#debt collecting techniques

[moolamore]

Optimise Collections and Crush Debt: Discover Moolamore’s Top-notch Upgrades

There's no denying that the gap between projections and actuals, as well as the inability to anticipate potential cash flow issues (such as late-paying clients or customers, penalties, and strained relationships with vendors and suppliers), before they snowball into major problems, can be a real headache and disaster.

Moolamore's Aged Accounts Payable feature allows you to keep track of when payments are due and never miss a deadline. This not only helps you maintain positive relationships with your vendors, suppliers, and creditors, but it also prevents you from incurring unnecessary expenses that can deplete your cash reserves.

[mnscredit]

More than just a test of patience, waiting for past-due payments can be nerve-wracking. Your client relationships and cash flow will suffer from late.

[yanderenightmare]

Geto with curse reader?

Geto Suguru

TW: implied noncon, held hostage-ish, Geto uses the word monkey

gn reader

You backed up to the very far end of your cage. Holding your knees tucked tight to your chest as you shivered on whimpers and troubled breathing. Your captors, in the dozens, all lay limp on the floor – while the man who’d killed them all made ripples in the bloody pool with his sandals.

You couldn’t see his face. You couldn’t see much more than that below his waist. But you sensed it nonetheless – he wasn’t a normal man. You figured, since you only barely saw him, he wouldn't see you if you stayed silent – but naturally… if you sensed him, it was only a matter of time before he sensed you, too.

“They’re all gone now.” He said, and there wasn’t anyone else there besides you.

Still, you kept quiet. Hoping maybe he was simply talking to himself.

But then he took steps in your direction, making splashes in the blood soiling the floor, until he crouched down next to your cage. He pulled back the curtain hiding you and revealed the blood splatter decorating his smiling face.

“You don’t have to fear anymore, I won't hurt you.”

Humanlike curses aren’t normally all that feral – with exceptions, of course, but you weren’t one. As someone who’s tasted plenty of curses, he could tell your type. You weren’t violent in nature. Unlike most curses, your technique wasn’t defensive but simply protective and could only inspire carnal passion – almost like an aphrodisiac. And like a squid’s ink, it would seem you couldn’t control it either – releasing it like a mist when you were rattled.

The room went thick with it now – but weak a curse as you were, it hadn’t much of an effect on him.

Still, he found you quite cute where you sat, eyes wide, looking at him warily.

“You’re a- a sorcerer. You’ll kill me too. That’s why you’ve come, isn't it?” You whispered – as though you didn’t dare speak any louder.

He could only imagine what they’d done to you, but if your state told him anything… he’d say it wasn’t very humane. 

Monkeys are an ugly pest, not just a stain on sorcerers – but curses too, it would seem.

“I came to slaughter the pigs piled on the floor.” He corrected. “They owed me a lot of money, you see. Their fates were sealed the moment I heard they were all broke.”

It didn’t seem to ease your worry. You still looked as though you were waiting for something. Something you dreaded with every inch of your goose-bumped skin. 

“Suppose, now that they’re all dead, you’re the only one left to pay their debt.” He chuckled, but you didn’t find it very funny.

Sure, he could twist you into a ball and consume you like he does all the curses he encounters – you’d be a nice addition to his collection, and you didn’t seem like you’d taste any bad either. But still… there are other methods of coveting something – especially when they’re as pretty as you – though perhaps not in a cage. 

Either way, you didn’t seem like you’d be much trouble, and besides… he’d been meaning to get a pet to cure the loneliness of coming home to an empty temple.

He smiled, standing up.

You felt your cage lift from the ground, swaying as you were carried above the bloody bodies growing cold with death beneath you.

“Don’t worry, pretty curse. You alone will be payment enough.”

[komsomolka]

After the victory of the Red Army and its occupation of the eastern third of Germany, large landowners, mainly the ‘Junker’ class (the landed aristocracy that had traditionally been a pillar of support for German militarism), were expropriated and the land distributed to landless peasants and small farmers. In September 1947, the Soviet military administration announced the completion of agrarian reform throughout the Soviet zone. The report listed 12,355 estates, which had been seized and redistributed to 119,000 landless farmers, 83,000 refugee families, and some 300,000 agricultural labourers. But many new farmers soon found that the acreage of the individual pieces of land given to them through the land reform was not large enough to provide a decent living; and often the new farmers did not possess the expertise or the machinery to work the land efficiently. The government therefore supported the idea of co-operatives. [...]

One of the big advantages of agricultural co-ops was that individual farmers and labourers had, for the first time, a fixed working day, guaranteed holidays and the possibility of retirement without the worry of what would happen to the farm. The co-ops would organise the cultural life in the village, support its members in building homes and in gaining qualifications. It also provided childcare and holiday places. [...]

During the lifetime of the GDR the percentage of citizens living in the cities with over 100,000 inhabitants barely rose. The increasing use of technology and modern techniques on the farms also made the work more attractive to young people and helped retain them in the countryside. It is significant that the number of members in the co-ops increased over time because young people became members, no longer leaving at the first opportunity for the towns (in the 1980s, membership of co-ops increased by more than 10%).

It was also a fact that the per capita production figures of most co-operatives were better than those of individual farmers in the West. The co-operative principle, particularly in the agricultural sphere, demonstrated that it could offer a third way between the often barely economically viable family farms and industrialised farming, which has been responsible for the destruction of social structures and the rural environment in many countries.

After unification, when the whole economy was privatised at break-neck speed, the co-operatives came under enormous pressure. However, the main reason they could challenge the threatened expropriation was that the farm workers and not the state owned the land. This meant it could not legally be taken away from them and they could make their own decisions as to what to do with it. Because of their positive experience working in the co-operatives, the vast majority of farmers did not want a return to individual farming. However, the co-ops had to battle against discrimination anchored in Federal German law that favoured individual over collective ownership. In addition, they suddenly faced imposed fictitious debts that were near impossible to pay in the changed economic circumstances. As a result, many co-operatives were forced to give up. Today only a few survive and about 80% of the jobs in agriculture have been lost.

Stasi State or Socialist Paradise? The German Democratic Republic and What Became of It by Bruni de la Motte & John Green with Seumas Milne (Contributor), 2015.

[ranilla-bean]

The Iconoclast: Appendix

This is the appendix for my fic The Iconoclast, in which I will discuss some of my cultural and historical inspirations for the worldbuilding.

Disclaimer: I'm certainly not an expert on or practitioner of all the cultures I took inspiration from. In outlining my influences I hope to show my admiration and give appropriate credit to them.

Contents

Intro

Religion

Martial culture

Talent show

Miscellaneous

The Iconoclast is set in the same world as ATLA, about 800 years before the era of the cartoon. I was inspired by 10th-11th century societies; the Fire Nation is inspired by the Khmer empire, Kyoshi Island is inspired by Heian period Japan, and so on. Of course, the aesthetics of Hari Bulkan are heavily inspired by Angkor—Virtual Angkor was a huge help in visualising the city. 

