, you all deserve to have a break and have fun outside of those jobs, and rely with other parts for help. You're doing enough.

Why does it happen? Where's the takeaway?

Well, imposter syndrome relies on many biases/distortions and possible fallacies, i'll tell you some in hopes of helping you get out of its grip better than your previous attempts after learning the awful trick of theirs:

Confirmation bias: When you take a part of a fact to confirm your current image of you have, whilst downplaying contradicting and or disregarding other pov to maintain it.

Mental filter: Fixated on the negative aspects or flaws while missing out on the bigger picture or contextual information it has. Leading to false judgement of one's situation/ability.

Overgeneralization: Where a person assumes an experience from one event will apply to another different event. Or base an answer from a limited evidence or current failures. For example, interpreting a single mistake or setback as evidence that they are incompetent or unworthy, despite having a track record of success in other areas.

False consensus bias: Believing that others share the same negative opinions or doubts about oneself, even when there is little evidence to support this assumption. For example, one may believe that everyone in their workplace or academic environment is highly competent and confident, leading them to feel even more out of place and undeserving.

Fundamental attribution error: Where one underemphasize situational and environmental factors for the behavior of itself/someone else while overemphasizing dispositional or personality factors. For example, people who cut lines in traffic is a jerk, but if you cut traffic it's because there's something important. The pure opposite can be true in this specific example: Sarah receives praise from her supervisor for completing a project ahead of schedule and with excellent quality. However, instead of attributing her success to hard work, skills, and knowledge, she discounts the positive feedback by attributing the outcome to external factors. Saying "I just got lucky this time," or "My team members helped me a lot, so it wasn't all my effort." instead.

--

So there a hecking ton of information i put here.. But these things are very important to learn about, because the imposter syndrome is a multifaceted problem that has to be addressed in more than one angle.

I hope, everything that is written from start to end, can be used as your chemical cleaner, wiping cloth, along with your handy guide on how to take care of your mirror professionally,

Happy cleaning everyone!

- j

#did #actually did #did community #did osdd #did system #dissociative identity disorder #sysblr #plural #system stuff #jeducates #imposter syndrome

[blueberry-lemon]

Five years in, finding a routine

Although mostly on accident, I’ve been working as a game developer and freelancer for the past five years.

That means that I work from home, and have to “be my own boss” on a day-to-day basis. I kept myself chained to my desk long before the pandemic came along, which meant I didn’t get the whiplash that a lot of people got from having not choice but to start working from home

That said…in all this time, I still haven’t found a very good routine for actually making it all work for me in a healthy way. Yikes.

I’ve always struggled to find the right rhythm for work-life balance. How to focus (maybe there’s some anxiety or attention deficiency secretly at play), how to avoid wanting to take breaks, how to find time for hobbies without feeling guilty, how to structure my “schedule.”

It probably doesn’t help that because our team is all around the world, we get up to all sorts of inconvenient time zone tomfoolery. Big bursts of work that has to be done immediately upon waking up or right before bed.

Now, in 2024, I am trying to finally put a structure together. I recently moved to a new apartment in a new town, which felt like a good time for a fresh start. Here’s what I’m up to so far.

I’m trying to wall off “weekends” as time for leisure as best I can. Even within that, it’s even better if I can wall off a little segment of time for a “hobby,” like drawing purely for my own fun instead of drawing for work. Obviously, sometimes work emergencies crop up and you just have to do them on the weekend.

I’ve dabbled with a Virtual Assistant for about 10 months to keep me organized (which went okay) but I’ve scrapped the whole thing and swapped over to an eight buck paper calendar pinned up next to my desk. Less fancy, but less pricey. My parents were great at keeping a huge calendar updated on the fridge when I was growing up. I was a fool to try to live without a physical calendar after high school. It’s made planning for the future “feasible” instead of “overwhelmingly impossible.” Google Calendar was never cutting it for me.

I use a really simple to-do app called Tasks (from Tasks.org). I had thought that maybe I could keep all my to-dos organized this way, but honestly it’s better for things that I need urgent phone notification reminders for. Like “do this right this second.” The rest I’m trying my best to track on the paper calendar.

I’ve started music lessons, going to the gym, and therapy weekly at the start of 2024. Not only do I love this trifecta, but it has also helped structure my weekdays for better and for worse. Can’t get work done while I’m doing those things, but it’s hopefully improving my life in a general sense.

And lastly…I’m writing this right now from a co-working space. I’ve always considered finding a place where I could take a laptop and get work done outside of my apartment, to try to separate “home” and “work” just a little bit more. A place to ignore distractions. Or, honestly, a place where I can’t do household chores or go grocery shopping as an excuse to not do work while feeling productive.

I considered libraries and cafes, and am still open to those as options, but this co-working space is actually really great so far. The vibes are immaculate. It’s peaceful and quiet without feeling lonely. There’s free snacks.

Hopefully this is the beginning of something like a healthy, productive routine. Definitely trying to prioritize finding something sustainable so that I can at least make it another five years in game development without going crazy.

The secret to getting out of my head and out of my bad habits could be getting out of the house.

#blog #blogofkylelab #productivity #gamedev

[giftofclasspects]

Hey there!

I don't really have any questions, but I'd love to open a discussion on my favorite classpect and what you think about it. It's capabilities and quirks, constraints and limitations. It's a dream of mine to take it to a major hs production some say. And I love any and all talk surrounding it;

My classpect of interest is; Seer of Void. It's interesting because it's kind of contradictory, and it's use as I understand it is limited by the unknowingness of a thing. That is; the less you know, the more you can see, but as you see it, you know and understand, so is it still true that you can see? Does that make sense? That the knowing of something immediately rendering the unreality of a thing gone, and therefore real, would cause any void powers used to divine a thing temporary, fleeting, perhaps a one time use. Does that make sense? Do you agree? I imagine a seer over void could divine something they done know, but only once. Cause once they know it, it's no longer within their domain to divine. Perhaps as memory fades, it could be rendered unreal again, but I wonder if it would he nore or less effective when considering just the memory of the seer, or the memory of everyone who knows it exists. Or if the powers wouldn't work at all.

That's just a small bit of the power exploration though. My passion sparks when I imagine the interaction of a seer of Void and the everything beyond the Furthest Ring. Rose said that the space between sessions was unnavigable, and as a seer of light (fortune itself), she was able to chart a course. But I believe a seer of void would be able to map it. Which excites me. Unfortunately, the character journey for a seer of Void, (I'd love to hear what you think a seer would go through in their relationships, although I'm sort of intuiting that myself) is a lonely one, but I love the idea of Seer of Void could go to dead sessions and save the players. I love imagining the interactions between the seer and crazed/desperate/abandoned players. Blah

Idk. Just here to gush. Speak and expand on it if you feel it!

AAH i love that!!!

for a while, i actually thought i was a seer of void, so i did look into the classpect briefly!!!!

i'm not actually a seer of void, but i'll admit, the classpect is still very dear to my heart, since it's so cool!!!

i think that definitely you've got some GREAT points on the classpect. lots of ones i agree with!!! i think the seer of void really does see the negatives. i think it'd be hard for them to connect with players because they're going to seem sort of... doom and gloom?

in a weird way (for my pjo fans!) i think of Nico di Angelo when i think of a Seer of Void. he's pushed away by everyone because he's a realist, and when others do want to get near him, he wants to push them away because of reasons out of his control. i hope this makes sense!!!

#homestuck #homestuck godtier #seer class #void aspect #seer of void

[penroseparticle]

1, 2?

Unironically I knew you would ask me the two best questions on this whole damn list, thank you Izzy for being the GOAT.

Song of the year? God what songs even came out this year. I don't think this year was a year where new music happened for me. (One of the biggest hits this year was... Fast Car. Do you remember that??? What???) I'm a little tempted to say Fast Car, but that's cheating on Ms. Tracy Chapman, who is unimpeachably the best version of the song (And wouldn't it kind of suck if the song of the year was just. An inarguably well done but ultimately less meaningful rendition of a song from like 45 years ago) If I can pick songs that I encountered this year but didn't come out this year, I could go on for a while. Lonely by Jamila Woods, All My Girls Like To Fight by Hope Tala, Get Down by Woozy. I think Van Gogh by Mette is great but not the song of the year for me, certainly. Rush by Troye Sivvy? It's more honest but doesn't feel right to me totally. Is It New Years Yet has new toy syndrome, AND it's a holiday song, AND it's a Sabrina Carpenter song that complains about overplayed music. Like. Self aware much? And also means it can kick rocks because that is NOT song of the year material. But I like music with a groovy influence, I'm a little corny, and I can't lie about this kinda thing. I categorically refuse to put Build a Boat on my top anything list, regardless of Spotify telling lies about my listening habits. (This is me lying about this kinda thing). I don't want to repeat a year in review song, either, which kinda makes this harder. I guess I gotta give it to You Wish by Flyana Boss, because it's the only song that's not 1. on my year end list, or 2. a song that had a reservation/caveat/well, actually attached to it.

