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strykingback · 1 year ago

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Event: Rescue Mission. Phase 3, Walk Towards Death.

"I didn't think Brumel would be the ones to come and ruin my plans! I even thought that Barbatos would be able to handle you lot. Guess he was nothing more but another disappointment!" The familiar voice spoke with Eros' and Leonidas' eyes widening with shock and their teeth gritting....

"Thats one voice I'll never forget hearing...." Eros said.

"Aye.... that has to be our mark..... the one who started the Brumelian Atlesian War......" Leonidas chimed in as well.

"Cloning, Project Immortalis, Fusion Energy Concepts.... it was all right there in front of us. This is Nero Basilicus. The man who had caused that damned war. But didn't he die in his bed?! No, this is merely but a clone....." Guangxian said.

"Aye, a clone is just some cheap imitation of the real deal...." Eros said.

"Thats right gentlemen! Unless if you want to try and stop those plans of mine.. why not come and get me then because I know some of you are looking to get some vengeance! Besides, we can have a lot of fun, me versus all of you and your shitty little force!!! I'll be at the hangar waiting for you..." the clone of Nero would speak on the speakers before it ended..

Eros would clench his teeth moving to grab his helmet and putting right back on as he activated his wrist communicator. "Eros? Whats wrong?" Hermes asked. "Mate, I just found out who was behind all this... bloody Nero Basilicus.... a clone though..." The commander would answer with a sigh leaving Hermes...

"Take him down... he was the man who left me more tortured than anything.... and as for Krieg... he deserves it as well. His fathers sins can finally be laid to rest. Clone or not." Hermes spoke over the communicator.

"Aye, and also get all the civvies on those Corvette Runners and get back to the Atelius. I have a bad feeling about whats coming next." Eros said ending the communications as the moment was tense amongst the small strike squadron as the air screamed with death hanging over them...

"This is it mates.....I can't believe it.. but the death flag has finally been risen...." Eros said.

"There's no turning back now. I made my choice when you tapped me for this mission. After all even if it is a clone.. for years I wanted to get my hands on that bastard for what he had done to not just me.. but to you as well Eros." Leonidas said placing his hand upon the commanders shoulders.

"I rescued my mother.... found the dark secret behind the Solitas Liberation LLC, and I am so glad everyone else is alive....but now.... this might be the only and last time where I may feel my mothers embrace...." Zek said with his hands trembling and tears dripping down to the floor.

"Now... I want to make sure he feels my friends wrath.... because I have not come far... to die now!" The sniper said while Eros and the others nodded in agreement. "Alright then... no turning back? Then lets do this.... Time we drove knife in and ended this once and for all." Eros said in a determined tone.

"Let's Show Nero That Brumel Has Grown Stronger Than Before..."

Later at the Hangar, the strike team would enter looking up at the burly man in the suit standing on a railing looking down at Eros and his small unit all aiming their weapons at Nero. "Looks like you boys made it.... but I am certain you might be wondering whats behind me here?" He said snapping his fingers with the lights revealing what seemed to be a mecha-version of the Lord of The Seas, Perseus.

"Awww fuckin' hell....." Eros said.

"Thats right, ever since we heard the Liberation was back in action that very same machine that haunts my dreams to this very day, I decided to get things back into action by creating Mecha- Perseus! Meant to better than that Titanic Lizard Fuck!" Nero said with Eros growling a bit underneath his breath...

"Ohh. struck a nerve I see? Sadly I guess Brumel just have nothing more but bitches now in their army." Nero teased with Leonidas firing at the man but noticing that the blaster bolts were ricocheting off of his chest. "Nice try.. but I'm not gonna let you all get to the main course just yet......" He would say walking into the cockpit of the machine with its yellow eyes flashing to life as it began to move.

"Oh bloody hell! Get moving now!!!" Eros said stating to run with everyone else following in tone. "Command! We have a huge situation here, Code Red! I repeat! Code Red!!!" Leonidas shouted with one voice replying.

"Huh... so you really thought I was out for the count just yet?" Ace would say with a sense of relief washing over the strike team.

"Ace!? Damn! I thought you were done for after the bloody fight with Cordovin!" Zek spoke with shock in his voice.

"Not quite.... but still. I gotta help you guys... cause if this machine made that damn wannabe emperor feel fear, then lets make him fear on whats coming next." Ace said with some slight pain being heard in his voice.

"Mate, just where the hell are you!?! " Eros asked

"On the Atelius, if anything this thing has a railcannon that can be used to fuck that thing.... and the only downside is... that you may need to fight it with what ever you can find. Rocket Launchers, Active Artillery, anything that can fuck it up." Ace said over the comms with the team rushing out as Mecha-Perseus would release a screeching metallic roar chasing after the team.

"Copy!"

"MAYA! What does this thing have?!"

"Right! Mecha-Persues does contain a primary shield that you may have to disable it first so Ace can follow up with the railgun, the best way to hit this ting and get it disabled is with plenty of artillery and a possible airstrike." MAYA would answer.

"Eros! We need an airstrike on that thing asap!" Leonidas shouted.

"Oh fuck that! Thats danger close!"

"Eros! That thing Nero is piloting will kill us if we don't do it!" Leonidas commanded.

"Fuck! Atelius this Strike Force One! I need an airstrike on callsign: "Mecha-Perseus!" DANGER BLOODY CLOSE!!!!!" Eros shouted over the comms with a response coming in.

"Copy that Eros. This is Alpha 1 and 2 proceeding with your request over! Get as clear as you can! We're making our approach, over!!!" One of the fighter jets responded through the comms, with a sigh from Eros. "Oi Boys! Lets kick it yeah!?!" He shouted with everyone knowing what that meant.... Run like its your last day on Remnant. Which with that being said.. they all had to push themselves to escape not only A mechanized version of Perseus and on top of that a literal airstrike that would possibly kill them if they did not make it to cover in time....

Which the mechanized Titan opened up its mouth with a stream of electricity was shot out with the strike team having to bob and weave around the attacks. With the sound of roaring jets being heard above them as Nero moved Mecha Perseus to look up and attempt to shoot the jets down with its shoulder missiles with both jets dropping their ordinance and striking the beast disabling its primary hard light shield while on the ground everyone leaped for cover..

"Boss! Primary Shields are down!!!" MAYA would

"Ace! it's Shields are down! Fire on that fucker!!!" Eros said in a hurry.

"Copy that! Railgun Charging! Ten Percent.... Thirty... Forty....! Enabling Hellhound of Liberation Mode.... to increase the Railgun output! One-Hundred!... One-hundred ten, Twenty Fifty-five!!!!" Ace would say with a little light growing brighter coming from a distance away as finally.....

"I WONT MISS...."

And bang.... the railgun's bolt was launched piercing the head of Mecha Perseus with a loud resounding explosion following fter the strike with the machine releasing a groan as it fell forward to the ground. "Whey, Ace! That was a fine bloody shot there!!! Thanks for the assist as well Alpha one and two....time we ended this once and for all."

"IT'S TIME FOR ALL THE SINS THAT NERO TRIED TO RUN FROM FINALLY CATCHES UP TO HIM...."

#[Event: Rescue Mission]#[The Deadliest Sniper- Zek]#[The Hellhound Pilot- Ace]#[The Disgraced Councilman- Nero]#[The Technologist Hacker- Guangxian]#[A Commander Never Surrenders- Eros]#[Every Hero Has It's Story- Drabble]#tw: long post

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ash-and-books · 3 years ago

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Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: I’ve got ninety-nine problems and my brother’s snarky, smart-mouthed best friend Sam is tangled up in every last one of them. When it comes to firefighter Sam O’Shea, absence—and a regime of tactical avoidance—has been working for me just fiiiine. But when the audition of a lifetime falls in my pathetically broke lap, and he’s the only one who can help me land the job, I’m willing to make a deal with the devil if it means I can kickstart my career as a narrator for audio books. The problem? We’d have to actually do the job. Together. And then we’re told it’s for an erotic romance. Narrating steamy lines in a tiny studio with a man who lights a fire under your skin? An occupational hazard. Accidentally inciting a town scandal when your erotic audiobook clips wind up on the radio? A crisis. And falling for the one man I promised my brother—and my heart—I wouldn’t touch? A disaster—and temptation—I can’t resist.

Review:

Two exes with a complicated history and the job opportunity of a lifetime. Piper Bellini is a voice actor who has been struggling to get a job, it’s been her dream to finally make it. When her mom is pregnant with another child Piper comes home to help her family. Being home comes with its complications though, namely an extremely hot firefighter ex boyfriend named Sam O’Shea. Sam and Piper had a horrible breakup with Sam thinking that two weeks before prom Piper had suddenly dumped him with no explanation and so he does what the only thing he can do to not feel hurt, he kisses her friend. Piper thought she was holding him back and asked for time, to go on a break, but apparently to Sam that meant breaking up, and the next thing she knows she finds him in a foggy car half naked kissing her friend when she goes to pick up her brother. That was years ago, and they both are still reeling from that disastrous event. Sam and Piper loved each other, though they never really said it, they’ve known each other almost all their lives and Sam is Piper’s brother Caleb’s best friend. Piper feels horrible about destroying the friendship between her brother and Sam despite not disliking Sam. But when she comes home she discovers that Sam and Caleb have reconciled and are still friends and that she’s the only one whose been left out of the loop. Sam wants to win back her trust so that he can maintain a friendship with her brother and because he is now running for mayor and wants her mother’s support for his campaign. When Piper is given the opportunity to get her dream job she can’t believe it, the only hiccup is that it’s a two person job and she needs a male partner to be the voice actor opposite hers... and its to read steamy lines for an erotic romance. Sam see’s this as the perfect chance to win back Piper’s trust and get her to ask her mom to endorse his campaign and Piper desperately needs Sam to help her win her dream job. They two strike a deal but then find themselves trapped together with unresolved feelings from the past and the same chemistry building between them as they read erotic lines to each other in a tiny studio... can they find romance a second time or will it end disastrously just like the first time? This was a pretty cute second chance romance story. Piper and Sam both have difficulty expressing their feelings for each other, Piper tends to over think and make decisions for others without telling them and Sam tends to focus on things that make him feel like he’s not as guilty and that he won’t have to truly face his feelings for her. Piper would rather hold back her feelings until they choke her then show them because she’s afraid. They both have problems expressing themselves but they both truly love each other. It was a cute and sweet read and I loved the one bed trope and the best friend’s sibling trope in this!

*Thanks Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Embrace for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #book #romance read #romance book

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origami10 · 3 years ago

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Even more behind than usual so I won’t try and get everything on the correct date… today’s 2.28.2022

Friends finally came to visit the town where I work! We drove up to the bridge and hiked down into the valley (more like ice slide), did the Pokemon event (I FINALLY reached level 40!!!), went back to the restaurant where I was when I first heard about COVID, went to the Zippo museum, and went to the winery- I got exclusively fruit-flavored sweet wines, haha, oops. We met the trainees there! They said it was their first time at a winery ever, so that was fun. Then we came home (and, I’m dogsitting/housesitting, so it’s almost like an AirBNB, I did have permission for people to come) and we made curry and played Jackbox! It was the house party I had kinda always dreamed of, haha… It was nice being close, and we talked about looking at houses more seriously. On Sunday I went to church and saw MikeW and Janet, then we went and saw the Azumas, then had brunch at Joey’s, then hung out and pet the cats!! We even got Mimi and Ziggy to come out, not Marvin though, weirdly enough, nor Maverick or Fiona (obviously). Then the craziest thing was that when we left, we were walking up the street to go out to the car, and we heard sirens, and the house down the block was just… on fire. It seemed like everyone was safe, but it was MOST definitely on fire.

Other things… I mean, Ukraine and Russia and everything, I don’t really know what to say… it feels like there’s so much to do and yet nothing that I personally need to be doing…

One thing that’s been bothering me today is our kaizen program at work. It majorly needs some changes, and though I manage a bunch of it, it feels (well, is) kind of like most of my job, above my authority level, and I continue to feel awkward that I don’t /exactly/ have a direct supervisor, but I’m not in a rush to rectify that because I feel like it wouldn’t be to my benefit to do so… idk man >< Why couldn’t they just have officially put me in charge of it when I asked about it, instead of vaguely shifting it onto me later…

I started reading some more of the pile of manga I checked out from the library, I read The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent (kind of like reading a video game playthrough, relaxing but not particularly captivating), and today I read Library Wars, which was long overdue, and actually pretty good, though a little hard to follow. I didn’t realize it was from 2008, I must have just thought it was ancient because I only really got into manga right around then… even though that doesn’t quite make sense… anyway, it’s painful that’s it’s seeming only more relevant to current events ><

The other thing plaguing me is trying to find pictures for the calendar we’re trying to put together… I’ve found some, but I need to message the newspapers about using them, and I just… haven’t managed to force myself to yet…

OH I don’t know how I could forget, but I got an EIN and filed to set up an LLC today, so I can do taxes as a freelance business in 2022! Not sure how much activity it’ll see, exactly, but then later this afternoon someone I worked with in 2021 asked for an EIN number for tax reasons, so it does seem like it’ll come in handy!!

Kept listening to the Scene on Radio season 4 episodes too, it’s crazy how much U.S. history I’ve never learned about before, like the Colfax massacre and the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898.

#2022 #Okay there actually was like #a LOT going on lately #Also getting pretty far on Kouchuugun only like… 25?? pages left??#also I didn’t realize how many manga were based off novels they go farther back than I thought #I had definitely thought Library Wars was a manga original

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dreamerwriternstargazer · 5 years ago

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In Defence of Team Purple Lion

Voltron: Legendary Defender and its final season remains as one of the most poorly received children’s shows in the past decade. The show was a reboot from DreamWorks of the popular Voltron franchise owned by WEP LLC (World Event Productions) who were responsible for the first version of the show Voltron: Defender Of The Universe (1984), an adaptation of the anime show GoLion by Toei Animation. It initially started strong when released in 2016, with a premise that of a typical mech-centric kids’ show; 5 pilots of 5 robot lions coming together to form one big robot (Voltron) to fight against a big bad alien villain in space, however despite the formulaic appearance it proved to be a captivating watch with detailed and beautiful animation as well as surprisingly deep subject matter. The themes and messages of the show touched on darker topics such as racism and genocide with the backdrop of a complex portayal of war while still balancing it with the light-hearted and goofy dynamics of the diverse main characters, played by a diverse cast. Produced by Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos, both of whom had worked on the acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend Of Korra, the story set up promised an equally deep and intricate story for VLD as had been the case for ATLA and LoK, as a result the show attracted a large and varied fan base beyond just children, many fans adults eager to see how the story and darker themes would be resolved as well as how the minority representations would be treated.

