#VA skill games near me

[prominentgames]

Prominent Games | Your Gateway to Skill Game Cabinets and Unforgettable Entertainment in PA, VA and KY

Welcome to the world of skill-based gaming brought to you by us — your premier destination for the most engaging and thrilling skill game cabinets. As a leader in the gaming sector, we take great pleasure in providing top-notch entertainment experiences to players across Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Virginia. What sets us apart is our dedication to gaming excitement, creativity, and quality.

Pennsylvania’s Gaming Heritage: Where Tradition Meets Innovation

we are located in the centre of Pennsylvania, a state with a rich history in gaming and entertainment. Prominent Tech products regularly ponder the entirety of the gaming industry particularities and help their partners plan a solution that advances the floor and the progression of players for the day. Each game invites players to put their talents to the test and go on amazing adventures. It provides the journey, an experience, and a challenge.

Trusted Craftsmanship: Skill Gaming Machines Developed in the USA

We are aware that video game experiences are only as excellent as the hardware they are delivered on. We take considerable care while creating skill gaming devices to ensure that they are not only advanced but also dependable and long-lasting. Every cabinet we make reflects our dedication to quality, and we are happy that our machines were created in the USA. With this commitment, gamers may enjoy nonstop game play and fully immerse themselves in the realm of skill-based challenges.

Join Us on the Skill Gaming Journey

You’re starting a journey that celebrates the combination of tradition and innovation as you enter the world of skill game cabinets with us. Our goal is to unite people via unforgettable gaming experiences, whether it be amid the vibrant landscapes of Kentucky and Virginia or the illustrious gaming history of Pennsylvania. We urge you to join us in experiencing the joy, excitement, and camaraderie that our cabinets offer, whether you are an experienced player or new to the world of skill-based gaming.

Let’s break high scores, and continue to be amazed by the endless possibilities of gaming together. Please visit Prominent Games for more info.

[sxnburst]

NAME: Jade AGE / AGE GROUP: 32 or something. PRONOUNS: She/they, but honestly I don't really care TIMEZONE: Uh, I don't know....is it like GMT or something? It's the same zone as NY I think LOL. WHERE ARE YOU FROM?: South Korea. Currently VA. CHARACTERS IN THE GROUP: Shit. Uh. This blog and.....

@rxsurgcnt @heclingmuzik @daxned @ostentumm @anghexescu @uwps001 @cladinivcry @mirrcd @hcrpyiia @hanabisays @fcxrcin

They're all OCS and very near and dear to my heart. I know it's a lot of them, but please...PLEASE if you can show them some love.

A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF:

So I've been around for a while. I was around in 2014 or 2015 during the other group and when Isola came to be back in 2018, I followed. A friend of mine actually was the one to introduce me back in 2014 to the group and I liked it. Before then, I was rping on Skype, Myspace, and some others I forgot. I also used to RP in real life with said friend as well. Damn, so I've been LARPING since grade school and then started writing them out in middle school. Anyway, I'm always looking to better my writing skills and grammar. You'll see me sometime in the Discord group chat asking questions ^^;.

I love making OCs, whether it's on my own or making an OC with other people! I've been blessed to make OCs with so many here and I hope to continue making more. Thanks, Lethe, Lumine, and Jan! You guys rock <3

(Just waiting for more slots //fricker emoji)

I like anime, though I've been watching more Kdramas and just YouTube and shit. Thanks to my partner who's been watching Kdrama with me, I get to introduce all kinds of flavors so I hope she likes it 👀. If we're Discord buddies, you may catch me playing SIMS a lot and while I play SIMS quite a bit, I am also interested in other games such as:

Final Fantasies (I haven't played them all but I have some favorites), Left Four Dead, Beyond Two Souls or any games that are similar to that, Life Is Strange, The Last of Us, and much more. I can play spooky games like Outlast 1 & 2 but I get easily spooked and am a Whimp. might be fun to watch me play these gamers cuz you'll laugh I guess. Resident Evils are good too.......I need to play the game that my partner got me. Whoops. So many games to play and only currently one on my mind. Sims 4.

Okay, I think I did good? I think that's it? ANYWAY, you can catch me on Discord. You can ask for it or IM me on one of my blogs listed above. I tend to blog hop a lot so I may come across it :D

OH and please look at my entire world!

LULU THE BELOVED!

[apathmakerstale]

Lies of P Ending Spoilers

I’ve beat Lies of P twice, and got Rise of P & Free From the Puppet Strings for the endings and I have to say it’s a fun game. I just need the Real Boy to get platinum so I have one more playthrough to go through.

By no means do I think it’s anywhere near Bloodborne and honestly for the studios first game I can’t expect that but it’s a solid 7/10 game for me.

I loved the weapon dissembling system so much! I played around with it a lot, even though I ended up using the Puppet Ripper for most of the game. Booster Glaive Blade/Exploding Pickaxe Handle was my second however.

The Gold Coin tree was a fun experiment and never had any trouble with it. I forgot to use it a lot but the wishcube was cool. P-Organ was a cool skill tree too. Love the Legion Arm system, even though Puppet String lvl3 is op and so are Falcon Eyes. Which I used for most of the game.

The combat is a clunky in some areas like the parries and the delayed attacks that aren’t very intuitive. It felt like almost every enemy had to capacity to stunlock me which was very irritating. It just felt like everything was a second too laggy. It also felt like I was made of glass the entire time as enemies could always just take out half my health. Though apparently I beat the game with low Vitality, it was 17 or 18 I think.

The thing I had the most gripe with was the weight system. I never liked them in games, that's probably why I liked Bloodborne so much after it got rid of it. I played the entire game on Slightly Heavy. I didn't even know there was a 'Light' classification.

I beat all bosses with the specter which I felt made it more fairer as it tended to die during their Phase 2 opening. Which is another issue, almost all of them having Phase 2s really made it feel unspecial. I legitimately was surprised during Victor’s fight that his happened at half health and as a result kinda enjoyed it. I also kept the Dancing One's amulet on the entire game and that was a lifesaver!

Nameless Puppet 1st phase is really fun. Didn’t like the second so much, had to resort to the Dragon Blade to parry stagger him a lot. On NG+ I found him much easier.

As for the story… it was kinda okay. I really liked the the whole Ergo being souls and all the sidequests, King of Puppets/Romeo was probably my fav boss. However Simon left no impression on me and him being a generic ‘I will become god’ villain was so boring and disappointing. Gepetto being the villian was actually something I really liked, as I got kinda of a skeevy vibe from him after the Romeo fight. I actually liked the side quests kinda more. I did like the reveal it Sophia was a projection and her VA work when you meet her is amazing. The whole puppets becoming human really spoke to me and it felt really sad at the end of Antonia’s quest.

The end credits with the two characters however got me hyped, and I kinda hope that after that we get an Alice In Wonderland game. I really liked the American Mcgee's Alice games.

Overall definitely worth the price and it joins Code Vein as another favorite action rpg. If it had blood as currency then it'd be a 8/10.

What can I say I like the aesthetic.

[selenityshiroi]

FFVII Rebirth Spoilers

Holy shit this game

The exploration is great, the world is great, the gameplay is great (I was playing on Normal up until the worm hard stomped me but I was too impatient to grind so switched to Easy so I could get through the story quicker on my first playthrough...but the style is super fun and having a range of characters to mess about with and expanded material and weapon skills etc is amazing)

But the characters. Omg the characters.

I'm just about to enter Gongaga reactor and there has been such an emotional build to Cloud's breakdowns. Which is made all the more heartbreaking by the relationship building going on.

The previous arc with Barret and Dyne was so well done and Barret's VA is phenomenal. And then the scene between Barret and Cloud showing just how far their relationship has come in such a short time? Amazing.

Everytime Cloud and Nanaki interact my heart grows three sizes. Both two boys who had to grow up too soon. I am justified in my 'Nanaki is the best man at Cloud and Tifa's wedding' headcanon.

And, yes, they are not being subtle about where Cloud's heart lies. They used half the romantic tropes in the book just between Kalm and Under Junon. I am aware of the big spoilers but even without knowing that my opinion wouldn't have changed.

Aerith and Tifa's friendship is also really sweet to see. It's mostly been background, because so much of the game is from Cloud's POV so far, but the bits we've gotten front and centre has been lovely. And the fact that they've been shown having the discussions from TOTP and also talking about Zack etc is nice.

And then in came Yuffie. Who remains as delightful as in her DLC but now with the crew to bounce off of! She is a chaos gremlin and I am here for it. She adds so much levity to what would otherwise be a very grim situation but when she gets serious she gets dammed serious.

Aerith has had surprisingly little focus so far in what I would have thought was a more heavy game for her. She's obviously taking some spotlight when it comes to the Turks or Zack but otherwise she's not had much specific. I suppose that will change when we get near to the anticipated events.

I think my favourite bit so far was Junon. Especially from the Parade onwards. Cloud had his own mini arc there on becoming a confident leader and it was nicely done and a little glimpse of post lifestream Cloud.

Also the piano mini game is amazing. Queens Blood is so so but I'm not a fan of the card games anyway. It's tolerable.

Cait Sith has only just joined but I'm finding him fun so far. A little over the top but okay. I liked him a lot in OG but I'm not sold on him yet. Reeve is still cool though.

Anyway, the game has been out for like 65 hours and I'm 45 hours in. Still a ways to go :)

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: So I'm a Spider, So What?

Genres: Isekai // 24 episodes

Ah, another shitty isekai? How surprising!

✧  story  ✧

The difference in “Kumo” is that... well exactly that. An entire class gets reincarnated inside an isekai world but our titular character is Kumoko who gets reincarnated as a spider monster while the majority of her classmates are humans. Not knowing what just happened, being stuck in a dark and seemingly endless labyrinth as what’s considered one of the weakest base monsters in video games, Kumoko has her survival on the line literally from the second she is reborn. The majority of the first half of the anime just follows Kumoko’s progression in the labyrinth, fighting monsters, leveling up, gaining skills, talking to herself repeat ad infinitum. The other plotline follows Kumoko’s other classmates or rather just the ones who got reincarnated as “tropes” aka the bland as fuck Hero and his friends. Their storylines are insanely boring. I cannot stress just how much. Worse is that their storylines start to take up more and more screentime as the anime drags on and IT’S SO BORING OH MY GOD.

The show does introduce some admittedly interesting twits and a double timeline but everything feels so drawn out that the excitement of those quickly fades back into boredom.

