#common sense wise he's a -10 & his luck's -100

[somereaderinblue]

Ares: I think we have a problem.

Odysseus: What, the fire?

Ares: No, the- wait, what fire?!

Odysseus: Oh forget about it, this sounds more interesting.

[th1nk3r-blog]

Ferengi Rules of Acquisition Rule #1: Once you have their money, you never give it back. Rule #2: The best deal is the one that brings the most profit. Rule #3: Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to. Rule #4: Time and Latinum are precious. Rule #5: Always exaggerate your estimate. Rule #6: Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity. Rule #7: Keep your ears open. Rule #8: Small print leads to large risk. Rule #9: Opportunity plus instinct equals profit. Rule #10: Greed is eternal. Rule #11: Even if it's free, you can always buy it cheaper. Rule #12: Anything worth selling is worth selling twice. Rule #13: Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. Rule #14: Keep your family close; keep your Latinum closer. Rule #15: Dead men close no deals. Rule #16: A deal is a deal, until a better one comes along. Rule #17: A contract is a contract is a contract: but only between Ferengi. Rule #18: A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all. Rule #19: Satisfaction is not guaranteed. Rule #20: He who dives under the table today, lives to profit tomorrow. Rule #21: Never place friendship before profit. Rule #22: A wise man can hear profit in the wind. Rule #23: Nothing is more important than health, except money. Rule #24: Latinum can't buy happiness, but you can sure have a blast renting it. Rule #25: You pay for it, it's your idea. Rule #26: As the customers go, so goes the wise profiteer. Rule #27: There's nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman. Rule #28: Whisper your way to success. Rule #29: Always ask, "What's in it for me?" Rule #30: Talk is cheap, synthehol isn't. Rule #31: Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother. Rule #32: Be careful what you sell, it may do exactly what the customer expects. Rule #33: It never hurts to suck up to the boss. Rule #34: War is good for business. Rule #35: Peace is good for business. Rule #36: Neutrality is good for business. Rule #37: If it's free, take it and worry about hidden costs later. Rule #38: Everyone needs something. Rule #39: Friendship is temporary; profit is forever. Rule #40: She can touch your lobes, but never your Latinum. Rule #41: Profit is its own reward. Rule #42: What's mine is mine. Rule #43: What's yours can be mine. Rule #44: Never confuse wisdom with luck. Rule #45: Expand or Die. Rule #46: Make your shop easy to find. Rule #47: Don't trust a man wearing a better suit than your own. Rule #48: The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife. Rule #49: Everything is worth something to somebody. Rule #50: Gratitude can bring on generosity. Rule #51: Reward anyone who adds to your profits so they will continue to do so. Rule #52: Never ask when you can take. Rule #53: Never trust anybody taller than you. Rule #54: Never trust a Ferengi with bigger lobes. Rule #55: Advertise. Rule #56: Be discreet. Rule #57: Good customers are as rare as Latinum; treasure them. Rule #58: There is no substitute for success. Rule #59: Free advice is seldom cheap. Rule #60: Keep your lies consistent. Rule #61: Never underestimate the power of bribery. Rule #62: The riskier the road, the greater the profit. Rule #63: Share only what isn't yours. Rule #64: You don't need a store front to set up shop. Rule #65: Win or lose, there's always Huyperian beetle snuff. Rule #66: Double the price, then sell it half off. Rule #67: Always inspect the merchandise. Rule #68: A little ear stroking goes a long way. Rule #69: Ferengi are not responsible for the stupidity of other races. Rule #70: Ferengi are not responsible for the stupidity of other Ferengi. Rule #71: Close the deal, and then answer questions. Rule #72: Never trust your customers. Rule #73: If it gets you profit, sell your own mother. Rule #74: Knowledge equals profit. Rule #75: Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of Latinum. Rule #76: Every once in a while, declare peace. "It confuses the hell out of your enemies". Rule #77: It's better to swallow your pride than to lose your profit. Rule #78: When the going gets tough, the tough change the Rules. Rule #79: Beware of the Vulcan greed for knowledge. Rule #80: Greed is known by many names. Rule #81: There's a difference between being a coward and running away. Rule #82: The flimsier the product, the higher the price. Rule #83: Even the wealth of the Nagus started with one slip of Latinum. Rule #84: A friend is not a friend if he asks for a discount. Rule #85: Never let the competition know what you're thinking. Rule #86: When the odds are against you never give up; just quit. Rule #87: A friend in need means three times the profit. Rule #88: It ain't over 'till it's over. Rule #89: Ask not what your profits can do for you, ask what you can do for your profits. Rule #90: The Divine Treasury awaits. Rule #91: Hear all, trust nothing. Rule #92: There are many paths to profit. Rule #93: Act without delay! The sharp knife cuts quickly. Rule #94: Females and finances don't mix. Rule #95: Prejudice only eliminates customers. Rule #96: For every Rule, there is an equal and opposite Rule (except when there's not.) Rule #97: Enough... is never enough. Rule #98: Every man has his price. Rule #99: Trust is the biggest liability of all. Rule #100: If they take your first offer, you either asked too little, or offered too much. Rule #101: The only value of a collectible is what you can get somebody else to pay for it. Rule #102: Nature decays, but Latinum lasts forever. Rule #103: Sleep can interfere with negotiations. Rule #104: Faith moves mountains of inventory. Rule #105: Don't trust anyone who trusts you. Rule #106: There is no honor in poverty. Rule #107: A warranty is valid only if they can find you. Rule #108: Don't buy what you can't sell. Rule #109: Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. Rule #110: Playing dumb is often smart. Rule #111: Treat people in your debt like family, exploit them [ruthlessly]. Rule #112: Never have sex with the boss' sister. Rule #113: Always have sex with the boss. Rule #114: The one in power defines morality. Rule #115: The best contract always has a lot of fine print. Rule #116: There's always a catch. Rule #117: Profit is the better part of valor. Rule #118: There is no profit in revenge. Rule #119: Never judge a customer by the size of his wallet, sometimes, good things come in small packages. Rule #120: Borrow on a handshake, lend in writing. Rule #121: Everything is for sale, including friendship. Rule #122: Do not forsake your profits and they will watch over you. Rule #123: Even a blind man can recognize the glow of Latinum. Rule #124: Diligent hands bring wealth. Rule #125: You can't make a deal if you're dead. Rule #126: Count it. Rule #127: Stay neutral in conflict so that you can sell supplies to both sides. Rule #128: Secrets are commodities, sell them. Rule #129: The fear of poverty is the beginning of knowledge. Rule #130: Never pay for sentiment, always charge for it. Rule #131: Information is profit. Rule #132: Never take no from someone who wasn't authorized to give you yes. Rule #133: Only those ideas that lead to profit are good. Rule #134: One good turn requires another. Rule #135: Never trust a beneficiary. Rule #136: Seek profit first and everything else will follow. Rule #137: Everything is negotiable. Rule #138: Wealth brings satisfaction. Rule #139: Wives serve, brothers inherit. Rule #140: Better great treasure with trouble than peace with poverty. Rule #141: Only fools pay retail. Rule #142: There's no such thing as an unfair advantage. Rule #143: Risk is part of the game... play it for all it's worth. Rule #144: There's nothing wrong with charity...as long as it winds up in your pocket. Rule #145: A little and often fills your pockets. Rule #146: Necessity is the mother of invention. Profit is the father. Rule #147: In all worthwhile labor there is profit. Rule #148: Wealth enables experience. Rule #149: Profit is encouragement to industry and enterprise. Rule #150: The way to become rich is to put all your Latinum in one sack, then watch the sack. Rule #151: The man is richest who's pleasures are cheapest. Rule #152: A lie is a way to tell the truth to someone who doesn't know. Rule #153: Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Rule #152: Work hard so you don't have to. Rule #153: When you have only 2 slips of Latinum left, buy bread with one, and bet the other. Rule #154: Pain passes, but profits remain. Rule #155: Power is 50% what you have and 50% what people think you have. Rule #156: Rainy days are good for business. Rule #157: Common sense is the collection of the customer's prejudices. Rule #158: The first principle of a rigid businessman is to always be flexible. Rule #159: There are no creeds in mathematics. Rule #160: Happiness is not mere possession of profit, but joy of acquisition. Rule #161: Beyond the mountains there are more mountains. Rule #162: Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit. Rule #163: When a friend makes profit, you don't. Rule #164: Life does not guarantee equality of conditions, only of opportunity. Rule #165: Never let your sense of morals get in the way of opportunity. Rule #166: The success of any great transaction does not depend on odds. Rule #167: Earning is not only a duty it's a privilege. Rule #168: Whisper your way to success. Rule #169: Competition and fair play are mutually exclusive. Rule #170: The hand that feeds could be bitten. Rule #171: Blood is thicker than water, and Latinum is thicker than both. Rule #172: Chances aren't what they used to be. Rule #173: Dream, plan, believe, act. Rule #174: If you can't buy it, find someone who can. Rule #175: Gratitude is expensive. Rule #176: The wind always favors the best navigator. Rule #177: Know your enemies... but do business with them always. Rule #178: Power, leisure, and liberty are all words for profit. Rule #179: Opportunity may bring profit, friendship rarely does. Rule #180: Never discuss an opportunity with someone wealthier than you. Rule #181: Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit. Rule #182: The cost for profit is never too high. Rule #183: When it's a question of profit, everyone is of one belief. Rule #184: In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Rule #185: Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. Rule #186: There is no security, only opportunity. Rule #187: The philosophy of one is the common sense of another. Rule #188: A fool and his money are the best customer. Rule #189: Let others keep their reputation. You keep their money. Rule #190: Hear all, trust nothing. Rule #191: A Ferengi waits to bid until his opponents have exhausted themselves. Rule #192: Never cheat a Klingon... unless you're sure you can get away with it. Rule #193: Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of desire. Rule #194: It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door. Rule #195: You can't jump a 20 foot gorge in two 10 foot jumps. Rule #196: Listen to advice; then do what you want anyway. Rule #197: Pick battles big enough to matter, but small enough to win. Rule #198: You can't shake hands with a fist. Rule #199: The universe is not as difficult to comprehend as a Vulcan. Rule #200: A Ferengi chooses no side but his own. Rule #201: Wisdom consists of the anticipation of costs and consequences. Rule #202: The justification of profit is profit. Rule #203: New customers are like razor-backed Gree-worms... They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back! Rule #204: It takes a Ferengi to cheat a Ferengi. Rule #205: Trust can be expensive. Rule #206: Distrust can be expensive. Rule #207: Sense without education is better than education without sense. Rule #208: Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question, is an answer. Rule #209: To many lobes spoil the deal. Rule #210: Always be smarter than the people you hire. Rule #211: Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success... don't hesitate to step on them. Rule #212: You and your Latinum are all you've got. Rule #213: Those who concede to sell for less understand the value of business. Rule #214: Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach. Rule #215: Profit may not bring happiness, but there is no happiness without profit. Rule #216: Never gamble with an empath. Rule #217: You can't free a fish from water. Rule #218: Always know what you're buying. Rule #219: Possession is 11/10 of the law. Rule #220: Listen what they say while watching what they do. Rule #221: Computers can only give you the answers. Rule #222: The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be believed. Rule #223: Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox. Rule #224: Listen to your lobes. Rule #225: Always follow one step ahead. Rule #226: Learn the language; translators malfunction. Rule #227: Emulation with profit is better than innovation with none. Rule #228: Bid high and bid often. Rule #229: Latinum lasts longer than lust. Rule #230: If they're smarter than you, make them a lesser partner. Rule #231: There's a customer born every minute; be sure you're the first to find each one. Rule #232: Deal only with select clientele. (Those who are rich and not so bright.) Rule #233: Latinum doesn't grow on trees. Rule #234: There's nothing wrong with a good delusion. Rule #235: Duck; death is tall. Rule #236: You can't buy fate. Rule #237: It's good to want things, especially things you can't have. Rule #238: How I handle my business is none of yours. Rule #239: Never be afraid to mislabel a product. Rule #240: Do it yourself and keep it yourself. Rule #241: Never trust a hardworking employee. Rule #242: More is good... all is better. Rule #243: The more good will you can generate, the longer your customers stay. Rule #244: Because something's priceless doesn't mean it's not worthless. Rule #245: Benevolence is 50/50. Rule #246: Innocence is expensive. Rule #247: Don't negotiate with the underlings. Rule #248: Profit is in the details. Rule #249: Once it's sold stop selling. Rule #250: Precious things are for those that can prize them. Rule #251: Don't miss the opportunity by grabbing at the shadow. Rule #252: Little steps may prove great profit. Rule #253: Synthehol is the lubricant of choice for a customer's stuck purse. Rule #254: Better a fat slave than to starve free. Rule #255: A wife is a luxury... a smart accountant, a necessity. Rule #256: Accountants do not play the game; they only keep the score. Rule #257: Despise the things you cannot have. Rule #258: A slip in the hand is better than a bar in sight. Rule #259: Wealth not yours might well as not exist. Rule #260: Life's not fair. How else would you turn a profit? Rule #261: A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience. Rule #262: A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on. Rule #263: Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for Latinum. Rule #264: Distrust interested advice. Rule #265: The customer is always right... until you get their Latinum. Rule #266: When in doubt, lie. Rule #267: If you believe it, they believe it. Rule #268: Hold on to what you have, but plan for future luck. Rule #269: Trying to please an enemy makes you the loser everytime. Rule #270: In business deals, a disruptor can be almost as important as a calculator. Rule #271: What we want is not always the most profitable. Rule #272: Think twice before leaping once. Rule #273: Don't waste your breath arguing with a Klingon; save it for the running you may have to do. Rule #274: Consider your next transaction while counting your Latinum. Rule #275: Foolish investment based on foolish advice is still foolish investment. Rule #276: Overbooking is standard practice. Rule #277: Anything worth fighting for is worth hiding from. Rule #278: Appearances are deceptive. Dress above yourself. Rule #279: Necessity knows no price. Rule #280: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Rule #281: Greed cannot overreach itself. Rule #282: The value of something is not in its use, but in its price. Rule #283: An individual is smart, a group is not. Rule #284: Deep down, everyone's a Ferengi. Rule #285: No good deed ever goes unpunished. The Unwritten Rule: When no appropriate Rule applies, make one up! Ferengi Rules of Acquisition As Completed by “Gelt” (a.k.a. Noel Green)