The final season released on Dec 14th 2018 came as a great shock to fans, not only were they intensely dissatisfied with the ending, virtually no one from any area or sub fandom was happy with the season as a whole and at the time of this article’s writing it has lower than a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The show and its producers faced massive criticism over insensitive representations of minorities, an unsympathetic and condemning end for an abuse victim despite redemption for their abusers and a disempowering arc for the main woman of colour character in which she was sidelined and dismissed by her male counterparts up until her sacrifice. The core themes and messages of love, forgiveness and acceptance regardless of race were completely subverted, instead conveying to an impressionable Y-7 and above audience the opposite; heritage and race define a person rather than their own actions. As well as fans, many parents of kids who watched the show expressed unhappiness with the final season due to the toxic and regressive messages it sent. Soon after the season dropped a petition emerged to “free the original season 8 of Voltron” due to the belief that the final season was in fact an edited product of what the creators originally planned. This belief was sparked by visual inconsistencies in the season itself, the audio description not lining up with the action on screen (now fixed), one character not being played by her voice actor but her voice actually another character’s with the pitch turned up as well as comments from the cast and animators, now deleted. The strongest claims of edits were made by Tumblr user Leaking Hate in her initial meta Chasing The Ghosts Of Season 8 and the follow up, a more detailed breakdown, Seek Truth In Darkness in which she presented an alternative story that had been edited and cut down for reasons then unknown, with narrative and visual evidence from the season itself to support her argument. She and a few other fans officially came together in February 2019 to form Team Purple Lion, a team of analysts dedicated to finding the truth behind the disaster of the final season. However, since the fandom had had a poor history of harassing the show’s creators over ships (romantic relationships between characters) most attributed the poor story and resolve to an attempt to keep things neutral romantically between characters in a poor bid to please everyone. As a result the petition and campaign were merely linked to lack of shipping satisfaction for the fandom and dismissed as more toxic fandom behaviour that had been displayed previously by many fans.

Petitions and campaigns like these are not uncommon after a show or film’s ending, similar situations might be the HIMYM backlash in which fans were so unhappy with the ending of the show that there was a petition for an alternative ending, as well as the petition to Warner Bros regarding the Snyder Cut of Justice League. Both of these have actually succeeded with the Snyder cut of Justice League set to release in 2021 and the HIMYM DVD box sets containing the alternative ending, however what makes the Free VLD s8 campaign now led by Team Purple Lion unique is its claim that there’s an original finished product that the creators intended for release but was edited after completion to produce the poor final season that was released on Netflix. Often corporate meddling in creative works is common but it has not been documented before as a post production occurrence changing the finished work, it’s always taken place pre-production as was the case with Disney and Colin Trevorrow’s original script for ep. IX or during production, in the case of Justice League and Zak Snyder.

Since the start of the campaign in Dec 2018 there’s been continuous investigation and action taken by TPL to provide proof for their claims and the movement has evolved into a fight for creators’ rights, still active now a year and a half on. Their investigation early on resulted in discovering the IP holder (those who own the trademark) WEP as the ones with control over the show and therefore responsible for the released edited season 8. They’ve since defended DreamWorks and the showrunners from criticism in favour of requesting WEP and specifically President Robert Koplar, self proclaimed “steward of the property” for the original season 8 by the showrunners that was not released. There’s also been strong advocation from TPL to keep the protest against WEP’s interference with the creative team’s work peaceful to avoid dismissal and belittlement due to prior instances of the VLD fandom’s toxic behaviour that often included harassment of showrunners and toxic fan behaviour ranging from abusive remarks online to death threats, after the final season rumours were flying and the EPs faced abuse from upset fans so there was an active effort to stay civil on TPL’s part.

TPL and the #FreeVLDS8 movement has continuously faced criticism and backlash since its start regardless, the response from fellow fans ranging from supportive to downright disbelief and even the showrunners stating publicly [March 28th 2019 Let’s Voltron podcast] that there’s no “alternate cut of Voltron” branding the idea as a “conspiracy theory”. Claims of harassment have been attributed to TPL and the legitimacy of their allegations questioned, one fan questioning the possibility of the edits’ execution as well as others categorizing them as fans creating a theory based on shipping fulfillment. The controversy and consistent campaign a year and a half on interested me greatly, therefore after being led back to the movement by the very comments discrediting them I approached Team Purple Lion for comment on the aforementioned claims as well as conducting my own research and investigation into them. 3 members of the team, Crystal Rebellion, Dragon Of Yang and Leaking Hate spoke to me openly about their campaign and my own research produced some interesting results as well.

The basis of their argument is set on the show’s final season being an edited product, when I asked about what pushed her to this conclusion and writing her initial meta Leaking Hate explained that a mutual friend of Crystal and her’s drew their attention to it through the story saying:

“It’s interesting, nearly ALL of the episodes had a moment or two in them where Lotor [male villain] COULD have reappeared, and didn’t. Do you think he was written in to be the savior all along, and it was the higher ups that said no, good boy Lance [one of the main characters]? It seems like, given the narrative, and even given this season, it should have been Lotura [Lotor and Allura ship name], and all that wasn’t just feels… off. And not as a Lotura stan, I mean in general.”

“And YES I had. There was a narrative gap where Lotor should have fit, but for some reason wasn’t.” Hate said, “The initial conclusion we jumped to was that Lotor had been removed in the writing stage.”

It wasn’t until another friend mentioned a key scene out of place in the story and she went back to view it that she started to suspect the season had been changed from its original state. The scene in question was one in which Lotor says “Follow me!” at the end of Allura’s dream sequence in s8 ep8 Clear Day, despite his death being established before and after this point in the story. “There was no reason for that Follow Me shot to be there,” Hate explained, “unless the action of the viewer following Lotor had been removed.” Having studied a Fine Art degree and therefore well versed in animation and visual art she was able to recognise scenes that had been edited unusually throughout the season once she actively searched for other visual evidence. The Follow Me scene as well as others she found are displayed in her Ghosts meta, all indicating a different story from the one told in the show, along with the evidence Leaking Hate presented some initial ideas on what the story was (a redemption arc for Lotor and several sub arcs for the main characters that resolved their stories and previously set up story beats).

[Image Description: A close up of Prince Lotor’s face from season 8 on Netflix, staring directly out of the picture at the viewer. There are subtitles showing his speech at the bottom of the image, saying “Follow me!” End ID]

After Team Purple Lion’s formation Leaking Hate went on to publish a part two to her initial Ghosts meta, a 21k word meta entitled Seek Truth In Darkness which contained all visual evidence of edits found in the season as well as an extrapolation of the initial story indicated by said edits. The original story appeared to resolve unfinished narratives and arcs that the released s8 dismissed and the treatment of the representations in the show better, from respect towards minorities to an empowering arc for Allura, the main female character. Despite the original season having a more positive story, negative feedback from fans has been more common than positive. When I questioned the team members on it Leaking Hate mentioned “most people who believe we’re wrong tend to think we’re wrong in our premise” Dragon of Yang confirming that “it’s usually the premise of “VLD was edited after completion” that people disagree with”. However the screenshots they present as visual evidence hint at some truth in their argument, the first screen cap shown below indicative of some poor edits made to the animation since 3 characters are essentially cropped out of the picture.

Likewise this screen cap shows a split screen visually unbalanced with 2 characters at the bottom partially cropped out as well as the character on the left side with a much larger screen space than the other characters.

[Image description: A split screen from season 8 on Netflix, featuring from left to right: top left Shiro, below him is Keith in a larger section and Allura in a small triangular section below and to the right of Keith’s section. In the middle is a section showing Honerva’s mech stabbing the Voltron-Atlas mech with purple lightning shooting out. On the top right is Hunk, below him is Pidge, and below her the top half of Lance’s face. End ID]

Seasons prior to the final had always had visually balanced split screens with each character centred in their frames appropriately, indicating these and other s8 shots like them as an anomaly.

Hate reconstructed both screencaps based on what she believed they were originally:

[Image description: A split-screen from season 8 on Netflix, featuring from left to right: an Altean pilot, Merla, Keith, Hunk’s shoulder, Pidge, the top half of Allura’s face, and the top half of Lance’s face. On the top, right, and bottom of this screencap is dark pink background with the black lines of the split-screen extending to the edges of the colors, marking out where the rest of Hunk, Allura, and Lance should be visible if the view had not been cropped. With the lines extending out, Keith’s portion of the screen is also extended, leaving a completely removed section of the split-screen remaining, which is highlighted purple in this image. End ID]

[Image description: A split-screen from season 8 on Netflix, featuring from left to right: top left Shiro, below him is Keith, below and to the right of Keith is Allura in a small triangle section, the bottom of her face slightly cut off. In the middle is a section showing Honerva’s mech stabbing the Voltron-Atlas mech with purple lightning shooting out. On the top right is Hunk, below him is Pidge, and below her the top half of Lance’s face. On the left, right and bottom of the screencap is a dark pink background with the black lines of the split-screen extending to the edge of the colours, marking out where the rest of Lance and Allura should be visible if the view had not been cropped. Keith’s portion of the screen is smaller and a small dark pink section to the right separates his portion from the middle. Below him where his portion originally extended to is a section coloured dark purple that extends a little further to the left of Allura’s portion. End ID]

Other noticeable examples include scenes with the female lead Allura where her proportions do not match with any prior drawings of herself indicating that she was another character redrawn, Leaking Hate suggested Lotor as his proportions fit each instance.

[Image description: 2 pictures of Allura in the Blue Lion from a front and centre angle side by side. On the left Allura has her eyes closed and her arms stretched out holding onto the controls, the entire cockpit is glowing blue. On the right Allura’s eyes are open with a determined look on her face, she’s slightly hunched with her arms gripping the controls, the cockpit is coloured normally. End ID]

The image on the left is of Allura from s8 ep13 and the one on the right from the same episode a few minutes later, scaled so the interiors (which are unchanging 3D models) are the same size. She is notably taller in the one on the right with her head reaching above the seat and her frame bigger, with wider shoulders and thighs.

These are just a few out of the many examples of edits made that Leaking Hate presents in her metas along with her reconstruction of the original season based on what each edit indicates. While the reconstruction is to some point subjective, the visual inconsistencies are clear and can be easily checked by watching the show at each point said to be edited.

The timeframe and possibility for the edits’ execution, called into question by a fan on a twitter thread (now deleted) stating “it’s not physically possible to make that many edits in 2 months and with leftover budget”, was also addressed by the team and their work. Leaking Hate clarified that “it wasn’t 2 months” that they took place in, “it was 6. The edits began in mid July”, a fact determined by voice actor Jeremy Shada mentioning in an interview released on July 23rd that he had gone in to record new lines at the time. Hate also said, “It’s less of a question of would they have time than it is, well. They did do it. It was nearly impossible. But the fact that it is done shows that they did.” She went on, “I think people misunderstand when we claim it was ‘edited’. They hear “it was reanimated”, but it wasn’t reanimated. There is NO new animation in the edited s8 at all. As far as I can tell, 99% of the edits are composed of tracing, clever cuts and sleight of hand.” This is backed up by all the visual evidence they present as well as their work, claiming absence of animation (making the story disjointed and incoherent in places) rather than new, additional animation changing it.

Crystal Rebellion added, “One thing that strikes us (I feel pretty confident speaking for everyone in this case) is that Studio Mir [responsible for animating the show] is impeccably flawless with their work. Their previous work before Voltron: Legendary Defender, and even Seasons 1-6 and most of 7 are beautifully animated. Stunning. Season 8... is not. Studio Mir also had a viewing party for VLD: S8 - and they reported that they loved the final product; so the animators saw Season 8 after it was completed. The season, however, that aired, was really shoddy animation, rough transitions, music mistakes, and what appear to be alterations to still images - it isn't their usual quality of work, and moreover, the animators have stated that they don't recognize what aired. Often we've been asked something like 'Maybe they just didn't know what scenes they were animating' or 'Didn't know the intended finished product' but in this case, it is documented that they saw the final season and that it's different from what was aired. The poor workmanship in what we see from S8 - all the edits Hate goes through to find and explain, coupled with Mir's disbelief, is indicative that the animation studio had no idea this happened. That means it 1) Happened post-production and 2) It wasn't the Studio that changed anything. Dos Santos mentions in an interview [March 4th ABTV] that they were cut and pasting mouths and moving frames around - no time, no budget, and no staff left. It was all them, after it had been completed - after Mir had seen the original rendition and loved it, that all this happened. The parallel point to that to further support it is, had this been written in the script from the beginning, we would've seen a flawlessly animated season with a painful storyline. We don't see that.”

Although Mir’s reaction to the season they viewed in October (before its official drop) has since been deleted, one animator’s response to the season 8 that was released on Netflix is still online, comparing the show to a house and stating that “every single brick of the last season is very upsetting” but “everything else is good” (translation can be found here), making it clear he was not pleased with the final product. Joaquim Dos Santos does also mention in the interview Crystal references that changes were made to season 8 after season 7 dropped, stating, “You can probably see it in the animation. If you really pay attention it’s like, it’s literally our editor cutting out mouths and puppeting different dialogue.” It’s documented that the epilogue was added to s8 late after s7 dropped however it does not have any dialogue, this statement paired with Shada’s about “still recording on Voltron” begs the question, what change was made besides the epilogue? Hate shows in her Darkness meta that Shada’s character Lance was used to replace Lotor as well as Allura in key scenes, if Shada was still recording lines (unusual since audio recording is done very early in animation production) then it would have been for these moments.

Not all criticism has been based on the editing premise however; the story they present as the original has garnered negative comments as well since it featured Lotor, a divisive character due to his moral ambiguity and previous condemnation as a killer, and predominantly focused on his redemption as well as relationship with Allura. The narrative makes it clear that Lance, the blue paladin and one of the main characters popular with fans, would not have been the focus as he was in the released season and would have been replaced by Lotor as Allura’s partner. When I brought up the claims of bias in their reconstruction Leaking Hate pondered on it.

“Do I love the story because it is Lotura, or do I love Lotura because the story makes me love it?” she mused, “I think it's all the same. I was able to pick out the original story because of my bias in favour of Lotor, Allura, and Lotura. Had I not been invested in those characters, and that ship, I would have had no reason to look. I am not reconstructing based on wish fulfillment, or what I want to see,” she asserted, “but the story I am finding happens to be a story that I love.” In regards to Lance and her analysis on him she stated bluntly, “I HATE Lance. Were I reconstructing based on wish fulfillment I would have him alone and miserable. But that is not a good story. The real story of OGS8 has Lance coming to love himself and to learn to accept Allura's friendship as equally worthy as her romantic affection. It has him grow into a good man, and it has him become Allura's right hand when he helps her save the man she loves. It is an uplifting and wholesome message for little boys and grown men alike. And I think it is equally important that we save S8 for Lance as it is that we save it for Lotor and Allura.” When I mentioned that some would find her dislike of Lance an argument against her she also added that “they are right to.”

“I would not trust someone claiming to have found the 'real' story if I knew they hated Lotor or Allura.” However she admitted, “I don't hate him all the time. I think, if the Lance we get in OGS8 is the Lance I believe is there, then I will find him tolerable, if irritating.”

While it’s true that Hate is critical of Lance and his character, the reconstructed story she presents in Seek Truth does reflect her words, giving him an empowering and sympathetic arc growing from his previous immature and womanising character into a selfless, respectful friend. The team have also put their efforts into creating and realising the story in their reconstruction of the original s8, Rise and Atone, and so far it has stayed true to what they’ve promised, addressing characters and their arcs, the only deviation made being a romance free conclusion in a bid to stay ship-neutral. Dragon of Yang explained the narrative decisions they made with R&A stating clearly, “If this was wish fulfillment, we would have stopped at one detail or another. Every character’s arc was halted and destroyed beyond reconciliation or catharsis. Every character deserves their story to be done justice, and open-endings give that catharsis VLD originally had while remaining respectful to everyone’s shipping preferences. VLD is a story of hope and growth, to deny that a character has grown since day 1 is to deny that there is a story there to be told, and that in turn denies a person out there - who likely identifies with that character - the feeling of being seen. The best thing we can do as scholars and as activists,” she concluded, “is try to recreate the vision the staff had originally made and do so with care and attention to the work they put into every line.”