✧  characters  ✧

Kumoko’s character is really a balancing act between being funny and being inseffurable. This is mostly because she. is. constantly. talking. Kumoko never shuts up and I actually got a headache after certain episodes (coupled with the art, which I’ll be talking about in a second.) She is sort of an anti-hero though which is what sets her apart from the others. While her classmates grew up as humans, with human ideals, she was born a monster and had no interaction with intelligent creatures thus she treats lives as she would treat them in a video game. Still, she has basically no personality besides being quirky and her morals and goals aren’t quite clear. But at least, she is fun to watch. Everyone else is literally just a trope, on the “good” side anyway. We meet some characters whose lives lead to them being on the “bad” side and their personalities and interactions looked more interesting in the 5 minutes I saw them than the fews hours of suffering I was subjected to while having to watch the “good” characters. The Hero, Shun, is especially an idiot. He makes me wanna tear my hair out, I’m not joking. The classmates thing is also constantly brought up but it’s a completely superficial thread that’s used to connect these characters. But the fact is, we don’t know them before they reincarnated nor do most of them seem to care about each other.

✧  art  ✧

Ironically, what we all thought was going to be the worst part of the artstyle, actually ended up being the better alternative. As evident from the OP, Kumoko and all other monsters are 3D models and they’re UGLY as all hell. But the sections where we watch the human reincarnations are drawn 2D...after they’re not. Now, listen, it’s been a long ass time since I’ve seen an anime so catastrophically incompetent as this one. The 2D scenes are constantly getting worse and worse, with constant goofy faces, incomprehensible fight scenes where you have no idea what’s going on, inconsistent scene transitions, and just... oh god it’s so bad. While Kumoko and the monster 3D models ARE ugly, at least you can see what the hell is happening and you don’t need to worry about the art taking a nose dive. The human scenes transition to character models randomly switching between 3D models and 2D drawings but the framerate was abysmall. Why? How? I don’t know but the artstyle of this anime is near nauseating.

✧  sound ✧

Probably the only good thing here. The OPs and EDs are some great rock songs and Kumoko’s VA is Yuuki Aoi (you probably know her from PMMM as Madoka). She is also the vocalist in both EDs and while maybe even her performance couldn’t save Kumoko’s constant rambling from being headache inducing, her performance is basically what gives life to Kumoko’s personality. 

✧  overview ✧

The biggest problem with isekai’s is that they cannot be small scale. They always try to introduce groundbreaking plotlines and twists and turns. IMO this anime would’ve worked better if it was shorter and only focused on Kumoko. Alas, this is just another one to the “isekai is cancer” collection.

My Rating: 3/10

[autumnslance]

Character Meme: Y'shtola!

Give me a character and I’ll break them down:

How I feel about this character:

The first time she spoke to me in the Scion meet & greet back in ARR, it sounded just like one of the DA:O lady Cousland voice presets, might even be the same VA, I'm not sure. It amused me.

Y'shtola's always been coolly competent, though there's definitely a temper under that controlled exterior. It makes her seem a little Vulcan-like in demeanor; a woman of strong emotions, but held in check through rigorous discipline and practice, relying on her skills and knowledge to get her through.

But the times she does let down her barriers and reacts with more emotion are special, and come more frequently around the WoL, and mostly expressed with her fellow Scions, the comrades she's known since her youth. Everyone else gets her exasperation and frustrated impatience at best. I adore me a grumpy mage lady.

It's very interesting to me though to see that while there are definitely ways she takes after Matoya, the elder archon is a misanthropic hermit who hides her fondness for a very few people, but Y'shtola cares deeply for others and keeps herself in the thick of things, taking on responsibility for the Night's Blessed being a huge example.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

I have a soft spot for Y'shtola/Runar. I also like an occasional Y'shtola/Thancred, and Y'shtola/Urianger (still blaming puk for that). I understand those who enjoy Y'shtola with Yda or Lyse (though the latter strikes me as the team's little sister overall). Wolships with Shtola are great, if seemingly rare.

However.

I actually primarily headcanon Y'shtola as Aro/Ace. I think one of the lines in the one Stormblood story with the Scion ladies resonated strongly with me when she had a strong reaction to Y'mhitra saying something about "finding someone."

A QPR with any of the above ships works great, too, really.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

I have a fondness for stronger bonds between her and Thancred since their initial Flow misadventure. In general, the trio of her, Thancred, and Urianger is a OT3 of friendship I adore.

I am very invested in the relationship with Matoya, a bond that seems stronger than that with her birth family save Y'mhitra, so far.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

I don't mind that she's survived all her near fake outs, and it does show her reckless tendencies that she keeps hidden beneath her collected demeanor. I do agree though it's become a bit overused.

The aro/ace opinion is likely unpopular.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

We have been informed in the lorebook she has a large shoe collection and a phobia of aurelaie; we should see some of these things in game. Particularly after spending an expac chortling over Urianger's stringent attempts to avoid swimming.

And I really do hope we learn more of her family in Sharlayan, and how the Sharlayan miqo'te function in general; if it's like the traditional tribal structures, or heavily modified, or discarded entirely. I think she would be a good avenue for that, probably tying back to "we know nothing of her family since she was handed over to Matoya so young."

[lumosinlove]

Sweater Weather

(Some Notes: NHL All-Star game is when players from different teams are voted to play for their division. It’s a weekend of good press, skills competitions (like hardest shot, fastest player, best at puck-handling (which is what having “soft hands” means) and then three-on-three games of hockey rather than five-on-five. Lots of players don’t like going because 1. it sucks if you get injured in something so low-stakes, and 2. if you don’t get picked you get time off which is really nice mid-season. Another note, hockey players in the NHL use visors (just covers your eyes), while college players have to use a bubble (like plastic over your face) or a cage (bars over your full face).

Chapter xii

Remus woke up the morning of family skate to the NHL All-Star teams being announced, along with the captains. Sirius was captaining the Metropolitan Division, and Logan was going with him, while Snape was captaining the Atlantic Division. Regulus was going, too. Go figure. Remus stared down at the article on his phone, unable to decide if he was more elated for Sirius or nervous for him.

Sirius beat him to the punch with a short text that read, here we go.

It’s just bye week and all-star, Remus typed back. He’d let Sirius bring up his brother if he wanted to.

Fucking skills competition, Sirius replied instead.

Remus laughed. As if you don’t have the softest hands out there. You’ll beat Patrick Kane to the ground.

Sirius’ response was a string of heart emojis, plus a few suggestive hand symbols. Remus smiled at his phone until his mom finally emerged from the spare bedroom, ready to head to the rink.

Remus rubbed his finger over the face of his watch nervously as he walked into the locker room with Julian and his parents, although he wasn’t sure it was just nerves. There was a part of him, with his skates slung over his shoulder by their tied laces, that itched to prove himself. The other side of him, neck hot with nerves, was stuck in the past, swelling with feelings that were hard to kick.

“Hey, Loops,” Logan said. He was surrounded by three girls, also lacing up—expertly so, if Remus had to guess. His sisters he had mentioned last night.

It was the morning after the Christmas party and Logan looked a little rough around the edges.

“Hey, Tremzy,” Remus replied as lightly as he could while regarding Logan’s slightly red eyes. “Congrats on the All-Star. You okay?”

One of the girls looked over at him with sad eyes, then at Remus. The look was a little like a question, a request.

Logan didn’t really look okay.

“Yeah. And thanks. I mean, not sure it beats having time off but…” Logan grinned, then his eyes went to Remus’ shoulder. “Shit, you skating today?”

Remus laughed nervously. “Um. I mean, it is family skate.”

“Joining the pick up game?”

“Oh,” Remus began.

“C’mon, Loops,” Logan stood, a little taller in his skates. “My sisters are playing, too.”

“Your sisters,” one of the girls said, punching him in the thigh. “Are professional ice hockey players. At least two of us are. Maybe mention that.”

Logan looked down at her with eyes that turned fond in a way Remus had never really seen them. He said something in French that Remus didn’t quite catch, but his sister stood up with a coo and hugged him, calling him baby brother in French. Logan scowled but returned the hug. The other two dog piled around them, and Remus laughed. Even if something was wrong, Remus was glad Logan had those three.

“Remus, Remus, Remus,” Julian said, eyes gazing around the locker room. “Where do I sit?”

“Oh, um,” Remus glanced around the room for Sirius, but didn’t see him yet. “Here, Jules, let’s just…”

“He can have my seat.”

Remus looked up to see James smiling down at Julian.

Julian gave a little jump. “Really?”

“Sure thing, bud,” James motioned over to his stall. “All yours.”

Remus smiled at James in thanks and followed Julian who was already seated and petting the walls like they were a holy relic. He was in his BLACK jersey again, and Remus knelt in front of him to lace his skates for him.

“That’ll be our baby, soon,” Remus heard James whisper to Lily from behind him.

Lily made an excited noise. “I love you, Potter.”

He must have leaned down to kiss her because Logan shouted from his stall.

“Mon dieu, get a room!”

James just wrapped Lily up in his arms. “Family skate is for kissing.”

The Dumais kids ewed.

Remus laughed, his entire body feeling warm from the mood of the locker room. He’d never brought anyone to family skate before, and it made it all the better to have his dad kneeling near by to tie his mom’s skates, and Julian kicking excitedly in front of him as Remus tied his.

Julian was up and messing around with the other kids, Remus having taken his place in James’ stall to get his own skates on, when Sirius finally walked in. He was greeted by Celeste and the Dumais kids first, Celeste kissing him on the cheek and the kids wrapping around his legs like octopi. There was hollering about the All-Star game. Evgeni slapped Sirius on the back, grinning.

“Why you always Captain, hm? You too young.”

“He’s the best Captain!” Marc Dumais shouted, pressing his cheek to Sirius’ thigh.

Remus watched Sirius ruffle the kids’ hair, swatting at Evgeni. Sirius looked refreshed and happy, smiling and switching easily from French to English. Then, Sirius looked up at him. Remus gave him a little nod as he pulled the laces tight on his skates. Sirius’ eyes flicked down to them, and he grinned.

“Gearin’ up, Lupin?”

“You’re late,” Remus smiled.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, and then moved his eyes to Julian, ruffling his hair. “Ça va, Jules? Got your skates on, helmet, pads, jersey. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re ready for a game.”

“I am!” Julian said, eyes bright through the cage on his helmet.

The locker room was nice and crowded, rowdy with families. Remus looked around to see Sirius walk up to his parents with Julian in toe. He shook his dad’s hand and leaned in to kiss his mom gently on both cheeks. Remus laughed when he saw her blush. Remus tied off his skate and walked over there, if only to hear what Sirius possibly could be talking to his parents about.

“Re,” Julian said immediately. “Sirius wants you to play the pickup game!”

Remus kept his smile in place, and looked right at his mother, begging her silently with his eyes not to say anything. But her face was already a worried frown, like they had been talking about it. It didn’t sound like she’d said anything to Sirius though. His father was studying his face carefully.

“You’ll skate with us, right, Re?” Julian pleaded again, tapping his arm with his small gloves.

“Yeah, right, Re?” Sirius grinned, oblivious.

“Please, Remus, please, please,” Julian begged.

