#and that translates to differences in ppg

[the-physicality]

i watched 5/14/22 W over seattle today and.....

a w is a w, but not a lot of ~good~ basketball happening here

a real nailbiter [but i looked at the box score in advance, for my mental health]

this was of course before sue announced and interestingly enough the announcers [ryan and rebecca] said when they both go, there won't be tour. little did they know

more concerning is that they asked dt about her plans and she gave a hard no re stepping away [which if you recall is very different from the answers we've been getting.. and some may say an answer in and of itself]

[socksjinie]

✿ crime 101 — obsessions and taunts in red ink | taehyung

Ⓒ socksjinie — all rights reserved. do not repost, translate or claim as your own.

synopsis. blossom's life goes into a spiral when she discovers who she has been obsessing over all these years.

genre. powerpuff girls au ; taehyung!brick ; fluff ; angst

pairing. taehyung x blossom

wordcount. 2952

warnings. mentions of fights, beatings, and lots of unresolved angst

a/n. to celebrate the birthday of this really special girl, who is actually bubbles of my real-life ppg's friendship gang. have the happiest day, deo, i love you more than acing my grades, going for my morning runs, and keeping up with my schedule~ෆ

contact with the Rowdyruff Boys had never been the same for Blossom as it had been for her sisters. 

while Bubbles viewed life and people from very early on with positivism that could blind her sometimes and Buttercup had always been one to know how not to mix business with pleasure, Blossom had continuously struggled with both approaches. 

she couldn’t remember Taehyung or his brothers much from when they were little, apart of course the trouble their dad caused around the city—something that she was always responsible for taking care of. her memories of him from that time to middle school were always tainted by the position both he and she occupied. 

they were leaders, even when still children. and while she definitely tried her best to lead her sisters to exemplary behavior, always doing their best to save the city and fight crime, Taehyung did everything opposite with his brothers, so it wasn’t a surprise she didn’t want much to do with him. 

in school, they were rarely paired in the same class. she remembers having more shared teachers with Jimin than Taehyung himself. if she were honest with her priorities, fighting Mojo and his kids was just a side thing for her, her grades and social position came always at number one. 

and boy, being number one made her act crazy… 

that was all she needed to do from the moment she was born. be the number one at fighting crime, be the one setting the example, be the smartest you can be… the list goes on and on, so it wasn’t a surprise that she took that perspective to her personal life too. the only problem was that contrary to her heroine side, in school, she always had the same exact rival to compete with. and that made her want to yank her hair off. 

while Buttercup most times came home with teacher’s notes to their dad, saying she was once again fighting or disturbing class because of Jungkook, and Bubbles would confess at night that maybe Jimin was different or that he wasn’t so bad like his brothers, Blossom had nothing to say. or to worry, really. 

none of the boys was a problem for her, the only thing she needed to sort out was why the hell she wasn’t always number one with her grades in school. 

she knew she had a perfect score, she was the leading student in her own class, but then every time the month ended and she passed by the official board, her student number was second. 

the frustration was consuming her, and it lasted a long while. Buttercup was always making fun of her, most often than not joking about siding with the star of the school as she nicknamed the mystery student to be. Bubbles laughed and went along with the jokes. and Blossom did everything she could to uncover who the number one person was. it became her side project, but to her dismay, one with zero results. 

no matter how she tried, begged, and even baked a full batch of her infamous chocolate cookies to give to her favorite teacher as bribery, no one ever gave in. “it’s against privacy regulations” was what everyone seemed to say when she approached the subject. 

by the end of middle school, she almost lost her head and went through with Buttercup’s plan to steal the information from the school’s office. thankfully that same night they got a call from the Mayor and fighting crime became once more her priority, leading her astray from breaking the rules.

but then, her prayers were magically answered. 

Blossom loved routines, and every day since she was old enough to handle her own money, she stopped by the Cherry Pop. she came to know it almost fatefully, due to a robbery that happened at the store many years ago. at the time a couple of records had been stolen, as well as some of the cashier's earnings, and of course, she found the money with the leader of the Rowdyruffs. it was to expect, but deep down she still thanks Taehyung for introducing her unknowingly to what became to be her favorite store in town. 

and now, here she was, going downtown right after classes to pay the store a visit. it was almost the end of the school year, summer was knocking on the door and the sun's rays were already litting up Townsville. Blossom decided to stop by Cherry Pop’s and listen to the new records she knew had come for the summer when it happened. 

it was a rule Professor—their dad—always insisted they followed: their powers were only to be used when needed. and right at that moment, she didn’t need to hear conversations with her super hearing ability. but she still did. 

right before coming out of the store, she spotted two of her teachers across the street, talking while pointing to something inside a dossier. it seemed like a harmless encounter between the two of them, that later developed into something school related. it was almost the end of eighth grade which meant the final results were about to be hung on that stupid board, and curiosity got the better of Blossom. so she perked her attention to the two of them and begin hearing everything. 

“... Ugh, he’s such a good student… And I bet if it weren’t for that misleading monster they call father he would be such a nice kid too.” 

she watched attentively as Miss Margaret sighed as she agreed. “I know… I wish there was more I could do for them. Somehow, giving him my dusty record player for saving me doesn’t seem quite enough.” 

that piece of information has Blossom’s eyebrows knitting so bad they almost merge together. 

“I just don’t know how he keeps it. Every time – His grades are always up there… I mean. When does he study if he’s always doing his father’s evil deeds and covering up for his brothers when the cops show up? I feel like they are constantly down in the station– At least that’s what Sharon says, you know, her husband works there.”

Blossom has always been quick with her thinking, and by this alone, she thinks anyone would be able to figure out they are talking about Taehyung. no one apart from the Rowdyruffs has an evil dad in Townsville or goes around doing evil deeds like Mr. Clarkson described. and it has to be him because Jungkook can’t even be discussed when it comes to his grades as he doesn’t care enough, and although the covering up part seems like a Jimin thing, she had been in his class last year, she has seen his grades and it doesn’t come without much effort on his end. what shocks her, however, is the part where Taehyung saves Miss Margaret. that isn’t a thing villains do, and she would know, she has been fighting crime ever since she was born. 

“He’s just… Gifted, I reckon.” Miss Margaret’s statement has her snapping out of her thoughts. “He isn’t much of a reader, but I noticed that if he pays enough attention he’s able to remember about the subjects… You must notice it too. Explaining it once to him is enough. That kind of annoying student that comes once in a lifetime, I guess!” she chuckles as Mr. Clarkson agrees. 

“Well, too bad he got that suspension for the graffiti thing… Otherwise, he would definitely come first on the board, once again. And he deserves it. With everything the kid has to go through… I can’t even imagine!” 

suddenly, Blossom isn’t able to focus on the conversation anymore. her world starts to spin in a way she didn’t deem possible. 

Taehyung, the leader of the Rowdyruffs, son of Mojo Jojo, a criminal to heart that she has been fighting ever since… ever, is apparently the star of the school. the student she has been most ardently trying to unmask. the person that she viewed as her most formidable opponent and if she was brave enough to admit, the person she at some point began admiring from a distance. 

it was like suddenly discovering the earth was flat all along. 

that night was hell for Blossom. she had trouble digesting the discoveries and bumping into the protagonist of them later at dawn wasn’t the best option for her fiery angst. the Powerpuffs had received a call about some troublemakers causing a ruckus in the middle of the night, and the cops were adamantly fixated on taking them to the station at any cost, even if said troublemakers had fled the scene of the crime—a graffiti pig dressed as a cop in a brick wall by a well-known bar. 

Blossom had suggested to her sisters they should swipe town apart to cover more terrain, and now that she straight up bumped into Taehyung down an alley next to the Cherry Pop she regretted her decision thoroughly. 

“You!” she grits through her teeth and watches how he turns his head, his side profile shining under the moonlight. 

“What about me?” 

Blossom doesn’t know what frustrates her most. from knowing he is the one she wanted to find so badly to his nonchalant attitude as he turns back once again and proceeds to draw on the alley with his red canned spray, every little thing seems to poke at her somewhat short fuse. 

“It’s you!” she exclaims frustrated, partially embarrassed for not having a grip on her confused emotions or a better thing to say. 

Taehyung looks back at her, a crooked smile adorning his features as he shakes the canned spray, “Uhm, it’s me…? Unless you’re seeing someone else, Red, I’m pretty sure it’s just me –” 

“No, idiot! It’s you as in you’re the student I have to compete with!” 

The boy was about to paint another stroke but halts completely. Under Blossom’s furious gaze, he crouches down to place his canister on the floor before facing her again. 

“You don’t have to compete with me, you want to compete with me. It’s a bit different, Red.” 

“I don’t want to compete with you! Up until fourth grade I didn’t even have competition. I was always first! And then –Suddenly you are always there in that fricking board! It’s my board, my first place!”

“Your first place?” He asks amused as he crosses his arm. “Didn’t seem like it this whole year… Or the one before.” 

Blossom bites the insides of her cheeks as she feels her pink eyes turning hot. the last thing she needed was to burn everything to the ground, including her favorite store, with her laser eyes just because of him. 

“It’s not so fun when people shove it to your face is it?” Taehyung adds. 

“That’s the difference between you and me,” she scoffs bitter, “I would never do such a thing.” 

“Oh, really? You seem to forget that I share the same powers you have, Miss Perfectly Right.” 

there is something hidden in his eyes that Blossom can’t quite figure out. he steps closer to her, and for the first time in her whole life, she views him as daunting, dangerous even. “And I remember quite clearly when you referred to me as a brainless kid to your friends on the patio, nothing but a pebble in your shoes. Guess I’m just fulfilling the description of the job.”

Blossom’s eyes fall to the damp concrete ground, searching for her past memories and balling her fists to the possibility of her being unjust with someone. but he was a Rowdyruff. they were the bad guys… so what if she called him an airhead? 

“You don’t even remember, do you?” Taehyung searches for her eyes as he scoffs. there is no ounce of anger in it like she expected it to be. he was just… disappointed. 

gulping down and sticking to her pride, Blossom shrugs. she did remember the moment now that he talked about it, and she did indeed make less of him but that was how she felt at the time, and at the moment she is still too reluctant to acknowledge he is any different than that. 

“Whatever. I guess it serves you right.” he kicks the spray canister he had been using to paint, “Good luck trying to be first from now on.” 

leaving no room for response, he flees the scene with a swoosh. 

Blossom’s shoulders sink and her world doesn’t stop spinning. just like that she is faced with the feeling that perhaps she is being the villain in someone else’s story. 

she hears the cops’ sirens from a distance and quickly retrieves the canister that had rolled up to the sidewalk, taking it with her as she flies home. 

for the months to come, Blossom keeps to herself. Taehyung isn’t in her class, again, and she is somehow relieved by it. the only time she sees him is whenever they have to fight each other and it always ends up being a rollercoaster of emotions for her. she takes the opportunity to release her pent-up anger toward him, but then, every time he ends up being arrested or badly hit by herself, her chest stings differently and she ends up returning home with a bad taste in her mouth. 

his good grades never stop coming nevertheless, which frustrates her to the point that even though she rarely bumps into him in school, she begins having trouble focusing on her studies. which is a first—one that she wished had never happened. 

and after the first half of ninth grade of her watching her world collapse around her, Taehyung decides it would be fun to poke at her wound a bit more and so he starts leaving badly drawn doodles of her face around school with words such as “wuss” or “loser”. 

at first, it was in her locker, which bothered her but not so much. a wet tissue resolved the problem pretty fast. but then when later on Patty Conklin started making a fuss for seeing it behind the gymnasium, the whole school started making funny faces as Blossom passed by in the halls. 

Buttercup threatened everyone with her looks as she started more and more coming to Blossom’s side in the hallways. and Bubbles was always turning the tables with reversible psychology or as she called it “leverage gossip”. but that was bothering Blossom more than Taehyung’s little revenge. 

she didn’t need people coming to her rescue. 

and so something in her blossomed. for the rest of ninth grade she fought harder, focused more, participated in more activities, studied better, and by the end of it not only did she come as a top student with several acclamations that their dad was sure to hang in their fridge but she also found her first boyfriend—Dexter. 

throughout the entirety of summer, she was able to put past her the whole Taehyung graffiti incident. she had managed to bump into him only twice, both being part of her job as he was once again involved with crime. and for the rest of it, she enjoyed going out with her sisters, or hanging with Dexter as they strolled around savoring milkshakes or the new records arriving at Cherry Pop. life felt normal again, the world was once more round and it spun her way. 

but then came the beginning of tenth grade. 

for the first time in years, she and Taehyung shared classes. not only that but someone in the secretariat thought it would be better for the students to have lockers placed near the classes they would be going to, and suddenly she had to see Taehyung’s annoying grin every morning before the first bell rang. their lockers being right across from each other. 

“Morning, Red.” he would say like a well-programmed clock as he leaned in his metal cabinet, red cap boyishly back, arms defiantly crossed. 

“Mind your business, Jojo.” she would hear Dexter approach like a knight in shining armor, scowling at the Rowdyruff, before she could snap at the boy herself. 

in return, Taehyung would send him a sly smile, not at all bothered by his presence. “Your panties already twisted, Dex? So soon? Sheesh.” 

and of course Dexter balled his fists annoyed, Taehyung knew how to get under his skin. Or everyone else’s for that matter. but Dexter also knew he was no opponent for a boy who could conjure fire with his hands, therefore his threats were just that... threats. 

“Go find yourself a wall to paint, airhead.” Blossom would come to the rescue and between her remarks and the way Dexter always kissed her cheek, placing his arm around her neck as they walked away, the smile would fade from Taehyung’s lips. 

although exhausting, it was a routine that Blossom was used to. she could even say that every time he would get into heated arguments with her while in class due to different points of view or better, due to pure spite, it was the fire she needed to boost her throughout the day. she wouldn’t change it. 

but it was only when he began missing classes the week after the Halloween party that she realized how much she didn’t want to change it. 

weeks turned to months, hatred turned into longing, and the heart she thought belonged to Dexter had always been in the hands of another. it had all been there, kept in a forgotten drawer much like the red paint spray canister with a cherry doodle that she looked at resentfully every now and then.  on its bottom, the words that taunted her for the years to come in his absence. Taehyung wuz here.