Album of the year? My two top albums of this year were Something To Give Each Other and Jaguar II, but I have to give it up to Victoria Monet honestly- I didn't take to a piece of music this fast since when I saw Young Empires open for Reptar and fell in love on the first song of the set. I listened to Smoke and I was hooked- maybe it's the drug culture references but joyful and openly honest, maybe it's the slick production and variety on the album, maybe it's that it's not afraid to be goofy as hell ("I'm so deep in my bag, like a grandma with a peppermint" is quite possibly an all timer goofy lyric that still hits the right timber for the braggadocio it's placed as in the song, "It's a bisexual blunt it can go both ways" is just. so fuckin stupid, I love it.), maybe it's the features (Lucky Daye? EARTH WIND AND FIRE???), maybe it's the touch of old hollywood glamour at the end and the clear love of motown sensibilities juxtaposed with her talking about her 4K titties. I don't know man, it just rewired my brain but in a good way. More than that, Victoria made me cognizant of her in the stuff I already liked. Like. She has writing credits/backing vocal credits for Ariana Grande. I CAN HEAR HER IN THE SONGS SHE HELPED WRITE. She's goofy and sexy and has some fun production preferences, and I can hear her sometimes now even when she's composing/producing for other artist. I haven't been able to peg a pop writer this hard since good ol' jackie, and that's because he's everywhere and also in like 3 solo projects and also Taylor Swift's silver bullet. But like I can directly point to how much she worked on Thank You Next and the all time greatest Ariana album, Dangerous Woman. She helped write Body Count, Sin City, On The Way... all songs I liked by other artists, but didn't realize who, you know, helped make. This is not to say I didn't love Troye Sivan this year- and both these artists made my year end retrospective. I really dig Troye's album (Though I run into the issue I have with a lot of albums where I like but don't love the second half of it, which is why Victoria took the W.). Give the songs In My Room or What's The Time Where You Are a listen for sure. It's just. so hard to find an album you unironically vibed with. Unashamedly and openly. I honestly don't care if anyone else likes this album, because I loved it. I'll stream it enough for all of us, a bitch might buy it on vinyl Anyways sorry for running on so long, it's Jaguar II by Victoria Monet, because if we have to say Goodbye, let's make it a Good Bye is something I want to live by now that I've heard it.

#stealthrockdamage #ask meme #music asks #fresh jamz

[veliseraptor]

I'm intrigued if you have any thoughts about Macau and/or his relationship with Vegas. Looking forward to more Kinnporsche works from you!

I've been looking forward to getting around to this one for (checks date) more than a month! wow wish Tumblr didn't give me date stamps for when asks were sent

anyway though, I feel like I watched through most of Kinnporsche not having a whole surfeit of Macau related feelings and then I thought about it and started writing fic and developed a not insubstantial amount of them, particularly around the shape of his and Vegas's relationship.

because it seems like they're pretty close! and not just that, but pretty comfortable with each other and at ease around each other. there's a post floating around that points out a moment where Vegas greets Macau and you can see Macau just...light up? and also I'm thinking about the scene where Macau and Vegas are ganging up on Pete outside the temple and they are so clearly both having a great time (at poor Pete's expense).

just thinking about...I don't know exactly how old Macau is supposed to be, but I get the impression maybe around Porschay's age? definitely he seems like he's the youngest of the Theerapanyakul kids, and one thing I do notice about him is that he seems much less guarded than the others. (Tankhun aside, but Tankhun's (seeming) lack-of-guardedness is its own kind of wall.) Considering what we know about the minor family, that's potentially surprising. I think of him as kind of a brat, but a fairly normal rich teenager kind of brat; so, sort of insufferable but not a horrible person with a lot of murder under his belt.

I think that Vegas has done his best to shield Macau from a lot of things, and while I'm sure that hasn't been 100% effective I do think that he's managed a fair amount of mitigation, in particular at keeping Macau's hands clean of direct violence for as long as he can get away with.

I think that they do have a close relationship with each other, and one of relative honesty, and care about each other a lot. they are, I think, each others' closest family; certainly for Vegas I think Macau is on the very, very short list of people who have any kind of genuine window on who he is as a person.

but on the other hand I think for Vegas, Macau is his to guard, and that limits the extent to which he lets Macau fully in on what's going on with him (though I think Macau knows/understands more than Vegas thinks he does). I think Macau has his own protective streak when it comes to Vegas but he is more likely to either be overridden or just not to be able to help. I feel like that's got to be frustrating. they're equals and co-conspirators up until Vegas remembers that Macau needs to be protected and then Macau's cut out of the loop again.

Macau, I'm sure, would at least some of the time like to be treated like more of an adult, with all that means in their world. Vegas disagrees and he does tend to win that one.

so if there's that then why does Vegas seem to write Macau off when he's talking about feeling lonely/abandoned/having nothing? for one that's just kinda what it's like when you're spiraling - the things that might normally make you happy stop mattering. but the other thing is I think a product of that protectiveness that means there are a lot of things Vegas doesn't feel like he can share, that Macau can't understand (and Vegas doesn't really want him to). at least to some extent there are probably parts of himself he doesn't want Macau to know about (whether or not he does, or in how much detail, I headcanon variably). I also think Vegas wants to put distance between Macau and the uglier parts of their work (and probably also Macau and his father) and is already thinking ahead to that future.

and I think Macau knows that, too, and I bet that hurts.

also I firmly believe that they give each other so much shit. and that Macau knows Vegas better than anybody else alive.

#conversating #anonymous #macau theerapanyakul #vegas theerapanyakul #kinnporsche the series #aggressively headcanons #i feel like i'm just. throwing words at the wall here #i've been staring at this too long though so o well

[uuuuuugh0-0]

Chainsaws are legit pretty evil and if there were more of us I would lean so much harder towards crosscut world but living here with two people we would just. Never have time for anything that isn't cutting wood except my joints wouldn't be happy and it'd just suck and be untenable. We do run canola oil in our saw instead of petroleum bar and chain oil so at least it's not an Active Biohazard in the same way; but it's still not a friendly or good feeling tool to me. You could argue that it is safer for some tasks but it really just feels like a give and take, faster and less fatigue around weird tension shit and slopes (because it's All weird tension shit and slopes here) but also the tool itself is a lot more likely to kill you.

Being here is good and we're actively working towards being less reliant on supply networks but it also makes a lot of stuff about civ a lot more stark. Mainly that like. This is not a world where small isolated household units are really feasible, full stop, and production both makes it harder to get interpersonal help AND (badly, scarily, unsustainably) fills the hole that that help leaves.

Maybe I'm 1) lonely 2) don't really know another way to be, but hermit life is pushing me harder towards network building and, I don't know, trying to figure out how to do the thing in a way that doesn't fucking suck/isn't utterly pointless because I don't know, dreaming of getting Out for so long and getting here has really just solidified for me that there's no end. Which is great because the horrible alternative is feeling like I've arrived for a few years and then...I don't know having a midlife crisis at 28 or something. But it also means there's no end. Idk, we must imagine sisyphus as happy or something I didn't read the book. Broadly I'm thrilled that there can still always be a drive while feeling like the black hole is a little bit further away and it would take longer for me to fall into it.

[magpiemirroring]

One of the things that annoys me about the discussion around AI is the way folks argue that the objections artists/writers/creatives have are just stemming from a fear of new technology and tools. There is a lot to unpack there, but what it always make me think of is the Luddites.

Some of you may be aware of the term luddite as a term for folks who are needlessly afraid of/dismissive of/against new technology. Someone who rails against new tech in a "oh gosh, do we really need one of these new-fangled gadgets? aren't these smartphones and tablets really just rotting our brains?"

And I'm sure, because you're here on tumblr, you can come up with some great arguments for why smartphones and tablets can be very useful and a net good for society, while social attitudes and corporate use of the tech may need moderation. Frankly, it's here and we need to deal with the social and ethical ramifications of the tech whole holding onto the positives. So yeah, maybe those folks who hate on tech are just luddites who are afraid of change!

But what is a luddite? Where did this word come from?

As I learned fairly recently, Luddites were a group of weavers opposing new weaving machines in the early 19th century who went as far as to organize riots and break the new machines. They named their group after Ned Ludd, a weaver from a legend.

The new machines could produce cloth faster and cheaper, using less skilled weavers and often producing inferior product. The Luddites obviously did not win their battle with the burgeoning industrial revolution, but it's key to remember that this was not just a personal grudge against Change.

The Luddites were living in a time of economic uncertainty, with rising food prices and large economic divide between the wealthy and the average citizen. They were highly-skilled laborers who were being kicked out of their jobs and replaced with less-skilled workers who could be be paid less because they didn't have years of training and skill that could be leveraged for better pay. And they still had families and lives that they needed to earn money to care for. They were angry that their choices were starve or go start over with a job that pays less.

AI replacing creatives isn't upsetting just because its a scary new tool. It's because creative folks have spent years honing their skills and trying to convince people that that time and our skills have value. And folks in favor of AI-generation are like "nah, we'd rather not pay you what is fair to someone with your years of skill development and education. We'd rather pay someone with less skills and knowledge about how art works to tell this machine to spit out images. It's too bad that this is closing doors in your career field and you need to start over somewhere else or just accept this tool into your life even though this isn't what you like about making art and doesn't use a good chunk of your skills. This is cheaper and thus I can still charge the same amount for this product while spending less to make it, thus making more money for me and my investors."

Change is scary when it has consequences. And we live in a time of economic uncertainty with rising food prices and wealth disparity. We have families to feed or are struggling to keep our lone selves alive. Of course we're scared and angry and lashing out.

If I lived in a world where we had a functional UBI and free health care and I could make art to make art, I'd be much more chill about AI generated stuff and the attitudes that folks with money have about it.

