#i am not paid to do that. also helping out at that site would leave mine understaffed

[deepinthedirt]

Man. I am counting down the days until I can quit my current job. This company violates sooooo many labor laws.

[drabblejester]

I love your impression of Sampo!! Like yeah, he'd do This™ and That™ as according to your posts. Like, I think yours has the most simplest yet most accurate depiction of Sampo here!

Could I request Sampo, Gallagher, and Mr. Reca would do on their first date? Inspired from the other ask you did for 'overhearing the confession'

-G⭐

what VARIOUS HSR GUYS would do on your FIRST DATE!

requested by: G⭐️ !!

pairings: sampo, gallagher, and reca x gn!reader

content warnings: none!!!

comments: TYSM FOR THAT MY LIEGE.. i usually ‘dumb’ my sampo down actually bc theres no way i can fit all my thoughts on him into one little postHEEHE!!!

GALLAGHER:

he’d take you to his bar!! easy as that. it’s nothing grand or special, just his good ol bar. he serves you up a few drinks and you have a great time!

mostly, you guys talk. gossip about people, random tabloids you both found, fun facts about the other, etc. that’s also how you get to find out about misha and sleepie (and you adore both of them <3)

he’s much more gentle and warm towards you, quieting down his voice a bit so he isn’t that startling. he still has his drawl and everything, just in a lighter tone. in general it seems like he just got a bit younger!!

he jokes about you helping him out with the bar later, and you agree. so as a ‘second’ date, you guys get to work together! yippee! you get paid with free drinks and your first kiss with him <3

SAMPO:

you guys go visit some historical sites in belobog together!! he’s VERY knowledgable in them, and takes his time with you. you cruise through museums and even out in the cold, pointing at abandoned machinery and cool architecture

he absolutely talks more than you no matter how talkative you may be. partially out of ‘i want this date to go well and for them to see how cool i am’ and also out of ‘I AM SO NERVOUS RN’. thankfully he has a very engaging voice, and you love listening to him ramble :3

he tells a few tall tales in between, typical stories and fairytales that kids would like to hear. makes sense seeing as how he does talk with hook a lot.. and even at your age, they’re still fun and interesting! he’s an incredibly good storyteller

and at the end of the day, he wraps his dingy little jacket around your shoulders and takes you back to wherever he lives. he gives you a few snacks and the most delicious DIY hot chocolate ever before asking you SO many questions about how you thought of the date. you mumble something good before you fall asleep, which is enough for him <3

MR. RECA:

as he said before, he wants to cast you in the starring role of a romance movie with him as your lovely boyfriend. he makes PLENTY of jokes about it too, constantly rambling about how fun it’ll be. it counts as a first date i guess???

you two are an AMAZING duo together onstage and offstage!! his performance is amazing to the point where you actually feel like you’ve fallen for him impossibly more… the role he’s playing is a cheesy romantic ol guy, and AEONSS ABOVEE if you don’t treasure it

he lets you customize your role however you want! so you decide to simply play as yourself to max out your reca romance exposure. he plays along and switches the script around just for you, before going on set to dance around with you a while more

at the end of the day, both of you make lovely comments on your acting (although you weren’t really playing a character), laughing about certain moments in the scenes before he sends you home. and of course, he waits for you to enter your house before he leaves, just like his little gentleman role in the movie <3

i’m going to make some ramen my lieges do you want any

[blueteller]

hello! i was just wondering where your reading TCF / LCF? i can't find a good place to read it that has a good version of it

Currently, you have 3 ways to read TCF. I am talking about the book of course, since the manhwa is a separate adaptation of the story.

First option, for Korean readers, is on Munpia. It is the original source where the author uploads chapters 3 days a week: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Of course, you have to pay for it, which I personally do despite not knowing Korean, to support the author in the most direct way possible. It is as of today running for 1156 chapters. I know there are raws out there for the newest chapters, but I haven't read them myself. I just keep up with the community and learn about the storyline live as the chapters come out and people discuss them on discord.

Second option is on Eat Apple Pies site, which is in English and for free. Of course, due to being "unofficial", you can imagine it is not the most polished translation. However, it is readable and currently has 924 chapters, not counting those they have available on their Patreon.

Your third option is the most recent release of official English translation. There is currently 1 volume out (available in US stores such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon), which covers 42 chapters converted into 9, both available in e-book and paperback versions, only paid for of course. While I am still in the process of reading and reviewing it myself, I have very good opinion on it; that is is better translated and polished, and I also have it on good authority that it is better for dyslexic readers. ...I have to mention though that the way the names are translated are an entirely separate matter (like the fact that they translated the title as "Lout of Count's Family", without even leaving any "the's"), which is a topic I won't fully dive into just yet. Still, the official translation is solid and highly recommended. We are going to be getting a new English volume release every 3 months, so Volume 2 is scheduled to come out on December 1st.