[ back to masterlist ]

[theanimeview]

Reboots: They’re for who?

When I was interning a handful of summers ago, I remember talking with a handful of editors and peers about our favorite comic to television adaptations. I said honestly that I am not a fan of Teen Titans Go because I don’t think it has a lot of substance when compared to Teen Titans or Young Justice. It’s a problem I have with a lot of reboots, and I remember distinctly one of the editors saying that reboots “aren’t for you.” That’s a fair statement, they’re not for me specifically, they’re for... who exactly?

What the editor meant, I believe, is that a reboot isn’t really for the original fans of a series. It’s for a new generation to experience the characters and become fans. The characters we see from one show to another are kind of like reincarnated versions--they may have similar names and art styles but, the characters are kind of new because their stories are new. I think that this is often correct. However, I want to disagree a little with the idea that reboots aren’t aimed for older fans. Good reboots should have something that the older fans can enjoy too. I say this because clearly reboots in some ways market to the audience that watched the previous iteration(s), sort of like a big sign saying, “Hey, remember this show you loved as a kid? The one that we sold a lot of for a long time? Yeah? Great! Why don’t you check out our new version and show it to your kids/younger siblings/others?!” Their’s nothing really wrong with that, its an effective sales/marketing strategy, but for it to work the new iteration needs to have something old fans will appreciate.

A great example is My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - the series takes the older characters, characters that fans of the previous iterations have loved for a long time, and translates them to the current climate of television, allowing for a new generation of fans to fall in love with the characters. The new show still holds some elements of the underlying message that the original show or stories held. What I mean is that My Little Pony has always focused on friendships and what it means to be a good friend; this message has carried on over the years to what we see today. The old fans can appreciate that the morals or backbone of the show are still there and the new fans can fall in love with these reborn-characters on their own.  

I remember watching the vintage version of MLP on youtube in middle school and loving it. When the new version came out around my junior year of high school, I never quite got into the show again, but when my nieces started watching it, I had no problem enjoying episodes in passing. The same thing happened in college when many of my friends liked binge-watching seasons of it on Netflix. While I still wasn’t a die-hard fan again, I enjoyed that the friendship elements were still there and felt comforted that my nieces not only enjoyed a collection of characters I had loved previously but also by the fact that the show was still teaching aspects of how to be a good friend and responsible individual. MLP FIM is a perfect example, to me, of what a reboot should be. It’s easy to merchandise to new and old fans (which the company producing it will like), it’s still got the elements needed for the nostalgic appreciation and a revival of the fandom in older viewers, and it provides something a new generation can enjoy. If I’m babysitting and my nieces and they say let’s watch it, I’m 100% down for the reasons stated above.

Now let’s look at shows like Teen Titans Go from 2013, or The Powerpuff Girls 2016. Are the shows merchandisable, of course--but do they hold true to the same values that we saw in the originals? I would say, No.

Teen Titans was a beloved show. We saw a mix of comedy and adventure expected of a story with teen superheroes, but we also saw some serious elements befitting characters who are transitioning between childhood and adulthood-for all intents and purposes-alone. They’re, in many ways, outcasts who are bound together by their friendship and a mission to protect the planet from harm. Their episodes are memorable and often have a deeper underlying message. In many ways, the show begins with an examination of crime, and the adult world at large, as being one of black-and-white. It’s how children often see the world, but as the series progress or even single episodes, characters learn that there is a lot more grey area and nuances than we previously thought or understood.

Like, I remember the episode “Sum of His Parts” where Cyborg confronts, not for the last time, challenges with his disability as a half-man, half-machine individual. While the robotic parts give him great abilities most of the time, there are situations where they become more of a hindrance than helpful. It was a meaningful episode that allows us to see that despite having a cool robotic exterior, and the name “Cyborg,” the character himself is a human being with complex emotions that will not always show on his face or in his interactions with others. When I first saw the episode, I remember Cyborg’s last line, “I am just like you, but it’s not your arm that makes us the same, its the stuff that’s connected to it.” It reflects a lot about the character and the emotions he has, as well as stating something about image and what’s inside. While I don’t have a robotic arm, I felt like a part of me was reflected in his character in that episode because I have insecurities (everyone does), and while I sometimes hide them well it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I also remember the episode “Troq,” in which Starfire faces racism. She and her team (once they are informed of how she is being treated) must set aside their anger for the greater good. It’s a difficult episode for many reasons, the most important of which is that 1. Racism still exists and is something people must fight against 2. Sometimes you have to work with your enemy to prevent a greater evil from taking place. Both are difficult to accept, especially as children, but they’re realities of our world. As I get older, both seem to become more prevalent in my life, particularly the later as sometimes you have to work with awful people to get a job done. Even the former though is something I’ve had to see and face in life.

The original Powerpuff Girls, likewise to TT, had memorable episodes not so much for their imagery but for their stories. For example, “Equal Fights” is an episode I may never forget. In it, a female thief behaving like a radical who hates men points out to the PPGs that women have suffered a lot in history and uses this as an excuse for her behavior. It seems almost justified as retribution against the patriarchy for how women have suffered, at least, until the PPGs’ primary female role-models step to remind the girls and the audience that two wrongs don’t make a right. The common theme with these memorable episodes in these memorable shows is that we, the audience, should learn something from the presented morals and ideas. They encourage us to think more about our situations and our autonomy in society.

Overall, these shows attempted to help children navigate the difficult world around them--that is what made them beloved by their audience. Perhaps the greatest proof of this is that new shows that have gained popularity today seem to continue this message of helping youth transition into thoughtful adults - like, Steven Universe.

However, some of the reboots seemed to have missed this point entirely. Rather than aiming to create an encouraging message for kids, they instead aim to briefly entertain--like a meme. The episodes aren’t memorable, not really. I think the most memorable thing I’ve seen from Teen Titans Go is "Let's Get Serious!" where Young Justice characters make a unique appearance. Aqualad critiques the Teen Titan Team about their ridiculousness and, in all, a very meta-episode in which the end leads us to believe that Teen Titans Go is just supposed to be a joke and we shouldn’t be so serious all the time about a children’s show. Ha Ha. (Let that sarcastic laugh sink in.)

I don’t have kids (yet), but I have nieces and nephews that I care about--and I know how easily kids can be led astray or tricked. Hell--I remember being a kid and how easily adults could manipulate me and my peers simply because they hold the authority. Adults can be manipulated too, I mean look at the Milgram Experiment. So when I look at these poorer reboots and see nothing of substance, when I look and see things that seem to encourage stupidity and lack of thought, I don’t feel like letting them watch the show because some of them aren’t old enough to understand that Beast Boy’s inability to open a textbook is supposed to be a joke. Particularly when he “saves the day” at the end. Sure, I can laugh at it, because I can see it as a joke, but one of my nephews might see a cool and funny superhero shoving a banana into his ear and think “that’s funny, I’ll do it too to make someone laugh” and end up with an ear infection (which is something a friend of mine’s little brother actually did).

In the case of Teen Titans Go, perhaps the creators really do intend for it all to be a joke, like a subversion of the original’s message(s). But then that, to me, is evidence that these are not truly marketed to a new generation of viewers--it’s marketed to the adults that watched the show previously. The joke is that the series is meant to be a form of high comedy with low comedy dialogue (if you don’t know what high comedy and low comedy are, please see here: https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/tell-me-about-origins-comedy-whats-difference-276012). If it is, in fact, not for the older audience, but to a growing generation, then I don’t think the joke is a good one because in some cases it insults the audience’s intelligence and in others overestimates the still-developing cognitive abilities of some viewers.

If TTG is for the former audience, I can appreciate it as a joke. I mean that sincerely, as I’ve found a handful of episodes to be funny and enjoyable. However, I would not recommend the show to kids.

As for I’ve seen some of PPG 2016, I can’t remember anything story-wise, only a collection of meme-like images, like the girls twerking. It’s, again, a show I wouldn’t want kids watching simply because it doesn’t seem to have any value--even from a comedic standpoint.

Of the reboots I’m mentioning, there are many more.

In conclusion, I think that good reboots are intended to be primarily for a new generation of viewers but also hold something that a majority of the previous iteration(s)’s audience(s) can appreciate or even love. Bad reboots focus on the “instant gratification” of entertainment and seem to ignore part of what made the originals so great. They seem to be created for meme-like instant laughs, not memorable content. That seems like a flaw to me but clearly works as a selling point for some shows. Of the two reboot examples I gave, TTG continues. Why? Probably because it holds comedic value to an older audience while providing content that’s not entirely unstable for kids to see. PPG, though, struggled with its release because it didn’t really have value to the older audience that formerly loved the show and relied to much on instant comedy to create a storyline that would keep a younger audience interested. 

Essentially, TTG assumes that the new audience is smart enough to understand that the Teen Titan team is acting stupid. It likewise creates comedy that the older audience can laugh at. TTG will never have the same level of appreciation for storytelling that it’s original once provided, but it’s not intending to. PPG’s creators may have had similar intentions, but didn’t fulfill. 

[k-liight]

Green Hearts

wow. my first fanfiction in almost two years and it's another self-insert fic. XD well, I've been working on this PPG self-insert thing on and off for a couple months now and finished it last night instead of doing my homework, oops. small warning for swearing (mostly on my part) and some smoking (that's all on Ace lmao). this will likely be a two-shot, but hopefully someone can enjoy this first part for now!

               To say that Townsville is a weird city would be an understatement. What with all the crazy things in it—giant 80’s-esque monsters, mutant animals, child superheroes, boys with green skin, even fashionable demons—this place was fucking bizarre. But I kind of like that about this city. It’s definitely a lot more exciting than my former small-town home. Sure, the zany assortment of villains makes things a little dangerous, but hey, I need a little danger in my life. Besides, I don’t have much to worry about with the Powerpuff Girls protecting the city.

               Except, maybe, for the Puffs themselves getting on me for hanging out with the Gangreen Gang.

               Yeah, a lot of people would say that I shouldn’t be spending time with delinquents like them. But the guys of the Gangreen Gang were the first people to genuinely care about me as a person in a long time. And from what I got from interacting with them, the feeling was mutual. We’ve got more in common than I could’ve ever thought—we’re all just lonely, misunderstood people who have been judged and outcasted just for being different. They’ve never really had any friends outside of each other, and me, well, every good friend I’ve ever had eventually cut me off. And besides, I never took part in any illegal activities with them. I just liked to hang out at their shack and eat pizza with them.

               Which is what I’m getting ready to do right now. I already picked up the fresh hot pizza—I bought it with my own hard-earned money, mind you—and heading towards their dump hideout. Crazy thought, me hanging out with guys like them. I still remember the day we met. I was just sitting in the park with my headphones on, drawing like I always do and minding my own business, I turn my head away for two seconds to look at a pigeon and some snot-nosed kid decides to snatch my sketchbook from me. Of course, I took off running after the dumb brat, but I’m a terrible runner, so I basically had no hope of catching the little punk. That is, until we both came face-to-face with the green guys themselves. I basically stopped right when the kid did, but I was too shocked to snatch my sketchbook back from him. Green skin?? Was something wrong with them???

               “Well well well, what do we have here, boys?” Ace taunted, staring the child down.

               “It ssseemsss we’ve gotsss a loner,” Snake hissed mischievously.

               “He’s got a sketchbook, boss!” Arturo exclaimed, pointing at it. That made me finally snap out of my trance.

               “Actually, that’s my sketchbook he’s got,” I interjected. “Can you give me that back now, kid?”

               “Nuh-uh!” the kid teased, sticking his tongue out at me. “It’s my sketchbook!”

               “No it isn’t!” I yelled.

               “Yes it is!” he yelled back. “My sketchbook! My drawings!”

               “Art theft! Art theft!”

               “Lemme see dat!” Ace finally cut our argument short by snatching the sketchbook away from the kid. The rest of the gang looked over his shoulders as he opened it up and skimmed through the pages. Their eyes widened.

               “Oooooh!” Billy gasped.

               “Ehh, no offense, kid, but these are way too good for someone your age to draw,” Ace said. Grubber made one of his signature raspberry noises in response.

               “I think the girl’s telling the truth,” Arturo agreed. The kid turned his nose up and hmphed.

               “You’re no fun!” he yelled. And with that, he stormed away.

               “Eh he wasn’t no fun either,” Ace scoffed. I stood there, waiting for them to return my sketchbook to me, but instead they kept on looking through it. So, I thought I may as well make conversation.

               “Hey uh, thanks for getting my sketchbook away from that kid for me,” I said, scratching the back of my neck sheepishly.

               “Don’t worry about it,” Ace deadpanned, not looking up from the pages.

               “Thessse are really good,” Snake said.

               “Oh, uhh, thank you…” I shuffled my feet a bit. I wasn’t used to people seeing my art like this.

               “Thisss one’sss essspecially niccce.” Snake pressed one of his long fingers against the page.

               “Which one?” I came closer to the boys to see which drawing Snake was referring to. “Oh, that one?” I asked, upon discovering he was looking at a doodle of one of my fantasy characters. “Thanks.”

               “So how long you been doin’ dis thing, anyway?” Ace asked.

               “Oh, pfft, long time. Since like, seventh grade, I think.” I have a terrible sense of time and my memory is even worse.

               “Awesssome.” Snake crossed his arms and smiled. I side-eyed them for a second or two before speaking up again.

               “…So who are you guys, anyway?”

               “Who are we?” Ace smirked and shoved my sketchbook into my arms, proudly pointing to himself. “We’re the Gangreen Gang! I’m Ace, and that’s Billy, Arturo, Grubber, and Snake.” He pointed to the other guys respectively.

               “Well uh, it’s very nice to meet you all!” I smiled. “You can call me Light.” I figured since most of them were using nicknames why not use mine? I held my hand out for Ace to shake, but he gave it a high-five instead.