#ai discussion #oh to live in a post-scarcity utopia where my needs are met #and I can afford some nice things #and people who want nice art for their walls but don't want to pay for it #can just go print some from the Art-O-Mat #and I can sell my stuff to the 3 people who like it and not have to figure out how to keep my disabled ass alive #in an increasingly fascist capitalist hellscape!

[cookinguptales]

hi hi I'd like a reading please :)

(currently looking at the mushroom deck in another tab a jesus it looks pretty)

♍

It is so, so pretty. I backed this deck while it was in development and I have zero regrets. I really love it, even more than I expected to. It's a really thoughtful, interesting deck, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

(The Hermit, The Five of Cups, The Eight of Pentacles) (Old Man of the Woods, Jelly Ear, Muscat Truffle)

You're a fan of this deck, so please give me just a second to talk about how much I love the thought put into these cards. The Hermit here is -- wow, what a great way to do this. I love this reference to the shaggy old man of the RWS card, plus it's a mushroom that grows far away from everything else -- and to have the lantern shining on it instead of being held by the man... I love!! ;;

And then the jelly ear. I'm so glad I read through the booklet because there was this whole thing in there about how the Latin name for jelly ears refers to Judas ears. Apparently these mushrooms largely grow on elder trees, which the Biblical Judas allegedly hanged himself from, so that's how they got the name. It's a card that symbolizes regret, so that's just such a fascinating way to go about it.

And then the Eight of Pentacles! It usually shows a man hard at work, as a card of craftsmanship -- but who's the one who really does the work during truffle hunting? That's gonna be the dog and/or pig! And this is a Lagotto Romagnolo, which is a species of dogs known for their truffle-hunting skills.

Sorry, that's just so damn cool. *_*

Anyway, onto the actual reading. Thanks for indulging me, lmao.

Overall... this feels like a spread that's telling you that things aren't nearly as bad as they seem. The Five of Cups is a card of regret, like you're really upset at how things have gone. The usual imagery of this card has five cups on it, three of which have spilled out on the ground, and two of which are still full. This card is telling you that it's okay to feel disappointment over the spilled water -- but you still have two cups left. Don't wallow in your disappointment and hurt feelings, but instead pick yourself up and try again.

The Hermit is a card that is less about physical distance, though that can be part of it, and more about closing out the world and taking some time for yourself to think things over. It's a time for thoughtfulness and meditation. Just be careful not to cut yourself off from the world for too long; asceticism and self-isolation can be very lonely.

Finally, we have the Eight of Pentacles. This is a card with good energy. It's about working hard at a particular craft and becoming better and better at it. It's about self-improvement and industriousness. It's about finding something you love and you're good at and throwing yourself into it, doing something productive.

Putting all this together, I get the impression that things haven't necessarily gone the way you've wanted them to recently, and that can be tough. But this spread seems to be telling you to pick yourself up again, take some time to yourself, and throw yourself into something fun and productive. Now is a time for self-reflection and self-improvement. The best way up is through, y'know?

Just be careful not to get too into your own head and ignore the cups you have left. Don't distance yourself too much from the rest of the world, and above all! Don't wallow! It feels good temporarily, but it doesn't help nearly as much as going for a walk or making something!

Honestly, I probably needed to hear that today, too. lmao

#tarot shenanigans #replies

[movedtodykedvonte]

Got any Headcanon about if Spamton and Mettaton were friends?

Oh boy do I! I have multiple cause it really depends when they are meeting cause I feel like it would change the way Mettaton would interact with Spamton (assuming we're using UT!Mettaton):

Addispam

I feel Addispam like idolizes Mettaton, not to like an unhealthy degree but Mettaton is basically everything he aspires to be; well liked, popular, tall

spam already has a fat ass and massive rack so

Mettaton would think he's cute and like that he's eager to impress and a try hard, even if he's still bad at it (reminds him of a less cynical burgerpants or a slightly more confident alphys)

Spam would try to impress MTT but MTT just likes having this funny little thing around. Def likes to get Spam to in MT brand outfits cause he'd "Look so much more advertisable and adorbs"

MTT lets Spam practice his pitches and they treat it like a sleep over night. MTT reherses their lines for the show and Spam just boosts their ego

In this scenario I feel like Spam lets MTT have a space to vent in an ugly not glamourous way cause Spam wouldn't see him as anything but.

Vice Versa having MTT around give Spam a lot of confidence as if this guy just likes having him around he must be doing something right

I also feel like if they got really close and MTT was comfortable explaining his past it would give Spamton hope that he could become great to if he tried enough

Platonic Jessica Rabbit and Roger Rabbit dynamic (or not platonic if ur into it)

I feel like MTT also apricates another robot (essentially) and they enjoy causing havoc in alphys' lab

BS!Spam

If they knew each other before I feel like Spam would be a little more hotty as a big shot, that Mettaton influence am I right?

Otherwise they enhance each other's best qualities actually! I feel like Mettaton would keep Spam personalable and socialable while Spam would be able to reel back Mettaton putting their logo on everything

C'mon they gotta leave room for the big shot brand somewhere

They are rich, famous and hot gossip buddies. Those two mean girls that point at you from the corner but they probs are just betting on how much of their products they could get you to buy

Model each other's stuff for each other but in a rival way "This is good but mine is even better."

Bond over being two people at the top together. I feel like a big part of their sadness in their canons is the loneliness. Deep down they miss those old friends and family but felt they couldn't achieve anything if they didn't separate. It makes it feel less lonely having someone who understands that

Maybe they even encourage each other to see their respective loved ones again

MTT would like doing Spamton's hair and Spamton (the car guy) would be able to do a nice finish and polish on MTT's robo body

Normal Spamton

If they knew each other before this, MTT would be very sad to see what happened to Spam. Spam would probably be really embarrassed but nonetheless just as insane... and hotty as before

MTT would make him their personal project, getting back into big shot shape the Mettaton Brand way!

This is basically MTT and his feral bestie Spam. Spam is eager to pitch anything and I feel would be excited to have a chance to be big again, is a little shit and messes with MTT to take the spotlight

MTT finds it odd and annoying but endearing in a way. Spam's pazzazz makes up for a lot of it and MTT would make it part of the bit

When it comes to Spamton's phone issues I feel like MTT would be accommodating, having the ring be replaced with a sound he likes. I think Spam would return the favor by having his miniton be apart of the act

Again with the closeness and MTT's past, I feel like MTT would make sure to explain that Spam doesn't need to try and reach this height of popularity to be special again or free

Whether Spamton takes the advice or not is really up in the air, though he's considerably happier

Spamton pitpockets the audience but it's considered part of the experience so he's allowed. MTT thinks it's apart of his quirky traits

The miniton really like MTT and act as personal assistants.

Pipis are a part of the show.

SNEO

They are kinning each other.

I like the idea of their friendship, they'd be cute and chaotic together and be everyone else's problem <3

#i also like the ship but i digress #their friendship is cute and they relate to each other #ghost mettaton and addispam would have the cutest relationship in any aspect in my mind #if EX and SNEO met i think the world would implode #utdr #undertale #deltarune #mettaton #spamton #spamton g spamton #addispam #big shot spamton #deltarune headcanon #ask #anon

[cartoonsaint]

you mentioned how hlvrai is an interesting form of storytelling and i think thats part of why it got big- same with taz and other dnd podcasts- people like the authenticity of it. theres no big writers rooms working to make it "perfect." its all very in the moment. the actors arent actors- theyre not reading off a script. everyone whose playing a part are equally a part of the storytelling process. everyone is making the script up in the moment, and things happen either to immediately make their friends laugh or make their friends go 'holy shit thats awesome' or (my personal favorite) to give their friends the opportunity to do something cool!

its an honest form of storytelling that we're kinda losing with the way media is so sanitized and washed out and forced to be marketable. like, i struggle explaining hlvrai or dnd podcasts to my friends when they ask what kind of content i watch, because theres really no comparison to it (unless they also engage with that type of content). its like people sitting around a campfire telling stories, just to pass the time and engage in creativity. and i think thats why people like them, theyre just fun and real.

i got a little rambley but overall: i think hlvrai and these types of media are popular because theyre honest

i think there's truth to this, yeah!!! :) there's a lot to be said for stories where the storytellers are present/visible, esp when they're all close-- it's like being invited into their warm, fun little friend group for a little bit, even if it's just to observe. it's a kind of antithesis to the wave of polished and soulless media that has become more and more of the stuff out there in the past ten years (spotless set design, everyone is beautiful and no one is horny, reliance on the Save the Cat method, i don't have enough links to sketch this whole thing out but yes: the number one word is marketability). these are lonely times; stories told by real people in real-time are a breath of fresh air, especially when there's the doubled wild cards of 1. wtf are my friends going to pull out of their asses next and how do i keep this balloon-story in the air oh god and 2. dice-rolling/weird g-mod stuff à la the helicopter heap, etc. it's great fun to see people up against these odds who manage to pull together a semi-cohesive story anyways :)

i don't think we're really losing this kind of story-telling, though it is becoming less visible in a marketability-lowest-common-denominator-blockbuster-content-production kind of way. but you're right that these kinds of practices trace back to telling stories around a fire, or while spinning thread or sharpening flint-- it's deep in our core as human beings. our lives are very different from those of our our ancestors 50k years ago but in the grand scheme of things, we've barely barely changed. we still want those stories. we still want to tell them, too. even as inhuman companies beyond our individual grasps manipulate things far above us, try to distract workers from too-long days at work with stripped-down marketable manipulative garbage, there will always be people making weird, niche art: friend groups who stream goofy improv together, people who write thousands upon thousands of words about their OCs even though only 3 people read it, toby fox in his basement, DnD podcasts with fewer than a fifty listeners, stick figure webcomics updating every day, pre-teens scribbling about sparklewolves in their composition notebooks and shyly sharing a little bit with the other weirdo in their class.

