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sturnioloskyline · 9 months ago

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smoke sesh

pairing: dealer!chris x fem!reader

warnings: use of marijuana, awkwardness, making out, not proofread

summary: you decide it’s finally time to smoke weed. you’re inexperienced, but maybe your dealer, chris, can guide you through it.

a nervous pit began to form in y/n's stomach as she paced around her bedroom. for the first time in a while, she was expecting a guest.

y/n's personal life was rough at the moment. she just moved out of her parents' house to live on her own, she was struggling to find what she wanted to do with her life, and, on top of it all, her love life was going terribly.

she tried it all — dating apps, clubs, frat parties, coffee shops — y/n couldn't seem to find love anywhere. her friends even tried to set her up, but all of her dates ended the same: y/n either had no interest in the men she was set up with or got horribly mistreated by them. all that y/n had been dreaming of recently was a hot guy who also happened to not be an asshole, but that seemed to be a rarity these days.

overall, y/n had been down in the dumps and was in desperate need of a pick-me-up. that was when she remembered her best friend recommending a soothing solution.

...

"seriously, it just makes you feel... better," y/f/n explained, sitting next to y/n on her bed.

"i don't know. it just makes me nervous, i guess, losing control." y/n said to her friend. "like i want to be in full control of my brain and my body at all times."

"you are in control. you're just less scared," y/f/n smiled at y/n. "y'know, i think you would really benefit from smoking weed."

y/n scoffed. she was an adult now, and she had never tried any substances before. she wasn't against recreational drugs, she just never had the urge to partake in them. "yeah right. as if you'd catch me casually with a blunt in hand."

y/f/n giggled at the image of her friend smoking. "yeah. but you would be a lot less stressed. if you ever change your mind, i have a dealer, just saying…"

y/n rolled her eyes. "yeah. I'll keep you posted."

...

and now here y/n was, in the middle of the night, chewing on her fingernails as she waited for a response from the man whose snapchat she'd gotten from her friend the other day.

y/n's phone pinged and she immediately brought the screen to her face to read the notification.

chris sturniolo

yeah i can be there soon

y/n's heart raced in anticipation. surprisingly, she was more excited than nervous. she'd been so tense, she was looking forward to anything that could take the edge off. y/n hearted the message and made her way to the kitchen so she could wait closer to the door.

y/n didn't really know what to expect for the interaction she was about to have. she assumed that it would just be like any other transaction: he'd show her the options, she'd pay him, and that would be that.

but as she waited, y/n grew more nervous about the purchase. she quickly pulled out her phone to google "what happens when you buy weed from a guy on snapchat", before she caught a glimpse of a certain notification.

chris sturniolo sent you a snap

y/n curiously clicked the notification, opening to a picture of chris in the driver's seat of his car, taken from his lap. he face hung over the camera but his blue eyes were focused on the road in front of him. his soft brown hair stuck out slightly under the grey beanie he was wearing, and a silver chain dangled from his neck.

y/n was left in awe. she didn't really know what she expected him to look like, but it was definitely not that. this guy looked good, the kind of look that made y/n's cheeks heat up from just one picture. y/n was only more anxious about the whole situation now that she knew a really cute guy was involved. before she even had time to process the whole thing, another notification pops up at the top of her screen.

chris sturniolo is typing...

y/n hesitated for a second before opening her chats with chris. he had only sent one word.

chris sturniolo

here

y/n silently cursed herself for her impulsiveness in inviting chris over. she was way too eager, and now everything was becoming way too real. soon enough y/n could hear footsteps outside her door, and three rapid knocks echoed in her ears. she apprehensively made her way to the door, opening it to reveal chris standing there with a backpack slung over one shoulder.

"hey."

"hi," y/n replied awkwardly, cracking her door farther open. chris took this as an invitation to step inside, and he walked in and glanced around the area.

"nice place." chris mumbled, making his way over to y/n's kitchen without any instruction. y/n just watched him as she locked her front door, unsure of what to do. chris took off his backpack and set it on the counter, beginning to take out various plastic baggies and laying them out.

"so... how does this work?" y/n asked, slowly approaching chris in the kitchen as she watched him move.

"um, what do you mean?" chris's eyebrows furrowed, but he kept his attention on the task at hand. y/n remained silent, unsure of how to answer. chris stopped and looked up at her. "have you ever bought weed before?"

"no..." y/n replied meekly, slightly embarrassed. chris chuckled and shook his head.

"well... do you know what you want?" chris asked. he tilted his head at y/n as she approached the counter, letting her take a look at the different strains, labeled by sharpie on the baggies.

“what’s the best one, for um, beginners?” y/n squeaked out, nervous under chris’s gaze.

chris walked up behind y/n, and placed his hands on the counter on either side of her waist. y/n breath hitched in her throat as she felt chris's abdomen press lightly against her back. he looked over y/n's shoulder at the bags on the counter sighing.

"i mean, personally, i don't think the strain matters," chris explained casually picking up a bag and examining the bud inside. "but i guess since you haven't tried anything before, you could try a hybrid first."

y/n nodded absentmindedly, not really focusing on what chris was saying. she was more focused on how his bicep slightly flexed as he flipped the bag of weed around in his hand, and the faint smell of cologne that wafted past her nose as she moved. her eyes drifted to his fingers, fiddling with the bag's seal. chris noticed, a small smile forming on his face.

"wanna try it right now?" chris asked, snapping y/n out of her trance.

"what? oh! um, yeah," y/n mumbled, stepping away from chris to face him. "uh, how much?"

chris chuckled and shook his head. "it's okay. on the house."

"oh no, you don't have to-"

"it's your first time, enjoy it." chris interrupted, setting the bag down on the counter and reaching into his bag for supplies.

y/n watched silently, butterflies swarming in her stomach. she had never felt this way about a guy before, let alone a guy she had just met who also happened to be dealing her drugs. it was something about the way chris's black tank top hugged his torso and the way his jeans hung low around his hips, revealing the waistline of his boxers. chris had undeniable sexual appeal, and y/n just couldn't help herself from feeling flustered around him.

chris pulled a grinder, rolling papers, filters and an ashtray out of his backpack. y/n finally ripped her eyes away from chris to focus on what he was doing. he took a bit of the weed and ground it down, turning his head quickly to glance back at y/n. he caught her watching him and flashed her a grin before focusing again. y/n blushed profusely.

a few minutes of comfortable silence passed as chris tightly rolled two joints, gliding his tongue along the wrapping paper to seal them. y/n was mesmerized, both by the meticulous process and the fact that chris was the one doing it. chris set down the joints and backed up from the counter.

"have you ever smoked anything before?" chris asked curiously, watching y/n's face. he could sense that she was nervous, from the way she was fidgeting to the way her voice was barely audible with every response she gave. y/n bit her cheek as she looked into chris's eyes, shaking her nead slowly. "do you want me to.. smoke with you?"

"would you?" y/n seemed to have a weight lifted off of her shoulders as soon as chris asked. the reaction made chris smile.

"yeah, of course," chris chuckled, sticking his hand in his jeans pocket and fishing out an orange lighter. "you're gonna want a water bottle or something."

y/n nodded, walking around to the fridge, grabbing two water bottles. she walked back over to chris's side, handing him a water bottle. chris flipped it in his hand effortlessly, thanking her soflty and picking up the ashtray, joints, and lighter in his other hand.

"is there a window we could sit by? don't wanna leave your place smelling too bad." chris looked around for a place to sit.

"yeah, here," y/n replied, turning around and leading chris to her living room. where she sat on a small couch just below a window. chris sat down next to her leaning over to the wall and helping her push the window open. they sat back down on the couch and faced each other as chris set down an ashtray on the coffee table in front of them. y/n took a deep breath as chris took a joint in his left hand, holding it between his thumb and pointer as he held his lighter in his other hand.

"okay. so," chris began explaining, looking at y/n's face as he did. y/n's eyes flicked up to meet his, and the two maintained eye contact as chris talked through the process. "i'll take puff first, i guess, to show you how."

y/n nodded, watching as chris brought the joint in front of his face and light it, bringing it down the tray and tapping it before bringing it between his pink lips. his cheeks hollowed as he took a long inhale. he took the joint out fo his mouth and passed it to y/n, who shakily took it in between her fingertips. chris's eyebrows furrowed from the slight sting of the smoke he was holding in his lung, watching y/n's hands to make sure that the joint stayed lit. he tilted his head to the window to release the smoke from his mouth, blowing it out into the night air. y/n watched the whole thing, only growing more anxious.

"so you just wanna inhale with it in your mouth, lightly," chris spoke, nodding to give y/n the go-ahead. y/n brought the joint up to her lips, her hand trembling. she stuck the joint in her mouth and tightly wrapped her lips around it.

"like this?" y/n mumbled around the joint. chris chuckled and brought his own hand to y/n's wrist.

"here, relax," chris moved y/n's hand away from her face a bit. "open your mouth more. just rest it there, gentle."

chris's voice was quiet as he readjusted y/n's form. she watched him as his face leaned in closer to her own. "better. now inhale."

y/n inhaled softly, feeling the smoke travel through her body, her throat scratching a bit.

"once it kinda burns, stop and hold it in your lungs." y/n brought the joint down, handing it to chris and holding her breath. her face scrunched up as she felt a burning sensation in her chest begin to grow. out of reflex, she quickly turned to the window and coughed out smoke. chris's hand flew out to her back for support. "woah! you okay?"

"yeah, just—" y/n cut herself off by coughing. chris kept his hand on the small of y/n back as she coughed. he set the joint down in the tray and reached over to grab a water bottle from the table, unscrewing it and bringing it up to y/n's lips, she reached out and took the bottle, taking a sip to sooth the fire in her lungs.

"it's okay, deep breaths, you'll be okay." chris murmured affirmations as y/n worked through her cough attack. eventually, y/n calmed down and brought her hand up to wipe the few tears that pricked at the corner of her eyes.

"i'm sorry, i think i inhaled too long," y/n chuckled awkwardly, embarrassed at herself for coughing like that in front of chris. it was then that y/n became hyperaware of chris's hand on her back, causing her to blush.

"it's okay, it happens to everyone," chris grinned at y/n, finding her shyness endearing. "we'll take it slow. you feelin' anything yet?"

"nope," y/n smiled awkwardly, watching as chris effortlessly took another hit. chris handed the joint back to her, and she took a short puff, blowing the smoke out the window with a few coughs.

"better!" chris grinned, causing y/n to giggle.

"thanks," y/n mumbled, taking another sip of water. chris tapped the joint against the ashtray and bringing it to his mouth. "so, when did you start smoking?"

chris chuckled at the icebreaker, smoke spewing out of his mouth. the two of them fell into small talk as they shared the joint, growing more and more comfortable with each other as they lazily passed the weed back and forth. suddenly y/n felt a wave wash over her, and her sensed heightened. her body stiffened, and chris noticed, his eyes flicking over her face.

"you okay?" chris asked for a second time, lightly reaching out and grazing his fingertips against y/n's arm.

"yeah..." y/n spoke lowly, her eyes landing on chris's. something about chris seemed different now. his features were more prominent and detailed, and she was definetly even more drawn to him. without thinking, she reached out and touched chris's silver chain, fiddling with it in her fingers, the sensation feeling unique. "chris?"

"yeah?" chris's voice was just above a whisper, his eyes not leaving y/n's face. something about the way her delicate hands pulled at his necklace made his breath hitch. he found himself craving her touch, but pushed the thought away, blaming it on the marijuana in his system.

"i think it's hitting me." y/n looked back up at chris, her eyes flicking between his. chris swallowed.

"how's it feel?"

"feels like... i'm in a dream," y/n spoke absentmindedly, not breaking eye contact with chris. chris smiled and nodded at her explanation. y/n couldn't help but smile back. "you're really sweet, chris."

"is that suprising?" chris asked, a heat slowly rising to his cheek at the compliment.

"yeah, kinda," y/n whispered. chris's eyes flicked to y/n's lips as she spoke, and before he could stop himself, chris was asking y/n a question.

"can i kiss you?"

y/n's jaw fell slightly open at the question, completely taken off guard. chris's own eyes widened, and he quickly pulled himself away from y/n, his face quickly reddening. "i'm sorry, i didn't mean to say that out loud, i mean, i want to, i mean—!"

with a sudden boost of confidence, y/n leaned closer to chris and looked up at chris through her eyelashes, leaving chris too flustered to keep defending himself. "please kiss me."

chris needed no further encouragement, his hands finding y/n's face and pulling her up to meet him. his eyes quickly flicked to y/n's before he leaned in and pressed his lips to y/n's. his lips were surprisingly soft, moving slowly against y/n's. chris's tongue slipped past his lips, and y/n opened her mouth, allowing him in. y/n's hands moved to chris's neck, one of her hands travelling under his beanie to grip at his hair.

chris kept one of his hands on y/n's cheek, letting the other one fall down to hold her waist. he spread his legs apart, pulling y/n towards him. y/n broke the kiss to yelp in surprise, sending the both of them into a giggling fit. warmth spread throughout y/n's body as she watched the way chris's eyes crinkled as he laughed, flashing his teeth. the image only made her smile more. y/n leaned into chris, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. chris wrapped his arms around y/n's frame without a second thought.

it was all too natural, the way chris leaned back into the couch with y/n in his arms, holding her softly. y/n hummed in content, her eyelids suddenly struggling to stay open as chris sighed underneath her.

"thanks chris," y/n mumbled lazily, letting her eyelids flutter shut as she sunk deeper into the warmth of his body.

chris hummed back, peering at the girl on his chest. he was shocked he had ended up in this position, but lord, he was not complaining. chris smiled to himself before letting his own red eyes fall shut. the drugs in chris and y/n's systems lulled them both to sleep, and they stayed like that for the rest of the night.

...

author's note: wow that felt LONG. i need to smoke after that one. let me know if u want a (potentially smutty)part 2. 😚 love u bye!

#chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #chris sturniolo x reader #christopher sturniolo x reader #sturniolo x reader #sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #fanfic #sturniolo fanfic #x reader #au #help

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unproduciblesmackdown · 1 year ago

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right i keep forgetting: speculated another layer in lackadaisy murder mystery

so my premises being:

atlas, mordecai, mitzi being in on atlas's death, which was somehow necessitated &/or inevitable. such that mordecai was the one who shot/killed atlas, which everyone was also in on, so that there'd be maximal control over the situation. mordecai would do it, because it was made part of his job, ordered by atlas. see: mordecai banging on about how he just deals with his approach to Work & Professional Business & The Job, which is obviously already relevant to being the effective professional assassin who everyone keeps going "aren't you here b/c you're having so much fun? why aren't you having fun. what a weirdo" at, but gains even more relevance if he's also a resident of coping city over killing atlas, even at atlas's behest.

mitzi and mordecai now having the best relationship ever where they keep this secret and also never talk to each other after mordecai goes fuck it i quit this specific operation. both of them being aware of the material, transactional aspects of their relationships with atlas, who wanted this wife and this talented hire, but there also being emotional aspects, at least mostly on their ends. suspecting that atlas, as this central, opportunist figure, had feelings as well but was always centrally opportunist regarding his relationships with them, and regarding anything else, and much more detached from them than they were towards him. and they're both probably aware of that, in no small part, And Yet. the emotions still matter hugely or what are we doing here, with characters, in a narrative? these two, who aren't really so dissimilar, being locked into this "ugh. only you understand my experience here" connection lmfao the tragic widow of this mf where the marriage presumably wasn't this epic love story, and yet, and the gayass bodyguard/hitman from out of nowhere whom nobody likes because he's just so particular and uncharming hmm but who is also effectively brought into things on atlas's arm, parallel to mitzi going from showgirl to glamorous wife....competitiveness between them? unbelievable. by which i mean "believable" and through which there can still be this begrudging recognition of the self, or, at least, begrudging recognition of the [atlas's preferred party] status that means being motivated by him says you put up with them, and now, recognition of the shared understanding in this shared secret involvement in atlas's death.