               “You ain’t so bad, Light,” he said. “Maybe we’ll sees each otha’ around sometime.”

               “Yeah, see you guys!” I said as they walked away. I didn’t think I would ever actually see them again. But as it turned out, we couldn’t stop running into each other. The bank, the mall, the town square, the supermarket—seemed like everywhere I went they were there too. Usually wreaking havoc, but that’s beside the point. Every time, we would give each other a holler or chit-chat in the middle of whatever we were doing, until one day Ace invited me to their place. (Actually, it was Grubber that invited me, but Ace had to translate for me.) Of course, I couldn’t say no to that. Then one visit turned to multiple visits, and before I knew it we were constantly hanging out. I found out very quickly that word gets around freakishly fast in Townsville, and soon enough everyone was talking about the Gangreen Gang’s “little friend” (I am not little, I’m 5’10”). So it didn’t take very long for the Powerpuff Girls to find out about me, either. It took a lot of convincing to assure them that I wasn’t a threat, but eventually they got the gist. They still kept a watchful eye on me, though.

               In fact, they had their suspicions when I went to pick up this pizza. Those girls, they figured out that I only carry a pizza around like this when I’m going to visit the gang. I gotta give them credit for being so smart for their age. Soon enough, I notice the gang’s little shack in sight. I quicken my pace, a little paranoid that the pizza already went cold, until I stop at the door. Since they’re used to me by now, and my hands are too full to knock, I kick the door open with my foot.

               “Special delivery!” I yell enthusiastically.

               “Eyy, Light’s here!” Arturo says.

               “Pizza time!” Billy cheers.

               The little shack is abuzz with excitement, which is nice to hear. Aw yeah, being friends with them is the best. There’s just one little problem…

               “Hey! How’sss it goin’, Light?”

               …A slithery little problem.

               “Ooohhh, hey Snake!” I set the pizza box down, and everyone digs in. “It’s going good. Same old same old.” I can feel my face heating up already. Not good. Snake shuffles towards me and grabs a slice of pizza.

               “Thanksss for getting the food,” he says, leaning against the table. Grubber gives a raspberry while smiling and flashing a thumbs-up. I’m still not fluent in Grubber-speak, but that sounded like a “yeah, it’s delicious!”

               “Oh it’s no problem,” I say, taking a bite of my own slice. “And I love pizza as much as you guys so win-win!”

               Snake chuckles a bit. Also not good. He slinks down in his seat, then flashes me a charming smile while patting the chair beside him.

               “Sssit down.”

               “Eheh, well if everyone else is sitting…” I get down into the chair, even more flustered. Shit, we’re close. I can really get a good look at his features from here. But before I can get into that, Ace plops down in the chair on the other side of me.

               “Hey, Light!” He smiles with his arms wide.

               “Ey yo Ace!” I give him a high-five, then another down low, then our hands interlock as if we’re about to arm wrestle. It’s kind of our secret handshake.

               “What’s up, man?” Ace asks, casually leaning back in his chair.

               “Oh not a lot,” I say, crossing my ankles. “Just hangin’ around.”

               “Man nothin’ ain’t eva’ up with you,” Ace complains. “But boy, have we been havin’ a hell of a time lately!”

               He then gets into some long, drawn-out story about fighting the Puffs or whatever, but I space out for a second to glance at Snake out of the corner of my eye. Good, he’s not looking. I turn my head a bit and dare to look at him a little more. He’s staring straight ahead of him, giving me a good view of his profile. He’s done with his pizza and now absentmindedly twirling a lock of his raven hair with a slender finger. His forked tongue pokes out from time to time, almost going past that long, pointy nose. His cheeks have a slight rosy tint, which stands out against the rest of his green complexion. His dark lips are parted just a bit. And oh man, his eyes. Those slanted, crimson eyes, wide and twinkling with ever-present curiosity and framed by long, dark eyelashes. A lot of people think he’s funny-looking, but I find him rather alluring. Plus he’s got that personality—so slick, so confident, and yet so adorable. He’s a bad boy with a cutesy side. Hell, it’s no wonder I fell for the guy. Every time I’m around him he pulls me into a trance without even trying and—

               Snap snap!

               “Earth to Light, are ya listenin’?” Ace snaps me out of my daze, quite literally.

               “Huh?” I pull myself away from Snake to face the rest of the gang.

               “I’ll take dat as a no.” Ace facepalms.

               “Pay attention, you dummy,” Grubber spits out.

               “I’m not a dummy,” I huff at him, crossing my arms. I know exactly what that raspberry meant.

               “In her defenssse, I wasss a little ssspaccced out myssself,” Snake admits.

               “Oh really?” Ace raises an eyebrow.

               “What about?” Arturo asks.

               “I’sss dunno. Life ssstuff I guessss.”

               “Same,” I casually remark, hoping to mask the real reason for my daze.

               “Yeah right,” Ace snickers. The rest of the gang, save for Snake, joins in. I glare at them. There’s no way they know about my crush—right??!

               “The hell are you guys on about?”

               Billy giggles mischievously. Wait, Billy? Mischievous? Something’s wrong.

               “Heehee… you’re in lo—”

               “Quiet, you.” Arturo cuts him off with a swift jab to his side. My stomach does about ten backflips. They do know. Shit. I’m in trouble now.

               “Whatever.” I roll my eyes and grab another slice of pizza, but I don’t know if I’ll actually be able to eat it.

               “You guysss are ssso weird.” Snake reaches down and grabs a soda from who-knows-where.

               “Right?” I smile. “And I thought I was weird. Oh, could you get me one of them?”

               “Sure.” Snake’s hair falls over his shoulders as he stretches down to get another soda. Oh man, that hair. His hair alone is enough to make me lose it. So long and sleek, and it swooshes so nicely—ahem. I need to stop that train of thought before Ace snaps his fingers in my face again.

               “Here yousss go.” Snake sets the soda down in front of me. He smiles—it’s just a little smile, but it’s enough to make my heart skip a few beats.

               “T-thanks…” I smile back, lifting the can with a shaky hand. God, when did it get this bad? No wonder the rest of the guys knew. Then again, I shouldn’t have been surprised; I’ve always made things so goddamn obvious. I just hope Snake himself doesn’t see right through me.

               “Well now what’re we gonna do?” Arturo asks. Grubber spits out a response.

               “No, Grubber, we’sss not playing poker,” Snake counters.

               “Actually,” Ace begins, “before we’s get started on anythin’, I’m gonna talk ta Light for a sec.”

               I gulp down my sip of soda in mild surprise. “Okay?”

               “Ooohhh, you’re in trouble~” Arturo taunts.

               “Shut up, shrimpy,” I taunt back with a wink. He growls as Ace and I walk out the door.

               Ace leads me about 20 or 30 feet away to a piece of concrete barrier that probably served a purpose at one point but was nothing more than a makeshift bench for the gang now. We sit down, him first and then me. He pulls out a cigarette from his pocket and lights it. I never bothered trying to talk him out of smoking. In fact, he would probably only smoke more just to spite me. He looks straight ahead of him, puffing out his smoke, then he turns to look at me with a small smirk, green eyes just barely peeking out from behind his sunglasses.

               “I know yous got the hots for Snake,” he says.

               I immediately start coughing. I’m not even sure if I choked on air or if I’m just faking it out of nervousness. Fuck, I should’ve known that’s what this was about.

               “Wha—I, haha, you’re nuts.” I casually take a sip of my soda, trying to mask my embarrassment.

               “Light.” Ace’s tone is more serious than I’ve ever heard it before. He might not always be the sharpest tool in the shed, but by the very unimpressed look on his face, I can tell there’s no bullshitting my way out of this one.

               “Alright. You got me. I’m in love with Snake. There, I said it.” I turn away from him and exhale sharply. “Fuck.”

               “Well now that that’s been settled, I’m startin’ ta get a little tired of waitin’ for ya ta make a freakin’ move already.”

               Wait, what?

               “I’m sittin’ the’e and you two are oglin’ each otha’ and there’s all kinds’a tension but neitha’ o’ ya are doin’ anything and I can’t stand it anymore!

               Hold up, is he suggesting that Snake could possibly like me back?? No way.

               “And he ain’t gonna do nuttin’ cuz he’s too shy, so if you don’t hurry up an’ make a move I’m gonna do it for ya!”

               Snake? Shy? How cute.

               “Ya unde’stand, Light?” Ace’s piercing eyes bore into my soul with a commanding look while cigarette smoke blows out of his nostrils. If I wasn’t close friends with the guy, I’d be scared shitless.

               “Y-yeah yeah, I understand completely. But jeez Ace, you’re talking about the actual love of my life here. You know I have poor social skills, I have to muster up all my courage just to ask a stranger for directions! You think it’s gonna be easy for me to confess my undying love to someone as amazing as Snake?!”

               “Hey.” Ace claps a hand on my shoulder, shaking me a bit. “I neva’ sez it was gonna be easy. But anythin’s easia’ than sufferin’, right?”

               I chuckle. “I dunno man, I’ve been suffering in other areas for years already…”

               “Well we’s been sufferin’ every goddamn day of our lives.” He takes another drag at this statement. “But if there’s anythin’ we can do to take our minds off’a it, even for a bit, we’s gonna do it. An’ fo’ what it’s worth, we likes havin’ ya around, so we wouldn’t gets tired o’ ya too soon if ya dated one o’ us. Besides, Snake needs hisself a goilfriend.”

               He stands up, taking one last smoke before dropping the cigarette and stomping it out with his foot.

               “Damn, who knew you of all people could be so inspirational?” I shoot him a smirk as I hoist my own ass off the slab. He makes a face as he lets everything he just said to me sink in.

               “I sure as hell didn’t.”

               There’s a moment of silence, and then we both crack up laughing.

               “Ace, ya goof…” I chuckle, holding my stomach a bit.

               “Hey, I’m serious when I sez yous gotta go after Snake, got it?” He’s still laughing too.

               “Yeah yeah, I get’cha.” I’m a little less nervous about the whole ordeal now, knowing that Ace pretty much spat all his advice out without really thinking.  We head back to the shack, and enter to see pieces of the pizza box ripped and scattered all over the shack, with Snake and Grubber arm wrestling. Grubber has a look of concentration, while Snake’s face just looks pained.

               “Ow! Ssstop sssqueezing my hand ssso hard!”

               Grubber scowls and spits out something—did he just call Snake a wimp??

               “C’mon Snake, you can do it!” Arturo cheers.

               “Yeah, go Snake!” I join in. Meanwhile Billy throws some the torn pieces of the box up in the air like confetti.

               “I leave the shack for five minutes and dis is what I come back to??” Ace flicks a falling piece of the box away from his face in annoyance. I watch as Snake struggles to overpower Grubber. They both have rather flimsy-looking arms, but Grubber admittedly has more visible muscle. His bicep bulges as Snake’s arm shakes—jeez, I hope it doesn’t snap in half. Suddenly, Grubber gains more strength and slams Snake’s arm on the table.

               “Wooooooo!!” Billy cheers, stomping his feet and shaking the whole damn place.

               “Way to go, Grubber,” Arturo says, clapping slowly.

               “Aww, good try Snake.” I sit back down beside him as he shakes his hand.

               “That wasss a bad idea. My wrissst isss gonna hurt for daysss now.”

               “Oh I’m sure you’ll be alright soon,” I assure him.

               “Hey Snake?” Ace plops down in a chair next to me.

               “Yesss?” Snake says, blinking those big red eyes. Ace slaps my back.

               “Light here has somethin’ ta ask ya.”

               “What?!” Goddammit Ace, why are you throwing me into this so soon?!

               “I literally just told ya!”

               “I didn’t think you wanted me to do it right now!”

               “What did you sssay to her?” Snake sternly asks, crossing his arms.

               “Fine then, don’t do it,” Ace scoffs, turning his back to me and ignoring Snake’s question. Snake raises one of his thick eyebrows.

               “I am ssso confusssed…”

               “Oh it’s nothing,” I lie. “He’s just being an asshole.” Well, that part isn’t exactly a lie.

               “Typical.” Snake giggles a little and rolls his eyes.

               I hang out at the shack for about another hour or so, then I decide it’s getting a little late. I grab one last soda for the road and make my way out the door.

               “Seeya guys!” I say while smiling and waving my hand.

               “Yer really gonna up and leave just like that?” Ace asks. He’s glaring at me with an irritated expression. I feel my eyebrows curve upward.

               “Ace…”

               “C’mon now.” He crosses his arms and taps his foot.

               “Accce, quit ssscaring her,” Snake scold, hands on his hips. “Look at her, she’sss shaking.”

               I am? Fuck, that’s not good. I gotta get out of here. So I make a run for it. 

               When I’m outside of the dump, I stop to catch my breath. Way to go, me. I just made a goddamn fool out of myself. Snake was nice enough to stand up for me, and I didn’t even say thanks? What an idiot I am. Ace was right. I should’ve just worked up the courage to ask him out right then and there when I had the chance.

part two

[charmergirl2468]

Thanks to a mix of watching Weeblynews talking about Danganronpa fan games and the fact I have two different versions of rpg maker, I’ve been thinking about the possibility of making my own DR fan game. I’m not saying it’s a definite thing, considering my most passionate project using rpg maker got shelved and has since been barely touched, but it’s definitely got my mind going into what I could do if I actually had the resources to do it. So maybe I could list out the ideas and see if anyone else, or even myself in the future once I get a computer, would want to use them for their own fan game.

1. Ultimate Talents

These are just some cool ideas for ultimate talents for characters I might build on if I ever a) commission someone to draw characters or b) evolve my drawing style past ppg. That’s probably never going to happen but here are some cool talents!

