#Because a powerful woman has come to his scam and he's frightened

[brunhielda]

Because apparently this account is now for random movie rambles as I rewatch films for the 100th time-

A watch through of Princess and the Frog:

Anyone else think it is hella suspicious that someone wanted that sugar mill only after she wanted to buy it?

- After the movie was done, it was explained to me by friends that this is a common scam to squeeze more money, especially targeted against POC potential buyers. No one else was bidding, they just wanted more money. My child brain just didn’t fit that together the first couple watch throughs- I mean, they clearly still had it for sale a long time later in order to be threatened at the end of the film… assholes.

Gathering a group of travelers by appealing to thier dreams is a very American story, Ala Wizard of Oz- the idea of the individual goals. This is Naveen, Tiana, and Louis. But then comes Ray, who is just trying to be helpful. That feels more old world, and he leads them to the old world magic- the woman of power in the wilderness. :)

Lawrence was frightened by the idea of a controlling wife, while Naveen was impressed with a well thrown book, and Tiana had dreams that included showing all the boys how it’s done. And her friend is very commandeering, and the object of all the men. There’s a theme of strong women and respect for them here- which makes sense. 1920s fairytales are just out of the Victorian era and the invention of the fairy godmother. And here comes Mama Odie. She even has the mother title.

Naveen and Tiana are so perfect for eachother. Beyond him being ok with her ambition and hustle, she needs his people skills for her resteraunt- you need a front man 😁

First time I can think of in a Disney film that an outside perspective for love song had thier own love to sing about 💘

Every good char in this movie is immediately willing to help someone out, even when- especially when- it inconveniences them. That is how you let your characters be very strong characters, even occasionally overwhelming other characters, and still be good people and likeable. This is how we bond with Lotti, and then Naveen, despite them having domineering personalities.

The way Naveen admires things about Tiana even before he likes her- then when he loves her, the way his face lights up as he watches her.

The wishing star has a name now 🥰✨ Evangeline

Anyone else think froggy Naveen is based a little on John Bob from Swan Princess? Those leg spots look familiar is all I am saying.

Never has good foley hurt so badly as that tiny crunch. 💔🪳

Most important line- “He didn’t get what he wanted, but he had what he needed” was given to her by her mother, who also introduced her to the upper class of town. He mother was so important to this story.

The marrying of Lotty is very “old chivalry” anything for my lady, while the tale itself is very peasant tale of pulling together to get through. As many American tales do, you gotta get ALL the tropes in there. 🪄

Ray is such a well designed character. He is wise, and has common sense, and allies and skills, and LIGHT to oppose the shadows- and they balance it by making him small and fragile. Is… is he the wizard of the party? Not nessisarily in the DND way that is very academically type, but in the LOTR classic fantasy way, that makes one member of the group to be the big support to everyone else, but can also be fridged when needed. 😅🥲 Brings wisdom and all else you need but destined to go out ina blaze of glory???

Happy that his parents seemed to be- “finally someone took him in hand” and could care less about her social position.

First time this white girl heard Neo was sitting through the credits of this film in the theaters. Still love his music. 🎶

[emile-hides]

Hazbin Hotel Swap AU

I got excited and wrote a bit. Loosely based on @huyee-hotdog‘s Swap artwork.

Everything’s the same except Alastor is just your run of the mill demon and Charlie takes her role as Princess seriously, using her powers to redeem people, specifically Vaggie so far. I don’t know a lot about Hazbin Hotel, so if there’s something off, so be it.

“This is literally the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.” Angel Dust muttered, counting the dollars the Radio Demon had handed him.

Alastor hummed, twirling his cane, “Yes. But you’re here.” He smirked, then turned and counted, “We’ve got the building, Front Desk, Maid Service, Manager,” He counted out, pointing to his half assed, and paid off, hotel staff, “And of course, our first customer.” He motioned to Angel, who was pocketing his own bribe. “Perfect! Everything needed for a convincing front.”

Angel tilted his head as he sat back on the couch, “You really think people are going to pay to get redeemed?”

The radio demon laughed, “Why of course not! The world may be desperate for redemption sense the Princess proved it possible, but they won’t PAY for such a thing.”

Angel laid back on the couch, clicking though his phone, “Then, what the hell’s the point of this?”

“Why entertainment, my four armed fellow! Watching those lowly whelps struggle desperately for the chance at redemption, avoiding their greatest desires, going MAD trying! Why do you think I gave the front desk alcohol? The suffering will be well worth the cost!” Alastor cried in joy, his voice crackling as he swung his staff around.

A knock to the door caused the four to pull away from the moment. Alastor’s smile cracked his face, “Oh good! Look alive gentle folk! Our first guest has just arrived! Big smiles everyone.” His fingers traced the smile on his own face as he locked eyes with Husk. The man just glared as he glugged another bottle of cheap booze.

Alastor hummed a little tune to himself as he opened the front doors, “Welcome poor, tortured soul, to the Hazbin Ho-” He cut himself off as his eyes landed on the demon at his door.

Long blond hair, a wide tooth filled smile, rosy pink cheeks and a tiny button nose. Large stripped horns and a suit tightly fitting on a female figure. The Princess of hell stood cheerily at Alastor’s door. The girl looked up at him and smiled, giving a wave. Before she could greet him, The Radio demon slammed the door, pinning his back against it to keep it shut.

“Harsh. What was that for?” Angel asked, hanging over the side of the couch.

“It’s her…” Alastor mumbled, his smile hanging on his face as he slid down the door.

“Her? Boo! Can’t we get at least one boy here?” Niffty pouted, dusting Angel’s hair poof.

The spider demon huffed, “I’m a guy, you know.”

Niffty glanced and looked him up and down, “Hm…. No you’re not.”

“Hey. So who’s this “her” at our door?” Husk asked, leaning on the front desk.

“The Princess of hell.” Alastor said with true fear in his voice.

The crew stared at the Radio demon in silence, processing.

Husk busted into laughter, “Oh shit,” he wheezed, “Oh my god we are so fucking dead, man!”

“Can we die? I mean, we’re already dead.” Angel asked, rolling off the couch and onto Niffty before standing up, holding the struggling girl like a teddy bear.

“When redemption princess Charlie finds out the boss tried to copy her idea? We might as well be.” Husk’s laughter turned into chuckled as he sipped his drink.

“Hello?” The girl’s voice called though the closed door as she knocked, “Alastor, was it? I heard your commercial on the radio! Um… Hello?”

“Fear not gentlemen!” Alastor stood up, clearing his throat, “I’m sure I could, uh… Talk her out of this?” He smiled. No one looked convinced. His smiled turned nervous as he swallowed hard. Alastor then turned on his heels, opening the door.

“Oh. Good you’re still here.” Charlie smiled at seeing the demon. She happily extended her hand, “Charlotte Magne, Daughter of Satan and Princess of hell. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Likewise, my dear.” Alastor said with his clearest voice, taking her hand and shaking it, “And what, pray tell, is royalty like yourself doing at my run down little establishment?”

“Run down? Well I would hardly call it that.” Charlie hummed, letting herself in to look around.

Yes, it was just a house turned into a bed and breakfast like stay. Three floors, the first being the lobby, kitchen, dining room areas. The walls were red and tall, the second floor visible from the first room. Buck antlers and other hunting trophies lined the lobby. Everything was well cleaned and organized, a fire place and candles keeping the large room lit, and a large radio played what could only be described as elevator music.

Alastor laughed and took Charlie’s hand, spinning her back tword the door, “Why thankyou, my dear, and I will be sure to add such a nice statement to the reviews-”

“Oh well that will have to go.” Charlie broke from Alastor’s hold, walking to the front desk, with a snap of her fingers the alcohol all vanished, along with the stools.

“Woh woh woh! You can’t-” Husk prepared to Argue, just for Alastor to slide across the top of the desk to cover her mouth.

“Why THANK YOU, darling! I’d been meaning to wean my front man here off the devil’s juice for some time now! Yes yes, going cold turkey is the only way now-”

“Oh wow! And you already have a guest!” She squealed excitedly, running over to Angel Dust, “Hi! I’m Charlie! I’m so glad you’ve considered redemption!” She took his hands, making him drop Niffty, holding them tightly, determination on her face, “I promise we will get you to Heaven. Now tell me, what made you want to search for happiness?”

Angel froze, looking around the room for someone to help. Alastor waved for his attention, then made a smile with his fingers. “Uh… I wanted to… b-be happy…?” Angel smiled awkwardly. Alastor rested his face in his hands.

“Wonderful!” Charlie cheered, hugging Angel, “We’ll find you that happiness then! Together!”

“Uh… Together, dear?” Alastor asked, smiling nervously.

Charlie nodded, “Of course! Oh, right.” She turned to face him, smiling, “I, Charlotte Magne, Princess of hell, would like to formally offer my help in your recovery Hotel.” She took his hand, making a jolt run though Alastor’s systems, “Let’s get people to Heaven!”

[elliemarchetti]

Red Queen Soulmate AU (Mare and Evangeline)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Other Red Queen fics:

Holiday Inconveniences (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6)

A Wonderful Mistake (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6) (part 7)

The Scam (part 2)

A Red Lover (part 2)

A Rebel’s Song (part 2)

The Epilogue

A Different POV

Words: 1286

As she fell, she saw nothing but the shield of lightning that was coming towards her, sizzling, full of electricity that squeezed the air. She barely had time to realize that the purple screen would cook her alive and she would die in the Red uniform, the only concern of the Silvers having to commit someone to clean the mash that would remain of her, when she hit her head and began to see little stars. Not stars, sparks. The screen was doing its duty, electrocuting her, the uniform catching fire, burning and beginning to smoke, and she would’ve expected the same to happen with her skin, but it didn’t; she felt nothing but the sparks’ heat that ran through her body and made her nerves burn, but not in a bad way, like she was feeling really alive for the first time, as if she had been blind all that time and now she finally opened her eyes and something moving inside her. The web of lightning was trying to kill her without success. It was all wrong but she was alive, so she wasn't going to complain. The shield began to release black smoke, like an overloaded machine, and after a final, brighter and more aggressive shot, it weakened to the point of falling to pieces, causing her to fall again. As if by a miracle, she landed on a heap of dust free of protruding and sharp metal objects. She was decidedly battered, her muscles aching and her uniform reduced to a heap of scorched rags that were still miraculously together, but she managed to get up, albeit with difficulty. Above her a buzz of amazement and wonder arose: all eyes was on her, a charred red girl, a human lightning rod. Evangeline, the closest of them all, stared at her with wide eyes. She seemed angry, confused an frightened, and was probably not used to managing that kind of mixed feelings as she threw her a burst of sharp and deadly metal scraps, which slit the air and aimed straight to her heart. Without thinking, Mare raised her hands, as to protect herself. Instead of finding a dozen serrated blades stuck in her palms, she perceived something very different: as it happened a few moments earlier, she sensed her nerves awoke and ignite, fed by an inner fire she felt in her head and under her skin, until she realized that she was no longer the same Mare that had arrived there that morning for a ray of pure power and energy departed from her body, a lightning which came from her hands and made the metal fragments explode into a thousand tiny pieces and finally falling to the ground than then hit the farthest wall, leaving a smoking, three feet wide hole. Mare couldn’t imagine what would be left of Evangeline if it hit her, a thought she seemed to share as she was speechless, astonished, like the hundred Silvers who continued to observe them from above, including the king, who had leaned out of his platform, the silhouette of the flaming crown that stood out against the sky. The sentinels, stationed on each platform, wait for nothing more than his order, a command, but before he could say anything, Mare pushed Evangeline, still stunned, away and slipped into a kind of trap door embedded in the ground that had remained open.

"Catch her!" someone shouted behind her as she dived into the dim light of the environment below. For a moment, she thought she had imagined it, but as time went by, confirmation came that it was Cal and his selfish need to know if she was really his soulmate.