just preemptively i guess like "mordecai said he's trying to find out who killed atlas" he didn't, that's only one way to read between the lines; "he quit lackadaisy to go investigate them regarding atlas's death" he didn't & he does say that there was no overt reason to suspect any involvement Until Now, like a day & a half ago in the timeline lol; "he would not kill atlas b/c he was loyal to him" yeah, unless he Would b/c he was loyal to him, that is, because atlas told him he had to

anyways so i of course have no idea what mitzi specifically could've gotten up to such that she and mordecai think she had a key role in atlas's death, that was her fault, but wasn't her directly killing him or anything. though we do see already how she won't abandon the hope for better via lackadaisy, and won't cut her losses, she can put it back together....but what could she have pursued when atlas was still alive, that confers some blame onto her? idk. but it's not something that mordecai Really harbors this vengeful grudge over, so he knows enough about it And has some kind of understanding about it....and/or just doesn't choose to pursue a grudge over a dead man. whom he shot & killed btw! is my firm theory. even though he didn't want to, of course. but that might help him sympathize with mitzi / her sympathize with him, here lol....part or all of this is understood to be her fault, even if of course she wouldn't have chosen that outcome, while it's also understood that mordecai carried out killing atlas, even if of course he wouldn't have chosen that outcome: maybe enough of a balance there

so my One More Layer to add on, that does feel necessary (b/c mordecai sure IS investigating something very motivatedly rn, & marigold's mysterious goings on do seem to be connected to the murder mystery that'd apparently otherwise been in stasis before that fateful brunch like one day into the timeline) is simply that atlas had more involvement in whatever led to his death than mordecai or mitzi know about. i'm sure it's plausible that in this one last Event, atlas was totally fine leaving them more in the dark about things, if that preserved his ego or was otherwise somehow more Advantageous, perhaps simply convenient, even if it leaves them with less info and more blame. like, it's sure possible there's some kind of Reveal that's all heartwarming like reassurance that aww atlas really cared....i just always presume he's essentially shitty & is this central force of peak Opportunism in the middle of this mystery, fine to benefit from mitzi's and/or mordecai's emotional investment without being beholden to genuine reciprocation on that front

sure wondering who runs marigold, since it's not asa, night manager, little more than a messenger in these matters. sure wondering if this is all about some feds going "and this time we mean it" with investigations like hey hey stop with this economy we don't have formally organized access to, which seems bolstered by the pilot emphasizing that element as a reason to "tie up loose ends," and by mordecai seeming to have found this thread where the comic's tying up of loose ends / sizable thorn in marigold's side subplot (sidenote about his own "thorn" nickname thrust upon him lol....presumably about him being Thorny, but it sure seems like he's now a problem for marigold, with his conflicting motivations stirred up: Now looking into things surrounding atlas's death, beyond who pulled the trigger (since i think that was him) more so, who might know that he did, what does asa/marigold Know just in general about the whole situation)....sure thinking that whoever runs the place is Very secretive about it, like, even if mordecai and/or mitzi know who it is at all, why is communication all so indirect & [as little info as possible] if not to insulate/protect this highest up person? e.g. mordecai's tasked with doing all this dirty work, but if he was the one being interrogated, he couldn't say why, even if he wanted to....and he'd like to know, as being left this in the dark did bother him enough to ask asa about it, even before the fateful brunch.

sure thinking about how if the head of marigold is prioritizing this kind of minimizing of risk, even at expenses like the employee morale of your top [killing you] agents (see also: the savoys not assuming that their working with mordecai Now will go on indefinitely, whether because he breaks with marigold, or they do, they sure don't specify, while they do say that they're both parties who'll turn on partners simply over "business" (though it wasn't Just Business for mordecai re: lackadaisy, as he bristles over)) and how really ultimately Everyone Else is a liability, vulnerability, risk....sure wondering if, say, what asa had to warn atlas about had to do with the head of marigold simply starting to rethink the alliance, now that they'd cleared out all other competition, if they thought they could keep that monopoly without lackadaisy, and perhaps also if they were seeing all of lackadaisy as this possible loose end already, all of lackadaisy's vulnerability potentially transferring over to marigold....so planning to benefit by killing atlas, presuming this would get rid of lackadaisy altogether. just also not planning to be open about it, when instead other ambiguous/unknown rival parties could be presumed the killers, or mitzi, to inherit things. maybe it was such a done deal that atlas simply decided he'd rather at least have more control over it (have his own guy kill him instead) and whether he thought this might be better than, say, retiring, and/or if he thought this afforded lackadaisy the best chance of surviving....difficult to suppose how the Opportunist guy would pursue plans for his own death, kind of the opposite of any opportunity, but maybe if he truly thought it was inevitable, and was wanting to try to ensure this legacy that he thought could preserve some status, preserve some of the resources he'd built up, preserve his ego / sense of success....

the kinda summary here being just that maybe marigold did have this role in atlas's death, as vaguely described above lol, but for some reason atlas told mitzi and mordecai it had more to do with some situation that they now both think gives mitzi more Culpability than she had....like, speaking of "it's possible atlas also has feelings lol / any sentimentality here too" maybe he figured that their really not knowing the full/real story could protect them from marigold? since they're not happy with whatever story they know now, but they're not particularly endangered for it, to the degree that they apparently could've never discussed it with each other again without issue. atlas just Always looking for further opportunity and pursuing it without much discretion sure could get him killed, sure could have him seen as too risky an associate for marigold, instead a liability to be gotten rid of if marigold then thought they wouldn't then be worse off (which, they're now not, the only big game in town). and it's similar to mitzi now having less discretion/restraint in pursuing any opportunity, because of how few options they have, and rocky similarly as well, as this potential atlas esque figure who just has no similar veneer/demeanor/style about anything lol, and of course is also scrounging for resources to hold things together day to day.

just sure is the case that mitzi and mordecai do not seem to have The Full Story, despite that they do seem to be the only ones who know the full story of how atlas died, as a specific, isolated event lol (atlas planning & ordering it, mordecai shoots him (with the gun atlas first gave him on the train!! compare the illustrated dramatic silhouettes!! the dramatic resonance of it all), mitzi knows this, they all know that they all know)....and wondering if atlas didn't somehow Use Them a bit more in the end than they realized, though i also hardly think they Only have the rosiest view of atlas....a capacity here to learn Whatever about his death, and be disappointed, but not surprised. or, as i've talked myself around to thinking about, which is a demonstration of putting thoughts into writing as another layer of thinking through things: maybe it Was atlas sentimental mode after all, realizing how dangerous the head of marigold is about getting rid of these loose ends, making up some alternate story about why his death is inevitable that puts more blame on mitzi (somehow. doesn't seem to have been a Complete fabrication, or how/why would either of them be believing it?) which is unfortunate, as well as the unhelpful rumors about her killing him, but it still protects everyone from Knowing about marigold's involvement, and having suspicion towards this party (the mystery head of marigold) who is now willing to kill him, this powerful, valuable, reliable ally, to get rid of someone who could simply Know Too Much, give too much info away, in the course of having this independent but connected operation. mordecai's already in hot water for having suspected something's up with marigold's prior assumed noninvolvement in atlas's death & it's been like a day (we don't Know this, but he's taking major risks & deviating from what he Should be doing, professionally....and i do think the next thing that was going to happen is the savoys busting in like hey lol what tf's going on here. and i don't think they'd race to Tell On Him (though i do think serafine kills gracie just sight barely seen) and i figure he'd be pushed into committing to more of an alliance with them, since now they all know he's already secretly going afoul of marigold at all, asking these questions & whatall. and i think the savoys would also be interested in the answers. like, why not)

#mitzi and mordecai murder mystery #lackadaisy #the joys of mordecai & the savoys out here like yes i hate him yes that's my husband yes i throw him at the ceiling to see him stick there #the joys of mordecai & mitzi....got the same terrible husband & also not but yes & now we've killed him but also not but yes

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mindspaceoutsourcing24 · 4 days ago

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One of the most horrifying moments for the business owner is carrying out the tax preparation period. An indication that we require outsourcing includes when one is failing to compile all needed documents, wanting to be certain of compliance, or having a problem with identifying the allowable deduction. While this may appear to be a no-brainer, it’s important to remember that professional bookkeepers are familiar with contemporary tax laws and standards so your records are always tax-ready, so that without added stress, you’re also maximizing your savings.

You Need Real-Time Business Intelligence

Real-time financial health as a concept is very important in making good decisions regarding any financial situation. If you cannot prepare financial reports at the right time or monitor important KPIs, outsourcing will assist with that. Most professional bookkeeping services have sophisticated reporting features to give you the tools, making you make efficient decisions through data analysis.

You’re Looking to Save Money

Perhaps surprisingly, turning over your bookkeeping needs to an outside firm is, in fact, a cost-effective idea. Keying, recruiting the right in-house staff, identifying and acquiring the right software, and handling errors are costly.

Costs of Outsourcing to Accountants and Bookkeepers

If any of these signs sound familiar to you, then you understand that outsourcing can be a wonderful thing to help transform your business for the better. Here’s why:

Expertise at Your Fingertips

Hiring outsourced bookkeepers makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons, including the fact that they come to the table with specialized knowledge. When it comes to either compliance, advance reporting, or even software migration, they can handle these issues with a lot of ease.

Cost-Effectiveness

The services you receive are not limited; you do not have to employ a full-time bookkeeper within your organization as his/her services are costly. Such an opportunity is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Enhanced Accuracy

Unlike employees, professional bookkeepers are knowledgeable on how to deliver accurate and, most importantly, mistake-free working documents that can cost a company a lot of money.

Scalability

The external service providers have the capacity to expand as your business expands. These professionals are flexible, whether you are an up-and-coming business or an enterprise that has been around for decades.

Time Savings

Outsourcing provides an opportunity to free some time needed for bookkeeping and shift it towards development and creative ideas.

Selecting the right outsourcing bookkeeping services

Outsourcing demands that one choose the right partner who meets the company’s requirements. Consider these factors:

Industry Expertise

Select a bookkeeping service provider that has an idea of your industry’s unique problems and their solutions.

Technology

They should be using some of the modern accounting software like QuickBooks or the like and should be able to interconnect with those we are using.

Reputation

One should check their performance reviews, the effect of the services on consumers, and the results attained by past users.

Communication

Open and frequent communication is very important when it comes to partnerships. Select an account that has regular updates and assistance from the service.

Customizable Services

Ensure that the provider you are dealing with specializes in your kind of services, whether you are dealing with payroll services, tax services, or any kind of financial services.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, not many business owners recognize that outsourcing your bookkeeping isn’t just an economical move—it is strategic! When it comes to records, time, and financial problems, outsourcing is one of the best ways to get around those issues. Working with the right talent guarantees the correctness of your books, management of your cash well, and positioning of your business for growth.

If you can identify these ten signs and act accordingly, you can start moving your business in the right direction for prosperity. Don’t let bookkeeping challenges hold you back—delegate them to experts and focus on what truly matters: growing your business.

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otiskeene · 3 months ago

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All About The Key Types Of Cloud Computing

In Dave Eggers's novel The Circle, Mae Holland, a young woman, secures a prestigious position at a leading tech company called Circle, known for its cutting-edge internet services and products. As Mae gets increasingly involved in the company's culture, which emphasizes radical transparency and extensive sharing of personal information online, the novel delves into the immense potential of technologies like cloud computing, social media, and the Internet of Things. These technologies have become an integral part of our lives, even though many may not realize their impact.

Take cloud computing, for example. It underpins most of the online applications we use daily, whether for emailing, streaming content, or conducting online transactions. Cloud computing enables us to share and access data, software, and services remotely over the internet, making our digital interactions smoother and more convenient.

In this article, we’ll explore the different types of cloud computing so that next time you encounter the term, you'll have a solid grasp of the technology that powers our online world.

Introduction: When was the last time you used a pen drive to share files with a friend? In today's world of streaming platforms and the internet, that seems like a distant memory. The internet, largely driven by cloud computing, has taken over many of our daily activities, though this transformation has occurred in less than a decade. Cloud computing has enabled numerous applications that we rely on today.

Did you know that the global cloud computing market is projected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2028, according to Markets and Markets? This highlights how cloud computing is central to our daily lives. But what exactly is cloud computing? Let's dive in.

What Is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing is a revolutionary technology that has reshaped how we interact with data and applications. Instead of relying on traditional on-premises infrastructure, cloud computing uses a network of remote servers to deliver services over the Internet. These services include data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software, all hosted and managed by a cloud service provider.

The real power of cloud computing lies in its accessibility and scalability. Users can access their data and applications from anywhere with an internet connection, without needing to manage the underlying infrastructure. This on-demand availability of computing resources eliminates the constraints of physical hardware and offers users unmatched flexibility.

To better understand cloud computing's architecture, let's look at the key types of cloud computing models.

Types of Cloud Computing Models: Within the cloud computing landscape, several models cater to various needs:

Private Cloud: Imagine a small data center right in your home. A private cloud operates similarly, providing secure access to your personal files from anywhere, emphasizing data control and privacy.

Public Cloud: Public clouds are vast infrastructures owned and managed by third-party providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). These providers offer a range of services on a pay-as-you-go basis, making them a cost-effective choice for businesses seeking scalability.

Hybrid Cloud: Hybrid clouds combine private and public cloud environments, allowing organizations to keep sensitive data on private infrastructure while using public clouds for less critical workloads. This approach is ideal for businesses with diverse needs.

Community Cloud: This collaborative model allows organizations with shared interests to pool resources and create a cloud environment tailored to their needs. It offers more control and security than public clouds.

Multi-Cloud: Multi-cloud strategies involve using multiple cloud services from different providers. This approach helps organizations avoid vendor lock-in and optimize costs by selecting the best services from each provider. According to Flexera, nearly 90% of companies have adopted a multi-cloud strategy for greater flexibility.

Types of Cloud Computing Services: To harness the power of the cloud, there are various services available:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS provides virtualized resources like computing power, storage, and networks, giving users full control over their IT infrastructure. It's like renting a fully equipped workshop to build and customize your projects.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): PaaS offers a platform with pre-built tools and frameworks for developers to create and deploy applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. It's like a pre-stocked kitchen for app development.

Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS delivers complete, ready-to-use applications hosted by the provider, accessible via a web browser or API. It’s perfect for businesses prioritizing convenience without the technical details.

Function as a Service (FaaS): Also known as serverless computing, FaaS allows developers to deploy individual functions or code that run in response to events. This eliminates the need for server management and lets developers focus on writing valuable code.

Conclusion: From personal clouds to multi-cloud strategies, cloud computing is far more than a buzzword; it’s an all-encompassing technology that lets us store, access, and process information effortlessly. As cloud computing continues to evolve, its various types will further enhance our daily lives. What a time to be alive!

#Cloud Computing #Software As A Service #Private Cloud #Serverless Computing

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todaysarticle · 1 year ago

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DON’T BUY CRYPTOCURRENCY Until You READ This

FUTURE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY Alright, folks, buckle up for a wild ride into the digital wonderland of Cryptocurrency! We're talking about those magical internet coins that have shaken up the financial world since the legendary Bitcoin showed up in 2009. Now, don't worry if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed – we'll break it down for you, step by step.

What is Cryptocurrency

Imagine virtual currencies zooming around the digital universe, and that's what cryptocurrency is! No big boss or central authority controls them; it's like a party where everyone's invited to play nice. These nifty coins use blockchain tech, which makes transactions super transparent, secure, and as unchangeable as a grumpy cat's attitude. The Risks Involved Now, folks, before you throw your life savings into this crypto-craze, let's be real about the risks. The crypto world can be as crazy as a squirrel on espresso. Prices go up and down faster than a yo-yo on steroids. Yeah, you could make a fortune, but you might also end up crying in your coffee. Research and Due Diligence Listen, my friends, if you're gonna dip your toes into the crypto pool, do your homework! Dig deep, and I mean deeper than a mole hunting for treasure. Know what a cryptocurrency does, who's behind it, and why it even exists. Knowledge is power, my friend. Identifying Reliable Exchanges Picking the right exchange is like choosing your dance partner. You want someone trustworthy, secure, and with a good selection of dance moves – I mean, cryptocurrencies. Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken are like the cool kids in the crypto party. They've got a good reputation, and that's gold in this wild west. Scams and Frauds Be smart, people! Don't fall for the snake oil salesmen promising you Lambos overnight. Things that look too wonderful to be true usually are! Keep your personal info to yourself, and don't let those shady characters trick you out of your hard-earned cash. Diversify Your Portfolio Alright, imagine you're at an all-you-can-eat buffet, and instead of loading up on one dish, you grab a bit of everything. That's diversification! In the crypto world, spreading your investments can be like having an armor against the crazy price swings. Investing in the Long Term Patience, young Padawan! Quick gains are tempting, but remember, the crypto rollercoaster can be wild. Some coins take time to reach their full potential. So think long-term, like planning a road trip with lots of crypto pit stops. Stay Updated with Market Trends Newsflash, folks! The crypto world moves faster than a caffeinated cheetah. Stay in the loop, read up on the latest gossip, uh, I mean news, from reliable sources. It's like keeping tabs on your favorite soap opera – except the drama affects your money. The Role of Regulation Oh, regulation, the party pooper! Different countries have different rules for cryptocurrencies. Know the law of the land, so you don't end up in hot water with the authorities. Nobody wants that, right? Secure Your Cryptocurrencies Keep your digital loot safe, people! It's like guarding a treasure chest from pirates. Hardware wallets and secure software wallets are your bodyguards against those sneaky hackers and snoopy snoops. Recognize Market Manipulation Picture this: big whales swimming around, making waves in the crypto ocean. Yeah, that's market manipulation! Be on the lookout for those pump-and-dump schemes. Don't get caught in their net like a clueless fish. Avoid Emotional Trading No room for emotions in this crypto rodeo, partner! Fear and greed are like quicksand – they'll swallow you whole. Stay calm and collected, trade with a clear mind, and don't let your heart do the talking. Embrace the Blockchain Revolution It's not just about making moolah, folks! Blockchain technology is reshaping the world, from supply chains to fancy decentralized finance stuff. Embrace the revolution, and who knows, you might end up changing the world too!

Cryptocurrency World: Your Ticket to Thrilling Rewards!