The immense population of Angkor was sustained by intricate water management techniques. The Khmer built reservoirs to collect water and sustain agriculture through the dry season. However, the impressive structures of Angkor had a dark side: they were built by enslaved labourers. Enslaved labour was extracted through human trafficking and debt bondage. In The Iconoclast, I integrated the institution of slavery with the caste system.

The exception to my adherence to periodisation was in the Inuit traditions that inspired the Southern Water Tribe, as the 10th-11th centuries appear to have been a period of migration eastwards across the Arctic for Inuit people. In addition to this, periodisation in Inuit history is more difficult to reconstruct due to the colonial destruction of knowledge. As a result, I took broader inspiration from pre-colonial Inuit culture.

Religion

The Fire Nation is based on the Khmer empire, which in this period adhered to Hinduism before the uptake of Buddhism. The cult of the Devaraja (lit. “god-king” in Sanskrit) arises from the specifically Southeast Asian branch of Hinduism. The Devaraja is regarded as the avatar (in this case, a human incarnation) of Vishnu. The Khmer king was marked out by dress: he wore a golden crown, or a wreath of flowers. His palms and the soles of his feet were stained red. He wore a sampot patterned all over with flowers—the more flowers, the higher the status.  

I conceptualised Zuko as being seen as an incarnation of the sun. Following Hinduism, this would be Surya. Fanon tends to use “Agni”, in fact the god of fire. Either way, as a non-practitioner of this religion, I’ve personally avoided using gods still worshipped today in my worldbuilding. My inspiration has largely been in the philosophy of religion.

Such philosophical ideas include: dharma, avatara, ahimsa, and brahman vs. atman. I found the Bhagavad Gita highly informative in developing these concepts—themselves debated in Hinduism—as well as ideas about the dilemma of Arjuna and the imagery associated with Krishna. I had an enlightening conversation with my friend Tana, who convinced me of the need to address the legacy of caste and casteism arising from the text. Ideas of caste carry certain baggage in the western world that I wanted to pare back, hence the differing terminologies of “in-” and “out-caste” used in The Iconoclast.

The philosophies of Hinduism overlap with and develop in slightly different ways in Buddhism, which I explored through Choden. One instance is the Hindu notion of the Chakravarti, an ideal universal emperor (lit. “the one whose wheels are turning” in Sanskrit). A non-secular Chakravarti would in fact be a Buddha, someone who has reached enlightenment. Since Choden is the one who introduces this concept, I used the more literal term “the Turner of the Wheel” to disambiguate from “Buddha” (which immediately draws certain connotations), and also to draw a more direct relationship between the Arjuna imagery associated with Zuko.

This religious worldview stands in contrast to animism of pre-/early Shinto Japanese religion and Inuit spirituality, as reflected by Suki and Sokka. Princess Mononoke was in fact a huge inspiration! I conceived of the kami in the context of Shintoism before the major influence of Buddhism; Suki also worships at a kamidana shelf.

For the Inuit, all things have anirniq, “breath/soul”, which lingers even after death. Therein lies the tension: between the need to hunt for survival and the vengeful soul that the act of killing liberates. The website I used as my source has a great quote on this: “the great peril of our existence lies in the fact that our diet consists entirely of souls.” These souls must be placated through ritual and observance of taboo. 

Importantly, I was interested in how each practitioner of religion approaches that philosophy in their individual ways, so none of the characters are perfect “representatives” of an ideal embodiment of that religion. Zuko is wary of his god status. Choden’s obsession with Zuko as Chakravarti makes her an outlier among the airbenders. Sokka trusts his “material” technologies of survival (i.e. weaponry) over spirituality, even though he practises the rites still, such as the smearing of lampblack and ritual words.

Martial culture

Sokka’s weapons generally mirror the ones he had in the show, with some additional embellishment. The snow knife is used to cut snow, but applied into a martial context by Sokka. The metal is sourced from a meteorite and cold forged; my inspiration was the Cape York meteorite, which Greenlandic Inuit used to fashion tools. Sokka’s club is made of jawbone, the strongest bone and stronger still from a herbivore. I combined the caribou and wombat into the “caribombat” for this, a nod to both an important Arctic animal to Inuit culture and to Sokka’s antipodean roots.

Suki is based on early samurai. She uses the fans from the show, but instead of the katana (which we see her wield in “Appa’s Lost Days”) she uses a tanto, which is a kind of predecessor of the katana and can be used as an offhand blade or a weapon in its own right. Women could also carry a smaller version of this blade for self defence. Her armour is Heian period do-maru armour, which was a lighter development on older styles of armour, made of scales of lacquered leather. I was particularly in love with the idea of her having a helmet and a men-yoroi mask, which was used as facial armour.

Zuko’s fighting style is inspired by bokator, a Khmer boxing style. He uses the short sticks instead of the dual dao, which can become truly dynamic weapons!

Talent show

Suki’s performances are based on the Japanese tea ceremony and bianlian from Sichuanese opera. The preparation method of the Japanese tea ceremony—whisking powdered tea—is in fact borrowed from the Chinese Song dynasty, which fits the time period of the world. Bianlian involves a performer very quickly changing a series of masks to a secret technique. It’s way more fun to watch on video than to read, I admit!

Osha’s dance is… meant to be the royal Cambodian ballet. The dance evokes the apsaras, dancing celestial beings in Hindu culture (incidentally, they are depicted on the walls of the fire temple on Full Moon Island). And just like western ballet, it takes years of training and skill to master!

Miscellaneous

Druk is, in this conception, a naga instead of… whatever unholy mix of cultures’ dragons LoK drew him as. Nagas are found across South and Southeast Asian cultures, and in Khmer culture they are typically represented as serpents—sometimes with multiple heads. They are associated with water, prosperity, and various other positive connotations. There’s a whole rabbit hole I don’t really want to get into about why I’m putting a water-associated creature in the Fire Nation (East Asian dragons are associated with water too!) but I do want to point out that there is a natural phenomenon on the Mekong called “naga fireballs” so… I’m running with that. 

Full Moon Island is Crescent Island… before the eruption that turned it into a caldera.

Osha’s name is not a health and safety pun; I’m not American and I call it WH&S, it was a total coincidence. It means “shining” in Sanskrit—apt for a Fire Nation character, I think. 

[my-naughty-writings-and-musings]

Those Bee hcs were 👀👌 GOOD STUFF. I would be forever in your debt if you did something for ES Elita-1, she's got nothing out there!!

Holy moly anon you're so right! Also thanks so much, that Bee post really helped me get back to writing!

Enjoy some saucy Reader x Elita One headcanons!

1. There are few things she loves more than fragging right after a workout. She can barely explain it herself, but there's just something about being all pumped up and then pounding you into a berth (or whatever surface the two of you can reach), and the harder she exercises the harder she'll want to pound. You can expect her to seek you out as soon as she finishes her routine, still covered in coolant and often steaming from the heat of exertion. A shower for you both almost always follows, and she loves when your tiny hands get to work scrubbing where she can't reach. She'll also clean you up if you're too spent to do it yourself.