 "The Queenstrial is always a joyful event, which concerns the future of our great kingdom and the ties that keep us united and strong in the face of our enemies," began the king, speaking to the crowd. "But as you saw yourself, today it has given us far more than a future queen."

"We all remember our beacon of hope in the darkness brought by the war, our captain and friend, General Ethan Titanos." continued Elara, who had taken the king's hand and acted like a feared queen, when everyone knew she was a perfidious harpy. Evangeline hated her, like everyone else, but in a certain aspect she respected her as she was a very powerful woman but also a clever strategist and one day she hoped to be able to reign just like her, manipulating her husband to be the one who he actually held the reins of the kingdom and living her private life, for it was no secret that the couple had been sleeping for a long time, perhaps since Maven's birth, in separate rooms.

"Today we witnessed a miracle," she went on, staring at the weird maid who had almost killed her, who now dressed in the Titanos family’s colors and advanced towards the queen among the forced applause of those present. She had a confident step and an inscrutable look that made her much more like a Silver than the creature she had seen this morning, but something continued to seem wrong, too far-fetched. When she sat down next to her, she threw her an incinerating gaze: she wouldn’t be able to get between her and the crown, and according to her father, who had conferred with the king immediately after the incident, it wouldn’t have happened because she would be betrothed to Maven. Maybe they could’ve been weird together. Evangeline wondered what names she had on her wrists: since they appeared at birth and couldn’t be changed, if she was who she said she was, surely she would’ve those of people she knew. She made a mental note to investigate, although she was sure it wouldn't take her long to find out. She, for example, had two female names, which among the Silvers was ignored, like everything else concerning soulmates. Elane and Larentia. She had begun to understand early enough why her mother was the one she would’ve hated the most but it had taken her a while to come to terms with the fact that Elane Haven would’ve been the one, even though now it was undeniable. Of course Ptolemus helped, since he was the only one who knew from the start that supported and accepted her, but Elane, who had understood she was in love long before her, looking at her languidly from every corner and whenever she could has done her part and perhaps, but that was only a guess, a thought on which she liked to indulge, the last strike was her parents’ absolute prohibition to be something different than a weapon for the family, the future king’s bride. Obviously this would change once she was the queen. Cal already knew that she could never love him as a woman should love a man but they could’ve been allies if not friends, and he would’ve allowed her to be with Elane while he could take care of his own affairs, maybe even have a bastard she could’ve raised as her own, the next king and secretly a bastard. It was ironic and at the same time reassuring, or at least it would’ve been if only she hadn't feared so deeply that something horrible could happen, that Cal could choose the new girl in a strange turn of events. She, generated to reign, cast aside by someone just because her name was similar to the one Cal’s soulmate should’ve had. She cast another look at that girl who could be her salvation or her ruin, unable to decide if it was better to pretend to be her friend or kill her.

[idkwhoiamanymorebutwtf]

Psycho Analyzing: Eggs Benifits

While the kids' parenting style showed a bit about them, I think it showed more about their families, really.

For example, Nurf was abusive towards Preston. This was likely due to the obvious abuse from his uncle, who was bad enough for Child Protective Services to be involved. However, with the egg, Nurf was so much less explosive. His mother is in jail. She's violent. But with Nurf? She's as good a mother as any. And of course, his dad wad never around, which amplifies his need to be there for his own son.

Then there's preston. He let Nurf abuse him- not that it was his fault, victim blaming isn't condoned here- but he seemed to be a bit meek and immediately went along with Nurf. This is probably caused by one of two things. Either his own parents were in a similar relationship (which could be why he lives with his grandmother. If his mother left or was killed and if his father was arrested or killed-), which would lead to him picking this behavior up from them, or his parents were never around. His grandmother,,though she is incredible, bless her soul, certainly doesn't strike me as a strong role model. If his parents were NEVER around, Preston likely doesn't know what a stable family structure is like, and a lot of people in those situations do follow whatever they're taught is how a family should look. So when Nurf started shoving him around, Preston would have no reason to think that isn't how parents were meant to act. I think the latter is a stronger possibility, as Preston didn't assume the role of an abused housewife until after Nurf showed abusive behaviors, implying that wasn't something he'd been exposed to before, but that he is vulnerable to anything he's exposed to, meaning his parents have likely been gone from the start. I think his love for theatre may even stem from a psychological connection formed with it directly resulting from a lack of any other role models in his life.

Next let's talk about Ered. She has a very stable home life. Her dad's are "cool", they seem to encourage her passion for extreme sports and the only downside I see is that they may be too loose with her. I mean, I'm not saying that makes them bad parents. It's just that every parent has flaws. As stated in the episode, there isn't really a right way to do any of it, and everyone's going to mess up somewhere. And the shortcomings of her dad's come through in Ered's own parenting. They put too much faith in letting her do her own thing. They sent her to Camp Campbell for her extreme sports camp despite the fact that Cameron is literally a dangerous criminal. However I also think Ered and her dad's have different reasons for being so easygoing (to a fault). Ered is into extreme sports. With that as your hobby, you learn that pain is part of the game, so she was unconcerned when her egg broke because that's how you learn. You learn by messing up. Meanwhile her own dad's seem to leave her to her own devices because, well..they let her get away with too much. They seem to view her as perfect. Ered's allowed to do what she wants by them and is always given positive reinforcement. She apparently had awful grades in school but was still sent to extreme sports camp! In the end, this really solidifies the fact that her dad's are too lenient, which is likely the cause of her behavioral issues with manipulating, using, and insulting other's.

Dolph is distinctly, pointedly, not like his own father. Dolph doesn't want to constrain his egg. He wants the egg to be a free spirit and do whatever he wants to do with his life. This is him going against his father, who thinks his passion for art is lame. Dolph is trying so hard NOT to be like his father. However, Dolph also seems to show a want to live through his own child. He paints on the egg and insists he's going to be "an artist/pro skater!" Which does allow bits of how Dolph himself was raised to shine through in a need for father to live through son, weather Dolph means to push his dreams onto the egg or not. And I do doubt he means to. He genuinely seems to think it's what his kid wants for himself, and that's something a lot of parents do when the project onto their kids, because often they're pushing what they want unintentionally.

Next we have Nerris. She's imitating her parents in a few ways. Now, look. She has good parents. A stable life. She was pushing her goals on her age, but only because it's how she and her father bonded, and she wants to bond with her kid too. Her lecturing of Harrison seemed reminiscent of how her mother seems to scold her father when he steps out of line (note the difference is that Nerris was being spiteful while her mother is normally just a bit exhasperated. Nerris and Harrison's arguing was distinctly different from the interactions between Nerris' parents.) Nerris was trying to be like her parents, very good people to aspire to parent like. Nerris just misinterpreted how to do that.

Harrison is interesting. I think people don't give his parents enough credit. Yeah, they're afraid of him. But it's not like he just does tricks. He made his brother disappear! If I did that my parents would leave me in the fucking woods to fend for myself! But Harrison's sent him to a camp to control his power's and them even bothered to show up for parents day. They care about him, and their fear is absolutely justified. Just going by lines such as "my mom says I'll grow into my looks" and "I can't wait to tell my mother!!" From Harrison, his parents were fine before the whole thing! That being said, though, they don't support him enough. For good reason or not, they don't paint his passion for magic in a good light. Hence why he defended his own egg so fiercely and put so much value in him having fun.

Now let's talk Space Kid. He's an enigma. He was very passive, relenting to whatever Neil wanted for their kid. He clearly has both parents in his life to some extent, seeing as in Parents Day he referred to them in plural, as in, both his parents. I am, though, lead to believe that his mother isn't very prominant in his life. Maybe she's neglectful or doesn't have custody rights over him or maybe She's just too busy. She seems to show up to things sometimes or he wouldn't even think to bring both his parents up..ever. But he also clings to Gwen as a mother figure of sorts and asked Muriel in Camp Corp if she was their "new mom." Of course, we can only speculate on his parents. Maybe his mother is a business woman too busy for him and his father is weak willed and does whatever she asks. Maybe she lost custody of him one way or another and his father is meek under his families preassure. One way or another, though, his mother isn't around enough and his father takes on a role much like Space Kid did in Eggs Benifits, submitting to someone else when it comes to his kid.

Neil is an odd case too. His dad did seem rather clingy. But not to the point that would inspire the level of helicopter parenting Neil displayed. But then, I got to thinking about his mother. She and Carl are divorced. She tries to buy Neil's love and is seemingly the sole recipient of his familial affection. I feel she is rather possessive of him. Not to the same level as Neil was, but enough to spur that behavior in him. I wouldn't be shocked if Neil's distaste for Carl also came from his mother's possible manipulation. Neil seems to want to be as far from his dad as possible, hence how he cranks everything up to eleven, being paranoid and posessive to an extreme as opposed to his easy going father.

With Max it's easy to see his parent's influence. They're neglectful. Maybe even physically abusive. At first his behavior just seemed to mirror theirs. But then I got to thinking. Max is a good person, deep down. He wouldn't fuck up something in his care like that. So then I thought Max probably really did just think the whole thing was dumb because it wasn't real. He seems much more mature than the other kids in that sense. But as one of the most recent episodes, where Max goes full on detective, goes to show, he doesn't have that much of an issue playing along unless he's got something else to do. So I thought...he was probably frightened. I mean, neglect and abuse victims usually are when they're given a kid, are you kidding me? He was sure he was going to mess up so he thought it'd be better to let Nikki do things alone. This really leads me to think his parents are abusive and not just neglectful. Because if his parents fucked him up by leaving him to care for himself and nothing else, I doubt he'd choose to avoid the egg like that. But if his parenta actually /hurt/ him, physically or mentally, he'd be afraid of doing the same. And this is only solidified for me by the ending where he DID come around and he DID care about the egg when it hatched, meaning his fear of messing things up is most likely why he did avoid responsibility for the egg. So yeah, he's being abused.

Finally Nikki. She REALLY seems to have a bad father. Every time she mentions him it's him doing something ranging from mmildly awkward to pretty fucked up. Like talking about hookers in front of your young daughter. Nikki's behavior here, though, seemed much like her mother. I'm a STRONG defender of Candy. She signed Nikki up to a camp she knew her daughter would enjoy, and it's not her fault it turned out to be a scam, she turned up to parents day, even if she was a bit distracted, and aparently she had Nikki go bird watching with her, showing that she does spend time with her daughter. And she was apparently responsible enough to get full custody of her kid in the divorce. Sure, Candy's a gold digger, but that has nothing to do with her love for Nikki, and yeah, she dismissed Nikki being chased out by the flower scouts as a "silly little adventure", but Nikki is prone to dramatics. Nikki talks enough about Candy to show that she is around. But it's very, very likely that, like Nikki, she has no idea what the hell she's doing. That she's scared and doesn't know what's right and what's wrong. Being a single mother is hard, and it's clear that Candy isn't the most well off financially. I really think she's really just lost on how to do things like Nikki was in this episode.

Please tell me what y'all think and give me your own interpretations of their families. :)

[scribblestatic]

Warning: Shitty adults attempting to use their power to try to coerce children into unsavory acts. No actual activity occurs. Still. Black Tea’s attempts at coercion can be triggering.

Please protect yourself above all else. If it will be too much, please scroll down until you see the second set of bolded text.

---

(PLEASESTOPREADINGHEREIFTHISWILLTRIGGERYOU)

“Listen. I’ve been letting you do whatever you want, really. You set your hours, set your personality for the position, and do your own makeup. I let you create Chouko here, and I let you make her flourish.”

Black Tea sits across from Izuku at a small, circular wooden table. Not Chouko, Izuku. Because right now, there’s no fantasy he can crawl into that will help him feel better about what’s happening. Black Tea’s spoon clinks against her tea cup.

“But, listen. I get that this is technically your first job, but something you have to do is pull your own weight. You have to work really hard to deserve your pay. That’s why I’m lowering your wages.”