I hope this helps! Please support the author, but I would be a hypocrite if I said not to read the free EAP version. Especially since the new, official version is essentially translated by the exact same person: Henry Shin, also known as MiracleRifle. So the same person did both English versions (with second person's help with the new one, but MiracleRifle is still listed as the primary translator and it shows), they just got to improve with time and make the official one better. Henry was not responsible for the name changes though. That's a whole other can of worms I'll get to in the future.

[messedupfan]

Chapter 16

Summary: After finding out about your possible attendance at Tommy and Billy's big day, Vision decides to pay you a visit.

A/n: Hello! This one is short haha Also did any of y'all get to see the eclipse? Crazy!! Enjoy!

Masterlist | All Stories Taglist | All Chapters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Pietro are staring at the blueprints for the building that the company has been working on. There was a measurement off on an area which has made the work halt until someone can figure out what went wrong. The two of you are trying to decipher where the issue is and what the best solution would be when Vision storms onto the job site. 

“Vision, you're not allowed to be here. You're an unauthorized civilian in a construction zone,” Pietro says as he steps around the table to prevent his former brother-in-law from moving further into the unpredictable space. 

“I'm here to speak with Y/n. I'm not leaving until I do,” he states and you aren't sure what he could possibly want with you. 

“We are trying to work,” Pietro glares at Vision. “Actual life threatening work, not standing pretty in a room full of hungover college students.” 

Vision looks at Pietro for a moment then looks back at you. “Do you have a minute?” 

Pietro is about to say something when you decide to cut in. “Just this once, Vision,” you grab a spare hard hat and plop it on his head. “Regulations, I’m sure you’ve taught your students about them.” You pat him on the back before guiding him out of the construction zone. He takes the hard hat off and roughly returns it to you as he fixes his hair. “What is so important, Vision? I’m needed inside.”

“I want you to stay away from the tournament,” he states. 

You lick your lips in thought and look past him to the job site. The concrete mixing machine is spinning and you fantasize for a moment about pushing Vision into a space and burying him in the concrete. You shake the thought away and look back at Vision. “Why would I do that? Tommy and Billy invited me.” 

“That doesn’t matter, I’m uninviting you. They are my boys and if anyone is going to be there to support them, it’s going to be me!” Vision says as he tries to intimidate you. His reasoning for keeping you away confuses you. Why does he really not want you there?

“Vision, no one is saying you can’t be there. Why are you making this a ‘it’s me or you’ thing? This isn’t about either of us, it’s about your sons. I have been helping them practice and they want to show me that our hard work has paid off. Why is that such a bad thing?” You ask, instead of agreeing to stay away. You knew that he was going to make this into a thing, but you don’t understand why it has to be. It’s not like you are dating Wanda or trying to replace him as his kids parent. You don’t understand why he has such a problem with you. 

“I know that you have been helping them. You know how I know? Because they don’t stop talking about it. I have friends and colleagues that have children in their class. What kind of father will people think I am if Tommy and Billy give you all of the credit? I don’t want them to run to you when they win. They will be running to me because you won’t be there. Understood? You are to stay away,” he says bitterly and now you understand what’s happening. He doesn’t want his image of being an involved father to be affected. It upsets you that he could easily earn that credit and praise by spending time with his kids. But he relies on everyone else doing the heavy lifting and keeping their mouths shut. You find it ridiculous. “The tournament is happening on my weekend. So I have to be there. They aren’t your kids, you can make up some excuse and not show up. Or else,” he threatens. 

“Do you have something to support your ‘or else’ or were you hoping that was enough for me to agree to cancel?” You ask, bored of this conversation. 

“Just, leave my kids alone. Okay?” Vision walks away and you sigh. You knew when you accepted the twins invitation two weeks ago, you were going to upset Vision. You didn’t realize that you were making him feel insecure as a parent. You return to work to try and push the encounter out of your mind. 

The issue turned out to be a simple adjustment. Everyone cheered because it could have been much worse. It could have taken weeks to fix. There could have been a fatal accident. It could have cost materials that would have taken weeks to replace. It could have been missed until inspection and that would have had the building demolished. The list of scenarios could go on and on. You and Pietro are more than happy about the results of an easy fix. 

You forget all about Vision's visit until during your lunch break when Pietro asks what the man wanted. “For me to stay away from Tommy and Billy’s tournament,” you shrugged. It was something you were expecting but you didn't think he would cause a scene at your place of work. 

Pietro nods and takes a bite of his food as he looks at the other crew members around the two of you. “Did he say why he doesn't want you there?” 

“Kind of? The gist of it was he's an absent father and he doesn't want the rest of the world to know that,” you shake your head and laugh a little as you think back on the conversation. “I tried to threaten me but there's nothing he can do. I'm still going.” 

Pietro makes a face, “Threaten you? How so?” 

“Well, he just said,” you clear your throat as you get ready to imitate the British man. “Stay away or else!” You roll your eyes. “It's ridiculous, he didn't have anything to say when I asked him what he would do. Because he can't do anything to me.”