The Ultimate Forensic Scientist

For the love of Ra, give Forensics some Ra damn credit! Detectives are cool and all but they aren’t the ones doing autopsies, dna tests, or ballistic analysis! While I can see where several walls appear having someone who’s able to figure everything out, I also see it as an opportunity to get really creative with murders. Like someone was able to fuck with the time of death by sticking a body in a freezer, or melting off fingerprints. The possibilities are endless! Also, forensic scientists are only the one doing tests and running analysis on evidence. And considering how much meticulous care goes into preserving evidence, I can see an ultimate forensic scientist being very ocd when it comes to evidence and who has what. Or not being able to fully put the evidence together into a case until the class trial. Go hog wild with this, DR fandom!

The Ultimate Cryptozoologist

For those who don’t know, cryptozoology is a science that deals with the likes of big foot, the lochness monster, and other local legends. Cryptozoologist essentially try to prove the existence of these creatures with evidence. That’s how we know about Komodo dragons! They were just cryptids before they were found to be real! I can see the ultimate Cryptozoologist being the one to discover Komodo Dragons But gave the credit away like Miu did with her contact invention. Not out of seeing it useless like Miu did, but for some other reason. Like saying the real dude who found them did most of the work and should have the credit, or getting bored with Komodo Dragons once they were proven real and moving on to find another cryptid. I can imagine an ultimate Cryptozoologist character being a lot like Kaito in that they’d be very chill mostly, easily excitable, and hyper focusing on discovering cryptids. Yeah, 10$ says if anyone made that character, they’d be the fan favorite XD

The Ultimate Camper

This might sound like a rip off of Rantaro’s talent, but hear me out. While our favorite Avocado traverses the world by boat and gets into hyjinks, our theoretical ultimate camper would most likely just park themselves down wherever they can. They’re kinda like a backpacker but instead of perfectly safe hotels, they make a camp site wherever they Damn well please. They’d probably be very high energy and sweet, and have a lot of survival knowledge at hand, but fucking clueless when it comes to socializing with other humans. There’s also the possibility of suspicion being thrown they’re way once someone goes stabby stabby since they’d probably know enough about hunting to kill someone. Wether or not they have the spine to do it is up to what the writer demands.

The Ultimate Translator

Translating things takes a serious amount of skill to even attempt! Imagine someone being able to do any language they damn well desire at the drop of a hate! This idea probably works best in a setting where more than one language is spoken, but I can see it working out with the right writer. An Ultimate Translator would probably be pretty pleasant to be around, kinda like Kirumi but less mom friend vibes. There’s also the angle of them being able to speak and understand most languages, but doesn’t quite getting basic interaction. Like high fives being a mystery to them and modern slang confuses the hell outta them.

Those are the four best ideas I have for talents, so let’s move on to the next part.

2. Setting Ideas

This section is probably going to be messier, since it’s not as easily organizable, but this whole post is just for the sake of tossing out ideas.

•More international students

I love the Japanese angle as much as the next otaku, but there are so many more talents that aren’t part of Japan at all. For starters, American Football. There is an easy way to stereotype American men with an ultimate football player and fuck his shit up with a Killing Game. Hell, Danganronpa: Kill/Cure has students from China, Africa, and a fucking Native American! It ain’t hard, just do the bare minimum of research!

•LGBT representation

I know Kodaka tried to hint at lgbt rep with Chihiro, Juzo, Kokichi, and Tenko but only one of them explicitly said they were gay. And he was a raging douche canoe for over half of DR3! So maybe we can have more explicit lgbt characters. Gay characters, lesbians, bisexuals, demisexuals, trans characters, the possibilities are endless! Again, all it takes is bare minimum research. Maybe ask a few lgbt people for a solid character just to be safe.

•Move outside Japanese High School

I know that most fan games try to stay in Japan for the most part since the canon series takes place there. But there’s a whole, huge world to make murder schools in! Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a school! A killing game can take place in an abandoned army base in South America. Or a laboratory in Russia. DRv3 took place in a prison school, so there’s a step in the right direction!

3. Misc.

These are just ideas that popped into my head as I was thinking about my version of a Killing Game. Can’t fit them anywhere else so these get they’re own section.

Monokami: A wolf version of Monokuma because I like wolves. Probably would be more playful and food driven.

An international school of ultimates so there’d be a more diverse cast

Having a theme of justice vs. apathy. Seeing as society has become so apathetic that we let crimes like theft, assault, and mugging happen without bating an eye. While someone with too much justice might become Batman

[layceland]

So, heres a translation of the new villanous animation I did for @zwagyzonk, full of author notes no one asked for uwu Enjoy it <3

Bh Narrator: Welcome, clients desperately waiting for an evil help, to the orientation videos from Blackhat Organization™. Get ready for another season on what you /don't/ have to do, here in the “lost cases of-”

Original The Powerpuff Girls Narrator: “-Townsville!” A city that possesses one of the most diverse and dangerous collection of villains in the-

Bh Narrator: hey hey, wait a minute, who the heck are you?

Ppg Narrator: Me? I'm the narrator.

Bh Narrator: In your dreams, /I/ am the narrator.

Ppg Narrator: What are you talking about?! /I’ve/ always been the narrator of “Townsville!”.

Bh Narrator: but we are /not/ in Townsville.

Ppg Narrator: but, but-

Bh Narrator: get out of here. Townsville! A pacific place, always protected by- Ugh, who cares. Now I present to you, Lord BlackHat!

Blackhat: Welcome, disgusting cockroaches-

Flug: U-uh, sir?

Blackhat: *growling*

Flug: I-I just wanted to say that you look gloriously evil today-

Blackhat: In this occasion, we are analyzing one of the most recognized, disgusting and deplorable villains of Townsville. /Mojo Jojo/. This primate is slightly more developed than the average human.

Flug: sir, he's just a banana lover monkey.

Blackhat: Bah, for me all of you are the same. Anyways, his big mistake is not to hire our Blackhat Organizations™  services. There are some things that only I can do, and I might, and that's the end of it! (I didn't really understand what he meant here either, sorry)

Flug: Um, hold up sir. Mojo is a black diamond platinum member of the organization, and has spent millions in our products-

STAND BYBlackhat: Mojo Jojo, a disgusting and merciless primate, evil genius from “NightmareVille”

Flug: Um, sir, isn't Townsville one of our multiple test zones for our manufactured monsters?

Blackhat: If you dare interrupt me again you’ll hAVE TO MANUFACTURE A NEW HEAD FOR YOURSELF. The attribute that makes Mojo Jojo a specimen more advanced than the average human is his superior intellect!

Flug: But not superior to mine!

Blackhat: He posses a big arsenal of weapons and deadly machinery!

Flug: Almost as deadly as the ones in our catalog, sir! (why is dementia only 1 peso per month, and where do I sing)

Blackhat: an evil hideout on top of a volcano

Flug: That’s not as cool as a giant hat completely habitable!

Blackhat: And a /long/ list of purchases from Blackhat Organizations™  

Flug: Designed and constructed by a true genius.

.

(Okay, there's a joke here that can't really be translated, since depending on what translation of the show you watched (The Latin American or the European one) their name change. In Latin America they're called “Las chicas superpoderosas”=”the super powerful girls”, meanwhile in Spain they are called “Las chicas coquetas”=”the flirty girls”. They're both correct, just from different places so. I dunno how they'll do the actual translation, but the dialog goes something along this)

.

Blackhat: The ones that ruin his evil plans are his arch nemesis, The Flirty Girls.

Flug: They’re the Super Powerful Girls, my lord and master!

Blackhat:... *shoot that bitch*

Flug: AY! Ow my ass!

Blackhat: This Flirty Girls are the defenders of “Trashtown”. And they're not more than three kids, still in kindergarten! I don't need to see the rest, his mistake is to lose his dignity against human children that have not even developed fingers!

Flug: *shaking* he’s a frequent platinum client, a frequent platinum client!

STAND BY

Blackhat: Let's analyze his diabolic plans. Ah, the head of Anubis, one of the oldest and MOST USELESS RELICS IN THE WORLD. The only thing he's gonna achieve is turning everyone in “Shoeville” into dogs! What kind of villain would like to rule over a world full of dogs! Instead, he should have used Quetzalcoatl's (I have no idea what that is) head! Now that's an actual relic~

Bh Narrator: A deadly relic with an offer to die for! Now you can rent Quetzalcoatl's head to incinerate your heroic enemies, and not have to worry about where to put it away when you're done using it! Rent it to destroy your hero, the hero league, your mother-in-law, or-

Ppg Narrator: “-Townsville!”. Don't miss this crushing offer, only for the next 24 hours!

Bh Narrator: Get out of here, this is my show!

Ppg Narrator: Hehehe, doesn't feel so good when they're trying to steal your job now, does it?

Bh Narrator: Get out!

-

Blossom: Not so fast,

Buttercup: Evil

Bubbles: Monkey!

Mojo Jojo: Listen here, PowerPuff Girls, you're not a threat anymore~

Powerpuff Girls: *barking*

-

Blackhat: Ah, I see he's also an enthusiast about kicking cute creatures. But he’ll never outrange my multiversal record of distance traveled in one kick!

5.0.5: *squeal while getting fucking wrecked*

-

Mojo Jojo: Muahaha, you can reach me here!

Buttercup: *bite that ass*

Blackhat: It's obvious that monkey is as pathetic as the rest of the biped creatures that infest this world…

Bh Narrator: If you're so weak then even a group of cute puppies can defeat you, then you need the bottom cover the Blackhat Organization™! (why is the warranty only 30 seconds, BH please) Uh, w-what are you doing here Dementia?

Dementia: I'm here to narrate, duh~

Bh Narrator: Why does everybody want to steal my job today!

Ppg Narrator: You're the one stealing my job! And you didn't even go to narrator school!

Dementia: No, but I found this!

Bh and Ppg Narrator: What?! *get zapped biatch*

STAND BY

Flug: Dementia, and the narrator?! Don't you see they charge by the hour?!

Dementia: I thought you were smart Flug! Isn't it obvious? Now /I’m? The narrator! And I'm here to narrate a... “Dementia Tips!” Hi! It’s me, Dementia, and I'm here to help y'all weak villains that can't even protect your own ass with my Dementia Tips! In this case, if a hero tries to bite your booty, what you have to do is… Open an umbrella in their mouth! Or… Flood their house with raccoons! *ominous* Or you can shoot them… With your silicone pistol! *singing* Tatara, silicone power~

Flug: Dementia! Leave, you’re ruining everything! (here he uses an explanation that I don't know what it means exactly)

Dementia: Nya na na na na *mockingly singing*

Flug: Hawkbots(?), catch her, lethal mode~.

Dementia: You’ll never catch me alive!

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

STAND BY

Blackhat: One of the biggest injustices that villains suffer, is that they always have to fight against teams of heroes! To contrarest this factor, a mediocre villain must for his own team of villains. In this case, Mojo Jojo forms an alliance with Fuzzy Lumpkins, Princess Morbucks, and *weird creepy noises*

Flug: hm, why does that happen every time someone says Him’s real name?

Blackhat: When someone says his name, weird things happen, when someone says mine, people die, to each their own~

-

Powerpuff Girls: *screaming*

Him: I got you~

Princes: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Fluffy: Now, to leave them on the floor!

Blackhat: Muahahaha! Yes! Yes! Again! Again! Muahahaha!

Flug: You see, my master? Mojo’s evil alliance looks like it’s gonna be victorious! He managed to crush The Powerpuff Girls more than once!

Blackhat: I’ve been in this world enough to know that feelings are about to destroy this alliance…

Moko Jono?: *Annoying ass noise*

Mojo Jojo: I love you too~

Him: Oh no…

Blackhat: I told you so!

Mojo Jojo: This is the lovely Moko Jono(?), she has great evil plans in mind that we should try~ Imagine people getting desperate because they cant reach their destination in time!

Blackhat: That's not evil, that's just inconvenient!

Mojo Jojo: Stealing articles that are completely white doesn't go against the law, so we are taking them!

Blackhat: If it's legal to take them, then you're not stealing them!

Mojo Jojo: The louder you scream, the more it’ll hurt the ones listening!

Him, Princes and Fluffy: We quit!

Blackhat: And I'm out of here!

Zookeeper: Come here Michelle~

Mojo Jojo: Whos Michelle? Moko, you know who- ah!

Flug: Um... Lord Blackhat had to leave to do… really ugly stuff.

Blackhat: *Playing golf*

Flug: I'm going to continue analyzing this villain, starting with rule 10v3, do not involve your heart, don't be like that. Now, let's see what Mojo is planning this time.

Ppg Narrator: Ah, Mojo Jojo, what are you planning this time?

Bh Narrator: I thought I told you that this is my show! *rewind* Oh, Mojo Jojo, what are you planning this time?

Professor Utonium: Oh, Mojo Jojo, what are you planning this time?

Blossom: If you hurt the Professor-

Mojo Jojo: You think I'd hurt my own dad?

Blossom: What?!

Bubbles: What?!

P.Utonium: What?!

Flug: What? Blackhat’s newspaper: “What?” “Powerpuff girls siblings with Mojo Jojo?”

Mojo Jojo: The substance explosion that created you three did also affect me. My little monkey brain started mutating. Continuously feeling worthless against your physical powers! My brilliant achievements going underrated…

Flug: *crying* That's not fair, not fair. It's too sad, shu, shu. I Understand my “Mojito”, I understand, come on you can do it.

Mojo Jojo: ...Never poor Jojo.

P.Utonium: Mojo, I feel like a tyrant, is there anything I can do to make it up to you?

Mojo Jojo: Give me superpowers as well.

P.Utonium: Okay

The Powerpuff Girls: *little girly gasp*

Flug: In my experience, giving superpowers to beings with suboptimal intelligence never really ends well.

-

Mojo Jojo: ...Dad?

P.Utonium: Son?

Flug: Ah, a classic, he's using his enemies as baseball bats. Lord blackhat loves to do that~

Blackhat: Yes! I do love to do that!

Flug: *Slowly clapping* who would have thought? You're not as incompetent as I thought.

Blackhat: Just wait and see, noob, this always ends with a letdown

Mojo Jojo: So many weapons and evil plans, all worthless! *wreck that shit*

Flug: Ah! What are you doing?! Dementia, stop!