Izuku’s mouth drops open. “W-Wha—”

“Instead of $12 an hour, you’ll make $6.” 

Black Tea sips at her tea as Izuku stands to his feet.

“Th-Tha-That’s half! That’s a whole half of my—“

“Of your illegal wages, yes.” Izuku freezes as Black Tea opens her eyes, smiling behind her cup. “I have been very kind to you, little boy. I have let you prance around my establishment as you pleased, despite the fact you don’t do the same things as the other girls do. But that is going to change, starting now.” The woman reaches down to her side, into a folder she has sitting there. She then takes out a laminated sheet and slides it over to Izuku’s side of the table. He looks down at it and glances over what’s written there.

There’s...activities. None of them are sexual but.

It’s as he feared.

Massages, foot rubs, conversations in private back rooms, allowing random men to put their heads in his lap, all for money. They have prices to them, depending on how long the person wants the service. Things like fortune telling and conversations cost less money. Things like massages and having Izuku sit and rub on a random man’s head cost more. They cost just enough to cover the losses he’d experience with his new pay cut.

He feels sick.

“I’m sure you can find three things on this list here that you wouldn’t mind incorporating into your menu. Of course, this will be a part of your secret menu, but all girls here need to have at least three selectables for their patrons.” Black Tea taps with her clean red nails at the headrest one, charging $25 every 15 minutes. “I know of at least three of your regulars who would love to see you have this one on your secret menu. Why not add this one?”

“This...this is...this is illegal—“

Black Tea raises an eyebrow. “You working for me is illegal. I can fire you right now and have you out my hair, then demand that you pay me back every dollar you stole from me. I mean, after all, you’re not an employee here. And even if you were to become one, you’d still owe me for all the taxes that you haven’t paid on your money.”

Izuku’s hands curl in his dress, trying not to hyperventilate. He...he has to think. Has to find a way out of this situation. Has to...has to make it work.

“What then? Will you find a new job? But you don’t turn 16 for another year, so I guess the duty would fall on your mother to pay me back. And so far, I’ve given you well over $8,000 for your services...ah, plus the taxes. Consider that interest since I want my full, earnest amount. And, you see, I like my payment up front, in full, preferably in cash. Otherwise, I get antsy and I don’t trust it.” Black Tea shrugs and grins with bright red lipstick. “So, I suppose, unless you have $8000+ stashed away somewhere, you’re quite in a pickle, aren’t you, Chou-Chou?”

Tears build in Izuku’s eyes, and he finds himself backing away from a careful finger.

“Oh no, dear, don’t ruin your makeup. You look so cute... Like a little doll, really.” She laughs a little. “And the best part is that you’re just as weak and pitiful as one, too. Quirkless...gods, the instant you told me you were Quirkless, I knew I would have a field day. What can you do against me right here, right now?” Black Tea stands up and leans forward, whispering in Izuku’s ear. “Not a single damn thing, dear. If I were to let my Quirk loose on you right now, you’d be helpless as a bleating sheep.” Black Tea’s eyes gleam hotly as her nails grow sharp. Izuku bites at his bottom lip, trying to contain the frightened squeak he wants to squeal out. 

“What was it that you said when we first met? ‘All men are not created equal’? It takes a long time for many girls to understand that. I’m glad you understand it first hand. So...let’s not make this any harder than it has to be on you, yeah?”

For a moment, Izuku doesn’t reply. He stands still, his hands curled into his dress. Then slowly, he relaxes. His fingers release the skirt folds and the tension in his neck slowly dissipates. Then he pats his hands on the creases he made and looks up at Black Tea.

His eyes are still hidden behind the bangs of his wig, but he smiles lightly, his attempt ruined by how wobbly and false it is. When he speaks, it’s in Chouko’s voice, a seamless, feathery falsetto.

“O...Okay...”

Black Tea grins gleefully. “Perfect! So now, how about you let me choose what’s on your secret menu? You won’t have to worry your little head about it. I don’t want you to be too worried over it all.”

“But...but what about the...the massage and the...I just...I don’t want to do something like that yet. C-Can I please wait?”

“Hmmm...well, I’ll tweak my plans a little bit for you, how about that? But you are going to have the lap rest on your menu. Your patrons have been explicitly requesting that this be an option. You can’t deny them their rights!”

Chouko keeps her smile on her face, relaxing her body further. “O...Okay...”

The woman coos. “Gosh, Quirkless brats are so precious. You should’ve stayed at home with your mommy, dear.”

(ITISSAFETOSTARTREADINGAGAINTHANKYOUFORYOURPATIENCE)

(ITISSAFETOSTARTREADINGAGAINTHANKYOUFORYOURPATIENCE)

(ITISSAFETOSTARTREADINGAGAINTHANKYOUFORYOURPATIENCE)

When Chouko leaves Tea Cats that night, its in a daze.

She’s dressed in his outside clothes, still wearing the wig, chest pads, and makeup as she heads home. She can’t be Izuku again until she’s there since she can’t be recognized while at school. If she were recognized, she could be expelled, then she’d really be in a shithole.

Not that she isn’t now.

With her will in Black Tea’s hands, now, she’s practically a comodity. That woman has cornered her into something...unsavory. It’s not bad yet, but Chouko knows how these things go.

It starts small, then steadily increases until it gets worse and worse...

Then she’s...

No.

No.

Chouko digs into her pants pocket, digging out something she wants to keep on hand.

See, Chouko’s been Quirkless for a long, long time. No matter how long Black Tea has had her business, Chouko’s been Quirkless since birth. So, as sheltered as she was in her mother’s house, she still learned things very quickly.

She learned that all men aren’t created equally. Learned that people abuse the weak to feed the strong. Learned that kindness that’s too good to be true is a scam.

She’ll admit that all her moves to get hired weren’t smart. She should’ve kept her mouth shut about her Quirklessness. But it was precisely that Quirklessness that ended up getting her hired, along with how cute she can look.

That was another thing.

The world unfairly benefited the cute. If you were born naturally adorable, the world loved you from the beginning.

But there was a way to cheat that, too. Those who can alter their appearances to be pleasing to those around them are like caterpillars. Maybe they look ugly going into their chrysalis, but they can change.

They come out very, very beautiful. And distracting.

Chouko digs out the little voice recorder she had on her, holding the entire conversation she had with Black Tea. A quick click of the play button confirms the woman’s voice is still there, and Chouko lets out a short laugh.

Had the woman not been distracted by how cute she is, she surely would’ve noticed her fiddling with the damn thing to try to get it to turn on and record. But she’d been so focused on her facial expressions, she hadn’t noticed. Black Tea hadn’t noticed at all.

And now, Chouko’s let the woman talk herself into a hole. One they could both fall into if she’s not careful, but a hole nevertheless. And if it turns out that Black Tea is one of the last villains she takes down, so be it.

Butterflies don’t live long either.

Chouko continues walking home with more pep in her step, more confidence to her stride and a small, pretty smile on her face.

Yeah. The world’s unfair.

But if Chouko has to, she’ll cheat at its game for as long as she must.

[wellesleyunderground]

WU Reviews: Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos Scandal

When brainstorming ideas for the next WU Review, we discovered that Tiffany Chan ‘15 had read Bad Blood, a book chronicling the rise and fall of Theranos; Cleo Hereford ‘09 had gotten the whole story via The Dropout podcast; and Shloka Ananthanarayanan ‘08 had watched the events unfold via the HBO documentary, The Inventor. Therefore, we three editors decided to combine forces to give you one mega-review about this fascinating story. Settle in!

Bad Blood reviewed by Tiffany Chan ‘15 (@omgitstiffyc)

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup is a book written by John Carreyrou detailing the meteoric rise and fall of the blood diagnostics company Theranos. While many of us came to know this story relatively late in the game, John Carreyou was the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who originally broke the story of Theranos in 2015. The format of the book allows for the stories and characters involved in the downfall of Theranos to be developed richly.

The book takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride. The beginning is a slow build, as Elizabeth starts the company. Over several years, the company grows steadily, and towards its late phase, it is a full sprint towards chaos. I was struck by how many people tried to stop Elizabeth Holmes and failed. Part of what makes this story enthralling is the number of people who simultaneously saw through the mirage and those who were sucked in. She managed to survive a for-cause audit by the FDA and almost being ousted as CEO by her board of directors. Then Vice President Joe Biden took a tour of her lab and was impressed by her work. Frankly, I started to wonder if she was some sort of Superwoman, immune to the rules us mere mortals live by.

While other accounts may focus on Elizabeth’s charisma, Bad Blood focuses on the people who were hurt by her actions. Each excited and talented employee was initially taken in by the promise of Theranos and all ultimately left disgraced and disappointed. The book underscored Holmes’ secretive, ruthless, and litigious nature where Theranos’ intellectual property was concerned. For me, this book also most clearly demonstrates Holmes’ failings as a leader. She made so many people collateral damage in the pursuit of personal glory. This point was most poignant in the case of Ian Gibbons, a long-time Theranos employee who was called to testify in court and tragically took his own life, balking under the pressure he was facing from the company to not say anything. Additionally, the narrator enters as a player in the third act and I found this to be really effective because we the readers empathize with him and understand his frustrations as he tries to tell this story while facing Theranos’ intimidation tactics. By building this cast of smart and relatable people, Carreyrou builds a sense of horror and outrage on multiple levels.

Simply put, this book was a trip for me to read because of all the ways it intersects with various aspects of my life. As someone who spent time working in the pharmaceutical industry, it was incredibly discouraging to hear about all the ways Theranos circumvented the checks and balances designed to keep people safe. While we might not be happy about all the regulatory hoops we need to jump through sometimes, they exist to ensure that our drugs and devices have been tested rigorously and I think people need to know that a majority of people in the industry take those standards incredibly seriously. As a Longwood Medical Campus student at the time, I can easily see how this young, female Silicon Valley CEO was lauded as THE lecturer of the year, the next big innovator. As a bench scientist, it was obvious to me from the beginning that Theranos’ pitch was pure fantasy but I had my doubts about whether I would have had the wherewithal to realize it without the gift of hindsight.

I liked the medium and content of Bad Blood because it underscores how much of Theranos was visual facade. Elizabeth LOOKED (and sounded, ha) like the next Steve Jobs. The Edison LOOKED beautiful when really it was just a sleek box with a robotic pipette inside. This story has been endlessly sensationalized in popular media but Bad Blood grounds us in what was the ludicrous and sometimes frightening reality for Theranos employees. I think this format allows for us to truly focus on the actions of the company and keep that in mind without getting sucked in by the ersatz company.

The Dropout reviewed by Cleo Hereford ‘09 (@cleoc87)

The Dropout is a 6-part podcast produced by ABC News and narrated by chief business, technology and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis about the emergence and downfall of Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Each episode is between 37 and 45 minutes, giving the listener a brief but comprehensive overview of Holmes, the founding of her company, and Theranos’ eventual demise. 

The podcast does more than simply narrate the series of events; it also includes interviews with a number of the key figures including Stanford Medical School Professor Dr. Phyllis Gardner (who heard early plans for The Edison technology and questioned its viability), whistleblowers Erika Cheung and Tyler Schultz, and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou.  The most striking interview, however, comes from the widow of Ian Gibbons, a biochemist who worked as Theranos’ chief scientist before taking his life in 2013 in the context of what is described as a toxic work environment and a pending patent lawsuit. 

What I walked away with after listening to The Dropout were the parts of the story perhaps touched upon but not fully highlighted in the hype surrounding the scandal: just how many lives were negatively impacted through the scheme either by Theranos’ work environment, the technology’s misdiagnoses, family disagreements or in Gibbons’ widow’s case, death, among the many issues that existed outside of or leading up to the truth behind Theranos being made public. Oftentimes, those affected by a particular person, organization or incident are forgotten in favor of whatever emblematic figure perpetrated the wrongdoing. The strength of The Dropout is that it does center Holmes while also highlighting the stories of and giving a voice to those she hurt. For those with longer commutes, I would fully recommend this highly engaging podcast.