“Maybe not to you, but he could do something to my sister. Or worse, he could pull the boys out of that class or make sure they don't show up to the event. I don't know.” Pietro pushes his food around his plate. “All I'm saying is that he can't do anything to you but he can do something to them. So maybe, don't go.” 

You frown as you consider Pietro's advice. He was right. Vision might not be able to touch you but he can hurt Wanda and her kids. 

Later that night, when you're picking up Rachel from Wanda's house, you feel terrible as you think of the ways Vision can hurt them and the only thing that you can do is comply and hurt them in a different way. “What's on your mind? You've been more quiet than usual,” Wanda asks as she hands you a clean plate to dry. 

“I um,” you aren't sure if you should tell her about the encounter earlier. But I'd you're considering canceling on her boys, you can't lie to her. “Vision came to see me today. He doesn't want me there to support the boys next Saturday.” 

“What?” Wanda stops scrubbing the pan she was cleaning. “Are fucking kidding me?” She scoffs as she shakes her head. She figured that Vision would come to her when he found out about you attending the event. She can't believe he dislikes you so much. She truly doesn't understand it. “What did you tell him?” 

“What I told him and what I’m considering are conflicting,” you truthfully tell her. “I don’t want Vision to do something to the boys or even become a bigger headache for you.” 

Wanda nods, she knew that whatever Vision threw at her, she could handle it. However, she agreed that the boys shouldn’t get affected by their father's tantrums. She takes a deep breath. “What are we going to tell them?” 

You are a little touched when she includes herself in this conflict. That this isn't something you have to deal with on your own. “I haven’t figured that part out yet. I wasn't sure if I should fight him or not.” 

“I know how much the boys would love to have you there but,” she sighs as she hands you the last dish. “Vision can't hurt either of us and he knows that. I don't want to believe that he would do something to hurt his kids but, let's face it. His priorities aren't exactly where they should be.” You dry the plate and set it aside as you nod. “So, we're just going to have to tell them that something came up and that you won't be able to attend. But we'll wait until the end of the week to tell them. Make it seem more urgent.” 

You nod with a deep frown. It hurts that you had to cancel on the boys. They've been so excited during the practices that you've done with them since that first night. You don't want to disappoint them but it's better that it's you and not Vision. 

On the day that you do have to break the news, Tommy called you a stupid head and said that he didn't want you there in the first place before he stormed up to his room. Billy just cried. Rachel asks you a million questions on the way home. It makes you feel terrible. Nothing could have prepared you for the heartache you felt when you said that you couldn't be there for them. 

In the middle of the week, Vision had a basket sent to your apartment with a thank you note. You tossed it in the trash. You couldn't believe that you let him win. All you could do was hope that they'd forgive you or at least forget about the let down. 

You tried to forget about it the rest of the week. On Friday, your friends want to go out so you join them. You don't drink as much as you have in the past when hanging out with them but you, Bucky, Steve, and Darcy end up staying out until close to three in the morning. The four of you had a lot of fun. The night started out at a simple bar with a few drinks then it led to one of those modern arcades with a bar. At a certain point, you noticed that  Steve and Bucky had gone missing. Darcy claimed that it happens every time she hangs out with them so you didn't question the disappearance. And when they reappeared, you were having too much fun to realize that they had switched shirts. 

Everyone ended up crashing at your place instead of going to their homes. You chose to sleep in Rachel's room to give Darcy your bed while Steve and Bucky crashed in the living room. You plugged your phone in and slipped into a dreamless sleep. 

In the next afternoon Darcy is shoving you awake. “Answer your damn phone! Some of us weren't made to sleep through natural disaster!” She grouchs as she continues to shake you. 

Groggy and discombobulated you squinted through your eyes as the bright sun shone through the blinds. You stretch and yawn as your phone starts ringing again. It's louder than you remember it ever being. You quickly answer the call before checking who it is. “Hello?” 

“Y/n, thank goodness!” Wanda says urgently. You spring up in bed, alarmed by her tone.

“What happened? What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it the boys?” You say as you get out of bed. 

“Woah, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I mean, it's an emergency but it's not a life threatening one,” she says, a little calmer this time. 

Your body relaxes instantly. “Sorry, I'm just waking up. I had um quite a night. Anyway… What's the emergency?” Darcy shouts that you're being too loud so you step out onto the balcony. 

“Hold on, are you with someone?” Wanda asks instead.

“No, that's just Darcy,” you say. “She spent the night because we were out late. Bucky and Steve are here as well. But ignore all of that, why are you calling?” You check the time and frown. “Shouldn't you be cheering the boys on soon?” 

“Vision dropped the boys off and disappeared,” she says. “I can't get a hold of him. Every time I call it goes straight to voicemail. I asked Tommy and Billy what he said when he dropped them off but their answer wasn't helpful. They're devastated,” she continues and it seems like she's going to say more but instead she says. “Sorry, I don't know why I called I-” 

“I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can,” you interrupt before she says that she shouldn't have called you. It makes you happy that she called you for this. “I've got to get ready, I'll see you in a bit. Bye,” you hang up the phone before she can protest. 