Dementia: Eh? But I’m not doing anything!

Flug: Ah, s-sorry, post-traumatic stress…

P.Utonium: Now that I remember, you were the worst lab helper! And If my memory doesn't fail me, it was that day, when I was working on the formula for the perfect little girl, when suddenly, you pushed me!

Flug: I mean, who in his right mind thinks of having a monkey as an employee? I don't know what you expected.

P.Utonium: That’s the day The Powerpuff Girls were born!

Flug: What?!

Blackhat: WHAT?!

Flug: What? You’re responsible for their birth and the reason of their existence?!

Mojo Jojo: ...What? I am responsible for their birth and the reason of their existence?

Flug: Unbelievable, he made the classic mistakes of an evil genius! This where his mistakes; Number one, you can involve affection into your plans. That disgusting feeling ruins everything.

5.0.5: *weird noises he makes*

Flug: Not now, my beautiful, genetically altered child, dad is working~. Number two, he never shuts up. And after a long list of mistakes, like excessive confidence, wear a cape, and lose against human children, without a doubt his worst mistake was creating his arch nemesis! Who in his right mind is capable of such foolery?! This is unthinkable! There's only one thing I can do to make something better out of this brute.

Mojo Jojo: *shaking, tied with whatever that is*

Flug: from an evil genius to another Mojo, let me tell you, this won't kill you, even tho you might wish it would.

Ppg narrator: and once again, everything is worse than ever thanks to Lord blackhat and Blackhat Organizations™’s orientation videos!

Blackhat: Shut up already!

Ppg Narrator: *scream like the lil bitch you are*

.

.

.

Anyways, it’s my first time translating something this long, so any tip is welcomed <3 

[highbuttonsports]

The Edmonton Oilers Best Modern Comparable

The Pittsburgh Penguins of 2016-2017 are incredibly similar to the Edmonton Oilers in a lot of ways. Both have had the unbelievable fortune of drafting two highly elite centres in back-to-back drafts, and have naturally placed the two at the centre of the team's overall construction. The most noticeable difference however, is that the Penguins have had a multitude of successes with their core, and have captured three Stanley Cup championships.

With the inherent similarities between the two teams and the repeated success of the Penguins, it stands to reason that the Oilers could learn a few things from them. Mainly on how to cultivate a winning culture within an organization that translates to sustainable success in both the regular season and playoffs.

While Jim Rutherford was the GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he had a specific philosophy. As long as he had a core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, the Stanley Cup was always within reach. To give those core players the best possible chance to win, he surrounded them with impact players that could help them achieve that ultimate goal. That would of course come at the cost of selling future assets such as high draft picks for current results, but that's what winning teams do.

Many parallels can be drawn between the two teams, starting with the most obvious, the two core centres that both organizations have built around.

The first comparison is quite easy to make. Through their first six seasons, their stats have been almost identical. In fact, Connor McDavid tied Sidney Crosby as the 8th fastest player to reach 500 career points in NHL history in just 369 games played last year.

They’ve both cemented themselves as generational talents and, in their own times, have each been widely regarded as the best player in the world. The biggest difference between the two, however, is their individual accomplishments.

Throughout their first six seasons, Connor McDavid did actually score more points than Crosby, 574 to Crosby’s 572, and scored at a slightly higher pace with 1.41 PPG (points per game) to Crosby’s 1.39. And in the category of individual achievements, McDavid still has Sid beat. Connor won two Hart trophies, three Art Ross trophies, and was a four-time member of the NHL’s first All-Star team. Crosby through that time was able to capture one Hart, One Art Ross, one first All-Star team spot, and one Rocket Richard trophy.

Despite the mountain of achievements Connor McDavid currently sees himself sitting on, through those first six seasons Crosby still has him beat in a few key categories. They are playoff experience and a Stanley Cup Championship.

Crosby won the Cup in just his fourth season in 2009, after going all the way to the Stanley Cup final and losing to the Detroit Red Wings the year prior.

What Connor McDavid is yet to experience is just what it takes to win a championship. Crosby went through all the hardships of missing the playoffs in his first season in the NHL and saw just how hard an athlete has to work to be the best player in the world. He was able to experience how much effort it takes to make it all the way through three rounds of tough playoff hockey and reach the Stanley Cup final in 2008, and furthermore, saw that he had to do even more to win a championship.

Through all of these experiences, Crosby earned his stripes as a battle-tested NHL veteran and developed one of the most highly regarded work ethics in all professional sports.

Often hailed as the game's ultimate grinder, Sid isn’t afraid to do the dirty work for the Penguins, clearing pucks from corners, making plays behind and in front of the net, and always helping the defense on the backcheck. A culture of tough, grinding, and exhausting play has been instilled in every player on the team because of his signature style of hockey.

The culture and work ethic of the Pittsburgh Penguins is palpable from even watching them play, guiding them to back-to-back championships. A culture that seems absent within the Oilers organization.

Moving on to the other two star centres on their respective teams, when looking at their stats, Evgeni Malkin and Leon Draisaitl are remarkably similar.

From Leon Draisaitl’s 20-year-old season to his 24-year-old season, he recorded 165 goals and 246 assists for a total of 411 points in just 386 games played, scoring at a 1.064 PPG pace. Over that same span, Evgeni Malkin recorded 158 goals and 260 assists for 418 points in 358 games played, giving him a 1.18 PPG pace.

The two are incredible point producers, as Leon Draisaitl seems to be mimicking a young Malkin on the scoresheet night after night. Both are incredibly versatile players who can be deployed in all areas of the ice, and consistently elevate the players around them, turning everyone on the ice into an increased offensive threat.

Beyond the shocking similarities between the team’s offensive superstars, and even beyond all the players on the ice are the minds in the boardrooms. Both Ken Holland and Jim Rutherford are incredibly experienced GMs in this league and have both seen their fair share of championships, with seven Stanley Cup rings between them.

However, one area that Rutherford undoubtedly has Ken Holland beat is cap management skills.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2017, the NHL’s salary cap was set at $73M. Sidney Crosby’s 8.7 million dollar cap hit made up 11.9 percent of the Penguins entire salary cap while Evgeni Malkin’s 9.5 million dollar contract made up 13 percent, making their combined cap hit about 25%. Add Kris Letang to that core, and the three took up a total of 35% of the team’s overall cap space.

In the Oilers case, Draisaitl and McDavid’s contracts make up a combined 26 percent of the team's overall salary cap. Add Darnell Nurse whose current salary takes up 6.9 percent of the Oilers cap, and we get a total of 33% for the core. If we were to stop the comparison there, it would seem that the Oilers have managed their cap to almost perfectly mirror the 2017 Penguins championship team. But if we explore further, the similarities begin to taper off.

Next season, Darnell Nurse’s extension will kick in, bumping his current 5.6 million dollar cap hit up to a whopping 9.25 million per year. And just like that, the core three take up 37 percent of the team's overall cap rather than their previous 33 percent.

What if we add one more player to this core to make it a nice even number? Core four seems to roll off the tongue much better than core three, so let’s look at another pair of players that closely mirror each other.

With the recent signing of Zach Hyman to a long-term deal this summer, it seems like he could serve as the Oilers' more expensive version of Chris Kunitz.

The two players have a lot in common. Both are extremely tough and unafraid to get into dirty areas of the ice and work hard to shovel the puck to their teammates but are also unafraid to hold on to the puck if it could lead to a potential scoring chance.

Looking at their production from their 26 to 29-year-old seasons, it becomes abundantly clear just how similar the two are. During that stretch, Hyman put up 79 goals and 76 assists for 155 points through 226 games with a +40 rating. During that same stretch of time, Kunitz put up 88 goals and 116 assists for a total of 204 points in 312 games with a +62 rating. While Kunitz did produce more points overall, their PPG numbers are nearly identical.

Hyman scored at a 0.67 PPG pace through that stretch, with 0.35 GPG (goals per game) and 0.34 APG (assists per game). Through the same amount of time, Kunitz scored at a 0.65 PPG pace with 0.28 GPG and 0.37 APG. Remarkably similar.

So what's the most noticeable difference between the two? Their cap hit.

Ken Holland signed Zach Hyman to a huge seven-year 38.5 million dollar contract with an AAV of 5.5 million. The relatively large contract takes up 6.7 percent of the Oilers' available cap space and made Hyman their third-highest paid forward.

With the 2016-17 Penguins, Chris Kunitz made 3.25 million against the cap and made up 5.3 percent of the team's total cap space.

So if we consider Hyman to be a part of the core of the current Edmonton Oilers and Chris Kunitz as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins core in 2016 and 2017, then adding up their cap space is a lot different.

As was previously stated, in 2017 the Penguins' core four of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang made up 35% of the team’s overall cap space. When we add Chris Kunitz, that number jumps up to about 40%

In the Oilers' case, however, the current core three of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nurse (factoring in Nurse’s cap hit next season) already make up 37% of the team's cap space. Adding Zach Hyman to the mix bumps the total cost of the four-player group next year to a whopping 43% of team cap space. (Considering the cap will go up by $1M)

While an extra three percent of cap space may not seem like much to the average team, the Oilers have a particularly difficult cap management situation. Looking at the team’s defense, it becomes abundantly clear that there was little to no regard for conserving cap space. Many of these trades and signings seem to have been made either through ill advice, or gross incompetence. Possibly both.

So if they were being directly compared to the Penguins Championship team, one could make the argument that the Oilers have the core in place, and all they need now is to surround them with a capable supporting cast. But one crucial part of this team has been completely overlooked by the Oilers for years now. Goaltending.

They have their Crosby (McDavid), they have their Malkin (Draisaitl), they have their Letang (Nurse), and their Kunitz (Hyman). But one thing they’ve never had is a Marc-Andre Fleury.

Ken Holland failed to acquire a goaltender this offseason and signed Mike 38-year-old Mike Smith to a two-year extension. He has gone on to play in just 19 games this season and suffered more than three significant injuries. He also, after witnessing one of the worst duo’s in the NHL put up a combined .899 SV%, decided against acquiring a goaltender at the deadline.

Above all else, the Edmonton Oilers are an incredibly frustrating team. Their poor cap management, their lack of deadline spending, their excess offseason spending on players who make little to no impact on the team’s overall success, and most of all their refusal to move future assets to build a contending team now. Ken Holland has consistently said that he does not wish to “mortgage our future” to win today. Jim Rutherford with the Penguins had a very different approach. While he had Malkin and Crosby, every year was a “go for it” year, and it’s because of that aggressive philosophy that the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

What future could they possibly be planning for that could ever come close to the pure talent and skill of their current core? What future does this organization have without Connor McDavid? Without a capable or even league-average starting goaltender?

Watching with a helpless gaze are thousands of fans as Ken Holland continues to drive this team further and further into mediocrity, and in the process, may as well be driving Connor McDavid to the airport himself.

Ken Holland is not the GM for this team, or any team operating in this century. With the way he has run this club the past few years, it seems as though this group will always fall short of the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins of 2016 and 2017, and the comparison will forever remain lopsided.

-Dave

[beecriedstuffwriting]

"Uh, yeah." Meghan hissed. "And that wasn' even the worse part. We ran into Sierra and she told us that people saw our counterparts here."

Collin dropped his remote, Manny and Bella stopped wrestling each other over a piece of chocolate.

"What?" They said in unison.

Savannah shook her head and walked around Meghan, "Guys, please don't make a big deal out of this. We've had enough traumatic problems this spring, we don't need to add this to the list-"

"These are our fucking counterparts we're talking about!" Bella interrupted.

A guy named Zach, who was asleep on the floor (he's always asleep) shot up alert, "I PROMISE I DIDN'T PEE PEE IN THE BOUNCY HOUSE." He looked around to find everyone staring at him awkwardly, then he caught sight of the girls, "Oh hey. You guys are back."

"I say we immediately set booby traps around the entire house," Bella said pushing Zach out of

the way.

He gazed around, lost, "Wha-"

"I say, we place explosions underneath the ground that are only triggered when they cross our paths!" Meghan chirped in.

The others voiced their agreement sans Savannah, "Yeah!"

"I say, we get artificial Intelligent suits that are loaded with bullets, so if we do see them, they'll be dead on sight!" Collin preached.

"Yeah!"

"I say, we bake them cookies, and instead of them being chocolate chip, they're raisins!" Lillian joined in.

Bella furrowed her brows at her. "That's not evil, it's just comically cute."

"You didn't let me finish," Lillian spoke up. "Laced WITH POISON"

"YEAH!"

Everyone, except Savannah and Zach, began cheering and whooping. Little did they know it brought out a very upset, tired Dylan.

"What the hell is going on in here?" He scrutinized, looking his team over. He was wearing a white tank top that nearly blended into his ghostly pale skin color and black shorts, a sign that he had just woke up. "I was in my room meditating, and all I hear is chanting throughout the house.

"Dylan, Dylan, Dylan" Lillian squeaked running up him. "We didn't mean to ruin your masturbation-"

"My what?"

"It's just that," She took a deep breath and said all at once, "Me Meghan Savannah and Jenna went to the board walk today to go shopping and when we were looking for clothes we ran into Seirra who told us our counterparts are here and that some civilians saw them but then some lady was mugged and we had to go back home because Meghan didn't want to look ("the kid is probably in an entirely different state now" Meghan huffed) so then we told Collin 'Zach Manny and Bella and now we're trying to find a way to destroy them!" She panted, her face red. Then looked up at Dylan with innocent eyes, "You gotta believe us! She squeaked clutching to his tank top.

He looked at her for a moment, then irritably pushed her off, "Okay, can someone with a brain please translate that for me?"

"Counterparts are here. No good. We mad." Collin clarified.

*****

And then i converted it into a ppg chat for fame

[perfectirishgifts]

A Career In Color: Seven Things To Know Before You Paint Your Next Room

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/a-career-in-color-seven-things-to-know-before-you-paint-your-next-room/

A Career In Color: Seven Things To Know Before You Paint Your Next Room

                                        Dee Schlotter, PPG Colorist

Have you every browsed Lowe’s or Benjamin Moore’s paint stores and been overwhelmed by the choices of color?