As for the harassment claims attributed to Team Purple Lion by both fans and The Voltron Store on twitter, there’s not much to support them, and in fact a great deal to disprove them. The team has maintained a level of professionalism in both their work and in their conduct online, consistently citing sources and providing proof for claims as well as campaigning respectfully. Hate commented, “they seem to be conflating our protest with the general hatred being thrown around in the fandom. We've made a point to emphasize polite but firm protest and advocate reaching out through official channels.” While there is a lot of anger and hate from fans towards the show and the producers, none of it has been from Team Purple Lion. Their protest has continuously avoided and often defended the producers and voice actors, who have been regularly attacked by other fans during the show’s airing and since due to the poor conclusion, all of whom TPL have made clear are under NDAs and cannot comment freely (although it’s worth noting, they stopped actively promoting the show on their social media after the season 8 release). Instead their questioning has focused on WEP, the company who own the Voltron trademark, after discovering through a meta analysis of a VLD episode signs that they were meddling with the creators’ vision of the show and ordered them to change it against the producers’ wishes. While it was only a speculative piece, WEP’s quick reaction to the release of said meta by claiming through their Voltron Store twitter that they “do not have any influence over the creative direction of the show” despite ignoring fans for months after the season release suggests some truth to it. Twitter user Eros compiled all evidence of their involvement since then in a Twitter thread and the majority of it is damning, their denial directly contradicting statements from the voice actors and producers prior to and after s8 that confirmed they were the controlling party and had creative input, as well as the creators’ desire to tell a progressive and empowering story however not being able to because of “other controlling parties” outside of DreamWorks. WEP have also made contradictory statements to fans about the season, saying that “nothing was edited” yet agreeing with a fan that a lot was left out and a director’s cut would sell well, as well as mocking another who left a Facebook review (March 16th 2019) complaining of being hung up on, replying to them that an “imposter” answered their phones:

[Image description: A facebook review of The Voltron Store. Text from the top reads as:

Reviewer (name coloured out) doesn’t recommend The Voltron Store.

Review reads: Terrible customer service. They literally hung up on me mid sentence and it was clearly not a case of a call accidentally being dropped. Extremely disappointed by the lack of professionalism!

The Voltron Store’s reply to the reviewer: if you actually talked to us you would find we are very nice people! And we never hang up on anybody EVER - unless they make outrageous claims like Power Rangers is better than Voltron!

The reviewer’s reply: The Voltron Store I did speak to a woman who identified herself Stephanie briefly, but I will never speak to your company again. Thank you for the response but I don't appreciate being called a liar. Please see the attached screenshot for proof of my abruptly ended call back in January. I desire to have no further communication with your company now, I simply decided finally other people deserved to know my personal experience.

Below is a screenshot showing the reviewer called The Voltron Store’s number.

The Voltron Store replied: We do not have a Stephanie here. That must be the issue: you dealt with an imposter! We would review the security cam footage but it does not go back 2 months. End ID.]

In stark contrast to WEP, Team Purple Lion has responded to criticism and addressed it, as well as reaching out to media outlets to clarify and correct poorly sourced claims, however have been faced with no response. Their questioning of WEP and their requests for the original season 8 on social media have been civil; their replies to the Voltron Store posts on Twitter containing no insults or cruel remarks, the harshest only critiques on the company’s lack of tact promoting a show and its merchandise that many considered offensive and toxic due to the last season. “At no point did we set out as some kind of campaign to “attack WEP” or “demand a new season”,” Crystal Rebellion said. “We were a handful of people looking at what amounted to, to use a metaphor, a puzzle that had technically been assembled but most of the pieces didn’t match up properly. We eventually decided to take the pieces that didn’t line up and look at what the picture was supposed to be. There was no ulterior motive - we just wanted the truth. When we realised the truth and it became obvious early on that Mir had seen the original season, we became convinced there was an unedited s8, perhaps in Mir’s backup drives. People saw it, which means it was a completed product, so it became a campaign to ask for it, it’s what the fandom wants, it’s what is profitable.”

In the face of all the negative response and disbelief, Team Purple Lion have gathered an overwhelming amount of evidence to support their case, not only from the show itself but also corroborating statements from the production team and cast as well as WEP’s conduct in response to the campaign. As a result TPL have gained a great amount of support and followers from the Voltron fandom, and are still gaining more a year and a half later. “I gotta give a shout out to Cosmic Royalty,” Leaking Hate said, “a group of Russian fans who reached out to us asking if they could do translations of our work. We host their translations on our website now and there’s apparently a group 500 strong on the Russian social media site VK that supports the work we do together!” Violet Howler on Tumblr has also been a big supporter as well as new fans, recently revealing themselves in the wake of good news, the fight to get the original season seemingly won as Leaking Hate displayed in her most recent meta. In it Hate outlines evidence for the franchise’s ownership changing hands from WEP to DreamWorks and therefore the release of the original season, based on the recent repromotion of the show through articles, new merchandise from the store and the new store designs that all suggest the release, since there would be no other reason to promote a show that was a PR disaster, so universally hated. Regardless of all the opposition and discredit they have faced, confirmation of the truth of Voltron’s original season 8’s fate is expected this summer before the official art book is made available, in the form of the season’s release itself. Whether the fans will be happy with it is another story, however Leaking Hate emphasised firmly that fan satisfaction was not the point, or at least not entirely. “Nothing is perfect, and nothing will please everyone. Especially a show like VLD, with almost 35 years of legacy and fans behind it. There are people who will not like the original season, there are even some who will prefer the edited one - I’m sure the WEP executives are some of them. But it will be the season it was supposed to be, the one that was a labour of love. There is so much love and care poured into every frame of VLD, this was a story that the people working on it wanted to tell; it was more than just a job to them. It was created with love, and it was with love that we fought for it, and when it comes down to it that’s what VLD’s meta narrative was about: love.”

#articles #fandom #fandom culture #team purple lion #voltron #voltron legendary defender #vld fandom #freevlds8 #dreamworks

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architectnews · 4 years ago

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Torok Hill Resort South Lombok, Indonesia

Torok Hill Resort by Invest Islands, South Lombok Buildings, Indonesian Architecture Images

Torok Hill Resort by Invest Islands

30 Apr 2020

Torok Hill Resort, South Lombok

Design: NIC BRUNSDON

Location: Indonesia, South East Asia

The Torok Hill Resort by Invest Islands

TOROK HILL RESORT BY INVEST ISLANDS NAMED ASIA’S ‘BEST HOSPITALITY DEVELOPMENT’ AT PROPERTY GURU AWARDS 2020

* Indonesian brokerage beats out competition from 14 other countries to take first prize at Asia’s most-respected real estate industry awards

* Spread across 14 hectares of beachfront and hillside land in South Lombok, the luxury resort project broke ground this year and is scheduled to open in 2023

* Judges selected Invest Islands’ signature resort ahead of more established international resorts based in Penang, Malaysia and Greater Niseko, Japan

Lombok, December, 2020 — Torok Hill Resort by Invest Islands, with its panoramic Indian Ocean views and luxury facilities on the south coast of Lombok island, has been named ‘Best Hospitality Development’ at the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards 2020. The ambitious project gave Indonesia the prestigious award ahead of fellow finalists from Japan and Malaysia.

Set for completion in early 2023, the high-end destination will be built over 14 hectares and broke ground earlier this year. It features 22 duplex beachfront villas and more than 80 one-, two- and three-bedroom properties located on a stepped hillside. Using sustainable design and locally sourced materials, all villas come with panoramic views and private swimming pools. The development is being constructed with the help of Bali-based heavyweights Tunas Jaya Sanur (TJS).

“We are absolutely delighted to win this award, especially as we felt a little pressure representing Indonesia on a continental stage” said Jack Brown, co-founder of Invest Islands. “Myself and my business partner Kevin Deisser created the company only a few years ago, so to get such recognition so early in our journey is amazing. We are very proud of the project and of all those involved, so must thank our staff, partners, and all our Indonesian and international clients.”

Invest Islands is one of the fastest-growing property development companies in Indonesia. Based in Kuta, Lombok, it qualified for the Asian finals after winning in the ‘Best Upcoming Hotel Development’ category at the PropertyGuru Awards for Indonesia in early November.

Sustainability is one of the pillars of Invest Islands and each of the 100+ units at Torok Hill Resort will feature energy-saving features such as rainwater catchment tanks, greywater reuse systems, and solar roof panels. Its two-storey 700sqm Waves Beach Club and Restaurant will be constructed from locally sourced bamboo and recognise indigenous architecture.

“To win a PropertyGuru Asia award is a dream come true for us, but to beat such esteemed and established competition while staying true to our principles is unbelievable,” said Mr Deisser, whose development was selected by judges ahead of Courtyard by Marriott’s Tropicana 218 Macalister in Penang, Malaysia, and the Vale Rusutsu in Greater Niseko, Japan.

“We designed the Torok Hill Resort with the intention of creating a luxurious option that could also have genuine, positive impact on Lombok and we believe the final design achieves this,” added Mr Deisser. “Half residential, half resort, the project combines Lombok’s traditions with photogenic features that should create global exposure in a modern, connected world. It will also employ 80 percent Indonesians and bring wider exposure to our charitable arm, the Invest Islands Foundation.”

For the first time, the 15th annual PropertyGuru Asia Awards Asia ceremony was held completely online because of the pandemic, yet featured a virtual gala event and awards presentation. It was broadcast live online as a virtual gala event and awards ceremony.

Invest Islands

Founded by Kevin Deisser and Jack Brown in 2015, Invest Islands is a fully licensed property brokerage company. Registered in Lombok as PT PMA Invest Indonesian Islands and Hong Kong under AIG Asian Island Group, the privately owned company offers foreign investors a secure ownership structure in Indonesia. Invest Islands’ vision is to find undervalued plots of land, then delivering clients secure and affordable financial products through property investments. The company’s core beliefs revolve around sustainability and realistic growth in line with the natural development of the market.

PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards

The PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards were established in Thailand in 2005 to distinguish the top properties and development firms in Southeast Asia. The awards programme has since expanded to honour the finest properties and development firms in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau; Australia; South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives); and Japan. With a professionally run judging system supervised by BDO, one of the world’s largest auditing and accountancy firms, the Asia Property Awards is the gold standard in real estate. Presented by global brand Kohler, the 6th Annual PropertyGuru Indonesia Property Awards are the most respected and most sought-after real estate industry honours.

Torok Hill Resort South Lombok, Indonesia information / images received Dec 2020

Location: South Lombok, Indonesia, south east Asia

Indonesia Architecture

Indonesian Architecture : links

Indonesia Architecture News

House O, Mas, Bali Design: Alexis Dornier image from architects New House in Bali

The Stone Ubud Homes and Hotel, Ubud Design: Atelier Urbanus image from architects The Stone Ubud Homes and Hotel

Uluwatu House, Bali Design: SAOTA photograph : Adam Letch Uluwatu House in Bali

Melali House Design: Thomas Winwood Architecture photography : Ryan Robson Contemporary House in Bali

Marine Research Center Design: solus4 Cg Rendering : Tangram 3DS LLC Marine Research Center Bali

DSGN Innovation Hub Scheme in Bali

Sea Sentosa at Echo Beach in Bali

Indonesia Buildings

Clay House on Lombok Island Design: Budi Pradono Architects photography : Fernando Gomulya Clay House on Lombok Island

Indonesian Architect Studios

Singapore Building

Comments / photos for Torok Hill Resort South Lombok, Indonesia page welcome

Website: Indonesia

The post Torok Hill Resort South Lombok, Indonesia appeared first on e-architect.

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pain-somnia · 5 years ago

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All Our Yesterdays [ch.1]

Fandom: That ‘70s Show Pairing(s): Jackie/Hyde, Buddy/Fez, Donna/Eric Rating: M Disclaimer: This story will utilize characters and situations that are the copyright of The Carsey-Werner Company, LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC . tomaday is in no way associated with the creator or producers of That '70s Show and no copyright infringement is intended. Obviously this is a fanfic meant solely for the entertainment of the fanfic author and (hopefully) it’s readers. Summary: After the events of "Street Fighting Man", Jackie and Hyde wish more than anything that things had happened differently.The next morning, they wake up in the past, on the morning of Vanstock where Jackie promptly makes one dream come true. They are not together—but, soon enough, one change snowballs into another... Day’s Notes: the notes for this fic are too large for for a tumblr post. they can be found in the links for FanFic and AO3. I hope you enjoy :) FF | AO3

chapter one: a sharp left in a different direction

Something was off. Completely and totally off.

Usually after a night of crying Jackie woke up with a headache. She couldn’t complain that she woke up nice and breezy, body relaxed as if nothing had ever happened. As if she didn’t cry more tears over a boy that called their future “crap.”

The sooner the pain hurt less, the easier everything would be. The easier it would be to compartmentalize her feelings for Steven Hyde and put them in a box inside of herself to be hidden just like her “Steven Box” was hidden in her closet.

Stretching her arms up over her head, Jackie froze and stared at her bare arm. Last night she had put on her favorite comfy flannel pajamas, the perfect set for when she wanted to feel warm and safe. Certain outfits were just as practical as they were cute.

But she hadn’t woken up wearing her cute flannel pajamas that were perfect for winter nights.

Why am I in my nightgown? Jackie sat up and examined her torso. Wait! Where are my—?

Jackie screamed in frustration as she clutched at her breasts—or the lack of them. She was small with slight curves, but they were perfect! Perfectly shaped and round not these small barely formed lumps she hadn’t had since she was fifteen.

For the second time since she woke up she froze. Taking a deep breath she turned to slide out of bed and put on her fuzzy slippers. She stared at her feet, eyeing the old slippers she used when she was a sophomore before they had to be replaced.

“What the hell is going on?” Jackie huffed as she examined her nightstand. Why would she have a photograph of Michael Kelso by her bed? Just last night she had gone to bed with a couple shot of her and Steven face down as it had been since she had broken up with him weeks prior.

She clutched at her hair, tightening her fingers around the curly locks. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with her breaths but it didn’t feel like she was taking in any oxygen. The pull on her roots hurt too much for her to still be sleeping. Squeezing her eyes shut, she mouthed a prayer to herself. She would open her eyes and everything would be back in its rightful place. It just had to be so.

Opening her eyes to the sight of her old purple suitcase with its matching traveling makeup case sitting by her bedroom door, Jackie screamed again.

She hadn’t seen that case since her sophomore year. The luggage set she used now was decidedly more adult—a lovely shade of carmine that was just right for her eighteen year old self.

I swear to God if my wardrobe isn’t up to date, heads are going to roll.

Jackie stomped to her closet and pushed through all of the cute clothes hanging in the proper color and seasonal order it was supposed to be in. The only problem was that most of her clothes, while super cute, were out of season for 1979. Most of them were trendy back in 1976 when she had first bought them.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Jackie clutched her elbows and slid down her closet door. She didn’t even want to check the rest of her room. She didn’t need to look at her records to find out that the ones given to her by Steven were gone. She was sure if she dug through her closet she wouldn’t find a shoe box decorated and dedicated to hiding all of his notes and the ticket stubs from their dates and other keepsakes.

Lightly knocking her head back against her closet door repeatedly, Jackie let out an expletive worthy of Red Forman.

What was she going to do?

. .

The first person Jackie wanted to see was Steven. It angered her a little that no matter what he was the one her body, her mind, her soul would seek out. Just yesterday she had been crying her eyes out behind a pillar in public over him and yet now she was ready to run right to him.