but yeah. especially for those of us who don't necessarily have the energy to create as much as we'd like, story-telling that has the foundations visible, that is honest about what it is and where it's coming from, that has at its core the desire to make one's friends laugh-- it's great! it's fun! it's a good antidote to the big polished crap :)

#i think ur smart n right anon i also just cannot stop talking. hope this makes sense i wrote it at 3am and am not less tired now #saint talks #ask saint #sorry this took me like a week to respond to i'm avoiding other things so i uh. well i got trapped in the televison tbh #here's some notes for anyone interested: #DO watch the first 1.5 seasons of twin peaks; interesting things to say about masculinity and trauma and community failures/success #DON'T watch season 1 of true detective; has boring incomplete things to say about masculinity and did NOTHING w the yellow king >:( #DO watch season 1 of severance it is excellent across the board; yes polished but v distinct w a very solid thoughtful core #thinking very vaguely about how a hlvrai au would slot nicely into it but only vaguely. do you hear me brain VAGUELY

[imaginewriting1]

only

Ariana Grande x youtuber!reader

Part 8 of "positions"

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5.5 (1) | 5.5 (2) | 5.5.5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5

Everything went back to normal, in a sense. Of course, there was a shift, from staging a relationship to rendezvousing in secret but ultimately you felt like you were her friend again. You thought that the warnings from her PR manager would deter Ariana from meeting you, but the ever-growing things taking up space in your house - soap bottles with names you can't pronounce, cosmetic products littered around your bathroom sink, a small bag filled with clothes on top of the washing machine, told you otherwise. While her things are piling up in your home, they replaced some of your clothes that she "stole".

The familiar ping from your phone alerted you of incoming text, and you didn't have to read it to know who it was from and what they had sent. There was only one person currently who would text you at 5 PM on a Wednesday.

Princess

wanna come over?

no one's home

You

Why would I do that if there isn't anyone home?

Princess

smartass

i'm bored

and lonely

You

And horny?

We just saw each other three days ago

Princess

...no

just wanted to watch a movie with you

You

Alright then, I would never say no to movies.

I'll be there in an hour.

Princess

too long, i'll sent a car

In less than twenty-five minutes, you found yourself sitting on a recliner very similar to the type found in cinemas but far comfier and roomier. In fact, the entire room could be described as such; a premium movie theater.

"I didn't know you had a home theater, didn't see it during the house tour you gave."

"That's because this was a recent addition to this house."

Ariana had gone all out for it, finding the perfect combination of mimicking a movie theater and keeping its interior design the same as the rest of the house. This resulted in the room being similarly tasteful and cozy while providing an authentic movie-watching experience. It's something you dreamed of having in your own home.

"It turned out beautiful, great decision made on your part." Besides the renovation for the room, Ariana had also put in great effort to prepare everything you could want while watching a movie - including popcorn and various snacks on an extendable table from the armrest, drinks in the cupholder, and blankets. "So what will we be watching in this incredible space?"

"Anything you like," Ariana replied. "What are your other favorite films, besides the ones you had framed posters of."

"Well, I like queer films like 'The Handmaiden' and 'A Portrait of a Lady on Fire' and 'Carol' to name a few."

"We should watch them then."

"Uh..." You scratched the back of your neck, heat rising to your cheeks as you recalled certain scenes they had. "I just realized that they all have love scenes so perhaps you should watch them alone."

"Or with someone to reenact those scenes with."

You couldn't argue with that logic. "I supposed. Though there are some tragic plotlines where it could be a turn-off."

"We'll write our own happy endings then."

That was the best proposal if you ever heard of one.

"Alright, which one do you want to watch?"

"I've heard of Carol, so let's watch that."

It was a different experience for sure, watching Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara's performances on a big screen, as compared to your laptop. You could catch every subtle gesture and every lingering gaze. The surround sound worked wonders, amplifying emotion in every word exchanged between the lovers. It was as though you were in that very diner, eavesdropping on their conversation.

You get absorbed into the film, as you usually do despite watching it before, unblinking as the plot unravels, refreshing your memory of the movie. Being so engrossed, you almost forget that you weren't alone, reciting along the line Carol was whispering to Rooney - "My Angel, flung out of space."

A scuffle caught your attention and you turned toward the sound. Illuminated by the brightness of the screen, you observed the way Ariana fixed her gaze on anything but the screen, her thighs pressed tightly together.

"Ariana," You whispered. Despite the softness, she still jumped at your voice before fixing her attention on you. "Are you... aroused?"

In the dim glow, you saw the blush spreading across her cheeks. As imperceptible as it was, you caught the nod of her head. At that moment, you felt like one of those teenagers who makes out in the back of theaters. However, it was Ariana you were with and you weren't going to fumble around in the dark with her.

Instead, you placed your arms - one under her knees and one on her back - and lifted her up. "Let's take you to bed."

You weren't sure how you found the way to Ariana's room, with how your eyes were kept on hers the entire time. Must be the muscle memory.

You only broke eye contact when you heard a squeal and felt a sharp pain in your leg. Instinctively, you stood right back up and opened your mouth to let out a silent exclamation of pain, turning to investigate the cause of it.

"Piggy! I thought you were in your crib."

You placed Ariana down when she tapped on your arm. She squatted to find the site of your injury. You looked down and saw Ariana pouting as she ghosted her fingers over the bite marks. "You keep getting hurt when you're with me."

"Now that you mentioned it, it seems like biting runs in the family." You managed to smile to deliver the joke. "Though it's only karma when a pig bites me."

"Oh my god!" Her pursed lips melted into a beautiful smile as she threw her head back to laugh. Perhaps there was some truth to laughter being the best medicine when the pain disappeared temporarily.

"We have to treat the bite," Ariana said after stifling her laughter. The injury, thankfully, was nothing serious. Just a light nip by Piggy that didn't break any skin. So all you had to do was disinfect the area.

Ariana guided you to her bathroom, where you found yourself positioned in the middle of the bathtub. "You have to remove your pants so they don't get wet."

"Right." You acknowledged, turning around hesitantly to unbuckle your belt. It was the second time you were undressing in front of her. Even after you slid your pants off, you couldn't bring yourself to face her, choosing to sit on the edge of the tub instead.

You heard the sound of running water and moved your leg towards it. A hand stopped you. "Wait, the water's still cold," Ariana said from behind your shoulder. You sat patiently as you observed Ariana checking the water temperature with a finger before placing it on your inner thigh, pushing you towards the tap.

An involuntary shiver ran down your back under her touch. It shouldn't have shocked you, not with all the countless times she had grappled it - the feeling of her skin on yours should be familiar and soothing like the warm water on your leg, not like being out at sea during a thunderstorm.

You were only brought back to your senses with a gentle press of a dry cloth. "Let me do it myself." You said, after clearing your throat. You shifted to grab the towel from her grasp but she moved out of reach.

"I want to do it." Her tone told you that her decision was final. "You have to move out of the bathtub so I can dry you off properly."

You do so as instructed, swinging your legs out of the tub and landing on solid ground. You followed Ariana out of the bathroom. She sat you back on the bed before crouching down to pat your leg with the towel. You observed as she inched it upwards, moving closer to the hem of your boxer briefs. Before you could react, she stood up and positioned herself in between your legs.

Looking up at her with confusion, she placed her hands on your shoulder as she stared into your eyes. "Now that there's no interruption, I want to finish what we had started." Subconsciously, you intertwined your feet and nudged her closer to you. However, with her elbows locked, she didn't lay across your chest as intended. You decided to use your hands to finish the job, settling them on the small of her back. The shake of her head stopped you from applying any sort of pressure. "I want to take care of you this time. For once."

"Oh." The thing was, you were often the giver because you find liked pleasing your partner. That's why you're rarely on the receiving end. Though if you're being completely honest, your insecurities about your body also play a part in declining any returning of favors.

"Tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours," Ariana broke the silence. She had taken the initiative to untangle herself out of your arms, settling for sitting beside you on the bed. You felt her lightly tugging your fingers, hijacking your attention to focus on her.

She let you take your time, brushing her thumb over the back of your hand as encouragement. "I don't like to be touched. Not sexually at least. Unless, you know, they're someone I've known and been with for a long time."

"Okay," Ariana nodded, shifting closer carefully. "How do you find pleasure then?"

"Well, in my partner's pleasure." You continued after she arched a perfect eyebrow at you. "So as long as she liked it, I would too."

"But what do you like?" She relented, staring into your eyes inquisitively as though they held the answers. "Out of all the things you've done before."

You knew you couldn't beat around the bush any longer, not when she was staring into your soul. "Well, I don't mind using...toys." The sentence gradually softened as you mumbled the words, but it seemed like she heard every bit.

"Give me a minute." She said, hurrying off the bed. She returned a few minutes later with a laptop on hand. The side of your knees touched Ariana's when the both of you repositioned yourself at the center of the bed, with the laptop placed in front of you.