You quickly inform Darcy that you have to leave and why. She stops you from grabbing your keys. “Not so fast boo boo the fool. You smell like sweat and booze. Shower first, I'll put together some clean clothes and then you can go play superhero.” You don't think you have time but you do have an odor and you don't look very presentable. In fact, you'd hope that they'd refuse entry to someone in your state. 

You quickly rinse off the previous night and throw on the clothes that Darcy laid out for you. Steve and Bucky are sitting at the kitchen table and Darcy is making them coffee as you pass them. “Darcy, you have my spare right? Please lock up before you leave.” 

“What? Why does Darcy have a spare and I don't?” Steve asks, offended. “We've been friends longer.” 

Darcy taps his head, “Hush, they’re on a mission.” She looks up at you with an innocent smile as Steve scratches his head. “Don't worry, I'll be sure to lock up. Now go, go!” 

You thank her before racing out of the building. When you arrive, you find Wanda consoling her boys with their Sensei. Someone steps out of the gym and when the door opens you can hear that the event has already started. You jog over to Wanda. “Hey, I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was just,” you don't get to finish your excuse because Billy crashes against you and greets you with a tight hug. You wrap your arms around him. “Hey buddy, it's alright,” you say gently as you carefully pry him off of you. “What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in there kicking butt?” You ask as you level with him. 

Billy wipes his tears, “I couldn't because I was sad.” 

You frown, “Sad? Why were you sad?” You move some of his hair out of his face and pull a bandana out of your pocket to help wipe his tears out of his prescription goggles. 

“Because my daddy didn't want to be here and neither did you,” he admits and your heart drops to the pit of your stomach. 

You shake your head. “That’s not,” you sigh and look behind him to Wanda standing beside Tommy, he is giving you his best death glare that reminds you a lot of Vision. “I’m sorry that I made you think that, Billy. I thought that there was something more important but I was wrong. Nothing is more important than seeing you and your brother compete today.”

“Really?” Billy squeaks as his eyes start to brighten up a bit. You can see so much of Wanda in him. You grin as you nod. 

“Billy, sometimes we are given two choices and I don't always pick the right one. But you are smarter than me. So I'm going to give you,” you point to his chest as you speak, “two choices. Number one, you can quit now and we can all go home. We might watch a movie but there will be nothing to show for it. Or number two, you can show everyone in that room what your Sensei has taught you and what we have worked on together. You and your brother could win trophies and get new belts and then we can go out to celebrate. Which one do you think you should pick?” You try to make one option seem a little more appealing than the other to try and get him inside. 

Billy looks at you then to his mom, then to his instructor, and lastly, he looks to his brother. “Do you want to?” Tommy had his arms crossed over his chest with an angry frown and a deep scowl. You could tell that between the two, he was the one that refused to perform. His way of having control over the situation. Something that he was learning from his father. If you don't give him what he wants, he tries to take something away. In this case, he's not getting his father's approval so he's making it so that they don't participate. It hurts Vision’s image, which isn't something that Tommy knows much about. He can't stop playing his father's words over and over in his head, don't embarrass me. 

Tommy steps forward, “If we go in there, are you going to stay?” 

“I'm going to stay,” you promise. His features soften and he grabs his brother's hand and takes him over to their Sensei. The three walk through the double doors and run to their corner. Wanda walks over and gives you a tight hug, much like Billy had. 

“Thank you so much,” she says into your chest. 

“Wanda, as much as I love being in your arms, you're holding me back from keeping my promise,” you say as you give her a quick squeeze in return. 

“Just a second longer,” she says before she finally releases you. “You are incredible,” she says as she leads you inside. A volunteer stops you from walking further. 

“Do you have a ticket?” She asks with a bright smile. You quickly pull your wallet out of your pocket. 

“No, I don't actually,” you say but Wanda stops you. 

“Nonsense, after what you did for my kids, I've got you covered,” Wanda hands the woman her debit card despite your protests.

“Okay, you two are good to go,” she says then she pulls out a clipboard with a sheet of names and contact information. “I'm also supposed to ask if you would like to sign this petition to get more funding for programs like these. Is that something that you would be interested in?” The woman is a little more flirtatious in her approach and you are thrown off. You size her up as she is clearly eyeing you and you smile at her politely. She bites her lip as she leans a little forward to expose a bit of cleavage. 

“Sure, I love to support a good cause,” you say as you take the clipboard and pen to write down your name and phone number. She asks you a couple of more questions before you and Wanda are able to walk away. 

“That girl wants a date with you,” Wanda mutters once the two of you are sitting in the stands. “I’m assuming one without any clothes.” You shake your head with a laugh.

“Please, it was just a tactic to get my signature,” you say as you lean in close so she can hear you. 