Hope began to step forward, her face nervous. “Julian, sweetheart, you know your brother—”

“I’ll skate,” Remus said quickly, with a smile. He took a breath and gave his mom a firm nod. “Of course, I’ll skate.”

Sirius didn’t look as happy as Remus thought he would. He had a soft smile on his face, but his eyes were trained on Remus’, like he was looking for something. “Hey,” he finally said, kicking his sneaker against Remus’ skate. “You have a stick?”

“Not with me,” Remus said, sensing Sirius’ way to get Remus alone.

Sirius narrowed his eyes playfully, then turned to Julian and his parents. “We will be right back.” He began walking before Remus could say anything and, heart in his throat, Remus followed.

Sirius led him into the equipment room where the racks of the different boys sticks were there to choose from.

“Re,” Sirius said the second they were alone. He glanced towards the open door, voice low. He looked unsure and even worried. “I don’t know…Look, your mom seemed a little…” Sirius sighed and re-started his sentence again. “I don’t know what exactly happened, but if it’s something about skating, I don’t want to force anything on you. I know I joke about it, but I don’t want to cross any lines. Ever. I want you to have fun, and if it isn’t, then…I mean, I don’t know, you said you still skate, I just thought…”

“Sirius, hey, hey,” Remus pressed a hand to his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I…my mom gets like that. It’s just…” Remus took a breath. “All it is is hold-over from when I was really torn up about having to stop. I just…I haven’t played, really played, with other people since. Unless you count seven year olds in the summers.”

Sirius worried his lower lip for a minute. “But…do you want to?”

“Yes,” Remus said, and realized it was the complete truth. “I want to.”

“You’re sure. Remus, tell me. You said to me that I can be open, and that goes for you, too.”

Remus felt a small twinge of guilt pass through him. Sirius looked so honest, ready for anything Remus could say. But Remus nodded. He was sure about this, about today.

“As long as you don’t mind me kicking your ass,” Remus said with a smile.

Sirius’ eyes lit up, then motioned towards the stick wall. “Pick one. I know you have a favorite.”

Remus suppressed a smile. “Bet you can’t guess who’s stick I prefer.”

Sirius laughed loudly at the joke, shoving Remus a little bit. It was a friendlier, more distanced reaction than he would have had behind closed doors, but Remus enjoyed it anyway. He could feel the warmth in it.

Remus kept his eyes on Sirius as, slowly, he reached forward and took James’ stick off the rack.

Sirius’ face dropped. “Really? You play with that little flex?”

Remus looked at him innocently, propping his chin on his hands over the top of the stick. “James’ blade has a nice curve.”

Sirius groaned out a laugh, covering his eyes. “Merde. You better not beat me up the ice with that thing.”

Remus only raised an eyebrow.

“Oh,” Sirius laughed. “Cocky, eh?”

Remus shook his head, twirling and testing the stick in his hands. “I’m probably so out of practice.”

Sirius studied his face, smile wide. Then, he jerked his head further into the room. “Come on, you’ll need gear for when we play.”

Remus was carefully assembling shoulder pads and a helmet for himself, Sirius leaning against the wall watching, when Finn appeared with June at his shoulder.

“Hey, Harzy,” Sirius said, then smiled. “June.”

“What’s up, Cap?” Finn said with a smile. “Thought I’d get J some skates before seeing everyone.”

“Family skate status?” Sirius said, then winked at June jokingly. “Really got him, eh?”

June laughed, messing up Finn’s red hair. “He’s a keeper for sure.”

They all talked some while Remus set his gear aside for after the little kids skated, and Finn found June a pair of skates that fit alright. When they started to head back to the locker room, Remus held Sirius back a moment.

“Okay, don’t think I’m weird,” Remus whispered. “But just, can you watch Logan’s face when we go in there and tell me if you see anything?”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Sure?”

“Watch when Finn walks in. With June.”

Sirius sent him another confused look, but nodded as they followed Finn and June into the locker room.

There were greetings of “Harz!” and lots of chirping about Finn bringing a girl to family skate for the first time. But Remus was busy watching Logan. His head snapped up from where he was talking to Thomas and one of his sisters. His eyes went hard, and he turned fully around. His sister reached out and pressed a brief hand against his back. Like she was comforting him, but she didn’t make a show of it, just kept talking to Thomas.

Remus and Sirius looked at each other and Remus raised an eyebrow.

“Okay,” Sirius said slowly. He obviously still didn’t quite get it.

Remus laughed a little. “We’ll talk about it later.”

There was the chaos of filing the kids out onto the ice, some of the older ones holding up the littler ones. There would probably be a million and one pictures taken. Logan was holding Katie Dumais, spinning her around and making her shriek with laughter. Leo was there, too, at Logan’s side with Marc. They placed the kids between their legs, making them feel like they were skating fast while holding them under their arms. Remus looked for Finn, and found him skating hand-in-hand with June. He glanced at Logan once, but that was all.

“I always like family skate,” Lily said, stopping by his side on the bench. “When a bunch of boys turn into mushy puppies with kids.”

Remus laughed. “Yeah, true. You skating today?”

“Nah, don’t want to fall, you know?” She put her hand on her belly and tilted her head at him. “But I see you are, Remus Lupin, when has that happened before?”

Remus glanced out onto the ice where Sirius already was. He was with Julian, and it looked like they were having some sort of race. They started at center ice and Remus watched as they both took off—Sirius much slower than usual, but making a show of working hard with his arms. He let Julian win, making it seem like a tight race, and sprawled out on the ice at the end by the goal, as if he was exhausted. Remus thought his heart might burst.

“I guess I was convinced,” Remus said, smiling at Lily.

Lily was looking back at him, eyes shining. “Uh-huh.”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Lily shrugged her shoulders, holding her cup of hot chocolate close. “Nothing. Black sure is cute out there with your brother, is all.”

“Yeah, he is,” Remus said, then blinked. “It is.”

“Re,” Lily said, turning towards him and looping their arms together.

“Lils.”

“I’m your best friend, okay?”

Remus laughed. “I think I know that.”

Lily looked at him for a long moment, lip between her teeth, and then pressed up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Then, just remember it. Sound good?”

Remus nodded slowly. “Okay…”

Lily laughed. “Go, skate, keep James busy before he takes all of the children home with him. He’s worse than Pascal, I swear, it’s like he magnets to babies.”

Remus laughed shuffling down the bench to the door. “Good thing one’s coming his way.”

“Good thing!” Lily raised her cup at him.

Remus smiled, then took a breath. He grabbed James’ stick that he had cut down a little for himself, and he stepped out onto the ice.

He hadn’t realized how much he had missed skating with other people. He went out onto the ice sometimes, before the zamboni came to smooth it out for practice, but he was always alone. He skated over to where Sirius was still chasing Julian around, only now they both had sticks in their hands and Sirius was doing a very good job at letting Julian keep the puck away from him.

“Looking good, Jules,” Remus said, which made Sirius whip his head around. Remus felt Sirius’ eyes drag over every inch of him.

“Re!” Julian shouted, and then passed the puck to him. Remus caught it on his stick easily. He steadied it with a few quick passes of his blade before tapping it over to Sirius, who caught it easily enough save for the expression on his face. He looked intense and dazed, all at once. Not a moment later, he was being circled by Logan, still toting a giggling Katie, and was obliged to look away—but not without a promise that said he would be back. A few of the Weasley boys, Bill and Charlie skated over, too, chasing their younger brother Percy around.

It was chaotic and peaceful. Remus played keep away with Julian, and took a few pictures as Kasey played goalie for him, throwing himself left and right in slow motion.

“What a shot,” Kasey put on his usual stern face, but Remus could see the smile peaking through. Julian ate it up.

“Kase, look here,” Natalie was holding up a camera with her pink, fuzzy mittens, blond hair falling down from beneath her red and gold beanie with the number 30 embroidered on it.

Kasey eyed the camera mistrustfully, but as soon as he looked at Natalie, he smiled.

Sirius didn’t stick close to Remus the entire time, probably trying to avoid suspicion, and Remus saw him pouring hot chocolate for two of Logan’s sisters at one point, and then skating quietly with coach Weasley at another. Remus, from his past of playing hockey, never would have dreamed that family skate would feel just like that. A family.

Children were soon being ushered off the ice by mothers who knew very well that only a tantrum could follow this level of tiredness. Celeste sat on the bench with her children. Some slept immediately, others were all too intent on watching the action on the ice, mainly watching their fathers reemerge from the locker room in full gear—Remus included. Sirius hung back with him.

“You know what I’m thinking,” Sirius said quietly.

Remus looked at him through his helmet’s visor. It was strange, wearing one, after only using a cage all his life. “I think I could guess.”

“I’ll get you on my team,” Sirius said, then tapped Remus’ chest with his glove and pressed their helmets together briefly, before skating out to center ice. It took Remus’ breath away, and he took a moment, in the darker tunnel. He looked down at the Lions jersey he was wearing. It had no name on the back, just an extra that the equipment staff always had lying around, but it felt—real. Remus couldn’t think about it too hard without being pulled down towards everything he had lost. He followed Sirius onto the ice.

“Yo,” Finn called. “Let’s go, hooligans. Alright. Same rules apply. Light checks, nothing ham. No OT, we’ll just tie. Captains, as usual. Sirius. Dumo. Who calls what, gentlemen?”

“Heads,” Sirius said instantly. He always called heads.

Finn tossed the coin, and whistled lowly with a smile. “Tails. Sorry, Black. Pascal, first pick.”

Pascal laughed, tapping his stick against the ice. “I pick Remus.”

Remus knew he must looked about as surprised as he felt, and he couldn’t help laughing at Sirius’ efforts to control his face. Sirius covered himself nicely though, giving Pascal a shove.

“I wanted him on my line.”

“Too bad, you’ll get him on the face-off.”

“I’m really, really,” Remus began as he stopped beside Pascal. “Really not worth arguing about.”

“The puck will speak for us, non?” Pascal grinned.

Sirius took James after that, and then Pascal took Logan, and Sirius took Finn. Pascal called on Leo, and so Kasey went to Sirius. Thomas to Pascal, Olli to Sirius, and so on. It was a funny mismatch of positions and relaxed rules. Remus found himself to the side of Pascal and Sirius, face to face at center ice, quicker than he thought he would.

Finn was at his shoulder, jostling him a little bit. It was familiar, the way boys used to kick at each other’s skates before the whistle blew. It brought back a fire that Remus recognized. He dug his skate blade in and pushed back.

“Oh-ho,” Finn laughed. “Alright, Lupin, alright. Man, got more weight on you than you look, eh?”

Remus smiled at him. “Look alive, O’Hara.”

Moody dropped the puck, and Pascal won it. Remus watched him skate it into their own zone, dropping it back to Thomas, who skirted James, then passed it back to Dumo. Remus scouted around him, feet quick in their well-practiced cross overs.

“Dumo,” he shouted.