Hey there, fellow adventurer in the realm of wealth-building! Have you ever wondered how to grow your money exponentially? Like, turn it into something bigger and better without having to wear a cape and fight crime? Well, look no further because I've got some exciting news that might just tickle your fancy! Now, you must have heard your parents and pals jabbering about investing your hard-earned cash. The "how," "where," and "why" of it all can be a head-scratcher, right? But guess what? I've got a simple answer that'll knock your socks off: Cryptocurrencies! I know what you're thinking, "Cryptowhaaat?" But hold your horses, that sounds like a scene from a science fiction movie! Cryptocurrencies are the real deal, and they come with incredible risk/reward ratios. Picture this: the upside could skyrocket to 100 times your investment or even more! And the best part? Only the amount you invest can be lost. No nasty surprises there! But wait, it gets better! There's no VIP line you have to queue up for to get in on this action. You can start with a mere ten bucks! Yep, you read that right. A 10-dollar bill could be your ticket to the crypto rollercoaster! Now, I get it. Crypto might seem as confusing as deciphering ancient hieroglyphs, or as scary as the ghost stories your grandma tells you. When I first stepped foot into this crypto wonderland, I was just as lost as a penguin in the desert. However, rest assured that I got your back. Let me introduce you to the Cryptocurrency Jedi Master, Dirk de Bruin, and his brilliant team of experts. They've been on a tireless mission to help you avoid the blunders that many folks make when they dive into the crypto sea. And boy, oh boy, have they got something special for you! Dirk de Bruin has packed all his unique and invaluable knowledge into a mind-blowing masterclass. Brace yourself; it's like getting a backstage pass to the crypto concert of a lifetime! Not only will you learn the basics of crypto, but Dirk will also spill the beans on the next three coins he's personally putting his moolah into. Now, I recognize that you may be asking, "What's the catch? How much will this mind-expanding journey cost me?" Fear not, my friend! For a limited time only, this cosmic crypto experience is 100% FREE! Yes, you heard that right – a trip to the moon without spending a single dime! Now, if I were you, I'd drop everything and click that link below faster than a jackrabbit on roller skates. It may very well determine your financial future! And who knows, you might just stumble upon the secret to unlocking more riches than a leprechaun's pot of gold. Sponsored... Simple 3-Step Strategy To Make HUGE Gains In 2023/2024 Crypto Bull Market (Up To 150x) >>> Click Here to embark on the FREE Masterclass and uncover the three upcoming coins that could pave the way to your financial success! >>> CLICK HERE to Make HUGE Gains In Crypto Bull Market (Up To 150x) So, what are you waiting for? Let's dive headfirst into this exhilarating crypto adventure! But remember, no buying crypto until you've experienced Dirk's eye-opening masterclass. It's like the holy grail of crypto knowledge, without the knights and the quest. Go on, seize this golden opportunity, and let's ride the waves of financial success together! Until we meet again, happy crypto hunting, my savvy friend! May the blockchain be with you! What Crypto to Buy Now: Make $100 a Day Trading Cryptocurrency

Hey there, fellow crypto adventurers! Today, we're diving deep into the digital treasure trove of cryptocurrency to uncover the hottest picks worth considering. But fear not, as your trusty crypto guide, I'll make sure to keep things simple and clear, so even your grandma can understand what's going on! - Bitcoin (BTC): The Crown Jewel Ah, Bitcoin, the big boss of the crypto realm! They call it BTC, and it's the OG of digital currencies. This bad boy brought us the blockchain, a nifty technology making money moves safer and transparent. Why does everyone love Bitcoin? Well, besides being the coolest kid on the crypto block, it's scarce like a needle in a haystack, with only 21 million coins ever available. So, it's like having a limited edition collectible, except way more valuable! - Ethereum (ETH): The Smart Cookie Now, let's talk about Ethereum, represented by the token ETH. It's more than just a crypto; it's like a digital playground where super-smart folks can create cool apps using smart contracts. No middlemen are involved – it's like cutting out the nosy neighbors from your business! Hold on tight because Ethereum's getting an upgrade! Version 2.0 is coming, and it's going green! Proof-of-stake is the name of the game, making transactions faster and greener than a trendy eco-friendly smoothie. - Cardano (ADA): The Brainy Blockchain Say hello to Cardano, my friend! ADA is the crypto that loves brainy stuff. It's all about the academics and peer reviews, making sure everything's top-notch. With its fancy layered structure, Cardano can handle business like a boss, and it's super secure. Plus, Cardano's got some community love going on, so you know it's the real deal. Trust me, you'll want this brainy blockchain in your crypto portfolio! - Binance Coin (BNB): The VIP Access Pass Picture Binance Coin, or BNB, as the golden ticket to the crypto carnival! It's the native currency of one of the wildest and most popular exchanges in town – Binance. And hey, not only do you get to trade with style, but BNB's got other tricks up its sleeve. Ever heard of Binance Smart Chain? It's like a speedy race car track for transactions and dApps. And you thought you could only have fun at amusement parks! - Solana (SOL): The Speed Demon Ready for some crypto turbo boost? Meet Solana, the speed demon of blockchains! With its Proof-of-History trick, transactions are time-stamped before you can say "crypto-cookies," making things faster than instant noodles. And with Solana's appetite for tons of transactions, it's becoming the go-to spot for app developers and art lovers – NFT marketplaces, anyone? This one's zooming to the moon! - Polkadot (DOT): The Blockchain Bridge Builder Picture Polkadot, or DOT, as the crypto matchmaker of the century! It's all about bringing different blockchains together for a blockchain party. Why limit yourself to one chain when you can mix and match like a fashion guru? With Polkadot's magic touch, DeFi apps can hang out and play nice, boosting the whole crypto family's performance. It's a beautiful digital harmony! - Chainlink (LINK): The Oracle Master Now, Chainlink, or LINK, is like the wise old sage of crypto. It's the bridge between the crypto realm and the real world, delivering trusted data to smart contracts. It's like having your very own crypto genie granting wishes! So, when your smart contracts need a dose of reality, LINK is the one to summon. It's like having a personal assistant, except cooler! - Terra (LUNA): The Steady Ship Lastly, let's sail with Terra, the captain of stability! LUNA is the crypto that keeps things steady with its smart stablecoin, UST. It adjusts its supply like a pro, keeping the volatility monsters at bay. Terra's gaining a crew of investors and users who love its stability. It's like having a reliable ship to weather the crypto storm!

Online Success Made Easy: How to Make Money Online for Beginners

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) What is cryptocurrency? Cryptography is used to safeguard financial transactions, regulate the production of new units, and verify the transfer of assets in the case of cryptocurrency, which is a digital or virtual version of money. How do I buy cryptocurrencies? You can buy cryptocurrencies through cryptocurrency exchanges, which act as platforms for buying, selling, and trading digital assets. To get started, you'll need to create an account on a reputable exchange, complete the necessary verification process, and then fund your account using fiat currency or other cryptocurrencies. Which cryptocurrency should I invest in? The cryptocurrency market offers a wide range of options, and the choice of investment depends on various factors such as your risk tolerance, investment goals, and research. Popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are often considered safer investments, but newer projects like Cardano and Solana also show promise. Before making an investment, it is crucial to carry out extensive studies and get expert counsel. Is cryptocurrency investing risky? Yes, cryptocurrency investing comes with inherent risks due to the market's high volatility and regulatory uncertainties. Prices of cryptocurrencies can experience significant fluctuations within short periods, which can result in both substantial gains and losses. It's crucial to invest only what you can afford to lose and practice risk management strategies. How do I store my cryptocurrencies safely? Cryptocurrencies are stored in digital wallets, categorized as hot wallets (connected to the internet) or cold wallets (offline storage). Hardware wallets and paper wallets are examples of cold wallets, providing an extra layer of security against potential hacks or online threats. What is blockchain technology? Blockchain is a distributed ledger system that uses a decentralized network of computers to record transactions. The chain of blocks is made up of individual transactions, each of which is referred to as a block. The blockchain's immutability and transparency make it ideal for various applications beyond cryptocurrencies, such as supply chain management and voting systems. Are cryptocurrencies legal? Cryptocurrencies' legal status differs from country to country. While some countries embrace cryptocurrencies and regulate them, others have imposed restrictions or outright bans. It's essential to be aware of your country's regulations and compliance requirements regarding cryptocurrency usage and investments. Can I use cryptocurrencies for everyday transactions? Yes, more and more shops and companies are accepting cryptocurrency as payment. Major companies, online retailers, and even local businesses in some areas have integrated cryptocurrency payment options. However, keep in mind that the adoption of cryptocurrencies for everyday transactions is still in its early stages. How do I protect myself from crypto scams? To protect yourself from crypto scams, be cautious of unsolicited investment offers or get-rich-quick schemes. Use only trusted and safe crypto exchanges and wallets. Avoid sharing your private keys or sensitive information with anyone, and be vigilant about phishing attempts and fraudulent websites. Can I mine cryptocurrencies? Yes, mining is the process of validating transactions and adding them to the blockchain. However, the mining process has become highly competitive and resource-intensive for major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Some newer cryptocurrencies may still be mineable with consumer-grade hardware. The Final Words There you have it, amigos! You've been initiated into the mysterious realm of Cryptocurrency. But remember, it's not all rainbows and unicorns – there are risks out there. So, do your research, stay cautious, and if you're feeling a bit lost, don't be shy to ask for some financial advice. Now go forth and conquer the crypto cosmos! The Crypto Quest Ahead Now that we've explored these shiny crypto gems, remember, the Cryptocurrency world can be a wild ride. So, do your research, and don't throw all your doubloons into one chest! Be smart, stay curious, and be ready to sail through the high tides and low tides of the crypto seas. Happy investing, my fellow adventurers! May your crypto dreams come true, and may you find the treasure of a lifetime! Arrr, matey! Read the full article

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mhassociates · 2 years ago

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Things Homeowners Should Know About Conveyancing

Conveyancing is an important process when buying or selling a property. It involves transferring the legal ownership of the property from one party to another. It is beneficial to understand some key aspects of this process, as it can be complex and time-consuming.

Homeowners will need to appoint a solicitor or licensed conveyancer Kellyville to handle their sale or purchase. They should ensure that their professional is experienced and knowledgeable in the field and can provide all necessary paperwork for the transaction. Homeowners should also receive independent advice regarding any legal matters that may arise during the process.

It is essential for homeowners to have realistic expectations about how long conveyancing may take, as even with an experienced professional on board there are often delays due to factors beyond both parties’ control such as local authority searches or delays with mortgage lenders. In most cases, the entire process can take several weeks or even months, so it is important not to rush the process and ensure everything necessary is completed satisfactorily before proceeding with any further steps.

Homeowners should ensure they fully understand what they are agreeing to before signing any documents related to their purchase/sale. This includes reading all relevant contracts and ensuring they are aware of any changes included in them compared to what was initially offered by either party. In addition, homeowners should make sure there are no outstanding debts associated with the property which could affect their rights as buyers or sellers later down the line.

It is essential for homeowners to have a good understanding of all fees involved in a conveyance transaction prior to proceeding with it. These include stamp duty taxes for sellers or buyers depending on where the property is located; legal fees charged by lawyers; surveyor’s fees; estate agent’s commission; removal costs etc. It can be beneficial for both parties involved if these costs are discussed up front and agreed upon beforehand in order for everyone involved in the transaction to be on the same page throughout its duration.

The conveyancing process is complex and requires a good understanding of the legal requirements. Before embarking on any purchase, it is important to ensure that you have consulted with an experienced professional who can provide accurate advice in relation to your specific circumstances.

It is also essential to understand all of the costs associated with it before proceeding. Some of these include stamp duty, title searches and registration fees - which can vary significantly depending on the particular state or territory you are buying in.

You should also be aware that certain restrictions may apply if you are purchasing property subject to a mortgage. In these cases, lender consent must be obtained for any transfer or sale, so it’s worth seeking advice from an experienced professional about this too.

It is important to be aware of the various time frames associated with it - as these vary depending on whether you are purchasing or selling property and which state or territory you are in. Being prepared for any delays that may occur throughout the process can help to ensure a smoother transaction.

By seeking advice from an experienced professional and being prepared for potential delays and costs, home owners can make sure they’re well informed before embarking on the conveyancing process. This will help to ensure a smooth and successful transaction when buying or selling their property.

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gwcindia · 2 years ago

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What is Options Trading?

Options trading is a way to make money based on what you think will happen with options. You buy and sell them, hoping to make money when they go up in value or down in value. The options market lets you bet on whether stock prices will go up or down.

What is Options Trading?

Options trading is a form of derivative trading that allows investors to trade the price of an underlying asset without actually buying it. This is beneficial because there are times when you may not want to own a stock but would like to profit from its price movement.

Options give you the right to buy or sell an asset at a specific price by the expiration date. You can purchase call options if you expect the price of the underlying security to rise, and put options if you expect it to fall.

What is an option contract?

An option contract is an agreement between two parties: the buyer and the seller. The buyer has the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price on or before a particular date. The seller must buy or sell the asset at a predetermined price if the option is exercised by its owner (the buyer).

The basic structure of an option contract can be summarized as follows:

Contract Description - This identifies which underlying asset is involved in this transaction and how many units are being traded. For example: "XYZ Company stock; 100 shares."

Underlying Asset - This specifies what you're buying when you enter into this contract with another party—it's usually equities (stocks), currencies (foreign exchange), commodities such as gold bullion or oil futures contracts, etc.

What are the contract specifications for Options contracts on NSE?

You can buy or sell options contracts in lots of 100. The number of contracts per lot depends on the underlying stock’s price movement and volatility.

For example, if a stock is trading at Rs 100 per share, you can trade 200 units of an option worth Rs 2 (say) in one contract. This makes it easier for traders to hedge their positions against market movements.

Options contracts have strike prices that are fixed at set intervals from the current market price of an underlying asset. These intervals are known as “bands” for stocks and “pits” for forex pairs. Each band/pit will have a different strike price range depending on its liquidity levels in the market.

What are the various types of trades available in options trading?

There are two basic types of options trades, a Call Option, and a Put Option. An option is a right to buy or sell an underlying security at a predetermined price within a certain time frame. In other words, when you purchase an options contract, you are essentially buying the right (but not obligation) to buy or sell something at some point in the future. Let’s look at each type of options trade in more detail below:

Who should trade options?

Options trading is suitable for investors who want to take advantage of market volatility, hedge their positions, or reduce risk.

An investor can use options as part of his or her investment strategy because they allow him or her to create leverage in a given position. This means that an investor can control more shares than he or she owns by using options. In addition, an option buyer has the right (but not the obligation) to exercise his or her rights at anytime up until expiration.

Conclusion

Options trading has become quite popular in recent years and has become a great investment vehicle for investors. The best thing about options trading is that it offers you a way to profit from the market without actually owning the stock. There are many kinds of options trades with different risks and rewards, so make sure you do your research before jumping into this game! If you are interested in option trading, then you can do this through Goodwill, the best commodity trading brokers in India. Register today with one of the best commodity broking firms in India and start trading right away. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Goodwill by phone or email and their executives will be happy to answer them.

#best commodity trading broker in india #best commodity broking firm

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hellychatmedia · 3 years ago

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Helly is a fast and fun way to share experiences with the world around you by sending video call to each other, which we believe is the most efficient way to exchange life moments and feelings with friends.

When you use these services—and any others we at Helly roll out, whether in the Helly app or elsewhere—you’ll share some information with us. We get that that can affect your privacy. So we want to be upfront about the information we collect, how we use it, whom we share it with, and the choices we give you to control, access, and update your information.

If you still have questions about anything in our Privacy Policy, just contact us through [email protected]

Information We Collect

There are three basic categories of information we collect:

Information we get when you use our services.

Information you choose to give us.

Information we get from third parties.

Information We Get When You Use Our Services

When you use our services, we collect information about which of those services you’ve used and how you’ve used them. We might know, for instance, that you saw a specific ad for a certain period of time, and sent video calls to friends. Here’s a fuller explanation of the types of information we collect when you use our services (to learn about how you can control some of this information, be sure to read the aptly titled Control over Your Information section below):

Usage Information. We collect information about your activity through our services. For example, we may collect information about:

how you interact with the services, such as which channels you watch on Helly.

how you communicate with other Helly users, such as their names, the time and date of your communications, the number of messages you exchange with your friends, which friends you exchange messages with the most, and your interactions with messages (such as when you open a message or capture a screenshot).

Content Information. We collect information about the content you provide, such as if the recipient has viewed the content and the metadata that is provided with the content.

Device Information. We collect device-specific information, such as the hardware model, operating system version, advertising identifier, unique application identifiers, unique device identifiers, browser type, language, wireless network, and mobile network information.

Location Information. When you use our services we may collect information about your location. With your consent, we may also collect information about your precise location using methods that include GPS, wireless networks, cell towers, Wi-Fi access points, and other sensors, such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, and compasses.

Information Collected by Cookies and Other Technologies. Like most online services and mobile applications, we may use cookies and other technologies, such as web beacons, web storage, and unique advertising identifiers, to collect information about your activity, browser, and device. We may also use these technologies to collect information when you interact with services we offer through one of our partners, such as commerce features. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually remove or reject browser cookies through the settings on your browser or device. Keep in mind, though, that removing or rejecting cookies could affect the availability and functionality of our services. To learn more about how we use cookies and your choices, please check out our Cookie Statement. To learn more about how third parties use these technologies on our services, be sure to read the Analytics and Advertising Services Provided by Others section of our Privacy Policy.