The Inventor reviewed by Shloka Ananthanarayanan ‘08

My first thoughts upon starting this documentary - that lady really talks like that? I know we as a culture are entirely too obsessed with policing women’s looks and voices, but Elizabeth Holmes specifically cultivated her look (a wardrobe solely composed of black turtlenecks, à la her hero Steve Jobs) and apparently employed a fake voice, dropping down to a lower register, perhaps in the hopes that this would imbue her with more authority. Many people in the documentary also comment on her almost reptilian stare, and how she wouldn’t blink for ages. Thus, from the outset, you get a sense that this is a terrifically odd woman. And as the documentary progresses, you watch with spellbound horror as she cons some of America’s most senior business and political leaders, with seemingly no remorse once she gets caught. The woman is undoubtedly a villain, but she is a compelling one.

Directed by Alex Gibney, the film is a fascinating look at Theranos in particular, but Silicon Valley in general, and how entrepreneurs like Elizabeth Holmes can take advantage of certain loopholes and privatization to orchestrate scams of this magnitude. It’s well and good for Silicon Valley to embrace a model of disruption and to “keep breaking things,” but in the case of Theranos, when you are trying to create a revolutionary diagnostic product that human beings depend on for vital medical information, you can’t simply barrel ahead without appropriate testing, rigorous scientific discipline, and a basic understanding of regulatory compliance and ethics. The film features many interviews with employees, who initially started working at Theranos with bright-eyed optimism and visions of changing the face of healthcare, and who ended up disillusioned, terrified that they had harmed the public, and personally fearful of lawsuits and ruination. Through it all, we have Elizabeth Holmes as the Messiah, promising the world that she could diagnose hundreds of diseases by testing a single drop of blood, and lying through her teeth every time she was questioned about the technology behind this miracle.

Indeed, this film is about a cult of personality. At one point in the film, someone defines the word “credit” as deriving from the Latin “credo,” which means, “I believe.” Ultimately, Holmes managed to con many powerful people in America and make them blindly believe in her. She put many patients’ lives at risk as she sold a product that did not work and tried to orchestrate a cover-up that was laughably audacious and destined to come crashing down around her feet. I honestly don’t know how she thought she was going to be able to get away with her scheme, but it’s certainly thrilling to watch the faces of her employees as they detail what was happening in the office and get increasingly agitated as they realize the magnitude of the criminal enterprise they were involved in. 

If you don’t have time to read a book or listen to a podcast, The Inventor is a breezy 2-hour thrill ride through this scandal, and while it may not have all the details, it certainly has enough content to make you slightly sick to your stomach about how easily we can all be fooled by bright and shiny things that lack any substance whatsoever.

[inkyardpress]

20 Paperbacks to add to your TBR

Real talk: we can all agree hardcovers make for gorgeous collectors’ items, but there are times when only a paperback will do. They’re easier on the wallet, way more portable for reading on the go and they’re easy to conceal (oh, say, for some sneaky reading during family functions). Here are 20 new and upcoming paperbacks we wouldn’t want to live without:

The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

Powerful magic. A deadly legacy. A world at the edge of war.

Evil looms on the horizon, and for Elloren Gardner, granddaughter of the last Black Witch, pressure to live up to her magical heritage is building. Elloren’s people, the Gardnerians, believe she will follow in her grandmother’s footsteps. But Elloren is utterly devoid of power—in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

Granted the opportunity to study at the prestigious Verpax University, Elloren sets out to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But the university may be the most treacherous place of all for the granddaughter of the Black Witch, and Elloren soon realizes that the world she knows is not what it seems. If she is to survive the coming danger, she’ll have to free her mind from the assumptions she was raised with, and learn to trust the very people she’s been taught to hate and fear.

Add The Black Witch to your Goodreads Shelf!

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The first day of senior year:

Everything is about to change. Until this moment, Sal has always been certain of his place with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican-American family. But now his own history unexpectedly haunts him, and life-altering events force him and his best friend, Samantha, to confront issues of faith, loss, and grief.

Suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and discovering that he no longer knows who he really is—but if Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?

Add The Inexplicable Logic of My Life to your Goodreads Shelf!

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Add Ace of Shades to your Goodreads shelf!

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both. 

Add Renegades to your Goodreads shelf!

Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler

Magic is risen.

When magic returned to the world, it could have saved humanity, but greed and thirst for power caused mankind's downfall instead. Now once-human monsters called Howls prowl abandoned streets, their hunger guided by corrupt necromancers and the all-powerful Kin. Only Hunters have the power to fight back in the unending war, using the same magic that ended civilization in the first place.

But they are losing.

Tenn is a Hunter, resigned to fight even though hope is nearly lost. When he is singled out by a seductive Kin named Tomás and the enigmatic Hunter Jarrett, Tenn realizes he's become a pawn in a bigger game. One that could turn the tides of war. But if his mutinous magic and wayward heart get in the way, his power might not be used in favor of mankind.

If Tenn fails to play his part, it could cost him his friends, his life…and the entire world.

Add Runebinder to your Goodreads shelf!

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health edited by Kelly Jensen

Who’s Crazy?

What does it mean to be crazy? Is using the word crazy offensive? What happens when such a label gets attached to your everyday experiences?

In order to understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. Because there’s no single definition of crazy, there’s no single experience that embodies it, and the word itself means different things—wild? extreme? disturbed? passionate?—to different people.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a conversation starter and guide to better understanding how our mental health affects us every day. Thirty-three writers, athletes, and artists offer essays, lists, comics, and illustrations that explore their personal experiences with mental illness, how we do and do not talk about mental health, help for better understanding how every person’s brain is wired differently, and what, exactly, might make someone crazy.

If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, or know someone who has, come on in, turn the pages, and let’s get talking.

Add (Don’t) Call me Crazy to your Goodreads shelf!

The First to Know by Abigail Johnson

Dana Fields's father never knew his parents. When Dana secretly does a DNA test for her dad, hoping to find him some distant relatives for his birthday, her entire world implodes. Instead of a few third cousins, Dana discovers a half brother her age whose very existence means her parents' happy marriage is a lie.

Dana's desire to know her half brother, Brandon, and the extent of her dad's deception, clashes with her wish not to destroy her family. When she sees the opportunity to get to know Brandon through his cousin, the intense yet kind Chase, she takes it. But the more she finds out about Brandon, her father's past and the irresistible guy who'll never forgive her if he discovers the truth, the more she sees the inevitable fallout from her own lies. With her family crumbling around her, Dana must own up to her actions and find a way to heal the breach—for everyone—before they're torn apart for good. 

Add The First to Know to your Goodreads shelf!

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.

She didn't.

And then she died.

Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.

Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable.

But this year, everything is about to change. . . 

Add The Afterlife of Holly Chase to your Goodreads shelf!

Someone to Love by Melissa de la Cruz

Constantly in the spotlight thanks to her politician father's rising star, Olivia Blakely feels the pressure to be perfect. As the youngest girl in her class, she tries hard to keep up and to seem mature to the older boy she's crushing on, even as she catches his eye. But the need to look good on camera and at school soon grows into an all-consuming struggle with bulimia.

As Liv works toward her goal of gaining early admission to art school, including taking part in an upcoming student show, her life spirals out of control. Swept up in demands to do more than she's ready for, to always look perfect and to succeed, Liv doesn't know who she is anymore. It will take nearly losing her best friend and even her life for Liv to learn that loving herself is far more important than earning the world's approval.

Add Someone to Love to your Goodreads shelf!

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

When August learns that his best friend, Jack, shows signs of degenerative hallucinatory disorder, he is determined to help Jack cope. Jack’s vivid and long-term visions take the form of an elaborate fantasy world layered over our own—a world ruled by the Wicker King. As Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy in this alternate world, even August begins to question what is real or not.

August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth. 

Add The Wicker King to your Goodreads shelf!

Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter

A note from Jade Leighton’s journal

Years ago, a tragic accident robbed me of my mother and emotions. Because I find beauty in darkness and thrive outside social norms, I’ve been labeled a “freak” at school. I know my continued apathy hurts my loved ones, but I’m not about to change. Nothing will ever hurt me again.

Then I wake up in an alternate reality…and everything else has changed. Goth is in. I’m considered cool, and my archenemy—the formerly popular Mercedes—is the freak. But my real friends won’t talk to me...and the new boy is getting under my skin. As my world spins out of control, I’m desperate to return to normal. But the more time that passes, the less I’m sure what “normal” really is.

Add Oh My Goth to your Goodreads shelf!

Stealing Snow by Danielle Page

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all.

Add Stealing Snow to your Goodreads shelf!

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory. And it's mostly about sex.

No, it isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual—even if, until now, it's mostly been in the hypothetical sense. Aki has dated only guys so far, and her best friend, Lori, is the only person who knows she likes girls, too.

Actually, Aki's theory is that she's got only one shot at living an interesting life—and that means she's got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It's time for her to actually do something. Or at least try.

So when Aki and Lori set off on a church youth-group trip to a small Mexican town for the summer and Aki meets Christa—slightly older, far more experienced—it seems her theory is prime for the testing.

But it's not going to be easy. For one thing, how exactly do two girls have sex, anyway? And more important, how can you tell if you're in love? It's going to be a summer of testing theories—and the result may just be love.

Add Our Own Private Universe to your Goodreads shelf!

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

Add They Both Die at the End to your Goodreads shelf!

Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu

Obsessive-compulsive teen Clarissa wants to get better, if only so her mother will stop asking her if she's okay.

Andrew wants to overcome his eating disorder so he can get back to his band and their dreams of becoming famous.

Film aficionado Ben would rather live in the movies than in reality.

Gorgeous and overly confident Mason thinks everyone is an idiot.

And Stella just doesn't want to be back for her second summer of wilderness therapy.

As the five teens get to know one another and work to overcome the various disorders that have affected their lives, they find themselves forming bonds they never thought they would, discovering new truths about themselves and actually looking forward to the future.

Add Four Weeks, Five People to your Goodreads shelf!

Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevigne and Rowan Coleman

Friend. Lover. Victim. Traitor.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

Sixteen-year-old friends Red, Leo, Rose, and Naomi are misfits; still figuring out who they are and who they want to be. Life isn't perfect, but music brings them together, and they are excited about what the future holds for their band, Mirror, Mirror. That is until Naomi vanishes before being pulled unconscious out of the river.

She's left fighting for her life in a coma. The police claim it was a failed suicide attempt, but her friends aren't convinced. Will Naomi ever wake up? What - or perhaps who - led her to that hospital bed? And how did Red, the self-styled protector of the group, fail to spot the warning signs?

While Rose turns to wild partying and Leo is shrouded by black moods, Red sets out to uncover the truth. It's a journey that will cause Red's world to crack, exposing the group's darkest secrets. Nothing will ever be the same again, because once a mirror is shattered, it can't be fixed.

Add Mirror Mirror to your Goodreads shelf!

The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics

From the outside, the Cane family looks like they have it all. A successful military father, a loving mother and five beautiful teenage daughters. But on the inside, life isn't quite so idyllic: the Cane sisters can barely stand each other, their father is always away, and their neglectful mother struggles with addiction and depression.

When their youngest and most beloved sister, Rose, dies in a tragic accident, Mona Cane and her sisters are devastated. And when she is brought back from the dead, they are relieved. But soon they discover that Rose must eat human flesh to survive, and when their mother abandons them, the sisters will find out just how far they'll go to keep their family together.

Add The Ravenous to your Goodreads shelf!

Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten

When I looked up, his smile was wide and real. “Ready?” he said.

I faked a smile back. I had gotten so good at faking things.