“Oh. So I should judge you because it worked on you?” Wanda asks in a playful tone but there is a layer of truth. 

“No, I just thought the cause was worth supporting. What you should be concerned about right now is that Billy is up next,” you say as you point to the floor where Billy is stepping onto the mat. Wanda reaches for your hand and holds it in a tight grip. You don’t pull away, more than happy to give her some sort of comfort. You felt just as nervous watching Billy out there. You record as much of the match as possible. Something for Wanda to send to Vision or people in her family that couldn’t be there. 

In the middle of the tournament, your stomach starts to growl and ache painfully. You excuse yourself to buy some snacks at the concession stand. Because neither of her boys are on the mat, Wanda watches you from her seat. On your way back to the stands, the woman stops you for what looks like a quick chat. She cleanches her jaw when the woman touches your arm as she laughs at something you said. She tries to ignore the pang of jealousy she feels as you continue to talk to the woman. You come back to her side when Tommy stands up to enter the mat. When you return, Wanda pulls you close to her and her eyes search for the red haired woman. As soon as she makes eye contact with her, Wanda wraps her arm around your waist and steals some of your popcorn. You laugh because you notice her odd behavior but you don’t question it. Not as much as Wanda is. 

When the event is over, Tommy and Billy run to you to show off their awards. You give them high fives and tell them how proud you are. Wanda gives them hugs as she tells them the same. Then they take your hand and race you over to their friends. She puts their prizes in her tote bag as she gets ready to leave. Tommy and Billy have other plans. They have you show each of them how to do the moves you managed to teach them in the past few weeks. Wanda stands back and watches with a wide smile. She snaps a few pictures as she watches but she doesn’t want to view the moment from her phone screen.

“Excuse me,” the volunteer from earlier says quietly to Wanda. “Hi, my name is Nebula and I just wanted to apologize for flirting with your partner earlier. I consider myself to be a girls girl and I didn’t realize that you two were together,” she rambles and Wanda holds her hands up to stop the girl. 

“Slow down, we’re just friends,” Wanda corrects her. The words feel wrong coming out of her mouth but she couldn’t stop them. It was like an automatic response every time someone implied that you and her are a couple. 

“Oh,” Nebula fails to stop the smile from growing on her face. “Is Y/n seeing someone?” She turns to watch you playing with the kids. 

“No. No, they are single,” Wanda knew this girl was being friendlier to you than just getting another signature for a petition. She didn’t want to be the one giving Nebula this information. But no matter what she was feeling, she wasn’t going to sabotage you. 

Nebula nods as she continues to watch you. “Do you think they will be creeped out if I use their information from the petition to contact them?”

Wanda watches the girl for a moment and thinks about telling her to back off. That if anyone should be asking you out, it should be her. But was Wanda ready for a relationship beyond physical pleasures? She doesn’t know. And because she doesn’t know, she wasn’t going to gatekeep you. Just in case she isn’t ready for a long time. “I think maybe that’s exactly how you should do that. I’ll get to win a bet if you do,” Wanda says jokingly. 

Nebula nods and nudges Wanda with her shoulder, “I’ve got you. Make it a good bet.” She winks, “Thank you. I hope to see you around soon.” 

“I’ll give the toast at the wedding,” Wanda jokes again and Nebula walks away laughing. 

“Oh, would you look at that, I think she had her eyes on you this whole time,” you say as you walk up to Wanda with both boys wrapped around and hanging onto each of your legs. Wanda shakes her head. 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” She steps closer to you and puts her hand on your shoulder. “Let’s get these two some ice cream,” she says loudly and the boys let go of your legs to jump up and down as they cheer. She messes with their hair and tells them to go wait by her car. They start to shove each other on their way out of the building as they race each other. 

“Still no word from Vision?” You ask as you scrape the sides of your cup to get every last bit of chocolate ice cream out of the cup. Wanda checks her phone and continues to shake her head to see the lack of responses from Vision. She eats her ice cream and gets some of it on her nose. You wipe it off with your thumb and smile. “Mmm, maybe I should have gotten that flavor instead,” you say as you lick the ice cream off of your thumb. She smiles back at you.

Tommy and Billy are running around the playground while you and Wanda sit on a bench and watch them play. “I don't know if I should take them home with me or drop them off at Vision’s house. I don't know how Vision will react because I'm not even sure why he didn't show up.” 

Your smile drops and you look away from her as you shake your head. “I can't believe after the tantrum he threw that he wasn't there for them. He sent me a thank you basket. Which, I don't want to know how he got my address to begin with-” 

“He is unbelievable and I am going to be tied to that man for the rest of my life,” she shakes her head again. 

“They're pretty great reasons to be tied to him though,” you compliment the boys, making Wanda smile as she watches them chase each other around. 

“They are,” she says and then she looks at you. “Will you join us for dinner? I'm thinking that we should go somewhere nice.” 