Log Information. We also collect log information when you use our website. That information includes, among other things:

details about how you’ve used our services.

device information, such as your web browser type and language.

access times.

pages viewed.

identifiers associated with cookies or other technologies that may uniquely pages you visited before or after navigating to our website.

Information You Choose to Give Us

When you interact with our services, we collect the information that you choose to share with us. For example, most of our services require you to set up a basic Helly account, so we need to collect a few important details about you, such as: a unique username you’d like to go by, a password, and your date of birth. To make it easier for others to find you, we may also ask you to provide us with some additional information that will be publicly visible on our services, such as profile pictures, a name, or other useful identifying information. Other services, such as commerce products, may also require you to provide us with a debit or credit card number and its associated account information.

It probably goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: When you contact Helly Support or communicate with us in any other way, we’ll collect whatever information you volunteer.

Information We Collect from Third Parties

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illegal-tech · 3 years ago

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Are smart contracts the smart solution?

The advent of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has brought the concept of blockchains to the attention of the public. You'll hear it in the news, at corporate events and whenever anyone is talking about innovation or technology. Some say it is the future, others say it is overhyped. Personally, I am not convinced that Bitcoin is all it is hyped up to be but the potential of blockchains is undeniable. Today I am going to discuss one of the potential uses of blockchains: smart contracts.

What is a blockchain? Originally, people used ledgers to keep track of transactions. The issue was that they could be changed or lost and only a few people had copies. A blockchain works by having copies of each transaction in identical chains saved across a network of computers. If one goes down or changes a block, the others can show the truth. Every so often, all the new transactions are verified and saved as a new block. Because the blocks have a part of the previous one in them, you could also not just remove one in the middle.

Smart contracts are essentially contracts written into a block in the blockchain. They are written as if-then statements, so for example if you transfer 20,000 GBP into a specific bank account the title of a car is transferred to you. The difference between this and a normal contract is that it's instantly, automatically and irreversibly executed when the condition is fulfilled.

Smart contracts have many potential benefits. They are instant, and importantly in cases with a large volume of contracts, they do not require any paperwork and avoid human error. The fact that they are on a blockchain means they are quite safe because the content is encrypted and to change anything you would have to control more than half the connected computers. They also avoid needing third parties, which lowers both the risk and costs. Finally, the transactions are fully transparent to both parties involved.

However, I suspect they will not replace all contractual transactions. In fact, I would say they will only really be used for routine sale agreements and small scale transactions. One reason for this is that most commercial contracts are significantly more complex than "you send me X, then I will send you Y". These contracts can be hundreds of pages long, so converting them to an instantly activated bit of code seems not only unlikely but potentially undesirable.

To add to the undesirability for specific types of contracts, the fact that smart contracts are so transparent and objective and instant can mean they lack a human dimension to them. There is no space for any leeway, renegotiation or interpretation, which is not always a good thing. If your contracts are complicated this could be an issue, and also if the contract is between, say, you and a family member, where you don't necessarily want it to be extremely strict.

Furthermore, because the smart contracts are simply chunks of code, they rarely have much interaction with the physical world. They might be able to check if money has left and/or entered a certain account, and trigger the transfer of a title or tell people to start working on something. What they struggle much more to do is check if complex, real life conditions have been fulfilled or keep track of subjective things like reputation. For this they rely on oracles, but that reintroduces human error and a third party into the mix.

What is an oracle? Oracles are companies that verify if conditions have been fulfilled, and then inform the smart contract if they have. For example, someone could hire an oracle to inform a smart contract when they die, triggering it and allowing it to automatically share the content of the will.

Finally, because both blockchain and smart contracts are in the early stages, there are many potential social and economic side effects and likely more that we have not even thought of. One that smart contracts may have is that if they are used for digital rights management (see my first post for more on that) they could allow companies to track all their content anywhere on the internet which might limit its open nature.

Smart contracts have the potential to streamline a lot of repetitive or small scale work, but they will not solve every problem and will most likely not revolutionise contracts and contract law like some people think. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or are looking for further reading.

#law #tech law #intellectual property #legal news #legal #thanks for reading this far #smart contracts #contract #contract law #blockchain #crypto #oracle

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arcticdementor · 3 years ago

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Over the weekend a stunning image made the rounds online. The photo showed a letter from Chase Bank to Lori Flynn, the wife of Gen. Michael Flynn, informing her that her credit cards were being canceled due to the “reputational risk” she created for the company.

…

Some on the left initially suggested the letter might be a hoax, before concluding that Chase’s decision was legitimate and something to celebrate.

…

On Tuesday Chase confirmed that the cancellation was real and aimed at Flynn’s wife, Lori. The company then tried to walk back the cancellation, claiming that it was all “mistake.” If there was any “mistake” in targeting Flynn’s family, it was in misjudging the PR backlash that would ensue from such an egregious display of political persecution.

Chase’s “mistaken” letter to General Flynn’s wife wasn’t the first time an organization has used “reputational risk” as a pretext for political censorship. In fact, weaponizing claims of “reputational risk” has become a favored tactic for the institutional left to deny its enemies the right to organize or even live normal day-to-day lives.

Long before Gen. Flynn became a target, none other than disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tried to use “reputational risk” as a means to topple the National Rifle Association.

The State of New York enjoys regulatory power over all banks and insurers chartered or registered in the state — a considerable power when one takes Wall Street into account. In the spring of 2018, Governor Cuomo invoked this regulatory authority in a thuggish attempt to make it impossible for the NRA to publicly campaign for gun rights.

It is typical for shared-interest groups, from the Habitat for Humanity to the New York Bar Association to the NRA, to partner with insurance companies to offer insurance policies to its members. The NRA insurance, known as Carry Guard, reimbursed policyholders for attorney fees and other legal expenses in the event that they used legally-owned guns in self-defense. The NRA’s program was entirely legal, and used routine insurance templates and market practices. However, Cuomo’s administration decided to target the Carry Guard program — and no other affinity-based insurance offerings — for supposed insurance-regulatory infirmities.

The objective was simple: Cut off a stream of revenue for the NRA, and increase the risk of financial ruin for future George Zimmermans who legally used guns in self-defense.

Soon, Cuomo’s investigations turned into a broad-based offensive to deny the NRA access to basic services. Acting on Cuomo’s orders, New York’s bank regulatory authority sent a letter to all banks and insurers operating within the state with demands that can only be described as mafia-like in nature:

…

The thuggery of the letter is even more sinister because it doesn’t simply invent the concept of “reputational risk” from whole cloth. Reputational risk is a real thing that companies must account for. Traditionally, “reputational risk” for a company derives from that company’s own practices. A company that makes shoddy products, piles up safety violations, or mishandles its finances to the point of insolvency will suffer reputational damage. Such damage can destroy a company.

All of these traditional reputational concerns, though, are either about matters of the law or politically-neutral quality-of-service. Gov. Cuomo’s plot was to distend the concept of “reputational risk” to encompass pure political stigma. He used state regulators to bully institutions into “canceling” any customer who fell into disfavor with the ruling party.

And that is exactly how bankers interpreted it:

…

This is a dimension of “woke capital” that conservatives often do not appreciate. It’s not simply a matter of die-hard ideologues infesting every company. It’s also about radical liberals seizing control of key chokepoints and powerful regulators in government, and then using them to force even politically-neutral actors to submit.

This warping of “reputational risk” is the perfect weapon for steadily-escalating globalist dominance and cultural hegemony. There doesn’t need to be any pretense of illegality, nor any sham scare-mongering about “coups” and “insurrections.” All that is necessary is a vague, amorphous threat to one’s “reputation”… and that “reputational threat” is entirely under the control of the left itself. The left’s own intolerance becomes a self-reinforcing cycle, perpetually justifying the removal of more rights from its enemies.

But Gov. Cuomo was never one for original thoughts, so unsurprisingly, he didn’t come up with this tactic himself. He based it on lessons learned from the Obama administration just a few years prior.

In 2011, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. warned banks to carefully scrutinize any “high-risk” clients who used payment processors like PayPal to manage credit card transactions. Alongside businesses like escort companies or pyramid schemes, Obama’s FDIC also conveniently lumped in gun and ammunition sellers. Then, in 2013, the Obama Department of Justice launched “Operation Choke Point,” a campaign to intimidate financial firms working with companies that the administration didn’t like. And any company involved with the U.S. gun industry was a top target.

…

With President Donald Trump in office, the American people enjoyed a brief hiatus from these governmental mafioso-style activities at the federal level. But with the Biden Administration in power, the feds are ready to roll again, and at the state level, liberal governments are now acting more aggressively than ever before. And as General Flynn’s experience shows, individual Americans can and will be targeted alongside companies and non-profits.

By distending the concept of “reputational risk” to encompass political stigma rather than classic considerations bearing on reputation for institutional solvency and soundness, these regulators appear poised to mandate that financial institutions “cancel” any customer who falls into disfavor with the ruling party.

…

Generally speaking, while the crusade to ban critical race theory is admirable, it suffers from a fundamental shortcoming. No matter what laws are passed, America’s classrooms will still be dominated by political radicals, and they will either ignore the law, or find a way to sneak in radicalism under another label. State-level CRT bans are an attempt to apply a narrow solution to a broad problem.

…

But there is no need for Republicans to wait for federal regulators to bail them out. They can act at the state level right now. If New York can pressure banks to deny service to the politically unpopular, then Florida or Texas can explicitly ban companies from doing the same.

In fact, Republicans can and must go further. There is no reason to limit pro-freedom regulations to credit cards and bank loans. The left has already signaled that it wants to deny “racists” and “insurrectionists” the right to rent an apartment or fly on a plane or run a website. So cut them off at the pass, preemptively. Republicans, conservatives and patriotic independents should fight for laws, right now, that bar companies from denying, on political or “reputational” grounds, the services that are integral to modern life: Banking, travel, accommodations, access to the Internet, et cetera. This won’t just be valuable for protecting American patriots. It will be politically popular as well. Much like with affirmative action, the left will fail when forced to honestly defend what it wants: To freely discriminate and punish law-abiding American citizens for their religious beliefs, their innate, God-given traits, or their freely-held views.

#revolver.news #read the whole thing #chase bank #operation chokepoint

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blackcloverdatabase · 5 years ago

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English Translation of Novel 3: Chapter 1 – Gold & Black - (Part 1 of 2)

Here’s the first half of chapter 1 from Book of Yuno! If the manga is killing you right now (it’s certainly killing me), please enjoy Yuno, Klaus, and Mimosa being very nervous and awkward as they collect information on a dangerous magic tool, the ‘Original Sin’. William also makes an appearance… and he’s also awkward. Honestly, the Golden Dawn is too much.

And on the ‘Black’ side, we have Yami and Asta, the exact antithesis of nervous and awkward. One could argue that they’re downright shameless.

--- Gold & Black: Part 1 ---

“……At last, it has begun.”

Klaus Lunettes, member of the Golden Dawn, said anxiously as he pushed up his glasses, his hand shaking with nervousness. Another member of the Golden Dawn, Mimosa Vermillion, took a deep breath. Her facial expression was uncharacteristically meek.

“Okay. I’m…… ready now……!”

Next to Mimosa flew Bell, a small spirit in the shape of a young girl, no larger than the width of a human hand. Their nervousness caused her to shudder.

“W-wait!? What are you so afraid of!? This isn’t such a big deal! If Yuno and I combine our powers, we can trounce any foe, no matter how strong they are!”

She was acting tough, but her voice somehow seemed smaller than usual. Even one of the Four Great Spirits, the wind spirit known as Sylph, was hesitating.

“……Bell, I told you to get in my breast pocket.”

The one who quietly said this to Bell was the boy she had chosen, Yuno. He held a four-leaf grimoire, not unlike the grimoire the first Wizard King was said to possess, and in just one year after joining the Golden Dawn, he has become one of the squad’s most celebrated knights. In short, he was a mage of prodigal talent. He slowly opened his eyes, quietly walking toward Klaus and Mimosa until he stood before them.

“You two should get ready, too…... they’re coming.”

The Golden Dawn - even within the Order of the Magic Knights, a group directly under the Wizard King’s supervision, it was considered to be an elite squad, where only the best of the best were allowed to belong. Their duties were incredibly diverse, but they were always rigorous to the extreme. The mission Yuno, Klaus, and Mimosa were just given promised to be quite rigorous as well. At worst, it could even make them lose their sanity. Though Yuno and the others have reached the verge of death many times now, their current assignment was so perilous, and, above all, special, that their minds were filled with anxiety. This mission was…...

“Um, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for gathering here today. I am the head of this estate, Ryde Virule.”

When a young man named Ryde used magic to augment his voice as he greeted the crowd, Yuno and the others stiffened. The venue for the party they were now attending was about twice as large the place where the conferment ceremony for the Magic Knights was held. The venue was teeming with women in dresses and men in suits. As he stood behind the podium on the upper floor of the venue, Ryde continued his greeting.

“Now then, the time has arrived, so let the party begin!”

That’s right. Yuno and his friends have infiltrated a party organized by a certain nobleman. However, this was no ordinary party……

“Everyone, I hope from the bottom of my heart that you will meet your destined partner here, tied together by the red string of fate!”

This was a matchmaking party. They were told to infiltrate this party and gather information from the nobles in attendance. Such is the task that was imposed on Yuno and the others. To do so, they must deepen their relationships with the other people here, at least, to some extent. In other words, they must spend their time talking about hobbies and work, the latest fashions, and even love stories with nobles and aristocrats they were completely unacquainted with, and they have to look like they’re having fun while doing so.

They were all excellent knights, but that doesn’t mean they excel at that kind of communication. Of course, none of them had any experience with matchmaking parties. In the first place, they don’t even have any experience talking to the opposite sex for that sort of thing. In other words, they were all so nervous that they wanted to throw up.

“……E-eek!? They all started moving!”

The men and women at the venue began to shuffle around, causing Mimosa to visibly tremble.

‘U-uh, what was it you’re supposed to do first? First… a-are we supposed to talk to the other person about their appearance, like their good points and their bad points!?’

Klaus was lost in his thoughts. Then, a girl whose cuteness reminded him of Mimosa suddenly spoke to him.

“Hey, you look nervous. You’ll go bald if you let yourself get too stressed out.”

‘This isn’t good. We’re only three seconds in and my heart is already pounding,’ Klaus thought.

“Calm down, Mimosa! Apparently, it’s perfectly acceptable to be a little rude here, too! F-first of all, delve into the occupation and hobbies of your partner, and find something that might be related to the thing we’re looking for!”

With that, Bell peeked out of Yuno’s chest pocket and joined the discussion with a whisper.

“But Klaus, what are you going to do if someone asks you the same thing!? Your hobby is architectural appreciation, right!? Are there really going to be any girls here interested in that!?”

“G-gh! T-that’s…!”

Stabbed by her words, Klaus grinded his teeth in frustration at his weak point on this mission – his niche hobbies. This caused Mimosa’s confusion to grow even further, making nervous noises as she sputtered,

“Aah, what do we do, what do we do……? T-then, what if we ask our partners what their annual income is!?”

“Don’t say that like you just had a good idea! That’s the last thing you should bring up the first time you meet someone!”

The discussion continued without progress. Glancing away from everyone else, Yuno sighed.

‘This doesn’t suit my character, and yet…...’

Though that was what Yuno was thinking, he refrained from saying it out loud. They were assigned this task a few hours ago, and they only arrived at the venue a few minutes ago. This means they arrived here without formulating a strategy.

‘We’ll need to take some time to talk it through.’

Yuno turned toward his chaotically confused comrades and admonished them.

“……Please calm down. First, let’s go over the details of our mission.”

If you don’t know where you should go, it’s important to first trace back to where you started. This is the same routine Yuno has been doing since he was a child. Whenever he was lost, experiencing hardships, or feeling sad, if he thought about the oath he made as a child, he would feel as though those thoughts were pushing at his back, directing him to where he should go.

……Well, every time he thought about that oath, that guy’s optimistic smile came to mind, which would invariably cause Yuno to smile, too, so Yuno had to be careful.

That aside, Yuno thought back to when the four of them were assigned their current mission.

--- A few hours ago, at the base of the Golden Dawn ---

Yuno and the others stood side by side, having just been urgently summoned into the office. Klaus stood in front of them, repeating what their captain had told them.

“There are nobles trading away illegal magic tools…?”

Their captain, William Vangeance, who sat at his desk across from Klaus and the others, quietly tilted his head downward and replied,

“Yes, this has become apparent after an investigation done by your peers.”

He had his usual elegant smile, but the tone of his voice was a little more serious than usual.

“Well, it’s certainly not unusual for nobles to have secret dealings with each other. I wouldn’t go so far as saying that those secret dealings aren’t a problem, but it’s also usually not something the Magic Knights need to be dispatched to handle.”

“…But, this time, these ‘illegal magic tools’ are a problem?”

In response to Klaus’s question, Vangeance nodded his head as he continued,

“We’re still investigating for more details, but this magic tool, called the ‘Original Sin’, is shaped in the form of a grimoire. It explosively boosts its owner’s magical power, but it also makes them violent, before finally making their magical power spin out of control. Ultimately, it sounds like a dangerous tool.”

“Such a dangerous tool is…!?”