[bettysnooze]

i can't remember if i asked or not so!! 6, 7, 12, 13, and 28!! long ones im soz

6. which one of your muses have you been playing the longest?

answered here !!

7. which one of your muses has the most ships?

HELEN RIGHT NOW OH MAN, i never realised how flirty she is wow, and the chemistry is off the charts for so many ppl i don’t even know how to begin, half of this might just be in my head so um pls lets talk about sHIPS WITH HELEN

12. what is something everyone should know about your muses before interacting?

betty: she’s made a name for herself among students, i feel like it’d be pretty common knowledge that auradon prep and arcadia uni has its own sandman. they might not know its specifically betty?? but definitely once they’re around her, you’d just know. so if you need a good night’s sleep or some help with nightmares, betty is your girl. 

veronika: she’s a tour guide for auradon prep students! so she’s good for characters that come in for the first time ever. she always has some sort of bag with her and it’s basically a survival kit (water, umbrella, maps, auradon keychains). 

makaria: she always looks amazing. girl with the awesome fashion sense, great nails, great hair. always put together. she had a good relationship with her father, so on the isle they were basically this strong unit. if hades was walking, you’d know mak wasn’t too far behind. 

hershey: he comes from a playable game! the arcade’s on the west coast somewhere, but yeah sugar rush is 100% playable so if it’s relevant for your character to have went there and played sugar rush by any chance, then they probably would remember hershey from there. 

cestrum: he’s tall. like…6 foot more. i think i said he was 6 foot 2. in a crowd he’s one of the tall ones. when he’s sitting down in a low chair, his knees are really knobby it’s like watching a giraffe sit down. 

aiwei: he’s got visible frankenstein’s-monster type scars. recently, he’d had to stitch himself up a lot (without a good access to magic) so along his arms and fingers especially. his skin isn’t warm, it’s a little pale actually but honestly the life comes from his eyes and his smile.

otto: he’s handsome af. literally classic prince charming. comes from snow white’s family, so very posh, very rich boy trope. sits with the cool kids, acts like a cool kid, lives like a cool kid. will only be seen associating with other royals (or those close to royals) or sitting alone. but he always looks busy too. 

illyria: she’s a bit ‘mona lisa painting’ in that her eyes will literally follow you even if she doesn’t move. once you catch her attention, she won’t look away until she’s had her fill of analysing you. also she speaks a lot in class (more in recent months) and if she’s curious about you, you’ll know. she bothers a lot of people in class too lmao.

kirsa: she’s a cheerleader! super team spirit all the way. she’s got makeup on her all the time, has her own version of a survival kit. need lip balm? she’s got new ones you can just take. need pads or tampons? she’s got light, heavy, and super. need a snack? she’s got a brownie in a tin. need alcohol or smokes? she’s got them too. omg she runs high school contraband.

dignan: LITERALLY SO BUSY WITH CLUBS. you will literally always see him hanging out with someone from a sports team, usually the baseball team. he’s literally a jock. since he joined the team he’s taken to wearing some sort of sports fashion – a cap, or shoes, or a jersey or jacket. BUT ALSO he’s in mathletes!! if he’s not in any of his other extracurriculars or studying or hanging with friends, then he’s at the gym or training. 

helen: also a jock. but she’s more known for having aurelius hanging around her all the time. he knows he can’t go into any buildings, so he’s always waiting outside. sometimes he hangs out by the classroom window and watches lessons LMAO. 

penelope: if you look poor, she’ll scoff at you, if you look rich, she’ll wink at you. she may also try to steal your shit, rich or poor. her luck with stealing comes and goes, sometimes it’s a smooth steal, most of the time she gets caught. she always tries tho.