The pass connected easily. Remus caught it on his stick and turned to head up the ice, only to be met by Finn again. Remus lifted his left leg, as if he was about to shoot right, and Finn fell for it, diving. Remus pushed off in the other direction, and Finn shouted from his knees.

“What?” Finn scrambled to get back up.

Remus laughed, hearing shouts from the bench.

he hadn’t been sure if he’d remember everything at once, or if it would be a bit of a rusty learning curve. But he felt the stick like it had never left his hands, the weight of the puck a welcomed resistance. He passed it off to Logan who carried it around the goal, battling it out with Finn in the corner. Finn covered his back, pinning him against the boards, while his skate tried to wedge the puck away from him. Remus watched him say something, not catching what it was. Logan’s eyes went wide, and he broke free of Finn, shooting the puck back to Remus at the center line.

Remus was half way into offensive zone when a tap on the back of his shin alerted him to someone else’s presence. He could hear the sound of skates digging into the ice just behind him. It was familiar. He knew it was Sirius by the smooth, nearly seamless way he shifted his weight, completely the opposite of Finn’s more rough digs coming from his left. This was a tactic of Sirius’, coming up from behind. He’d lag along, like a trail, until the last second, where he’d poke check the puck into Finn’s awaiting arms. Remus knew this play well. He’d seen it one hundred times.

Remus pushed his skates, weight in his heels, and braked hard. He heard Sirius let out a surprised shout a second before Remus braced as Sirius collided against his back.

The momentum of his stop let Remus turn on a dime, puck still on his tape, and he was in front of the goal. Kasey was there, on the edge of the blue paint, glove raised. Remus could just see his eyes through his mask.

“What’s up Fruit-Loop,” he shouted.

Remus raised his stick, gave Kasey enough time to stand up, reading for a slap, and then sent it low on the ground. Right between his legs. The goal horn blared.

“Oh my fuck!” Logan shouted, and skated over and slammed into Remus in a hug, patting his helmet and bumping their foreheads together. “Yeah, Loops! Mon dieu.”

“I’m going to be kicked out of the League,” Finn said from one knee, shaking his head at Remus. “What the fuck.”

Pascal laughed as he skated over, wrapping an arm around Remus’ shoulders. “I wish I had bet on you, Remus. I would be a rich man.”

“That’s not,” Kasey began from his goal, patting his posts down like he always did. “That’s not okay.”

“It’s alright, baby!” Natalie shouted from the benches, voice echoing in the rink. She had her head on Lily’s shoulder. “I still love ya.”

“Ha ha,” Kasey yelled back, but he was beginning to smile. He turned around to do it, squirting some water into his mouth.

Remus looked for Sirius. He was standing there, a few strides away, staring at Remus quietly. His eyes were soft and his lips parted. He pushed his helmet straight on his head, the chin strap always too loose, and swallowed.

“Good one, Loops,” he said faintly, and smiled.

Remus didn’t bother to hide the grin of his own. “Thanks.”

“Lupin!” was shouted from the bench. Remus looked, and Coach Weasley waved him over the way he did his players—with one, beckoning finger. Remus felt his heart beat hard as he made his way over to the bench, followed by most of the team.

Coach Weasley stared at Remus, lips parted. “Why did my team medic just steal the puck out from the feet of my star player, Moody?”

Moody laughed gruffly from beside him. “Couldn’t tell you, Coach.”

“Putting the puck…between the legs of my star goalie.”

“Couldn’t tell you, Coach.”

Coach squinted at Remus. “That was a beautiful fake you pulled on Blizzard, there. Is there tape on you, Lupin? From when you were at Wisconsin?”

“Wisconsin?” Thomas shouted. “You’re telling me Loops went to my school and no one told me?” He clicked his tongue with a grin. “The fuck.”

“Um,” Remus laughed nervously. “I mean—yeah. Yeah, there is. Probably. If it’s still around.”

“Fuck me,” Sirius laughed. “I need to see this.”

“Tell me about it,” James shouted. “To the video room, people—”

“No, no, no,” Remus said quickly, glancing at the bench. Julian and his father, thankfully, were well occupied with Lily, but his mother was staring right at him. “Jeez, I’m not that good, I—really, guys. It isn’t worth it. At all. It all ended in a pretty…a pretty bad hit, so.”

That quieted them down. It was each one of their nightmares. One bad hit to end it all.

“Shit, Loops,” Finn said softly. “I’m sorry, man.”

Remus shrugged a shoulder, carefully avoiding looking at Sirius. “It was a long time ago now. Or at least it feels that way. I’ve been working hard, lots of PT to get most of it back but…you know. It’s hard to work your way back up once it all…falls.”

It was quiet for a moment, and Remus was just beginning to work out what to say to break the spell when Sirius spoke up.

“Well, now we know why you’re so good at helping us. You did it yourself,” Sirius smiled and shook his head before tilting his chin towards the ice. “Come on, let’s play.”

Remus caught his eye and sent him a thankful smile, and they skated back out onto the ice.

“Remus,” Pascal came to skate beside him as they made their way back to center ice. “Your face off.”

“What?” Remus choked. “No way.”

“Yes, way.” Pascal smiled and leaned over to tap his helmet to Remus’.

The other boys were moving into position. Sirius and Olli were positioning themselves on either side of Finn, while Thomas and Pascal moved on either side of Remus.

Remus began to move to the circle, leaning forward across from Logan. Then, Sirius skated forward and tapped Finn’s butt with his stick. “Move.”

Finn scoffed. “Why?”

“I’m your Captain.”

“It’s Christmas.”

“Then I’m Jesus, come on, allez.”

Logan cracked up from where he was waiting to drop the puck, and Finn lifted his stick to hit him in the balls—none too lightly.

“Fuck, Fish,” Logan groaned.

“Sorry,” Finn said sweetly, then turned to Sirius. “Fine.”

Remus felt like his heart was in his throat. He kept his eyes steady with Sirius’ as Sirius held his stick low across his body, bending down for the face-off. His hair fell across his forehead, and his eyes, usually steady on the ice, were playful.

“Hi,” Sirius said.

Remus swallowed. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Logan butted in, waving the puck. “Mes amies, come on.”

“Ma-is am-i-es,” Finn grumbled.

“Never speak my language again,” Logan said.

“I’ll leave that to you, eh, Fleur-de-lis?” Finn grinned at him.

Logan didn’t look at him, going quiet and turning back to the puck.

Finn’s eyes dimmed, and he caught Remus’ gaze on accident before looking away. Remus looked back to Logan, who chose that moment to drop the puck.

Sirius’ stick shot out and scooped the puck away from Remus with a laugh, sending it back towards Finn and Olli. Olli got to it first, skating out until he opened up a lane to knock it down to where Finn was waiting—only Remus was faster.

He caught the puck and pushed hard towards Kasey in the goal. Only, Sirius was on him almost immediately. He chased him along the boards.

“Ey!” Remus heard Pascal shout, and he only was just able to send the puck wrapping around the boards behind the goal before there was a heavy, warm weight pinning him lightly against the glass.

Remus expected it feel like it had, not too long ago. Being checked because he was an easier target, and then being checked because it was faster, because he was better. He’d always identified with Sirius on that note, the hostility that came with talent. He expected to feel the familiar twinge of panic.

But something in him seemed to know that it was Sirius. It was Sirius and the Lions and he was stronger now. He smiled and pushed back. Sirius held him, laughing.

“I want you with me always,” Sirius whispered quickly. “Out here, and everywhere.”

And then he was gone, pushing hard towards Pascal. Finn seemed to have taken to defense, and dived right as Pascal shot, missing by inches. Kasey caught it easily in his glove.

“Damn you, Blizzard,” Pascal yelled.

“Language!” Celeste called from the bench.

Pascal’s team won. Remus won. He got one more goal, while Logan got another. Sirius scored one, and then Olli. And then Pascal finished it up. The kids were back on the ice for a while after that, Julian hopping on his skate blades and clinging to Remus’ jersey. It made Remus’ throat tight, to see his little brother that happy at just him skating. Julian had still been little when he stopped. It made regret try and push its way back up, and he pushed it down as best he could.

“Re, you scored, you scored!”

“Still got it, eh, Jules?” Remus bent down so that they could tap their helmets together.

“Can you teach me the fake? The one you did on Harzy?”

“No, no, no,” Finn said as he skated by. “We are not spreading that around, Lupin child.”

Julian laughed and skated after him.

“Tag!” Finn shouted before Julian could, and darted away.

Remus felt light. Lighter than he had in a long time. He felt something tap against his leg and looked down. A puck had just bounced gently against his skate blade. Following its shot line, he found Sirius on the other end of it, stick poised, and with a wide grin.

Remus’ legs were burning, adrenaline pumping through him steadily, by the time they were walking back down the tunnel. The locker room was empty, most of the families waiting in the lounge with rowdy-again children, food, and Christmas sweets.

“Fucking hell, Loops,” Finn yelled over the music Logan had put on—some type of French rap that pulsed in the room. Finn pushed his sweaty hair out of his face. “Bitch-ass moves.”

Remus grinned. “Thanks, I think.” He unstrapped his shoulder pads, setting them on the floor at his feet. “Sorry I had to take you down, there.”

“Broke his fucking ankles,” James laughed. “Damn.”

“Breaks them,” Sirius chimed in, pulling his jersey off. “And heals them.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Finn waved them of, standing to strip off the last of his under-layers. “Hitting the showers, boys.”

Remus’ head snapped up from where he had been tugging at his skate laces. Instantly, he found Sirius’ eyes. Sirius’ tongue darted out to wet his lips, and then he bit back a smile and stood. Remus stared at the way he was holding a sweatshirt subtly in front of him, blocking most of his crotch. Heat stirred in Remus’ chest at the thought that maybe Sirius’ flushed cheeks weren’t entirely just from skating. He didn’t have to say anything as he slipped passed the showers, which were already noisy with the guys and full of steam, and out the door that lead to the PT and quiet room. To anyone else, it would look like he was heading to the bathroom, or maybe the kitchens. It was a perfect escape, and Remus knew to follow. He wanted nothing more than to follow. He tugged off his skates as quickly as he could. He could feel his dick filling in his pants, nudging against his tight boxers in a mixture of anticipation and adrenaline, and he wanted to get out of sight.

“Fuck,” he said, and Leo looked at him questioningly. “Left my phone on the bench, be right back.”

Leo glanced at the doors, then smiled at him. “Sounds good.” 

Remus walked through the music and chatter, passed the billowing, humid steam of the showers, and into the hallway. The noise cut off abruptly as the heavy door closed behind him. The door to the quiet room was cracked open, and Remus took a deep breath. He glanced behind him, then down the hallway, but there was no one. It was the holidays. It was the perfect storm. He ran a hand over his sweaty neck, and thought of Sirius’ expression on the ice as he nudged the door open and walked into the room. Remus knew Sirius had liked watching him skate, and now he wanted to see what he would do about it.