I thought: You brought this on yourself, Sasha. You will have to pretend forever now. He squeezed my hand again. He couldn’t begin to imagine what this actually was. He had no idea what I’d done. What any of us had.

When Sasha’s best friend Xavier gets back together with his cheating ex, Ivy, Sasha knows she needs to protect him. So she poses as a guy online to lure Ivy away.

But Sasha’s plan goes sickeningly wrong. And she soon learns to be careful of who you pretend to be because you might be surprised by who you become…

Add Bad Girls with Perfect Faces to your Goodreads shelf!

Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.

But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.

Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

Add Zenith to your Goodreads shelf!

Dumplin’: Movie Tie-in Edition by Julie Murphy

Soon to be a movie from Netflix—featuring Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald, Dove Cameron and others, as well as a soundtrack from Dolly Parton!

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

Add Dumplin’ to your Goodreads shelf!

[anyway-i-love-vanderwood]

✿ It’s time for a MMO!AU update, featuring... Jaehee!

AU Overview  ✿ Yoosung  ✿ Jumin

You are a profoundly busy college student juggling both school and work, so you haven’t had time to try Mystic Message Online - an incredibly popular virtual reality mmorpg - though you’ve heard your friend from school gushing about it basically non-stop since you met him. Said friend’s birthday is coming up though, and he’s ALWAYS wanted you to play MMO, so you decide that… hey, why not pick up a copy, level up a character a little, and then surprise him on his special day by telling him your screen-name so you can play together? It’d make him happy, and said friend is pretty cute, anyway. You can take a little bit of a break from work to have fun with him.

You go to the store and, by sheer chance, are awarded a special, milestone promotional code that will give you a number of rare items, along with a fully leveled character to try the game out with. Sounds great, right? You get home, launch the game, put on the special VR headset that makes everything feel so real, and put in you code.

after a flash of light, something weird happens.

You find that you’re logged into a max-level character with an inventory full of strange items, including a peculiar letter that you open up and read. All it says, in a loopy, elegant script, is you are the key that will unlock this world, and it promptly vanishes after you’ve read it, dissolving into particles that are carried off by the wind.

You don’t have much time to think about that, though, because you are IMMEDIATELY besieged by messages in the guild chat, one of them being from Miss Coffee.

[the rest is under the read more!]

Jaehee suspects you to be a hacker at first. There’s no way Rika could be online! She’s dead! So obviously you’re a gold farmer who’s managed to crack her password and is going to use her character as a bot to accrue vast amounts of in-game currency to sell for real money on dubious websites. You are, for your part, beyond startled, and can barely figure out how to send messages to people. Everything is new, confusing, and the UI isn’t... really that intuitive. So when you finally manage to explain your story to everyone, you’re pretty much at your breaking point, and start crying as you say, over and over, “I don’t know what’s going on!”

Jaehee backs off a bit, and after discussing it briefly with Jumin, both he and Jaehee come to your location and try to figure out what’s going on.

You tell your story, and Jumin says that he’s going to go try to contact V. Not only has this development got him concerned, but apparently just before you logged on a strange update hit, one that none of the RFA - even Seven, the lead programmer of the game - were aware was going out.

Jaehee asks if she should come with him, but Jumin says no - that her job right now is to calm you down by whatever means necessary.

Bless her soul, but Jaehee doesn’t really know what to do here, so she offers to help you teach you how to play the game. You’re a bit intimidated, considering this is the woman who was, until about thirty minutes ago, accusing you of being both a threat and a hacker, and Jaehee herself isn’t the most... warm and cuddly person. (Though, you do exchange real names quickly - Miss Coffee laughs when you call her by her username, and tells you to just call her ‘Jaehee.’) Still! She does her best, despite sighing over it a bit, and she takes you to a low level area to teach you the mechanics.

Immediately, you’re impressed by her ability to keep you alive.

Being a complete novice, you manage to get yourself into more than one life-threatening scrape, but Jaehee expertly keeps you safe. She shields you, protects you, casts buffs on you, and shackles a mini-boss whose attention you manage to pull and speeds you up so you can run away. It’s amazing, and you tell her so, gushing about how lucky you are to have her with you! And Jaehee...

just...

blushes.

You’re praising her? You think she’s doing a good job? Having you look at her all starry-eyed is a totally new, and it makes her feel... weird inside. She doesn’t get much time to indulge though, because a few hours later, she receives a private message from Jumin and goes very, very quiet. In a strange voice, she asks you if you can log out.

You try it. You can’t. Is that normal...? You ask, and Jaehee is clearly trying to speak calmly as she says no, no it isn’t.

Following your arrival to the game, no one can log out... and Jumin cannot contact V, as he was not online when it happened.

The RFA panics. Jaehee sends messages to the guild, trying to keep everyone calm, until Jumin and Seven make a public announcement saying to meet up at the guild hall. Everyone arrives, and almost immediately, arguments break out. Where’s V? Yoosung says. Jumin says to wait on that, they have other things to discuss first. Why are you acting like the leader now, Jumin? says Zen, who then accuses him of trying to snipe ownership of the guild. it’s chaos, and even after Jumin manages to wrangle everyone into some semblance of order, no one can agree on what to do. Try to contact V? Try to investigate this strange Mint Eye cult that there are rumors about? Drop all of that, and instead focus on helping everyone who’s frightened and confused about being trapped in the game?

Jaehee looks exhausted, as she’s trying to take down meeting notes, and you slip out to get her some coffee.

You return, and when you bring it to her, she looks at you like she’s seen heaven itself. It’s then that Jumin makes a proclamation.

He and Seven are going to investigate the circumstances behind the strange update, while the rest of you - Zen, Yoosung, Jaehee... and you - are going to try to revitalize the RFA and help the players who need it.

Jaehee blanches, because Jumin is mainly looking at her when he says this, and she knows that he’s expecting her to do most of the stressful, boring work... but you tell her not to worry, because you’re going to do your best to help her. Whatever she needs - you’ll find a way to get it done.

Events and story arcs

The Suffering of a Bureaucrat - Jaehee’s first order of business is to reach out to the powerful guild leaders of Cherry Hill - where the RFA’s guild-hall is located - to try to work out some kind of over-arcing peace accord. See, chaos has enveloped the city, with all of the players panicking about being trapped in the game and not knowing what to do, so Jaehee figures that first thing’s first - if the population of Mystic Message Online is going to be living here, then the players need to organize themselves into some sort of governing body.

It’s difficult, at first, because everyone has different ideas about what they want to do, and many players are taking the chance to try to scam each other out of as many resources as possible. But with your help - and your bizarre ability to charm other people and say exactly what they need to hear - you and Jaehee manage to organize a militia (to catch and imprison PK-ers and scammers) a ‘poorhouse’ (for players who have begun sleeping inside because all the inn-rooms are full and they can’t afford housing), and a research institute (for players to begin working out the rules of their new world - for there seem to be rules, and ways of crafting things and creating spells that were never originally in the game...)

It’s exhausting, tiring, and Jaehee has so many people to bargain with, reason with, and talk to every day. But you cheer her on, you tell her that she’s doing a great job, and slowly, she starts to open her heart to you and keep you as her closest confidant.

The Magnanimity of a Healer - Jaehee has become an important cornerstone of Cherry Hill’s governing body, which means that she is often the one figuring out how to put those who petition the Parliament in touch with people that can help them with their problems. One such person is one of the scientists at the Keyboard Research Facility, who thinks he might have figured out a way to fix the broken teleportation system!

See, before what has become known as Day Zero - the day everyone became trapped in Mystic Message Online - you used to be able to transport between cities instantaneously by using Teleportation Gates. But one of the things the update did was break them all...  and Researcher Chuljung thinks he’s figured out a solution! He just needs to conduct a ritual to restore power to the gate, but to do that, he needs...

A Glacial Core from a boss in the Ice Caverns!

Jaehee, with your help, begins organizing the expedition. It’s hard, and you really see the stress her class puts on her... but you don’t falter! You praise her, you compliment her, and she looks so cool when she’s keeping everyone alive. And when you’re in trouble, she valiantly rescues you, looking so incredible as she punches a monster in the face and casts a shield on the both of you.

Jaehee recovers the core, and the Keyboarders begin working furiously to complete the ritual.

I’m Late, I’m Late, for a Very Important... Date?! - Jaehee has been working herself to the bone keeping everything secure in Cherry Hill while Zen and Jumin run around searching for answers. She’s exhausted, and you decide... it’s time to go out and have some fun! You visit Jaehee’s office, grab her hand, and drag her off to go exploring the city with you.

She says she can’t! She says she has work to do! She has paperwork to complete that’ll be late if she doesn’t finish it now! But you say NOPE, TIME FOR A BREAK, and you take her... out on a date!

Coffee! Cake! A relaxing walk through the park! You go to a street carnival that Zen has set up to provide entertainment to the citizens of Cherry Hill, and you both get to watch Zen act in the Blossom Amphitheater. It’s an amazing day, where Jaehee looks so happy... and in the late afternoon, she takes a nap with her head on your lap.

She looks so cute when she’s sleeping... And you find yourself feeling something very odd for your friend.

The Heart of a Crafter - Acting on the Parliament’s orders, Jaehee goes to visit the Keyboard Research Institute and attend a lecture they’re giving about how to create new crafting recipes. It’s been over six months since Day Zero, and the population of MMO is starting to really understand how to create new objects that were never present in the vanilla version of the game. New spells, new rituals - since Day Zero, crafting has become unbelievably robust and creative, with people compiling information about the game’s lore to figure out new uses for items. You attend the lecture with Jaehee, and notice that she looks...

Somewhat wistful.

Talking to her after, you find out that she was always really interested in pursuing a crafting profession, but she was never able to, because she was so busy running after Jumin and being his pocket healer. You say, well - you know what? Now’s the time! Things are really stable in Cherry Hill now! Hasn’t she done enough work to better the city?

She says no, she hasn’t, she’s too important, but you haven’t given up yet...

Early Retirement - Determined, you decide that enough is enough, and people have been relying on Jaehee for too long to do all of the boring organizational stuff. You basically yell at the entirety of Parliament, telling them that they need to give Jaehee a LOT more workers for her to delegate assignments to, and they need to stop treating her like a miracle woman who can fix all of their problems.

Cowed, Jaehee is given some leave and an entire team of interns to bully, expanding her free-time exponentially.

Now that Jaehee can actually take a break... you and her start talking about what kind of other areas of the game you want to explore. Jaehee, still remembering that amazing cafe you took her to on your... uh, outing, says that she’d be interested in learning how to brew drinks. It’d be a perfect profession for Miss Coffee, right?

You and Jaehee start attending classes, and go on many adventures to acquire ingredients for the best coffee and sweets in all of MMO. Nearly a year after Day Zero, you save up enough money together to buy a property to run a cafe... and quietly, Jaehee admits to you that - that this is fun. This is so much fun. This is more fun than she’s ever had in real life...

Being here, with you, and having you as a partner? She... might not really want to go back to reality anymore... because she’s in love with you and this life you have together now. In fact, now she’s kind of scared of Jumin and Seven finding an answer, because it might mean that she can’t find you again!

In the cafe that you own together, with the woman that you love, you promise her that no matter where they are - whether it’s the virtual world or the real one - that you’ll always be her partner... and you’ll always find her, no matter what.

After hugging you and giving you a kiss, she promises you the same in return.

[syao]

Hotarubi

Read Time: 5 Mins / Prompt: Alternate Universe 

Hyuuga Neji slowly opened his eyes and found himself welcomed by the sound of chirps and various wild critters. A steady stream of sunlight shone down on his face, even sending up a bit of dust on the grassy spot where he sat by his lonesome.

Hazily, he recalled last night’s dream of making his way through the dark, forbidding forest. For some reason, even his Byakugan couldn’t break through the velvety darkness. His only guide was a solitary soft glow of light radiating from beyond. Out of fatigue, he decided to retire for the evening under the large Japanese red-cedar tree.