13. what’s a weird headcanon you have for each of your muses?

betty: idk if this is weird but betty has the ability to literally sleep anywhere. once she decides she’s comfortable and wants to sleep, she’s done. betty’s been found sleeping in a closet, under a desk in a student’s lounge, IN CLASS…

veronika: she knows like every word to a handful of like early 2000s songs. outkast’s “hey ya”, eminem’s “without me”, coolio’s “gangsta’s paradise”, black eyed peas “where is the love”. a lot of avril lavigne. she won’t sing it (unless you’re noelle) but she can recite and mouth along to the song

makaria: she had a cooking phase. but only she eats the food bc she doesn’t want to accidentally poison anybody or make them puke. she likes cooking food. considers herself a good food critic.

hershey: hated ice-cream for the longest time bc, as a kid, he couldn’t get through the ice-cream catapult range on the sugar rush track. full-on boycotted ice-cream from like ages 6-10. it was a sad time for hershey.

cestrum: i’ve talked about it before but his tapdancing! started when he found a pair of dancing shoes in wonderland. then he found an old gramophone and some records. he basically taught himself how to tap dance. he doesn’t do it so often now because there’s every chance someone’s going to catch him doing it.

aiwei: secretly tried all sorts of things to make himself taller. he’d do stretches. he’d hang upside down. the last straw was when he would hang by his arms off a tall beam, with weight attached to his feet. he can’t feel pain so he just added as many weights as possible, and one foot literally popped off the socket. there’s a scar there too.

otto: scared of open water. doesn’t like the idea of drowning. he frantically trained himself to be able to swim well (in a pool) but he’s still wary of going to the beach. doesn’t like flying on a plane over large bodies of water. just……..no open water.

illyria: she’s really really bad with makeup. all she had to go on for years was tia dalma’s intense eyeliner, smokey-eye look LMAO. she tried makeup for a while but got too lazy and is just bare-faced now (she loves moisturising though and buys all sorts of sea-themed facewashes and things).

kirsa: she’s really picky about food. she’s a little self-conscious about it so when u eat with her for the first time she just goes with whatever but once she’s comfortable it’s just gonna be so specific. “hi so i’d like the apple pie for dessert with the ice-cream on the side, and if it’s home-baked pie then i’d like it heated but if it’s not then leave the ice-cream and i’ll have whipped cream instead. otherwise, i’d still like the ice-cream on the side – and for the salad, can i also have the dressing on the side please?” this is shamelessly taken from ‘when harry met sally’ but EVERYTHING IS ON THE SIDE

dignan: he’s superstitious especially about competitions. the first baseball game he won, he ate ice-cream beforehand so like now every time he has to eat ice-cream before a game. different rule for mathletes though, whenever they have a competition, he has to do like ten sit-ups. he will do those sit-ups anywhere, but he has to get them done. doesn’t walk under ladders. doesn’t open umbrellas indoors.

helen: she’s really not looking to love anyone right now, but she ends up liking so many people and she kinda loves that physical side of the relationship a lot ??? she also loves showing off and that’s not really a quirky headcanon but like she loves showing off

penelope: idk yet but i think maybe she once tried singing to the birds on the isle (back when her grandmother was still like ‘yes penny sing!!’) and honestly like the birds either died or tried to attack her, she probably has a fear of birds now because of that. 

28. can you sort your muses from weakest to strongest?

PHYSICAL STRENGTH-ABILITY WISE

aiwei: is a pacifist but also just like no upper-arm strength and literally you could rip his arms off with the right amount of force so no

cestrum: could literally knock him over with a strong wind but at least he’s a little more solid than aiwei. also a pacifist. also has a little trauma when it comes to physical harm so he just freezes and let’s things happen to him.

kirsa: has no idea how to defend herself and literally just runs or something and she’s not even a fast runner. she can scream tho and she panic-fights so she has every chance to scratch someone’s eyes out.

hershey: also panic-fights. would rather run (or drive away) than fight. if he had a car in his disposal he would still choose to just drive away with as little injury to anyone as possible. not very powerful in terms of physical fights; he gets beat up a lot.

veronika: knows how to avoid fights. calm in a brawl. uses her environment to her advantage (ie. broken glass, distractions). looks to leave fights rather than end them.

dignan: only more powerful than veronika physically but strategically he’s a mess. impulsive fighter. will throw himself into anything. upper-arm strength because of recent training and exercise; good aim, has amazing aim. 

illyria: calm, strategic, trained fighter. but only good with weapons, not very good with hand-to-hand combat (would rather not touch anyone at all). different scenario if she was in the water, but by herself she’s at this stage of the scale.

otto: brute strength. brawls. boxing. clenched fists and can take a hit and doesn’t stop hitting until the other person gives up. also swordsmanship. 

helen: the most powerful out of all my non-powered people. she’s got the strength, the strategy, the experience and the training. actual warrior princess helen rider. can also do everything in heels and on horseback. can probably do motorcycle stunts.

betty: she has so much untapped potential; the ursula event was only like a small dose of what she could do if she decided to use her powers that way. could end a fight before it even started.

makaria: ofc a goddess of death would be like the most powerful. fire (hellfire) powers, and shadow manipulation and basic magic and teleportation and also she doesn’t know it yet/hasn’t had a chance but she can manipulate the dead that are devoted to hades. also she’s gonna get her immortality one of these days so Full God Mak Aidoneus™

[eludum-a]

500 follower follow forever!

it happened. god knows why so many of you are here, but apparently you like what i do, so... well, thank you! to everyone! but this is a very informal follow forever meant specifically for people i speak to regularly/people i consider my friends/people i feel i owe something to. i haven’t done anything like this since the 100 follower mark, so please bear with me. 

i felt like i needed to do this because, in the wise words of taako the wizard, “it doesn’t always have to be goof goof dildo. i’m traveling around with the boner squad and i never get to say... what i’m feeling! i have emotions!”

if you’re not here, please don’t feel like i don’t appreciate you! i only have the energy for so much love here in my body. if you’ve been inactive/are on hiatus, i might have missed you, and if we haven’t really talked a lot ooc, same thing applies.

(i have been working on this on and off for weeks. im so tired pls just let me be finished with it)

anyway, call outs below the cut!

@unsuspicious: cou, you send me so many baffling and strange images at all hours of the day. i had to lead up with this because where do you even get all those. anyway, you’re definitely the person i talk to the most every day, and it’s weird as shit to think that the last thing in tumblr messenger was me sending you the link to the discord channel. you’re a fantastic roleplayer when you actually roleplay and you’re fun to have around!

@hismalice: raz you are one of my favorite people on this god forsaken hell site and don’t ever forget that. if you need a reminder you can come back here and look at this and see this seal of approval, and also the mental image of me saying “no, fuck you” to your negative thoughts and then punching them in the face heaven slaying dragon fist style. if you ever wanna talk you know where to find me and it’s also ok if you don’t want to!! i’ll still be here regardless.

@cantalazarus: god bless the hinatatas, may they grow strong and powerful this year. amen. on a more real note: this is my official notice that i really appreciate you just... in general, as a person, even if im an asshole who has trouble with, like, Feelings and shit. so there’s that. same as with raz above, you obviously know where to find me whenever you wanna talk. and take as long as you need to recharge your batteries!! no rush

@mxssias: ALEX MY MAN... BOY... GUY! DUDE, PAL, WHATEVER. your naegi is LIT. i love the good good egg boy so much and you do him justice!! you don’t just focus on the lighter aspects of his character, but you recognize his various struggles as well! you’re also just a fun person to talk to and i’d love to do more naenami in the future of COURSE

@ayatsurii the sparkliest of cats! yo, sparkle, thank u for turning me on to pekonami because it’s so good and pure, and thank you also for trying to keep things from burning down in the chat when we get too rowdy (even if you’re not successful... we can’t be tamed). i look forward to future pekonami interactions!

@snappshot: sarah is wonderful at everything she does, sorry i dont make the rules. you’ve been around this blog for what feels like forever now?? first as mahiru (and your mahiru rly captured my heart) but also sayaka and kaede and your persona muses are equally wonderful! idk what i’d have done if you weren’t there to reassure me i was doing a good job. god bless sarah

@anemoia-avenoir / @ongakuvoices: rrrrrrrrIO! you’re lovely and you should know it. i know we don’t really talk much ooc but you definitely deserved a spot in here! your passion for your muses is incredible! your love for them shows in the details of your writing, and i know it can be frustrating sometimes to feel like you’re not good enough (believe me... i have been there many times), but believe me... you’re gonna do amazing things, i just know it.

