#anyway i'm blowing them 100% kisses wow i just

[ahollowgrave]

-- bathed in moonlight.

[featuring @iron-sparrow's Yein (they/them)]

[inkblackorchid]

So... about season 3 Aki.

Ok harsh contrast to my previous, excited post, but I did say I had more to yell about episode 75 and I need to get this off my chest anyway. Plus, I remember mentioning in a post that I need to talk about season 3 onward Aki anyhow, so might as well do that now! I am thinking Big Thoughts and I need to Scream.

Long, incoherent, unhinged rant incoming because I have 100 things to say and 100000 screenshots to post, but I am also tired and my brain is mush.

Can we please talk about all the jarringly unfulfilled setup the start of season 3 did for Aki? Because I'm starting to feel an urge to claw at the walls. I'm gonna go through this, piece by piece of damning evidence, because I need to vent my utter confusion and frustration somehow, I guess. Okay. So.

After giving us a bit of time to settle in after the timeskip into the pre-WRGP stretch of things, the itty-bitty portion of the story Aki occupies at this point starts off arguably strong. Yusei gets kidnapped, everyone's in a frenzy about it, but Aki's especially worried.

Then this. Funky new signer powers! Nobody's been able to do this before! I wonder if they're going to do something with that! (Spoiler: They're not.)

Then Aki "no sense of self-preservation" Izayoi gets herself in a bunch of danger trying to rescue Yusei and we get this:

Oh! Wow! Aki can control her powers now! (Which: how. Why did they never show us this. That alone could have made for a whole mini-arc. Why waste that????) That would give the writers so many cool opportunities to let her use them! I wonder if they're going to do something with that! (Spoiler: They're not.)

(Side note: I love this scene. I love it to death. They're both ride-or-die "who cares for my safety when yours is on the line" for each other and I love them.)

Of course, shenanigans then ensue, leading up to Sherry's marvellous introduction.

(Mwah. I blow her a little kiss.)

And it is at this point that Aki Has An Epiphany.

And to top it off, she gets some interesting interactions with Sherry, too!

So Aki resolves that she wants to become a turbo-duellist, too. And the thing is, this isn't a little one-off thing or something they never deliver on. They end up building this up for several episodes, bit by bit. First we get another mention of it at the pre-WRGP press thingy they all attend:

Then it's brought up again when Yusei accepts the first duel against Bruno/Antinomy:

(Also, side note again, but can I just mention that Aki also gets this moment the episode before:)

(Where she literally puts herself directly in harm's way in a public setting to protect people with her powers??? Like, I'm sorry, pinch me or something, but how does that not scream "badass good girl setup"???? HOW?)

So we get at least three episodes worth of buildup where Aki agonizes over becoming a turbo duellist to understand what her friends (but especially Yusei) are feeling when they duel like that, and then they finally deliver on it and episode 75 has her getting her license. And it's fantastic. Seriously. That episode is golden. Not just because it delivers on this promise, not just because it has a really cute moment between Aki and Yusei in it (regardless of how you read their relationship dynamic), and not just because it (as per my last post) showcases how much the rest of Team 5Ds cares about Aki (by literally building a runner for her and accompanying her to her exam and don't even get me started on Jack beating up those jerks trying to make her crash unprompted) but because it gives us just that smidgen more detail about Aki's character, too. Because the thing is, at first, she majorly sucks at driving.

And not only is this realistic to a degree (learning to drive is hard, regardless of what you're learning to drive), it's also great, because you know what Aki's response to it is?

She keeps going. She doesn't let it get her down, she gets back up and tries again. (And from a writing standpoint, this is lovely because that stubbornness is great in situations like this, but you could easily turn it into a weakness in a different scenario if you wanted to.)

And not only does Aki learn driving the hard way here, she also finds herself confronted with jerks who don't want her to succeed,

(Ruka, sweetie, I love you.)

and she makes an absolute rookie mistake during her exam by trying to play a speed spell when she doesn't have the necessary speed counters.