You look at her and when your eyes meet, you want to kiss her. The only thing keeping you from doing that is the fact that her kids could witness it and ask questions that you're not prepared to answer. “Um, yeah, I’d love to. As long as we split the bill.” 

Wanda considers insisting on paying for everything but that's not what will catch your interest. It's not a collection of times she has done something for you and you have done things for her. Leaving an imbalance of power between the two of you always. No, you are someone that seeks equal partnership. “Fine by me,” she says. 

Your phone goes off and Wanda's heart jumps in her throat from the anticipation. She hoped that the Nebula girl hadn't decided to reach out so soon. “It's a grocery list from Darcy,” you say as another message comes through. “And she and the guys have finally vacated the premise,” you laugh as you respond to the messages. She didn't realize she was holding in her breath until you spoke. Wanda relaxes as she continues eating her ice cream. 

“They’ve been at your apartment this entire time?” Wanda asks with a light laugh of her own. 

“Apparently, and now I'm all out of food,” you shake your head.

During dinner, Wanda has to excuse herself to take a call from Vision. You distract the boys by being silly to make them laugh, then you ask each of them to tell you about their week since you haven't seen them since last Friday. They go on and on about assignments that they enjoyed or hated. Like how Tommy is bummed about a book report but that Billy is ecstatic about it. He’s already read every book on the list, which he conveniently avoided telling the teacher. In gym class, there is a push up challenge that Billy isn’t thrilled about at all but Tommy is more than ready for. They talk about some playground drama where you find out that your daughter has been married and divorced three times throughout the week. You laugh when you find out that she's currently married to a girl named Kate in their class. 

You fondly remember your days in primary school when you were officiating weddings for Jean. She married half the class by the end of the school year. But she never married you back then. She told you that one day she would and then she kissed you on your tear stained cheeks. 

When Wanda returns she looks frustrated and you feel for her in her situation. “That was your dad,” she starts as she sits down. “He will be by the house tomorrow with your school bags but you're staying with me tonight.” She can't look at her boys as she stabs her food with her fork. She was still very worked up over the conversation. Billy puts his hand on her arm and she nearly breaks. 

“Wanda, do you want to know a trick I use to make water taste really good?” You ask her as you hold your glass up. She looks at you with a fragile expression before she takes your cue. She grabs her cup and you show her the trick you've learned over the years of how to drink something in order to avoid crying. It seems to work and she compliments that the water does taste better. The boys don't believe it so they try it and their brains trick them into believing the technique did anything to change the flavor. 

“Thank you,” Wanda mouths when she has calmed down. You shrug in response as the meal continues on. 

After dinner, you follow Wanda to her house with Tommy in your car and Billy in hers. He wanted to make sure that you came to their house to play video games and because you wanted to earn their trust, you agreed to drive with Tommy in the car. Wanda thought it was sweet that you cared this much about her boys. 

The four of you play three different multiplayer games together. Some rounds were kids versus adults and others you and Wanda would team up with one of the twins. The games went on until nine at night and that's when the kids wanted to watch a movie. You and Wanda sat at opposite ends of the couch with both boys sitting in the middle. When they both went quiet Wanda recruited you to help her take them to their beds. 

Once the two were settled in their beds you helped Wanda with cleaning up the mess in the living room by taking care of the cups while she reset the gaming setup. Putting controllers to charge and setting game cases on the game shelf in the cabinet. When all is said and done Wanda walks you to your car. 

“Thank you for today,” she says as she stands close to you with her hands in her back pockets. “You'll have to let me know if that girl messages you. I have a lot riding on that bet,” she jokes but her eyes look at both of yours and then land on your mouth. You've heard about this tactic, it's a signal to let you know she wants to kiss you. Suddenly you feel a little nervous. Any kiss the two of you shared could be dismissed with being under the influence or having heightened emotions. But right now, there wouldn't be any excuse. There would just be. 

It was a terrifying thought. 

“I’m sure you'd be devastated to lose the chance to choose my next haircut,” you retort as you lean in closer to her. Even when you're talking about a potential relationship with another woman, the only person on your mind is Wanda. The two of you gravitate towards each other until your lips meet. The kiss is short but meaningful. She smiles at you when the both of you break away before she bites her lower lip. You smile back at her as she steps away from you. “I'll see you later?” You ask as you open the door to your truck. 

Wanda nods, “Yeah, I'll um, I'll see you later.” 

“Okay,” you say softly. “Goodnight, Wanda. Sweet dreams.” 

“Sweet dreams, Y/n” she repeats and waves goodbye as you climb into your truck. She watches you drive away from the front door. She decides then that she doesn't need to be exploring her sexuality anymore. None of the people she sleeps with make her feel nearly as alive as that simple kiss did. As she lies in her bed, she goes through all of her dating apps and deletes every single one of them. She doesn't need them anymore.