He had barely walked into the dark room before he was being pressed against the door, forcing it shut.

Remus let out a breath and leaned forward to kiss Sirius, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, fingers lacing in his sweaty hair.

“Pretty fucking smooth exit strategy, Black,” Remus smiled.

Sirius only kissed back hard, and then broke apart with a gasp and took Remus’ hand in his own. There was a fine tremor to Sirius’ fingers.

“Touch me,” Sirius said. His breathing sounded shaky. He pushed Remus’ hand downward, letting him cup the large bulge in his under armour. It was hot through the tight fabric.

Remus could feel his own breath getting quicker as he reached passed the elastic of Sirius’ pants and pushed his hand inside. The moment he did, he sucked in a breath. Sirius’ boxers were damp and tacky through and through, his cock straining hard against them.

“God,” Remus breathed. He dragged his thumb along the heat of Sirius through his underwear, feeling the slickness. “How long?”

“Since you slammed into me. Do you even know how good you look out there?” Sirius leaned down and trailed his lips along Remus’ jaw. “Fuck, just looking at me across the face off like you do it every day, like—like you know how good you are…”

Remus put more pressure on Sirius’ cock, choking off his words. He reached in with both hands, tugging Sirius’ clinging pants and boxers down below his balls so that he could get Sirius in his hands, one working him in slow strokes while the other stroked beneath his balls. It was wet, and the strokes sounded loud in the quiet room. Remus felt his dick stiffen further, and pushed his hips against Sirius’ thigh. Sirius let him, pressing him further into the wall while Remus rutted against him.

“Can’t go into the showers like this, huh?”

Sirius’ laugh was half groan, and his hips bucked up into Remus’ fist. His dick was hot, the head rosy and dark from being trapped so long. Remus had the sudden image of Sirius having to go into the showers like this, hard and leaking steadily down his thigh. It sent a wave of heat through his entire body, aroused and—maybe a little possessive.

“Fuck, I love seeing you like this,” Remus said. “You’ve been this hard for…”

“Calmed down after the game a little. Then remembered that we’d have to shower together and…”

Remus sighed shakily, not looking away from the sight of Sirius’ cock in his hands. He pressed his thumb against the underside of the crown and watched the trickle of clear come dribble out. “Fuck.”

“I’m pretty close,” Sirius said, then reached for Remus. “Let me…”

“You first,” Remus gasped as Sirius cupped him through his pants.

“Both, both,” Sirius pressed his hips to Remus’, bent down to kiss him again.

Remus couldn’t help but laugh. “God, you are so…fuck, baby.”

Sirius pulled Remus’ cock free and he bobbed against his stomach for a moment, the release making Remus’ head thunk back against the door.

“Ow,” Sirius made a soft noise and tucked his palm between Remus’ head and the wood. “C’mere, Loup.”

His other hand wrapped around the both of them, making Remus cry out, and Sirius tucked his face into Remus’ neck, breathing in.

“I loved being out there with you,” Sirius mumbled as he bucked his hips, cock rubbing against Remus’, held tight together by his fingers. “I…I love the way you skate, Re, I love—” Sirius broke off then with a low noise. “Remus…”

Remus wrapped his arms around him, mouth against the strong muscle of his shoulder. He wrapped his hand around Sirius’, around them both. He could feel his orgasm building and pressed his forehead where his mouth had been to see. Sirius was leaking over both of their fingers now, hips moving quickly, fucking their hands. Remus thought about Sirius fucking him like that. The friction and image made Remus feel light-headed, made his mouth drop open and his head fall back, caught by Sirius’ palm. Sirius tilted it forward again, licking gently into his mouth for a kiss as the two of them broke against each other. Sirius came first with a low groan, and then Remus a few moments later. 

They rested there for a moment, still sweaty from the game, but hearts beating fast for an entire different reason now. Remus was sure, so sure, that Sirius had very nearly said—

“You never told me you were so fast.”

Remus looked up at Sirius, leaning into the palm that had fallen to rub gently across his cheek. “Jeez, that’s what a guy wants to hear after a hand job.”

Sirius laughed, eyes crinkling. “Jeez.”

Remus pulled him in for a kiss. “How long do you think we have before people start wondering where we are?”

Sirius sighed, leaning back briefly for one of the paper towels by the sink in the dark room. “We haven’t been gone that long. Didn’t take much, eh?”

Remus shoved at his shoulder, smiling as they cleaned themselves up, flicking the light on to give each other a once over.

Sirius leaned in to press a kiss on each of Remus’ still hot cheeks. “Orgasm glow.”

“I just worked out.”

Sirius laughed. “There’s a difference.”

Sirius went to open the door when Remus stopped him. “Hey.”

“Quoi?” Sirius said.

Remus kissed him gently, hand smoothing over his chest. “I loved playing with you, too. Really, I…I know that was probably shocking to hear about…” the hit, Remus wanted to say, but he really didn’t want to talk about it. He shook his head and smiled—a real smile. “I really loved today.”

Sirius stood for a moment, as if thinking, and then leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to Remus’ forehead. “Me too.”

They made it back to the showers—a few minutes apart—without incident. Most of the guys were back in the lounge with the rest of the family, and Remus showered quickly, pointedly not looking at Sirius—or anyone, really. It was strange, showering in the team showers, Logan and Kasey messing around in one corner, Sirius and James in another.

“Hey,” came suddenly and loudly from Sirius and James’ corner. James’ voice echoed off of the walls, making Remus look. It was easy to ignore the fact that they were all stark naked when James had reached out and was holding Sirius’ number twelve necklace in his hand.

“The fuck, hello, and this is what? Excuse me,” James leaned in to look at it.

Sirius’ eyes flickered to Remus then away, and he laughed easily as he batted James off. “Christmas present. From a fan. It was mailed to the rink apparently.”

“And you opened it?”

“No, Jen at PR says they go through everything, though. And this was, you know, legit, so…she asked if I wanted it.”

“Oh,” James said slowly. “Okay.” He turned around, water spray hitting the side side of his head, and gave Remus a very pointed look. Girlfriend, is what that look said.

“It looks good,” Remus said. “Maybe Lily will get you something that nice one day, eh, Pots?”

James scoffed. “Lily is getting me a baby. She never has to get me anything ever again.”

Kasey laughed, eyes closed and running his hands through his hair to get the soap out. “Getting is a strange word for giving birth, but okay.”

“They’re gifts,” James said, shutting off his shower. He flicked Sirius’ necklace one more time on his way out. “Some girl’s gonna be watching the National Anthem at the next game and freak the fuck out.”

“Maybe.” Sirius looked at Remus again, knowing smile on his face. Remus felt himself flush as his eyes flickered down his body.

It gave him a strange sense of security, showering, eating, playing with the team…being with the team. False security, he knew. Come January, he would be right back on the bench. He turned the water cold for a minute, letting it wash over his face, before switching it off and snagging a towel.

He was suddenly starving as the adrenaline wore off a little, and was thankful to his mother when, as he walked into the players lounge and wrapped an arm around her, she immediately held out a plate of food for him.

“You must be starving, honey,” she said. “And your brother really can’t get enough of that cake Celeste made, I have to get the recipe from her.”

“She would love that,” Remus said. “Where is Jules?”

“Over there talking to the Blizzard.”

Remus laughed. “You do know his real name, right?”

“Well, yes,” Hope smiled a little. “But the Blizzard is good fun.”

“Wow, mom, have a crush much?”

Hope just patted his arm. “I’m going to bring your brother and father one of these cupcakes.”

She smiled at Leo as he passed her on his way over to the food table behind them, hair dark from the showers and tall and lanky and with his sweet smile.

“Find your phone, Loops?” Leo said.

“What? Oh,” Remus could feel himself flush. “Yeah. Yes, I did.”

“Good thing,” Leo nodded, eyes strangely bright as he smiled and unwrapped a green and red cupcake.

“Hey, Finn never said anything about a girlfriend until last night. How long has that been going on?”

Leo’s fingers froze fractionally on the cupcake wrapper before he started peeling it carefully back again.

“Just a couple of months, I think,” Leo said carefully. Remus followed his gaze when he glanced over to where Finn and June were standing, lunch on paper plates in their hands, talking to Natalie and Lily. “She’s a mechanic. Guess I knew something was up when Finn kept taking his car in for, like, no reason. But, uh, she’s not actually over that much. I think he goes to her. Real nice though.”

“That’s good,” Remus nodded. “I’m happy for him.”

Leo just nodded and took a big bite, crumbs briefly lingering on his lower lip before he licked them away, glancing over at Finn and away again.

Remus hesitated, then said, “Is Logan all right? From last night, I mean. I know you followed him. He seemed…well, better now, but…”

Leo leaned against the table beside Remus and looked down at the sweet wrapper, folding it as small as it would go.

“Hey, Nut, I’m sorry, I didn’t…I shouldn’t be asking you this. That’s not fair on you, I should ask Logan if I think I need to.”

When Leo didn’t respond, Remus added. “It’s none of my business anyway, I was just—a little worried.”

“No, no,” Leo said finally, and, glancing once more at Finn, straightened up and turned so that his tall frame blocked Finn and some of the room from view. His eyes, which had been bright and playful a moment before, were serious. Worried. “Remus, I…I think you should talk to Logan.”

Remus blinked. “Well—you guys know Heather, I mean, a safe space, is always—”

“No,” Leo shook his head slowly. “I think you should talk to Logan.”

Remus held his gaze for a long moment, trying to piece everything out. But Leo, ever a goalie, was unreadable. Finally, Remus just nodded. “Okay. Alright, I’ll talk to him when we’re back in play, eh?”

Leo let out a long, shuttering breath. “Okay. Thanks, Loops.”

“Of course. Do…” Remus hesitated. “Do you need to talk, or…”

Leo smiled—a real smile. “No. I’m pretty well sorted.” Leo crossed his arms and, as he did, one hand pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up a little. There, around his wrist, was a bracelet Remus had never noticed before. It was a lanyard that looked like it never came off, and it was every color Remus could think of woven together in a rainbow.

Oh.

Remus’ eyes widened and snapped up to Leo’s face. “Oh.”

Leo laughed. “Yeah,” he clapped a large hand on Remus’ shoulder. “Oh.”

Remus’ heart began pounding in his chest almost immediately. He glanced around the room. “How—”

“Don’t fret,” Leo said, in his calming way. “No one else noticed. I can guarantee. Y’all good at hiding it, I’m just…” he shrugged.

“Attuned,” Remus rasped out, then coughed. “I’m sorry, did you say…y’all?”

Leo glanced at the door where Sirius and Logan and James had just walked in, Sirius smiling as he scooped up a giggling Katie Dumais into his arms.

“I understand,” Leo said simply, and then held out his fist.

The two words calmed Remus more than anything else. It wasn’t a I won’t tell, it wasn’t anything about keeping secrets. It was both of them acknowledging that it shouldn’t have to be a secret. It was Leo saying it was alright.