2. That calm, collected coolness and natural sense of command doesn't stop at the bedroom door. If anything, she's all the more relaxed and in charge when she's being seductive. She knows just what to say to get your knees shaking, and you'll happily do whatever she says the second she lifts your chin to meet her gaze. One playful smirk is usually all it takes to get you to take your clothes off.

3. She's picked up a lot of techniques over the years, and not just with other bots, so you're not the first human she's had the pleasure of banging. As a result, she knows a number of creative ways to get you off, but she's eager to learn more. Where you like to be touched, how many of her digits you want, the best angle to please you... she wants to know you inside and out. Her considerable strength makes maneuvering you during all this a breeze, and she'll not hesitate to let you know just how much she loves playing with you. Expect lots of playful petting behind closed doors.

[ay0nha]

When shall we meet again in thunder, lightning, or rain? | S.G. (prologue)

SUMMARY: Gojo looked out of place in such an eclectic place, his presence revealing his privilege. You weren’t ignorant of who he was; his eyes alone announced his status. Yet, you felt you knew him beyond that. A sense of nostalgia swirled in your chest for something unknown, but you suffocated it before it became known.

PAIRING: Satoru Gojo x Fushiguro!reader (Megumi's aunt)

WORD COUNT: 1K

WARNINGS: Introduction to story/reader/plot, talk of Zenin clan and how crap they are to illegitimate children, Zenin-related reader, mentions of Toji, Megumi, etc., Gojo talking to reader about Megumi becoming a sorcer, jjk canon-typical things, mentions of death, angsty, but promising future, etc.

A/N: Happy birthday to our man! Starting a little mini-series based on/inspired by @stsgooo's post (here!). It is TOO good; please go check it out. Let me know if you'd like to be tagged for future parts. Enjoy.

part i part ii

“I’ve been expecting someone like you.” 

Gojo had expected a physical and emotional fight, even for an angry shock that conjured charged insult, the only form of resistance against his proposition. Yet, you responded with indifference. 

It was a lot to take in but far from surprising. Even Gojo could see how you’d become desensitized by it all. The Ten-Shadows Technique had haunted the sorcery world and infiltrated your own.  Megumi was a clever child, feeling the atmosphere of stress on your shoulders. It was similar to how he began feeling something distinct course through his body. 

Things were bound to change. 

“I thought I’d have more time.” You continued. The school year had just started, and the headache of packing up and moving —running— again made you nauseous. 

“You were hard to find, I’ll give you that.” Gojo’s arms spread out across the back of the sofa, posture comfortable as if familiar company. His ego fueled his smirk at the fact that he’d gotten to you first. 

“That was the point.” 

Talking was a formality as you could never hold enough power to stop him. The open window invited in a warm breeze and the sounds of life bustling below, but the air between you felt still.  Yet, the air Gojo brought was light, and even now, it was as if the whole thing was a simple game he was guaranteed to win. 

The tea you prepared was a prop gone cold that neither of you had touched. The mugs hadn’t matched, collected over time out of necessity of a growing family in the small home. 

Gojo looked out of place in such an eclectic place, his presence revealing his privilege. You weren’t ignorant of who he was; his eyes alone announced his status. Yet, you felt you knew him beyond that. A sense of nostalgia swirled in your chest for something unknown, but you suffocated it before it became known. 

“So, my brother trusted you?” Your eyes sharpened, knowing his role in Toji’s fate. No anger distracted your expression as you were both living on borrowed time. However, you were still surviving on the left over luck. 

“Your brother helped me see clearly.” Attempting to balance reading you and convincing you, Gojo held your eyes. His glasses sat lowly on the bridge of his nose as he offered candor. “I’m here to repay that debt.”

“By taking my nephew from me?” Finally, a twitch of agitation showed. You swallowed your scoff and continued. “You’re not offering anything different than the Zenin clan.”

You were an outcast from conception, your lineage that of Toji’s mother and an unknown father. A bastard child was more acceptable coming from a man because at least the was value in carrying on the family name; however, a woman was doomed from the start. 

Your mother wasn’t a young bachelor that’s charm was irresistible. She was labeled easy, a whore that knew nothing but how to lay on her back. And you—born of detestable conception with no cursed energy. Any trace of the family was taken from you, and you were bound by birth with the heavenly restriction you refused to acknowledge. 

Until Toji—his decisions were questionable, but his empathy’s depth for you and his family was undeniable. He taught you fierceness and agency, to channel your wrath effectively, and to understand what it meant to accept death.   

“They’ll kill you.” Gojo was gauging you still, where your interests lay still unclear. He was prodding tactfully, toying with your limits. It was unnerving the triviality he brought.  “I won’t.”

“How kind.” The taste in your mouth soured as you spoke. 

The constant adrenaline at all hours was taunting you. It kept some focused and motivated their drive, but you struggled to stay afloat. Instead, you toyed with the thought of letting the tendrils pull you down into the sinking pool of burdens you ran from. As long as Megumi and Tsumiki were safe, your life no longer had value. 

“I can help you.” Gojo all but sang the proposal. The excitement he had confused you. Sorcery could be a bleak world, but he seemed entirely unaffected by the politics of it. 

You shook your head. “I won’t make this decision without Megumi—

“No—” He stopped you. “You. I can help you.”

You blinked. You had already removed yourself from the equation. That queasiness returned, and you twitched a fraction. Then, it hit you that nostalgia you thought you’d felt. You were wrong. The sorcerer before you reminded you of pieces of the people you knew and missed. But this.  The feeling was wild. Sentimental.

A buried loneliness was touched with hints of regret or hope colored by impatience. It was never just one pure emotion. It was always one thing plus another. It was always simpler to conceal than to be perceived. So, you prickled. 

“I don’t want your charity.” You spat. 

“Good.” Gojo’s smile spread. He pushed his glasses up and rested his elbows on his knees. It was as though he finally felt he was talking directly to you.  “Finally, a flaw.” 

You paused at the taunt. The bait was evident, and although Gojo was more reserved than his reputation, you noted how he began unraveling his humor. It wasn’t in Gojo’s nature to comfort others. So you knew he wouldn’t bother. Instead, lead you into a path was no more than a house of mirrors. 

Each turn would bring further from the truth. But there was something promising behind Gojo’s bright eyes; regardless you knew it was a warped reality.  I’ll bite, you thought.

 “What do you mean?” 

“If you’re going to lie, you need to learn to do it well.” He titled his head, examining you further. “Otherwise, they’ll really kill you.”

A frown etched your features. Your pout revealed your family resemblance. 

Gojo was tickled by the fact, soft laughter rippling through his chest. “Are all of you Fushiguro’s always so serious?”

His joke landed poorly, but he was amused nonetheless. It hadn’t mattered as Gojo settled the decision before his arrival. The funds had been transferred, and the documents signed. You weren’t naive to the fact, but it eased your mind that he still showed up. 

“Ok.” 

Gojo’s eyebrows raised at your acceptance. “Okay?”