And feel free to disagree, but I think this is also great. Because honestly? While driving a really damned fast motorcycle that I'm not super used to yet, and being expected to make solid tactical judgements in an overcomplicated card game—the rules of which are slightly different when you're playing it on a motorcycle—at the same time, I would likely also mess up like that and accidentally try to make an illegal play. But the thing is, the episode rewards her for sticking it out anyway by letting her pull off a really complicated driving manoeuvre to save herself from her envious turbo-duelling-license colleagues' cheap tricks, and by letting her score a really nice win from a tight spot, much like any of the boys would have in her position.

(Take that, you jerks. Dumbasses only get blurry screenshots.)

So Aki gets her license and is welcomed by the team as a fresh turbo duellist. Hooray!

(I love them all so, so much, help me.)

And we also get this:

Wouldn't you know it! Sherry's been watching Aki get her license with interest! And she seems to be mighty pleased with the result!

So. After all that, I don't think you could blame anyone (it's me, I'm anyone) for getting really excited about what Aki's gonna get up to from this point outward. Aki can control her powers now! And she got her turbo duelling license! And we've got a new, enigmatic side character who seems like she could have super interesting interactions with and play off Aki! I wonder what they're gonna do with all that.

*deep breath*

Sigh.

Seeing as I already know this show like the palm of my hand, I kind of dreaded getting past this episode because I know exactly what happens to Aki from this point out: Nothing. A whole lot of nothing. Okay, well, no. See, I went back and checked all the episodes I have left, just to make sure, just in case I forgot something (very likely when you've already watched the show three times, I know).

From here on out, during the entire pre-WRGP, WRGP, and Ark Cradle arc, Aki gets exactly three things to do:

She uses her shiny new turbo duelling license to fill in for Crow at the Team Unicorn match because he got injured. Which, on paper, is a perfect way to let her have the spotlight for a moment. Except, the only thing she gets that spotlight for is to last a hot four turns in the duel before losing spectacularly to Andre and literally never turbo duelling again for the rest of the show. (Like, yes. The moment where she summons Stardust Dragon is chefs kiss and legendary. But in light of the surrounding circumstances, it feels like a consolation prize to make up for the ensuing character trainwreck.)

Since Crow is technically still injured when they're meant to go up against Team Catastrophe, Aki trains to fill in for him there again. Except! They intentionally make her crash right before the duel, putting her in a short-term coma! And as the icing on the cake, when she wakes up, it also turns out she lost the powers she was only just able to control for absolutely. no. reason. None. They never bother explaining it, they don't even try to hint at why they might have vanished. (I have my own theories for why they had to let her powers vanish and they all start and end with the words "we couldn't be bothered to figure out how to write this character".)

At the very end of the show, the very end, after temporarily fridging Sherry, too, they dig both girls back up in order to let them participate in a three-way final boss duel with Crow. (Which is a fantastic duel, I love it to pieces. Genuinely.) You could argue that they tried to cash in on all the intrigue they set up between Aki and Sherry here, but—come on. At the end of the show? Seriously? Oh, and did I mention that for some reason, Aki's powers mysteriously reappear after this duel? For no reason? Again?

I just. It does not compute. They went as far as doing all this setup, letting Aki get the hang of her powers, letting her get her license, making her part of Team 5Ds, even giving us a new character that seemed like the perfect fit to let her bounce off of—and then, like some sort of kafkaesque reverse-miracle, they somehow managed to take a sharp left into "whoops, don't care about this character" and nearly wasted the entirety of that setup in one fell swoop. If it weren't for that finale saving at least a smidgen of it, I'd be holding a torch and a pitchfork over here. (Hell, I might, even knowing that Aki's final duel in the show is kickass.)

Please tell me if this is just me (15 years after the show released, I know, leave me alone), but this feels like they were literally loading Chekov's gun directly within view of the audience, only to later procede to toss the damned thing into the sea instead of firing it.

Okay. Okay, I think I'm done. For anyone who actually bothered with the whole post, first of all, thank you for your attention, secondly, sorry, but this does, indeed, still bother me ten years after I first found this show, so I had to get it out or it would have eaten at me forever. God damn it.

Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to writing fics where Aki actually gets something to do right this second. If anyone's interested in giving a fic series where Aki gets a separate character arc that tries to stay mostly canon-compliant after the defeat of the dark signers a go, you can find my stuff here.

[andie-cake]

Right, so it's pretty well-agreed upon that there's literally NO way Emma could've been the android in TGWDLM.

But like, can you imagine how fucking hilarious it would've been if she WAS?

Like, Cup of Poisoned Coffee starts up, and Emma 2 just IMMEDIATELY grabs Nora and Zoey by their necks and YEETS them over the counter. Paul is watching on completely dumbstruck, and Emma 2 is just like

And then they go to alley and Paul's just like "what the FUCK was that about!?", and Emma 2 says "So, funny story! I'm an android from the future, and I murdered the original Emma so I could take over her life! Nbd, nbd". Meanwhile Paul's over here on the verge of a mental breakdown bc on top of this musical apocalypse, he just found out that the woman he's been crushing on for an undisclosed amount of time is a Murder Toaster from the Future.

So Bill, Ted, and Charlotte pop out, and they SUPER overheard that ENTIRE conversation. But before anyone can really say anything about it, Sam and the cops show up. The SECOND a note leaves Sam's mouth, Emma 2's just like "oh FUCK that", and whacks him over the head with the trash can lid, and probably kills the other cops too. Ted's immediately like "Okay, yeah, she's staying" bc if this really is the apocalypse, having a hyper-competent death machine on your side is a VERY good idea.

They go to Hidgens, and things proceed pretty normally for a while. Paul and Emma's conversation proceeds,,, differently, not really sure what they'd talk about. Anyways, Charlotte comes in.

Infected!Charlotte: It is time, TO DIIIIIIIIIIII-

Emma 2: I THINK THE FUCK NOT, BITCH *immediately beams her in the head with a chair*

She makes quick work of Charlotte and Sam, with No Hesitation I might add. She's a robot, she doesn't give a shit, man. Everyone is slightly horrified, and when Hidgens comes in, still with his cigarette and shotgun, he's VERY disappointed that he didn't get to shoot anything. But he doesn't suspect anything's off. Bill gets the call from Alice, and instead of the debate being "Should Bill go to save his daughter?" it's "Let the goddamn death bot go with you, dude." But she has to stay behind to assist Hidgens in the lab.

Emma 2 is listening to Hidgens go on about the Hive's origins and world peace and all that, and then...

Emma 2: -So if we take it out, will all these things just die?

Hidgens, pulling his syringe out: That's a sound theory, Emma. Which is why it must never leave this room...

*he injects the needle into her neck*

Emma 2, COMPLETELY unaffected: ?

Hidgens: what the fu-

So Emma 2 just straight up fucking STRANGLES Hidgens for trying that shit, he's dead now, no Workin' Boys pitch for him. Paul shows up, and they grab the still-drunk-because-he-wasn't-knocked-out Ted so they can get to the helicopter in Oakley Park. Since Workin' Boys didn't happen, Jreg doesn't show up and drag Paul off and cause Ted to run away like a lil bitch, so they ALL meet the Infected PEIP at the same time. MacNamara shoots Ted, and at first Emma 2 is like "good riddance, honestly", but then Mac starts singing, and yeah she goes FULL Birdhouse scene on the PEIP soldiers (+Ted).

They get in the helicopter, SIGNIFICANTLY more blood-soaked than they were in the actual show at this point. Zoey, still piloting the helicopter but with a 100% more broken neck, points the gun at them, the helicopter crashes, yadda yadda yadda. Emma 2's leg is damaged, instead of blood, there's like sparks and motor oil and damaged circuitry and shit. When she and Paul try to kiss, she coughs up motor oil in his face, which is somehow MORE gross. Paul leaves to go blow up the meteor.

Two weeks later, Emma 2's in the hospital in Clivesdale, and PEIP has repaired her leg. Emma 2 asks if Colonel Schaeffer is gonna say anything about her being an android to the public.

Schaeffer: Your secret's safe with us, Kelly.

Emma 2: Okay thanks, but why'd it have to be Kelly? I liked my old name!