Fate had it that the first person she did end up seeing was Fez of all people. As good of a friend as he was, she wasn’t as close to him as she was to Steven or Donna. He wouldn’t have been her first choice for comfort in a situation like this. Maybe if her hot rollers weren’t working properly, but not for finding out that she had slipped into some sort of crazy time rift and was now back in her fifteen year old body.

Great. And now she was sounding like dorky Eric, letting herself think about stuff like time travel.

Fez had come to walk with her to the Forman residence and to tote her luggage. Luckily for her, Fez wasn’t observant enough to recognize that her brain fog had anything to do with the fact that she wasn’t the Jackie he knew.

As if he would even know a thing about time travel or recognize it in a person.

He had fumbled through his explanation for why he was at her door, reminding her that she had called him the night before to help carry her stuff because she couldn’t have Michael picking her up or it would ruin her surprise.

Ugh. Jackie wrinkled her nose in disgust. Why couldn’t I have been sent to a time before I ever let Michael sleep with me?

Vanstock. Her first experience attending wouldn’t have been so awful had it not turned out that whorey Laurie had been sleeping with her first boyfriend while she had been dating him. It had tainted the memory of her good time.

Jackie had thought that the two of them could be really good friends considering they liked all of the same things. It was almost like having the missing half of what she wished Donna was like. All of the girly attributes that Donna just didn’t understand why they were so important.

The gang had all gone again the previous year in her original timeline and that was much better. But then again, she had spent the weekend with Steven and they had snuggled in his double sleeping bag. She had almost forgotten that they were sleeping on the ground.

Almost.

And with the reminder of Steven and their time together came the deep ache in her chest that was always present since she had broken up with him after the LOPP’s Christmas party. God, she missed him—missed them.

That was the one positive of the time travel. Yes it hurt, but her feelings for Steven were still there with her and her thoughts were her own despite being back in her underdeveloped fifteen year old body.

She wasn’t going to get over that. Applying her makeup on that morning had been frustrating each time she had to look at her rounder cheeks, still full of baby fat.

It’s a good thing I’m super cute no matter how old. Jackie turned her nose up at her own wandering thoughts. It was hard to focus on what was important when she couldn’t find the source of her problem.

At the moment all she could do was compartmentalize everything and create some order by what was a priority and by what she could actually fix within her own power.

Just because she was her fifteen year old self, it didn’t mean she had to live her fifteen year old self’s life. She was Jackie Burkhart and she got what she wanted when she wanted. And what she wanted was to not be that girl she was when she was sixteen.

It was a few weeks too soon but there was one matter she could take into her own hands right that moment. She just wished she had made her decision before Fez had carried her stuff all the way to the Formans’ house. Now she was going to be stuck taking it all back herself.

Going to Vanstock had seemed like a good idea when she had been faced with choosing between being with her friends or alone with her thoughts in an empty house. The housekeeper had been given the weekend off when her fifteen year old self had made the decision to surprise Michael with her attendance on the group’s road trip and she wasn’t in the right state of mind to be by herself.

“Jackie!” Donna was the first person to greet her when she walked up the Forman’s driveway. Her hair was totally flat and that god awful red but her cheeks still bloomed like she had a sunburn when she was flustered.

Jackie had to resist wrapping her arms around her best friend. She wanted nothing more than a hug and for someone to tell her that everything was going to be okay but this wasn’t the moment, especially when she knew what was making Donna so nervous.

She barely registered the mentions of mud and Canadians. Jackie’s gaze drifted from Donna to her future ex-boyfriend who stood in the back in his worn out denim jacket. She had to remind herself that this was Hyde not Steven. That while he was complicit in letting her heart get broken, this wasn’t the man that owed her any loyalty. It was just the boy that got his kicks where he could and didn’t recognize that what he was doing was terrible.

This was also the boy that would get his heart broken again in a few months and Jackie bit her lower lip to keep from shouting about everything she knew. This Steven Hyde wasn’t hers to protect like when he first met his real father.

And if she shared those secrets there were worse things that could happen to her than waking up almost a full bra cup size and a half smaller.

“Where’s Michael?” Jackie asked before anyone else could fumble some sort of weak reason as to why she shouldn’t go with them to Vanstock. Any moment now Steven was going to try to convince her that it was a fantastic idea regardless of the fact that Michael was bringing along the girl he was having an affair with.

“Jackie.” Steven stared her down, expression more solemn than she recalled him looking at sixteen. Last time when they stood in this driveway, he had been gleeful, downright giddy. “I need to talk to you about something.”

She wasn’t ready for this, whatever this was. His hair was longer and blonder, he wasn’t as muscular, but his voice was still the same deep timbre she loved and even though it should have been easy to separate this Steven from her Steven, she couldn’t do it. Jackie was convinced one look, one direct look, into her eyes and he would know everything.

Steven Hyde of 1976 would know she loved him.

“Can it wait?” Jackie’s gaze shifted anywhere but his face. “I really need to talk to Michael before you guys go.”

“Wait,” Eric looked back and forth between his best friend and her, “you’re not coming with us then? And why do you need to talk to Jackie?”

Jackie really didn’t need this right now. Eric Forman could hate her some other time but he wasn’t going to be wasting her time with his questions. “Makes no sense why I would be going.” Jackie crossed her arms across her chest protectively. “Doubt he’d let me come along after I dump him.”

“What?” Came everyone’s shocked response. . . Hyde leaned his head back and closed his eyes, propping his feet on the spool table. They should have been on the road over an hour ago. He should have been roaming the grounds and meeting up with his friends from Kenosha, dropping acid or smoking a joint in between the different musical acts performing.

The last time he had been there in 1976, that was exactly what he had done as well as hooking up with any willing hot chick. The desire for acid or a girl had significantly dropped since then, both for different reasons.

Opening his eyes, Hyde watched the smoke float in lazy circles up towards the ceiling. The swirls had his focus more than the conversation currently being had in the basement.

“You were just frenching Laurie not even ten minutes before she broke up with you, dillhole!” Donna huffed, passing the joint on to Forman.

That comment had Hyde peering at Donna from the corner of his eye. When she had discovered that Kelso had been cheating on Jackie back in his own 1976, she hadn’t warned Jackie at all. She still hadn’t warned her this time around, only weakly attempted to get her to change her mind about going on the trip. Not that Jackie needed to change her mind. She had shown up and broke up with Kelso in the simplest most blunt way possible.

“I don’t love you and you’re a cheating bastard. Have fun at Vanstock.” And then she just skipped away.

The divergence in the timeline was going to be interesting.

Waking up had been a trip. Hyde had woken up thinking he had been tripping. It had been so long since he kept his hair long enough to be as blonde as it was and he felt lighter than usual━his limbs no longer carrying the extra weight of the muscles he had developed over the past couple of years.

Time travel. It was a subject that only Forman out of everyone he could possibly have a serious discussion with. Kelso at this stage wouldn’t even try to jump into the conversation unless it was about a time machine that could take him back in time before Jackie broke up with him.

“Shouldn’t we be glad that we’re finally free?” Forman shrugged his shoulders passing him the joint. Hyde didn’t honor him with a response, only taking a long drag before skipping right over Kelso to Fez.

Kelso didn’t even notice that he had been skipped in the circle. His head hung low and his eyes were glazed over with unshed tears. Hyde cared for them just as much as he did the first time Jackie had broken up with Kelso━not at all.

Tears from his friend over a girl that he himself loved meant nothing.

Kelso crying over Jackie was a joke. It was a joke back when all she was was the bitchy anchor around Kelso’s neck. It was a joke when he got caught cheating with Laurie.

“We were in love,” Kelso choked out, voice thick and watery from crying.

“Kelso.” Hyde snapped his fingers in front of Kelso’s face and tried to capture his attention. “No you weren’t. You were cheating on her with the Earth Mother Whore.”

Kelso blinked at him and swallowed hard. “Doesn’t mean I don’t love Jackie.”

Rolling his eyes, Hyde took the joint back from Donna and took the last drag from the remaining stub. He coughed as the burnt smoke hit his lungs and pinched the dying ember on the paper between his index finger and thumb. The high from the marijuana wasn’t enough for Hyde to tolerate listening to Kelso talk about being in love with his chick.

Ex chick. Future ex chick.

Time travel was such a fucked concept. It was one thing to hide a hurt that he had reasons for having, but the hurt he felt wasn’t for the Jackie of 1976 but the Jackie of 1979. He was hiding a deep ache in his chest that was caused by a girl that had probably been crying over his moron friend the night before, not him.

Miles away there was a shrill, loud, bitchy cheerleader who was probably stuffing all of her Kelso paraphernalia into a box right at that moment and it was killing him that he couldn’t have her. And because of this time travel bullshit she didn’t even know that she had ever been his and he had been hers.

“I can’t believe we’re missing Vanstock all because of Jackie,” Forman scoffed. “Leave it to her to ruin everything.”

“Forman,” Hyde turned to him in disgust, “really? Are you forgetting certain important details?”

“I still can’t believe you all knew!” Donna slapped her hands on the spool table. She glared at them all and then stood up from her seat. “I’m going to go see Jackie.”

“Wait!” Fez called after her. “I’ll go with you!”

Hyde reached over and pulled Fez by the back of his shirt, forcing him back on the mushroom ottoman. “Sit down!” Like hell was he going to let an infatuated Fez try and take advantage of the situation again.

Fez wrinkled his nose and gave him a disgruntled look before shrugging it off. “So what happened with Laurie?”

Hyde rolled his eyes yet again. Right after Jackie had confronted Kelso, Laurie had taken off when it was obvious they weren’t going anywhere. She had looked downright gleeful when they all had dragged their stuff back inside, looking miserable. She took one look at a sad Kelso and shrugged it off. No one knew where she went after everything went down, but Laurie made herself scarce as soon as it was clear that no one was going anywhere.

Kelso was a dumbass, but the consequences for his actions lead to Hyde finding out that there was more to Jackie than they all originally thought. There was just one very important difference in this timeline.

Jackie wasn’t heartbroken over her split with Kelso. In 1976, Jackie had told Kelso it was over, tears thickening her voice, and then threw herself at Hyde for comfort. This time, Jackie tossed out the break up statement casually with the same attitude she would give a shoe department employee her size on whatever clogs took her fancy and then went on her merry way.

Hyde didn’t know what to make of that. As annoyed as he had been when he was last sixteen years old, Kelso and Jackie’s first real break up was the catalyst to his and Jackie’s relationship changing.

This was his punishment at last from the government. Kelso threatened the president and once they all were lulled into a false sense of security, Hyde was shifted to a different time and was forced to relive his teen years in a simulation that altered the events of his life out of his favor.

Out of his favor? Shouldn’t this be what he wanted? Hyde was back in a time that he and Jackie could just hang out without any of the complications of dating.

But life was a bitch because that’s not how it worked.

His body was closer to seventeen than twenty but his memories were still there. He could still remember the way Jackie felt under his fingertips, how she breathed into him when he laid kisses onto her inviting mouth...and how she looked with eyes full of tears from a broken heart.

Couldn’t rat out a friend? Hyde inwardly scoffed. Maybe his sixteen year old self had a point, but nineteen year old him had more loyalty to the tiny loud girl than his doofus friend.

Government simulation or not, he wasn’t going to let Jackie go through all of that bullshit again. Hyde had planned on warning Jackie before she surprised him and took things into her own hands.

“You could have just—and I’ll say this yet again,” Forman flattened his palms together and pressed his fingers to his mouth before shouting, “not make out with my sister!”

“No,” Kelso’s expression became serious as he turned his attention towards Eric, “I couldn’t, Eric.”

“You know what?” Eric threw his hands up and flailed them in exasperation. “I don’t even care anymore that you ruined Vanstock. What am I going to tell Donna? She’s going to ask me if I knew the whole time.”

Hyde rolled his eyes behind his aviators. He already knew how that turned out last time when Donna had stormed off, upset. “As entertaining as it would be to see you fuck this up further, Forman—just tell her the truth.”

“How is that not going to screw me over?” Forman gestured wildly again. “She’s going to know that I’ve been keeping this from her.”

“Because if you lie it will end up biting you in the ass later.”

“Hyde is right, Eric.” Fez nodded in agreement. “Just take a look at Kelso. It’s biting him in the ass right now.”

“And you already lied earlier when you tried to get me to cover for you about Don Juan El Tardo and The Village Whore.”

“No!” Kelso jabbed his finger at Hyde’s direction and then Forman’s. “Eric, you can’t tell Donna. She’ll tell Jackie how long it’s been going on and then I won’t be able to get her back.”

The other three boys stared at Kelso like he had grown a second head. Fez was the first one to fling something at him, tossing as many magazines and comic books he could reach. Forman was irritated by the events of the day and needed an outlet. Hyde already knew how Kelso was, wasn’t surprised by his statement but it didn’t stop from irritating him and the anger boiled deep in his gut.

“I’m out of here.”

He was done with this crap for the day. It finally hit where the punishment was. Hyde was going to have to witness Kelso jerking Jackie around all over again━only this time, he was going to have to pay the price for feeling more than he wanted to for her.

This crap ain’t happening again. He slammed the door shut for his bedroom and flopped on his cot. This is why he didn’t do love. Fuck the U.S. government. . . In a way, Jackie was grateful for the place in time she had been sent back to. She wouldn’t have to deal with anymore of Michael’s crap and she had less stuff of his to throw away.

“He really gave you a slinky for an anniversary?” Donna sat cross legged on Jackie’s bed, tossing it back and forth between her hands. “Kind of makes me appreciate Eric more.”

“Yeah, Michael’s a moron.” Jackie slipped the photo of Michael out from the frame on her bed and wrinkled her nose in thought. “You think Fez would want this?”

Donna’s face scrunched up in confusion and she shrugged. Jackie shrugged back and tossed it into the trash can by her desk. She wasn’t exactly sure when Fez became a little obsessed with her ex-boyfriend, but maybe this was before then if Donna didn’t understand the question.

“I’m really sorry about the Laurie thing,” Donna apologized for the second time since she had arrived at the Burkhart mansion. “I just found out before you showed up and was asking Eric about it.”

Jackie kept her gaze on the box of stuff she had collected from her year of dating Michael. She bit her lip to keep from smiling or making a comment, but she couldn’t help the warmth that spread in her chest.

Despite her friendship with the Donna of 1979, it sometimes felt like Donna sided with the boys over Jackie most of the time when they were younger. They had their moments though and Donna was like a less attractive, goofy older sister. It felt kind of nice to have her right now even if they weren’t as close as they would be some day.

“I wanted to tell you but once I saw you I blanked out a bit because...well,” Donna shrugged, hiking her shoulders up to her ears, “you’re kind of my friend and I didn’t want you to get hurt and for me to be the messenger that caused it.”

“Well, I deserved to know.” Jackie finally turned her gaze back to Donna and smiled slyly. “But you could always do something for me to make me feel better.”

Donna rolled her eyes in exasperation but she playfully shoved at Jackie’s shoulder. “Alright midget, what are you scheming at? And no, I’m not dumping Eric in solidarity or throwing out my clothes.”

“As great as those two options would totally be, that’s actually not what I was going to ask.”

Donna sat up straighter, her curiosity obvious. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion but nodded for Jackie to continue.

“I really meant what I said about not loving Michael and—“

“Jackie, you just told him you loved him three days ago.”

“Shh! Let me talk you big goon,” Jackie snapped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. “Ignore that, that was the past and I’ve learned some stuff about myself, okay?”

“Okay. So what about not loving Kelso?”