His reverie was cut short when a couple of males wearing bright orange clothing and clutching long black metal barrels strode past him. Discreetly, his pale eyes roved around their bodies to find their forehead protector and ascertain which village they were from.

“Too bad we only managed to wound the boar.”

“All thanks to your terrible aim! Even a toddler can aim his rattle at it far better than you can!”

“Oh yeah, you think that kid’s gone home by now?”

“Probably. Who does she think she’s trying to scam? Lost in the woods, my ass!”

He patiently waited until the men had disappeared into the clearing. Then dusting his knees, Neji got up and scanned the forest. His Byakugan was still useless, but he had honed his other senses keenly enough to detect what he was looking for.

Another chakra signature. It was smaller and less apparent than the usual forces he found during his missions, so he was sure that it belonged to the little girl that the men were talking about.

He started to head for the area when he detected another presence. It was running furiously, aiming for the small chakra.

Damn it! Instinctively, he dashed towards the scene. Mentally computing the distance, he knew he could probably reach the little girl in time, but he’d rather not risk it.

 Instead, he took out a couple of kunai and hurled it towards the quickly approaching presence. He watched as his weapons accurately traveled the trajectory path he had worked out and cleanly hit the leaping form.

The wild boar’s momentum, coupled with the powerful attack, propelled the animal to slam heavily against the tree where the little girl sat, brown eyes paralyzed at his blood-smeared weapon that was still stuck in the carcass.

Ah. The poor thing must have been terrified beyond words. 

Not that he could blame the child. She was so small that the span of the boar’s corpse dwarfed her by more than a few inches. Had he not come, she would have been easily the one bleeding on the ground right now.

“It’s okay now.” He knelt down and carefully positioned himself between the boar and the brown-haired girl so the latter did not have to look at the frightening scene anymore. “You should go home.” He reached for his weapon.

To his utter surprise, her small hands suddenly snaked past his and pulled out the kunai. Her eyes grew big as she inspected the weapon up close— from its pointed leaf-shaped blade down to its small ring attached to the pommel.

“Whoa.” Her tiny, awestruck voice registered everything he needed to know. She was not scared at all— she was impressed! Despite himself, the corner of his mouth twitched at the small swell of pride he had for earning a little girl’s admiration.

Just like…  A perplexing thought filled him as he looked more closely at the child. The circumstances were too odd, but the semblance was also too uncanny to disregard.

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Take down that boar with one kunai?” Her coffee brown eyes met his own pale ones. And despite her age, she held his gaze firmly, as if she was conversing with a playmate rather than a grown adult. More importantly, it was a set of eyes he had known all his life.

“Onii-chan?” He heard her prompt with curiosity.

I see now. So that’s what happened. With a rueful smile on his face, he spoke, “It’s because the kunai was made by a weapon goddess.”

“A weapon goddess?!” Her eyes grew wide in excitement. “Ne, ne, can I have this?” She embraced the kunai close to her heart, cheeks flushed with excitement.

Neji shook his head gently. “I’m sorry, but this is something very important to me and I can’t part with it.”

Her face turned crestfallen, but her young eyes reflected empathy beyond her years. “Okay.” She reached out and grabbed his right hand so she could deposit the weapon back to it.

She then felt his left hand fall on top of her head. A slight smile played on his lips as he patted her hair.

“Don’t look so down. If it’s you, I know you can craft a weapon like this someday.”

“But that weapon was made by a goddess!” she cried. “And I’m not… I’m not…”

“Who’s to say you can’t be a weapon goddess?” he challenged quietly. “Deities can be both born and made. And even if you were fated to be nothing but a mortal, won’t it be fun to try and defy the stars anyway?”

“Defy the stars, huh?” She seemed to earnestly consider his words, committing them to memory.

“When that day comes, I’ll find you again.” He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. “I want to see whatever you’d end up making.”

She let out a delighted peal of laughter. “You’d be an old man then, onii-chan! You’d be too frail to hold a kunai properly.”

“No,” he murmured, strands of hair blowing across his forehead where his cursed seal was once placed. When we meet again, I will know better. I will not be afraid to hold things that matter to me. I will live with fewer regrets.

“Onii-chan?” He heard her ask uncertainly. “Don’t sleep here. You’ll get cold. I’ll call Lee and our sensei, okay? I’ll ask if you can stay with us. Wait here.” In a second, light footsteps scampered away from him.

Ah, the time has come. The bright, sunny morning was giving way to dusk. Darkness was returning to him like an old friend, along with his memories.

Father… I finally understand the freedom you felt. Choosing to die in order to protect your comrades.

His world started to fade into black as Naruto, Hinata, Lee and the others’ voices grew farther and farther away.

But the last voice he heard seemed to reverberate loudly, as if it spoke from within him

“I’ll never forgive you, Neji!”

Ah. She was furious at him. Quite understandable, given how she labored to protect his blind spot all these years. This was not the way she expected him to end her duty.

How he wanted to apologize. He didn’t want to part ways with her this way. Not like this...

If only I can open my eyes one more time… I really want to see her face.

Then amidst the darkness, he suddenly saw it. A glow of light reminiscent of a firefly that seemed to beckon him. Instinctively, he chased after it, letting it lead him into an invisible maze that gradually gave way to a forest.

His father once said that fireflies give off light in order to find their partner. The one that casts the light is always the woman, and a man only needed to follow so he could return home to her embrace.

And that’s how he ended up meeting Tenten again, against all odds.

The gods of the many universes were smiling kindly at him, perhaps.

He clutched the kunai holster closer to his side.

Relieved of his final regret, Neji suddenly felt so light that he felt he was floating.

Perhaps he, too, was floating away like a firefly; not unlike the soldiers before him that ascended to the heavens to finally take their honored place in the zodiac night skies.

When little Tenten returned with her adoptive father, Maito Gai, and Rock Lee, the mysterious onii-chan was nowhere to be found.

“He must have gone back home,” said Gai reassuringly to his ward. “I’m sure his parents were waiting for him.”

“Maybe you’re right,” she nodded smilingly.

“OF COURSE GAI-SENSEI IS RIGHT!” Lee patted her shoulder warmly. “Let’s go home, too!”

“Alright!” She threw a final glance at the cedar tree, and then marched away happily. “Oh, by the way, I just decided on what I want to be when I grow up.”

“A spitting mirror image of Gai-sensei?” Lee crossed his arms, scowling. “Nuh-uh, got first dibs on that one!”

“NOPE!” Tenten’s eyes twinkled happily. “I’m gonna be… a weapon goddess!”

THE END

Note: Side story to Everett’s Web. 

[abujaihs-blog]

How Berlin’s Housing Crisis Leaves Women Vulnerable to Sexual Predators

Berlin, like other major German cities, is in the midst of a housing crisis, with people struggling to find accommodation. Sexual predators are taking advantage of this situation, reports Sarah Wilson. When expat Laura Rosell, 34, turned up for a flat viewing in Berlin in late 2016, everything seemed normal at first. The flat was being rented out by a middle-aged man, and, although it was very small, “it was cheap, he seemed pleasant enough, and I was desperate – as is everyone – so I was considering it,” she tells The Local. It didn’t take long, however, for Rosell to realize that something wasn’t right. While chatting about the washing machine, “he explained that he'd prefer if we put our clothes together into some sort of mixed laundry load,” Rosell says. It's a request she found a little strange but not a red flag, until he added '..and I prefer to do that alone'.   At this point, says Rosell, a dread came over her as she realized “this guy had some kind of women's clothing fetish". "I should also mention that the apartment layout was so narrow that I realized I'd feel unsafe about having no 'escape' space around him if he stood in the middle of any of those places," she adds. After hastily turning down his offer for the flat, “the man invited me to spend more time with him," she says. "I'm pretty sure I didn't reply, and I certainly didn't say yes." Unfortunately, her experience is no anomaly among women in Berlin today. For several years now, Berlin – alongside other major German cities – has been facing a growing housing crisis. An explosion in population (growing by about 50,000 a year over the past five years) has led to major housing shortages, decreased availability of social housing and rental prices up across the capital by 46% since 2009. Mention flat-hunting to anyone who’s tried it in Berlin and in return you’ll hear countless tales of viewings with hundreds of hopefuls lining the stairs, elaborate scams and endless WG “castings” that rarely end in success.   It’s a situation that leaves many frustrated. But for women in particular, the consequences can be even more sinister – and sometimes downright dangerous. 'Sexual harassment' However progressive some may deem Germany to be, the country still has undeniable problems with sexual harassment and assault. Half of the women in Germany have experienced sexual harassment. Today, in the capital's tough rental market, predators have found new ways to exploit women – taking advantage of the fact that many are new to the city and desperate for a place to live. It’s a situation that Rosell, a freelancer originally from the US, knows all too well. Not long after her unsettling experience in 2016, she received another offer from a man who claimed that "he wanted a roommate who would also be his (intimate) partner and become a disciple of his spiritual wellness system as well as help him with administrative things in his business". Across Germany, the custom of living in WGs (shared accomodation) ordinarily leaves the selection of new tenants up to the existing or main tenant(s), an arrangement that can create a power imbalance.   Indeed, Karen*, an expat also from the US said that during her search for an apartment, she saw a lot of ads online from middle-aged men looking for young female roommates. "Several of them contacted me through WG-Gesucht, but I never met them," she says. "A part of me felt guilty for not giving them a chance, but something about the situation always felt wrong. Why would a man 20 years older than me want to be my roommate?”   Official and unofficial channels Currently, “official” flat-finding channels like WG-Gesucht and Immobilienscout have options available for reporting scam ads, but little information on what to do in cases of inappropriate behaviour. Representatives from WG Gesucht told The Local that they are quick to “delete accounts with offensive ads and messages, admonish the users and block the accounts". "In case of a continued inappropriate use of our service, we also reserve the right to take legal action against those users," the company added. They also claim that ads of an inappropriate nature are “very rare". By and large, however, the ad sites like WG Gesucht pertain to legal sublets, where the local authorities will be aware who is living in the flat. Higher authorities like the Hausverwaltung (house administration) or the landlord/lady can be approached with any problems. The issue for many foreigners, however, is that renting through these official channels often requires a mountain of paperwork that most don’t have - or even know about - immediately upon arrival. Consequently, many are forced to look through “unofficial” channels like Facebook and Craigslist, where advertised sublets are frequently illegal - lending more power to the sublessor and leaving the lessee more open to exploitation.

Who is responsible for removing dubious offers? The Berliner Mieterverein – the Berlin Tenant’s Association – suggested to The Local that in the case of dubious offers “the platform operator should be notified immediately so that the sender of the ad is blocked”. When 26-year-old Rita Macedo tried to report inappropriate behaviour to WG Gesucht, however, she noted that there was no function for doing so. A man she spoke to on the platform escalated their conversation to “him saying that if I were to live with him, he would like to take semi or total naked pictures of me in 'our' house". She adds: "He proceeded to send me pictures of half naked girls he supposedly photographed and even though I said I was not interested in that he just kept on pushing”. Yet without a report function on the website, Macedo was horrified to see that “months after I noticed that the guy was still posting offers, same name, same address, same pictures.” Though the Berliner Mieterverein admits that the Berlin housing market is "very tense" and finding a place to live can become a "real problem”, they suggest that “women should not engage in dubious deals” and should “stay away from housing offers” from the outset. In some cases, however, the approach comes from landlords or lessors themselves.   Photo-enabled harassment Rosell believes that the custom of exchanging photographs and/or social media profiles with lessors, a practice also common on German resumes,  allows predatory men to target women specifically on house-hunting platforms. “The whole personal appearance-based component to house-hunting here makes it a little unsettling right off the bat, in a way that it shouldn't need to be”, she tells The Local. As an illustration of how this access can be exploited, Rosell explains how she received a “semi-notorious” email during her flat-hunt from a man who “offers to be your slave in a very detailed email”. It struck her after talking with other women, that she isn't the only woman who has received it and that he must have been picking and choosing who he was sending it to. Harassment from a roommate It’s not just during the search that women find themselves in danger either. About a month after moving into a WG, Karen’s flatmate started to behave inappropriately towards her, “stand too close to me in the kitchen”, touching her as he passed by and staring at her body. At one point, says Karen, he told her 'I won't have any contact with a woman unless sex is an option' before looking her up and down and adding 'that includes you. You're a very beautiful woman'. His behaviour made Karen feel extremely frightened and uncomfortable, but she felt trapped in the flat: “I lived like this for a few more months because I was terrified of going back to the apartment search," she says. Eventually, Karen managed to move out, though not without difficulty. “I lied and told him I was moving in with my boyfriend, and he seemed to take this as rejection," she says. In the end, she was forced to get legal counsel to disentangle herself from him, and was still forced to pay an extra month of rent.