Schaeffer: Well, last I checked, it wasn't YOUR name in the first place.

Emma 2: wow, okay, rude

Schaeffer tells Emma 2 that she'll be escorted to Colorado by "Ben Bridges", Paul comes in, he and Emma 2 hug it out, and then...

Infected!Paul: 🎵 Emma, I'm sorry, you lost... 🎵

Emma 2: Paul?

Infected!Paul: 🎵 Emma, I'm sorry, you lost your way- 🎵

Emma 2 yeets him through the window, roll credits.

Basically, with Emma 2, TGWDLM becomes the absurdist comedy story of the android from the future who survived the musical apocalypse through sheer lack of tolerance for the Hive's bullshit. Thank you everyone, I'll be here all night.

[hikari-writes]

❅A Love Letter I Have to My Lovely and Beloved Friends❅

(I just know that 30 july was a national friendship day and today is like 31 july already at where I am but,,, just pretend that this is also for National Friendship Day 🤡🔫)

As you all know, it's been confirmed that I'll be going on a hiatus two days from now that I really don't know how long it will go on. So, with that in mind, I wished to leave this message to all the wonderful friends I've made while I was active here on Tumblr during quarantine.

I've started this writing blog a few months ago, to be precise, on May where life in quarantine was starting to become a norm. In the few months until now, I did my best to start writing and drawing more using all the free times that I have.

I wouldn't have expected this blog to grow so much in such a short time. To me, it was really mind blowing, seeing that there's a lot of other great content creators here on Tumblr. Yet, the 300+ people who stumbled upon my blog still decided to follow me.

I was really happy to have made many contents that I'm actually proud of posting. And I still can't believe there are people out there who love them. Seeing every one of your comments and reblogs and likes really, really, squeezed my heart and I couldn't be more thankful for your support.

And during these fun times, I was able to make friends with many amazing, talented, fantastic and all the good words I could find in the dictionary people on here. You all are a real gift to me and I hold you guys close to my heart.

I still can't believe I was able to befriend you guys though, like, y'all are so amazing and I was just here like squeaking my name to you like a shy mice lmao. =///= Anyways, thank you for all the good and fun times. Thank you for being with me and helping me with lots of things. Just, thank you for everything. (I'm writing this at 1am like it's sad hours yall I'm crying :')))

If you are ever feeling down, do not ever forget that, even if it's only me, I'll support you to the end of the world because you're just so amazing and fantastic. I love you and never let any hate that's thrown at you let you down because they aren't worth your time.

The people I'll be mentioning below are my dear friends or just people that I have been interacting with during the times I was online, little or not, I still consider you guys to be my friends (very self-proclaimed here sorry)and I'm still honoured by that fact.

@your-local-bnha-writer -Bean, you and your posts are always so wholesome and cute and I love them. Keep being amazing, and we may not interact much, but I still appreciate every little convos we had. Also, wish you luck on tpn, that shit hurted :')

@identifybby -Liaaaa, omg im so v v grateful we became friends. You've helped me with a tons of things and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done to me. You're just so amazing and thank you for always putting up with me, i love you sm.

@minteasketches -Mintea! You're such an amazing artist and I rlly enjoyed our conversations! You might not see this since you're off socmed but just wanna let u know that thank u for being my friends.

@yandere-of-your-dreams -Heyyy sis,, you're always such a sweet bean to me and showering me w love and i appreciate them, stay amazing and I'm sure you'll become an amazing writer.

@shotobabe -Ren, wifey, ilysm thank u for always being with me. You're such an awesome person and keep on being yourself. You're perfect and talented, don't let others tell you otherwise. AND while I'm gone, don't forget to drink lots of water okay? I won't be able to remind you while I'm on a hiatus, but please always remember to drink water. That'd be the first thing I'll ask you once I'm able to be online. And please try to eat more okay bb? I love u.

@takumipineapplexd -Taku! Amazing writer and amazing editor, yes I'm talking about you. You're amazing and keep on making cursed content and being crackhead, i love them.

@bnhabadass -We might not talk much, but I just want to let you know that you're so amazing and I look up to u v much. Literally had a heart attack when u commented on angel wings lmao.