“I don’t want him to bother me. I know he’s your friend and he’s been your friend longer than I have but can you be on my side about this? I really am over Michael Kelso and never want to be with him again.”

Donna stared impassively at her for a moment before nodding in understanding. “I’m guessing this means you’re asking me to run interference in case he tries to get you back like he did after the Pam Macy incident...incidents?”

Jackie nodded enthusiastically. “That’s exactly it. Look,” Jackie turned her whole body and sat cross legged on her bed, “Michael isn’t just cheating on me with Laurie but also some tramp from Sacred Heart and really that’s just what I know about.”

In reality, Jackie knew a lot more now thanks to Steven tricking Michael to reveal everything he had ever hidden from her.

“I know he’s a cheater but you don’t seem as upset as I expected you to be.” Donna raised a brow in confusion. “Like you sound a little angry but mostly resigned. I expected waterworks. Didn’t think you could get over stuff like this unless you found someone else.” Donna slapped her hands on the bed on either side of her hips. “Oh my god, Jackie! You already like someone else!”

“No,” Jackie lied, shaking her head and dragging out the vowel in the negation. Damn Donna always nailing it right on the head. 1976 Jackie didn’t love Steven and it would be weird if she suddenly had feelings for him. “I just realized that what hurts is my pride, not my heart. So, I don’t really love Michael.”

As much as the cheating hurt back in 1976, Jackie had recently felt pain that made the Michael cheating stuff feel like a mosquito bite in comparison.

She didn’t know when the timeline would spit her back to where she belonged, but the one thing she did know was that she wasn’t going to be spending her time in the past letting a boy she didn’t love touch her. And Jackie of 1976 might not know it yet, but she deserved better than to be with that doofus.

She found better. And she lost better.

Jackie blinked her eyes but the tears welling up in her eyes threatened to roll down her cheeks. She couldn’t be sad about that. Steven wasn’t her boyfriend in 1979 and he wasn’t her boyfriend in 1976. It didn’t matter how much she wanted him to be. 1979 Steven didn’t see a future with her and 1976 Steven didn’t see her at all—at least not as anything other than an annoyance.

Her parents were never around, she just broke up with the cheating boyfriend she didn’t even want, Steven wasn’t her friend yet, dorky Eric wasn’t really an option, and Fez was way too into her to be a real friend. The only thing she really had was her tentative friendship with Donna.

How did Donna end up being her lifeline?

“Could we still hang out?” Jackie sniffed. “I know I’m not with Michael anymore and well I’m not really part of the group…but I think of you as my friend too. My best friend. Despite the fact that you’re a lumberjack and all.”

Jackie was about to tell Donna that her eyes would get stuck if she kept rolling her eyes but was cut off by the feel of a slightly calloused hand taking hers into its grip. Donna offered her a small smile and nodded.

“Of course, midget.”

1976 and going into 1977 was going to be a rough school year for Donna. Donna invited her to live with her when she didn’t have a home and would in the future of this timeline. The least Jackie could do is save her lumberjack heart some heartbreak. Especially ones she may have had a hand in—there would be no Casey Kelso this time around.

Squeezing Donna’s hand, Jackie smiled to herself. It was only a day and she already had more than 1976 Jackie had. She had no idea why she was there or how but she did know one thing:

She needed to make a list.

#zenmasters #t7s #that 70s show #jackie and hyde

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whoever-iwant-tobe · 5 years ago

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It wasn’t meant to be a long game. (part 1 of ?)

David x Natalie-- honestly, what I imagine their history and life to be. Obviously this is made up, but some of the actual timeline stuff is most positively messed up because my memory is shit so just pretend my timeline is entirely fictional so that you aren’t holding me to any type of standards. This is my first fic ever and is probably teeming with errors.

Warnings: none YET. No promises on part 2.

___________________________________

You were surprised when you got the text.

“What are your plans for the next 6 months”

“?????”

You hadn’t talked to him for a while, you were in your last semester of classes before your internship (not to mention the hunt for an internship that wouldn’t make you want to absolutely die) and he was living a zillion miles away. On top of that, you both had separate lives now, relationships, separate friends.

“Dave what are you talking about?”

Facetime request from David. When you answer, you don’t even try to hide the confused look on your face.

“I want you to be my assistant. It can be your internship! Since I’m an LLC or whatever the fuck, it can be legit. I’ll pay you! I’ll pay more than the fancy event planning place downtown will. Come onnnn”

“I’m sorry but why the fuck do you need an assistant?”

“Jack says I need one and honestly my world is kind of a giant mess right now and you’re the only one I can imagine trusting to help run my life”

“Dave, I don’t know. LA is so far, and then there’s Shawn... I just don’t know”

“I promise, I’ll make it worth your while. 6 months, then you can help me find someone to replace you if you wanna leave”

So, you went.

That was 18 months ago, and you were still in LA. But your life was completely different. Now, when you went in public, people stopped and asked for pictures. What started as picking up Chipotle for Dave turned into sitting in his trailer on sets, coordinating with his publicist (yes, a publicist!), and training people to do the grunt work that used to be yours. What started as parking tickets in your dad’s hand-me-down car parked outside of Bellingham turned into making yourself a home in the place you shared with David overlooking the better bits of the city.

What also changed was that you and David were both single, out of long term relationships that, if we’re being honest, never had a shot at lasting. They felt perfect for both of you from the thick of it, but once you were on the outside, the troubles were glaringly obvious.

What didn’t change was the way you bickered like people who’d known each other half a lifetime, the way he listened when you put your foot down, or the way his bullshit antics still made you laugh even when you knew they were risky as hell.

9 months ago, something shifted. Where you used to tiptoe around each other out of respect for the other’s partner, walls came down. David didn’t feel like he needed to keep such a healthy distance like he did when Shawn was still in the picture. You didn’t feel like an outsider interfering with every little mention or memory of Liza like you did before. Now you could be the actual best friends you were before it all. Before the fame and before Liza and Shawn and before all of this.

You were 14 when you found out he had a crush on you, but the thing about being a 14 year old girl is that you don’t actually feel like you’re ‘allowed’ to have a crush on whoever you want. Like whoever you’re crushing on needs to be someone who will impress your friends. Now you know it’s bullshit, but 14 year old you knew that your goofy, kind of dorky next door neighbor wasn’t going to be a crush that would impress anyone. So you did the logical thing, something you’ll probably regret for the rest of forever, and decided that you were only going to “have crushes on football players,” because that would impress your friends. You couldn’t imagine the teasing you’d endure if your girlfriends heard about the soft spot you had for your dorky next door neighbor, so you repressed. You repressed it until you didn’t even really believe it was there either.

You didn’t know that your 14 year old next door neighbor was kind of crushed when he found out you were not only not interested in him, but the guys you were crushing on were nothing like him. 14 year old David had lots of friends, and it kind of protected him from comparing himself or categorizing himself, but seeing you choose the football players was quite possibly the biggest ego blow of his whole life. It was where he realized that people have leagues, and you were out of his. Way out of his. So, like you, he repressed. He accepted friendship because he still wanted you in his life. Like a lot. So he pursued a friendship, and you were open to it because you wanted him in your life too. He teased and played with you, but he knew where he thought he stood, and he didn’t push it.

Adult Dave and Natalie were playing the same game you’d started when your were 14. Repression, denial of feelings. Except David wasn’t the dorky next door neighbor with braces anymore, and having crushes wasn’t for impressing your friends anymore. But the damage was done. Despite millions of dollars and followers, admiration, and all the fancy things he could want, David still had it internalized that you were miles out of his league. So you stayed in your leagues.

This is where the regret of a 14 year old girl haunts a 22 year old woman. Its where she wonders what would be different, if the damage is too much to overcome, or if it would even be worth it.

Ever since his public breakup and your private one (exposed by the stans, to no real fault of anyone-- everyone was bound to catch on), things have changed. He’s more open with you, your relationship is more balanced, and those little voids in your lives that your partners left are being filled with each other. You’re an assumed duo, a de facto pair. You tell each other more than you have in years, and you lean into one another for support. You’re closer than you’ve ever been. You start to miss him when you travel separately, and that is confusing to you. You start to notice how good he looks when he’s fresh out of yet another shower, before he’s picked a truly stupid fight with you that ends up in fits of laughter from you both (or some passive aggressive twitter activity). The regret of a 14 year old girl creeps back-- the girl who’s own self consciousness about who she should “like” had broken her neighbor’s heart, spirit, and ego. She’d spent their formative years denying she ever “liked” him like that, and he’d spent his convincing himself he could never have her, until he’d convinced himself to put her out of his mind.

When there was distance, it was easy to squash feelings. Out of sight, out of mind. When the distance was gone and she’d moved in with him, they both had their own stacked deck of distractions. Even though she was micromanaging his life and the physical distance was gone, there was still an emotional barrier. They had other partners and they were friends with a business relationship. Hell, he didn’t even claim her as one of his best friends in interviews. She wondered if she deserved that, after she’d crushed his spirit at 14.

But then the barriers broke, your relationships ended-- his was a long and brutal 12 months of pining. Your decision had been made months before you finally cut the cord, though. So your breakup was a bit easier. Once you were both “over it,” so to speak, you threw yourselves into your work. Dave was making moves online, you helped Jack find him a publicist, and his schedule was exploding. Time that used to be spent sitting around at Bellingham, picking up food, and booking prop- animals was long gone. You were being put in the vlogs more, which was not your favorite, but you knew how much David loved it. He always loved your reactions, and you weren’t one to make him unhappy on purpose unless he deserved it.

Now it was interviews and premieres and bringing your new LA friend on as another assistant to lighten the load. You had a fanbase now, and like a million followers and fan accounts. You were traveling more, in big groups, in small groups with just the two of you and Jason, and sometimes just you and Dave. Your favorite was when it was just the 2 or 3 of you. You didn’t have to be always on, didn’t have to impress anyone, and you could be yourselves. And as much as Dave loves surrounding himself with action and chaos, you knew he loved those trips too. The two of you were growing closer and it made your heart feel full.

There was a turning point for the two of you, and it hit right around the time you helped him put together a whole sham marriage as a prank on Jason. The two of you were side-by-side in your first class seats on a late night flight to Boston to get Lorraine. You couldn’t bring anyone with or draw attention to yourselves online or it would blow your cover. So for the first time in a really long time, the two of you got to be normal. No rush to edit, no stories to post. You got to talk and laugh and relax for those glorious hours, 30,000ish feet in the air. You wrapped yourselves in the airline blankets and talked about the things you’d avoided. How you were both doing post-break up. Who you thought should get married next (besides David and Lorraine and Erin and TJ-- your vote was Heath and Mariah). Before you knew it, you found yourselves in a game of 20 questions, just like when you were teens. It was like the universal 13-15 year old way to flirt or to tell someone you like them or to find out who they liked. But there you were, two grownass adults in first classs, leaning on your sides and playing 20 questions.

“So are you over over Shawn?” yes.

Will you ever be over Liza? “I’m almost there.”

“What happened with us?” We’ve always been friends.

“No, like why did we grow apart?” Well I went to college, and you chased your dreams.

“Do you ever wish some things had gone differently when we were younger?” Absolutely.

For the first time in a really, really long time, the two of you just looked at one another. Silently. For a long time. It wasn’t awkward. It was like you were both thinking about the same thing without discussing it aloud.

After a good long while, David finally spoke. “I’m glad we’re doing this together Nat. I couldn’t do it without you.”

“Me too, Dave”

And you both knew that neither of you were talking about the sham marriage he was about to get into. You were talking about this life you were now building together.

Before you knew it, your eyes had grown heavy. The two of you fell asleep face to face, propped up by the airline seats you never fully converted into beds, and for the first time in a while, feeling content.

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

[more to come when I find the time]

#david dobrik #datalie #david x natalie #vlog squad #daviddobrik #natalinanoel #natalie mariduena #david dobrik smut #because there might be some later #david dobrik fanfiction

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makistar2018 · 5 years ago

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Why Taylor Swift Has No Problem Defending Herself—No Matter the Cost

by BILLY NILLES Jul. 2, 2019

As Taylor Swift approaches her upcoming 30th birthday, happening on December 13 of this year, she's begun taking stock of the things she's learned over the course of her first three decades on the planet. In March, she let fans in on a handful of them—30 of them, to be exact—via a self-penned piece in Elle and near the very top, perhaps belying its importance to the superstar, is the following:

"Being sweet to everyone all the time can get you into a lot of trouble. While it may be born from having been raised to be a polite young lady, this can contribute to some of your life's worst regrets if someone takes advantage of this trait in you. Grow a backbone, trust your gut, and know when to strike back. Be like a snake—only bite if someone steps on you."

As the last few years have proven, Swift has certainly grown unafraid to bite as a means of defending herself and the things she believes in. Not bad for someone whose so-called silence invited accusations of standing for nothing from critics.

Take this weekend's response to the news that celebrity music manager Scooter Braun, whose list of past and present clientele includes Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kanye West and Demi Lovato, was the new owner of her entire music catalogue, thanks to his media holding company Ithaca Holdings LLC. reaching a "finalized" contract" with Big Machine Label Group, Swift's former record label, to acquire the company. The deal, made for a reported $300 million, includes Big Machine Music, which means that Braun retain ownership of the master recordings of each of the six albums she's released to date, as well as music from other artists such as Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow and Lady Antebellum. And, as Swift admitted in an incendiary Tumblr post, it left her feeling "sad and grossed out."

After explaining that she'd hoped to own her work prior to departing Big Machine for Universal Music Group (Big Machine's distributor) in November of last year, only to be offered a deal to "'earn' one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in," as she wrote, she walked away from her past so that her future wouldn't be tied to a company that founder Scott Borchetta was clearly intent on selling to the highest bidder.

Jun Sato/TAS18/Getty Images

"Some fun facts about today's news: I learned about Scooter Braun's purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world," she wrote. "All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years."

As she explained in her post, she felt that Scooter's fingerprints were all over West and wife Kim Kardashian West's attempts to assassinate her character in the aftermath of the "Famous" lyrics debacle, which infamously find the rapper claiming that he "made that bitch famous," appearing in a screenshot of a FaceTime call between Bieber and West that the former shared with the since-deleted caption "Taylor swift what up" that she believes was intended to "bully [her] online about it" and allowing then-client West to release "a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked."

"Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it. This is my worst case scenario. This is what happens when you sign a deal at 15 to someone for whom the term 'loyalty' is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says, 'Music has value,' he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it," she continued. "When I left my masters in Scott's hands, I made peace with the fact that eventually he would sell them. Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter. Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words 'Scooter Braun' escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn't want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever."

Taylor's move to take the two men involved in the deal to task has, predictably, drawn a line in the sand in the music industry, with folks like Brendon Urie, Halsey, Iggy Azalea, BFF Todrick Hall and other BFF Selena Gomezs mom Mandy Teefey publicly supporting Swift, while Bieber, Lovato, and Scooter's wife Yael Cohen Braun, who accused Swift of bullying her husband by going public with her beef, thereby sending her fan base his way, coming out in support of him.

While the minutiae of the deal and who knew about what when remains unclear, with Borchetta and Cohen Braun both furnishing receipts of some sort in their rebuttals to Swift that challenge her timeline, what is clear is that Swift is speaking up not just to shine a light on an injustice she's experiencing, but also to prevent other impressionable artistic youth from falling prey to the same sort of contract she willingly signed back in her early teens.