Little did I know that a simple color choice mixes the science of visual and psychological effects that even influence the human body. 

I learned a lot about the science and subtleties of color when I interviewed veteran colorist, Dee Schlotter. For  almost three decades Dee has managed the development of color platforms, systems and tools for brands such as PPG PAINTS™ and GLIDDEN® paints. She conducts national presentations to architects, designers, and consumers in the hotel, retail, new home construction and residential markets. As a founding member of the PPG Global Color Styling Team, Dee researches and forecasts colors with the global stylists for the architectural, automotive, aerospace, industrial and consumer products markets 

Here are some of the things I learned in our interview:

1. Color Tells a Story.

Dee Schlotter: When people hear about my role as part of PPG’s global color styling and marketing team, working closely with customers and designers to develop color palettes and forecasting color trends for the coatings industry each year, they are surprised that I don’t have a background in interior design. I studied English and Psychology as an undergrad and earned a Master of Science in environmental science management, all of which helped to shape my interest in the psychology and science of color. As a color enthusiast, I am fascinated by people’s reactions to colors, how preferences arise and why, and identifying what’s happening around us and how that translates into color trends and storytelling.

 2. Color Choices Changes Our Lives  

Schlotter: A speaker early in my color marketing career talked about a great book, The Substance of Style by Virginia Postrel, and it was about how we respond to aesthetics. It convinced me that there is so much opportunity to change people’s lives with color and their environment. This has inspired me to always find a deeper meaning to color choice depending on the project and user, and produce recommendations that make customers respond in positive ways – whether it’s for a senior living facility, a school, a millennial multi-family living space, an Airbnb or even a correctional facility.

 3. Science Drives Color 

  Schlotter: There is more science behind the colors of laptops, cars and airplanes than many people realize, and that has held my curiosity – especially later in my career. As one of the global leaders in innovative paints and coatings, PPG is not only helping our customers in automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, marine coatings and more specify the right colors that will attract their customers, but we are also making sure that the color will work with the coating that is needed for each specific surface and project. I’m humbled to have been at the forefront of these innovations with PPG and to be able to help our customers bring color to their own innovative solutions.

4. Always Be Learning

Schlotter: The people that I’ve had the chance to work with have been the highlight of my career.

I’ve learned so much from working with international interior designer, Vicente Wolf, who is talented, humble and so keen on design and feelings in a space, and the team at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater – talk about a space that you “feel” when you’re in it.

I continue to be amazed at the unity of our PPG global color stylist team. Through opportunities at PPG, I initiated a global color forecasting team with my colleague, Jane Harrington on the PPG automotive team, as well as Vanessa Peterson with our industrial coatings group, to provide forecasting for customers. Starting with three team members in the U.S. 15 years ago, we now have a diverse team of 50 people with many different backgrounds from different regions and industries, yet we all work together to help forecast the color trends for the years ahead. Everyone’s unique perspectives inspire us to step out of our comfort zones and reflect on our personal color preferences and the roles they play in our individual work and personal lives.

5. Naming a Color is Systematic and Serendipitous 

Schlotter: People always say that they didn’t know jobs like mine existed, and everyone wants to know what it’s like naming paint colors as a PPG color stylist. It’s such a fun, creative process, but there’s so much more that goes into it than people realize. We have a huge database of all paint colors and names going back 50 years that we reference, and names have to be approved by our legal department to make sure we are clear from a copyright or trademark perspective. Sometimes, we realize that colors names alone can cause people to hesitate on selecting a color, so we really need to get it just right. We even ask our children to name colors – their answers are often unfiltered but spot on! A fun example of this is PPG’s Zombie, named by my son Jack.

6. You Can Forecast Color Trends 

Schlotter: Naming paint colors is only about 10% of my job. I also focus on developing color marketing programs, color collection launches and anticipating color trends for the years ahead. Our team also designs the color collateral that you see in paint and home improvement stores – from selecting room images, to testing what the colors on the swatches look like in different lighting, and determining how many colors should go on each swatch, in what order they should be displayed, and so much more.

7. Color is a Force of Nature

 Schlotter: My career has been focused on helping people understand the power of color, so I hope that everyone – especially professionals – take advantage of it! The smallest things, like the right paint color, can aid in focus and make you feel differently in a space – color can spark creativity, make you more productive, or even trigger increased appetite!

Nature-inspired design and color have always been my biggest recommendation for anyone working indoors a lot, and these influences have become even more powerful with the challenges we’ve all faced over the past months of working, learning and exercising from our homes. Studies show that when people spend a lot of time in an indoor space, they crave a connection to nature. I always recommend paint colors or accents that reflect natural elements for workspaces, such as Transcend, a mid-tone oatmeal-colored hue that draws on earthy influences and is part of PPG’s 2021 Color Palette of the Year. It’s also great to add indoor plants, wood materials and to let in as much natural light as possible.

So, next time you are pondering what color to paint your family room, or your home’s exterior, revisit these principles and Dee’s insights.

From Careers in Perfectirishgifts

[loseweighttoday]

14 Legit Ways of Making Money Online From Home I Start Earning Money From Home Easy And Big

Making some extra side hustle cash doesn't even have to be that complicated. As someone who's been immersed within the field of online income generation for nearly 20 years now, I can tell you that it takes some work. However, there are several clear paths forward. At the top of the day, it all boils right down to what your goals are and just what proportion you are looking to automate your income.

Guide Towards Making Money Online From Home

Could you create an additional $200 per month? Sure. How about an additional $1000 per month? How would that change your life? To most, it might make a monumental difference. But what if we were talking thousands more per month or maybe tens of thousands more? How would that alter the trajectory of your life? Clearly, you'll make money on the web . you only need to decide what proportion of some time it's worth.

While we all have some overtime , it often doesn't desire it. But it also doesn't take an excessive amount of effort to form some extra dough on the side. We're not talking about millions upon millions here -- we're mostly talking about doing small, bite-sized projects to get some fast cash. And counting on your skill set, you'll easily make a couple of hundred dollars or maybe a couple of extra thousand per month.

ADVERTISING

1. Become a virtual assistant. One simple thanks to make money from house is to assist others complete tasks as a virtual assistant. If you're highly organized and may properly manage some time , then becoming a virtual assistant presents a low-friction entry point into the digital services industry. you'll easily perform these functions as a foreign worker regardless of where you reside .

Start Making Money Online Now Right From Your Home

Finding work as a virtual assistant are often easily done through sites like Upwork, Indeed.com and Remote.co. Search the prevailing posted jobs and make bids. you will need effective communication skills and fluency in English and popular web and business software applications.

Related: Learn the 4 Principles That Helped This Virtual Company Become one among the simplest Cultures in America

2. Sell stuff on eBay or Craigslist. A large subset of our society is earning a full-time income by selling items on Craigslist and eBay. you'll do that by selling your own items, otherwise you can help sell items for people and take alittle commission. Selling on eBay offers more friction than Craigslist and you will got to establish solid reviews before you'll begin to maneuver high-ticket items.

Start Your Money Making Journey Now

However, eBay does provide resources for sellers to assist you get acclimated to selling on the platform. Take the time to try to to your due diligence and research the platform. If you've got some solid online marketing skills, you will find this much easier than if you are a complete newbie to the planet of digital marketing.

Related: 8 Places to Sell Stuff Fast once you actually need the cash

3. Trade cryptocurrency. As the digital world evolves, so does our currency. What appeared like a novelty yesterday will ultimately become the well-liked medium for money. A Gallop poll found that 10 percent of individuals claimed to use cash as their preferred payment method in 2016 (down from 19 percent in 2011).

While cryptocurrency remains relatively new, it'll ultimately become the quality . Bitcoin and Etherium could be the first cryptocurrency platforms today, but the US Dollar will eventually become the Digital Dollar by leveraging the blockchain. you'll cash in of the present boom in cryptocurrency by trading it through platforms like eToro and Kraken, amongst many others.

Related: Start Earning Now.

4. Online tutoring Websites like Skooli, Tutor Me and Tutor.com provide resources for getting into the web tutoring space. While you do not got to use a platform like these, they supply a lower friction entry point into the market. you'll also look for online tutoring gigs on a spread of other sites like Upwork, Freelancer and lots of more.

What sorts of things are you able to tutor online? you'll easily tutor a topic like math or science, while also teaching a language if you're bilingual. you'll also tutor musical instruments just like the guitar or piano, along side a slew of other topics .

Related: To Rapidly Enhance Your Business, Stop Selling and begin Teaching

5. Sell services on Fiverr Fiverr has grown significantly since its inception. Today, it is a vast marketplace where you'll sell almost any service under the sun. this is often great if you are looking to form money online as a digital nomad or maybe while sitting reception on your laptop while in your pajamas.

What, specifically, are you able to sell on Fiverr? Anything from graphics and style services, to digital marketing, writing and translation services, video and animation services, music and audio, programming and application development, business services and lifestyle services that has anything from celebrity impressions to gaming.

Related: the way to Use Online Platforms To Earn Money Now

6. Build sales funnels. Every successful business has an automatic sales funnel. Yet, numerous businesses are completely unaware of the facility of an efficient funnel. Sales funnels provide automation within the sales process. they assist you build a relationship together with your audience and develop a bond with the buyer . There are many tools you'll use to create a sales funnel, but the world's most successful businesses often create custom-coded funnels.

Expert sales funnels often start with a free offer, also called the lead magnet. By delivering value within the lead magnet, you're creating trust with the buyer . within the next step, you'd usually find what's called a self-liquidating offer or a visit wire. These are deals that are hard to pass up, often for $7 to $47. The front-end offer is typically found beyond that along side one-time offers to assist boost the lifetime value of the customer and therefore the average cart value.

While there are considerable technique details when it involves sales funnels, understanding them today, right now, could set you up for a better degree of online marketing prowess. It'll also assist you scale your business by optimizing a conversion rate, then simply expanding your ad spend.

Related: what's a Sales Funnel? The Guide to putting together an automatic Selling Machine

7. Hire out your home. Another way you'll make money reception is to truly hire out your home. Air BnB has carved a large industry out of vacation rentals. While the market did exist before Air BnB's arrival, it's certainly grown by leaps and bounds since its arrival on the scene.

In 2017, Air BnB purchased luxury vacation rental provider, Luxury Retreats, and other consolidations within the marketplace have happened with leading sites like Invited Home's acquisition of PPG rentals and Seasoned Dreams' platforms, and Expedia's $3.9 billion acquisition of another vacation rental giant, HomeAway. The market is booming and therefore the time is ripe for entry, regardless of how big or small your home or condo could be .

Related: Need To Have A passive Income On Auto-Pilot? Learn The Tricks

8. Launch an ecommerce site. Ecommerce is booming. While Amazon takes the lion's share, consumers are buying by the droves once they can scoop great offers. In fact, a number of the leading online marketers like Neil Patel, Frank Kern, Dean Graziosi, David Sharpe, John Reese and lots of others, are using free-plus-shipping ecommerce and book funnels to form small fortunes. This comes back to the implementation of sales funnels within an ecommerce environment. In fact, much of what people believe traditional ecommerce stores taking months or maybe years to create and costing alittle fortune simply isn't true.

Related: How Can Ecommerce Owners Use the newest Trends to Their Benefit? 5 Entrepreneurs Advise.

9. Start a blog. Blogs are quite possibly one among the simplest ways to earn a passive income, even while traveling the planet . While starting a blog could be simple you'll got to put within the work and therefore the effort so as to reap the advantages . Plant the seeds now to enjoy the harvest later.

Best Easy Ways of Generating Revenues Today

However, once that blog gets going, generating an income and scaling out your business is simple . Simply produce more content and line up more offers. As your blog grows in popularity, you'll even be ready to attract top talent willing to write down for you merely in exchange for one very powerful link back to their own websites.

Related: the way to Start a Blog and Make Money Online

10. Build a side hustle business. There are many ideas for lucrative side hustle businesses that you simply could easily start from the comfort of your house . While starting them is straightforward , actually fixing the work to plug and grow those businesses may be a bit tougher . The hard part is seeing them through.

While you'll launch a daily business selling someone else's products, you'll also invent your own product. While businesses supported inventions might sound more complex to make , they are doing present attractive investment opportunities as depicted on popular shows like Shark Tank.

Related: What sort of Side Hustle do you have to Try? (Infographic)

11. Create webinars I've become hooked in to the webinar medium for selling. Building out automated webinars is one among the foremost useful skills you'll possibly have, like entrepreneur Jason Fladlien, who's done of $100 million in sales through webinars by only selling other people's products and not his own.

Webinars follow a selected template and format. They're formulaic. If you'll master that formula, you'll quite literally dominate during this space. Find an excellent business idea or opportunity that you simply can sell that delivers massive amounts useful .

Related: Start Making Out For Your Own Daily Expenses Right From Your Home

12. Social media management. Social media management may be a good way to get an income from home. Considering the expansion of social media, businesses are clamoring to seek out their way ahead of prospects. However, most businesses haven't got a clue about how they will increase their exposure. That’s where you are available .

Building a social media management business might take some effort and time, but it's well worthwhile . you'll charge a large monthly fee for every business to assist manage their social media, allowing you to earn a full-time income doing this gig.

Liz Benny, the founding father of Jinga Social, not only built one among the most important and most well-known social media management businesses out there, but also created multiple seven-figure webinars teaching people, you guessed it, the way to launch your own social media management company.

13. Affiliate marketing Affiliate marketing presents a really low friction entry into selling products online. While you are doing need some sort of audience to sell these products or services to, you'll make a big amount of cash from home while doing it. Some products or services have very high earnings per click. meaning , if you play your cards right, you'll easily make an outsized profit on conversions by driving traffic to specific offers as long as you target the proper interests.

You can find affiliate marketing offers on sites like ClickBank, CJ.com and Rakuten LinkShare, amongst many others. look for the proper offer and make sure that you present it to the proper audience and do not spam people about it. Do your marketing ethically.