Klaus started thinking as he answered - To what extent does it increase the owner’s magical power? How long does it last? Once induced into violence, how much does the affected person’s personality change, and how do you turn them back to normal? There were many uncertainties, but one thing that was certain was that if such a thing were to fall into the wrong hands, it would become a significant threat. That was something they must prevent from happening.

Moreover, the annual festival for Magic Knights, the Star Festival, was fast approaching. If they make a huge achievement here, then they will earn themselves a large helping of stars. In other words, he’ll be able to show his loyalty to the captain. Feeling a greater sense of responsibility than usual while also hiding the sliver of excitement welling up in his chest, Klaus asked,

“So, Captain Vangeance, what is it that we should do?”

“Right. I’m sorry for springing this on you so suddenly, but, starting now, I would like you to infiltrate a party hosted by a certain nobleman.”

Saying this, Vangeance opened a cloth bag on his desk. Inside, it contained one lovely dress and two well-tailored tailcoat suits. It seemed that they were expected to wear these and infiltrate the party. Klaus took the bag and said,

“I see. So, the owner of this magic tool… the ‘Original Sin’, will be among the nobles attending this party. Or, is it that a transaction involving this tool will take place at the party?”

“You catch on quickly. That’s correct. I want you to investigate with both possibilities in mind.”

Vangeance reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a bundle of parchment.

“This contains a brief summary of the party, its sponsor, and its participants. This was only compiled recently, so I haven’t yet read the details, but please look at this on your way……. hm?”

With one glance at the data, Vangeance’s expression stiffened by just a little bit. It was a facial expression he didn’t normally show, causing Klaus to call out without delay,

“What’s wrong, Captain Vangeance?”

“Umm……. no, it’s fine. I just found out, but……”

It seemed as if he was being very careful with his words, which was incredibly unusual for him.

“The purpose behind this party is a little unique……. it’s a party where people with the same goal in mind gather together, or, how should I put it? This goal is rather specific…… Well, you’ll understand once you read the document.”

“Then, there’s no problem. We will look over it on our way there.”

“……Okay. I see. Then, there’s no problem.”

Vangeance said awkwardly as he handed the documents over to Klaus. Taking note of how uncomfortable he looked, Klaus sandwiched the documents under his arm and did a 3-leaf salute with his other hand.

“Well then, we’ll be on our way, Captain Vangeance! We’ll round up every single one of those ‘Original Sin’ tools, as well as every evil noble who’s distributing them!”

“Y-yes. I’m counting on you……”

“Yes sir!! We absolutely, positively won’t let you down!”

After such a formal(?) exchange of words, Vangeance, as if he were coming to terms with feelings of guilt, said so quietly that he was barely audible,

“……Um, if I find any Magic Knights who are free, then I’ll send them as reinforcements…… so, I hope you can forgive me.”

With those parting words, Klaus and the others left the office.

--- And now, in the present ---

“…………”

Klaus turned toward Yuno, whose eyes were closed in recollection, and said mild-mannerly,

“……How is it, Yuno? Were you able to make a breakthrough?”

Yuno slowly opened his eyes and stared at Klaus with an exceedingly calm expression as he said,

“Yes, I have reconfirmed that you, Klaus-senpai, in your rush for success, accepted this mission without properly confirming its contents. In other words, we are in this mess because of your mismanagement.”

“That’s no breakthrough, but I cannot deny the validity of your claim! I’m sorry! I didn’t think things would turn out like this!”

“Also, when you replied to Captain Vangeance at the end, I find it odd that you yelled ‘Yes sir!!’. A simple ‘yes’ would have been fine, so why did you raise your voice like that?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that! I was just brimming with fighting spirit! If you’re going to make me explain myself, then there’s your explanation!”

With that, Bell and Mimosa raised their hands at the same time, joining the conversation while Klaus pouted.

“While we’re on the subject, I thought it was odd when you said “absolutely, positively”! Why did you add “positively” to that!?”

“Also, this has been bothering me for a while, Klaus-san, but why are you only growing out the bangs on your left side! It’s so long that it flutters smoothly in the wind, but why!?”

“Don’t join in with Yuno! Plus, stop that! You’re making me embarrassed for all sorts of reasons!”

Yuno smiled a little when they began their exchange with each other. With this, they’ve become a little less nervous. He left the bullying at that and started talking about his breakthrough. Well, it wasn’t so groundbreaking that it could be called a breakthrough, though.

“First of all, we should act as we usually do, just as you were doing just now. We’ll look out of place if we act that nervous, and if we get swallowed up by the atmosphere of this place, we won’t be able to fulfill our goal.”

“……You’re… right. Sorry. It seems that I misunderstood what our goal should be.”

Klaus scratched his head awkwardly as he continued,

“Our goal is to retrieve the ‘Original Sin’ and capture the culprit who has it. Getting close to someone and collecting information from them is just a means to an end. Getting nervous about a means to an end is like putting the cart before the horse.”

With Klaus’s words, Mimosa breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness. I was seriously thinking that we would have to participate in this matchmaking party and get close to someone.”

‘If you were serious about this, you wouldn’t suddenly ask them what their annual income is…,’ Yuno thought as he said,

“That would be the best way to obtain information, but it’s not absolutely necessary. If it makes you that nervous, then you shouldn’t even bother. This document has all the information we need. Instead, I think we should watch for any suspicious figures.”

“That’s my Yuno! You said everything I wanted to say!!”

Bell said with smug face before suddenly pointing her finger at Klaus and Mimosa.

“Listen up, you two! For the time being, you should be inconspicuous while you keep your eyes peeled for any dangerous looking people! Got it? I repeat, you should be inconspi-Oomf!”

Before Bell could finish what she was saying, Yuno pushed Bell back into his pocket with his index finger. ‘You’re the one who stands out the most’, he thought.

Staying hidden as they watch the enemy… he was bothered by such a passive strategy, but there were too many uncertainties in this mission, such as the identity of the enemy and the true abilities of the ‘Original Sin’. With what little information they have, they should tread cautiously.

“……Hm?”

While he was looking around the venue, he noticed that one section of it had become very noisy. It seemed that someone was at the center table, where the food and alcohol were all lined up.

“UWOOOOOH! I’VE NEVER SEEN SOME OF THIS FOOD BEFORE!! IS IT ALRIGHT IF I EAT ALL OF THIS!? I MEAN, WHY HASN’T ANYONE ELSE EATEN THIS YET!? WHY!?”

“Huh, you serious? This is Ryuuzencagula wine. I can drink as much of this rare shit as I want?”

The owners of those voices were a teenage boy and a large man. They seemed to be excited about the high quality of the food and alcohol. The nobles around them were staring at them while they either giggled and chuckled or backed away to put some distance between them.

“Hey lady, can I get a to-go box!? It doesn’t look like anyone else is gonna eat this, so I’ll bring the rest of this home! Ha ha, it tastes so good that it’d be a shame to waste it~!”

“Can you bring as much of this wine as you have? What, you have a whole barrel? Hey~, you serious? What do you plan to do if I get drunk? This matchmaking party sure is sexy~”

Unbothered by all the eyes that were on them, the two of them continued to act in high spirits. In inverse proportion, Klaus and Yuno became increasingly pale. The owners of those voices were two people they were very familiar with. In other words, they sounded an awful lot like the captain of the worst squad in the Magic Knights, the Black Bulls, A.K.A. the God of Destruction, Yami Sukehiro, and Asta, an optimistic member of the same squad. For the second time that day, Klaus looked as if he was about to vomit.

“…..W-what? Yuno, when the captain said he would send us reinforcements……don’t tell me he…”

“It’s just our imagination. They must be someone else, and they just happen to resemble them. There must be nobles like that, too. Talk about shocking.”

Yuno spoke quickly. There was just no way. This was a mission where they weren’t supposed to stand out, so why were the two guys who stand out the most in the Magic Knights dispatched? No, if those two were the only knights available, then it’s possible, but…

“……Anyway, let’s not get involved with them. Even among the Black Bulls…… Captain Yami and Asta are the worst possible combination.”

“You’ve already admitted to knowing their names out loud, though!”

No, even Klaus was already aware. They’ll have to join Asta and Yami at some point, but right now is absolutely not the right time for that. They haven’t even found anything yet, so there was no way they could start working together with those guys.

“Let’s leave this area for now. There’s other rooms, so let’s split up and…… hm?”

Klaus looked around, realizing that Mimosa was gone. He had a bad feeling, so he turned toward the direction where Asta and Yami were making a ruckus, and,

“Huh~! It’s Asta-san and Captain Yami! I’m so glad! Being surrounded by all these people I didn’t know was making me feel so discouraged!”

Her smile was practically sparkling as she spoke with them.

‘HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!’

Klaus looked as if he was about to scream in anger, but it was already too late. Asta and Yami, who were dressed in tailcoat suits, had noticed her, and they were now talking to her.

“Oh, it’s Mimosa! You should try this meat! It’s delicious!”

“Ah, now that I think about it, you guys came here before us. So, who else is with ya?”

“Yuno-san and Klaus-san are over there! Let’s go talk to them together!”

“……..”

Yuno and Klaus silently exchanged glances with each other, both of them thinking the exact same thing. For now, it’s going to be impossible for them not to stand out.

“The enemy might be here, and yet you’re acting so stupid…... Just what are you thinking?”

Klaus said to Asta, pressing his temples as if he had just developed a migraine. They stood at a corner in the room where several tables and chairs were placed. They were too conspicuous in the main hall, so they relocated to this room, where Klaus explained their strategy to Asta and Yami in an attempt to rebuild it. Yami leaned back on his chair, speaking as if the whole thing had nothing to do with him,

“My bad, strait-laced glasses. But, it’s not like we meant any harm, so let it slide.”

“No way, you were making a racket with Asta, were you not!? While Asta was acting like that, you…...”

“……I was what, exactly?”

“……Ah, no, um……. sorry.”

Feeling threatened by Yami, Klaus reflexively apologized. It was power harassment from a superior. As a middle manager who also has had to deal with workplace harassment from his juniors… such troubles were something that Klaus became very well-acquainted with this year. Unaware of Klaus’s thoughts, the man who had just harassed him drank some wine as he said,

“Well, don’t worry, I’ll make sure not to stand out more than I already have. You all continue with that strategy of yours.”

Noting that Yami was once again acting as if it were someone else’s problem, Yuno leaned forward as he asked,

“Aren’t you going to take the lead, captain?”

“Nope. This time around, I don’t plan on movin’ all that much. If the higher-ups are always buttin’ in, that doesn’t leave any chance for newbies to grow. I’m sure Vangeance was thinkin’ the same thing.”

“…Is that so?”

Despite his casual reply, Yuno’s respect for Yami went up a bit. He doesn’t usually act like it, but a captain is still a captain. Yami, too, was thinking about how he can cultivate newcomers. While Yuno was admiring him in secret, Yami slowly stood up, carrying the wine he had just received from the waiter over his shoulder.

“And so, I’m gonna go get drunk off my ass and take a walk through the garden or somethin’. Call me if anythin’ comes up. Ah, but don’t wake me up if I’m nappin’. I’ll send ya flyin’ if you do.”

With that, Yuno’s respect for Yami dropped back to where it was before. Actually, it dropped a little lower. Yami patted Asta’s head and started walking toward the exit.

“Well, see ya. Do your best while you’re rehabilitating, kid.”

“Yes sir! Be careful out there, Captain Yami!”

With that exchange of words, Klaus sighed heavily at the figure that so quickly left them behind.

“Goodness. Why did he even bother coming here, that man……?”

“Well, still, he’ll come help us if something happens. He’s always like that! More importantly……”

Asta slapped Yuno’s back with a wide smile on his face.

“It’s been awhile, Yuno! You’re acting as cool as usual, ya jerk!”

With a slight smile on his face, Yuno retorted,

“Shut up. That hurt. We saw each other at Kiten, so it hasn’t been that long. I see you’re still short.”

“Rejected right away!? Also, my height has nothing to do with this!”

“Come to think of it, Captain Yami mentioned something about you rehabilitating. Are you unwell? Is it your head?”

“What makes you say that!? It’s my arms! My arms! They were all bandaged up when we met at Kiten, remember!? They’re all healed now, but they were both totally messed up!”

“If only they could cure the rest of you.”

“Shut up! What’s will all the verbal abuse!?”

Klaus couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the two quarrel so happily. Mimosa also couldn’t help feeling warm and fuzzy inside as she mumbled “Asta-kun’s so sweet, so tiny…...”. It was a scene that Klaus should bring to a halt, but it had truly been a long time since the two of them were able to talk at their leisure. Klaus knew they were rivals, but, before that, they were practically like twin brothers to each other. Nobody would blame him if he let them play around a bit more, he thought, but then something started fidgeting about in Yuno’s breast pocket.

‘……. That’s right. I forgot. There’s one person here who couldn’t read the atmosphere around her to save her life, even though she’s a wind spirit.’

“Wait a minute! Why are you chatting things up with my Yuno while completely ignoring me!”

Just as Klaus was expecting, Bell poked her face out of Yuno’s breast pocket and yelled at Asta, causing Asta to step back in surprise.

“Woah!? What the heck, wind spirit! I didn’t know you were here, too!”

“Of course I am! Yuno and I are always together! Isn’t that the first thing they teach you at school!? What kind of life have you been living if you don’t even know that!”

“Don’t say that as if its common knowledge! I’ve been enjoying a completely normal life!”

“……Bell, house. What will you do if someone sees you?”

This time, it was Yuno who stopped the war of words that was unfolding. Just after he stopped their argument with a sigh,

“……Yuno-san, aren’t those people over there acting strange?”

Mimosa gently tugged on Yuno’s sleeve and pointed to a corner of the room with her other hand. When he looked to where she was pointing, he could see about ten men trying to woo five young women. It wasn’t a particularly rare spectacle to see at a matchmaking party, but……

……No.

The rest of the men were being led by one rather rotund individual. Yuno could hear the exchange between him and the five young women.

“Considering that you’re all nobles from the backwoods, you lot have some nerve refusing an invitation from me, the next head of the Burlington family!”

“……Ah, no, um…… it’s not that we were… refusing you, but, um……”

“Then accept my invitation to my estate! I’m telling you that I’ll let you all visit my private room!”

Despite the fact his invitation was clearly in deviation of proper manners, the other partygoers around them pretended not see anything, and the waiters and waitresses hurriedly continued their duties without stopping them. The Burlington household. It was a name Yuno had never even heard of before, but it must be a name that holds some weight around here. Considering the circumstances surrounding their mission, it wouldn’t be good to stand out more than they already have, but……

Yuno asked Klaus as if the answer was already obvious,

“Klaus-senpai, I can go help them, right?”

“No way…… even if I were to say that, you would still go anyway, right? Asta’s here, too……”

Klaus sighed, but smiled in the next instant and said,

“Well, I don’t intend to turn a blind eye, either. However, please wait for a bit. We should think of a way to resolve things quiet-“

Before Klaus could finish, Asta rushed into fray with blazing speed.

“HEEEEY! You bastards! Those girls clearly don’t like you, so stop that!”

“Can’t you listen to what other people are saying before acting out!”

Asta managed to weave his way through the crowd. The fat man who lead the group shouted aggressively,

“What the hell, you bastard! Don’t you know you’re speaking to Zable Burlington!”

“I don’t care if your name is Zable or Cable! No matter who you are, trying to force a girl to go out with you when she doesn’t want to is wrong!”

“Oh? These girls don’t want to go out with me? So, they rejected me? I see! Then, it’s fair for me to say that they committed a heinous act of disrespect toward me, right!?”

Not understanding what was going on, Asta turned to look at the girls, only to see them shake their heads in denial, looking as if they were about to cry. He didn’t know anything about the circumstances of nobility, but he did understand that, right now, those girls’ circumstances were terrible.

Watching Asta fall silent, Zable’s mood became cheerful as he sneered,

“So, which household are you from? You’ll have to atone for your rash remarks toward me…. Huh? Who are you, you bastard!?”

Klaus had arrived at the scene, coughing once to catch Zable’s attention before speaking,

“I apologize for my companion’s rude behavior. However, please leave it at that. This spectacle is starting to bother everyone here.”

Klaus chose his words carefully, trying to discourage his opponent without sounding contemptuous. As a result, Zable dialed back his arrogant attitude a little before responding,

“W-what’s with you? Are you trying to lecture me!? Tell me which household you’re from! Your household!”

“For reasons I cannot divulge here, I cannot tell you. However, it’s a household with quite a bit of status.”

‘I-I should say something, too!’ Thinking this, Mimosa stepped forward and said,

“T-that’s right! That’s right! Umm…… t-that’s right!”

“Mimosa, please, just stop. You don’t have to say anything,” Klaus said.

Yuno slowly lowered his gaze toward Mimosa. In truth, her household name probably easily surpasses Zable’s in terms of power, but there would be a big fuss if they revealed her name, which would impact their mission. He probably wouldn’t believe her, anyway.

Zable was a little bit frightened by Klaus’s firm attitude, but he scoffed in an attempt to hide that fact.

“Ha, ha ha! I bet your household isn’t all that big a deal, right!? That’s why you’re keeping your mouth shut, right!?”

With that, Yuno stepped forward with cold eyes.

“We can tell you once the party is over, but…. would you really be okay with that?”

Yuno made his bluff with a lowered voice and sharp eyes. When it came to applying silent pressure, Yuno was better than Klaus.