"Thankfully, I left my past in Scott's hands and not my future," she wrote. "And hopefully, young artists or kids with musical dreams will read this and learn about how to better protect themselves in a negotiation. You deserve to own the art you make."

It's hardly the first time that Swift has vociferously defended herself while also trying to move the needle forward for those less fortunate than her, be they artists or women in general.

Back in 2013, Swift informed bosses at Denver's KYGO-FM that morning show personality David Mueller had sexually assaulted her, groping her at a meet-and-greet event as they posed for a photo alongside Mueller's then-girlfriend Shannon Melchor. "When we were posing for the photo, he stuck his hand up my dress and grabbed onto my ass cheek," she explained to TIME in 2017. "I squirmed and lurched sideways to get away from him, but he wouldn't let go. At the time, I was headlining a major arena tour and there were a number of people in the room that saw this plus a photo of it happening. I figured that if he would be brazen enough to assault me under these risky circumstances and high stakes, imagine what he might do to a vulnerable, young artist if given the chance. It was important to report the incident to his radio station because I felt like they needed to know. The radio station conducted its own investigation and fired him."

Two years after the radio host saw his employment status at the station go from "current" to "former," he filed suit against Swift, accusing her of lying and suing him for making him lose his job. He wanted $3 million in damages. As result, she brought a countersuit against Mueller for assault and battery, taking him to trial.

AP Photo/Jeff Kandyba

By 2017, she was on the stand, showing an unflappable, steely determination to defend herself in the face of a man who'd wronged her and a legal team intent on discrediting her. When asked why the photos of the incident didn't show the front of her skirt wrinkled as evidence of any wrongdoing, she answered plainly, "Because my ass is located at the back of my body." When she was asked if she felt guilty about Mueller losing his job, she responded, "I'm not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I'm being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions—not mine."

In the end, the jury threw out Mueller's unfair dismissal case, ruling in Swift's favor, awarding the singer the symbolic $1 dollar she'd asked for. In a statement released after the verdict was rendered, she said, "I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves."

A year later, Swift spoke to fans during a Tampa, Fla. stop on her Reputation Stadium Tour about the incident, thanking them for sticking by her during a "really, really horrible" time in her life. "I just think about all the people that weren't believed, or the people who haven't been believed, or the people who are afraid to speak up because they don't think they will be believed," Swift said. "And I just want to say that I'm sorry to everyone who ever wasn't believed because I don't know what turn my life would have taken if people hadn't believed in me when I said that something happened."

Over the years, Swift has also used her superstar muscle to advocate for what she believes she and all other artists deserve during this streaming revolution. In 2014, after penning an article for the Wall Street Journal in which she argued that "music should not be free" and that artists shouldn't "underestimate themselves or undervalue their art," she pulled her entire discography from Spotify.

"Music is changing so quickly, and the landscape of the music industry itself is changing so quickly, that everything new, like Spotify, all feels to me a bit like a grand experiment," Swift told Yahoo that November, defending her position. "And I'm not willing to contribute my life's work to an experiment that I don't feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists and creators of this music. And I just don't agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free."

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The following June, she penned an open letter to fans, explaining why they wouldn't be able to find her latest album, 1989, wouldn't be made available on Apple Music once the service launched. As she explained, her issue lay with Apple Music's decision not to pay artists during its free three-month trial for users to sign up. "I'm not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company," she wrote, adding that she was speaking on behalf of fellow musicians who had some hesitation at speaking out against the tech company.

"These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call," she added. "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation."

A day later, Apple announced that it would, indeed, be paying artists during the free trial period."When I woke up this morning and saw what Taylor had written, it really solidified that we needed a change," Apple's senior vice president of internet services and software Eddy Cue told Billboard in an interview after tweeting that the company was changing course. "And so that's why we decide we will now pay artists during the trial period."

By 2017, in time to celebrate 1989 selling over 10 million albums worldwide and, maybe, to tweak then-frenemy Katy Perry's launch of new album Witness, Swift's music was back on Spotify and added to Amazon Music and Google Play as well.

At every turn, Swift has revealed herself to be someone who has certainly found that backbone she wrote about in Elle. After West claimed he made her famous, he accepted Album of the Year at the 58th Grammy Awards with a speech that didn't mention the rapper by name, but spoke to him just the same. "As the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammys twice, I wanna say to all the young women out there: There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success, or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame," she said. "But if you just focus on the work and you don't let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you're going, you'll look around and you'll know that it was you and the people who love you that put you there, and that will be the greatest feeling in the world."

When Kardashian West branded her a snake as she shared the questionably-recorded audio of a phone call between Swift and West as he was crafting "Famous," she took the animal iconography on as a central motif in her next album and tour, which became the highest-grossing domestic tour by a woman ever.

"A few years ago, someone started an online hate campaign by calling me a snake on the internet," Swift wrote in Elle. "The fact that so many people jumped on board with it led me to feeling lower than I've ever felt in my life, but I can't tell you how hard I had to keep from laughing every time my 63-foot inflatable cobra named Karyn appeared onstage in front of 60,000 screaming fans. It's the Stadium Tour equivalent of responding to a troll's hateful Instagram comment with 'lol.'"

When speaking with a German news outlet to promote new single "ME!" in May, she was asked if her 30th birthday meant she was going to settle down, get married and have kids soon. She shut that s--t down, saying, "I really do not think men are asked that question when they turn 30. So I'm not going to answer that."

As she's become more politically active, endorsing progressive candidates in her adopted home state of Tennessee, emphatically calling out President Trump, and advocating on behalf of the LGBTQIA community during this most recent Pride Month, after years of being criticized for sitting silently on the sidelines, she's opened herself up to criticism from those who wish their pop stars would shut up—unless they're spouting views identical to their own, of course. But it's no different to the criticism she faced when she was silent, or when she dared to demand fair compensation for her art, or when she simply wanted to be believed as a victim of sexual assault. All of which she's learned to look past.

"I learned to block some of the noise," she wrote in Elle. "Social media can be great, but it can also inundate your brain with images of what you aren't, how you're failing, or who is in a cooler locale than you at any given moment. One thing I do to lessen this weird insecurity laser beam is to turn off comments...I'm also blocking out anyone who might feel the need to tell me to 'go die in a hole ho' while I'm having my coffee at nine in the morning. I think it's healthy for your self-esteem to need less internet praise to appease it, especially when three comments down you could unwittingly see someone telling you that you look like a weasel that got hit by a truck and stitched back together by a drunk taxidermist. An actual comment I received once."

As for those in real life who are bringing her strife—like, say, Braun and Borchetta, currently—she's got a plan for dealing with that, as well.

"Banish the drama. You only have so much room in your life and so much energy to give to those in it," she wrote. "Be discerning. If someone in your life is hurting you, draining you, or causing you pain in a way that feels unresolvable, blocking their number isn't cruel. It's just a simple setting on your phone that will eliminate drama if you so choose to use it."

In other words, put quite simply, she's learned how to shake it off.

E! News

#taylor swift #2019.07.02 #scooter braun is a piece of shit

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larryland · 6 years ago

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Only In My Dreams Events Presents the 4th Annual Dance Party and Cabaret at the Colonial Theatre

South Egremont, MA – Celebrate Pride Month and the incredible diversity of LGBTQ culture in the Berkshires at the 4th Annual Dance Party and Cabareton Saturday, June 8 starting at 6:00 pm. This fabulous, friendly and fierce event will take place at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield. VIP tickets (including reserved seating and a special entrance) are $50, general admission tickets are $35 and…

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thefreshfinds · 6 years ago

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BROOKLYN UNITY FEST:

There is strength in numbers and the Brooklyn Unity Fest went ahead to prove that theory in their 8th annual event. If someone were to question "Where Brooklyn at?" the proof would be front and center. Ultimately the Brooklyn Unity Fest gave back to its community in a major way!

Aside from its free giveaway on Summer Jam tickets, bikes and t-shirts — there was also a Fabolous Way 3 Point Contest and Stomp the Violence Dance Contest.

From the basketball courts, vendors, face painting, multiple stages and even a bouncy house — the festival made sure to bask in its pride.

Overall, everyone was very accepting. Once the performers went onstage their was a common ground shared between the younger and older generation.

Not only were their crowds of kids doing the Stanky Leg, but there was all smiles and a fascination towards the new age sound. Many of the artists recieved new fans but their main focus was giving their all in the name of hip-hop. The genre has taken them to new heights and for that matter they encourage others to follow their dreams. In a word, there was no other place that I wanted to be! The Brooklyn Unity Fest had great vibes. No wonder Brooklyn is the Most Thorough Borough! Their community is willing to give a lending hand if needed be.

Although I wasn't able to interview all of the performers, here are some brilliant creatives that I had an opportunity to speak with:

1. MARLEE HENDRIX: Known for being authentically dope, Mr. 70's cared to elaborate not only through his super fly assemble of jet-black boots (with flowers on the heel) fedora and lime green pants — but also through his genre-defying style of soul and hip-hop. At most, Marlee's palette for music brings his sound to life but what drives it even further are the artist that he's moved by. As said by Hendrix, the Temptations (and even Eminem) inspire him because of the different things they bring to the table. "Music is in my bones." Hendrix says.

INSTAGRAM: @marleehendrix

MUSIC LINK: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCg05CAoXgpKWMbv9bDSRIJQ?itct=CBoQ6p4EIhMI86S32v7g4gIVbYacCh0JNQ0h&csn=dGP_XPKQEoPR8wSt94XwAw&wlfg=true

2. SOULJIASPAIDE and EVELINASOWAVY: Two who share a bloodline, Souljiaspaide and Evelinasowavy do it to perfection. Even when they've been through the wringer, they're above it all and venture into money missions. Starting off her music journey when her mom bought a computer, Souljiaspaide began to record her own songs. Then as time passed, Evelinasowavy came in and did a solid 16 which left Souljiaspaide in awe. "I didn't even know she could rap." Likewise they share a love for hip-hop. For them it's everything and it all comes down to Tupac because he's an artist who educates. With this in mind, they want upcoming artist to stay positive. "Don't get annoyed," Evelinasowavy says. "It can happen. Don't let anything get in your way." Souljiaspaide adds.

INSTAGRAM(S): @souljiaspaidedwa + @evelinasowavy

MUSIC LINK:

A) SOULJIASPAIDE: https://soundcloud.com/souljaspaide

B) EVELINA: https://soundcloud.com/evelinamusic

3. D.CHAMBERZ and D.MCCRO: D.Chamberz and D.MCCRO wear a lot of hats in the music industry. While D.Chamberz brings the ruthless bars, D.MCCRO makes the soundscape so D.Chamberz can freely express himself. On a whole, D.Chamberz gained something from hip-hop and it helped him control his emotions. He puts his pen to the pad and works with a music group whereas D.MCCRO works in the hottest studios in New York. He is an engineer and producer. Motivated by money, both keep a green thumb. They’ve got their Benjamin’s aligned,

INSTAGRAM(S): @dchamberzciw + @iamdmccro_ondatrack

MUSIC LINK:

A) D.CHAMBERZ: https://linktr.ee/dchamberzciw

4. DATWINPRINCE: Swagful with the drip on his neck and wrist — DATWINPRINCE rode his own wave at the festival. As he gave the crowd a boost of energy when he performed "Drip 3X" DATWINPRINCE gleamed from ear-to-ear because it really just comes easy. Off the rip, DATWINPRINCE identifies as a professional Milly Rocker, dedicated singer and rapper. Still, the grind never stops. Every year he pushes even harder because it's all just preparation and practice. Good music goes a long way, "It made me realize I had a way to express the things I felt, but was always scared to say." DATWINPRINCE says. In the same way he is the voice for those who feel the same. The dope vibes never end. *Make sure to check out his latest single, "DRIP3X", it's on all streaming platforms.*

INSTAGRAM: @datwinprince

MUSIC LINK: https://ampl.ink/dbPxp

5. JX and BIG DAWG K: Real recognizes real & when I spoke to them I just knew they were it. Even though the two exinguish the blaze in their 16's alone, they create a mine field when facing their competitors. As an outsider, I could sense the energy they both share and I've got to say it's very inspiring. At just 9 years old JX was writing and so the pen manifested them into rhymes. Even at a young the first song he sung was"Hip-Hop Hurray." But JX hopes that his music inspires and encourages others to be themselves. In the same way Big Dawg K wants his music to say that dreams are achievable. "If you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything." Middle school was where his music journey started and for the MC, when he's onstage it's another day in the office. On the other hand, JX says to himself "let's go kill it". However they both just aim to have fun. Expect a mixtape from JX on DatPiff in July. For now check out Big Dawg K's album, Soul Food (on all streaming platforms) and JX's video "730 Freestyle" on Worldstar.

INSTAGRAM(S):

@therealjx + @bigdawgk_fnf

MUSIC LINKS:

A) JX: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=kTWP_mVkESg

B) BIG DAWG K: https://snd.click/SSNCTWI

6. ZOE E ROSEGOLD: A 9-to-5 chick with a ride-or-die soul, Zoe stands for all the women in her sound. As she test all of the genre-elements, Zoe makes sure that her music is for self-enjoyment. Before she gets onstage, the star plans to deliver a message. However she really leaves it up to God. Aside from herself, she's really moved by the rap game because it's now given women a turn to dominate! Even though she just started her journey a year ago, music has always had a place in her heart. "I went to school and graduated with my nursing degree but the music just kept caling." she says. while you're on the road listen to her single, "Coke Music". It defines what her sound does to you.

INSTAGRAM: @officialzoeenyc

MUSIC LINK: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/zoeerosegold/zoe-e-rose-gold-ii

7. FEE DOLLAZ: With swag on a mf'ing 1000, Fee Dollaz rap style goes untouched. She's really her best self on and off the stage so it's safe to say that she's going places. Although she's from D.C, the rap star felt right at home when entering the Greater New York. Hip-hop has always been a passion of hers and when she says she is tired of a 9-to-5, many "100" emojis go up in favor. Likewise, hip-hop for Fee is bouncy, fun and real. Expect a 90's twist in her sound along some personable rhymes. Her message to the upcoming artist is to be you and follow your dreams. Make sure to bump "Set it Off" on the road. But the best is yet to come! Stay tuned for her album "World of My Own."

INSTAGRAM: @feedollaz

MUSIC LINK: http://hyperurl.co/pwtl9q

8. LIVELIKEDAVIS: The epitome of the fire emoji, LIVELIKEDAVIS brings the flame in 2019 and for many years to come. An avid fan of his, it was only right to tell him how amazing "Choppa For Advice" was but what I came to learn is that LIVELIKEDAVIS has been getting spins from the DJ off the rip. LIVELIKEDAVIS has been pursuing music since he was 13 years old but it really got far once he blew up on Vine in 2013. LIVELIKEDAVIS says that hip-hop is for self-expression and allows one to put it all on the table. But what inspires him the most is hip-hop's ability to paint a vivid picture of the artist's backstory. His advice for all upcoming artist is to stay constistent and to never listen to anyone but yourself. Take his word for it. LIVELIKEDAVIS plans on releasing a project soon. My question is: Will the fans get to hear a Lil Tjay feature? Maybe so. Go and stream “BEYBLADE” now. It’s available on all platforms

INSTAGRAM: @livelikedavis

MUSIC LINK: https://ffm.to/qm7v17k

9. SANTOS: Santos has a larger than life personality. Not only does he carry the same influential power that music does, but he also has an business man mentality, because he’s about his business, man. Starting off with his own marketing company, Santos was blessed with the opportunity to showcase his talents to BET. In turn, Santos shined through the lights and now is apart of the show, Hustle in Brooklyn. Besides this Santos also has his own record label. When he scouts out for talent, they must have a vision and ambition. Really it just shows that they’re ten toes down for the long haul. Santos list women and his mother as personal inspirations. On the road Santos likes to shuffle between 50 Cent, Jay-Z, 2Pac and Biggie. His word of advice to any upcoming artist is to spend the same amount of money you would on Jordan’s on an LLC. If you can’t invest in yourself how do you expect for others to?