@tomomoni -Mon, love, soft bean, I LOVE U. You've always been so wholesome and cute to every one of your followers and seeing ur interactions literally heals my heart. Your art is amazing so continue being amazing ilysm thank u for being an amazing advisor and listener, I'm v grateful for that. You have no idea how blessed I am to have you as a friend. Meeting you through turn on your airdrop's fanart was F A T E.

@kamabukokompachiro -First time u asked my permission to read my fanfic, I legit teared up. Thank u sm for asking, I couldn't be happier to know that my fic is worthy to be read over for a yt channel. Keep on being amazing and ily.

@kaminii -Kamiiiii, sweet child, you're always so matured and calm and I really adore and respect that part of you (unlike me im v childish and rash) You're an amazing writer and editor and ur aesthetic? 100/10. Love it. You're so talented despite being so young and I'm just, WOW. Ily and thank u for being friends w me. And please fix your sleeping schedule bb. It's rlly not good for your health, like please? Ily.

@katsucutie -I love you and your writing so v much, and I rlly enjoyed talking to you, discussing about Burn Book was rlly fun. I might not be able to know the ending since im gonna go on a hiatus but I'll be sure to catch up to it once im back. Keep being amazing and awesome.

@isolshi -CHERIE, I LOVE YOU AND YOU'RE AMAZING. Don't be so insecure about your writing. They're amazing. And you're also one of the sweetest and cute person I've met here. I always love teasing you cause your reaction is always so funny and cute. Keep being awesome. And please, please, please get enough sleep and drink LOTS of water. I legit would cry if you don't drink more water cher.

@mirakeul -BIANCAAAAA LOVE YOU'RE SO AMAZING AND SWEET LiKE--- please, I love talking to you and thank you so much for always reminding me to eat. Your calligraphy and handwriting are awesome, shshh i don't take criticism. Never stop writing, I love them. And please never forget I love you and you're my best friend okay?

@roxybefab -You've always been the first to ask me to be on my taglist and I'm so v happy because of that. Thank you for everything, and keep on being awesome. You can do this, ily.

@princessofdawn718 -Talking to you about Hamefura has been so fun! I haven't talked w many ppl about isekai so im rlly glad I could talk about them w you. Katarina x nicol ftw! Thanks for talking to me, it was such a pleasure rlly.

@softkodzuken -Maam your writing is A M A Z I N G. I love anon sm and you're rlly so sweet for always replying to every single comment on them. Don't be so insecure about them, they're amazing and i will always stand by that point. Wishing you the best of luck for Undercover!

@lolitsleia -Your art is *chef's kiss* i love them so much, I still can't believe you hadn't had more recognition like why?? Ur oc alex is the cutest thing ever and i love her. Thank you again for drawing Yuki. She looked really beautiful and cute in your drawing.

@samanthaa-leanne -We may not talk much, but when you first followed me back, my heart goes B O O M. You're so amazing and keep being like that. And uh,, good luck with Violet Evergarden if you ever plan to watch it. Prepare a couple of tissue boxes....or dozens.

@miyumtwins -Fellow android users! I first saw you through Bean's post about a tag game and i was like *gasp* another androiders..! I swear that one time i was interacting w you, I didn't actually meant to go off anon,, yes im dumb lmao. Anyways, you're rlly amazing and I'm rlly honoured to be followed by you.

@kawasuno -Your smau? 100/10. Your sense of humour 100/10. They're just so perfect *chef's kiss* I love every one of your updates and they always managed to put a smile on my face, i was like, how did you do that? My sense of humour is nonexistant, teach me your ways sensei. But anyways, you're rlly amazing and awesome. Keep up w that.