@malchancevilain YOU STILL OWE ME 15 DOLLARS AND I AIM TO COLLECT, GREG GRIMALDIS. NO MATTER WHERE IN THE MULTIVERSE YOU ARE. ahem. we share a lot of common interests, watchy, and i really do love your luckgami, like, a lot. i love how different his background is without changing who he is fundamentally as a person, aka a snob

@shpionaz: *insert obligatory ‘like a boss’ joke here* ok now that we’ve gotten that over with,,, im so grateful i got a chance to play out the oumanami brotp interactions with you because that was on my wishlist almost as soon as i found out about their sprite similarities and we didn’t even have to try, it just happened. you’re first ouma in my heart forever and i can’t wait to do some things with your oc too!!

@gambogeish: it’s kind of ironic how i didn’t finish twewy until we became friends, when it was first gifted to me by my boyfriend... it’s probably just the difference in maturity/gaming ability from then to now, but ANYWAY: i am so glad to have met you. you’re one of the first people in the community i’ve really connected with, and you’re an awesome person who i’d love to roleplay with regardless of muse. i’ve got a virtual high five right here waiting for you. o/

@pseudxcode syd, god bless your chihiro, honestly. he’s such a sweet little guy and i love his interactions with chiaki! of course i’ve always been a fan of these two together (even when she’s NOT an AI created by him), because their talents complement each other so well! they’re good for each other. i’d love to see more chiaki & chihiro action, especially if it involves chiaki encouraging him and reassuring him that he’s not as weak as he thinks he is.

@kibcu / @krclowa we only recently started talking but you’re such a welcome addition to thotchat, liz! take that as you will. this one’s probably gonna be a bit short but im looking forward to platonic naenami interactions and ur sonia too! aunty nanami’s gonna babysit the hell out of those naegi kids (aka give them all smartphones and sit back and relax)

@synthxsizxr GOOD IDOL, BEST SISTER, AKI LOVES HER HARU even if she really doesnt understand the idol lifestyle like, at all. chi, you yourself are very sweet and kind, it’s wonderful having you here in this community! i hope you’re having a lot of fun with your talentswap chiaki and i hope 

@relixum / @lxckyclovers: i hope you two don’t mind that i put you together here. i know you’ve been busy with school lately (good luck with that, by the way!!) but i didn’t want you to think i forgot about you! you guys make a mom/dad/parental unit so proud. you’re wonderful writers and i hope you find happiness wherever you go. *bob belcher voice* you’re my family and i love you but you’re terrible, you’re all terrible.

@tcndcrloins levi you’re the other constant presence in thotchat and you’re such a fun person to have around. you’re so welcoming and comfortable in a sense that i never feel like i’m bothering you, and thats a pretty incredibly accomplishment considering how often i convince myself im annoying. get those drafts done, i believe in you!!

@delinqueon avery, you were probably the first person within the community i talked to one on one, and thank god you approached me because at that point i never would have had the courage to speak up! your leon is such a delight to interact with and so are your other characters. one day you’ll get me back for making you read the bee movie script out loud for fifteen minutes.... one day

@betraycd last but not least, first i have to thank fin for my current editing software that i still have yet to figure out even 10% of ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) but i’ll get there! fin, i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: i absolutely adore your souda, all of the time and effort you’ve put into his characterization and how you don’t ignore the uglier parts of his personality. he’s a lovely flawed boy and you really do him justice!

after word:

like any community with more than a few people, there have been ups and downs in the path few months. i wanted to add here as a general shout out that i have never felt so welcome and loved in a community that i originally would have thought would be more disjointed than what you might find on a forum. like, i’ve changed a lot thanks to you guys! i’ve been able to get over some of the hurdles of my social anxiety (i didnt jump over them so much as drag myself across the ground and painfully crawl over them) and i just... i feel good? i feel like people like me? there are still times where my anxiety insists i’m nothing but a useless burden, but i actually... feel like people enjoy having me around? holy shit!

i made some really cool new friends and got to know a different kind of roleplay community. im overall incredibly grateful for this wild and weird journey i’ve been on, and the journey certainly isn’t over by any means! i hope to keep seeing you guys around!

these words really arent even enough to express my gratitude. i havent been to some really dark places, but there for a while i felt like i was almost completely alone. i simply wasn’t connecting with other people like i wanted to. about 3-4 years ago i lost contact with (long story) my roleplay partners of 4 years and it wasn’t an easy thing to recover from, but i’m here now and it’s just... really good! incredible, even!

komussy

[everyonesomething]

Session Fifteen

Sydney Gaydos is 100% ready to get her nom on, no time for tables or pacing herself.

Pepper is just eating whatever doesn't get snatched away first.

Edith Runekill pours herself a glass of wine spritzer. It Begins.

Malkas pokes at the frog leg as big as a turkey drumstick.

Grim doesn't know what half this shit is but she'll eat it regardless

Grim eats melon rind, it's fine

In this session, we get to know each other better.

The set-up: A light RP session before we dive back into mortal danger.

The Game: We've got some down time before we have to get to Candlekeep, so why not eat our body weight in free hotel food?

I did mention each room had a piano, right?

Sydney Gaydos is eyeing that piano something fierce, might as well try to play a bit.

Sydney Gaydos: rolling 1d20+2

(1)+2= 3

Sydney Gaydos apparently plays pretty badly.

Pepper is watching Sydney pummel the keys mercilessly.

Pepper: "That's not exactly how it works, chum."

Edith Runekill: "What on earth is that racket? Is the hotel being attacked?"

Malkas: "Sounds like Sydney."

Pepper watches the hotel staff wheel Syd's piano away.

Pepper: "Well you can't use mine."

Sydney Gaydos huffs. "The keys were too small."

Well, each room had a piano, anyway.

Pepper has much better luck playing her piano—she did have lessons as a kid, after all. Grim decides to take a wander around the city before remembering they’re holding an entire celebration in our honor and revises her plans to just stay shut up in the hotel until the next day. All our room service is comped anyway, so we take full advantage of the city’s generosity and order a little bit of everything. We even ordered a coconut!

Sydney Gaydos: ((whats a coconut's strength))

rolling 1d20+4

(10)+4= 14

"Hm. Tough little thing."

Edith Runekill: "Oh! Let me try!"

rolling d20

(1)= 1

Pepper winces.

Edith Runekill: "Ow!"

Malkas: "Baaaaabe!"

Sydney Gaydos: "Are you alright?!"

Pepper: "You sure that's just wine you got her?"

Edith Runekill: "I'm fine!! I'm tough."

Inanimate objects that have wrecked Edith so far: a pinball machine and a coconut.

Inanimate objects that have not wrecked Edith so far: tequila shots.

Edith Runekill sets her shotglass down. "I'm feeling better about the kraken already."

Grim throws back her shot, then looks at the bottle like nah

Grim pours herself another whiskey

Edith Runekill shrugs; more tequila for her.

Edith Runekill pours another shot.

Edith Runekill and drinks it.

Edith Runekill goes on like this.

Malkas watches, fascinated.

Pepper: "You know that stuff catches up with you, right?"

Edith Runekill: "Yeah, well, the kraken caught up with us too and we showed him what's hat."

Pepper: "Yeah it blew up."

Malkas: "We did show him what's hat, Edi."

Pepper: "Chunks everywhere, if I remember right."

Edith Runekill giggles, and takes off her hat.

Edith Runekill pretends to examine it closely.

Edith Runekill: "Oh! It's a hat."

"That's what's hat."

Edith Runekill tosses it across the room.

Grim manages to get a word in edgewise as Edith destroys her liver to thank her for trying to talk sense into her on the train. She also seems to forgive her and Mal for picking her up like luggage when she wouldn't listen.

Mal and Edith drunkenly tell us the history of Candlekeep: Not only was it a place where Ba'al's offspring were raised, it's a library of great renown. In fact, the only way to get in was to donate a rare and valuable book to the collection. The building is like a fortress and it's been warded off to keep people away from the most dangerous volumes. Or it had been warded off, at any rate. Grim doesn't see how wise it is to keep all sorts of dangerous things together in one building and doesn't seem impressed by Edith's alcohol-soaked impassioned speech. They try to find common ground by comparing their professions.

Grim: "Don't sound much like bounty hunting to me."

Edith Runekill doesn't actually know anything about bounty hunting

Edith Runekill: "Don't you... like... find people?"

"We find things."

Grim: "Big difference between a person and a thing."