Chapter 17

Taglist: @princessprudy @sayah13 @agaymilflover @awkwardmandalorian @bentleywolf29 @thatshyboy1998 @artisannat @thisischaismagic @wqndanat @madamevirgo @likefirenrain @tearsofglitter @feltlikethat @the-writer-arcane @natashasilverfox @karsonromanoff @aloneodi @lovelyy-moonlight @red1culous @jovialsublimecomputer @natasha-maximoff @iliketozoneout @doudouneverte @druggedduck @notbornbutforged @when-wolves-howl @lifespectator @justyourwritter69 @wandaromamoff69 @awesomelygayasf @nekoannie-chan @diaryoflife @wuwu96 @wandanats-goodgirl @sincerely-indi @blueredg52 @sisiofthemultifandom @fuzzyuniversityeclipsefriend @arcturusseer @scarlettwidow34 @chasethemoon @raven-ss @canyonyodeler @sokovianbaby @alexawynters @bittysworld @hopeless-romantic17177 @spongebobtentacles @the-ox-fan20

[dgdraws]

Maybe saying this on my 18 follower art sideblog is silly, but I want to offer some gentle pushback on the sentiment that's been going around re: notes on art and lack of engagement.

TL;DR make it your practice to be the person who rbs art with nice tags and you can build a community of likeminded folks

There are myriad reasons why online comment culture has shifted, I'm not gonna waste time pinning that stuff down, bc it's actually immaterial to my perspective, which is:

You can find or create a community of people who will lift up your art. But it requires that you participate in the culture you want to see more of.

I had been a lurker on this site for a decade. I held back participating in discussions, creating or sharing art, engaging directly with anyone outside of following blogs and rbing posts without commentary. And during that time, I made no connections, no friends, built no community.

I was afraid of scrutiny. I have felt the humiliating lurch of earnest engagement turning to dread and exposure and a deep regret of allowing myself to be vulnerable. I pulled up the ladder behind me so I would never have to hear the slightest dismissal or repulsion or ridicule from others. In so doing I also cut myself off from praise, understanding or connection. If no one gets a chance to let me down, then it's as though they're holding me up, right? Wrong!!!

I paid good money for a therapist to help me work out the lie there. The realization that I felt isolated and misunderstood because I never gave people the opportunity to show up for me was so hard to grasp. How could my safety net be the cause of my profound loneliness? But it is true. The people in my life couldn't disappoint me, but they also couldn't help me or support me or really love me the way I needed.

Opening myself up to disappointment has been a long, tough road (and goodness knows I'm not ready to let my parents let me down (again) yet). But my relationships are strengthening. My sense of identity is more stable. I am not inconsolably lonely deep in my heart anymore. Because it turns out people do show up when you give them the opportunity.

Not every time. Not every person. But enough of the time that it builds resilience. Every time I reach out and someone reaches back, I get a little braver. I trust a little more.

To bring this back around to online culture and community: I started receiving interest (and notes) after I started showing interest in others. Once again it turns out that people want to turn up for you, but you must give them the opportunity. This means making yourself vulnerable. It means taking the first step.

If you want a community, a group of people who interact w a certain set of values, you have to demonstrate it. Live those values. This is how we create culture. We choose what behavior we want to encourage and we set an example. This is as true in a workplace or a family as it is for tumblr or ao3. If your boss puts up a sign that says "we see mistakes as a chance to learn" but they punish people when they mess up, that's just words on the wall. If they accept errors graciously, if they work to suss out the root of the problem to resolve it, if they are open about their own mistakes, that is the culture.

So if we want to see more reblogs, but not just that, real engagement and chances for connection, then it starts with you.

Here's what I do that has helped me make friends and spark genuine interest in my work;

Reblog LOW NOTE art as much as, if not more than, posts with thousands of notes. Feel proud to give someone the first note on their work!

Incorporate leaving nice tags into my gratitude practice (it is a form of mindfulness! noticing what specifically draws me to art I rb both engages me more deeply with the work and makes my own art better)

Queue up several art posts from the same artist (people notice when you are consistently in their notes!)

Participate in art events like artfight, various -tobers, other challenges (as with making friends anywhere, repeated exposure leads to familiarity and chances for connection!)

Follow people back or even initiate following blogs who interact with your posts (do not approach this with a f4f mentality, only follow people you actually want to hear more from)

Set up post notifications for portfolio style art blogs (ie sideblogs exclusively for original content) so you keep up w your network/mutuals even if you're offline when they post

Low key notice what the people engaging with you like most about your work and consider expanding on those ideas. This is not about "tailor your work to an audience" it's about thinking, "so-and-so left feral tags on my post about this oc so I'll do my practice sketches of them" or "people seem interested in this storyline so let me feed off that enthusiasm and develop it more"

Don't get hung up on it when individuals don't reciprocate. Assume good faith. You never know what is draining someone's energy. Remember that you are offering a gift, your time and energy yes, but also the chance for someone to show up for you too. If it starts to feel like an obligation, reassess where you're putting that energy, but don't be afraid to be generous.