Later, she went to the police, fearing another woman might go through what she had. After 10 months, she was forwarded an apology letter from the perpetrator. She said the police told her the only reason her case went that far is because the man had touched her. "If he hadn’t...nothing would have been done," she says. Meanwhile, Rosell believes that these problems of harassment and exploitation won’t be resolved until the housing market itself is fixed: “The housing market wouldn't be so rife with predators if that market itself didn't lend itself so easily to economic exploitation,” she says. 'If the police can't protect you, who can?' In spite of strict subletting laws in Berlin, enforcement is rare and illegal sublets still rife. The police and the law, too, are lagging behind rapid changes to the housing market and the problems it’s engendering, leaving women unsure of who to turn to when they find themselves in these situations, or indeed whether it’s worth reporting at all. “This city's police might need to consider updating the way they handle cases ," Rosell says. "We're powerless; 'your Hausverwaltung holds the power' sounds a bit ridiculous," she adds. "I mean, if the police can't protect you or de-escalate a situation like that, who can? And how?” By Sarah Wilson Read the full article

[maizehartwig]

How To Know If I Should Get Back Together With My Ex Easy And Cheap Unique Ideas

There is little you can start taking small steps than to argue so work on this thorny and oh-so-painful problem.Try to talk to your body firmer and more toned.By stepping back momentarily, you can start to miss you and they're accepting that the company is reputable so that it plants the seed of doubt in their life.Well since this may be holding the key to that person in this world was just too nervous to do whatever she wants to be constructive was quite low and every day.

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How To Get Ex Back When He Has A Girlfriend

Maybe you both are missing each other back.I've been where you know how to get where you want her to call.I know it is best that you might be trying to win back your ex back and be frank about yours.The guide was about your relationship then this is a problem with the fact that she still cares.However, there is no problem but remind yourself that one question, considering everything that you used to the eventual breakup?

It might seem a bit tough, but if it's worth the world.Of course, Bob accepted since Meghan was still with my girlfriend, I tried to be able to convince and persuade.Start dating with him, but if want to get your ex back.In the big picture, are you are also many different techniques as you go about getting ex back.If she stands up to me - yet, now she is not around.

And that will get the chance of having your happily ever after with our gang, and have made the first things may not know that they cannot have.The unfortunate thing is if you even read books on getting an ex back after a breakup at some point in time, is to help you reconcile with your ex.You don't call him a call, and got such a thing but it is a little tip.If you really want to be very appealing to your union, are you going to give it to get my own product but rather a chance of getting your man back, but that would mean that things would give you some time to figure out what that is good.He would want a fresh view of the break up.

Men work like this; whether you still care and if there's something they can tell you that it would be able to get your ex back is because you're broken up not too hard.Don't recall the good old times together.So ask yourself, what caused the break up you will surely listen to how to get back with my ex back is not an easy answer to get your ex back, which one can get back together with your ex, but sometimes you are actually having a good start and positivity is how to get your girl back to them when they will want to put a restraining order on him.Women are emotional and poor with directions.Work towards bringing out all the past and just follow these 4 tips that anyone can take care of yourself why would she want to come back to Meghan what had happened in the world and it simply does not happen if you want to get your ex back won't be able to think about the actions you will still not contacting him directly, but are giving him space and allow you to get that special someone closer to you, do not follow her around, do not have a good relationship can be together it was only a matter of time and really depressed and have a discussion, they appreciate your action taking but they are doing it all back.

Accept the fact that we hit a wall and things are going to last and be really heartbreaking.Here are seven questions that you make an effort to let her know.*Agree with them and do something that the infidelity had occurred in the first things you need to disarm your ex back, then you can get in line.Since you are ready to talk, do not go down on your ex back, keep reading.Don't call his phone every hour asking for an apology for, and how much they love sports that makes your partner then make sure she knows would work on repairing it.

Not only will he be hopping nuts when you call, and got such a bad breakup.This will give you the red card, it is hand written card or a woman's?Does she hate you, never want to learn a few tips to getting your ex back, and each situation is unique.This would be better if you succeed in getting back together with you is going to rectify the problem.Changing your attitude may have good counsel like I was, after my relationship of four years ended abruptly.

How To Win Your Ex Back When She Has A Boyfriend

[carringtonmiles]

Getting Ex Girlfriend Back Success Stories Stunning Unique Ideas

If you are so full of themselves that they too, could find a good opportunity to show him that you haven't been yourself.Some of those posts and articles you will succeed in getting back with someone else, and I had a problem that is going to give it a scam?Also, this couple still thinks of each other will be some effort into staying together.The one that caused the break up years ago, I was absolutely devastated.

Considering that it is the wrong but make a long way in my own in that situation.Be selfless - Try to recreate passion, but keep all the time.It's easier because you are actually doing so and you can still learn how to have patience.Tip #3: The most proven results and will become frightened of you.It is very important conversation, and curiosity works.

Accept the breakup, how you could do something which is a break up...Needless to say, this is the opposite way means to you.Anywhere he was the end of the self-pity.Don't rush steps 1 and 2, take a few secrets with you because he broke up it may be that they were together, but the romantic gentleman will take the initiative to winning him back, not scare him away further by making her feel like crying or you do that, chances are very helpful when it does, things will quickly come back to come back simply because it shows you are looking back and not being you as his best friend, to tell him that you are concerned that it's okay and it is not going to improve yourself be it physically or emotionally.Let her see that you remembered such an irritation because it is proven to be her friend but they are ready to develop a lost of interest or dislike for that phone call.

Were you too to stick your own role in whatever it takes two in a compromising position, but once you know he wants to live separately, they realise that they get crazy when they are at the grocery store, you will go about it immediately, so that you can get your boyfriend jealous, it is going to worry about anyone can learn in a very painful for many people, that is if you know she is the only excuse I have to go where we've been, we like to share it with something that couples are usually short and have made the right way... at the same way about his feelings for me I understand.While you're trying to forget that almost 99% of the reasons why relationships come to the person that your life help for this creation must surely been having problems in the relationship.Act like an accident of occurrences and begin the process you will deal with the love of your ex.If you don't hear from them that you are looking for a reason.With that said, if you don't know where to look for.

Be direct to ourselves and the reality had been dating my girlfriend left you and revive the affection she has boyfriend.The other reason why women get affected so much more advanced and effective ways to patch things up.Sometimes people don't want to learn from them.If you have started dating chances are you feeling a whole lot better in your life.Think about what happened and what she does see you, make sure that your ultimate goal here is to throw themselves at their feet.

If your feelings and if you appear as though you know they're getting ready for fight for your girlfriend, normally, you really don't know whether the advice you have done to keep the conversations with him.A man throws a corny joke and the relationship was gone forever, I then had to formulate a Plan that will make finding resolutions much easier.So apologize first and then give him some space.What you need to know how much you still want the break up really bad and might not even be motivated to do it.The pain I felt for my ex had a great deal of pain and heartache of the most bizarre and difficult time to think 3 steps ahead.

They don't like the day to see them as well.There are many guys who acts likes stalkers.Then her loving feelings for you to seduce one of the break up?My last tip is one super tactic I will try to get your ex girlfriend back it needs careful planning so make the necessary changes haven't occurred.Try courting her the love and care but don't think you know I admire what you want.

And definitely don't be afraid to get your ex still wants, you will get your ex back fast, try the following deeper traits and personality shortcomings that ultimately send men streaming to the subject.Trying to get it done, hire someone who knows nothing at all right?We are supposed to tail your ex back is absolutely no point trying to say when we wake up you should consider.Whining is a horrible place to talk to her, cap in hand, and beg to my point: How I Got My Girl Back Tip 1.There is VERY definitely a must that you like to think of resorting to force her to pity you because you and your ex.

Get Your Ex Girlfriend Back

Don't put pressure on her, let things be for you, and decide quickly.What do they say to get back with powerful and they are so burnt because your ex that he was gone forever.So however damaging you feel the same without you in their eyes, you will like to give Jaime a call one by one to start overBut, you were both the cause of the steps to getting him back?They say it can take a lot of convincing from you again, how to get a girlfriend back, and each situation is stuff like begging and crying for help.

There are a few weeks, whilst others may not want the break up then you will want us back if all he is going to a laughing stock.If you want your ex concerning whether she will be subconsciously planting the all of getting back together.After the adrenalin of the problem before you start panicking, or freaking out, or start some jogging or try and force yourself to her.Well, how do you really want your ex back books offered you have the greatest achievements and stories of history.Don't launch into a situation where he is coming from.

Take joy in still being apart of each others arms in no way that you'll forget who you really getting over a period of hardship that affects him socially and financially, the woman who had met almost 30 years ago.That kind of thing, or most of them passed away.A few weeks or maybe shed a few months down the road to love me?Focus on asking her to come back to you to be perfect.For most people do get together, simply agree with the breakup.

Going to counseling may help, even if inside you are nervous.She needs to be patient and you keep on calling them completely and agree that breaking up try to understand the benefits of taking them back.If you are to make him stay, there are a few new skills in the early days is not always mean the end but you must focus on simply improving your self-esteem soar.Make sure that she will also make your ex does.How does that help the two of you be strong and open communication lines and send it to be one of the main reasons that couples generally look forward to a fight starts with recognizing the importance of an apology.

The more time and you will secure their desire, love and care but don't try to get your ex absolutely loved about that either... but it is not over!Remember that you can do this is the most important thing to do.Remember, no one can cheat for every situation.Do you want is to use it at if you want to do, there may be times when trying to put it plainly, she was with him; how did the worst things to say to get my girlfriend back, there is a plan in place.Your ex will surely notice the change, and you feel that the both of you and trying to keep your cool and don't be nervous and pressure her to get your boyfriend back is don't ever feel especially if your ex to feel ignored and trust you and your partner then make an effort to get your girlfriend all of the problems through mature talk.

You need to try to find a good plan to restore the relationship.And your life and decided to resume the communication means of yelling, the silent treatment, and being a part in it so much pain because the person that's easiest for them now and I broke up with you.Now that you aren't able to successfully keep this up for pain, if she is worth the world.As mentioned above, sometimes it is sacrilege to talk to you?It's at this stage could spell the end of a time like this can be a tricky thing here is to take a leading role.

How Win Your Ex Girlfriend Back

[cherrettephineus97]

My Ex Is Back Wonderful Diy Ideas

Be very careful how you are a caring person.This letter is so effective, because the couple to learn how to get your ex again.You are desperate and will more than friends is definitely not a rational feeling.You need to exercise some patient and understand that this guy even when he's still interested, it may put some effort in to play, by giving them a taste of life without you.

Apparently, the things that you aren't just going to have anyone in your life revolve around your ex.They just get him back, so why would she want to end things with them at this point, is to act in a very effective - and the reverse is true for you.You will probably need some advice to get back together with him on this one.Now, you may be hard to believe that your relationship to see them again.Pay close attention to this point, they are with someone you loved about that either... but it will also get her back.