"Things ain't guilty. And they got no life to lose behind bars."

"I'm no courier."

Malkas: "Actually sometimes things are, like ... actually evil. And have like ... evil wants and desires."

"Like th-the Horn Crown."

Edith Runekill: "That's the exception, to be fair. But the Cron of Horns is one of those exceptions."

Malkas: "It like... wants to do evil. Makes you bad when you wear it."

Edith Runekill: "Wouldn't put that one in a museum."

Edith Runekill: "But there it was in Candlekeep, for some reason."

Grim: "That's what I'm saying, Steele. Evil's simple."

"People ain't."

Malkas: "Make a replica, toss the original in a forge."

Edith Runekill: "Or keep it off-site somewhere."

"Securing highly dangerous relics and making priceless tomes available to future generations are conflicting mission statements."

"To preserve and share, to destroy and hide."

"Candlekeep tried to do both, and now that the wards are down it's done neither."

Malkas: "We've got differing opinions on that, Edi."

Edith Runekill: "And it pisses me off."

Grim: "You capture a cult leader, blood of innocents on his hands, connections all over the city. Family none the wiser, kids involved. Claims remorse. What do you do, toss him in a forge?"

Malkas: "What am I, a judge?"

Grim: "You gotta be, sometimes."

Malkas: "That's not up to me."

"Not unless we're in a fight."

Edith Runekill looks thoughtful.

Grim: "The law ain't always what it claims to be, Malkas."

Edith Runekill: "Guess it's not much like bounty-hunting after all."

Grim puts out the end of her cigarette and refreshes her drink

Grim: "This is simple. Evil is real simple."

Edith Runekill: "Well, yeah, our basic goal here is simple. But if we mess up, well, the stakes are real high."

"Y'know?"

Grim: "That's the difference, I guess."

"Stakes are always high where I come from."

Grim: "Maybe not a city at a time, but you let the wrong person go, you take the wrong person in, that's a lineage of blood. And you ain't ever held accountable by anyone but yourself."

Mal, Edith, and Grim bond a bit more over their desire to affect some real change in the world by stopping the lich. Putting an end to evil for the greater good is something they can all agree on and it seems Grim is coming around to respecting the rest of the group.

Well. Most of them. Let's say a solid 75%.

Grim: "Precious few real do-gooders around, I found. Good to meet a couple finally." She looks towards Syd and Pepper too.

Grim: "For the most part."

Malkas laughs a little.

Pepper: "What? I'm doin' good, aren't I? Can't be more to the definition of do-gooder than that."

Grim: "That's the catch with you. Real wordsmith."

Pepper: "A finely woven sentence is worth more than a rich man's silk blouse."

Grim: "And wears thin just as fast."

Edith Runekill snorts

Malkas: "Ahahaha."

Pepper: "And, in the end, doesn't hold much water."

Edith Runekill: "Wow..."

"WOW"

Edith Runekill pours herself another shot.

Syd breaks the awkward tension by finally breaking open a coconut all over the room. It doesn't last for long, though, as Grim proposes the group plays “Never Did I Ever” to get to know each other better.

We go for a few rounds, the questions break down as follows (with the first name being who asked):

Never went to school: Grim

Never jumped out of a moving car: Mal, Pepper, Grim, Syd.

Never jumped off a cliff: Syd, Edith, Pepper

Never hit anything with a gun: Edith

Never totalled a car: Syd and also nobody in the group

Never had a fixed home: Grim

Never peed in the shower/tub: Mal, Grim

Never played this drinking game before: Syd, Edith

Never kissed a girl: Edith, Pepper

Never envied the rich: Pepper, Grim, Syd. Mal and Edith drink but they don't look happy about it, way to kill the mood Pepper.

Never knew their family: Grim. Syd asks for clarification on what that means, but decides it doesn't apply to her.

Never got caught sneaking out: Mal and Syd

Never played strip poker: Syd and nobody in the group, but Edith thinks it sounds fun.

Never gone back home after leaving: Edith, Pepper. Grim asks for clarification but decides it doesn't apply and drinks.

Never had a pet: Pepper, Mal, Grim, Syd

Never wore a dress: Grim, Syd, Mal. At this point in the game, Mal taps out of the drinking, he's had enough.

Never drank so much they forgot the night: Syd, Pepper

Never been east of Plaguewrought: Edith who then passes out with Mal

Pepper "Never. Have I ever. Liked to think about myself this much." and punctuates each statement with a tap of her glass before downing it anyway.

Grim raises her glass to Pepper.

Edith Runekill stumbles to her feet

Grim gets up with some support from the table

Edith Runekill: "Hey, Mal,"

"Mal. Mal Mal Mal."

"Do you..."

Malkas: "Hi Edi."

Edith Runekill: "Remember which room was ours..."

Malkas: "Yeah! Its- the one with my bag in."

Edith Runekill: "Oh."

Malkas: "N your bag."

Edith Runekill: "One step ahead, Mal."

Edith Runekill leans on Mal.

Sydney Gaydos is going to shamble back to her currently PIANO-LESS room.

And that's the game!

Bonus scene:

Grim: "Don't imagine many plead their case to you along the way."

Malkas: "Just that one tea kettle."

Edith Runekill: "And in the end we came around to its point of view and left it where we found it."

Malkas: "It was right, if you're dumb enough to drink tea you find in the middle of a collapsing sand fortress, you probably deserve to be transported to another dimension."

Edith Runekill: "See, I just woulda felt bad taking it away from its home."

"It's the only one left who remembers when that fortress was in use."

Malkas: "An' we definitely got enough people dumb enough at the museum to drink tea out of it."

"We shoulda done an interview."

Edith Runekill: "I took notes, but the head curator didn't seem interested."

Pepper extremely Edith voice "And how long have you been a tea kettle?"

Edith Runekill: "'Not your department, Runekill'"

Edith Runekill laughs at Pepper's imitations this time.

Malkas: "She literally did ask that."

Edith Runekill: "And its answer lined right up with the carbon dating, too."

"Fascinatin' stuff."

"Wish more of our finds would just politely describe their provenance and age."

[mikebellafiore]

This retail trader just crossed 100k in trading profits

Last month on Twitter, I spotted this tweet and impressive equity curve from a developing retail trader:

As the managing partner of a proprietary trading firm in NYC, I study traders succeeding.  This retail trader is succeeding! I reached out and asked him a few questions (in bold), hoping to learn from his success.  Below are his answers.

Who are you and where are you from? Why did you get started in trading?

I’m a retail trader from Sydney (@_jpark89 on Twitter) and videos such as “How to make $1000 in 10 minutes,” “How to buy stocks before they spike 200%,“ “How to turn $1000 into $10,000,” were my introduction to the trading world.

Since then I made some easy money (100% luck), blew up a couple accounts, started over with a $600 account (third time’s a charm) and recently crossed $100,000 in overall profits.

What obstacles have you overcome to succeed? Why have you been successful?

Trading wise, I’ve had to deal with the same obstacles most small retail traders face when starting out. Inadequate guidance, small account, high commissions, lack of borrows, you name it.

Why have you been successful?

I think I’ve been successful because I didn’t use these “obstacles” as an excuse for why I couldn’t make it and put in the necessary time and effort in order to succeed. I worked to support myself financially, I traded or at least watched the market action from 9:30am to 4pm and did the required work outside of market hours in order to improve (which in the beginning, I didn’t even know how to do).

What mistakes are underperforming traders making that you are not?

I started posting my daily P&L on Twitter in mid-2016 as a way to objectively document my progress and connect with traders who may be at a similar level. Through this process, I was able to connect with traders of different skill levels. There were a handful of common issues that I was able to identify among the newer or not yet consistently profitable traders, but the two that stood out to me most were that they:

1) Focus too much on their P&L and not enough on process

They equate positive P&L to good trading. Sure, who in their right mind would prefer to lose money over making money? Let’s say for example this week, Monday through Thursday Trader A made $100/day and lost $100 on Friday. Does that mean Friday was Trader A’s worst trading day? Not necessarily. In my opinion, trading is a game of probabilities and risk management. The best you can do is enter trades when the odds are in your favor and manage your risk accordingly. There is no strategy out there that has a 100% win rate (except the guys who trade on a laptop by the beach with bad WiFi) and therefore you will have days where you do everything right and lose money, just as some days you will make horrible decisions and walk away with a profit. The focus should be on something you have full control over, such as solid trading practices, whatever that may mean to you. If your strategy has shown edge over time, the only thing you need to worry about is the consistent execution of your plan and P&L will take care of itself. Who is likely to be the better trader; the guy who made $10,000 in his first and only trade or the guy who made an average of $100/day over 100 days?