You nodded. You wouldn’t repeat yourself, you had already sealed your fate. 

“Oh good!” He clapped his hands together. You flinched at the misplaced joy, but a tension had been lifted. Especially as Gojo wiggled his fingers over an empty bowl. “You have any more of those sweets?”

[nuttersincorporated]

The Villains Lair: the story so far

I’ve been rewatching The Villains Lair by PattyCake Productions and I’ve written a summary of the plot so far.

If you haven’t watched it and want to avoid spoilers, you can watch it here.

According to the villains themselves (what they say should be taken with a pinch of salt) and what we’ve seen ourselves, the story so far is this-

Maleficent helped Stefan gain the throne and become king. Stefan pretended he’d done it all alone, didn’t acknowledge Maleficent’s help, married someone else and didn’t invite her to the christening of his daughter.

Maleficent wanted revenge so made a deal with Ursula AKA the Sea Witch (sister of King Triton and daughter of Poseidon). Ursula gave her a Sleeping Spell in exchange for her wings so that she could curse Stefan’s daughter.

When the Evil Queen gave Snow White the poisoned apple, the seven dwarfs chased her off a cliff. The Evil Queen fell into the sea and died. Ursula found her and brought her back to solid ground.

Ursula spoke to Evil Queen’s spirit and offered a deal; if Evil Queen helped Ursula overthrow her brother, Ursula would bring her back to life. Evil Queen agreed to the terms. However, the moment she felt she could get away, Evil Queen reengaged on their deal and went off to do her own thing.

Evil Queen found Maleficent at the bottom of a cliff with Prince Philip’s sword in her heart. It’s unclear if she was dead or dying but Evil Queen either somehow brought her back to life or saved her.

Evil Queen and Maleficent teamed up. Evil Queen asked Maleficent to resurrect the other dead villains and when they came back to life, they all moved into Evil Queen’s castle. Villains who didn’t die, like Cinderella’s step-mother Lady Tremaine also got invited.

Evil Queen was still in debt to Ursula who might be able to undo the magic that brought her back to life. Some or all of the villains worked together combining their powers to magically seal Ursula away so she’d be unable to collect her debt.

While they are all talking about how much they hate how their stories went, Dr Facilier AKA the Shadow Man told them there was a way to rewrite time and make it so that they’d won. He took items from some of the villains to make a magical spell of some sort. The spell didn’t immediately rewrite time or do anything obvious.

The villains asked Dr Facilier for more details of how to mess with time. He told them about the Sundial of Cronus.

When the universe was young, the titans ruled. Cronus – the most powerful – became obsessed with controlling of time. However, he was cruel and mad. Eventually, Zeus defeated Cronus and locked him away inside the Sundial. Now the Sundial of Cronus can be used to move time forward or backwards.

Dr Facilier used his cards to discover the location of the Sundial. It used to belong to Hades but Zeus entrusted it to Meg after Hades’ soul fell into the river styx. She now protected it at the Princess Academy.

Unfortunately (or fortunately because they are villains with evil intentions), Dr Facilier told the other villains that, even if they managed to get the Sundial, he didn’t actually know how it works.

Maleficent told them that she thought the answer was obvious. Sunlight moves time forward and moonlight moves it back. However, for the dark magic they were planning, a blood moon would be needed. As Mistress of all Evil, Maleficent said she could easily make a blood moon.

Evil Queen decided she would disguise herself, go to the Princess Academy and trick the Princess into handing over the Sundial. It took her a while to prepare and put this plan into action.

During all this, different villains have been interacting in different ways. Some get along but others do not. Evil Queen, Mother Gothel and Lady Tremaine bonded over their abusive parenting techniques.

Cruella de Vil, Gaston, Mother Gothel and Yzma all love making bad look good. Dr Facilier, who was listening from the shadows, stepped out and introduced them to Vanessa, a Queen from under the sea, who can change her looks. The group then had a discussion about something (it’s probably nothing, don’t worry about it!)

The minions and henchmen hung out together and sang a jolly song about being their for their villains.

Evil Queen went to the Princess Academy in disguise. She span a story about being sent by Zeus to stop a great evil. However, it turned out that someone got there before her. According to the person who’d come the day before, the Sundial was in danger but it would be safe under the sea with Triton, so now it’s gone.

When Evil Queen got back to the castle, she told everyone what had happened. They realised someone must has leaked their plans. Then worked out that Dr Facilier had tricked them into releasing Ursula and told her about the Sundial so that she could steal it first.

Cruella de Vil, Gaston and Mother Gothel tried to sneak off but were caught by Maleficent who realised they knew about Ursula already. Yzma wasn’t there so its unclear if people know that she knew.

Vanessa stepped out of the shadows. At first the villains threatened her until they thought she was an envoy for Ursula. They demand Vanessa tell Ursula to bring them the Sundial. Only for Vanessa to transform and reveal that she was Ursula all along.

Ursula told them, she would bring the Sundial once they’ve all made a deal with her. If they don’t, she would keep it 20,000 leagues under the sea.

Dr Facilier revealed that he hadn’t told them everything about the Sundial. Only the descendent of a god can unlock its power. As Poseidon’s daughter, Ursula is the only one of them that can make the Sundial work. Whether they liked it or not, he said they needed her.

Ursula vanished. She would come back when the others decide to make a deal with her. Some of the villains thought they should make a deal with Ursula but others didn’t.

Lady Tremaine pointed out that if the descendent of a god can activate Sundial, then surely a god would work even better.

Evil Queen remembered Hades who’d already owned the Sundial once. Unfortunately, Hades was dead, dead. Maleficent had brought a lot of the villains back to life but Hades wasn’t one of them. His soul had fallen into the river Styx but Evil Queen thought that the Black Cauldron might be bring him back.

Maleficent voiced her reservations but Evil Queen was sure this is a good plan. She asked the Magic Mirror where the Cauldron was and it told her it was on Morva. It also said that the lord lost inside it will rise again. Everyone ignores that line.

Maleficent pointed out that the Cauldron was supposed to be broken and it’s protected by three witches. Evil Queen dismissed this. The Mirror said the Cauldron would work and she believed it. She decided to distract the witches by pretending to offer them the Mirror so that someone could steal the Cauldron when they were away.

Captain Hook offered to sail to Morva with his pirate crew to steal it. He just needed a new ship (Peter Pan stole his).

Prince Hans had recently come to the castle and Lady Tremaine thought he’d be willing to offer his ship and sail with them. We don’t see her ask him but later we find out he did agree to help with the plan.

Gaston offered to go too and be the mussel.

After all her arguments against the plan, Maleficent suddenly changed her tune. If this was the plan they were all determined to go with, she’d accompany them to make sure everything would go smoothly. As punishment for not telling them about Ursula, Maleficent told Cruella she has to come as well.

It’s unclear why Maleficent wants at least two members of the crew of the mission to be people who knew about Ursula before everyone else. It seems like a bad idea to put them on a ship, on the ocean, where they’ll be nearer to Ursula but I’m sure she has her reasons. Maybe she just wants to keep an eye on them.