Related: The Only Guide You Need To Start off Your Money Making Journey Now

14. Create online courses. One of my absolute favorite ways to form extra cash from house is to make online courses. Now, this does take an upfront investment of your time . But, as the other passive income generating activity, you are doing the work once and obtain paid repeatedly for it.

BEST TESTED AND PROVEN GUIDE TO TAKE YOU TO YOUR JOURNEY OF EARNING BIG MONEY TODAY

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[wallpaperpainting]

13 Brilliant Ways To Advertise Paint Chips | paint chips

This bed knows absolutely back you deathwatch up. As anon as you do, the lights about-face on, the circadian account abrupt plays and coffee in the kitchen starts brewing. 

32 Paint Chip Projects – C.R.A.F.T | paint chips

You’re accessible to accord your home a refresh. Maybe you’ve been staring at greige appointment walls for far too long, or you’re affective kids into their own apartment or aloof appetite a new blush for your active room.

Picking the appropriate acrylic can transform your space. Staring at rows of colors in your bounded home advance store, it’s accessible to feel afflicted with choices. It’s additionally accessible to adulation a blush in store, but abhorrence the way it turns out already it’s on your wall. If you’re aggravating to bout an old color, it can get akin added complicated.

PPG Now Fully Lead Free, But What About Old Paint Chips? | 13 | paint chips

Here to advice are a scattering of acute sensors and adaptable apps. With a little advice from tech, you can confidently apply a paintbrush and add aloof the appropriate hue to your home.

Light is one of the better factors affecting how blush translates on your wall. In a home advance store, you’re acceptable attractive at a acrylic dent beneath a affectation lit by a able beaming ablaze actual altered from the ablaze in your home. Booty that aforementioned acrylic dent home, and it could attending absolutely different.

Barbara Lubliner : Plastic : Plastic Pockets – paint chips | paint chips

That’s because your home’s bogus and accustomed ablaze comedy a role in how blush appears. Intersecting walls ability akin attending like altered shades at the aforementioned time of day, if anniversary bank receives a altered bulk of ablaze from the room’s windows.

Your paint’s accomplishment or burnish additionally makes a aberration in how blush is perceived. A collapsed acrylic accomplishment (like what you’ll acquisition on best acrylic chips) won’t reflect as abundant ablaze as a high-gloss sheen, so a collapsed accomplishment tends to attending a bit darker. Often, college appearance finishes are acceptable for bathrooms, kitchens and apartment that see added moisture. Flatter finishes assignment able-bodied in spaces like bedrooms and active rooms.

Paint Chip Wall Art – paint chips | paint chips

Color translates to computer via a alternation of values. Knowing those ethics for the adumbration you charge can advice you cross sensors and apps, and bout blush accurately beyond brands. The best accepted ethics for blush are HEX, CMYK and RGB.

Typically cyberbanking screens and monitors that afford ablaze use RGB (red, green, blue) blush values, while CMYK (cyan, magenta, chicken and black) ethics are the accepted for printed abstracts like newspapers and magazines, which blot light. The hex adjustment of account blush is acclimated to acquaint RGB ethics in computer programming, such as HTML.

These 15 Paint Chip DIY Projects Are Both Free & Easy! – paint chips | paint chips

13 Brilliant Ways To Advertise Paint Chips | paint chips – paint chips | Encouraged to help my own blog site, with this time period I am going to teach you about keyword. And from now on, this can be the 1st graphic:

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from Wallpaper Painting https://www.bleumultimedia.com/13-brilliant-ways-to-advertise-paint-chips-paint-chips/

[gch1995]

I think it’s going to flop. You can’t give The PowerPuff Girls “the Riverdale treatment,” and expect it to be good. This was a brightly colored cartoon about three cute little girls with superpowers, who were essentially goodhearted, but still normal children who had flaws, insecurities, and made mistakes. While their bad choices were dealt with negative consequences and learned from in the narrative of the classic cartoon, they were still essentially forgivable because Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were still little girls who were still learning. Also, the whole point was that there was a balance between light and dark in the original cartoon. The point was that they were normal little girls with relatively normal lives, aside from having superpowers that they chose to use to defend their dad and their city from crime before bedtime.

In the 2016 reboot it was too silly, and in this CW live action spin off, they are going for “dark, nitty, and gritty.”

How are you going to make the animation of characters like MoJo Jojo, Him, the Amoeba Boys, the Gangreen Gang, and the monsters look good in live action CGI? Also, the PowerPuff Girls were given the different round, fingerless, noseless, earless, and bright designs they were in the animated cartoon in order to stick out in the cartoon from the other characters on purpose. In the live action they are going to look just like normal people because you can’t translate that cartoon design to live action?

No, I’m not watching the CW live action PPG show of the girls as being disillusioned twentysomethings who have given up crime fighting. I’m tired of seeing Hollywood constantly stereotyping those of us who are in our mid-twenties to early thirties (young millennials and older Gen Zers) as being cynical, jaded, disillusioned, lazy, narcissistic, selfish, and spoiled brats who waste their privilege and opportunities to lay around and whine all day about how supposedly “terrible” their lives are because of shit everyone else did to them in their lives, rather than actually putting in any sort of effort to take ownership of their bad choices and mistakes, and commit to self-improving in order to get what they want from life.

I’m not going to watch one of my favorite classic cartoons from childhood most likely get ruined with “the Riverdale treatment,” but I am going to tune in on Tumblr and watch reviews of it on YouTube to see how it turns out. I’m almost certain that none of it will be any good.

What's everyone's thoughts on the new CW Adaptation of Powerpuff Girls? Is anyone excited or do you think it'll flop? Do you think it'll have some Riverdale or Nancy Drew vibes?

[nhl-imagines-posts]

Evgeni Malkin - Wild

Team: Pittsburgh Penguins

Requested: Yes: Can you do one on Evgeni Malkin based on the song Wild by Troye Sivan? 💕

Edited: Yes

Word count: 776

Summary: Based off the song Wild by Troye Sivan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3awzvNrKDsg)

Part 2

~

“Stop it, Evgeni, someone’s gonna see you,” I giggle as a blush covers my cheeks, my boyfriend still trying to pepper kisses over my cheeks and neck.

“Far enough from arena, won’t see,” he denies, still trying to continue his escapade.

“You don’t know that,” I whisper, but tilt my head to give him better access.

He shoves me against a nearby brick wall, pressing his lips against mine.

My lips curve into a smile as a plan formulates in my head.

I push him off of me, laughing hysterically as I dart down the street towards my house.

He grabs my waist and I squeal as he pulls me back, pushing me back against the wall.

“Oh no, not getting away that easily,” he teases.

I value the days we can spend time together.

Time like this.

~~~

I try to focus on the words of this random guy the Penguins just brought in- apparently he’s very good at his job, but all that I hear coming out of his mouth is bullshit.

“And I just think that having women so close to the players may be a little bit distracting for both sides,” the guy finishes his speech of why my job should be more of a desk job instead of a hands-on job.

“So basically what I’m hearing,” I start slowly, causing everyone’s heads to snap to me. “Is that you don’t think we should work near each other because women could take out their hormones on the guys causing them to become stressed or feelings could get exchanged and someone could get hurt, causing the player to be stressed.”

“That’s similar to what I’m saying, yes,” the guy nods obnoxiously like I’m the dumbass.

Wrong person, pal.

Turn the finger to point at yourself.

At the start of this meeting, all I wanted was for time to speed by so I could be in bed, holding my boyfriend in my arms with the darkness surrounding us.

All I can think about most of the time is just Evgeni.

I want Evgeni to be near me at all times, as clingy as it sounds, I never get sick of him.

He’s all that I think about, day and night.

Throughout the day our lives have so much going on- since we both work at the PPG Paints Arena we get to see each other sometimes, but we both know our jobs come first.

Which is why we have to keep our relationship a secret.

Neither of us want to get fined, or fired (in my case), or traded (in his case).

But we both have undeniably strong feelings for one another.

My emotions start going wild and my body starts to tingle as I feel his eyes staring intensely at me.

“That’s bullshit,” I spit back to the sexist man.

“Y/N-“”No, it’s just so shitty how he thinks that emotions will get in the way of the game,” I interrupt my boss, knowing I’ll get shit for it later. “And especially because of a woman’s actions. The players know that the second they step on that ice, it has to be about hockey, and the only emotion that can translate onto the ice is aggression.”

“I agree,” the Russian pipes up, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. “Not women fault.”

“Um, I also agree,” Sidney says, causing the attention to turn away from Evgeni.

Nothing comes out of the meeting except the secret bonding between Evgeni and me.

~~~

My heart clenches as I watch Evgeni throw a puck over the glass to a pretty brunette during warm ups.

I have to look away.

I should be used to it- he does it before every game to draw away suspicion of him being in a relationship, and especially with me, but I’m sure one of these days my reaction is going to give it away.

Sometimes, I can’t help but regret deciding to have a secret relationship.

Especially with a player on the team I work for.

I have to watch girls fawn over him and him just go with it- and then I go home and act like nothing’s wrong when I know he could easily go out and cheat on me and no one would care.

I’d be left alone with a broken heart.

When I look back at Evgeni, he’s giving me a concerned expression.

I give him my best reassuring smile.

I want him to think I’m okay, but all I can think about is how many different, confusing emotions he gives me.

I want to get out of this secret relationship, but I don’t know how.

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[dawnasiler]

Is Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense The Best Antiaging Product Ever?

Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense claims to be the “best anti-aging product” ever.

For once, it may NOT be all hype. This is the first time that Retinyl Retinoate and Retinaldehyde – two forms of vitamin A that are more effective and gentler than retinol – come together in the same cream.

Exciting, isn’t it? The price is less so… Medik8 really believes this is the best antiaging product you can buy in the shops (or online) and the price reflects that.

I don’t mind splurging if I am 100% sure it works. Does it? I’ve put it to the test to find out:

Key Ingredients In Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense

Retinyl Retinoate: 8x More Powerful Than Retinol?

Retinoic acid is the active form of vitamin A proven to reduce wrinkles. All other forms of Vitamin A (retinoids) must be converted into retinoic acid to have an effect on wrinkles.

Retinol is the most common form of Vitamin A in OTC products. It converts into retinoic acid in two steps: Retinol → Retinaldehyde → Retinoic acid.

Put retinoic acid and retinol together and you’ve got Retinyl Retinoate. This molecule is gentler than both retinol and retinoic acid AND stable in the presence of light. You know what that means? You can put it in jars AND use it during the day.

FYI, Retinyl Retinoate needs to be converted into retinoic acid, too. It works like this: when you put it on your skin, your cells break it down into retinoic acid and retinol. Retinoic acid is effective straight away. Retinol? It takes more time, but your skin eventually converts that into retinoic acid, too.

Studies on Retinyl Retinoate are scarce but promising:

A 2010 study found that 0.06% Retinyl Retinoate is more effective at treating periorbital wrinkles (i.e. wrinkles around your eyes) than 0.075% retinol – and gentler too.

Another 2010 found that Retinyl Retinoate increases the production of Hyaluronic Acid in the skin and is less irritating than other retinoids.

If you can’t tolerate retinol, this sounds like a great option to consider.

P.S. You’ll find encapsulated Retinyl Retinoate only in Medik8 products, like Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense.

Retinaldehyde: 11x More Powerful Than Retinol?

Retinaldehyde needs to be converted into retinoic acid to work its magic, too. The conversion takes only 1 step: Retinaldehyde → Retinoic acid.

You see now why retinaldehyde is said to be 11x more powerful than retinol? Science agrees:

A 1999 study found that retinaldehyde “has many of the properties of tretinoin in its beneficial effects on photoaging”. It reduces UVA damage, boosts collagen and repairs elastin fibers.

A 2005 study confirms its collagen-boosting abilities and suggests retinaldehyde works even better when paired with other antioxidants (no one likes to play alone).

A 2013 study proves it’s just as good at fading dark spots. It works by reducing melanin concentration in the skin.

A 2002 study discovered its has powerful antibacterial properties that kill P.Acnes, the bacteria that causes acne.

Translation: retinaldehyde helps fade away wrinkles, dark spots and acne.

The best part? It’s gentler than retinol, so even sensitive skin can use it. But just to be on the safe side, Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense uses microencapsulated retinol. That’s a fancy way of saying retinaldehyde is housed into tiny capsules that release it into the skin over a period of several hours instead than hitting it all at once.

Related: Is Retinaldehyde A More Powerful Alternative To Retinol?

Ceramide Complex To Strengthen The Skin’s Protective Barrier

Ceramides are the glue that holds your skin cells together (together with fatty acids, cholesterol etc). They literally waterproof skin and strengthen its protective barrier. This barrier has two jobs:

You’ll notice when this protective barrier stop working. UV rays, pollution, a poor diet, smoking (and all the other usual suspects) can destroy the ceramides in your skin, leaving holes all over the barrier.

Moisture escapes so your skin gets dry and flaky. Germs and bacteria make it all red and sore. Heck, even washing your face or applying moisturiser can be irritating and painful.

Strengthening the skin’s protective barrier is always a priority. It’s even more important when you’re using powerful actives like retinoids or vitamin C that – when abused – can disrupt the barrier.

Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense uses 3 types of ceramides to strengthen your skin’s barrier and patch up any holes in it, keeping your skin hydrated and strong.

Related: Are Ceramides The Key To Healthy Skin?

Let’s Put It To The Test: Personal Use & Opinion

Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense is a muted orange in colour. On my pale skin, the hue blends seamlessly with my complexion, leaving no colour or tint behind.

Its texture is on the thicker side, yet it sinks in quickly and doesn’t feel sticky on the skin. It’s like a serum and moisturiser rolled into one. You can cleanse your skin, put this on and go to bed.

I know I’ve said Retinyl Retinoate is photostable and you can use it during the day. But I prefer to keep it for nighttime. Even Medik8 recommends you use it in the evening.