@kukusbabe -Tsu, I've never said this, but it's you. It's always been you all along. What i mean is, I've followed you first (i knew u through zara's flopping server yeah!) And when i looked at my dash and saw all your interactions w your moots, despite me haven't legally started haikyuu yet, i decided to follow all of them, soooo if it's not for you, we may not have met each other. Everyone in the kita family, Tsu is the MVP here muah. Also your aesthethic and writing and everything is so kajsjhendnd amazing i LOvE---

@iwaixiumi -King Nami, you're so awesome and amazing,, and I'm really glad to be able to interact w you. All those songs you recommend? Yeah, I'm going to listen and love all of them, thank u so much for the recs. Keep being amazing and to everyone reading this, PLEASE INTERACT WITH KING NAMI MORE SHE DOESN'T BITE---

@shoutodoki -Hello, you're so amazing and talented and im just,,, kekkdjfjdj when you followed me--- and when u figured out i was the anon talking about oboro i was OAKSJEJDDJ please, i was so honoured u know, like ???? Anyways, keep on writing what you love and your art maam? THEY'RE AMAZING LIKE BOTH YOUR ART AND WRITING IS SO KAJSJDJDN pliS im so v honoured to be able to talk to you.

@lisarillia -Please excuse me while I go shout in the corner of how much i LOVE your arts. They're amazing and being able to talk to you was a real pleasure. Keep on doing what you love. They'll be amazing no matter what i swear.

@cutiedrawsbnha -Cutie, honey, you're amazing and your art is so cute! Don't let what haters said get to you. You're going to grow into an amazing artist. If you give in and listen to what they said, you're going to end up like what they said so ignore them honey! I believe in you so keep shipping izuocha, todomomo, and kamijirou and making arts. Lotsa love!

@lilikags -Heeyyyy you sweet cute innocent bean! Don't ever stop writing what you love, you'll grow into a big blog soon enough, before you know it. Just keep making what you love, and as time pass by, I'm sure there will be many people who will find appreciate everything you do. I'm always supporting you.

@baeshijima -SOPHHHHH YOU SWEET CUTE CINNAMON ROLL WAKATOSHI'S WIFE EYE--- You have NO idea how much i love you,, you're so sweet and I honestly don't know what did i do to deserve you. Srsly you're a blessing to me. Thank you for the sweet daily reminder in my inbox, i love each and every one of them. Keep being so cute and wholesome, love you.

@shinsuque -ANAAAAA Thanks again for the Bakugou's memes! I may not be able to do it before i go on a hiatus though *sobbing* Keep being so awesome! I love seeing all your interactions and you're so amazing i honestly don't know why you followed me----

@semiluvr -LYDIA *SOBBING* THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR INVITING ME TO THE KITA FAMILY. Even though we've known each other in less than a week, it already felt like I had known you guys for so long like whotttt. Keep being an amazing and sweet person ily muah

@dumbass-lev -MOMMY, MUI, ILY THANK U FOR ALWAYS BEING SO SWEET YOU'RE AMAZING,,, u have no idea how happy (and also flustered) I am when i saw you asking you want to adopt me like,,, whot I've never been asked to be adopted online b4 so you asking that was a big surprise to me and just,,, remember that i love you and you're an amazing mommy. Hope i wasn't too much too handle as your child lol and thank u, for asking to invite me to the server. It has been a real pleasure to me to be there.

@pudding-head-kenma -DANIE!! We haven't talked much and I've only known you for a short time but I really love your detailed analysis. They're amazing and you're amazing. Thank you for being so sweet and cute. Ily.

@/🦋 nonoi -🦋 NONOIIII!!! IF YOU'RE SEEING THIS, I JUST WANNA TELL YOU THANK YOU FOR BEING MY EMOJI ANON! I love you you're so sweet and bb please please please don't forget me id cry,,,

@astereim -Rein!!! I know we just talked and all but you seem to be a reaally cool and amazing person,, we might not be able to interact much since I need to go prepare things b4 i go on my hiatus though, but just wanna let u know that ily!

@tokoyamis-luv -please don't come for my neck i haven't been active on the server Lol but anyways, zara, you're amazing and your simping for Kurapika is always fun to watxh. Also all the lin manuel edits are *chef's kiss* we may not talk much but i was rlly honoured to be able to interact w you, even a little bit.

@engel-hageshii - YOU, MAAM are a literal angel, and your comments on my fics always managed to make me smile so much. I love you, please never stop being such a sweetheart.