“The world of nobility is a vertically structured one. I’m sure you can figure out what happens…… when one with lower status attempts to snarl at those above him.”

“……Tch.”

Zable finally fell silent, making Yuno and Klaus confident in their victory. They were ready to say something like, “For now, let’s all pretend that none of this ever happened,” and leave things be, but…

“……What the hell? What the hell is up with you!? Why are you getting in my way again!!?”

“……Huh?”

“Why did bastards like you show up again!? I’m, I’m……!”

Yuno’s and Klaus’s mouths hung open at Zable’s incoherent words. His eyes became bloodshot, and he clenched his teeth so tightly that blood began to ooze from his mouth. There was no reason for him to be this agitated.

‘What’s wrong with this guy? Something weird is going on…...’

Sensing the strange atmosphere around him, one of Zable’s followers purposefully yelled loud enough for the rest of the venue to hear him,

“Z-Zable-sama! You were invited to play a game in the garden by a very important nobleman earlier, right? We have plenty of time, so why not check it out?”

“……Y-you’re right. You’re absolutely right. I have no time to waste on this lot!”

It appeared that Zable returned to normal. He turned around to leave, and, as he passed by Asta, said with a low voice,

“Hmph. That face of yours lacks character. I can tell that you, at least, are a nobleman of low status…… I won’t forget about your earlier rant.”

With those biting parting remarks, he took his followers and left the vicinity. Though he left behind such inflammatory words, Asta let him leave in peace. Seeing this, Klaus put his hand on his chest in relief, and Yuno karate chopped Asta’s head.

“Ouch! What are you doing!?”

“Don’t give me that. You shouldn’t just rush in without thinking.”

“I mean, I couldn’t just ignore what I was seeing! Still, you guys really helped me out! Thanks!”

“What’s with the mixed reaction? Are you angry or are you grateful? Pick one.”

“……Just leave it at that, you two. We’re already standing out, badly.”

Thinking that they’ve already stood out enough as is, Klaus decided to intervene. After seeing their exchange with Zable, the other party-goers have started avoiding Yuno and the others. It’s only natural. Nobody would willingly associate themselves with people who have earned the resentment of a noble with considerable political power. With this, it’s going to be difficult to collect information.

……. Well, that was bound happen. It was clear to Klaus when they joined with Asta that if he saw someone acting so blatantly terribly, Asta would be unable to ignore it and cause a fuss.

“Uh…… um, t-thank you very much!”

“Hm? Ah, you are…”

While Klaus was feeling dejected, the girls they saved came forward. A blonde girl stood in front, and, with flushed cheeks, said to Yuno,

“Apologies for the late introduction, but I’m Dina of the Habelot household. What’s your name?”

“Ah, I’m Yuno. Umm, my last name is……”

Yuno scratched his head, trying to decide on an alias. In that instant, something in his breast pocket began squirming about.

“Hey, don’t look at my Yuno with such amorous eyes!”

Bell leaped out of his pocket.

“H-hey! Bell!”

Seemingly unable to hear Yuno’s attempts to restrain her, Bell zipped around Dina, who stood dumbfounded.

“What’s with you, anyway!? Wearing a V-neck just because your boobs are kinda big! Plus, you’re wearing a pushup bra to give yourself more cleavage, aren’t you!? I have you all figured out, so……… Gasp!”

After going off for some time, she suddenly returned to her senses and stopped what she was saying. Then, with a stiff smile, she sputtered awkwardly,

“N-nice to meet you. I’m Bell…… I-I was on a diet to get ready for today’s party, and I went a little too far with it, so…… I became this tiny. Eh he he.”

‘What kind of excuse is that!?’ Everyone thought, realizing that their mission was done for. Of course, Dina, the girls behind her, and even the other nobles in the vicinity froze in complete and utter shock, thinking, ‘What the heck is that!?’. Everyone could feel that it was only a matter of time before their shock would turn into an uproar. Yuno alone remained calm. Looking at Bell like a parent looking at their child in disappointment, he picked her up by the nape of her neck and said,

“I’m sorry for startling you. This is my magic tool. Isn’t it amazing? It even talks.”

“M-magic tool!? Who’re you call-OOF!”

Yuno pinched a little harder with his fingertips, and Bell started moving her mouth like a toy.

“……Y-yes, that’s right. I am a magic tool. Yuno’s magic tool. A cute magic tool,” she said obediently.

“Y-yeah……”

The rest of Yuno’s group looked at each other’s faces in doubt, not finding his explanation particularly believable, but they knew that this was their only way out. After all, Bell’s true identity was just as unbelievable. Yuno took advantage of the situation and asked,

“I like collecting unusual magic tools like the one you see here. Do you know if there’s anyone at today’s party who’s knowledgeable about that sort of thing? If there is, I would like to talk to them."

Dina looked uncomfortable as she answered,

“There is, but…… this person is rather difficult to talk to.”

“……How so?”

“Stop putting on airs and answer his question already! You’re one of those types, right? You think that a man will be yours if you show off a little collarbone and expose your wrists and ankles? That kind of shallow thinking is-GAH!”

Yuno pinched a little harder again, impressed by how quickly this chatterbox spirit could talk. Watching the two of them, Dina couldn’t help but laugh before answering,

“One of the participants of today’s event is a famous collector of magic tools…… his name is Zable.”

“Zable? You mean that guy from earlier who was acting all self-important?”

Dina nodded in response to Asta’s question. Once again, she looked disgusted as she continued,

“Yes. Just recently, he was boasting about how he just obtained another rare magic tool.”

“…………….!”

Hearing this, Yuno and the others frowned as they exchanged glances. Now that she mentioned it, during the quarrel they had earlier, his words had become incoherent, and he suddenly started acting violent. Those were both symptoms of one who holds the ‘Original Sin’. It’s too quick to say for certain, but if a guy like that has the ‘Original Sin’, then there’s going to be trouble.

“What should we do? I’d love to go ask him about it, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to talk to us,” Asta said to Klaus.

“And guess whose fault that is! Anyway…… if you end up talking to Zable again, don’t say anything that might irritate him. We don’t know what could trigger him.”

Realizing just how dangerous their earlier exchange with Zable actually was, Klaus’s blood ran cold.

“Yeah, you have a point there……,” Asta agreed.

“We need someone to talk to him and get the details, someone he hasn’t met already……”

In other words……

“Ah…. I know! We can ask Captain Yami to talk to him!”

Mimosa piped up as if she just had a wonderful idea. Of course, Klaus had thought of this as well, but if they ask that guy to do it, then he’ll end up torturing the poor fellow rather than interrogating him…… However, they had no other options, so they’ll just have to prepare for the worst. Klaus sighed deeply before turning toward everyone to say,

“……Let’s search for Captain Yami. Though this makes me uneasy, we’ll have to ask the captain to listen to what Zable has to say.”

“Shit……Shit…… to think I’d let people like that make a fool out of me……!!”

Zable stood in a garden on the east side of the mansion, cursing as he played his game. There were a variety of easy to use tools prepared for the game. Currently, Zable was playing a game called “Child’s Play”, a peacefully simple game where players manipulate life-sized wooden puppets with magic and have them compete in foot races and arm-wrestling contests. However, Zable was using his wooden figure to smash his opponent’s figure to pieces, so he wasn’t exactly playing the game by the book.

Incidentally, his opponents were a man and a woman who had been walking through the garden. They had a good atmosphere going on between them earlier, so Zable forced them to be his opponents and beat them down. He found it hysterical that the man looked as if he was about to cry. Even so, this wasn’t enough to dispel his melancholy.

“……..-ble-sama, Zable-sama.”

“…….Yeah?”

Zable noticed that one of his followers was calling out to him. Apparently, he had been calling his name many times now, but he never noticed. He sounded frightened, looking at the wooden puppet as he spoke,

“Um……I think you might be overdoing things, just a little…….”

“………..”

Looking at his opponent’s doll, he noted that its head was smashed, and both his doll’s and his opponent’s doll’s fists were crushed.

“……Ah, my bad, my bad. These dolls are just too weak, so I broke them. Let’s go.”

He waved his hand at his opponent, who hurriedly took the hand of the woman he was with and left. As he watched them leave, Zable put his hand on his chest. Right now…… there was a magic tool in the shape of grimoire inside him. Ever since he obtained this tool, he has become much more aggressive. Lately, he has felt as if the tool has been spurring him on.

Well, now he has much more magical power flowing through him thanks to this tool, so such trivial details are hardly a problem.

‘Besides, if I didn’t have this power, then I would once again be……’

“……Now then, let’s look for another opponent.”

Zable shook his head lightly as if to dispel his thoughts and looked around the garden. Doing so, he spotted a man sleeping on a bench not too far away. He was large man, about 30 years old, with an unshaven face. Noting the bottle of wine the man was holding under his arms as he slept, Zable figured that the matchmaking party must not have gone well for him, and the man was trying to sleep off his disappointment.

“……Perfect. Let’s take a short break, then we’ll make that old man our opponent.”

— To be continued in Part 2—

As usual, I’ll post the second half of this chapter next week. The Golden Dawn is such a cute squad. They’re all so shy, and William felt so bad for sending them to a matchmaking party…..

I feel bad for Klaus, though, having his hobbies dissed like that. And then he was getting bullied by not only Yuno, but also Bell and Mimosa, and later, Yami. He and Marx need a support group.

#Black Clover #Yuno #klaus lunettes #william vangeance #yami sukehiro #mimosa vermillion #Asta #my translations #book of yuno

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dropintomanga · 4 years ago

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Disgraceful Yet Cherished Bonds

I was reading through Noragami recently and there was a comment from one character, Ebisu, about the friendship of the main characters, Yato and Yukine. Ebisu noted that the two were trying to sell each other out at the sight of his money in their 1st meeting. While the relationship isn’t that of a typical god and his Shinki, Ebisu found that the two’s connection felt like a real friendship.

I remember scenes in Gintama where all the Yorozuya yell at each other constantly. Other characters have noted that they wished they had friends like the Yorozuya in their lives. There’s many scenes like this in anime/manga where characters would comment on the main characters’ honest relationships with closest supporting characters they were closest to.

Sometimes, we can’t count on immediate family to talk about our inner-most feelings. Family members are often stressed and/or dealing with their own trauma. I find those moments where characters with troubled pasts express some commentary on those with brutally honest friendships endearing. What’s beautiful about those kinds of relationships are that each party stands as equal and worthy of respect. They also allow each other to say their piece even if they disagree.

Right now, I see most relationships today are treated as hierarchal and/or transactional. There’s little room for intimacy to come out. Maybe that’s a big reason why I see so many youth resort to suicide as the years have gone by. No one listens to them. No one allows them to express themselves in an honest manner. Youth don’t seem to be allowed to have some kind of agency.

I think about my relationship with my family. I get into arguments with my parents from time to time even thought we’re close. They do get really tense, but we always gave each other the respect to say what we want to say. Or maybe I should say my parents always encouraged me to speak my mind whenever I felt on edge. Whenever I hear about bad relationships, they always felt like someone’s trying to control/gaslight the other person.

There’s a scene in the final arc of Attack on Titan where both sides of the conflict gathered in a campfire before their attempt to save the world. They talked with each other for the 1st time after treating one another as “villains.” Grievances were aired, fists were thrown, and readers got to see some raw moments of vulnerability from characters that aren’t exactly likable. The characters may not be goody-goody with one another, but whenever you’re able to be honest with someone and they allow you to do so without fear, it means a lot to both sides.

People say love is all you need, but love can become stalking and harassment. It can treat the one being loved as a perfect being and that they can do no wrong. Real love is about being able to put up with your friend/partner/companion’s flaws and helping them grow. Every relationship is going to involve some kind of conflict. The closer you get, the more vulnerable things become. Plus, everyone has blind spots. We often underestimate our own tendency to be biased.

The true beauty of anime characters that have any kind of substantial relationship arguing amongst each other is that they don’t avoid the possibility of conflict. They welcome it. I hope fans that enjoy those interactions learn from them to get others to understand their viewpoints with confidence. Or even better, use that anger to do good for those they care about like their favorite characters.

#friendships #bonds #mental health #manga #anime #youth #conflict

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d-criss-news · 5 years ago

Link

Ryan Murphy’s (Kinda) True ‘Hollywood’ Story: 1940s Meets Gay Stars, Interracial Romance and (Gasp!) a Female Studio Chief

The prolific TV creator and Netflix unveil a revisionist take on the golden age of movies, showing how much (and how little) has shifted in entertainment and beyond: “'Hollywood’ can change the world.”

On an abnormally cold January evening, on the steps of Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium, history was being rewritten.

Two actors, one playing Rock Hudson, the other Hudson’s African American screenwriter boyfriend, Archie, were tucked inside a teal blue Packard Club Sedan, awaiting their cue. Outside, it was Oscar night, 1948, and despite warnings of grave backlash, the pair was prepared to step out as a couple for the first time.

Archie exited first, his eyes wide with trepidation, then Rock. In matching white tuxedos, they grabbed for each other’s hands and shuffled nervously down the red carpet.

The press box erupted in hisses, then boos.

“Are we doing the right thing?” Archie whispered.

“Absolutely we are,” Rock replied.

The two exchanged smiles, exhaled and made their way into the theater. Then they stopped and did it again. And again.

Ryan Murphy, the scene’s chief architect, was a few miles east, buried in one of his dozen other projects, but his fingerprints could be detected everywhere. The reimagining — part of his new Netflix anthology series, Hollywood — offers a world in which Hudson (played by Jake Picking) walked openly as a gay man, as opposed to the real-life heartthrob who remained closeted until his death from AIDS in the mid-1980s. Elsewhere in Murphy’s revision of history, an African American actress, played by Laura Harrier, is cast as the star of a major studio picture, written by Hudson’s black boyfriend (Jeremy Pope), helmed by a half-Asian director (Darren Criss) and greenlit by a female studio chief (Patti LuPone) and her gay head of production (Joe Mantello).

If Pose was Murphy’s effort to champion the marginalized, Hollywood’s his shot at imagining such marginalization was undone decades ago. The series, his first without his longtime collaborators at 20th Century Fox Television, drops in its entirety May 1, with a sprawling ensemble of real and fictional characters. It was supposed to feel timely, its period backdrop a reminder of how much and how little has changed in 70-plus years; now, landing in a world grappling with a global pandemic, its 1940s setting could be the escape so many are seeking.

“I’ve always been interested in this kind of buried history, and I wanted to create a universe where these icons got the endings that they deserved,” says Murphy, 55, who’s been waiting out the virus at his home in Los Angeles, with his husband and two young sons, who now require homeschooling. “It’s this beautiful fantasy, and in these times, it could be a sort of balm in some way.”

The Netflix executives who shelled out roughly $300 million for Murphy’s services in 2018 can only hope so. Already, they’ve had to cancel influencer screenings, scrap subway ads and punt on potential plans for a premiere benefit for the now hard-hit Motion Picture Television Fund, which houses several stars of the era in its L.A. retirement facility. As for the show itself, it’s certainly not the broad-sweeping, four-quadrant fare that Netflix is widely thought to prefer. The pilot episode alone features six sex scenes — a mix of gay and straight — and nearly all involve some sort of financial transaction. By episode three, which the show’s writers have nicknamed “night of a thousand dicks,” the characters have found their way to one of director George Cukor’s infamous pool parties.

Still, Netflix head of originals Cindy Holland says that Hollywood is exactly the kind of elevated, inclusive and ultimately hopeful programming that the company wants from Murphy, and the seven-episode limited series was fast-tracked as a result. “What I love,” she says, “is that Ryan is creating a world that he wants to will into existence.”

***

Murphy’s first inkling for Hollywood came over a celebratory dinner with Criss following their fruitful awards run for the Versace installment of American Crime Story. With rosé flowing, the two began discussing a next possible collaboration. Murphy wanted to do something young and hopeful; Criss proposed 1940s Hollywood. The 33-year-old actor had been fascinated by the lore surrounding characters like Scotty Bowers, the L.A. hustler who operated out of a gas station on Hollywood Boulevard, along with golden age stars like Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and he was eager to explore the era with Murphy.

“There’s a blinking red light on it that says, ‘Ryan Murphy, Ryan Murphy,’ ” says Criss, “because it’s sexy, it’s fun, it’s glamorous, it’s dangerous and it has resonance now.”

Murphy didn’t disagree. As a student of Hollywood history, he’d already gone down the road with his FX series Feud, which centered its first season on Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. This would simply allow him to dig deeper on figures who’d long captured his attention, from Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star, who was effectively run out of Hollywood, to Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar and not be allowed to sit with her cast in the theater. “I’m always moved by these characters who weren’t fully seen or didn’t get their moment,” says Murphy in an interview on the Paramount lot earlier this year, where he was directing Meryl Streep in The Prom, another Netflix production. At one point, he’d even toyed with the idea of doing a Biography-style anthology series with an episode devoted to each.

Not long after that dinner, Criss was at a bachelor party when his phone rang. It was Murphy. “He says, 'Do you mind if I just do my thing on this?’ ” says Criss. “And I’m like, 'You’re Ryan fucking Murphy. Do whatever you want!’ ”

So, Murphy picked a collaborator, Ian Brennan, with whom he’d worked on Glee, Scream Queens and The Politician, and the two began quietly tossing around ideas. With the help of a few researchers, they landed on a story that revolved around a Bowers-esque service station, with a staff full of actors and directors looking to be stars. “It was super fun and sexy and salacious,” says Brennan, “but it was also about the #MeToo underbelly of 1940s Hollywood, which felt very, very contemporary.”