Twice a week to start with. Then every other night and – finally – every night. Retinyl Retinoate and Retinaldehyde may be gentler than other retinoids but they’re still retinoids. Work your way up to avoid any unpleasant side effects – like dryness and irritation.

I’ve been using Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense for more than 2 months now. Even powerful actives like retinoids don’t work overnight. It can take around 6 weeks to see the first results.

This cream makes a very bold claim – best antiaging product ever, remember? – and has an outrageous price tag, so I wanted to make sure it does what’s supposed to do… or not… How did it fare?

Well, I can’t say that I’ve seen a massive difference in my skin. I’ve been using 1% or higher retinol for a while, now. It makes my skin so clear, my pores almost invisible and my wrinkles smoother and less obvious.

Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense kept the status quo. My skin hasn’t massively improve since I’ve started using it but it hasn’t worsened either. To me, that’s impressive.

It means that – for me at least – Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense works just as well as 1% retinol – minus the irritation. I experienced no flaking, peeling or redness at all.

If you’re using a lower concentration of retinol, then you’ll probably see better results from earlier on. I think this is a good option to up your retinoid game without irritating your skin.

The only thing I could do without is that citrusy scent. It’s pleasant, faint and doesn’t hang around too long, but it could irritate sensitive skin. My skin isn’t, so I’ve got no problem with it.

If you can stomach the price tag, Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense is definitely one of the most exciting retinoids product I’ve seen in a looooong time.

P.S. I’ve been using it for more than 2 months and I still haven’t run out. 😉

Available at: 50ml, £210 at Adore Beauty and Medik8

Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense has a thick texture that sinks in quickly. It smoothens out wrinkles, shrinks pores and brightens the complexion, giving you that "my skin but better" look. But the citrusy fragrance could irritate sensitive skin.

beautifulwithbrains.com

PRO

Creamy texture sinks in quickly

Smoothens out wrinkles and imperfections

Brightens the complexion

Gentler than most retinoid products

Chic packaging

CON

Fragrance may irritate sensitive skin

9.0 4.5 5

OVERALL SCORE

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Isododecane, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Polylactic Acid, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cyclodextrin, PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Phytosterols, Cholesterol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Cholesteryl Nonanoate, Linoleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Canola Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Retinyl Retinoate, Retinal, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Leaf/Twig Oil, Sorbitan Olivate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin) Peel Oil, Isostearic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Lecithin, Carbomer, C12-16 Alcohols, Caprylyl Glycol, Cananga Odorata Flower (Ylang Ylang) Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Litsea Cubeba (Verbena) Fruit Oil, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Stearic Acid, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Polyaspartate, Acacia Decurrens (Black Wattle) Flower Extract, Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica (Atlas Cedar) Bark Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Salvia Sclarea (Clary Sage) Leaf Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetiver) Root Oil, Phenethyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Copper Heptapeptide-14 Pantothenate, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Phenylpropanol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Alumina, BHT, Linalool, Limonene, Citral, CI 14700 (Red 4).

PR Sample. Affiliate links.

Take The Guesswork Out Of Skincare Shopping

Get access to the “Pro Skincare Library” for exclusive skincare routine “cheat sheets” and tricks to help you navigate the beauty aisles jungle like a pro and immediately know what to pick off the shelves to achieve the gorgeous skin of your dreams - even when you’re drowning in an endless sea of skincare products.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription and get access to the skin library.

Is Medik8 r-Retinoate Intense The Best Antiaging Product Ever? syndicated from beautifulwithbrains.com

[stevenstamkos]

Soooo, what are your thoughts on that interview Kuch has given recently? People seem to be freaking out a little bit, especially with all these words about certain teammates being overpaid and not trying hard enough... Wondering what kind of an opinion you have.

Oh man I had a lot of thoughts about this when the twitter version came out. First, Kuch’s actual statements were pretty harsh, but as usual, they were translated to sound slightly harsher than they were. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t critical af though bc he still tore the season/team apart.

Most of what he said boils down to: 1) things got rough when Stammer went down, bc Kuch/Stammer/Vladdy had great chemistry. 2) Kuch expressed some frustration that he wasn’t put on a line with Jo. And 3) some guys are just like ~there~ after getting their money and didn’t try to compete.

I’m not a fan of speaking out publicly against your teammates and coach (points 2 and 3) like Kuch did, and I was kind of torn on him doing that. But I absolutely do have to agree with him on a lot of this. He was pretty frustrated the whole season, because the line shuffling was insane from game to game. Like I’d go on twitter and check out the line combos every game day and be like “Wtf” every single time bc it was always different. And some players were like, never put together *cough Jo and Kuch* except on the first PP unit.

This sort of ties into my frustration with what Coop was doing with Jo this year, bc Jo needs to play on a line with guys who can anticipate his plays. Jo is a brilliant, unpredictable player whose brilliance comes from the fact that he plays a pretty unique style and opponents can’t figure out what he’ll do next. Kuch is the same way in that he needs smart linemates, and Kuch has the hockey IQ to anticipate Jo’s passes. (One of Kuch’s complaints were that his linemates weren’t even there to receive his passes sometimes.)

As for the “certain teammates being overpaid and not trying hard enough” bit, that’s clearly directed at Alex Killorn. Killer had a good couple games in the very beginning when he like, led the league in goals, but he dropped way off as the season went on, and that was frustrating to watch as a fan, so I can’t imagine what it was like looking at him as a teammate. Killer has a hecka contract: 7 year, $4.45M and he was producing at 36 points/81 games = 0.44 PPG. Like if he’s gonna make that kind of money, I would hope he’d play better. I can’t say if he was playing lazy or without urgency/competition, idk. But a lot of sports media never called him out on how he wasn’t playing up to expectations.

If you want to compare to Kuch though, Kuch rushed to sign a contract with the Lightning in October so he wouldn’t miss the beginning of the season. He signed like 4 days before the opening game, with a 3 year, $4.766M contract. The Bolts got him for a huge discount bc he was pushing for like a 6-7 year, $6M contract. And his production warrants that money: 85 points/74 games = 1.15 PPG. This guy is being underpaid like hell. So I can see where his frustration comes from, since he carried this team to within a point of the playoffs on his mediocre contract, while other players got cushy contracts. And Kuch became the temporary face of the franchise, which means that he was one of the players the media went to when things went wrong (not that he stuck around to entertain them most of the time).

Overall, I don’t think Kuch should’ve brought up Killer’s contract; that is not something that should be aired publicly. But I can understand why he did it, after the season he had, after he was so close to the playoffs, and one game cost the Lightning their shot at the postseason.

[spicynbachili2]

More than one-third of S&P 500 reporting earnings are talking tariffs

For a lot of firms, greater enter prices are handed on to retailers or clients. Some merely take up the prices on the expense of the underside line or look to chop prices elsewhere. Usually it is a combination of each.

Costco, for instance, introduced by itself earnings name that it is introducing various methods to strive to deal with rising prices.

We’re “accelerating shipments earlier than tariffs go into impact, recognizing there is a restricted skill to take action. All people’s making an attempt to,” stated Chief Monetary Officer Richard Galanti. “Working with suppliers to see what may be completed to scale back and/or take up among the prices, and in some instances decreasing order commitments on sure impacted gadgets.”

Others, like United Applied sciences’ CEO Gregory Hayes stated that greater prices are virtually at all times pushed on to customers.

“I’d anticipate pricing can even have to extend subsequent yr if these tariffs stay in place,” Hayes stated on United’s earnings name on Tuesday. “In the end these tariffs, all of it will get handed onto the buyer in a single kind or one other. It is only a tax on the buyer in one other method to consider it.”

A rising variety of firms are weighing in on the Trump administration’s use of tariffs to assist choose industries or pressure buying and selling companions to the negotiating desk.

Some, like PPG Industries, are apprehensive that greater enter prices may harm their backside traces, whereas metal large Nucor sees the taxes as a approach to “stage the enjoying” area for victims of cheaper overseas options.

Here is what some govt are saying:

W.W. Grainger (GWW)

“With respect to tariffs, we now have deployed a cross-functional process pressure to achieve a clearer understanding of the tariff influence, in addition to to execute mitigating actions. The crew meets every day, reporting to senior management no less than weekly. A few of their actions embrace validating tariff will increase, working with suppliers to reduce the fee influence together with figuring out different provide and evaluating pricing actions whereas making certain that our pricing stays market-based. With respect to quantifying the influence, product instantly sourced from China represents about 20% of the U.S. phase’s price of products bought.” – Thomas Okray, chief monetary officer

Caterpillar (CAT)

“In all, materials prices had been up about 2% on greater metal costs and the impacts of tariffs. Freight prices proceed to be elevated because of a wide range of components together with being greater charges, much less environment friendly hundreds, and expedited freight prices as we ramp up manufacturing to fulfill elevated demand. Though the midyear value enhance had solely a partial influence within the quarter, the drag of upper enter prices and tariffs was simply $50 million greater than value realization.” – Andrew Bonfield, chief monetary officer

Harley-Davidson (HOG)

“Tariff prices elevated by $9.9 million pushed by greater EU tariffs. Throughout the quarter, roughly 60% of our shipments with EU sellers included tariffs on the elevated charges. Our expectation for the influence of lately enacted tariff consists of incremental prices of roughly $15 million to $20 million for metal and aluminum and roughly $25 million for EU tariffs. Moreover, China elevated its tariffs quantity overseas bikes produced in america by 25 share factors and the U.S. has elevated tariffs on sure merchandise imported from China. We imagine this may enhance our 2018 price by roughly $three million. In complete, we now anticipate to incur roughly $43 million to $48 million of elevated prices associated to the tariffs throughout 2018.

With the brand new China tariffs we search for these to be on the $10 million to $12 million vary on an annualized foundation, each of which we’d look to mitigate these as we determine the manufacturing.” – John Olin, chief monetary officer

Nucor (NUE)

“Our business can also be benefiting from the cumulative influence of years of profitable commerce instances that resulted in anti-dumping and countervailing duties, in addition to the very lately imposed Part 232 tariffs. Collectively, these are eradicating artificially low-cost overseas imports from the market and restoring a stage enjoying area.

As I discussed earlier, the tariffs are having their supposed influence by curbing unfairly traded imports. They’re sending the message that america Authorities is critical about reaching compliance with the principles of commerce, however they’re additionally having an vital long-term influence. The tariffs are offering leverage to get different nations to the desk, to barter fairer commerce agreements for the U.S.” – John Ferriola, chief govt officer

Costco (COST)

“There are lots of transferring components and it is extraordinarily fluid beginning with the actions and reactions by each the U.S. and Chinese language governments. What actions are we exploring and taking in some short-term and a few long-term? Accelerating shipments earlier than tariffs go into impact, recognizing there is a restricted skill to take action. All people’s making an attempt to. Working with suppliers to see what may be completed to scale back and/or take up among the prices, and in some instances decreasing order commitments on sure impacted gadgets.

Various nation sourcing, certain, however once more, it is the place doable and possible, it is a restricted skill, and it takes time. We’re, benefiting from decrease pricing on some U.S. gadgets due to the reverse, if you’ll, similar to pork, nuts and soybeans.” – Richard Galanti, chief monetary officer

Micron (MU)

“We anticipate gross margins to stay very wholesome within the fiscal first quarter, though decrease than fourth quarter ranges, and our gross margins can even be impacted within the close to time period by the introduced 10% tariff on $200 billion of imports from China, which can go into impact on September 24. We’re working to regularly mitigate many of the influence from these tariffs over the subsequent three to 4 quarters.

Clearly, tariffs are impacting us most likely to the tune of 50 to 100 foundation factors [on gross margin].” – David Zinsner, chief monetary officer

Hasbro (HAS)

“We proceed to have a look at the checklist and work doubtlessly past it. Now we have markets which have tariffs now and the most important is Brazil and so they’ve been for some time and it simply sort of provides to the worth that is on high of what the import prices are and that impacts our customers. So we proceed to observe. We won’t react instantly, however we proceed to have a look at the place we’re manufacturing merchandise. Proper now about 25% of our product is manufactured within the U.S. We simply continued of what is bought within the U.S. and we proceed to have a look at transferring our product to different markets.” – Deborah Thomas, chief monetary officer

PPG Industries (PPG)

“The brand new tariffs are beginning to add some modest prices to our uncooked supplies. We anticipate foreign money translation to have an unfavorable influence to our gross sales within the fourth quarter. Based mostly on present charges, the unfavorable influence is predicted to be between $50 million and $60 million within the fourth quarter. Particular to our companies, general web gross sales are anticipated to be decrease sequentially because of regular seasonal patterns.” – Michael McGarry, chief govt officer

AutoZone (AZO)

“A bigger variety of tariffs are slated to be imposed within the subsequent couple of weeks. These tariffs ought to be extra vital. Within the brief time period, we anticipate to have the ability to handle our method via any modifications and we proceed to anticipate to finally cross these prices alongside as the whole business could be affected equally.

In the event that they’re 25% or in the event that they keep for a protracted time frame, that is going to drive some vital inflation in our business. And I’ll let you know over lengthy durations of time, marginal inflation in our enterprise is sweet. And by the best way we’re seeing inflation at accelerated charges in wages. So, we’re not terrified of marginal inflation. What we do not need to see is shocks that shock the buyer.” – William Rhodes, chief govt officer.

United Applied sciences (UTX)

“If you consider $zero.15 of headwind subsequent yr after $zero.05 of headwind this yr, we now have been capable of greater than offset the tariff influence via pricing this yr. I’d anticipate pricing can even have to extend subsequent yr if these tariffs stay in place. There’s a restrict, nonetheless, when it comes to how far pricing can go. Consider we have had I believe three value will increase to date this yr within the U.S. resi enterprise. In the end these tariffs, all of it will get handed onto the buyer in a single kind or one other. It is only a tax on the buyer in one other method to consider it.” – Gregory Hayes, chief govt officer

from SpicyNBAChili.com https://www.spicynbachili.com/more-than-one-third-of-sp-500-reporting-earnings-are-talking-tariffs/