Maleficent went down to the dungeon where she’s keeping Oogie Boogie prisoner, for reasons unknown. Oogie doesn’t care about the villains’ various schemes and backstabbing. However, when Maleficent offered Oogie a tied-up Santa in exchange, of his magic dice that can control the shadows, he didn’t hesitate to agree.

It’s unclear where Dr Facilier has been since he told them all they needed Ursula. However, Maleficent hopes the dice will be enough to stop him using the shadows anymore.

Hans, Gaston, Jafar and Frollo bonded over being misogynistic incels. Even the other villains think that their ‘love interests’ were right to turn them down (though the hunters do like Gaston’s story of in sighting a mod to kill a monster). Anastasia and Drizella, on the other hand, were on Hans and Gaston’s sides, and said they were in the right and fought for their attention.

Evil Queen questioned Maleficent about why she’s choosing to go to Morva. Maleficent says it’s to return Hades to life but changes the subject when Evil Queen asks if that’s the only reason she’s going.

Whatever Maleficent’s motives; she, Hook and his crew, Hans, Gaston and Cruella will set sail soon.

[agentnico]

Blue Eye Samurai - Season 1 (2023) Review

Don't think I've ever seen so much human genitalia in animated form all in one go. Makes me wonder if the production team had a designated animator of genitals who literally just spent his time drawing penises for the show. If so, I hope it was Jonah Hill as he already proved in Superbad that he is the perfect artist for this subject.

Plot: Driven by a dream of revenge against those who made her an outcast in Edo-period Japan, a young warrior cuts a bloody path toward her destiny.

Netflix consistently hashes out so much content every week, that it is hard to keep up with any of it, as such many great projects get missed and are forever lost in the streamer's endless library void. Luckily Blue Eye Samurai didn't pass my scrolling and evidently has its fan base, as this is one of the quickest examples of the streaming giant announcing a season renewal after release. Yep, Blue Eye Samurai will be getting a second season which is amazing as this is a superb new series that if you haven't yet discovered then you are doing yourself a disservice and should amend that behaviour immediately and go watch it! Still need persuading? Alright, sit yourself down and allow me to gush about Blue Eye Samurai!...

It’s hard to overstate just how stunning Blue Eye Samurai is to look at. The series uses a mix of 2D and 3D animation styles to create landscapes and characters who seem only a few degrees removed from live-action, even as the form allows for combat on a scale that would cost several large fortunes to craft with flesh-and-blood actors. In fact, looking at the behind-the-scenes the team hired an actual martial arts choreographer to support in creating the combat sequences in real life with real people, and then the movements of those fights were transferred to animation and used in the final product. In one episode (seemingly inspired by the 1978 martial arts film Enter the Game of Death where Bruce Lee had to fight his way up to the tower to get to the last floor) the main samurai Mizu must defeat multiple bosses on each level of the season's big bad Fowler’s impregnable fortress home, and each separate battle is a work of art in itself. Honestly, the show just looks like a moving painting, with every frame absolutely jaw-dropping gorgeous. Even without dialogue or characterization, it would be completely engrossing.

Luckily, writers Michael Green and Amber Noizumi are as interested in the people at the center of these crazy fights as they are in the many improbable techniques Mizu uses against her opponents. Mizu is presented throughout as both supernatural and deeply human. She can handle any odds, and come back from every injury that would cripple or kill a normal person. But the series never loses sight of what a life wholly devoted to revenge has cost her, and the ways in which she has turned herself into every bit the monster that her countrymen believe her to be.

It is then also the exploration of how Mizu interacts with the other characters in this world. There's the disabled would-be apprentice Ringo (played warmly by Masi Oka), who has learned to navigate life despite his lumbering size and lack of hands. Mizu has no interest in a sidekick, but Ringo gradually wears her down, as if he’s a peaceful stream flowing against a rock over hundreds of years. There's also Taigen (Darren Barnett), a warrior chasing after Mizu to collect a debt of honour, yet due to this honour he ends up helping her as in his eyes only he has the right to kill her, no one else, so ends up attacking those that attempt to harm her. Brenda Song voices the princess Akemi, who is just as eager to escape the bonds of Edo society as Mizu is, but who uses very different methods to achieve that. We follow her journey through an intimate tour of the area brothels, which is where the aforementioned heaviness of nudity comes in. There is, in fact, a lot of naked flesh on display throughout the season. The series can be just as graphic in depicting sex as it is in violence, yet both avoid feeling gratuitous. And finally, there's Kenneth Branagh as this season's big bad Fowler, a despicable arms dealer who has no sense of morality or empathy and is willing to destroy anything standing in his path. He's a massive presence and seemingly the only one able to hold himself in a fight against Mizu, hence why Branagh's British snark yet heavy tone fits perfectly here.

The whole thing is an incredible, utterly badass example of how animation can be used to create worlds, characters, and adventure every bit as vivid as live-action if not more at times. Even though I would say there are a few areas of pacing issues, which withheld me from binging this season all in one go and instead had me taking regular break intervals throughout, this is still a stellar show and one that you can tell was created by a team of passionate filmmakers and artists. Blue Eye Samurai would never have had the impact it did had it been live-action - using animation as its storytelling medium elevated it to a masterpiece in my opinion. Kudos to everyone involved in such an amazing project and I can’t WAIT to see more!

Overall score: 8/10

[bubzebii]

You got any rise ocs ? Love to see them ^-^

Omg thx for asking, I do actually!! If you go further down my page, I draw her human form for a fanfic I really love. I don’t have a name for her yet bc names are hard :/ BUT! I do have a little backstory for her

She is a battle nexus champion, but she occasionally works as a debt collector of some sorts for big mama. She hates getting her hands dirty so she uses magic claws as weapons. You can’t see it bc of the angle her hand is in, but in her glove, there’s an oval shaped gem that creates the claws for its user. If she has the gloves off, she can’t create those claws.

She loves magic! It’s so fascinating to her and she wants to study hard to be the very best sorcerer there is, but due to some unconventional events she’s got a bad rep at witch town, so she tends to steal magical artifacts when she’s out.

The reason she always goes back to big mama and her battle nexus is bc she’s a black cat, which isn’t bad at all but her power is probability control. She can manipulate fortune AND misfortune, but she struggles to control her magic which ends up inconveniencing to even hurting others around her. She can steal peoples luck as well to give her an upper hand in battle, which is why her eyes can glow a bright yellow.

For a cat with bad luck, there really isn’t any option for her but to go back to the place that accepts her even if it’s for their entertainment.

Now she isn’t the strongest physically, so she relies on her speed, magic and tools to win battles. She uses Mantis styled fighting techniques in hand to hand combat, but a flaw she has when fighting is that she puts too much focus on one thing she forgets about her surroundings which could potentially hurt her or allies.