The men found it exhilarating to depict sex so explicitly and in every possible combination. “To be able to describe exactly what is happening is really, really cool,” says Brennan. And despite the appetite for such racy content varying dramatically around the globe, Netflix brass was passionate about its inclusion — a marked difference from his and Murphy’s experience on previous shows, where they fought tooth and nail over the mere mention of sexual terms. “I hope this isn’t speaking out of school,” he adds, “but the one thing [Netflix’s vp original series] Brian Wright said to me, was, like, 'Thumbs-up on the sex. If anything, dial that up.’”

From the Pose writers room, producer Janet Mock would see Murphy and Brennan huddled in a nearby room and wonder what the latest “secret Ryan Murphy project” was all about. At one point, Mock found herself pumping intel out of a writers’ assistant, who told her, “It’s a thing called Hollywood, it’s about this gas station.” Having seen the 2017 documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, she figured, “OK, there’s no place for me in that. I’ll continue with Pose.”

But that would soon change, beginning with an eye-opening discussion in the writers room about which of the ensemble’s contract players would be picked to star in the film at the center of Hollywood. The role was that of real-life actress Peg Entwistle, a blonde Brit who jumped to her death from the famed Hollywood sign. “At first, we were like, “Well, it can’t be the black girl [Harrier’s Camille], they wouldn’t have done it. …’ And then it was like, 'Well, wait a second, what if it actually was? What if Peg becomes Meg,’ ” says Brennan. One what-if led to another and then another, and before long they’d decided to go back in and start revising history — this time, with Mock as a credited writer.

Now, rather than use the series to, say, showcase the powerlessness of a studio head’s aging housewife, in this case LuPone’s Avis, they tweaked the story so that suddenly it explores what would happen if Avis gained control of her husband’s studio. It was the same for several others, including Rock Hudson, says Murphy’s co-creator. Instead of telling the tragic tale of a person forced to hide, they allowed themselves to explore what would happen if he refused to do so. “Once we began asking, 'What if?’ it became a different show,” says Brennan, with Mantello adding: “It became a fable of what could have been.”

With Netflix execs eager to get the series up on the service, Murphy began loading the cast with his usual mix of familiar names — from Jim Parsons, as Hudson’s real-life closeted agent Henry Wilson, to Rob Reiner, as the head of the fictional Ace Studios — and newer discoveries, like Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) as Reiner’s daughter, or Picking as Hudson and Pope as his fictional boyfriend. As with other recent ensembles, he listed all of them not in order of importance or seniority but rather alphabetically on the call sheet. The message was clear: “The star of the show is the show,” says Murphy. Still, initial hires Criss and David Corenswet, who’d made his debut on The Politician, were given executive producer credits, along with backend points on the series. (There’s already talk of a season two, which would pick up in the late 1960s, with many of the same actors in entirely new roles.)

At some point in the production process, Murphy found himself scaling back the graphic nature of the series, too — a byproduct of his own personal recalibration, he says, having spent so much of his pre-Netflix life fighting to show so much as a woman’s nipple. “When you’re finally free, you have this tendency to go full tilt boogie, but ultimately I became much more interested in the emotion of the characters, and, frankly, I became protective of them,” he explains, suggesting every episode had an X-rated version, an R-rated version and a PG version, and, to the delight of participants like Corenswet, who plays an actor-cum-sex worker, Murphy would almost always select the R one.

“I think Ryan realized as we were shooting that the best part of the sex was the romance — and that’s always great to hear as an actor, especially when it applies to your five-page sex scene with Patti LuPone,” says the 26-year-old Corenswet. LuPone, for her part, was just thrilled she was still asked to do a sex scene at age 71. “Finally!” she bellows, praising Murphy for having both the vision and the courage to take the risks he does: “Ryan’s fearless,” says the Tony winner, who also popped up in Pose, “and I’m so happy to be in his world."

***

Long before Murphy was a household name, with a big fat Netflix deal to ostensibly take all the risks he wants, he was a frustrated former journalist fighting to change a system that wasn’t built for him. His own secret had been revealed at just 15, when his mother found a drawer full of love letters from his then-22-year-old boyfriend at their home in Indiana. Horrified, she and Murphy’s father threw their son into counseling, hoping he could be "fixed.”

A decade or two later, after his first career as an entertainment writer, Murphy carved out a place for himself in television, where he could exist comfortably as a gay man — so long as he didn’t try to write anyone like himself into scripts. “There were lots of words that they’d use to discriminate against you,” he says, “too flamboyant, too camp, too theatrical, and they were all code.”

By the mid-1990s, he’d joined forces with 10 or so other out or soon-to-be-out creatives, a group that included Nina Jacobson, Greg Berlanti and A Beautiful Mind’s Bruce Cohen. Giving themselves the name “Out There,” they’d meet in courtyards and living rooms to swap horror stories and try to plot a path forward. “We were young and didn’t have much money, but we had a lot of energy and a need to connect with and support each other as gay people working in a straight environment,” says Jacobson, who’d later collaborate with Murphy on American Crime Story and Pose. “And for a lot of us, it was, for the first time, that feeling of community.”

In time, Murphy, like the others, found a way to “monetize [his] pain.” His first creation, Popular, debuted in 1999, and other opportunities followed. Popular begat Nip/Tuck, Nip/Tuck begat Glee, and before he knew it, Murphy had moved from TV’s fringes to its red-hot center. As The New Yorker once wrote, “He changed; the industry changed; he changed the industry.” In early 2018, he signaled that power by signing a nine-figure deal, among the most lucrative in the medium’s history.

So it is perhaps fitting that Murphy’s first project wholly for and from the service includes a scene that trumpets what he calls “the thesis statement” of his career. It begins with Criss’ character, Raymond, being regaled by the story of Anna May Wong’s awe-inspiring screen test for the lead role in the 1937 adaptation of The Good Earth, a part that ultimately went to a far less deserving Caucasian actress. Suggesting it was one of the saddest stories Raymond had ever heard, a film executive played by Mantello responds:

“What’s so sad about it? The picture was a hit. [They] were right. You can’t open a picture with a Chinese lead or a colored one, a number of theaters won’t run it.”

Raymond: “But you said she deserved the part?”

Exec: “Yes, but the hard fact is, had she gotten it, the picture is not a hit.”

Raymond: “How do you know that? You never made the movie, so how do you know it’s not a hit?”

Criss’ character continues with a monologue that is so perfectly Murphy you can almost close your eyes and picture him saying it.

“Sometimes I think folks in this town don’t really understand the power they have. Movies don’t just show us how the world is, they show us how the world can be. If we change the way that movies are made — you take a chance and you make a different kind of story, I think you can change the world.”

Criss himself would argue that Murphy already has. “His dial is always in extremes. So, if he’s doing Glee or Scream Queens or this, it’s at an 11, almost as a middle finger to reality,” says the actor. “It’s like he turned the dial over to say, 'This is how I’d like to see the world in my wildest dreams. Ain’t it fun?’ ”

In the past two years, since he moved his creative hub from 20th Century Fox TV, where he still maintains a considerable roster, Murphy been responsible for producing roughly 200 LGBTQ characters, many featured as leads. At least a third of his Hollywood cast is older than 70 (“Seventy is the new 40,” he teases), and nearly every project he launches is fronted by a woman — and that’s just in front of the camera. “If you see it, you can be it,” Murphy says often.

It’s a worldview that appeals to Netflix’s Holland, for whom he’s already prepped two films (Prom, The Boys in the Band), two docuseries (Circus of Books, Secret Love) and five seasons of inclusive television, including a Halston miniseries that, along with his 20th programs Pose, American Horror Story and American Crime Story, shut down care of COVID-19 in March. In the weeks since, when he isn’t toggling between Tiger King and MSNBC, Murphy’s kept busy writing two new decidedly hopeful series, each with the express purpose of providing viewers and himself an escape. “Ryan’s the rare creator who speaks to many audiences,” says Holland. “It’s not just gay people or straight people or older people or younger people, it’s really all people who are interested in the human condition.”

To date, Murphy claims he has yet to hear the word “no” from his Netflix bosses, though he’s definitely been nudged in certain directions. “They don’t want me to do small, niche things,” he says, acknowledging that not too long ago a project like Hollywood would have been deemed just that. “But they know how to market this,” he explains, noting that Netflix will push his latest series on viewers who also like love stories, young adult series and LGBTQ fare.

For those who worried the ultra-competitive producer would chafe in a system that doesn’t provide a public report card (aka ratings), he argues that that’s been liberating. Brennan backs him up, revealing how they received initial numbers for The Politician a week or two after it premiered late last summer and then another trove of data a month or so later; and though the latter could effectively game out how many people would watch the series over time, Brennan says, “We were sort of like, 'I don’t think that’s helpful.’ ”

Murphy takes it a step further, insisting he’s no longer interested in the old metrics, like how many people are watching or how many awards a series has generated. “All the things that people tell you will make you feel successful … I have those things, they don’t,” he says. What matters to him now is being able to tell stories that he wishes he or others could have seen. To that end, he can’t help but wonder what his own life would have been had he witnessed Rock Hudson walking the Oscars red carpet as an openly gay man — and though it’s too late to change his own experience, Murphy would like to be able to improve the experience of others. So, he took a chance and made a different kind of story. “Hollywood,” he says, “can change the world.”

#darren criss #the hollywood reporter #ryan murphy #hollywood #press #april 2020

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earnestly-endlessly · 5 years ago

Note

what about your favourite cherik fics of all time? (:

Dear anon, I am so sorry for the delay. I’ve been meaning to put this list for about a week now, but I feel as if I’m missing some fics. Most of these are fandom favourites and might not come as any surprise, but these are my all time favourite fics that I’ve probably read more than once and more than twice. I tried to keep a wide variety of fics, including both one-shots and multi-chapters as well as different genres. I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I do.

Earnestly-endlessly’s Favourite Cherik Fics

***********************************************

Anarchy in the U.K. – Yahtzee

Summary: “Good God, Erik thought. The Prince of Wales is gay.”

Charles lives in the unceasing glare of the public spotlight, yet keeps his sexual orientation a closely held secret, afraid he could lose his throne and force his deeply troubled younger sister into a role that would crush her. Erik, journalist and world traveler, has been a loner most of his life; he has little patience for closet cases. But a chance meeting in Kenya brings these two opposites together and sets in motion a love affair that will challenge the British monarchy – and their most deeply held beliefs about who they are, and who they should be.

Continuing Education – aesc and spicedpiano

Summary: To his students, Erik Lehnsherr is despotic and terrifying. To his department head, he’s the brilliant young researcher who abandoned his prestigious job overnight, moving across the country to join MIT’s faculty. But to Charles Xavier, he is a contradiction. As Erik and Charles settle into their new roles as colleagues, their professional rivalry starts to spill over into the personal.

The Sonnet Series – afrocurl, nekosmuse

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a visiting professor at Columbia University, as well as an acclaimed and award winning poet. Charles Xavier is a lead researcher with the Genetics Department who is well on his way to tenure. But what happens when Charles has to cancel a class because half his students abandon him in favour of a mysterious new English Lit professor? Naturally he ends up sitting in in the class, where Professor Lehnsherr mistakes him for a student. It’s really too bad Erik has such a strict policy against dating students. It’s also too bad Erik doesn’t seem to know how to use Google.

Bifurcation – spicedpiano

Summary: Bifurcation - (n.) the splitting of a main body into two parts.

In medicine, a single mistake can mean the difference between life and death.

For cardiothoracic surgeon Charles Xavier, a fatal error leaves him standing at a crossroads … and at the mercy of the man he has not faced since their relationship fell apart thirteen months ago.

Dr. Erik Lehnsherr has a fearsome reputation. Due to his incisive autopsy reports, he has gotten more surgeons fired in two years than any other pathologist has managed over an entire career. But when an old enemy returns to Erik’s life, he must find a way to temper his pride – or lose the man he loves, all over again.

Runs in the Family – Anonysquirrel (chibrisuchan)

Summary: In which mpreg!Charles Bakes All The Things, overprotective!Erik calls his small round tea-drinking husband “Vati’s little teapot”, Tony Stark/Bad Ideas is Stark Industries’ most profitable OTP, and Alex and Steve are somehow along for the ride. And the cookies.

For the Record – endingthemes

Summary: As prominent figures in the mutant rights movement, activists Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are pretty much household names. When a romance scandal between them breaks, their celebrity reaches new heights, and though the increased exposure is great, there’s a big problem – the two of them are just friends.

Too bad no one believes them.

Rumor Mill – Ikeracity

Summary: Erik is the grumpiest, most foul tempered worker at Stark industries. His grumpiness is the stuff of legends. So it’s obviously the talk of the office when Erik is being made to go to the company party and he’s bringing his husband. There’s rumors flying round about how much of a masochist or equally antisocial bastard Erik’s husband must be to put up with him. Others think he must be a meek mouse perhaps bullied by Erik.

What they weren’t expecting was the confident, charming, adorable and unbelievably nice Charles that turns up on Erik’s arm. What they certainly weren’t expecting was how much Erik obviously adores his husband and how happy he is to let others see this.

Into Your Tar, Honey – tomato_greens

Summary: Really, Alex doesn’t know why he’s in the damn class. (Or, the one in which Charles teaches an online Introduction to Biology course, and Alex reads more than he expected to.)

If You Like The Book, You’ll Hate the Movie – paperclipbitch

Summary: Modern-Day High School AU. It’s not until Hank realises half the class are glancing towards the back of the classroom with something like nerves and something like schadenfreude that he finds out Alex Summers is back.

The boy with the heart on his sleeve – euphorbic

Summary: Charles loses a high-stakes bet to Raven and is required to get a tattoo. However, when he makes a disparaging remark about the art form, Raven’s acerbic mentor, Erik, steps in.

Or, the one where Erik and Raven are tattoo artists.

Enigma – Yahtzee

Summary: Written for the following prompt: Erik dies, or finds a reversey-time mutant, or a magical time travelling device, and wakes up in the past. This time, though, it’s before he ever met Charles - in fact, it’s before his mother died.

He can save his mother that one time (thanks to his mastery over powers carrying back), but what does Erik do after that? Does he stick around, or escape and run to find Charles again (and hope everything doesn’t go wrong)?

Mutually Beneficial Transaction – Pookaseraph

Summary: In his sophomore year at Columbia University, Erik, feeling slowly strangled by his mounting college debt, places an add on a sugar daddies website. He doesn’t know exactly what to expect from it, but when he’s contacted by a man named Charles who seems less creepy than the other people who have responded to his profile, he decides to give it a shot. Charles is nothing like what he expected, and Erik finds himself slowly falling in love with his sugar daddy while trying to find out exactly what caused this amazing guy to buy his emotional and sexual intimacy when he clearly deserves so much more than that.

Food, Family, and Friends with Benefits – endingthemes

Summary: “Everyone,” Edie says, voice bursting with pride. “Erik’s here, and he’s brought his friend.” She takes Charles’ arm and pulls him forward, presenting him like a shiny object. “This is Charles.”

Charles manages a weak wave and an even weaker, “Hello.”

(In which Charles gets dragged along to his fuck buddy’s parent’s house to celebrate a Jewish holiday, and things get weird.)

In Plain Sight – arcapelago (arcanewinter)

Summary: A story where Charles and Erik have basically been together from the first time they met. The whole fate, wow we found each other thing. Now I would like the others not to know and try to bring the two 'oblivious' guys together. They of course enjoy this quite a lot

Limited Release – rageprufrock

Summary: When Alex Summers broke out of supermax to rescue his stupid kid brother, he had no idea it was going to be so fucking complicated.

Daycare Verse – brilligspoons, pocky_slash

Summary: A modern AU in which Charles runs a mutant daycare and Erik is his long-suffering engineer boyfriend.

Marrying a Mob – Ook

Summary: Charles is a teacher at a very exclusive school. When armed men burst in on the trail of two children, of course he stands up to them and gets hurt. The children are Erik Lehnsherr's children (of course); a "prominent businessman" or, less politely, "mobster". Erik is grateful to Charles for saving his children's lives at the cost of his kneecap. So very grateful.Naturally he tries to reward Charles for his actions. Equally naturally, Charles will be having none of that.Azazel finds the whole thing unspeakably hilarious. Naturally.

Chessmen (XMFC/Inception fusion AU) – kaydeefalls

Boden’s Mate: “Shaw has information that we need, and we need him alive to extract it,” Moira says, and there it is: the job is on the table. Extraction.

XMFC/Inception fusion AU. Erik is an extractor, Alex is his point man. They’re assembling a team to go after the most dangerous mind in dreamsharing: Sebastian Shaw. But unless Alex and the team can keep him in check, Erik’s desire for vengeance might just rip the whole job apart around them – and then there’s the shade that haunts his dreams…

Queen’s Gambit: “My name is Nick Fury,” he tells Raven. “And I’m here to talk to you about Cain Marko.”