“Yeah,” Remus met his fist with a smile. “So, you and Logan, or…”

Leo sighed, then took another cupcake while looking wistfully over at where Logan had, rather sheepishly by the looks of it, approached Finn and June. He shook June’s hand, who looked at Finn with a smile.

“Something like that,” Leo said, then walked over to join them.

Remus blinked after him, attempting to process. His wide eyes seemed to catch Sirius’ gaze and he raised an eyebrow, mouthing a short, you okay?

Remus nodded quickly, shooting him a smile before turning and grabbing a slice of cake, just for something to do.

“Hey, hey, hey, Fruit-loop,” Thomas walked up, looking a little more frazzled than Remus had ever seen him.

“Hey, Talkie,” Remus said slowly, mind still pre-occupied. “Okay?”

“Noelle,” he said plainly before shaking his head, pressing a hand over his heart.

“I…Christmas?” Remus asked.

“No, no, Tremzy’s sister,” he said. “Fucking smart as hell. Gorgeous. Hey, do I look okay to you? I wished I could have scored a goal out there, but someone was tearing up the ice for me, eh?”

Remus laughed. “Sorry about that.”

“Hey,” Thomas ran his hands down his cheeks, brown eyes nervous. “I got bigger fish to fry now. Does she look like a cake or cupcake girl to you? She told me to bring her something good.”

They both looked at each other for a moment, then laughed. Thomas threw his hands up.

“Celeste’s cake, obviously,” he laughed. “Catch you on the flip side, Fruit.”

Remus nodded, amused. “For sure.”

Remus watched him head back over to Noelle, who was sitting with Celeste with Marc on her lap. She smiled broadly when Thomas walked back up, a smile that reminded Remus sorely of the one that had been a little lacking lately in her brother.

“Hi,” Sirius said, coming up with a sleepy Katie on his hip. He smiled at Remus, tilting his head. “C’est bon?”

Remus stared at him. What could he say? Hello, Sirius, I know you’re nervous about coming out as a queer hockey player. Would it interest you to know something about two of your teammates?

But Remus wouldn’t tell him. It wasn’t his secret.

“Oui,” he smiled instead, reaching out to pet Katie’s soft, dark hair. “C’est bon.”

[prominentgames]

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[weebtarurights]

Tenma Sumeragi SR ( Cover Boy of the Month ) - Part 1

Part 1 || Part 2

Story Title:" Sumeragi Tenma's Challenges and Ordeals"

Kazunari:......So~!  I consulted director-chan for today's practice and we decided to do something fabbier. Izumi: Everyone, thank you for helping me carry the stuff! Tenma:  The heck is this mysterious slot.... Kazunari: G'J~! Yuki: Too conspicuous.   Kazunari: This is called " Etude Slot!" I collaborated with a bud in Amabi who's doing 3D modeling! You'll get a dialogue and situation when you press this button while the slot is rotating. Izumi:  Everyone is going to do an impromptu play using random dialogues and situations.

Muku: We will be able to train our instantaneous power for ad-libs. Kumon: Almost like a game! Lookin' forward to it! Izumi: Well then, let's get started right away. Can I have Tenma-kun try it first? Tenma: Can't be helped. Guess I'll show you guys how to do it. Kazunari: Alrighty then, Slot start~♪ Misumi: Go! Tenma: I just have to press here, right? ....Alright. Izumi: Let's see.... The situation is... Kumon: ...."Shoot your gun 5X during a gunfight"? Muku: and the dialogue is..." Welcome to Manchester". Tenma: Oi! What the heck is this absurd title?!   Kazunari: Sry,  sry~! But Tenten, I'm sure you can nail it, can't you?   Yuki: Weren’t you running your big mouth earlier? Do it. Misumi: Tenma, fighting~! Tenma: .....Damn it, just watch, you. Izumi: Well then, "Shoot your gun five times during a gunfight" and " Welcome to Manchester" ....Action.

Tenma: Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!   Urk.... Wel.....come.... to...Man....ches....ter....

Kumon: T-tenma-saaaaan! Misumi: Don't die~! Izumi: ----Cut! Kazunari: Tenten, you're killin' it!! Muku: Yup, I can feel the story behind his dialogue....! Yuki: Wait, what story? Izumi: Because you don't know what the combination will be, you will be able to train your instantaneous power during plays through this practice. Misumi: Sounds fun~! I wanna do it! Kazunari: Right? Right?! Then---Lezz all try it ASAP! ♪

Izumi: Okay, let's end it here! Kumon: I'm pooped~! but it's super fun~! Yuki: What's up with "eating ramen" and "concert MC"? Most of the situations are extremely absurd.... Muku: Since there are a lot of different subjects, watching and performing is interesting! Tenma: Sure it is. It might be a good ad-lib practice. Kazunari: Hehe, right?! Misumi: I wanna do it again~! Izumi: It almost looks like an amusement park attraction. You can have fun while doing it. I wonder if we will be able to incorporate it into other troupe's practice. Kazunari: Hey, speaking of amusement parks, why don't we all go again this year? Kumon: Woah----! I wanna go to the amusement park! Muku: Come to think of it, they're building a new giant maze when we all went there before. Yuki: If we enter the maze, Tenma won't be able to come out of there alive.   Tenma: Oi, I can at least get out of attractions such as mazes y' know. Muku: There's a sure-win strategy when it comes to mazes, so you'll be okay! Tenma: Sure-win strategy? Muku: Yup. I'll teach you later. Yuki: Even borrowed wisdom won't be of any help with the level of this guy's sense of direction. Tenma: I can do it! Kazunari: Let's go on the day of the opening then!? Misumi: Yay! Maze! Maze~! Muku: Um, If I remember correctly, the opening of the giant maze is..... Tenma: My bad. I have a magazine cover shoot that day. Kumon: Eh. Tenma-san's magazine cover will be released? Kazunari: That's our Tenten! You've been on mag covers a few times before, didn't ya? Izumi: That's amazing! What kind of magazine is it? Tenma: "Actor: Sumeragi Tenma's Collection" Seems like there will be various interviews too. Yuki: .....What a terrible joke. Tenma: What did you say!? Muku: As expected of Tenma-kun! I'm looking forward to the day of release. Tenma: The magazine will arrive here sooner so I'll show you. Yuki: Don't look haggard just because you're nervous. Tenma: Oi, I'm a pro y'know! That's not going to happen! Misumi: I wanna read it soon! Kazunari: We can resched the amusement park on a  different day! Tenten, GL on your shooting! Izumi: Do your best! Tenma: Well, of course.

NOTE: 1) 瞬発力 or  Instantaneous Power  in acting is the ability to read the changes in direction and act according to it in an instant. It is a skill that actors/VAs need to perform a perfect or near-perfect ad-lib.

[satoshi-mochida]

Some thoughts on my last Gamefly rental, Neptunia Virtual Stars.

I know it was from having to pay for all the Guest Vtubers, but I was mildly disappointed that there wasn’t a dub this time around; the VAs fit the Four CPUs really well now, especially Neptune’s.

The many V-Tubers in the game need to be saved from specific Antis that hold their V-Cubes captive. While it seems to be random which Vtuber the enemy has, there does to be a high chance of it being a new one. Or maybe I just got lucky. Before areas with said enemies, there’ll usually be a large monitor of the one there asking for help, so you can see if they a new one or not. You don’t actually need to rescue all of the Vtubers to finish the game, or all of the trophies, but you do need at least 25 to finish the game, and 30 for a Trophy.

 The V-Cubes themselves can be equipped to increase everyone’s stats. Some you find may have various effects added to them that either further increase, or possibly decrease, some stats, and add special abilities to them, like increased item drop rate. 

The playable characters are the four CPUs, Neptune, Noire, Blanc and Vert, and eventually four(original) Vtubers that are each in a team of two(Me and You, Vice and Licht). The two groups have some differences in their gameplay and stats:

The Vtubers have a normal health bar, and fight enemies like in an action RPG. While both groups can double jump, only they can dash in the air, and only twice before hitting the ground again.

An ability exclusive to the Vtubers is, if an attack is dodged at the last moment, they gain infinite MP for a couple seconds.

The CPUs use guns this time around, play like a third person shooter, and they can also skate around quickly for a few seconds if you hit Circle on the ground, which is pretty fun.

The CPUs have units of health, starting out at 10, and can be maxed out to 30 from V-Cubes. They also have no defense stat, and only take 1 unit of damage from most enemies.

A stat exclusive to the CPUs is TKMK, which is for their ‘Tokimeki Flash’ ability. After shooting an enemy enough times without purifying it, as a purple circle bar fills up, they enemy will get stunned. This is actually required for the final boss, so near the end, try and raise the TKMK stat of one of them with V-Cubes, preferably on Neptune.

Be careful going into back into older areas to train; after beating a main boss, they’ll get replaced by a much stronger version(for example, Waru Waru Duga, the first boss, is replaced by one that’s level 33). You’ll need to beat them for trophies, though.

There’s a fairly easy music rhythm minigame you can do for money and items, though it’s very simplistic, and I think the input might be a bit off. You can get the characters to dance around in whatever ridiculous accessories you equip them with, though. XD

There’s also a few side stuff you can do for items, but aren’t completely needed for the Platinum: doing randomly given requests from ingame fans(that can be very vague about what they want you to so, sometimes), requests from Vtubers you’ve rescued(which have all have short little videos from the characters asking for your help and thanking you afterwards), and two different card collections to complete(one just of the ingame Vtubers, and another of Compile Heart characters). 

Like pretty much all Neptunia games, there’s some commentary and fourth wall breaking. 

The main enemies being called Antis, which have become quite the real world problem(some call certain groups of them by differing names), and it has effected some Vtubers. too. Coco Kiryu and Akai Haato/Haachama from Hololive are ones that comes to mind, since after a certain incident from last year, they’ve been after Coco relentlessly, though mostly stopped bugging Haachama after a while. Though how awful Antis can be, especially as of late, isn’t fully explored(that might be a bit much for a mostly light-hearted series like Neptunia), they’re behavior is touched upon.

A later enemy that resembles the Twitter bird fires a very annoying and damaging bazooka, and they usually appear with several others(and are the only enemies that can do more than 1 unit of damage to the CPUs). Admittedly, it might just be because they’re later-game enemies that they’re more difficult and annoying, but still.

There’s a really good moment, imo, in the story about making Content out of love vs. just for money. There’s more to it in Kado’s backstory, also regarding stuff with content management and distribution I believe, but I’m not sure how best to put it into words; best to see things for yourself.

And probably more I missed.

On the loading screens between areas, a short video from the Vtubers that you’ve rescued will play. They can be skipped after a couple seconds, but letting them fully play out gets you an item. Also, similar videos play in the Neotube Plaza, as well as a few of Hololive’s Holo Graffiti shorts videos, and possibly others, too.