With a few clicks, Ariana opened up a website of a sex toy shop. You repressed the urge to blush when she navigated expertly - clearly knowing her way around. "See anything you like?" She diverted her attention to you, placing her hands on your knee as she peered at you over the rim of her glasses. Her gaze was piercing, emphasized by the frame on her face like she was trying to figure you out.

"Uh- well..." Instead of stammering in embarrassment, you decided that it was much easier if you just showed her. While the website she had brought up had an extensive collection, they didn't have anything you were looking for. So you swiped across the touchpad and searched for the site you were more familiar with. "Probably something like this." You tilted the screen towards her when you found what you wanted.

You knew that this would be something Ariana hadn't tried before unless her exes were into pegging. So you explained to her that she could select whatever size or material she wanted while you would pick the harness.

Ariana flashed you a smile that can only be described as sinful, "You seemed to know quite a bit."

"I've researched extensively." You cleared your throat, changing the subject quickly. "Did you find one that you like?"

"Definitely." She affirmed as she proceeded to add a few items to the cart, much to your sheepish amusement. You settled on a harness you were comfortable with that was also compatible with everything Ariana was getting and a small bottle of lube.

You shouldn't be surprised at how Ariana remained unblinking as she typed in her payment details after seeing the total amount, but you could only laugh in shock internally. Were the toys diamond-studded? You could only wait to find out when they arrive in two to three business days.

In the meantime, your fingers worked fine.

AN: early access to later chapters on my ko-fi page. Also feel free to buy me a drink if you like my work!

#ariana grande #ariana grande imagine #ariana grande imagines #ariana x female reader #ariana x reader #female celebrity x reader #female celebrity

[aneenasevla]

Devil's Food - Chapter 17

MasterList /Ayami’s Profile / Previous

Chapter 17 - Amends

Weekends were not always a day of rest in Kure village. The kids could play, but the rest had training and conditioning all morning. Ayami was with Youko and Fusui, at the village gym. It was indeed quite a complete place, not that Ayami had ever seen any gym inside before, but it was certainly similar to the pictures she saw. This time it wasn't even full, so she could do her exercises without feeling seen. It was kind of embarrassing to not get more than the standard 20 kilos for the bar, but they said it was something for a beginner, so she couldn't complain. Everyone had to start somewhere, after all.

“Aaaannnd… twenty!” Youko declares, helping her to lower the bench press “Heey, very well, Aya! You just managed to complete today's set!”

Ayami noticed, she now had a bandage in her right cheek, as she was wounded.

“You've been improving since you arrived, that's good” Fusui smiles “it's still missing a lot, but I'm seeing effort and progress there.”

“I hope so” Ayami sighs tiredly “I'm glad you girls accompany me. It makes me a little less lonely… and less too focused.”

“Hahaha, that coming from anyone else would be an offense” Youko hands her a bottle of water “but knowing you that's a great thing.”

“Yes, I appreciate it” Ayami takes the water. Having been almost always chubby like that, she was always jealous of women whenever she passed by a gym, seeing the girls with a sculptural body, but after a certain age this stopped being a problem when she started to focus on other things “I have never been to a gym before, I only did the ballet exercises, and I also did the dojo ones, when I practiced Kenjutsu…”

“And it's not that bad” Youko says “but sometimes we need to go all over the body to get a little more resistant in general. Ready for another set?”

“I… just wait for me to finish drinking water.”

“I understand that many civilians don't go to the gym, but you used to exercise regularly, Ayami”, Fusui sits next to her “why did you never go? I can't believe you've never set foot in a gym…”

“I've never been in one” Ayami explains “in fact I've never been so interested in it. Not to mention that I didn’t have much time there, and with my hyperfocus problem, it’s difficult to take care of the house, my family and my studies at the same time…”

“What? What about your mother?” Youko raises an eyebrow.

“She died in an accident.” Ayami speaks in an almost emotionless tone. The two Kures open their eyes, while the lawyer waves her hand “it's ok girls, it's been a long, long time…”

“That explains a lot” Youko nods.

Ayami raises an eyebrow “What, for example?”

“You being all practical, super organized, work and more work and no fun to begin with.”

“Ahhh” Ayami smiles a little “I admit that I'm to blame for this. I could have gone out with friends and cultivated friendships, but considering my ways, I feel like I did the right thing in choosing my family. My brother Akito was a child at the beginning of elementary school and my father…” she sighs “my father had to take over the company and still carry on with his previous work.”

“So he wasn't the family leader?” Fusui raises an eyebrow.

“No, It was my mother who were” Ayami smiles “She was the real production leader of Yamanoito swords, in my family. I learned to manage things from her, it helped me a lot… a little too much, I think.”

“That explains” Fusui smiles “in fact, I'm even impressed, you managed to take the reins when you were so young… I would become a delinquent.”

The three laugh. Ayami smiles “Yeah, so yeah, I've never done much of the typical girl thing, but I even know how to file income tax if I need to” more laughter “and sue people” the three laugh again.

“Don't sue me for hitting you, please” Youko jokes.

“I'll think about your case” Ayami continues playing.

“Yes, and that work of yours, Youko, did it work?” Fusui asks, suddenly remembering.

“Oh, giirl, they canceled when I was about to finish him” Youko sighs “it was my first job as an assassin, it was to take down a big piggie, you know, a blond brute, he managed to take a ood chunk of my cheek” she points to her face “I was even excited to finish the job, but then the contractor backed off in their payment and then I got orders to go home… I'm glad I didn't kill anyone that wasn’t due, tho.”

“Wow, it's horrible when that happens, and was it your first solo freelance?”

“Yea Sis, that was. I didn't do anything wrong, but starting a career like that doesn't work. I think I'll, I don't know, get another job, until I forget about this fiasco” Youko sighs “at least I fought one of his friends, a little thin to my tastes, but very agile… he was even handsome, I didn't make a lost trip.”

“Oh, at least that” Ayami tries to insert herself into the conversation “I mean, I’m glad that it wasn't that much frustrating.”

“Yeah, I got reimbursed too, by the contract, I spent time going there, after all. But the wortst part is, the fucking work went to the Devil, so he took most of the money.”

“Wait, the Devil? You’re speaking about Raian?” Ayami blinks.

“Yeah” The two say in unison.

“All of us when we complete our training, we gain demons' codenames, but there's only one Devil here” Youko nods.

“I see…” Ayami nods “and why would the Devil be called to this specific job?”

“Whenever our family encounters a deadbeat or someone who really doesn't live up to their contracts, they call on the Devil to exterminate them, when he's available.” Fusui nods “When not, he will deal with entire gangs or groups of terrorists. The most dangerous jobs involving brutal carnage are done by him.”

“They rarely put him in teams, but sometimes it's necessary for intelligence, like hacking some strong security system or something” Youko explains “so yeah, he went to deal with the Piggies this time. Shit, he stole my money…”

Ayami swallows hard. So it was pure luck that Raian wasn't available the day they went to face her father at home. She thanked the heavens for that.

Then the three see a boy approaching. The lawyer realizes that it was Mako, the boy who started the fight at the Dojo the other month.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Youko starts, but Ayami stops her.

“Wait. Hello” Ayami says politely. The boy’s face was red, not wanting to look at them “how can I help?”

“Eh… I” the boy almost couldn't get very close to the three of them “Ms. Ayami, I…” he bends down a little too low, hiding his face with his hair “I'm sorry! I did wrong in defying you, miss! I know it's none of my business to say if you’re worthy or not, but I caused trouble and paid for it, but I still owe it…”

“Hey, wait” Ayami interrupts him “calm down, boy” she gets up, and approaches him “all right. I'm not mad at you…”

“I am” Youko says softly. Fusui holds back a laugh.

The boy looks at the lawyer “N-no? I…”

“I'm not” Ayami smiles “you got hot headed, that's normal, for someone your age... When we're faced with an injustice, it's normal to rise up against it, and well, it seemed unfair when you thought I received special treatment. I haven't filed a complaint against you, you've had enough treatment from what I can see.” She looks at the boy's arm, no longer in a sling, but clearly showing some signs that it's been healed recently.

“Ah… yes, yes” he cringes, holding his arm “Your fiancé was very clear. And, and I admit it, you are strong.”

“I don't think I am yet, I think I still have a lot to improve. You're all too strong, so you don't have to hang your head anymore, okay? You've humbled yourself enough. Go continue your training, and I'll continue mine. Maybe one day I'll train with you, what do you think?”

The boy smiled “I'd like to see how you did that sweeping move. I didn't learn that at the Dojo…”

“Haha, that was from the ballet” she blushes “I ended up mixing things up by accident…”

“It was amazing, if possible, teach us?”

“Well, I don't know if it would be of any help, but I can say a few things…”

He smiled more “Great! I ah… the lady is still training. Sorry for interrupting.”

“No, relax, your coming made my day better” she smiles adorable “see you later.”

He nods, and turns to leave, much happier than when he arrived. Ayami looks at the two, who are smiling “What?”

“No nothing” Fusui says, with a tender smile “let's continue our training.”

“Yes, today for me is leg day. Uuugh, I'm going out on wobbly legs today…”

Ayami laughs. If this was having fun with friends, then she was having a great time, finally.