Id like to believe she’s quiet but when she gets to know you, she gets very chatty, a bit snarky, overzealous, and pretty quick witted. She always has a trick up her sleeve…she has a lot of things up there. Very mischievous, sometimes can go too far with her tricks. Lowkey a bit condescending, but she chill ig.

She’s def a morally gray character, a bit chaotic neutral, the kind that does good or bad stuff for her benefit and maybe her friends too.

She’s known big mama since she was a kitten, so she knows her way around battle nexus ( may or may not be big mamas fav ).

She was born as a twin, her sister being a white haired kitten, both parents had white fur so u see where this is going. Kinda the black sheep in the family, she’s always causing trouble but she means well, her sister is the complete opposite tho. Has the power cause luck and take misfortune away, her sister became the favorite but she got a nasty personality. They always budded heads and fought but eventually her sister and her friends provoked her to the point she scratched her sister in the face out of self defense, the parents got mad and tried to declaw her but she ran away.

Now idk where in time I would like her to meet the turtles and April, but I have a story in my head inspired by some fanfic I read.

So she gets called into big mamas office for a new assignment, capture the turtles alive and bring them to her. Usually when she out she doesn’t have the authorization to bring her targets to the hotel, just to collect and come back. Even if she did, I’d be taken care of by goons, not big mama personally, so she’ll def recognize that it’s a big job if big mama is telling her this personally.

So she conducts research on the turtles but stalking them pretty much and finds out they’re friends with a girl named April O’Neil, so she uses a cloaking choker to enroll at her school and befriend April. It works and eventually, the turtles do some stupid shit and end up getting “found out” by her and April.

Slowly they all become friends (Leo has his suspicions) and eventually she gets invited to the lair by Mikey. She becomes the closest to him not only bc he’s the most social, but he has great magical potential, and she’s intrigued.

Once she gains all of their trust (may take a while) she eventually calls all big mamas goons to their lair and captures them, but at this point, she knows they’re actually good people and not the usual targets she gets assigned to, so after an inner battle with herself, she caves and lets them go, despite the fear in her veins at the thought of big mamas wrath.

I don’t wanna spoil TOO much abt this even tho I most definitely did💀

I wanna write abt her story and her relationship with the turtles and April (specifically one turt in particular;) idk I’m open to any suggestions and as always, sorry if this is a bit all over the place :))

[businessadvisorynsw]

7 Effective Debt Collection Strategies

7 effective debt collection strategies to improve recovery rates and streamline the debt collection process. Read more expert tips and boost your success in this informative article.

Overview of Debt Collecting

Both people and corporations need to concentrate on debt collection when it comes to managing their finances. It entails the practice of pursuing payments that are owed to you in order to make sure that you get what is due to you. Maintaining a healthy cash flow and avoiding financial difficulties need the use of effective debt collection tactics. The significance of successful debt collection techniques, typical blunders to avoid, and seven potent strategies to increase your effectiveness in debt collection are all covered in this article.

Effective Debt Collection Tactics’ Importance

Effective debt collection strategies are needed for a variety of reasons. To start with, it guarantees fast payment, which is necessary to maintain a positive cash flow. Paying your bills promptly allows you to meet your commitments, clear your debts, and fund the growth of your business. You can maintain positive interactions with your clients or customers by employing efficient debt collection tactics, which is number two. Your business reputation’s good standing and your consumers’ trust can’t be kept by employing ethical and effective collection methods.

Last but not least, successful debt collection methods lessen the possibility of bad debt and financial losses. The likelihood that delinquent loans would remain unpaid is decreased, and your chances of making back your investment are increased.

Typical Errors in Debt Collecting

Before getting into successful debt collection tactics, it’s crucial to comprehend the main errors that both individuals and corporations commit during this procedure. Lack of clear policies and procedures is one of the most frequent errors. Debt collection efforts can become disorganized and ineffective without clear rules. Another mistake is failing to communicate with debtors effectively. Communication must be good in order to satisfy customers while dealing with payment issues. If you employ dishonest or coercive collecting techniques, your reputation can suffer and you might run into legal trouble. The debt collection procedure must be conducted with professionalism and integrity at all times.

Here are the 7 Effective Debt Techniques for Efficient Debt Collecting

Acquiring knowledge about the debt collection procedure

To properly collect debts, one must have a thorough understanding of the entire debt collection process. Familiarize yourself with the relevant laws and regulations governing debt collection in your jurisdiction. Any potential legal problems can be avoided and your sense of legal compliance can be maintained by following these actions.

Hiring a debt collection agency in Sydney

Hiring a debt collection service can be a very successful strategy for businesses in Sydney. The entire debt collection process can be managed on your behalf by debt collection companies because they have the knowledge, tools, and experience to do so. Since they are familiar with the local market, they can adjust their strategies to suit your specific needs.

Solutions for businesses in Sydney to collect their debts

For businesses in Sydney, there are a number of debt collection alternatives to engaging a collection agency. See which of these options best suits your company by looking into them. From firms providing guidance on effective debt collection techniques to technological advancements that make the process faster, you have various options to consider.

Benefits of working with a collection agency

Both individuals and businesses can benefit greatly from outsourcing debt collection. By outsourcing, you can focus on your core business activities while leaving the debt collection process to professionals. The likelihood of a successful debt recovery is increased by outsourcing’s access to specialist knowledge and skills.

Stories of successful debt collecting: Case studies

Success in the real world can teach us about techniques for collecting debt that work. Analyze case studies of companies that have recovered debts successfully and the tactics they used. Then, you may use those top techniques to the ways you collect debt on your own.

Using sensible communication techniques

In order to successfully recover debt, one must be able to speak simply and efficiently. When communicating with debtors, remain professional, respectful, and empathetic. Clearly articulate the outstanding payment, the consequences of non-payment, and any available options for resolving the debt. Regularly follow up and provide updates to maintain open lines of communication.

Presenting a range of payment alternatives

In some cases, debtors may be facing financial difficulties that prevent them from making full payments immediately. Giving customers alternative payment choices, such as installment plans or negotiated agreements, can improve the likelihood that a debt recovery effort will be successful. Be prepared to interact and communicate with debtors to identify workable solutions.

Take control of your financial security, to sum up.

Maintaining commercial ties, lowering financial risks, and producing a steady revenue all depend on employing efficient debt collection techniques. By understanding the procedure, dealing with professionals, using efficient communication techniques, and providing various payment options, the success of your debt collection efforts can be considerably boosted. You may take control of your financial situation and make sure you receive your just compensation by putting these practical tips into action.

[yandere-fics]

I got stuck on occultist darling btw. No regrets for summoning Kassien.

A serial killer was on the loose and you were terrified. Unlike the other one, this one didn’t go after only the rich, they went after those who wouldn’t really be missed. You knew it was only a matter of time before they went after you, and you certainly didn’t want to be caught unprepared. You could probably guess that the killer might be a human, especially as they didn’t go after supernaturals or mated humans, so all you needed was someone or something to play the role without getting fucked over and into debt in the process.