INSTAGRAM: @tosmoney

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iconiceyessheffieldsouthyor-blog · 6 years ago

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Graphic Design Persuasive Design LLC

Web has been around for a very long time and needless to say it has been evolving continually. Flash is a medium that provides advanced graphic designing instruments that are easily out there in the market. For the first time, this article shares the secret about learn how to create the trendiest web designs on the planet. A number of designers have also constructed up their own techniques and magnificence of designing. It accommodates programs of enterprise primarily based technologies and designs that suits to the most recent wants. If it is merely text that you just plan to publish then attempt to make it as much less graphical as attainable as folks coming to your website might be enthusiastic about your textual content and never your images and movies. Graphic designers usually gain experience by way of internships, which they might undertake while enrolled in a design program. People who are eager in designing are one of the best individuals who can develop better methods for the event of an internet page and many people on this subject consider the same. You should word that if the corporate that will likely be dedicated to design and create your web site, additionally presents the graphic design service, so you can provide a web site with a view from the point of view of a graphic designer. Editorial design: The publishing homes use this type of visible art while making magazines, books, and newspapers. Custom based websites are for those who already have an internet site but are looking for these special ending touches that quality custom graphics can provide. When your articles are authorized, they may instantly be sent out to the thousands of article feed subscribers that load our articles on their websites in actual-time. Hire a graphic designer. 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creatinganexperience-blog1 · 6 years ago

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Q&A with EP Kylie Sheplock

Kylie Sheplock is the founder and owner of her own event planning business, Love Your Day, LLC. Love Your Day offers premier day-of event planning and coordination for weddings and has only been in business for a few years. Prior to creating this company, Kylie studied at Penn State University and graduated with a degree in engineering in 2013. After graduation she began working at Mars Wrigley Confectionery where she has been for the past 6 years. Her current role at this company is a Supply Planner for an external packaging warehouse in Georgia. Love Your Day serves as Kylie’s part-time side-business, since she is an engineer by trade but still possesses a love for event planning.

To get more insight on day-of event coordination and Love Your Day, LLC, I reached out to Kylie to chat more with her on the subject. Kylie opened up about her own experiences as well as what sparked her love for wedding planning.

Gabby Orszulak: How did you find your niche - weddings?

Kylie Sheplock: When I was in high school I worked at a hotel on the weekends, as a banquet waitress where I served at a wedding every Friday and Saturday night. By the time I went to college, I became a wedding expert from seeing all the highs and lows of these joyous events. It was a great experience that lead me to my love of event planning. After I graduated college, a large number of my friends got engaged and they all asked me to help plan their big day. When their big day came, all the brides wanted to spend time with their close friends and family, and I quickly realized I had to take over and start coordinating with vendors to make sure their vision became a reality. Soon after, I started Love Your Day, LLC.

GO: How is your role/business different from a traditional, all-around event planner?

KS: I am the only associate at my business. I do everything . . . It is a great learning experience because there is really no one else but yourself to rely on.

GO: What made you decide to take this route - an event producer of a part-time business?

KS: I have always been a busy person and I love having a lot of things going on. It has always been a personal goal and bucket list item for me to start a business. The driver of my business is that weddings are expensive, and a lot of brides now-a-days do their own planning and DIY projects. This is where I come in. I will be there to handle all the vendors and items that they have created for their wedding. Check out Loveyourdaykas.com for all the details.

GO: Do you enjoy running this business by yourself or would you prefer to have a team of people?

KS: At the moment, I love having this business be just me! Perhaps in the future I would love to have a few other associates.

GO: How has technology, specifically social media, changed since you started your business?

KS: It is amazing how easy social media made creating your own business. It also provides a lot of traction to your company, which is awesome.

GO: How important is an online presence in this type of business?

KS: Very - an online presence will make or break your business!

GO: What skills did you already possess that help you to be a successful EP, and what skills are needed that you had to work on?

KS: You have to be organized and passionate, as well as outgoing. What I personally need to work on is becoming more social media savvy.

GO: Describe a time where something went wrong or a problem arose during an event. How did you deal with it?

KS: I really have not faced this yet because I am just getting started in this industry - but I love a good puzzle!

GO: What is one piece of advice (related to EP or not) that someone gave you when you were younger that you wish you listened to more?

KS: If you have a dream, follow it and never give up!

GO: Is there any other advice you would give to someone contemplating starting out in this business?

KS: Do it! If you don’t, you will always wonder what if.

- Gabrielle Orszulak, 4/12/19

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mycheerykid · 2 years ago

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Investing when you might have little cash out there could appear unattainable, however it isn't. If you're a single mother, opening a retirement account is all too usually a type of stuff you simply do not do. my oldest math son I began utilizing Acorns when he graduated from school as a technique to enhance his investments with out interested by it. He opened his retirement account at age 18 and has informed me that encouraging him to satisfy with a monetary planner at age 18 was the most effective recommendation I've ever given him. This put up might include affiliate hyperlinks, in the event you purchase a steered product I'll earn a small fee. We take part within the Amazon Providers LLC Associates Program, an affiliate promoting program designed to offer us with a method to earn charges by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites." learn the entire disclosure coverage right here. If you have already got a retirement account, congratulations. If you're investing 10% of your revenue and have an identical employer, double congratulations. Acorns may give you an automation technique to save somewhat extra. Should you're like most individuals, particularly most individuals with just one revenue, and you do not attain this purpose Acorns is an effective way to start out investing or get nearer to the purpose of saving 10% of what you earn. As of this writing, Acorns is working a particular deal the place whenever you make investments as little as $5 Acorns will add $25 to your account, so that is the proper time to attempt it out. STEPS TOWARDS FINANCIAL SECURITY 1. Consider reaching the purpose of monetary stability is feasible. One of many methods this has made it simpler for me is to cease asking "Is it attainable to have monetary stability and monetary safety?" As an alternative, change the query to “How is it attainable to have the funds for______. Fill within the clean with what your purpose is. It might be something. Listed below are a couple of potentialities: take your youngsters to Disney World, take your youngsters to Europe, purchase a home, retire at 50, stop your job, and begin a enterprise. 2. Begin doing one thing that takes you in the direction of your huge dream. Generally you'll learn that the subsequent step is to make a plan and that's superb when you've got the psychological bandwidth to make a plan. The issue is that once I stare an nearly unbelievable large goal within the face, I am usually too overwhelmed to give you a whole plan. I discover it rather more possible to start out by doing one thing to take a small step in the direction of my targets. When monetary stability or monetary safety or having somewhat cash for the enjoyable extras in life is your purpose Acorns is a implausible first step. After taking 3 minutes to set it up, it's going to make investments your spare change robotically and at this level you'll get an additional twenty 5 dollars only for signing up and investing 5 dollars. 3. Be constant taking small steps in the direction of your purpose on a every day or weekly foundation. Crucial targets take many steps in the suitable course to see outcomes. You do not see outcomes after a visit to the gymnasium or consuming salad for a meal, however after weeks of going to the gymnasium and maintaining a healthy diet, you may be stronger and more healthy. Getting outcomes with small constant steps jogs my memory of elevating kids. Day in and time out, it usually looks as if little occurs moreover cleansing up the mess, getting ready the meals, doing the laundry, and being a taxi service. As sluggish as the times go by, the years appear to go by rapidly and when they're 18 and able to go, it looks as if solely yesterday that you just met them for the primary time. Constant small acts of nurturing helped form that child into the grownup she or he will probably be. 4. Make a plan. When you get a leap begin on taking a couple of steps towards making monetary stability a actuality, take a step again and make a plan.

To have extra monetary stability, how are you going to save more cash or earn more cash? Bear in mind, having sufficient cash for enjoyable extras, a safe retirement, or serving to your youngsters via school is rather like every other huge purpose. It is advisable to consider that you are able to do it and concentrate on how not if. It is advisable to begin, take small constant steps in the direction of your purpose and make a plan to make your dream come true. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '431037033942485'); // Insert your pixel ID here. fbq('track', 'PageView');

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maevefiction · 6 years ago

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Your Light in the Mist - Chapter 5

I dropped my fork. “I’m sorry, I must have heard that wrong, because it sounded like you just asked me to become your employee.” Luke’s brow lifted.

“No, you heard it absolutely correctly. I did ask you to come work for me. For Prosper. Initially as Tom’s social media manager, and when that’s squared away, as Prosper’s social media director.” So many things I wanted to include in my reply instantaneously flooded my brain, but, as usual, it was miles ahead of my mouth and lord knew what would come out if I spoke. I decided taking another bite of my cannoli while they fell back in sync was the best course of action. Chewing slowly, I looked back and forth from Tom to Luke, then swallowed. I chose my words carefully, hoping to not be offensive.

“Luke, I’m incredibly appreciative, but normally my role is to provide plans for social media managers and directors, which they in turn implement while working one-on-one with their clients. Direct client management isn’t really something I’ve done in a number of years, and I’m not sure it’s something I’m interested in, or even capable of doing again.” He fished some papers out of his bag and pushed them across the table.

“Anne Rice says you’re capable.” I snatched them up, holding in my hand a copy of my resume as well as an email from Anne, singing my praises. It appeared to have been sent earlier in the day. I laughed softly. Client testimonials were usually all anyone cared about, but I kept my resume posted on my website just in case. I didn’t think anyone had ever even looked at it, never mind taken the time to contact my former employers.

“Nice detective work, Luke. I’m impressed. But not only was that more than ten years ago, Anne doesn’t count. She has to say nice things…she’s a friend of the family.” He looked puzzled. “My parents owned a home right down the street from her in the Garden District of New Orleans. When she got wind of my new business venture she volunteered to be my guinea pig.”

Tom leaned forward, scrutinizing me skeptically. “You’re from New Orleans?” I nodded and slipped into an exaggerated southern drawl.

“Born and raised. Even rode on some Mardi Gras floats.” I shrugged and switched back to my regular dialect. “I never had a strong accent, and I’ve lived in New York nearly as long as I did in New Orleans, so it’s faded almost completely.”

Luke pointed his index finger at me. “You should know that not only did she reply to my email immediately, she gave me her number so we could speak. We talked for a good twenty minutes, and she told me she credits you with all of her social media success, including the idea for ‘People of the Page’. She said you were the only one who managed to help her not only understand, but embrace the technology that allowed her to form deeper connections with her legion of fans. And, she wishes she could have held on to you forever, but she didn’t want to keep you from your dream.” He paused for a moment. I made no comment. “According to your resume, you’re also proficient in website design, graphic design and photography, which are additional assets you’d bring to the company. I’m assuming you do your own site?”

“Correct.” I opened my laptop, started Firefox, pulled up Prosper’s website and grimaced. “Who does yours? It’s…it’s…how do I do put this nicely?” I raised my eyes skyward in thought. “Nope, I can’t. It’s awful. You’re redirecting people to your social media instead of having an actual site. It’s all lowercase, and the italic version of your font is hard to read. There’s a generic, single email as a means of contact. I don’t see a phone number. And that black background…I just can’t even.”

Luke began rubbing his temples. “Admittedly, we’re lacking in that area at the moment.” I snorted. “Maude, this is exactly why I need you. As far as PR goes, I’m exceptionally motivated and skilled.” Tom coughed. Luke shot him a chastising look. “Quiet, you. I lighted out on my own because I know I have something unique to offer…genuine bespoke, personal publicity. What I didn’t account for is the amount of time and effort the social media aspect of it would require. Events, interviews, red carpets, networking, I can handle all of those things with very minimal assistance.” He frowned.

“Unfortunately, I’ve found that all too often I put social media on the back burner because I can’t keep up with it, and as a result I feel like I’m not delivering what I promised to my clients. A few months back I determined it was time to seek outside help, but not a single applicant met my expectations. You, however, exceed my expectations.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Luke, I always appreciate an ego boost, but let’s keep in mind that I didn’t apply for anything.” I put an elbow on the table and rested my chin in my hand. “I did agree to an initial consultation, and since you attended my seminar you know where things are supposed to go from there. Translation – not here.” I leaned back in the chair and linked my hands behind my head. “But, this is where we’ve ended up, and I would be remiss if I didn’t entertain your offer, however briefly. So, what the hell. Lay down the details. Especially the ones pertaining to compensation and benefits.”

************************************************ I stood staring out at the horizon as the waves hit my shins, wiggling my toes in the wet sand underneath the water. Finally, beach. Warm, breezy, sunny, quiet, beautiful beach.

After learning that Tom had no prior knowledge of Luke’s plan to hire someone as his social media manager, I excused myself so they could speak in private for as long they deemed necessary. That’s what I told them, anyway. In truth, I really just needed to get the hell out of there so I could attempt to process all this insanity… which I knew wasn’t even remotely possible until I was alone. Part of me hoped that ‘as long as they deemed necessary’ turned into several hours. Or days.

Luke had proposed an initial annual salary of one hundred thousand dollars while I was working with Tom, increasing to one hundred and twenty-five thousand upon assuming the role of Social Media Director of Prosper. I’d be issued a corporate credit card and expense account, and the company would cover all travel expenses. I currently grossed around forty thousand more than that a year on my own, but being stuck covering all my own travel costs made it a negligible difference. When I factored in the lack of income stability that goes hand-in-hand with self-employment, I’d probably come out ahead financially if I opted to accept the position.

When I pressed him to define my duties and responsibilities, he’d shaken his head and imparted that I was the expert, not him, and therefore I should implement whatever strategies I would have included if I had drawn up a proposal. Though I’d technically be an employee, he preferred that I handle everything on my own and retain complete creative control for the duration of my time as Tom’s personal social media manager. We’d step back and re-evaluate things when I was ready to take the directorial helm.

My spot near the water was becoming popular, with several children running amok carting floats, balls and a slew of other things ankle biters enjoy that destroy peace and solitude for the rest of us. I was walking to the opposite side of the property from Luke’s room where it was less crowded when the gravity of my situation overwhelmed me completely and began to literally pull me down. I sank to my knees on the sand, then tried to shift to a sitting positon as gracefully as possible and without flashing everyone on the beach. Again.

I rested my ass on the back of my calves, listed to one side using my arm as a support, lifted my hips a little, extended both legs at the same time, then pushed myself upright. Not pretty, I’m sure, but I had managed to keep my legs closed. I crossed them at the ankle just to be safe and began to mull over my options. “Okay, Maude. Crunch time. Don’t fuck this up.”

When I first started out, I loved every minute of my ‘job’ and had a burning desire to share my knowledge. Maude Gallagher, LLC was everything I had aspired to do and be. I ate, slept and breathed it like oxygen. I never stopped working, always a phone call or an email away from jumping on a plane. But over the past few years, it seemed that my interest in my own company was steadily waning. While I constantly updated my lectures, the material remained essentially the same and what I used to find fun had become work. Every proposal I presented to a client was unique, but at its core it was identical to all the rest. I still put forth 100%, and my ‘phoning it in’ was akin to someone else’s ‘gave it my all’, but something inside me had changed. What was once my life had become just a job, and that prompted me to consider that I might have missed out on actually living along the way. I kept on truckin’, as they say, because the money was so damn good and the idea of having a boss was horrifying after so many years of answering to no one but myself.