 …

Fusui and Youko left the gym with her, showered and wearing fresher clothes, talking a few things and laughing, when she saw him approaching. Raian was serious, which by his standards meant slightly hunched over, with an angry expression and giving off a somewhat dangerous aura with his shoulders forward and a determined walk. The dark sclera eyes focused on her definitely didn't help her stay calm when he came toward her. She even instinctively flinched as she stared back at him, even though she was pretty sure she hadn't done anything. This made her friends step forward, protectively, preventing him from advancing.

He stopped in front of them, still staring at them with daggers in his eyes.

“Hi Raian, what do you want?” Youko asks, in a polite but cold tone.

“I want to talk to my fiancée, and you’re fucking getting in the way” - he answers a little harsh, intimidating “Fuck off”

“What if I don't want to?” Youko tries to challenge.

“Then I'll be forced to turn you into a corpse to walk over…” he looks at the bandage on her face, and smiles maliciously “Do you want to challenge me, Scarface?”

Youko growls at the new nickname, but is interrupted with a hand on her shoulder.

“All right, girls, I guess It’s okay…” Ayami tries to push them away “I’ll talk to him, then I'll go with you, ok? Please, no fighting.”

Youko walked away, hesitating.

“But… seriously…?” she still was not convinced.

“All right, Aya” Fusui says, calmer, she was just surprised by her brother's face, who looked like he wanted to strangle the girl for something silly. She'd seen something similar before “we'll talk later, okay?” and pushes the other one out of their sight. Youko still wanted to face the two of them, but soon left.

Ayami looks at Raian.

“May I help?” she says, trying to be polite, but blushing.

“Come with me” he nods, in the direction, hands in pockets. Ayami felt that she didn't have much choice but to follow along.

After a while of silence, walking through the orchards, she finally noticed which direction they were going. The forest was very close, more precisely in the same direction as the lake where they had met. Her cheeks feel hot as she remembers the last time she went and he was there.

“Eh… I think I know where you want to take me…” Ayami tries to talk. He was still silent, and that made her a little uncomfortable. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

“Those two idiots are still watching us” he grunts “Annoying flies, they gossip more than crows fly next to dead bodies…”

“Are you talking about Fusui and Youko?” she asks “They must be worried about me... if you show that you don't want to hurt me, maybe they'll stop chasing us…”

“They're still around” he stops, looking at her “and what I do with you is none of their business…”

“‘Well, except when it's something bad, but it doesn't seem to be the case, so…” she approaches “can I hold your arm?”

“For what?” He raises an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Just let me do it. If you want them to stop bothering you…”

He stares at her a little, then softens his expression. She takes it as a yes, and then she wraps an arm around his arm. Ayami didn't want to admit that she liked the feeling of holding those muscles, but she couldn't stop herself from reacting with a smile.

“Calm down, I'm not going to give you a jiu-jitsu move” she jokes, trying to break the ice. He huffs, a smile appearing.

“As if you could bring me down, Mousie” he seemed to take the bait “I'm just letting you do it because you asked me so nicely.”

“I know, that's why I only leave this knack for special occasions” she hugs him a little  “have they left?”

“Hnm…” he took a discreet look around the surroundings “yeah, they're going…”

“You see? We just needed to show that we wanted privacy. They thought you were going to mistreat me or something…”

He rolled his eyes “whatever…” looks at his arm “hey, that's enough, let go of me.”

“Why?” She caresses his arm, smiling slightly as she traces his muscles’ lines.

He didn't answer, pursing his lips, so he ignored and started walking again. She lets go of him just enough so she doesn't walk all crookedly, but she continues to hold his wrist as she walks. She knew it wasn't the same as holding hands, but for some reason, she felt like smiling like she was.

They entered the forest, heading for the lake. At one point in the walk, he took hold of her wrist, pulling her gently, leading the way. She knew the way, but let him lead. Raian was the type who liked things done his way, and this time she wanted to be lead, so she followed him in silence. She couldn't hold back from curiosity either, and that being unusual for him, she was even afraid to ask.

They passed by the two trees that marked the way, and soon arrived at the said place. But he didn't go to the lake, but to the dry part right next to it. He released her and walked a little forward.

“You said you have a problem with your Frenzy” he starts slowly “but you didn't get practically anything to improve.”

“Not exactly” she replies, surprised that he has started the subject “I've been training my stamina, and I’m improving… I don’t get so tired anymore”

“That's not what I meant. Your hyperfocus, you remain inattentive, even with this training. That's a problem” he approaches. She shook her head.

“It's not the biggest of my problems, actually… I'm not that inattentive.”

“Oh, you’re not?”

“Yes, you who have keen senses, so right next to you I am a negation that cannot even look at the ground before stepping.”

“And yet you jump of fright, especially when I enter the place. Anyone setting an ambush for you does it with their eyes closed…”

“Not so fast. I know when someone messed with my stuff or left something out of place…”

“Yes, but at your house” he rolled his eyes “but that's not the point. You have to improve your senses more than anything else. Even if it's something that runs in your family, it's a defect that needs to be fixed.”

She was still surprised. Where had she seen such a serious Raian from?

“And… do you want to help me with this?” she risks.

“And why else would I call you here?” He raises an eyebrow. 

She thought, of, maybe, him apologizing for what he had almost done, but the thought of that scene again makes her look away, blushing, and then he holds back a laugh “Ooohh… would you look at that… what a dirty mind of yours. And you say I’m the gutter one…”

“It's not my fault if I'm not used to being dragged to a natural paradise by a handsome man, let alone the one I'm supposed to marry” she holds her mouth, blushing more “oh, sorry, it kind of escaped me…”

“Heh, good to know you think of me that way” he smiles mischievously “maybe I can take care of you later, if you behave…” She blushes a lot more, he laughs out loud “hehahahhaha, you really have a dirty mind, Mousie. Now that I know your weakness…” he approaches, mischievously, one hand on her jaw, his thumb caressing her chin “I'm going to explore that until I get tired.”

“Please don’t overdo it” she tries to say in the midst of embarrassment, averting her eyes “I can run away…”

“This only gives me more courage to hunt you, Mousie” he brings his face close to hers, as if to kiss her, she stares at him. But he pulls away when she feels his breath, covering her mouth “hehehe, not yet.”

She trembles, frustrated, and annoyed by what he's done, as he walks away. She hated even more the fact that she'd enjoyed being teased like this. Damn it.

“But, back to the subject” he leans against a tree “I had an idea to help you with this hyperfocus.”

She looks at him, trying to pay attention and not think about other things.

“From what I've observed, you tend to get into this state whenever you need to focus on something. As in everyday life, we need to pay attention to something to do it, it's very easy for you to get into it. When you're focused, everything about you that can help you about that specific thing improves. Your calculations, movements, precision…” he throws a rock at her suddenly, and she manages to catch the reflection “Your reflexes too. But, you have to turn it off when you're not using it, and since you can't, it wakes up the Frenzy.”

“Yeah…” Ayami nods, turning the stone in her hands “You understand… and just described everything. I'm no expert on this, but I've done some research and I've seen that my hyperfocus is a type of attention deficit I have. When I focus too much on one thing, I forget about the rest, and everything goes out of balance.”

“Exactly. You have to learn to blur it out” he looks far away in the distance, as he was trying to remember something “as far as I know, the Yamagami were specialized in mob killing, so they're probably used to focusing while immersed in chaos…”

“Yeah, I've heard that story” so she looks at him and laughs a little.

“What's so funny?” he frowns. She waves her hand.

“‘No, it's just that… if we're used to chaos, that must be why I should get along with you, then. You are pure chaos.”

It made him laugh. It wasn't quite a hyena laugh, but a nicer version.

“True…” he starts to walk away, leaving the tree “but that doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about how to slow down” he approaches “even more so when I can use it to my advantage.”

“Of course” she smiles slightly “so… what do you intend to teach me?”

“Actually, you already know” he puts his hand on the side of her face, thumb on her cheek, fingers running along the back of her head “or are you going to tell me that you can focus even when I do that?”

She blushes, feeling goosebumps “I… I think so… but I'm more alert to what you're going to do to me than my surroundings…”

He pauses for a moment, getting a little tense for a moment, but then slowly smiles back “heh, that's good, but still not exactly what I want to do.”

“I'm glad you think that way about me” she smiles back, albeit a little shyly “so if I already know… and you can probably teach me well, it's something about fighting. Will you fight Kenjutsu with me?”

“Wrong. At least in the last part” he laughs softly, letting go of his hand and stepping back, but the presence getting intimidating “let's play Mousie Hunt. You have to pay attention to your surroundings if you don't want to get caught. You can keep a weapon to defend yourself, you can even hide. I’ll find you…”

“Oh…” she looked at him, half cringing “five minutes ahead?”

“Two” he leans against the tree again, looking directly at her “let's see if you can survive, Mousie.”

She swallows, shivering. He didn't look like he was kidding.

“Let's go…” he closes his eyes, smiling slightly “Starting… now”

Ayami didn't know what to think, she just knew that she couldn't stay there any longer. She ran away, across the lawn. She knew she could be found, but if she had a chance...

She wondered what was the use of it, if it would really be useful, and even she wondered what would happen if she lost, but she shut her thoughts. Now was not the time to think, damn it!

Ayami hid behind a large tree, and waited, catching her breath. She would have to arm herself, yes, but with what?