2) Cannot define their edge and make setups their own

It may be beneficial to learn setups and ideas from others especially if you are new. However, somewhere down the road I think it’s absolutely necessary to have your own take or variation on those setups and make it your own. Long breakouts, short failed breakouts, long at support, shorting a parabolic move, shorting a daily chart breakdown on earnings miss and lowered guidance, there are literally a million different ways to make money in the market and you only really need to master one trade to be on your path to consistently profitable. Generating your own additional reasons for setups that make sense to you as well as the criteria for entries and exits are, in my opinion, paramount to developing conviction in your trades.

Who has influenced your success and how?

I have learned so much from many different people on Twitter but these are the people who have had the biggest impact on my trading.

@Investorslive – Nate not only taught me the basic technical concepts but I learned a lot from his daily stock commentary. This helped me learn the dynamics of supply/demand on certain stocks which gave me one of my first “ah-ha” moments in trading. Aside from the technical aspect, he was the one who drilled the importance of process over P&L into my head early on. “Trade well and profits will follow,” is my favorite quote of his that turned my trading around.  (Bella note: If you have not already J Park, it might be time for you to give back here.)

@modern_rock – Early in my trading career, he opened my eyes to not only what was possible in terms of P&L, but also the level of consistency that was achievable. Bao taught me the importance of singles (not looking for home runs on every trade) and consistency. I highly recommend checking out @mrockrulez where he shares his own personal trading rules and the lessons he has learned along the way.

@kroyrunner89 – I learned the basics of Level 2 analysis on OTC stocks from Tim as well as a more methodical approach to finding my own setups through building spreadsheets and collecting statistics. Openly talks about his biggest losses and his plan going forward to overcome these bumps, which I have found to be very useful.

@MikeBellafiore – The author of my two favorite trading books, One Good Trade and The PlayBook. I came across his books when I was already somewhat of a consistently profitable trader but they were instrumental in helping me break out of the $100-200/day channel. They gave me a more structured plan on how to progress with increasing risk through a few basic concepts and also provided me with a better way to review my trades. Aside from the trading aspect of the book, the “You can be better tomorrow, than you are today,” mentality was my biggest takeaway from the books.

What are your goals for 2017?

1) Trade bigger Size has always been something I’ve struggled with, but I’m trying to push outside my comfort zone as often as I can, while still staying in control emotionally. Sometimes this may mean taking on just $50 of extra risk on a trade, but I’ve learned that this can add up quick over time if done consistently. I would love to get to a stage where I’m comfortable risking $1000 on a trade in the next few months and perhaps $2000-3000, by the end of the year.

2) Expand my PlayBook Around 80% of my trades are on micro/small cap momentum stocks, typically under $20. I’m trying to get more familiar with anything that’s not my core niche.

3) Connect with more traders Sharing my progress on Twitter has allowed me to connect with many different traders of all levels. I believe this has helped me progress tremendously and would like to continue learning from traders of all different skill levels.

……..

Study the traders succeeding.  They will help your trading game!

As always, please feel free to reach out and Ask Anything about your trading- mbellafiore@smbcap.com.

Bella

Related posts

8 lessons from the prop desk

5 inspirations from Dr. Steenbarger’s Master Class

*no relevant positions

[eviltwin76]

7 8 10 11 14 31 this isso many, i

7 - Wants to just lay down and not move

laa highkey, taylor lowkey. laa suffers from canonically hardwired bad luck, so everything goes wrong for him very frequently if not All the Time, usually resulting in him getting injured in some terrible or hilarious way. and taylor just because having anxiety and paranoia is exhausting

8 - answered

10 - Listens to everything but common sense

rel. he is so caught up in trying to appear infinitely wise that he is actually a complete dumbass. “why do we as a society not allow ourselves the simple pleasure of standing with our toes off the edge of the roof?” local bleach-haired stoner wonders

11 - Gives nicknames to others

definitely sb, see #8. i used to toy w the idea that sb was the one who called taylor “T”, but since early on he didnt have another name it wasnt practical. although, now that “taylor” is becoming more commonly used it could be reinstituted

14 - Is painfully obvious on who they like

mod. he actually has trouble keeping anything a secret when it comes to his emotions. see: him immediately flipping out and gushing praise like a firehose the first time he meets laa, and then basically stalking him until a begrudging friendship was formed

31 - Kisses their partner goodnight

everyone…… who wouldn’t!!! however its worth noting that doc would do it like 100% of the time cause they are . Ultra Mom . and even when they and laa were just platonic

[meritudesdpl]

Richest Man in Babylon

What I loved about reading this is that the principles to creating wealth in the 1920s (when this was written) are still true almost 100 years later, demonstrating that prosperity isn’t some magical thing only a few special talented intelligent people with a “secret” can attain. It’s really just a few simple common sense practices applied consistently with diligence and discipline to achieve progression. This book is a very good introduction into good financial management and wealth building. It is very practical, simple and free of any “get rick quick” self help gimmicks which I liked. The focus is on sharing principles through a series of fables set in ancient Babylon.

Here are the key things I learned from the book:

* Always pay yourself first. A part of everything that you earn is yours to keep, and at minimum it should be a tenth. After that you can pay anyone you owe money to.

* If you want to become wealthy, you need to learn to set aside your savings and get the “children” of those savings to earn to. Your savings should earn more savings, which in turn should also be put to use to earn more savings and so on. The source of this should be 10% of your earnings so it is consistently topped up with a small amount that multiplies itself.

* Learn to live on less than you earn and then seek advice from people who have the experience and can help you make your savings work for you.

* There is no such thing as luck, it is always created by people who are taking action quickly. Clason writes “Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared”. So make sure you complete things you start and waste little time in executing things. You have to stay prepared – it favours the people who take action.

* “Wealth grows where men exert energy.” I loved this quote. By amassing and building wealth not only are you prospering, but so are the people around you. For example, if a rich man builds a big palace, has the money disappeared? No, because he has created an asset of his own that holds his wealth but also has employed brick makers, builders, architects, and so many more through exerting energy in this enterprise.

* A small safe return is better than one with risk. And you should always seek to minimise those risks by getting advice from wise experienced people who have knowledge of how and where to invest.

* Don’t also be afraid to spend and remember it is important to live while you are still here on the planet. There is a lot to enjoy in life and a lot to explore and do.

* Control your expenditures – as your income grows, so will your expenditures unless you learn to manage them continuously and seek to minimise them. Everyone has more desires than they can actually ever keep up with so a far simpler method is to reduce your wants and needs as much as possible.

* Guard your investments from loss by studying very carefully the risks associated with them and work to reduce them. For example, before you lend any kind of money, make sure that the other party has the ability and the plan to be able to repay you – no matter who that might be.

* This one is as true now as it was then – own the property that you live in. So instead of paying a landlord rent and it constantly being a liability, where the money never returns to you. You are paying out (via a mortgage perhaps) but in the future are not losing wealth, merely building it for the future.

* Plan ahead for not just your own future but the future of the people around you that you care about so that when you are gone, they are well taken care of. You do not want to be a burden on those around you when you have passed on.

* Any wealth that comes quickly leaves the same way. This is because it is normally away from knowledge and persistence – two qualities key in attaining and keeping your wealth. An idea that runs counter to what a lot of false images upheld by the media

* More people want wealth than have it

* Help people, but do not take on their burdens on yourself.

* A little caution is better than a lot of regret

* The hungrier you are for something, the more sensitive you are to the ‘odors’ of success and prosperity. Stay hungry

The post Richest Man in Babylon appeared first on Skill Blog.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/334zpsg via IFTTT

[ourmrmel]

Mel Feller Discusses A Guide To Financing Commercial Real Estate

Mel Feller Discusses A Guide To Financing Commercial Real Estate

 Mel Feller knows that owning commercial real estate is not for everybody, but it can be a very wise investment for a small business under the right circumstances.

 I had a client in LA County who owns a plastic injection molding company, and I sold him a building for about $1 million in 1995. By last year, the price of that building had increased in value by almost 500%. The building was worth close to $5 million, and the business that occupied the building was only worth a million. If they had continued to rent the building instead of purchasing it 20 years ago, they would not have built up that $5 million in equity. So as you can surmise, Mel Feller looks at commercial property in a way and manner that most investors do not.

In this article Mel Feller discuss the ways that a small business can finance a commercial real estate purchase; let us run through the conditions that should be in place before a small business considers that option.  As a side note, Mel Feller knows that most investors generally start to look at commercial ventures anywhere from two to five years after they have jumped into residential investing.

 Have you been in business for at least five years? Most entities that loan money to small businesses like to see a profit history going back at least two years. If you have been in business for five years, with a bit of luck you have been profitable for the last two.

 Do you know how big your company is going to be, from a space perspective? The last thing you want to do as a small business is buy a building if you plan to outstrip the facility in a couple years, because then you own an asset that you might not be able to sell if you find yourself in a down real estate market two years down the road.