You had originally been quite interested in the occult in previous years, having studied and researched different summoning techniques and the components required in all of them. Maybe, just maybe you could summon and make a contract, just a temporary one with a demon. You would only need them to stay close to you for a week, and you were willing to pay any price to get some peace of mind. A mid ranked demon would likely be the best choice, strong enough to protect you, and if you were lucky, they wouldn’t have found their mate yet which would mean they probably wouldn’t kill you.

You had to search your bookshelves quite carefully for the tomes you were looking for, making sure they all matched up with each other for the ritual you were preparing. The ingredients and materials were going to be much tougher to collect. The right goblet to let your blood flow into, the right candles all set up correctly in the right place, lit up in the correct order. You had to make a list before you went out, if you didn’t you’d quite likely forget something, and then you’d truly be fucked. Your corpse just another body on the news because you fucked up the ritual.

You had to double and triple check what you needed, you already had your blood which would be the most important, though the fact that the tomes stated it MUST be the blood of the summoner and ONLY the summoner was quite odd. You had headed to the occult store first, as they would have the rare ingredients you’d needed. Bone dust, a goblet meant to match your aura, a ritual dagger, summoning chalk, and hell candles. The woman at the front desk could only smile when she saw you, as you had been her most loyal and frequent customer, even discussing the occult at times.

“I need something from you elder. Do you have any bone dust, hell candles and-” she had a shocked expression as she shushed you, causing you to fall silent. “I knew you’d eventually come to me one day for such things, though I’m more surprised it took you this long dearie.” She spoke with a soft parental tone as she pulled out a box and handed it to you, “I need only check your palm first before you can have the goblet.” You couldn’t nod fast enough as you held out your hand to her and she went into the back of the store before coming back with a silver gauntlet, bejeweled with red and gold gems.

“Here you are dearie, its on the house. Do be careful with all of it and perform the ritual carefully. And please do stop by with whoever you summon, I’m sure they’ll want to thank me for my help.” You looked at her, confused for a moment as you took the goblet and placed it in the box with the rest of the stuff. You had no clue what she was talking about, especially since you didn’t have the luxury to ask her. You had to hurry to the next shop so you could get more materials before night came.

A candle holder for yourself, and a candelabra for the top most point. You also couldn’t forget the ink which you’d need to mark your body in runes. You had never truly understood the ritual, likely because you never had to perform it. When you finally looked inside the box, there wasn’t just the equipment and materials you needed, there was also a set of instructions. Instructions on which runes were for the summoning circle and in which order they had to be made, starting from the top. You wanted to question what ritual exactly you were pulling off, but it didn’t matter at this point.

You never knew how intricate and complexly detailed the ritual was actually going to be, but now that you were doing it, you knew how careful you had to be. You knew that the slightest twitch, the smallest sneeze, would likely mess up everything. You couldn’t allow that, so you moved slowly and carefully with the chalk, taking your time making every single rune in the summoning circle. It all needed to be perfect, it all needed to be done properly so that you’d get your demon, and that they’d be hopefully willing.

After the summoning circle came the candle placements, each one had to be placed exactly at the point they were needed, and the goblet had to perfectly be in the centre. You carefully mixed the bone dust and ink, preparing it before you had to eventually mark yourself, groaning all the way through. “I think I’m starting to understand why these rituals are a one and done thing, they’re complex, tedious, and long.” Talking to nothing felt helpful, it relieved your frustrations while reminding you to be thorough.

You went over the instructions in your head multiple times, the words you’d have to speak and their pronunciations. You closed off your apartment to the entire outside world, the blinds pulled shut, your door locked tight. You lit the candles and they had an intoxicating scent, one that made you feel comforted and safe. You stripped naked so that you could slowly etch every rune onto your body with the ink, and you absolutely had to start with your legs before moving up to your chest and arms. The next step, you absolutely weren’t looking forward to.

You grabbed the candle holder, its singular candle waiting as you lit it. “Pour the melted wax over your heart and fear nothing, for your dedication and devotion shall be rewarded.” You sighed, slowly pouring it over your heart, and personally drawing a heart shape with it, though the odd thing was that the wax didn’t burn. Sure it felt warm, but it also felt like a hug or a kiss on the neck, a lover’s embrace even. You placed the candle on the nearby table and sighed, now was the final part, the incantations and the offering of your blood.

You took your time to prepare yourself mentally for this last part, there would be a price to pay, and for your safety you felt no price was too high. You’d give them whatever they asked for, no matter what. You began to carefully speak the incantations one by one, both arms outstretched as you gripped the blade in your right hand. You clenched your eyes shut for a moment before opening them as you cut your palm, letting your blood spill into the goblet as you spoke the final incantation.

A red light enveloped the circle as you fell back in pain and agony, watching as both the runes on your skin became a part of your flesh, and as a demon appeared shrouded in smoke before you. Her entrance was awe inspiring as her wings unfurled to dissipate the smoke, she looked massive before you, powerful even, like nothing could defeat her.

“Oh, Lovely, let me pick you up and take you to bed.” You couldn’t see her face properly, but as you felt her touch, it was beyond euphoric, you just wished you could speak to her.

She set you down on your bed and you finally got to see her golden eyes, reminding you of the gold jewels in the goblet. “Just stay here, Lovely, let Daddy take care of you.” You watched as she smiled, a hint of smugness at your currently helpless form and - wait - did she call herself Daddy? As soon as her touch left your skin, you couldn’t help but feel an emptiness in your chest, causing you to whimper, but it was filled up with warmth and comfort as she kissed your forehead. “Daddy has something she needs to do, but don’t worry Sweetling, Daddy will be back, promise.” And with that, she left you alone in your bedroom to wait for her return.

You had no clue how long it had been, you remember it had been 9PM when you started the ritual. Looking at the clock, you saw it was now 9:10. How long had you been left alone? Where did she run off to? You were terrified until you heard someone entering. “Lovely, Daddy’s back, I just had to remove someone who wanted to hurt you.” She had returned and kept her promise. Your body moved without a second thought as you rushed to her as she was locking up, embracing her. “Did you really miss Daddy that much? Don’t worry Lovely, Daddy is more than happy to fulfill your need for touch.”

She had brought you back to your bed, carrying you in her arms, and you couldn’t help but feel safe even if she was covered in blood. She set you down and joined you in bed, wrapping her arms and wings around you. “I was hoping you’d eventually perform the mate summoning ritual, but I wasn’t expecting it to be when you were in danger, Lovely.” Wait what? What mate summoning ritual? You could only look at her in confusion as you enjoyed her hold on you. “Did you not know that this ritual is meant to summon your soulmate if they’re a demon?” You could only shake your head.

“Thats fine Lovely, Daddy’s here for you now, you never have to worry again.” You gave a nod, nuzzling into her as you began to notice she smelled just like the candles, giving off the same warmth as the wax. Everything came crashing into your mind as to the full truth of the ritual. It wasn’t just to summon your soulmate, it was to make you feel and smell them. To prepare you for when they arrived, to make you theirs eternally, and now you had your mate, and you really didn’t want to be rid of her ever.