“Calm down, Ayami, calm down” she murmurs as she takes a dry stick “you're fine, you're just playing with him, aren't you?” she couldn't say, and that made her very alert. Maybe that was the point, right?

“Ready or not, here I go…” - She managed to hear, in the distance. Her neck shivered. Oh no. This was no time to panic “Mousie, Mousie, where have you been hiding?” he starts humming, my God, Ayami can't help but panic “hehehe… I'll find you…”

She didn't know what to feel, didn't know if she was afraid, if she was angry at being called a mouse again… or if that third feeling, a warmth in her chest that she knew very well what it was but didn't want to name, out of shame.

She had to stay alert, or else it would be the end of her...

“FOUND YA!” He screamed and she jumped, almost screaming too, and shut her own mouth, trying to discern with her senses where he was “hahahahha, lucky for you, you weren't here…” she heard, he was very close.

She felt just like one of those horror movies she liked to watch, where the girl was being chased by a slasher, and she had to stay still so he wouldn't track her or hear her, him giving signs that he was close and all.

Even his laugh was the same. She felt weak in her legs, from fear or from excitement, she certainly didn't know.

“You know, an interesting thing about us…” he was saying, when approaching. “In the movies, the Slasher always plays this noisy role, to give the victim a chance… but did you know that real Assassins are silent? I'm not that loud in real life… nooooo, no, no… that scares the pigs… and that’s not actually fun”

Ayami was tempted to respond, but forced herself to remain silent. He was too close, she could hear his footsteps. She couldn't run away now.

“So… don't think about running, huh… I’ll hear you. if you're scared to the point of pissing yourself… I'll smell you too…”

She waits for his footsteps to be far away before peeking around the side of the tree where she was hiding, to know where to run. And as soon as she saw him, she came out of hiding to the opposite side, running with all her might.

Raian then turns towards her footsteps and laughs softly, muttering “hehehehee… let the hunt begin…” and runs after her.

…

Raian had to admit, this was fun as hell.

He'd known in advance that she'd agree to this game because she's a fan of horror stuff, but using the pretense, albeit a true one, of helping her become more aware of her surroundings, only made it easier.

He just didn't know how excited it was going to make him.

The prey was finally running for her life. And the hunter was behind, ready to overpower her when he get her. Even he felt like laughing as the trees passed like a shadow.

“You will not escape me, Mousie!” he used the trees to propel him forward. She let out a thin squeak, making sharp turns, trying to confuse him.

Ah, this was good prey, trying to fight for life. So much fun.

More so when he saw that thick body right in front of him, making his mouth fill with water. It triggered other instincts he didn't even know he had. How many must he still have hidden? He had no idea, but he was eager to find out.

“Go… away!” she suddenly stopped, and an unsuspecting Raian only realized this when it was too late, he just felt a bamboo stick on the side of his face throwing him to the side, on the ground. He rolled to land safely due to his reflexes, and sat on the ground, eyes widening in surprise.

Had she used momentum to propel herself and hit him? Hell, if that was a Katana she would have cut his head in two! Luckily it was wooden and didn't hurt as much as if he were a normal person, but he was still kind of in shock with surprise, massaging his face.

“Oh, my God, I'm sorry!” Ayami was suddenly distressed “I was… you said I could defend myself!”

Raian didn't answer, and just stared at her, pupils contracting. Ayami shrugged her shoulders and widened her eyes as he smiled like a maniac, he started laughing out loud.

“Run” he gave one last warning before starting to move. She didn't need to hear it twice, giving a thin scream half mixed with laughter, still with the stick in her hand.

That made Raian sure: she was also playing that game. This cheered him up even more.

…

That coup with the bamboo stick was a bad idea!

Ayami knew she wouldn't last long, so she used all the tricks she could think of, but kind of in vain, the creature that was chasing her was much stronger and more capable than she was, and that frustrated her a little. If this was a real fight, she wouldn't stand a chance...

Until she thought of the lake, and had an idea.

She headed there, hoping that she still had a chance and breath to get there. She had always had confidence in her legs, thanks to ballet, she was able to jump well and was still flexible enough to run using strides as well as firm ankles and using all areas of her feet for running. So she knew she wouldn't trip, but she couldn't afford to prolong it, as she still didn't have half the minimum stamina needed to survive such a chase.

She just hoped she could walk away from this game unscathed.

She broke out of the woods and ran across the open field, her hunter close behind.

“In the open? That's stupid of you…” he prepares to jump on her again.

“Not when I can play by my rules!” She turns and points the stick at him again.

Duly alert now, he brakes before reaching the weapon's range, and smirks as she assumes a combat pose, the stick raised like a Katana.

“Hehehehee…” he smiled, his mischievous face stamped “so you want to play sword? Okay, so…” he kicks another stick on the ground, a straight branch, upwards. Catching it in the air, brandish it, as if measuring its weight, and switch to using only one hand, like fencing “I'll beat you with only one arm.”

“Let's see if you will remain convinced after I give you some beatings” she moves the 'sword' with both hands. He continues to smile, now much scarier, but Ayami wasn't surprised. He was playing the role well.

He charges first, she parries from the bottom up, he charges from the side, she parries, slow but sure. Raian takes a step back, and chuckles low, circling the swordswoman, who has a straight face.

“Ooohh… you really take this seriously…” he turns the wood, as if holding a western sword.

“A samurai never wields his sword to play” she recites, serious “I may be using a bamboo pole, but my philosophy is the same.”

“Do you understand now? That's why you get into the Frenzy so easily” he scoffs “with such seriousness, even while you’re not supposed to take it so seriously.”

“If I don't take it seriously, you'll slaughter me,” she replies.

He laughs “fair enough!” he attacks again, on the side, and she defends, counterattacking with a long kick, but he defends, taking advantage of the momentum to try to 'cut' her leg, and she retreats and the swords meet once more. It wasn't nearly as frantic as the Kenjutsu boys at the dojo. Raian was just testing her.

“Oh, so you know how to fight with swords…” she smiles slightly “No. I recognize this upright rand pose. This is a Yamagami pose, so you learned how to use a Yamanoito…” she smiles.

“Of course. No matter what combat style you have, we Kure will learn and defeat you with them” he charges again, and this time she can barely defend. She felt the back of her neck prickling.

“Then allow me to fight on the same level” she assumes the same pose “Yamanoito against Yamanoito.”

“I'm already starting to like it” he smirks, getting slightly more serious.

She takes a deep breath, and this time, she's the one investing.

…

Despite not needing that to definitely dominate her, immobilize her and win the fight, Raian didn't understand why he was enjoying playing this little game. She was fast, he had to give her that credit, but even so, he could see her movements, could know what to do to attack, but he didn't want to. He was enjoying watching her struggle to even reach his level. Almost adorable.

Adorable. What a word to even get into his thoughts.

This kind of effort he'd only seen trice in his life: of other trainees when he was training with other Kure, when they were still apprentices, and when Ohma fought him, in the tournament, and then when he was still recovering, in Kure village. In these occasions, only Ohma had gotten over it and they were now on equal footing.

But even with all that, it still wasn't nearly as interesting to watch as this Mousie's. She had strength, she had speed, with time and training and that ability to focus, she could even become a master. But that tenacity, that gazelle look when she decided to light up… it only made him want to keep fighting, to keep it alight.

This, he noted, was explicitly different from wanting to turn off others' light, when he was on his missions, or fighting in the ring. He just could…but he didn't want to.

The kind of clarity that came from that thought almost cost him a direct blow to the head, which he parried at the last second, opening his eyes, returning to focus. She was staring at him, that fire in her eyes… the light hadn't gone out, she wasn't expressionless, closed in on herself, like when in Frenzy, she had her brow furrowed, her eyelids half closed, the clear effort to keep her katana in place.

She had managed not to get lost. He'd managed to keep her from getting lost.

Ayami was staring at him, and he wanted her to keep staring. He no longer wanted to see her afraid, withdrawing into herself for a hidden ability. That fiber, that courage… that was so much better.

“Ayami” he says, his voice came out much softer than he wanted, as he approached his face and turned his sword for her to defend herself instead of attacking, clearly showing dominance “you're awake.”

She blinks, confused “Oh. I’m” then her eyes widen “I'm not in Frenzy! I did it!”

“We did”  he approaches his face and steals a kiss from her. She's lost strength in surprise, so he takes the wooden sticks in both hands and tosses them aside, taking his prize with the deservedness he knew he had.

She didn't complain at all, reciprocating as she put her hands on his shoulders, and he deepened his kiss, pulling her to him.

That's when Raian not only won the fight, but lost himself. He had no doubt now, that creature's soft skin was too good to hold, even more so when hot like this… and the smell… he'd smelled it before, but this… her natural scent coming with a little sweat, even more so after that effort, it added an absurdly engaging note.

Holy shit, he wanted more of this.

He wanted to combine the two scents, hers and his, bite her, mark her, no one else should even touch her. He pulls her along, hungry, and she would almost lose her balance if he wasn't strong enough to hold them both, but he didn't care, and he goes along with her, falling to the ground on top, both of them on the soft grass.

“Raian” Even the gasp she released… music to his ears. He had to remember that she'd never done that, but it only made him worse. A possessive rush came from deep inside him as he bit her lip. Mine, mine and nobody else's. No one will even touch it, and if someone tries, I'll kill them.