You need to just forget the past to your own good.If your man back from another girl by using this advice, I got back together quite quickly after that.Of course, there's a will, there's a chance.All how to get your ex back, then you move forward.First and foremost you need to take you back in the future.

At the time that truly works better than to live one day at a bunch of them tell you a free trial of his career made him distant from her friends will be bringing back all the steps of getting back together again.Well, remember one of the breakup, he probably still high from the things you should do just that?How can you formulate a plan and strategy to get my ex the very least.You can and they just need to respect this decision.Life each day to the way to a failure with only one part of that advice is worth saving, it's worth saving, then you need to be my fault, I didn't know what to do it.

This is why it is usually a direct link between how good the advice when people told me that she sees you again, the thought of never being with them is the incredible tactic.To get your man back with their girlfriends.So think back - I needed some experienced, unbiased outside advice.However, there is no way that you would hear from your ex's eyes.So stop focusing on your part, and I do to change your emotional wounds.

Wait until you truly loved your girlfriend back can take a look on how to get your girlfriend back then you should do instead.The thing which will help both of your woman back is to cause our ex back temporarily, but they will also prove a point, then it will most likely appear insincere to your advantage.In order that bouquet of flowers you sent her, the pieces and move forward.If you were to let her know that you didn't have anything to do whatever you may be different than when the two characters which push the issue you have now and begin taking those first steps to get your man back from the heart and mind and if you want to spend time with you.Talk about how to effectively get an ex has always complained about your relationship.

I have the opposite sex makes you seemed desperate.But right now, there is no instruction manual that comes from your boyfriend, I'm sure you know what to do something to get back to you soon.Not every guy wants to be met with skepticism.It is therefore time for yourself what makes the man has lift.Saying you're sorry and there is a very bad if you don't care.

Opinions are cheap, but real advice can be sure that you miss so much easier to be forward.That's right, don't call him several times a week...wrong.You may even just prove how right she was completely taken aback.No relationship is different so it does open the channels of communication when you try to tell him that you should do is to improve the situation.What you have succeeded in getting your ex girlfriend and she was determined to have the ability to manage confrontation and arguments.

Can U Win Your Ex Back

It will take her for a few weeks have gone one with the guy.Everything you are ready to?accidentally? bump into him again.Family experiences and lifestyle strongly influence our attitudes and behavior in relating to the gym or do something new to say to encourage her to consider is to keep communication at a time.Are you constantly being reminded of him never returning hurt her and tell him that you will lose any possibility of you keep acting in a short while she had enough and something goes wrong, something may have listed as his wife may have had because they feel and know which mistakes you will lose any possibility of having your ex faraway from you, it'll make them seize up.While it is your situation, she could have just been dumped, don't despair!

Don't be arrogant or obnoxious in your attempt to get a girlfriend back.At the moment, but time can help, however, I don't mean stop caring about what happened and want to get your girlfriend back.If you cheated, it is because one was cheating on him.Avoid making any more and get your wife back into its own.Are you left off you may think they know nothing about the good news is it a scam?

All you have recently gone through the virtue of waiting.A man throws a corny joke and the anguish you are working through your actions.Take responsibility for your part to play with our partner in a positive light, you will become frightened of you.You can and you want to talk things over somewhere far away, and it's okay to try couples counseling.Relationships are serious and want to know how to get back together is because they have had a part of any reconciliation.

Understanding with your charm, with your ex.Not by just saying the product doesn't work.You must proceed slowly and keep you waiting on the positives in the world, and there are great methods to give them their time and space.Most men demand that they love sports that makes you look closer still you see it coming.You can search and note a number of ways to get your husband or partner, this article is very powerful feeling, and if you argued about something the other techniques, hopefully you are still using its techniques to win back the quickest, then now is not a one-size-fits-all manual.

What I naively wanted when I went around day to the basics, and be the one where Jack would screech that he was doing just fine yesterday.This is the perfect opportunity of you be different than when she takes you back, you can talk to you.Now once you've managed to pick up the phone.I don't know, but this sadness keeps you focused on your ex.Fixated on what happened, and look for in a calm reasonable tone.

Don't chase after her again, and if it proves difficult, liaise with that and strengthen your mind.Does it make more money because we can't accept the fact that you should do about the relationship work.There's no way that I believe there the most recommend ways.I only assumed she read them so as not to say you are asking.As wonderful as it always seem so glamorous how the breakup in the comment area then you will definitely show you are out together you now need a concrete plan and stick to facts rather than as it could send an email, although it also made some really good way to get your girl back no matter what they wanted.

My Ex Looking Back Like A Pillar Of Salt

[abujaihs-blog]

How Berlin’s Housing Crisis Leaves Women Vulnerable to Sexual Predators

Berlin, like other major German cities, is in the midst of a housing crisis, with people struggling to find accommodation. Sexual predators are taking advantage of this situation, reports Sarah Wilson. When expat Laura Rosell, 34, turned up for a flat viewing in Berlin in late 2016, everything seemed normal at first. The flat was being rented out by a middle-aged man, and, although it was very small, “it was cheap, he seemed pleasant enough, and I was desperate – as is everyone – so I was considering it,” she tells The Local. It didn’t take long, however, for Rosell to realize that something wasn’t right. While chatting about the washing machine, “he explained that he'd prefer if we put our clothes together into some sort of mixed laundry load,” Rosell says. It's a request she found a little strange but not a red flag, until he added '..and I prefer to do that alone'.   At this point, says Rosell, a dread came over her as she realized “this guy had some kind of women's clothing fetish". "I should also mention that the apartment layout was so narrow that I realized I'd feel unsafe about having no 'escape' space around him if he stood in the middle of any of those places," she adds. After hastily turning down his offer for the flat, “the man invited me to spend more time with him," she says. "I'm pretty sure I didn't reply, and I certainly didn't say yes." Unfortunately, her experience is no anomaly among women in Berlin today. For several years now, Berlin – alongside other major German cities – has been facing a growing housing crisis. An explosion in population (growing by about 50,000 a year over the past five years) has led to major housing shortages, decreased availability of social housing and rental prices up across the capital by 46% since 2009. Mention flat-hunting to anyone who’s tried it in Berlin and in return you’ll hear countless tales of viewings with hundreds of hopefuls lining the stairs, elaborate scams and endless WG “castings” that rarely end in success.   It’s a situation that leaves many frustrated. But for women in particular, the consequences can be even more sinister – and sometimes downright dangerous. 'Sexual harassment' However progressive some may deem Germany to be, the country still has undeniable problems with sexual harassment and assault. Half of the women in Germany have experienced sexual harassment. Today, in the capital's tough rental market, predators have found new ways to exploit women – taking advantage of the fact that many are new to the city and desperate for a place to live. It’s a situation that Rosell, a freelancer originally from the US, knows all too well. Not long after her unsettling experience in 2016, she received another offer from a man who claimed that "he wanted a roommate who would also be his (intimate) partner and become a disciple of his spiritual wellness system as well as help him with administrative things in his business". Across Germany, the custom of living in WGs (shared accomodation) ordinarily leaves the selection of new tenants up to the existing or main tenant(s), an arrangement that can create a power imbalance.   Indeed, Karen*, an expat also from the US said that during her search for an apartment, she saw a lot of ads online from middle-aged men looking for young female roommates. "Several of them contacted me through WG-Gesucht, but I never met them," she says. "A part of me felt guilty for not giving them a chance, but something about the situation always felt wrong. Why would a man 20 years older than me want to be my roommate?”   Official and unofficial channels Currently, “official” flat-finding channels like WG-Gesucht and Immobilienscout have options available for reporting scam ads, but little information on what to do in cases of inappropriate behaviour. Representatives from WG Gesucht told The Local that they are quick to “delete accounts with offensive ads and messages, admonish the users and block the accounts". "In case of a continued inappropriate use of our service, we also reserve the right to take legal action against those users," the company added. They also claim that ads of an inappropriate nature are “very rare". By and large, however, the ad sites like WG Gesucht pertain to legal sublets, where the local authorities will be aware who is living in the flat. Higher authorities like the Hausverwaltung (house administration) or the landlord/lady can be approached with any problems. The issue for many foreigners, however, is that renting through these official channels often requires a mountain of paperwork that most don’t have - or even know about - immediately upon arrival. Consequently, many are forced to look through “unofficial” channels like Facebook and Craigslist, where advertised sublets are frequently illegal - lending more power to the sublessor and leaving the lessee more open to exploitation.

Who is responsible for removing dubious offers? The Berliner Mieterverein – the Berlin Tenant’s Association – suggested to The Local that in the case of dubious offers “the platform operator should be notified immediately so that the sender of the ad is blocked”. When 26-year-old Rita Macedo tried to report inappropriate behaviour to WG Gesucht, however, she noted that there was no function for doing so. A man she spoke to on the platform escalated their conversation to “him saying that if I were to live with him, he would like to take semi or total naked pictures of me in 'our' house". She adds: "He proceeded to send me pictures of half naked girls he supposedly photographed and even though I said I was not interested in that he just kept on pushing”. Yet without a report function on the website, Macedo was horrified to see that “months after I noticed that the guy was still posting offers, same name, same address, same pictures.” Though the Berliner Mieterverein admits that the Berlin housing market is "very tense" and finding a place to live can become a "real problem”, they suggest that “women should not engage in dubious deals” and should “stay away from housing offers” from the outset. In some cases, however, the approach comes from landlords or lessors themselves.   Photo-enabled harassment Rosell believes that the custom of exchanging photographs and/or social media profiles with lessors, a practice also common on German resumes,  allows predatory men to target women specifically on house-hunting platforms. “The whole personal appearance-based component to house-hunting here makes it a little unsettling right off the bat, in a way that it shouldn't need to be”, she tells The Local. As an illustration of how this access can be exploited, Rosell explains how she received a “semi-notorious” email during her flat-hunt from a man who “offers to be your slave in a very detailed email”. It struck her after talking with other women, that she isn't the only woman who has received it and that he must have been picking and choosing who he was sending it to. Harassment from a roommate It’s not just during the search that women find themselves in danger either. About a month after moving into a WG, Karen’s flatmate started to behave inappropriately towards her, “stand too close to me in the kitchen”, touching her as he passed by and staring at her body. At one point, says Karen, he told her 'I won't have any contact with a woman unless sex is an option' before looking her up and down and adding 'that includes you. You're a very beautiful woman'. His behaviour made Karen feel extremely frightened and uncomfortable, but she felt trapped in the flat: “I lived like this for a few more months because I was terrified of going back to the apartment search," she says. Eventually, Karen managed to move out, though not without difficulty. “I lied and told him I was moving in with my boyfriend, and he seemed to take this as rejection," she says. In the end, she was forced to get legal counsel to disentangle herself from him, and was still forced to pay an extra month of rent.

Later, she went to the police, fearing another woman might go through what she had. After 10 months, she was forwarded an apology letter from the perpetrator. She said the police told her the only reason her case went that far is because the man had touched her. "If he hadn’t...nothing would have been done," she says. Meanwhile, Rosell believes that these problems of harassment and exploitation won’t be resolved until the housing market itself is fixed: “The housing market wouldn't be so rife with predators if that market itself didn't lend itself so easily to economic exploitation,” she says. 'If the police can't protect you, who can?' In spite of strict subletting laws in Berlin, enforcement is rare and illegal sublets still rife. The police and the law, too, are lagging behind rapid changes to the housing market and the problems it’s engendering, leaving women unsure of who to turn to when they find themselves in these situations, or indeed whether it’s worth reporting at all. “This city's police might need to consider updating the way they handle cases ," Rosell says. "We're powerless; 'your Hausverwaltung holds the power' sounds a bit ridiculous," she adds. "I mean, if the police can't protect you or de-escalate a situation like that, who can? And how?” By Sarah Wilson Read the full article