I actually do watch some Vtubers myself. Mostly just clips, though. The main ones I watch are from Hololive, Hana Macchia from Nijisanji, and both Pikamee and Tomoshika from VOMS Project(Jitomi Monoe was unfortunately let go earlier this year). Here’s a list of all the Guest Vtubers appearing in this game(most of whom I have never heard of, though it seems a couple actually aren’t around anymore).

Apparently, the original Vtubers Me and You will be making an official debut at some point.

Though the gameplay did grow on me after a while, if I had to choose between this or Cyberdimension Neptunia, I’d probably choose the latter; it’s action just felt better, but this is still worth a playthrough. The start of the game feels kind of rough, but I started liking it more as it went on, once everyone starts getting better skills, and the characters and their interactions are always fun in Neptunia.

Next game being sent is: Hollow Knight.

Mild spoilers: 

There seems to be a few things that are left unresolved in the game(one unknown Vtuber getting taken by the Antis near the beginning but never showing up again, and one Villain just escapes with no fight against them), hopefully meaning that they’ll be another game likes this.

[inkabelledesigns]

BATDS Theory: When were Milla’s tapes recorded?

I know Boris and the Dark Survival has been out for half a year now, but I’m still gonna tag spoilers for those of you who haven’t seen it (something I wish more of the Crack Up Comics readers would do. Seriously, guys, tag your spoilers, not cool! It’s only been out for a week!). Today I’m gonna be discussing some questions I have about Milla’s identity and the significance of her tapes’ existence. 

To recap what we already know, Boris finds five tapes and one key that supposedly led him to rescue “Milla,” but all he finds beyond the door is Twisted Alice, ready to steal his organs. It’s never outright stated, but it feels implied that Milla is just a character that Alice made up to lure unsuspecting souls to her domain. It makes enough sense, after all, her last name, Legna, is just Angel spelled backwards, and several pieces of her anecdotes line up with themes we see explored in Susie’s story. Given we suspect Susie is the one who was sacrificed to become Twisted Alice, this makes a lot of sense. 

While recording audio of my own and attempting to voice Twisted Alice for fun, I was referencing clips from Lauren Synger to see if I could imitate the effects work done on Alice. While most of what I looked at were sequences from the game itself, I’d like to draw your attention to this. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfGzG0nIU0c

This is an interview Lauren did back in 2018 with The Voice Over Show, and it’s just so fun to watch. Near the end, she takes a seat at the desk and talks as though she’s Alice, with all the proper effects on, and that makes it much more obvious to me just how distorted this character’s voice is. Some things you can just chock up to the reverb that everyone has in the studio setting, but Twisted Alice has actual vocal distortion in there.

This leads me to a question about Alice’s abilities and the timeline of these tapes: is it possible for Alice to not sound distorted? If the answer is yes, there are some consequences that we could run into later. If the answer is no, there’s some timeline stuff we need to sort out, and here’s why. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUgcT9ZVOWg

Milla lacks the distortion that Alice has. It’s very obvious once you know the secret and hear them side by side that Milla has Lauren as her VA, but in terms of effects, Milla only has a small bit of reverb and a slight overlay of the tape recorder noises, not much else. The reverb leads me to believe that this audio was recorded in the studio itself in the state it’s in now, very echoy with not many people around. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUByAA3vuPw

Compare it to the last audio log we got from Susie, the one leading up to the introduction of the Unknown Voice. In this tape, there’s still reverb, but a lot more static. This could be because there was just more audio work done on this clip, but it could also be to denote that this tape has gotten a bit worn out from being old and played so many times, or it could say something about where it was recorded and at what volume the speaker was at. My bets are that it’s old and worn from being played by the unknown voice, for research. Milla’s tapes are a lot cleaner to hear in comparison, leading me to believe that they’re a more recent recording. 

If that’s the case, then it would mean they’re recorded by Twisted Alice, as in, after the point at which Susie was turned into an angel. Does this mean that Alice can change the sound of her voice? Obviously she’s a voice actress, voicing different characters is her thing, and even moment to moment, she switches between the sweet little angel and the bitter one on a whim. But if she can remove the distortion from her voice, and sound convincing as a regular person on tape, imagine what she could do with that ability! She has the same voice as Allison, save for their tone, it’s totally plausible that she could go and deceive someone into thinking that she’s Allison and lure them right into her trap. This could add a whole new layer to how these two interacted back in the first game. She could lure several people to their doom with a whole plethora of voices! Susie, Milla, any character made up on the spot, she’s got so many options to trick someone.  And by that logic, imagine the potential for BATDR. Imagine Twisted Alice coming back and deceiving Audrey. Right now we’re under the impression the Audrey and Allison have potential to be allies, so Malice getting in the middle of that and messing with them? Oh my god, that deception is delicious! 

I know, it’s not anything groundbreaking, but I’d love to see the explored. Hell, you know why I was thinking about this to begin with? I was working on stuff for my AU, and one of the things I’m working with is Joey potentially stealing the skills of his employees and giving them to a new set of staff members. Like taking Sammy’s composing ability away and thrusting it onto someone else suddenly, as an example. It made me think about how Alice’s voice worked, and it lead to some interesting thoughts. I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Just make sure to tag properly if you do! 

...Dear god, I didn’t think me being a voice actress would ever land me here. This is kind of awesome.

[x-nephophile-x]

3, 11, 12, and 13 for the ask thing!!!

(already did 3 in my first for these things so I’m gonna skip to 11) 11: What’s your afterlife drink? Mmmm tough one. I’m not a big connoisseur of alcohol (I can drink it legally). When I wanna’ get drunk, my go to is Tequila though (I’d honestly love to try a Johnny Silverhand, it sounds delicious). I’d say I’d probably be some take on bloody mary but with tequila and lime, cuz listen, Tequila goes great with tomato or CLAMATO juice and I like a thick drink that makes me forget I’m drinking because if I can taste the alcohol, I’m gonna’ look like a baby.  I can do shots but the first 3 go down HARD. I legit sit and gag and shake my head like a child tasting something bitter for at least 5 minutes after each shot. Granted, I’ve never had top shelf or even near top shelf liqour so maybe I’ve just had nasty ass, low tier tequila. I am also a notorious lightweight so there’s that :D If Vera got an Afterlife drink though, she’d be some type of strawberry daquiri with a little umbrella. Just for the shits and giggles of it all. When you drink this, remember the woman who could hack your circuits and wipe out your entire crew without anyone being the wiser. Remember she could also punch you right on your ass. Don’t you dare mock that drink.  12: does the rocker lifestyle (either as a rocker or somewhere behind the scenes) sound appealing to you? This one I’m gonna’ apply more to my V than me. Vera could definitely see herself in that line of work; Johnny’s influence has only made that interest stronger. She gets it, losing yourself in the music, the power of being on stage, the performing, the rush of the crowd, but she also kinda finds herself romanticizing the touring, being on the road, seeing different places. Me personally, I hate being the center of the attention, I have anxiety, and I’m naturally shy anyways, so I’d much rather work behind the scenes. I have interest in how tech works, I like the idea of learning tech based skills from programming to soundboards and video editing, so doing something that like for concerts would honestly probably be pretty fun. 13:  what quest/sidejob/gig fucked you up the most? (TW: suicide, fictional and real situations discussed) So previously, I answered it with The Sinnerman quest (long story- im religious and didn’t feel comfortable finishing it but I watched it on Youtube so I know the gist of what happens). This time around, I’ll go with Both Sides, Now. (The Evelyn Mission). This one is just... it is what it is. Dark, macabre, gruesome. Judy’s VA did flawless with her delivery of lines during the entire game but most notably here. The girl sounds like she just got done doing those raw type of screaming sobs, the ones that make you feel like your throat is going to give out, and I hate imagining Judy have to do that upon coming back home.  I’ve never witnessed something like that to a full extent but I had a neighbor who was found who’s mother came home to the mess of it all, and, well, when she saw her (adult age) kid, the screaming sob she let out seemed to deafen the neighborhood. It stuck with me for weeks after, that loss and the pain in her voice, and I think that quest hit some emotional beats that really drove the entire quest home. It made me feel like I did that night with my neighbor; I didn’t know Evelyn that well, I didn’t know my neighbor at all, I was just a witness to a person’s worst nightmare, and it just had me fucked up for a while. Thank you for the ask, I appreciate it!! Sorry to end it on a really dark note aofkeoaf

[mgares]

HOW TO BUY A HOUSE - IN 3 EASY STEPS

There is a lot of confusion out there about how to become a Homeowner so I thought I would take a moment and put it into Average Joe speak. That, and in my experience, some people go about it totally backwards which is counter productive to the end goal.

STEP 1. - ASSESS YOUR FINANCES

This is fairly simple. Eliminate non-essentials from your spending budget and stick it in the piggy bank. Modify spending habits to generate savings. Make short-term lifestyle changes.

It's just temporary and if canceling monthly memberships (Netflix, Gyms, Any Subscriptions), adjusting your shopping habits [I got some great tips for this], or eliminating other non-essential spending allows you to keep more money in your pocket to get a home versus flushing rent dollars down the proverbial toilet? Bit of a no-brainer if you ask me.

Bottom line is you have to have money ready-to-hand for the transaction. Even with the "zero down" options like VA and some USDA loans; just to name a couple.

There are inspections, appraisals, escrow funds, repairs, home warranty policies, property taxes, closing costs, and other such considerations that must be paid in order to get a home of your own.

"Do Not Save What Is Left After Spending; Instead Spend What is Left After Saving" - Warren Buffett

Figure out what kind of a down payment your financial situation will allow for. The more, the better, but very few people I know got 20% of the purchase price [a.k.a. - conventional/bank loan] sitting around collecting dust. Good news is you don't necessarily have to have that much.

One of the most common loans is a FHA that only asks for 3-5% down AND there are down payment assistance programs out there if you are really Stuck Like Chuck when it comes to finances. NOTE: This does NOT mean they are going to give you ALL of your down payment; you gotta have some chips in that poker game too.

I like to recommend that people shoot for at least 6-8% of the purchase price of the "kind of home they want" just to make sure all the bases are covered - down payment AND cost(s) of the transaction. Folks, that's a lesser down payment than Owner Finance options for the same "kind of home" as Owners generally ask for 10-15% down.

This total can be a combination of self-savings, down payment assistance, assets that can be used as collateral against the loan, monetary or tangible gifts from friends/family members in some few cases, and more.

Each person is unique and different in how that 6-8% manifests and lenders can vary in what form(s) of down payment they will accept.

EXAMPLE:

Purchase Price: $150k

FHA Down Pymt (3-5%): $4,500 - $7,500

Other Cost(s): (3% +/-): $4,500

Total Savings Needed: $9,000 - $12,000

Kill some bills, sell your "junk" - we all got crap laying around the house we don't use worth money in various amounts - and modify spending habits in a positive manner.