For the first time he was startled by the truth of that thought, and he fully agreed with it. He smiled at the possible challenge, but his focus was now on her. He finally releases her from the kiss, for her to breathe, and she looks at him with that look, still lit, but now with a touch of excitement and innocence… he wondered if that innocent face would remain after she screamed her name…

“Wait… no. Slow down, idiot.” A thought slapped his mind. It's the only time she shouldn't be scared and wanting you instead, but she's shaking underneath you. Warm, soft, but shivering. “Stop.”

Raian loosened his grip on her, shaking his head, half annoyed with himself as he got out on top of her. Ayami looked at him confused as he sat down beside her, massaging the area where he had been affected by her blow, just to have an excuse for what to do with his hands.

“Why did you stop?” she asked. He looked at her, a little surprised.

“Did you want me to continue?” he raises an eyebrow. She blushes, her mouth pouting and looking away. He shook his head, rolling his eyes “Yeah. As much as you turn me on, you don't feel ready” he gets up “And as much as I am who I am, I definitely prefer it when my partner collaborates. If not, it stops being an intimacy, it becomes a murder” he extends his hand to her “and... as much as I like your scared Mousie face, I don't want my wife to be afraid of me.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed, as she processed the sentence. And he knew she was filled with joy as she felt herself take a deep breath.

“So… do you… do you accept me, Raian?” She holds his hand, and lets herself be helped. “Do you really want me?”Raian paused at the question, but everything is his mind assembly agreed “yes, I want you, dammit!”, but he responds as he snorts with laughter “And why else would I be here hunting you, Mousie?” he jokes, looking at her from above, making her crane her neck, and this time Ayami knew he wasn't mocking her. He pulled a not-so-quick kiss before they walked back to the village. Dirty, she tired, both of them covered in grass, but he wouldn't let go of her hand.

Next Chapter Here

#kengan ashura #kengan omega #kenganverse #heavybakery #devilsfood #fanfiction #kengan oc #raian kure #kure raian

[thelonesgroup]

Consistency Now Means Opportunity Later

Welcome to this week’s Zebra Report. This week I want to talk to you about how your business should respond when the market is going through a period of limited turn-over and whether agents’ natural reaction to cutting back on marketing is the right one.

This week a client asked me whether they should continue geographical farming. All of a sudden, their farm over the last six months had gone silent. No responses to any of their mailings. Right now, we are in a market where inventory is low, we have higher interest rates, and the middle of that market has become stuck.

That doesn’t mean that people in that farm area aren’t going to ever move. It just means that this may not be that moment in time. The advice I gave that agent was to stick with it. You have to stay consistent in that farming area.

Every market changes and the moment that we see interest rates change, it is going to open up possibilities for many of those sellers that are now sitting in their homes and unwilling to give up their lower rate mortgages. They are going to have the opportunity to consider more options and you need to be present both before and after that opportunity presents itself.

Need help developing consistency and staying the course with your monthly mailers? Need a professional and experienced team that takes care of it for you? Try our LeadMagnet program!

Check out our LeadMagnet program or email [email protected] for more info.

The second opportunity had by staying consistent is an opportunity of education for buyers. A lot of buyers and sellers right now are really unsure about where the market is right now – or where it will be in six months.

I think if you go back and listen to some of my previous Zebra Reports, talking specifically about the shortage of inventory that we have caused by lack of building and if you look at housing needs statistics in your state vs housing available you will find that the result is housing prices will continue to go up and continue to be a great investment for buyers.

Your continued monthly outreach is an opportunity to capitalize on market changes, to position yourself as the expert, and to educate clients about what is happening in the market and how they can benefit from it.

The number one thing that agents tend to do when they see the market slowing and has less turn-over is to cut back on marketing, but this is the wrong choice. Agents need to stay the course and stay consistent so that they are planting seeds in advance of better weather.

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By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.

#monthly mailers #consistency #mail marketing #marketing campaign #housing shortage #low turnover market #housing market #prospecting #outreach #geofarming #geographical farming #real estate coach #real estate advice #real estate #Denise Lones #The Lones Group #Zebra Report

[characternerdocs]

Tagged by: @icybreaths

Name: Eri Lorewright, you can refer to me as either! (or Eeri, like Eerie, Lol)

Star Sign: Cancer ♋

Height: 5' 7

Middle name: [REDACTED] cause I’m uncomfy revealing it as it’s really gendered, and I’d like to be a non-binary enigma.

Put your itunes/spotify/youtube on shuffle. What are the first 6 songs that popped up?

This is Home - Cavetown

Lonely Dance- Set it Off

Everything at Once - Lenka

Bubblegum Bitch - Marinana & the Diamonds

Poison Within from Headless 

Kill the Beast by Aurelio Voltaire

Ever had a poem or song written about you: Not that I am aware

When was the last time you played air guitar: Prolly a week, two weeks ago. And most definitely to Pick up the Pace by The Play Plays

Who is your celebrity crush?: Less of a crush, more gender envy for Scott Shpeley. He is the singer in the Play Plays and plays Edgar Allan in Catalyst’s musical Nevermore

What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?: Velcro, the hate the ripping sound. It makes my spin itchy. I love the sound of keys hitting against one another

Do you believe in ghosts?: Yes, though I don’t feel like I have any legit experiences. Others that I know have some stories. Other than that though I think building I work in is haunted. I repeatedly have the feeling someone was walked into the room while my back’s to the door, but when I look, no one is there.

How about aliens: Yeah, I figure if we can exist on our planet, why can’t other life exist on another planet?

Do you drive?: Yes, and once I was even licensed to drive a forklift!

If so have you ever crashed: Thankfully not.

What was the last book you read?: The Drowning Girls, it’s actually a play though by Beth Graham and Daniela Vlaskalic

Do you like the smell of gasoline: Eeh... sorta?

What was the last movie you saw?: 7 Women and a Murder

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?: I don’t know. Mostly it’s all minor stupid things. Like once I crushed a cone incense with my thumb only to find it had just burned out and severely burn my finger. I was trying to declog the dermal we use at work to 3-hole punch paper when it slipped and I punched a perfect circle into my index and thumb.

Do you have any obsessions right now?: Yes, It’s the Nevermore musical. I Love EVERYTHING ABOUT IT! I cannot rationally explain it. but the costumes and props being made primary out of masking tape, sticks, and landscaping fabric give Catalyst’s production such a unique and darkly quirky feel. It’s a part fact, part fiction telling of Edgar Allan Poe’s life birth to death, using lines and themes from his own stories and poems as the lyrics and lines. Which as a life time Poe fan myself is a fun little easter egg hunt to identify what is being referenced. The music is SO powerful, it just rattles round in my head all the time now, especially Dream within a Dream.  The setup and narrative style of the show had once of the best pay off I could have imagined; no spoilers but it was great. The cast is FANTASTIC! I love Scott Shpeley and I want to be his version of Poe, because honestly Nevermore’s Poe is just Goth boy Heath and I love that. But also I love Beth Graham, who yes wrote the play the Drowning Girls, but she is super funny and a great character actor. She plays three roles in Nevermore, including Fanny Allan, who I love, best mom. But Beth Graham does a great job of giving all three of her characters distinct voices. Love love love. The amount of love and creativity that has gone into this show is incredible. And I know that my passion and love for this show is crossing the line into unhinged, but E. A. Poe said it best, “I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched.”    

#About me! #Eri #Lorewright #Sorry for the Nevermore gush #rip

[justoutofrach]

Another post PhD brain dump incoming...

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Today I finally confronted this sadness that has been lurking in me since I submitted the thesis, and more so since the viva. I think I’ve been denying it’s there because I expected that everything would feel better in this period of my life, and I’ve been trying to convince myself that everything is in fact Good now.

But of course the reality is not as simple as that. Getting the examiners’ decision of minor corrections is obviously fantastic because it means that I don’t have to do any more serious work on the thesis, but it also confirms that I won’t ever do the work that I thought I was going to do at the start of this process. I don’t feel proud of the thesis; I don’t know if I ever will. The final product was so far from what I wanted it to be, and I have so much grief for all the work I didn’t get to do and all the support and supervision that I just didn’t get. And while it was nice for my examiners to confirm that I had done good work anyway, one of the main things I took away from the viva was that they didn’t think I had made it clear what my contributions were (which is something I have to do in my corrections). So I may have achieved the PhD, but it still feels like it’s all come to nothing in the end.  Also, the viva was probably the only time in my life that I will talk about my thesis in such depth, and a lot of post PhD people give that as the reason why they enjoy their viva, but I hardly remember mine (probably due to my sleep deprivation at the time). So it’s just in the past now, it may well never be read again.

I am also leaving behind something that has defined the course of my life for 5 years now. I felt for so long that being a PhD student defined me, that now I feel like I’ve lost a part of myself, and I know this is a cliché, but I don’t really know who I am anymore. I don’t really have any close friends who are in the post PhD phase, and I can’t talk about this with any of my friends who are still doing their PhD because I know all too well how horrible that stage can be and it seems insensitive to complain about the after stage to them. So as well as lost, I also feel acutely lonely.

Maybe living at my parents’ again for a while will help and maybe this will all feel less suffocating when I eventually have a job. Though that is another thing to unpack because even though I am literally getting a doctorate, I still feel like unless I build a great career right now I am still a disappointment to my family!! I think what I’m learning is that I am setting impossibly high standards for myself and I will clearly never be satisfied with whatever I am doing.

#PhD shenanigans #personal