@laylahoran -I've always loved and appreciate every comments you make. I'm v happy I was able to create a content that you can love. You and engel has been some of my firsts followers and I'm really blessed to have you two.

@oyasenpai -Diemmy! You're so sweet and cute and seeing your interaction w my moots (kami) was what made me follow you. Don't let what others said bring you down, okay? Just do what you want because there're always many people supporting you for it.

Special message to the kita family server;

Meanwhile while you guys were talking about me there, I was just innocently scrolling through Tumblr, not knowing what kind of fate I'll be receiving 👁👄👁 No wonder I was sneezing so much 🤧🤧🤧

So, I was just scrolling through the pinned messages and I saw tsu said "mui: can we invite hikari? Everyone here: kakskejdjdjdn" and i was just like,,, ??????? I wasn't expecting u guys to have that kind of reaction i--- yall have no idea how much i was grinning while I scroll through those messages. Thank you so much for inviting and accepting me, it's really fun to be with you guys and your crackhead energy 🥰🥰 Thank you to mui for suggesting you had no idea I was really really happy. 😭 Y'all are so amazing and sweet and cute and beautiful kakjdjdd

To all of my dear friends that I've mentioned above, I LOVE YOU LOTS YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GRATEFUL I AM TO MET YOU GUYS. Quarantine time has been stressful for a lot of people, and Tumblr can sometimes (a lot of times) be kinda whack but I was really happy to met you guys during my time here. Our time together may have been short, but i feel like we've known each other for more than a year, no caps. I love you all very very much. Thank you for talking to me and befriending me. Remember to get enough sleep, drink lots of water, stay safe and healthy, eat enough meals and, take care of yourself. I love you guys.

And lastly, to everyone reading this, whether i know you or not, or interacted with you or not, or follow you or not, or you follow me or not, just REMEMBER that you are worth it and I love you. Keep on being awesome, and always remember to smile, laugh and live. Don't forget to always DRINK LOTS OF WATER, GET ENOUGH SLEEP, and EAT ENOUGH MEALS.

Signing off,

Hikari.

[therealestatesparkblog]

The Stupid-Simple Budgeting Trick I'm Using to Stop Blowing 5 Figures a Month

Ill set the stage for you. Every Friday, the credit card balance email would arrive, and I would be physically sick and terrified to open it. It was like the Russian roulette of email, wondering how horrible of a job we did this week at following our budget. Oh my god, how did we spend this much money? *Insert the throwing up emoji.* I felt like a complete failure. How did we do this again? Didnt we figure this out finally? The Background Having a clear budgetand a clear process for where the income goesis essential. My wife and I have worked together on our budget for years now. But its also easy for the lifestyle creep to begin, to get shiny object syndrome. Wed had the blessing of our income steadily increasing for a number of years, but for a time, our skills and diligence with saving, budgeting, and knowing what to do with the money had not grown with it. You may be thinking, Tough life. The trolls of the internet are literally digging their way through the interwebs towards this post as we speak. The guys complaining about having all these bucks to blow on whatever. Let me suggest instead we put the focus on this adage:Its not what you make, its what you keep.