XMFC/Inception fusion, sequel to Boden’s Mate. Raven’s running her own extractions these days, but the job S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dumped in her lap is a real shitshow. Two marks, two simultaneous dreams, eleven dreamers, and a hell of a lot of baggage. Time to call in a few favors – and did she mention the job involves inception?

Tabula Rasa – kaydeefalls

Summary: Five ways Erik might have first met Charles.

Humane Society – smilebackwards

Summary: Once Erik finally allows himself to decide that Charles is pretty much the best thing since sliced bread, he spends the next week being incredibly bitter that he’s Charles’ cat and not his boyfriend.

Idiot Control Now – cygnaut

Summary: Hank screws something up in the lab and everyone’s powers increase tenfold. Not knowing how to control them like this, they all try to cope and not kill each other by mistake while Hank tries to find a way to reverse the effects. Charles has a particularly hard time of it.

White Nights – spicedpiano, tahariel

Summary: Duke Erik Lehnsherr of Ironhold needs an omega to carry on his line, and Earl Charles Xavier of Westchester needs an alpha to give him the political leverage he needs in order to make his sister Queen. An arranged marriage brings them together, but Erik’s lust for war and Charles’ hidden agenda threaten to tear them apart. In the frozen Northlands of Ironhold life is hard and cold, and both Charles and Erik must give up their pretense and see each other as they really are: perfect for each other, if only they’ll acknowledge it.

Nation Building and other Diplomatic Negotiations – Pookaseraph

Summary: With the recent passage of a submissive registration law in the United Kingdom, there are now only two industrialized nation with a relatively stable government to have neither a mutant nor a submissive registration law. Erik Lehnsherr, the newly minted King of Genosha, and his Prime Minister Emma Frost intend to take advantage of this turn of events to bring the Xavier Institute to the island nation of Genosha. They both know bringing Charles Xavier, the noted activist of mutant and submissive rights, to the island will necessarily politicize the man, and create all manner of complications. With a constitution not yet finalized and external threats to Genoshan security all around them, Erik, Emma, and Charles will fight for what they believe in to shape Genosha into what it should be.

A Genosha AU with moderate D/s elements.

Politico – cygnaut

Summary: Modern Genosha Politics AU. In which Erik is l'enfant terrible of the mutant National Assembly, and his staff just wants to get him laid.

The Courtship – dvs

Summary: A story about a courtship that began five hundred years ago.

This Family comes with Batteries – Fishwrites, lynneh

Summary: A orphaned Charles Xavier goes to live with his Godfather: Tony Stark. This story is a tale of what would have happened to the events of MCU, if Tony was raising a six year old telepath in Stark Tower. There is also the matter of Charles’ robot AI manny/bodyguard/tutor/only-friend, David.

Space Oddity – MonstrousRegiment, Pangea

Space Jam: Prince Charles Xavier is Deputy Commander of the TEF Heartsteel and the newest mission they’ve been assigned starts out less than desirable and quickly goes downhill from there. It’s alright, though, he’ll cope.

It doesn’t help, though, that he’s in unrequited love with his best friend and Commander of the Heartsteel, War-Prince Erik Lehnsherr.

Jupiter Jazz: Prince Charles Xavier is still Deputy Commander of the TEF Heartsteel and life has been great ever since he and his best friend and Commander of the Heartsteel, War-Prince Erik Lehnsherr, finally got all of their feelings out on the table. Better than great, really.

It doesn’t help, though, that the Nyrulians are a bit sore over him blowing up their ship, and a war is brewing. And because Charles has that kind of luck, they’re in the middle of it.

I have loved the stars too fondly: Erik and Charles, directly after the events of Jupiter Jazz.Nothing will ever be the same.

The stars incline us, they do not bind us – ikeracity, pangea

Summary: Intergalactic Federation pilot Lieutenant Charles Xavier is assigned last-minute to a high profile mission: transporting over two thousand prison inmates from an old and overfilled prison complex to a newer, higher-capacity prison stronghold located on the outer reaches of the galaxy. Just as he’s settling down for a long and uneventful ride, things take a turn for the worse after the inmates riot and stage a hostile takeover of the ship, leaving Charles to find himself at the complete mercy of cold-blooded killers and facing the chilling prospect that he might not ever make it back home alive.

Tough little baby telepath – aesc, pearl_o

Summary: Teenage telepath Charles Xavier takes a job as a consultant, working with prickly police detective Erik Lehnsherr. Charles is used to being on his own and taking care of himself; he has no reason to think that his relationship with this stern, icy man is going to change any of that.

An absence which could not be more there – aesc

Summary: He prepared to shift another half-step over to the Current Events section (which would, of course, enrage him) when the teaser positioned by the model’s left elbow caught his eye: DATING WHILE TELEPATHIC: WHY I DON’T DO IT.

Backseat ‘verse´ – tahariel

Summary: “Charles has a very sweet nature,” Raven is saying, her hand falling to the back of his head and stroking his hair very gently, carelessly affectionate. “He doesn’t need someone to force him down, he’s very happy to go there himself. If Erik is the sort to need a fight, then there’s no way I could let him have my brother.”

Simple and Uncomplicated – Pookaseraph

Summary: Erik and Charles had been fuck buddies for some, but when Charles is in an accident he figured their relationship would be over. Erik’s visit to his bedside in the hospital changes his assumptions even as he has trouble believing Erik is sincere.

Made To Be Broken – Yahtzee

Summary: Charles makes a New Year’s Resolution: “No more straight men,” Charles repeated as he began scrolling through the apartment directory for Emma’s name. “No more futility. No more pointless hoping and heartbreak. In 2013, I never want to hear the words ‘exception,’ ‘experimenting’ or ‘phase.’ If, God forbid, I hear ‘bicurious’ even once, I may take a hostage.” Then he goes into the party, and Erik is there.

Five Bullet Points – Sperare

Summary: It was supposed to be Erik locked away in a prison one hundred stories below the ground.

Charles was never supposed to be there with him.

Terrifying Domesticity – ishipitsobad

Summary: Erik is the most dangerous and notorious mafia boss around for miles, and yet the strangest things terrify him. For example: his children, and his very pregnant mate.

The Trouble With Telepaths – endingthemes

Summary: “Are you shy about me meeting your family?” Erik asks with a huge smile. “Are you kidding me?”“It’s not funny,” Charles says, his hands firmly planted on his hips, and it’s honestly hilarious so Erik laughs right in his face.(Or a Star Trek AU in which Captain Erik Lehnsherr pays a visit to First Officer Charles Xavier's home planet and encounters a few surprises.)

Stolen – ishipitsobad

Summary: Erik is a miserable, grumpy, cantankerous bastard, and he has every fucking right to be. He drew the short end of the stick when he got the Underworld as his domain, and there isn't very much fun to be had in judging and governing dead souls who would rather be anywhere else but with Erik in the depths of Hell.

So when he meets Charles, brilliant and lovely Charles who is more popularly known amongst the mortals as Persephone, and feels the promise of something wonderful that could make his eternally doomed existence infinitely more bearable... you can bet all your drachmas Erik's not going to let Charles go any fucking time soon.

The Mutant Games – TurtleTotem

Summary: "You'll be fine, darling," Charles murmured, half-asleep, into golden hair as Raven crawled sniffling into his bed. "Your name's only in there once, Raven. They're not going to pick you." (Hunger Games AU)

City by the sea – Black_Betty

Summary: It never bothered Charles that he essentially belonged to someone else from birth. Ever since he could remember he had been told stories about the mysterious prince who was his betrothed, and who one day would be called husband. As he grew older, Charles caught his thoughts drifting away from lessons under strict tutors, his mind slipping into the hazy daydream of his life yet to come…

In Shadow and in Silence – Yahtzee

Summary: Written for the following prompt: Erik is an aggressive, dangerous, cynical mutant, hardened from years of being passed through private laboratories and used for experimentation. He’s covered in surgical scars from operations, tattooed and bar coded like a lab rat, and blind from an experiment done on his eyes. … Charles Xavier finds out about him. Charles runs a sort of sanctuary for mutants that provides lost, abandoned, abused, runaway mutants with shelter, comfort, and help with ability control. He thinks he can rehabilitate Erik and save him from execution, and convinces the government that he can.

When Erik arrives, he is a lot worse than Charles thought he would be … Everyone else can see that Erik is a nuclear bomb waiting to go off, but Charles refuses to give up on him. …

The first time Charles sneaks up on him wearing no metal, it triggers him and he reacts instinctively, with violence. … Erik discovers why Charles understands him so well: he was once used in experiments as well, experiments run by his own family, and in one of them, he lost his voice, so he uses his telepathy to communicate.

Blind Erik, mute Charles, the love.

Everyday Love in Stockholm – tahariel

Summary: Prompt: Magneto is the ruler of the posthuman world. His only secret? Charles Xavier, the human he’s kept locked in his bedroom ever since his right-hand woman, Mystique, came to him pleading for mercy for her stepbrother, who accepted her mutant form and protected her as a child. The human he started fucking after Mystique was killed in battle, despite the guilt he feels at contaminating even this last promise to the woman who was integral to his life’s work and happiness.

The Tower and the Hurricane – dreamlittleyo

Summary: (Post-movie AU.) Five years after Shaw's death, Erik's predictions prove painfully accurate. Violence rages on both sides of the human/mutant conflict. In a world ravaged by war, it doesn't really matter who's more at fault. Charles struggles to teach his students a better way, but what choices will he make when peace really isn't an option?

Honest Bone and Burning Thought – Black_Betty

Summary: And so sometimes, his mind buzzing away, bright and brilliant and humming with pure expansive energy, Charles speaks without thinking at all. Without censoring himself. Without realizing that his brain has reached out and snatched something that was never his to know, or take…

The Attempt – Yahtzee

Summary: Written for the following prompt: Charles knows everything about Erik, knows how obsessive and self-destructive he is, how Erik would do anything, give anything, in his quest for vengeance against Shaw. But he also knows that Erik loves him in ways that aren't exactly platonic. I'd like to see a completely straight!Charles, out of pure love and care of Erik, initiate a romantic relationship with him. It can be because he wishes to give Erik something positive in his life or because he thinks it might help change Erik's mind about Shaw, the reason is up to author. Also, while Charles finds intimacy with Erik strange and awkward, he does enjoy the new, non-romantic layers that have developed in their relationship.

#favourite cherik fics #fic recs #cherik fic recs #long post #I can't seem to make short lists #eh sorry about that #asks #cherik

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2021porschetaycan4s-blog · 4 years ago

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Porsche Taycan for Sale

Porsche Taycan For Sale: Best Tips And Tricks To Get The Perfect Car

Do you want to buy a Porsche Taycan? Want to know which one is the best for your needs? The Porsche Taycan has many different models, and it can be difficult to choose. We're here to help! Read our tips below on how to find the perfect Porsche Taycan for sale, as well as what you should know about getting a quote on a Porsche Taycan for sale.

For Porsche Taycan for sale, there are two main options: buying new or used.

Buying a Porsche Taycan is often more expensive than other cars, so you might want to buy it used instead of new. You can get the same quality and reliability but at a lower cost if you buy secondhand from a dealer or private party seller. Make sure that any transaction will go smoothly before going through with it by checking out their reviews on different sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay Motors and Autocatch - these all offer ways to safely find information about car dealerships in your area who may have what you're looking for!

If you want things completely in your control when purchasing a Porsche Taycan (like colors), then getting it new might be the best option for you. This will ensure that you're getting a Porsche vehicle, not just an imitation (e.g., one from China).

Porsche Taycan For Sale: The Best Porsche You Can Buy In 2021!

One of the biggest questions people ask themselves before they buy a Porsche is whether or not it should be used or brand new? If cost is a factor in this question then buying used may be more appropriate as it means lower monthly payments and lower maintenance costs.Know more about to click here New Porsche Taycan For Sale

If you're not sure what Porsche to buy, then a Porsche Taycan is the best option for you! This will ensure that you have enough room in your budget and it's also more likely to be environmentally friendly as well.

Is the Porsche Taycan a good car?

Environmentally friendly

The Porsche Taycan is a great option because it's environmentally friendly while still being high performing at the same time! This means less gas and less emissions which is a plus for those who want to minimize their environmental impact.

Cost

The Porsche Taycan starts at around $150,000 so if you're looking for something more affordable then this won't be the right option.

Porsche Taycan Maintenance Costs: The new car Porsche Taycan are maintenance free for the first decade of driving and then it's just a $750- warranty claim to get your car checked out.

Warranty

It is important to remember not only the price but also how long does the Porsche have left on its warranty as well because if something goes wrong in miles after purchasing, then there may be more cost involved than anticipated! You should also consider any extras such as tire insurance or extended warranties which can help with costs down the road when repairs happen.

Features

The Porsche Taycan is an excellent choice for a new car that is not only exciting to drive but looks good as well. The Taycan is the first fully electric car and it sets out to show that a great driver's car doesn't have to use fuel.It also has many features with adaptive suspension, lithium-ion battery technology, all wheel steering, High Gloss Black roof, high to low mileage, sun shield for driver and front passenger, tailgate at the rear, torque vectoring via braking which helps reduce understeer among other things.

The rear passengers get a 5.4-inch touchscreen in the rear for their climate control settings. With these cutting edge systems you can be sure this will make your driving experience unforgettable!

Another cool feature of the Porsche Taycan is that it has an interior design with a striking contrast between light and dark surfaces. The driver's area also features two seats in front which are set back to allow for more space on the passenger side. You can also order this car with carbon, full leather or Alcantara fabric upholstery as well!

The steering wheels also has a touch screen and you can order this Porsche with either the standard steering wheel or one that features paddle shifters. This will help reduce understeer among other things which makes for even smoother rides. If you're looking for reliability at an affordable price then look no further than this low priced gem from Porsche. Electric vehicle technology is rapidly expanding and we must explore what's out there before settling on anything too quickly so why not take advantage of the Porsche Taycan.

The front-mounted electric motors provide a torque vectoring system in which each wheel is individually powered by one motor that's located at its outer edge so as to always have drive going straight ahead, and it does not need an expensive mechanical differential like other cars do. This means that you'll be able to get a quicker start because there will always be maximum force available for acceleration out of corners on twisty roads or any time you want more speed without sacrificing stability!

It also has adaptive suspension technology with variable dampening. So if the road surface changes from smooth asphalt to rough dirt then your car can adapt accordingly - meaning even smoother rides around every corner you take no matter what kind of terrain!

The Taycan's option list also includes the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, which is a feature that's only available on the Turbo S Exclusive Series. This gives you adaptive damping for greater control and stability in every situation - it can even be adjusted while underway!

QUALITY

Porsche vehicles are known worldwide so you know what that means: QUALITY! You'll be cruising in style while making memories on every drive. If you're looking for reliability at an affordable price then this is the car for you. With these cutting edge systems, it will make your driving experience unforgettable! Electric vehicle technology has come up with such diverse models which is rapidly expanding.

The Porsche Taycan is one of the best models in this field.Porsche has always been known for their high-quality vehicles, and with an electric vehicle such as the Porsche Taycan you can be sure that it will have excellent quality. With cutting edge systems like adaptive suspension, lithium-ion battery technology, all wheel steering and more - these features are not only unique to your car but also make driving a completely new experience!

What should be considered when getting a quote?

- The Porsche Taycan is a plug in hybrid and it can be charged from any household outlet - It costs $150,000 for the base model - If you want a fully electric version then that will cost about $180,000. Remember: this will save on gas mileage since there's no engine to worry about!

What should people know when looking for cars for sale?

Check out these tips if your are looking to buy or sell used Porsche Taycans: - Keep an eye out for not only new model but also preowned or Used Model Price Year Exterior Color. Prices may vary depending on what type of vehicle one needs at the time. - Porsche taycan reviews written by experts might help with this as well. - Keep an eye out for Porsche Taycan's that have low mileage on them since they are less expensive to buy and maintain. - Used vehicle may be purchased from dealerships, private parties, auctions (eBay), websites like craigslist and many other places! - Be wary of scams when looking at online classified ads, especially if the website is not a popular one or has been newly created. Always make sure to do your research before buying anything like this!

Porsche Taycan For Sale: The Best Ways To Buy One

Buying a used Porsche has been popular recently but if this doesn't work out for you then there are always new cars available. You should know about all of the different options before choosing one so here they are: * Used vs New - Used Porsches may cost less per month with their payments and their maintenance fees while new ones come with warranties so keep them both in mind when making the decision.

* Direct Porsche Dealer vs Non-Direct - If you're happy with the dealership then go there, otherwise find a dealer that has good reviews. You'll also get money off for buying through them if they have their own incentives and discounts which is always helpful!

A Porsche is an investment so make sure to choose one that will work best for your needs as well as finding out about the warranty details before making any decisions on what car to buy.

Porsche taycan is some of the best cars made today with their incredible performance capabilities. Electric vehicle (EV) technology is making a diverse range of models that is rapidly expanding. The Porsche Taycan is the perfect vehicle for people who are environmentally conscious and want to do their part in reducing emissions out of cars.

There's never been such an attractive electric car on the market, so it will be interesting to see how these vehicles come into play over time!

The Porsche Taycan is a new series of electric vehicles that are making waves in the market. The vehicle has an impressive range and great performance capabilities, which make it perfect for people who want to be environmentally conscious. I hope these tips help you find your perfect Porsche Taycan today!

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