 Is your company privately held? Regardless of how big or small the company is, publicly traded companies typically don’t want depreciation of real estate assets on their books, and as a result, they’re better served by leasing.

 Are there tax benefits that the principals of the business can derive? If you are a C corp with 40 owners, it makes less sense to own the real estate. However, if you are a Mom & Pop LLC, you can benefit from the ownership structure of real estate — in other words, the depreciation on your personal balance sheet.

 If you answered yes to all four of those questions, you should consider owning your building as opposed to renting. The question now becomes: How can a small business finance such a major investment? In addition, what is the best financing method for your small business? Here are the five most common ways of financing commercial real estate, along with their key benefits and drawbacks.

 Small Business Association Loans

Also known as, SBA loans, real property loans through the SBA come in two types: The 504 loan is a 50% first loan from a bank and a 40% second loan from the government. The 7(a) loan is a 90% government guaranteed bank loan.

 The advantages of SBA loans include small down payments (10%), fixed interest rates, the ability to finance building improvements, and wide availability from lending sources. The disadvantages include the origination fees, hefty prepayment penalties, collateral and personal guarantees, and stringent requirements for cash flow, years in business, and profitability.

 In other words, there is quite a bit of paperwork that has to be completed. There are also some employment criteria, where you have to increase employment by a certain level, and very strict rules regarding occupancy: You have to occupy a minimum of 51% of the building you are purchasing. So let us say you wanted to buy a building but you only planned to occupy 30% of it, and you wanted to lease out the rest to offset your debt service. You would not be able to do that with an SBA loan.

 Conventional Financing (Bank Loans)

Once upon a time, if you wanted to buy a building, you showed up at your local bank or savings & loan office and applied to receive a loan of 75-80% of the purchase price. Now, the savings & loans are extinct, there are fewer commercial banks, and those banks would prefer for you to originate an SBA loan because the government is guaranteeing a portion of it and the bank’s risk is lower.

 That is not to say that conventional financing cannot be found anymore. If you have a good relationship with your existing bank and can afford a larger down payment, some banks would love to make a loan for a hard asset like real estate. As a result, they are less stringent in their underwriting criteria, and there is more latitude in terms of being able to pay it off without penalty.

 If you have the opportunity to finance a building with only a 10% down payment (as with an SBA loan), that could free up some operating capital that you could invest in equipment, marketing, and employees. Nevertheless, I like the idea of owning a building free and clear, and putting down a larger down payment gets you to total ownership more quickly.

 Seller Financing

Seller financing is when a building owner sells the real estate directly to a buyer. If the seller owns a building free and clear, sometimes he can beat the interest rates that a bank or other lender would charge. Back when market interest rates bubbled above 4-5% and a borrower could not seek 90% financing through the SBA, this method was a lot more common.

 Aside from the lower interest rate, seller-financed loans are typically a lot more flexible because you are dealing with an individual as opposed to a lender. Generally, seller-financed deals do not require an appraisal or an environmental report. (I would advise a borrower to seek those anyway.) The other thing that a borrower would often avoid is loan origination fees, which can be steep — up to 2.5% of the loan amount. Nevertheless, a seller can originate a loan without charging the borrower those fees.

 The reason that you do not see many seller-financed deals lately is because the interest rate environment has been so borrower-friendly, and they are competing with SBA loans where a borrower can put 10% down. There are not a lot of sellers who are comfortable with only a 10% down payment.

 Third-Party Financing

This is where Grandma has a million bucks sitting in a CD earning virtually zero interest, and she would like to loan the money to you to buy a building for your company. She gets a great return on her money, and the security of the building as collateral. I’ve seen this occur a few times recently, which is probably just a function of the abysmal returns that people get on anything other than hard money loans, where they’re loaning against a hard asset.

 These sorts of loans can be made relatively quickly, and like seller financing, they do not come with the same stringent environmental and appraisal rules that a bank would require. The disadvantage here is, of course, borrowing money from a relative. If things go bad, then you have maybe squandered your relative’s nest egg. Sure, they still have the hard real estate asset, so if you are unable to make the debt service payment for some reason, they have the ability to foreclose — not that you would ever want to go through that experience with someone you care about.

 I would say that the benefits of third-party financing outweigh the drawbacks, but it has to be the right situation. In other words, if Aunt Barbara and Uncle Frank had a million bucks and you wanted to borrow $900,000 of it, I would advise against it. If they had $10 million and you are borrowing $900,000, then it is only 9% of their total nest egg, and it makes a lot more sense.

 Purchasing the Building for Cash

The last method is the simplest: A business owner can purchase a building outright for cash. Ideally, you would buy the building (either personally or as an LLC), then lease the building to your company; your company then pays you rent. I have only seen this happen a couple of times in my career, but it’s a great arrangement, if you can afford the purchase.

 Then again, afford can be a tricky word. I would not want to tie up 100% of my available cash reserve in a piece of commercial real estate. Now, if we are talking about 10 or 15% of my available cash, I like it because then you are able to charge the occupying entity presumably, your company any rate that you want, and that cash flow goes directly back into your pocket. In addition, if things got tough with the economy, or your business hit a downturn, then you can lower the rent accordingly.

 I really like the idea of owning real estate free and clear. Granted, I am in the minority when it comes to that. Most folks in my industry believe that leveraging commercial real estate is the most important thing, and you should not own it free and clear. However, I am in the other camp, and I think the benefits of total ownership are too attractive to resist.

 My name is Mel Feller and I am an architect of change. I stand alongside the board and executive of a company and assist as they chart their way forward. It is scary heading into the unknown, into the often-unchartered waters of change. I know how that feels. As an independent advisor, I see clients challenged by complexity as they struggle to develop and execute relevant strategy effectively. My contribution to their enquiry is the union of my experience as a chartered Business Influencer and Real Estate transaction Engineer with a deep interest in leadership behavior and how it influences results.

 Mel Feller’s dynamic presence, instinctive strategic vision, and creative thinking produce effective, sustainable bottom-line results for his clients. His “Can Do” attitude generates confidence in his executive coaching clients and strategic consulting corporate clients. Throughout Mel Feller’s career he’s increased the profitability of nearly every organization with which he has worked.

 Mel Feller has a unique ability to relate to his clients because he came from The United States Senate , where Mel was the Chief of Staff for a United States Senator and was always meeting with prominent business people or politicians.  His main love was dealing with constituents that were the grass root voters!  Since founding Coaching For Success In 1989, he has effectively translated that experience into results for his clients. He focuses on separating daily distractions from the real issues in order to put the executive and/or business on the right path to grow and prosper. Results are immediate, growth sustainable, and profitability long-term.

 Dozens of Mel Feller’s clients have been on Inc’s 500/5000 list and many have been named as a “Best Places To Work.

Using Mel Feller’s intuitive, step-by-step approach, and our proven strategic and tactical tools, we help you plan for profit.

 Mel Feller believes that what gets measured, gets improved. Therefore, he is continually developing processes and systems that allow you to easily measure, manage and maintain a highly profitable business.

 Mel Feller is  ready to help you increase your sales, trim and manage your operating costs and see your profits soar and/or leverage your time for Business or Real Estate!

 Mel Feller Links

 https://www.instagram.com/mel.feller  

 https://ourmrmel.tumblr.com/  

 https://www.pinterest.com/cfs360/  

 https://twitter.com/melfeller/following  

 https://wordpress.com/page/melfellerinternetbusinessinnovations.wordpress.com  

 https://dribbble.com/melfeller  

 https://biggerpockets.com/forums/79/topics/49008-larry-goins-bootcamp  

 https://txbusinessdb.com/p/mel-feller  

 https://xindex.com/c/12031660488/mel-feller-financial-services-group-inc  

 https://buzzfile.com/business/Coaching-For-Success-940-569-9260  

 https://melfellerrealestateinnovations.wordpress.com  

 https://myspace.com/mfcfs360  

 https://goodreads.com/user/show/86266194-mel-feller  

 https://mfcfs.contently.com  

 https://alignable.com/wichita-falls-tx/coaching-for-success-360  

 https://quora.com/profile/Mel-Feller  

 https://about.me/melfeller  

 https://independent.academia.edu/MelFeller  

 https://medium.com/@mfcfs360  

 https://melfellerentrepreneurialideas.wordpress.com  

 https://about.me/melfeller  

 https://thecoachingoffice.com  

 https://quora.com/profile/Mel-Feller  

 https://linkedin.com/pulse/reflections-journaling-mel-feller-mel-feller  

 https://creonline.com/finally-my-first-deal  

 https://etrainingguide.com  

 https://reitips.com/open-letter  

 https://thecoachingoffice.com/testimonials.html  

 https://fortunebuilders.com/student-success-old/testimonials/page/9  

 https://agrandpaslove.blogspot.com  

 https://plus.google.com/u/0  

 https://youtube.com/channel/UCk_zDXJgadnWwmab0PhaIkQ/videos  

 https://linkedin.com/in/mel-feller  

 https://challengesinlife.com  

 https://melfellersuccessstories.com  

 https://melfeller.com  

 https://melfellerbusinessblog.com

[i-am-very-very-tired]