Now here I was, sitting on a beach in Kaua’i, wearing a dress and trying to ignore the sand working its way between my thighs, faced with the daunting task of deciding what the fuck I wanted to do with my life…keep running in place, monotonous but comfortably familiar? Or race off in a new direction, intriguing but entirely foreign?

My proposal for Luke would have advised him to have a website created, marketing materials designed, the existing social media accounts revamped and new platforms established with all of them monitored intensely. I also thought it best that Tom have his own photographer/videographer who’d travel with him to shoot on set, at events and in ‘normal’ situations when deemed permissible. He would have had to hire three or more individuals to meet these specifications, but if I signed on he’d only need me. When I thought of all the types of work involved, how it would be different every single day, that I could be creative again…there was no way I could deny that it sounded pretty fucking spectacular. But something was holding me back, making me hesitate instead of screaming ‘yes, I’ll take it!’…and that something was Tom. Though we’d just met a few short hours ago and I didn’t know him at all, I felt…well, I had no idea what it was, only that is was THERE and that it scared the living shit out of me.

************************************************ I was picking up handfuls of sand and watching it sift through my fingers over and over again when I noticed the long shadow to my left, growing ever closer. Khaki cargo pants followed. I looked up…and up…and up. The sun was almost directly behind us, bathing him in an ethereal glow. So, so beautiful. I licked my lips and wished he’d lose the T-shirt already. He squatted beside me, elbows on his knees.

“Hi.” The corner of his mouth curled in a half smile.

“Hey.” I wiped the remaining bits of sand on my dress. He gestured towards the ground.

“May I?” I nodded. He sat, crossing his legs Indian style, which I wouldn’t have believed possible if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. “Luke and I just finished chatting.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks for coming to let me know.” I started to get up, but he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

“I…erm…there are a few things I’d like to say before you go back to see him. If you don’t mind hearing me out, that is.” I shook my head.

“Nope. I don’t mind at all.” He ran his hands through his hair and met my gaze.

“Thank you, Maude.” He swallowed. It crossed my mind that he appeared nervous, but I dismissed it because I didn’t want to consider what that meant. I frowned, turning to look towards the ocean. I heard him inhale deeply.

“First, I want to apologize for losing control of my emotions and acting like a tit. My comment about social media being a waste of time and effort and doing nothing but spreading hate was uncalled for, and I in no way meant to devalue you or your work. All of the feelings I entombed broke loose and I’m so very sorry you had to bear witness to my little crackup.” I turned to look at him and patted his knee.

“No worries. Everybody loses their shit to some degree at one point or another.” He pointed at me, brow raised. “Yes, even me. But really, this was nothing. I once had a client scream ‘this mother fucking social media bullshit has ruined my fucking career and my cunt of a wife fucking left me and now I’m going to have to pay her a fuck ton of alimony and it’s all your fault, you stupid fucking fat piece of shit’ in my face.” Tom’s mouth was closed so tightly his lips were a tiny, thin line. “He was so inept that he accidentally posted a photo of his girlfriend sucking his cock across all his accounts instead of sending it directly to her phone. Best part was that he took the shot in the mirror so his face was clearly visible.”

He put his hand on mine. “Tell me who it was and I’ll happily beat the living shit out of him.”

“Thanks, but not necessary. I handled it. By slapping him three times. And telling him that if I ever heard even a whisper of him saying another derogatory thing about me I’d hunt him down, rip his nuts off with my bare hands and feed them to him for dinner.”

Tom’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “You did no such thing.” I laughed.

“Oh, but I did. And then I fired his sorry ass. And then his band fired his sorry ass. Last I heard he was broke and filing for bankruptcy. Karma, Thomas. She is indeed a wicked bitch.” Before I knew what was happening he leaned in and enveloped me in an embrace. Time came to a grinding halt and I was frozen in place. He rubbed my back for a moment and released me before I even had a chance to hug him back. He remained close, his face only inches from mine.

“Maude, you are an amazing woman. And absolutely beautiful.” I blinked. It was the only thing I was physically capable of doing. I considered telling him that being called fat was a common occurrence for me, though it did happen less now that I was a size 14 instead of a 24…and that it really never got under my skin. Because, fuck that. I had never been lacking in the self-esteem department no matter what the scale said. Or my mother said. I had just come to the conclusion that I’d save that particular tidbit for you know, never, when I felt something under my chin. It was Tom’s hand.

“Shit, sorry, I got lost there for a bit. Woolgathering.” He smirked as he slid his fingers and thumb along my jaw and slowly backed away. He put his hand over his heart.

“Second on my list of things to say… I’m afraid I have a confession to make.” I made a get on with it motion with my right hand. “Earlier, at Talk Story, my requesting you specifically to assist me may not have been entirely a happenstance of fate.” I raised an eyebrow.

“When I walked in, the desk was completely deserted so I wandered off to see if I could locate someone to help me. After coming out of a side room I glanced back at the desk, saw the lovely girls in their Loki shirts, realized they were all staff members, and admittedly panicked a bit. Not because they were fans, but because I had very little time and I knew they’d want a few moments with me and I just couldn’t squeeze it in. I’d worn the ugly shirt and cap so people would be less apt to recognize me for that very reason.”

I poked him in the chest. “You know you have to go back there, don’t you? That adorable girl Alani will die of heartbreak knowing that you were in the store and she didn’t get to meet you.” He grinned.

“I absolutely will. And I’ll ask for her by name. But, on with my confession. So, there I was, caught like the proverbial deer in headlights. And then I saw…you. You had two books in one hand, and a several spread out on a table. I heard your phone alarm go off, and I saw your lips move but couldn’t quite make out what you were saying. I watched you gather them up as if they were precious treasures, and I sneakily followed you as you returned them gently to their proper places. I saw someone with a very obvious love for books, who happened to be a gorgeous woman, a ray of light shining through the early morning fog. It seemed logical that you were an employee, or perhaps the owner, but…here’s the confession part… I honestly didn’t care whether you were or not. I just had to meet you, and my book reservation was the perfect cover story in the event my logic was flawed. I hesitated when I was finally directly behind you, and when you turned around I almost lost my nerve, but when you looked into my eyes I knew it was now or never. ” He took a deep breath, and I noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. I reached out and took one in mine.

“I thought you may have recognized me, and was waiting for you to out me. I really was. Instead, you marched up to that desk, got my book and brought it to me even though you didn’t actually work there. You paid for the damn thing. And when you called me Indy, the fact that you not only picked up the reference but played along…” He shook his head and put his free hand on top of mine, sandwiching it between both of his.

“Which brings me to the third thing on my list of things to say. And it’s the last. On the street, when I said I wanted to find out who you were, and that I had never wanted to discover anything else quite so badly? I meant that, Maude. All the way down to the depths of my very soul.” I was speechless. Completely, utterly without words. He leaned in to meet my gaze.

“I don’t understand why, or how, or what the fuck it is exactly that I’m feeling…but what I AM certain of is that I’ve never felt it before and it’s glorious and incredible and terrifying all at once. And whether you decide to take the job or not, I still want to KNOW you, Maude. I NEED to know you.”

I smirked devilishly, hoping to add some levity to the situation so I wouldn’t totally freak the fuck out.

“Like, biblically?”

He threw back his head, laughing so loudly people down the beach turned to look our way. I started giggling, which turned into guffawing, and then the snorting started. He laughed even harder and soon enough we were both weeping and holding our sides, trying to catch our breath. I was wiping the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand when he whispered in my ear.

“Yes, Maude. Biblically. As often as humanly possible, preferably.” He pulled back so he could see my face, trying to analyze my expression to determine what I was thinking. I smiled softly.

“I want to know you too, Tom. In every way imaginable.” He grinned, then stood, offering me a hand up. I took it. “Let’s go see a man about a job, shall we?”

************************************************ Luke was overjoyed at my acceptance of his offer and after we all had a quick dinner he broke out the bottle of champagne he’d ordered. He placed a glass in front of me and began to pour. I held up my hand in protest.

“No thank you…none for me, please.” He cocked his head to the side. “Do you have any tea lying around? I’d love a cup if you do.” He went off to see what was in the kitchenette. Tom was pacing around outside, phone up to his ear, his free hand gesturing wildly. He’d just gotten word that Michael Keaton and J. K. Simmons had pulled out of Skull Island. I saw him tap the end call button and he walked back into the room just as Luke came in to tell me he hadn’t had any luck finding me some tea. He set the phone on the table.

“Well, it looks like the shoot’s been postponed until early 2016.” Luke shrugged.

“It happens, Tom. I wasn’t thrilled with either of them being cast, to be honest.” Tom sighed, then grinned at me.

“On the bright side, this gives us lots of time to get things up and running on the social media front.” I yawned. We still had a ton of details to work out as far as how we were going to proceed, but I was exhausted and needed some time alone to get in the zone for my two long days of seminars. Which would be my last, at least for a while. Knowing that felt…delightful, as much as it pained me to admit it.

“Gentlemen, I hate to be a party pooper, but I have two insane days coming up and need some rest so I don’t muck things up too badly.” They both awwweeed but I got up from my chair anyway, slinging my bag over my shoulder and picking up my shoes. “We’re still on for the museum’s hula class at five on Wednesday?”

They nodded, and Tom rose from his chair, grinning like a fool. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. May I walk you to your room?”

I rolled my eyes. “If you must.”

He took my elbow and walked me to the door. “Oh, I must.”

I waved at Luke. “Goodnight, Luke…and thank you. If you need something, call.”

“Goodnight, Maude. And thank you. This is a game changer for Prosper, and I appreciate you being on board. I couldn’t make it happen otherwise.” He closed the door behind us.

Tom stopped out in the hallway. “Where is your room, exactly?” I headed for the stairs. We walked in silence, just basking in each others presence. I stopped in front of my room, found my keycard in my bag and opened the door. He pointed to the number.

“Oh, 203…you’re right above Luke.” I just stood there and watched his face, waiting for it to dawn on him. When it finally did, his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, finally spluttering “Right above. Luke. Your room. Is.”

It was my turn to grin like a fool. “Yes, yes it is. If you take another run in the morning you may want to look up periodically. You never know, I just might forget to close the balcony doors again.”

#your light in the mist #chapter 5

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latinbossboy9 · 3 years ago

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Case #67-2022 – Monitoring Inquiry – WorldVentures Marketing, LLC

BBB NATIONAL PROGRAMS, INC.

The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council

Case Number: 67-2022 – Monitoring Inquiry – WorldVentures Marketing, LLC

-DOWNLOAD CASE PDF-

Company Description

WorldVentures Marketing (“WorldVentures” or the “Company”), was a direct selling company founded in 2005 located in Plano Texas that offered leisure travel services to consumers.

Basis of Inquiry

The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (“DSSRC”) is a national advertising self-regulation program administered by BBB National Programs. This inquiry was commenced by DSSRC pursuant to its ongoing independent monitoring of advertising and marketing claims in the direct selling industry.

Earnings Claims

This inquiry concerns earnings claims disseminated by WorldVentures and its salesforce members. The representative claims that formed the basis of this inquiry were disseminated on the Company’s website and on Facebook as set-forth below:

“Hello aspiring member of WorldVentures. I present to you an opportunity that will earn you financial freedom (residual income), and a vast world of travel.”

“Love to Travel, love making money! Want a Residual Income? Want no inventory?

Only $25 month

Unlimited income potential!!”

“Financial freedom is just the beginning.

The cars, the trips, the life experiences we’ve created are a blessing. Yet my love has always been for the people!!

These pictures are only a few out of the 60,000+ I’ve taken throughout the 40 countries I’ve visited, the stages I’ve spoken on and the people who’ve become not just best friend, FAMILY!”

“Couldn’t be more thankful for him in helping me gain financial freedom. #GETPAID”

“We travel the whole world and make money money through world ventures business presentation”

YouTube video titled “WorldVentures Webinar Featuring Top Earners” exhibiting images of luxurious vacations and travel destinations.

The video description includes copy stating “This Super-Easy System s paying out $1000s Every Single Friday…I have been in TCP The Conversion Pros for nearly 7 years now and I have been making an Unlimited Income every week.”

YouTube video displaying potential earnings “$333,600/year”

YouTube video titled “World Ventures SUCCESS – Million Dollar Earners Vaitiare & Caleb Mervin”

Company’s Position

After WorldVentures failed to respond to its Notice of Inquiry, DSSRC sent a 10-Day Notice to the Company on January 18, 2022. In response, an attorney for Dream Trips International, LLC (“Dream Trips”) contacted DSSRC. The attorney explained that Dream Trips is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Verona International Holdings, Inc. (“Verona) and that WorldVentures is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spherature Investments, LLC (“Spherature”) which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas on December 21, 2020.[1]

Dream Trips maintained that Verona purchased certain WorldVenture assets out of bankruptcy free and clear of any claims against and liabilities of WorldVentures and maintained that neither Verona nor Spherature is responsible for any of the claims that were disseminated by WorldVentures.

Dream Trips informed DSSRC that On November 12, 2021, the US Bankruptcy Court entered an Order Approving Disclosure Statement and Confirming Final Amended Joint Plan for Spherature Investments LLC and Its Debtor Affiliates (“Order”) and provided DSSRC with a copy of the Order[2] which states that “[Verona] is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a successor, alter ego, or mere continuation of [Spherature Investments/WorldVentures]…”.[3]

Dream Trips noted that the earnings claims identified by DSSRC occurred before Verona and Dream Trips International were formed.

Dream Trips explained that it takes its compliance obligation very seriously. It informed DSSRC that Dream Trips is staffed with industry veterans with extensive compliance knowledge and training experience. Dream Trips also informed DSSRC that it is in the process of developing a compliance training video series that will be required for all sales representatives before receiving their first commission payments.

Administrative Closure

WorldVentures currently has no website or social media presence, ceased its business operations and is no longer exits a legal entity. Moreover, although Verona has purchased the assets of WorldVentures, the WorldVentures bankruptcy specifically provides that Verona is not a successor to WorldVentures or a continuation of the Company.

Based on the foregoing, DSSRC closed this inquiry pursuant to DSSRC’s Policies & Procedures which provide that DSSRC shall administratively close an inquiry should it determine that the inquiry is not, or is no longer, appropriate for formal investigation in this forum.

(Case No. 67-2022, closed on April 4, 2022)

[1] Verona was formed on May 28, 2021 as a special-purpose entity to purchase certain WorldVentures assets out of bankruptcy. On October 25, 2021, Verona formed DreamTrips International, LLC to serve as the operating entity for the network-marketing line of business.

[2] The bankruptcy order can be found at: https://cases.stretto.com/public/X114/10677/PLEADINGS/1067711122180000000087.pdf.

[3] More specifically, the Bankruptcy Order states: Sale Free and Clear. (a) all Acquired Assets sold by the Debtors under the Sale Transaction Documentation are transferred, conveyed, sold, and assigned to the Purchaser free and clear of all Excluded Liabilities, Liens, Claims, encumbrances, and interests (other than Assumed Liabilities) pursuant to sections 363(f), 1123(a)(5), and 1141(c) of the Bankruptcy Code; (b) notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or this Confirmation Order, under no circumstances shall the Purchaser be liable for any Excluded Liabilities; (c) the Purchaser is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a successor, alter ego, or mere continuation of the Debtors and shall not be liable under any theory of successor or similar liability.

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