Sign me up for the ritual lmao.

[windvexer]

Hello there Chicken! As someone who overcomplicates things, could you give me a simple way to go about understanding and performing time magic? I tried searching on mobile for "time magic" on your blog and the post I was looking for decided not to show up so if you've answered this in any capacity prior, I apologize! Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide and I hope your day is well! 💖

I made a post once ranting about debts due to time, but it contained no techniques.

The only time magic I'm familiar with is the ability to speed or slow the perceived passage of time. If you are not familiar, Fotamecus is required reading (and a fascinating tale of chaos magic).

Chaotes seem particularly fond of time magic, and I recommend Fotamecus as a starting term to research it. In true chaote fashion, this egrigore has been worked with by many practitioners who share their own experiences.

My own experiments with time magic are perhaps not well enough formulated to stand on their own.

I would caution you that it appears to me that Time always does collect his debts (contemplate the meanings of always to come to existentially vast conclusions about the nature of time magic). You'll pay it back in one form or another, and apparently, the more boring your repayment - the more debt repaid.

[unhingedwomandiaries]

I am stewing in my own moral quagmire as Vegan Mafia is about to descend from her Thai paradise, probably glowing with the kind of righteousness you can only get from a diet of ethically sourced mangoes and superiority complex. And I'm sitting here, Google deep-diving into lamb slaughter stories like I'm prepping for a particularly dark episode of "Black Mirror."

Let me tell you, that vegan manifesto she recommended? It's still reading a Stephen King novel, except instead of killer clowns, it's killer cognitive dissonance. I had to fact-check this lamb story because, surprise surprise, the author's about as fond of citing sources as I am of eating kale. Turns out, it's true. Some kid in Colorado willingly signed up for this "Fat Lamb Project," which sounds like a subcategory on a fetish website but is actually a real thing that exists in our reality.

Now, I'm contemplating starting a Change.org petition faster than you can say "ethical quandary." Because this Fat Lamb Project? It's about as necessary in modern society as a Blockbuster Video membership. It's a sheep genocide masquerading as education, like if "Schindler's List" was rewritten by the Tyson chicken marketing team.

There's this picture of the boy crying that's more gut-wrenching than the time I tried to eat an entire Ghost Pepper on a dare. The article says it's "tears of love" for his lamb. Right. And I guess the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was just an enthusiastic exploration of alternative meat processing techniques.

You know what this reminds me of? The twisted logic that keeps the death penalty alive in America. It's like we collectively decided, "Hey, you know what would really show those animal abusers? If we... abused them back!" It's the kind of circular reasoning that would make M.C. Escher dizzy.

Now, let's talk about my parents for a second. They weren't exactly running a PETA branch out of our garage, but they had this crazy idea that maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't intentionally traumatize children or animals. When I was six, we went to this carnival that was probably violating more health codes than a gas station sushi bar. There was this miserable-looking animal that was probably questioning its life choices harder than a liberal arts major with $100k in student debt. My dad, in a move straight out of a Hallmark movie, paid to rescue it. We loved that animal like it was the family member who always brings the good dessert to Thanksgiving.

Then there was this time my brother's friend was staying over, and we got the neighbor's call that our beloved pet had been hit by a car. My dad cried harder than I ever thought was humanly possible. He said he would have given up all of his retirement funds just to save that "furry fiend." The vet said there was nothing they could do and no amount of money would save them.

So Vegan Mafia hits me with the "You're so worked up over this sheep and you're not even vegan" line. As if caring about animals is an all-or-nothing deal, like trying to eat just one Pringles or believing only half of a conspiracy theory.

Look, I get it. Murdering animals for pleasure is more messed up than a game of Monopoly that actually finishes. But what am I supposed to do? I tried the vegan thing in college, back when my diet consisted of bran flakes and air, stretched over three weeks like my last paycheck. I was single then, so my eating disorder flew under the radar more easily than a stealth bomber.

The thing is, beans and I have a relationship that's less "magical fruit" and more "guaranteed exorcism." Lentil crisps are fine until they're not, like a Tinder date that starts great and ends with you faking a family emergency. Tofutti ice cream? Amazing. But regular tofu makes me gag faster than the thought of another Fast & Furious sequel.

So what's left? A lifetime sentence of salad? I did that for two years during lockdown, and now the mere sight of a lettuce leaf triggers my fight or flight response. Those Quorn fake chicken bits? They've gone from "not bad" to "weirdly salty disappointment," like every film adaptation of a young adult novel.

With my nut allergy thrown into the mix, a vegan diet for me would be about as sustainable as a sandcastle in a hurricane. I'd probably starve faster than my attention span during a Zoom meeting.

I can be compassionate and still eat meat. It's not a binary choice, like whether to push the button in a thought experiment or whether pineapple belongs on pizza (it doesn't, fight me). I'm tired of vegans pushing this narrative harder than a multi-level marketing scheme on Facebook.

In the end, maybe it's about doing what we can, where we are, with what we have. Sometimes that means eating a chicken sandwich while feeling really, really bad about it. Welcome to the human condition, folks. It's messier than a toddler eating spaghetti and more complicated than explaining why you still have a MySpace account.

[daybreakrising]

B.OOTH.ILL - G.ENSHIN VER.

i'll probably write up a proper in-depth post eventually when i have the brainpower to do so, but for now, have the highlights / key info:

originally from n.atlan, but has mixed heritage of unknown origins (definitely n.atlan, but ???? for the rest) & grew up in a mixed heritage household

one father (nick) was originally from f.ontaine & descended from the marechaussee hunters. spent most of his youth in and around n.atlan (family were merchants / traders / sailors, i've yet to fully decide) & grew up learning its cultures and traditions. other father (graey) belonged to one of the tribes (to be determined when we learn enough about all of them).

due to Circumstances (yet to be ironed out) he lost his entire family to disaster (likely abyss related given the heavy presence in n.atlan), and left the nation to instead take up residence in nick's homeland of f.ontaine

whilst living in f.ontaine, sought out the harbinger s.androne, somehow convinced her to use her knowledge and experience with automatons to turn him into a living weapon with which he could bring down that which destroyed his family (the abyss?)

has connections with the f.atui because of this, but isn't one of them. owes a "debt" to s.androne for what she did for him that she is yet to collect.

though he technically lives in f.ontaine, he travels all over t.eyvat as a kind of mercenary. neither identifies as a good or bad person, but fits somewhere in the middle. has very specific rules for what jobs he'll take.

uses skills and techniques passed down from nick from the marechaussee hunters (such as the use of a gun), but has adapted them to suit his own style.

cryo vision. i debated this one for a long time since there isn't a "physical" element, and cryo made the most sense to me. his build, however, would be based on physical dmg to make up for it.

weapon is literally just a gun. no weapon&gun combo like c.lorinde / c.hevreuse. if n.avia can have an axe and a.rle can have a scythe, b.ooth.ill can have a gun all by itself.

abandoned his original name after losing his family and adopted the name 'b.ooth.ill' after s.androne worked her magic on him.