You can make wise choices and improve yourself—by yourself. Just use these experts’ techniques for self-coaching. Chelsea Greenwood February 5, 2015 Orange is the new black, 40 is the new 30, and life and career coaches are the new personal trainers. From Fortune 500 CEOs to Hollywood starlets to Oprah, people are performing better, making smarter decisions and reaching new heights in areas such as work, finance, relationships and health, all thanks to coaches. Executive coaching is defined by the International Coach Federation as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” But it can be pricey—as much as $3,500 an hour, with a median hourly fee of $500, according to Harvard Business Review’s “What Can Coaches Do for You?” research report. Unfortunately, many people don’t have the money to work with a life coach. A 2013 study by Stanford University and The Miles Group shows that two-thirds of CEOs are not receiving coaching from sources outside their companies, and 100 percent of participants wish they were. What’s the average hardworking American to do? Consider this: Many people want to work with a personal trainer but, unable to afford one, they take matters into their own hands. And if it’s possible to move training out of the gym and under your own roof, does that mean it’s possible to bring other coaching in-house, so to speak, and go it alone? Many experts say yes. Self-coaching, by applying professional coaching techniques to your own goals and experiences, is not only viable but the ultimate goal that coaches help clients achieve. It takes discipline and dedication, but it can be done. “Most people won’t have a professional coach for most of their lives,” says Marshall Goldsmith, Ph.D., globally renowned leadership coach and best-selling author. “I typically work with people for a year to a year and a half. So being your own coach is a great idea.” Adds Martha Beck, who trains life coaches worldwide and has written three New York Times best-sellers: “Self-coaching is what I teach coaches and clients to do. That’s the goal. We each have the ability to learn wisdom, and as we learn wisdom, we become our own counselor, and we start using experience as our teacher. And then we’re home free.” When to Self-Coach First things first: How do you know when it’s the right time to put on your coaching hat? Beck, whom USA Today has called “the best-known life coach in the country,” says the primary reason clients seek coaching is change. “Either they’re in the middle of change and don’t know what to expect, or they need to change and can’t make it happen,” Beck says. Common scenarios of the former include receiving a promotion, taking on a challenging new project or moving cross-country, whereas situations involving the latter include making a career change, losing weight, quitting smoking, etc. If you feel anxious, unsupported or depressed about a particular part of your life, these are signs that coaching could be needed. “There’s no shortage of symptoms, because the way your true self signifies it needs support is to create unhappiness and discontent,” Beck says. Identify Areas for Improvement Once you’ve established that you need to make changes in your life, the next step is identifying which areas to target: career, health, finances, etc. Beck recommends that you first focus on “the area of least satisfaction…. If a person has a good life, but there are some things that aren’t great, work on the stuff that’s not great. If you have a terrible life, work on what’s most terrible. It is in the place of most suffering where there is potential to create the most improvement.” She places great importance on the body compass, which is made up of “physical sensations that happen when you turn toward something that’s good for you or something that’s not good for you. If you do nothing more than follow the sensations of liberation and release versus contracting and tension in the body, you’ll make very good instinctive decisions.” David Rock, Ph.D., director of the NeuroLeadership Institute, suggests looking at your thought patterns: “Anytime you find yourself thinking the same thought over and over—I wish I could (fill in the blank). I wish I could get more organized. I wish I could build a social life—if you don’t change things, you probably will not change the situation.” Even if you identify myriad areas needing improvement, experts caution that you should tackle them one at a time, working on each for three months to a year or until you’re satisfied. Set Manageable Goals Rock, author of the best-seller Your Brain at Work, says research supports goals that are short and to the point: “A goal that is three to seven words is fantastic. If you can’t remember something, it doesn’t live in your world. It’s got to be embedded in your brain.” He says it’s also crucial that the goal is expressed positively: “It’s approach goals versus avoidance goals. You’re moving toward a positive instead of staying away from a negative. The way the brain works, we try to move toward something, and goals are about having more of something.” So if your goal is to be calmer, you’ll notice calm in your life. But if your goal is to be less stressed, you’ll notice stress, because that’s what your brain is focused on. “Research shows that people achieve their goals in half the time and more sustainably if they’re approach goals,” Rock says. Goldsmith practices and swears by “the daily question process” developed by Andrew Thorn, Ph.D. You start by creating a spreadsheet; in the first column, write 20 to 30 questions representing who you want to be and what you want to achieve. “Ask yourself, What is really important in my life, and who is the person I want to become? Most of us don’t need a coach to figure that out,” Goldsmith says. Some of his personal questions include: How much do I weigh? Did I make time for my wife? How many minutes did I write? The next seven columns in your spreadsheet are for days of the week. Fill out the same questionnaire daily—your answers must be yes, no or a number—and, by the end of the week, you will have a scorecard that “will tell you how your behavior lines up with your values,” Goldsmith says. Over time, as you reach your goals, create new goals and new questions. “It’ll help you get better in almost anything. It keeps you focused on what’s important.” When self-coaching, a journal is also a great tool. Beck recommends recording your quality of life daily on a scale of zero to 10: Super-happy is 10, and miserable is zero. Write down a few things you did each day. “The purpose is to look back and see what you were doing on the days you felt bad,” she says. “It’s a way of looking at: Where did my happiness go? Where did I find joy?” She says this method was eye-opening when she was considering starting her own television program. Through her journal, Beck realized that all her happiest moments were outside—so it didn’t make sense to stick herself in a studio. “Because we’re so blind to our own happiness, I didn’t actually know that until I saw it in a journal,” she says. Gather Support Be aware that just because you’re not working with a coach, you don’t have to go through self-coaching without any external support. “Research shows that being in a support network is incredibly empowering and helpful for staying on track with goals,” Rock says. “It’s one of the reasons Alcoholics Anonymous works so well.” He credits that, in part, to positive social pressure: When you state a goal to friends, family and colleagues, you’re more likely to stick to the goal because you don’t want to look bad. So spread the word to your circles and lean on them when times get tough. Goldsmith says his clients learn more from the people around them than they learn from him: “Figure out who the most important people are in your life. Involve them in helping you change.” If you want to become a better listener, ask your spouse to provide ideas for doing so. Practice those and then return to that person in two weeks for feedback and more ideas. Research shows that those who follow up on their goal progress with others enjoy huge improvement, Goldsmith says. 10 Life-Coaching Affirmations In the companion guide to her international best-seller Finding Your Own North Star, Beck offers a list of 10 short-but-sweet affirmations to help encourage you through the sometimes-daunting transformational process that accompanies any type of coaching. She recommends that you post these positive statements on the walls of your home, your office and elsewhere—“including the walls of your mind” if you start to feel anxious, frustrated or hopeless. “Repeat these until you believe them,” Beck writes. 1. There is more than enough wealth, love, and happiness to go around. 2. I am succeeding because of my choices, not blind luck. 3. If something goes wrong, I’ll figure out how to make it right. 4. I created this situation once, and I can create it again—and again, and again … 5. If I lost everything, lots of people would be willing to help me. 6. I can deal with my life at this moment—and that’s all I’ll ever have to do. 7. Nothing can take my destiny away from me. 8. There’s much, much more good stuff where this came from. 9. I will always have plenty. 10. I have free access to infinite richness. Be Prepared for Setbacks Self-coaching isn’t easy, and it’s crucial to acknowledge that from the beginning. Such understanding will help when you hit obstacles along the way—because setbacks are inevitable, and even the most successful people in the world fail. “When you fail, forgive yourself for whatever happened yesterday,” Goldsmith says. “Realize it’s a day-to-day process. If you quit, you won’t get better.” Say you’re a golfer, and you hit a shot into a sand trap. If you get upset, your next shot will probably be worse. Instead tell yourself: What happened, happened. I’m going to start over. I’m going to hit the best shot I can. If you constantly hit hurdles, closely examine your environment. What factors at home, in your career or in your social circle could be working against you? “If you don’t change your environment, it tends to drive you back to the same behavior,” Goldsmith says. Beck points out that everyone reaches a point in coaching where he or she fails. When this happens, Beck recommends asking the following questions, using one’s intuition as a barometer: Is this the thing I really wanted? What have I learned from my failure? Do I want to go again? If it’s the real thing, you will want to go again, and you will persist, and you will fail, and you will fail, and you will succeed. That’s how every success ever achieved always happens.” There are 7 reasons people fail. Learn what they are and how to rebound from those missteps.