If you are a two car family... can you get by with just one vehicle on a temporary basis [turn that car, and its bills, "into" a house]? Perhaps you have a skill set or piece of equipment that can earn you extra cash here and there on your terms? What changes to your lifestyle can you make that will put another dime or dollar into that kitty bucket?

Finally, do whatever it is you need to do to put those greenbacks into a savings method you can stick with. Whether that is a traditional banking institution or an old shoe box under the bed; you do you. If this means you have to ask someone in a position of trust to hold it so you don't spend it? Guess what you should consider doing?

STEP 2. - TALK TO LENDERS

Let's talk about the "When" of contacting a lender. The only true answer to "When" is... When You Are Ready and only you know how Ready you feel.

I've had clients express the sheer dread they felt about reaching out to a lender and it's an understandable fear. One of my people even said that they felt applying to lenders and having them see their credit condition was akin to stripping naked in front of a total stranger.

But, and as I told my client... think of it like going to the doctor for a full physical exam. Hospital gown over your birthday suit and all. Lenders are professionals there to do a job. They do NOT judge or speculate just because they have intimate knowledge of or about you.

If you suspect you may have some homework to do, credit wise, then it's better to contact a lender sooner rather than later. This allows you to get a game plan together and knock out credit related targets while you are saving funds for your down payment goal. Once completed, you are able to resume your application with confidence moving forward.

"Everything You Want Is On The Other Side of Fear" - Jack Canefield

However, if you are one of the few who feel their credit profile will be a "non-issue" then my suggestion becomes waiting to speak to lenders until you have most, if not all, of your down payment goal met.

When applying to a lender always ask if they perform a Soft or Hard inquiry against your credit report. Most of the lenders I know [and I will list two of my favorites for you here in a second] will execute a Soft Credit Inquiry to determine credit worthiness. This Soft Inquiry does not impact or affect your credit score - should such be a matter of concern to you.

Something else I've noticed is that people don't seem to understand shopping for lender is very much like shopping for an automobile. The overall requirements of any one particular lender (or dealership) can be totally different from a fellow lender's (or dealership's).

Just because one says "No" does not mean they will all will say "No". And even if the first lender tells you "Yes"... I would still encourage you to apply to more than one who does Soft Inquiries. Compare apples to oranges to find the best fit for your home purchasing needs by reviewing interest rates, terms of repayment, mutual rights and remedies, and so on and so forth.

Only after you have secured lender approval (which may be conditional based on various factors) and they have given you the green light to shop up to the amount of $X.00 do you move on to Step 3.

STEP 3 - FIND YOUR REALTOR

The vast majority of the population feels the path to homeownership is "finding the home and then buying it" - through a Real Estate agent. This is NOT the case.

Selecting an agent to help navigate you through the complexities of The Offer and Purchase process is the absolute LAST step to be taken.

What Happens When You Do It Backwards:

You shop for, and find, that PERFECT place and then reach out to an an agent or contact the website that is listing that property. The agent involved determines you haven't spoken with a lender and may now recommend one to get the process started.

Just to let you know... most of us agents are unable to do much of anything at this point without your having secured a lender first. There are some agents out there who are also qualified mortgage consultants but I, personally, haven't met one yet so I don't know how they work.

At this point the agent may also put you on an e-mailer list that scouts the MLS's and regularly sends you properties "matching" the ideal home that you originally asked about.

Why?

Because "that home may not still be there when you are in a position to buy". That's agent speak for... this is gonna take a bit of second and that property will most likely have sold by the time we get you lender approved.

I can't emphasize enough the fact that we agents don't "GET" you that house - the lender does that by providing the loan to pay for it. Us agents help you shop for a home and protect your best interests when buying it.

We deal with the butt-ton of technical paperwork coming/going from every which-a-way at all hours of the day, manage the contract negotiations, handle scheduling and execution of services by professional providers involved in the transaction, are your personal defacto counselor/moral support during the stress mess of buying, and more. None of which can be done until a lender gives us the green light to begin.

Well, most folks aren't mentally or emotionally prepared to reach out to said lender on the fly like this. Fears of "what that lender will see" or personal misgivings about "not qualifying" due to credit condition can halt the whole process at this point. Perhaps leaving you with negative emotions about the whole experience thus far.

But, for the sake of argument let's say you muster up the courage to reach out to a lender anyway. You'll discover that they are people too - most with a generous heart and helpful personality.

You might even discover that your credit was nowhere near as bad as you had built it up in your mind to be. Or, the lender may come back with a little homework for you. Take care of This and That and we'll be able to get you into a home.

The "whammy" of doing it in reverse order like this is that the lender will also share that you will need X thousands of dollars as a down payment to make that happen. Talk about a case of sticker shock!

Obviously, this can be discouraging and disheartening. To overcome one obstacle only run smack dab into another you weren't prepared to tackle? It may start to feel like you are looking up the side of a mountain, the goal of owning a home clearly in your line of sight, but you lack the climbing equipment (not to mention the funds to acquire such) to reach the summit.

It may feel like "that's it, game over" at this point. I know because I, too, approached home ownership azz-backwards like this before I became a Realtor. Felt like someone had ripped a bit of my soul away and left me frustrated and crying inside my heart and mind.

DON'T give up on yourself or your dream of home ownership. Back up, regroup, and attack that goal again. This time, in the correct sequence of events.

"You May Have To Fight A Battle More Than Once To Win It" - Margaret Thatcher

Do this and I promise you that there will be no better feeling in the world than those you experience at the closing table when you are finally handed the keys to your very own home.

Disclaimer: Opinion Editorial for educational and/or informational purposes. Content presented is deemed accurate and/or reliable at the time of authorship. Any errors or omissions present in material(s) are unintentional. You are encouraged to execute your own research.

[antoinettejaeger754]

Tips For Keeping Children Active

In this article, you will learn the secrets to keeping kids active, some restless, and others less. How can you be sure they are making the most of their day? Is every ounce of energy they use useful? Make sure your child's day is full of physical activity. Children need 60 minutes of physical activity each day, including aerobic activity and muscle building, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Find the best Home Child Care Near Me in Stafford, VA

Here are some tips to keep kids active: 1. orientation The first thing that comes to mind when we want our children to be healthy is to play sports. Not all children are interested in sports, they will play and still do not enjoy it.

The good news is, there are many special ways to keep your child active.

Let your kids embark on challenging adventures like team sports.

Orientation can be practiced on a small scale and children will enjoy it.

Various course activities will refresh the children after each small part.

This ensures muscle exercise with a unique touch.

No need to do it yourself, kids can play fun sports to see who completes the course quickly.

2. Scavenger Hunters Ask your child to make a list of things to look for.

Include items on your list such as toys, snacks, etc., and have the kids mark things as they go.

This is a very fun way to get kids moving when they are lazy.

Be sure to give them a nice gift at the end of the hunt so they feel appreciated.

3. Tap to the rhythm Kids love music, we can use music to make them move when they feel lazy.

When you play something with a throbbing rhythm, it can motivate someone who is lazy to move.

Try to arrange a "Tidy Dance" moment when everyone in the house organizes while rocking good music.

Children can pick up their toys or small items during a neat dance session that will prepare them for small tasks when they are at the right age.

4. Play after the leader According to Leader, this is a game that many young children love to play, and this not only keeps the kids active. But it can also help build important motor skills.

Take turns to follow each other around the house and in the field. Be sure to include things like jumping, stretching, and jumping.

5. Play with pets If you are a pet owner, spend some extra time while the kids can play with them with adult supervision. This is the best way to keep children active.

If you do not have a pet, you can always take it to the park and enjoy fun activities such as bird watching.

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Why is Childhood Without Tools Important For Speech Development?

In this article, you will learn why children without tools are so important to improve speech. The first three years of life, when the brain is developing and evolving, are the most intense periods of learning. Speaking and language skills These skills are best developed in a world full of voices, sights, and constant exposure to the speech and language of others.

There seems to be a critical time for speech and language development in infants and toddlers when the brain is able to absorb language well. If you let these critical times pass without touching the language, learning becomes more difficult. Parents often care about their children's food intake. But many people do not know about "language nutrition" that children need to improve their speaking and language skills.

Nowadays, children spend a lot of time in front of the screen. Parents also easily manage their children when they get a screen to see. But the impact on children's language development will be devastating. It can lead to delays in openness (comprehension) and expressive language (speech), lack of hyperactivity, lack of attention, sleep problems, etc.

Why are child-free tools important for speech development in children?

The first few years of a child's life are the most important period for a child's language development. Therefore, the child should have adequate "language nutrition" at that time. Many people will doubt What is "language nutrition"? None other than talking, playing, reading, singing, and so on with your child. Use short, concise sentences when talking to your toddler.

Screen time replaces all parent-child interactions, which are important for social, emotional, verbal, and language development. This can then affect their academics. Children with language delays are able to pronounce words well. But only being able to combine two words together Children with speech delay may use words and phrases to express their thoughts but are difficult to understand.

Speech delay, also known as alalia, these two problems often overlap. Many researchers have studied the subject and have formulated many theories about it. Using screening tools, researchers have found that the longer children use smartphones, tablets, electronic games, and other mobile devices, the more likely they are to delay speech.

Children will learn to talk and communicate through interaction with others. This is how they will learn to communicate well, if they do not communicate, they will not learn. Every minute your child spends less than a minute on the screen that he or she can talk to or study with others. Screen time is the amount of time your child spends on the screen, whether it is a TV or other device. Screen time will run out of the child, which he or she can use by talking and communicating with others.

This example can be well understood if you are taking a bus with your children. Your child has a screen in front of them while they are watching their favorite TV show or playing games so you will not interrupt them talking or Instead, ask something, if he or she does not have the equipment in front of him or her, he or she will talk and communicate with you. Using screening tools, the researchers found that the more parents of children reported handheld screen time, the more delayed their expressive speech, they concluded that the screen time increased. Every 30 minutes at a time, the child, 49 percent is more likely to be at risk of expressive speech delay. Studies show that the more time children between the ages of six months and two years spend on mobile screens such as smartphones, tablets, and electronic games, they tend to experience process delays. So, Find Best Child Care and Day Care Near Me for your kids in Stafford, VA

Here is a simple strategy. But it is very useful to help children develop and strengthen "talking" in their early years.

• Respond to peace in the bay and quarrels.

• Play simple games like peek-a-boo and patty-cake.

Talk a lot with your child. Tell them what you did, what and everything as you did it.

• Read age-appropriate books. If your little one does not care about the text, just discuss the picture. • Plan family trips and excursions. Your new experience gives you something interesting to discuss before, during, and after sightseeing.

• View family photos and discuss them.

• Ask your child lots of questions.

• Do not criticize. Instead, make the correct sentence pattern. • Let your child interact with children who have a slightly better language than children.

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