The Excuses For multiple months in a row, my wife and I would have these weekly conversations about sticking to our budget. We would then take turns arguing back and worth about what we had or hadnt done. Where we spent the money and whose fault it was. There were lots of great reasons why we had made the decisions we hadand how it would be totally different the following week or month. The problem is, these were all excuses. This dinner. These things for the kids. Some hunting crap. The thing on the counter. That lunch. These toys for the kids. That tractor part I had to have. That little flight across the country. Fancy new shades. These Lululemon pants. Anyway, you know what all of that really is, right? Excuses. No ownership of the problem. Related: 4 Steps to Buy the Car You Want Within the Budget You Can Afford The Results At the end of the game of your favorite sports team, its easy to see the score, right? There is a winner and a loser. Back then, our budget, savings, and investments were the big fat losers. And our credit card, the stupid crap we were buying, and our bad behavior and habits were winning. Although we were making awesome money on a regular basis, I was feeling literally broke. Our system and our budget wasnt working. We were literally paying these credit card bills in increments and could blow more than five figures on a monthly basis. So embarrassing. Something had to change. The Conversation My wife and I were texting back and forth. I believe that conversation went something like: Me: Hi love, hope you are having a great day [adorable kiss emoji]! Mrs.: Thanks love, you too. Awesome day with the kids here. Im sure youre out there crushing it, you amazing man you. What an adorable beard you have, too. Ill have a whiskey waiting for you on the counter with one of those cool round ice cubes as soon as you get home tonight. [Some embellishment here may be possible.] Me: Oh yeah, thanks love. Crushing it ALL. DAY. Me: BTW, have you happened to look at the credit card today? Mrs.: No, been busy with the kids at the library and the grocery store, then taking care of your stuff, then cleaning, and then school with the kids, and then Me: Yeah, its like $4k. THIS WEEK! How in the world did we do this, AGAIN! Mrs.: Wow. Me: What in the world are we going to do? This is such a nightmare. Mrs.: Its time. We need to go back to the envelope system. Me: Holy cow, why didnt I think of that? The Transition to the Envelope System Ill point out, its not an easy transition after you are used to doing whatever you want. And believe me, I was at least 50% if not more like 70% at fault for the spending in the household. Its fun to get whatever you want. But it also has its downsides. Like blowing all your money, leaving you feeling broke and stuck. If you arent familiar with this, Dave Ramsey and many others have spoken at length on the envelope system. The premise is, you write out your budget for how you will spend your money monthly. Anything that is paid directly, like a car payment or a mortgage, is accounted for, which would then be paid via bill pay. Then, everything else budget-wise, such as eating out, clothes, groceries, fun money, kids sports, toys, whatever, is paid out by cash from the envelopes. No exceptions.

The Execution Usually, I have a monthly draw from our business around the first. So, after having my draw completed, I walked into the branch of the bank and walked up to the teller I knew by name. I handed her my check and then asked, Id like to deposit this check, and Id also like to withdraw $4,000 in cash please. I had this feeling she was thinking to herself, Is this dude really taking that much to the strip club? Wow. I got a pretty good chuckle at that thought. I let the pause go for another few seconds, and then said, We are doing the envelope system at home now. Have you heard of it? Related: The Foolproof Monthly Budget: How to Save Up Money to Buy Investment Properties It fun to share what we were doing as she gathered everything together. She stepped back over to the teller station with this giant stack of cash. I was thinking, did she do the math wrong here? Its like 2+ inches think, made up of $20s and $100s. She counted it once (with a machine in that quantity) and then walked over to me to count it out. I swear it felt like five minutes counting these bills out. Every few minutes, I would look around to see if there were other people around wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. I was thinking, I wonder if this is what the drug dealers feel like? And now I have to walk out of the bank with this. The cash doesnt fit in the bank envelope. Or two. So I just carried the stack out and walked directly to my truck. When I got home, I showed my wife this same stack of cash and said something funny like, Giddy up, momma. Im sure she was impressed. And I was seriously hopeful this would finally get us back on track. The Outcome The previous time we used the envelope system, maybe four or five years ago, we used them for well over a year, with great success.We have now been doing the envelopes for two or three weeks. And just like the last time, I have felt an immediate sense of calmness in our decision. If we want to eat out, we do. If my wife needs something for the kids, she gets it. But we know that the money in the envelope is what is budgeted, and we have to work together within the categories to make sure we are on the same page. Its a lot harder to spend a $100 bill out of your wallet than it is to pull out your credit card and swipe it. So, I will do a follow-up on this in another six to nine months and give examples of what we have run into, what was working, what we had to tweak, and some of the results from savings and spending. Final Thoughts Its my goal with this post to tell the truth. Making money is actually the easy part. Keeping it, investing it, and not raising your lifestyle every time you make more money is hard. No matter if you make $2k a month or $100k a month, you need a budget. You need to tell your money where its going and to hold it and yourself accountable for the outcome. No more excuses. No more email roulette with the credit card statement. Own the outcome, and lets get after it.

How do you budget in your householdwhat has worked, and what have the challenges been? Comment below! https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/how-not-to-blow-5-figures-a-month/