This has worked wonderfully for me. I went from a person scrolling longingly past posts about beloved mutual culture, not quite believing it could really be like that, to a person who happily gets 3 notes on my former flop posts and posts reblog bait for my besties and reblogs the bait they post for me :)

Apparently I had a lot to say! I kinda hope this doesn't break containment but if it does, please be niceys. I understand if this mindset is not available to you bc of social trauma, depression/anxiety, disability, mental illness or whatever else but please avoid venting that on this post. I love you and I hope you can get here someday, because you're worth it. In the meantime, try to be gentle with yourself and others. xoxo

[ashen-crest]

Hi RK! I think about you a lot as far as seeing the writer I want to be out in the wild. You self-published, right? Do you have a Guide for those of us wanting to follow your path, or advice on Where to Look for going in the self pub direction?

Hello and thank you so much!! I apologize if this gets rambly- there's a lot to cover, and I hope you stick with me through it.

I am indeed self-published! Everyone's situation and goals are different, but for me, I work full-time, write on the side, and want to push out professional-looking books because...well, because I want to. I currently don't plan to move to writing full-time, and I do have a job that helps cover the costs of an editor, cover designer, etc.

That's all important to establish up front, because that majorly impacts basically everything else about my strategy.

Because I work full-time, I can't write as fast as other folks. I also don't have as much time to spend on marketing. But because I work full-time, I can set aside money for a line editor, a cover designer, a proofreader, and an illustrator if needed, as well as cover a website, pre-order goodies, author copies for giveaways, a BookFunnel subscription, etc.

So, with all that...

Step 1:

Assess your goals, your abilities, your limits, and plan your strategy around that.

I realize that sounds really vague, but there are so many aspects to self-publishing, and so many things that can either cost $0 or $1,000, that it's worth jotting down the following first:

What you are comfortable & proficient with doing yourself (cover design? proofreading? making your own pre-order swag?)

What you have time for (things like social media, newsletters, and designing your own cover all take time)

What you have the money for (if you're going to spend money on anything, the conventional wisdom is cover design + editor)

What you have the energy for (book release speed, marketing, etc)

What your end goal is (publishing for fun? for a career? for something in between?)

Once you have all that jotted down, I'd plan out the following (and this is really starting from square one):

Your Books' Content

What genre do I want to write in? And do I want to put effort into targeting a sub-genre or sub-sub-genre (a successful strategy for career-focused indie authors), or would I prefer to keep myself flexible for creative purposes?

How much research do I want to put into this genre? A lot of intense indie authors will read a ton, research genre expectations, analyze tropes and covers, etc. But if you're just having fun, that's totally cool!

How quickly do I want to write? And the corollaries: do I want to write a bunch at once, then rapid-release? Or write and release one at a time?

What do I want my editing process to look like? I'd consider things like beta readers, sensitivity readers, and professional editors and/or proofreaders. (For later: don't forget about front and back matter, like copyright pages, acknowledgments, "leave a review and sign up for my newsletter!" pages, etc.)

Your Author Presence & Marketing

How do I want to appear as an author? Do you want to go all-out with a website, newsletter with reader magnets, Patreon and/or social media presence? Or pick and choose a few/none of those things? These are major time-sucks, and the conventional wisdom is that you don't want to try everything at once (particularly social media sites). Master one thing first, then move on to the next. (This is a, uh, do as I say and not as I do kinda situation...)

How do I want to handle cover design? Maybe the most important part of marketing besides your blurb. Please please don't skimp on it.

How do I price my books? Check other books in your genre and see what their average cost is.

What do I want my release strategy to look like? Pre-order goodies? ARCs? Giveaways?

Do I want to participate in any promos or paid advertising? The answer is typically 'no' at the beginning, but I've found BookFunnel to be helpful when it comes to distributing reader magnets and joining group promos.

The Technical & Business-y Aspects

(Not things you have to worry about right now, but things to eventually research and keep in mind.)

What format will my books be in? E-books are cheaper to produce than paperback and net you higher profits. But if you really wanna hold your book in your hand (like me) and write in a genre where readers buy paperbacks, then it could be worth planning for that as well.

How do I want to distribute my books? There are a ton of ways to distribute your book. Amazon, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, Gumroad, Itchio, selling directly on a personal website, etc. If you also want your books in libraries and brick-and-mortar stores, that will impact your distribution strategy.

How will I typeset/format my book? You can do it through Word or Scrivener or even Reedsy's site, but there are also paid programs that make it easier and freelancers who can do it for you.

What sort of licenses do I need to sell books? The really not-fun part. Check your federal, state, county, and city for any required selling permits, business licenses, and tax rules. I'd also look into if you want to set up a DBA ("doing business as") or an EIN (basically a business tax ID number so you don't have to use your personal SSN).

What sort of ID numbers do my books need? For example, in the US, you need ISBN codes sold by Bowker. Not required for ebook, but required for paperback, with a separate code needed for hardcover, translations, or subsequent editions.

How do I copyright my books? For the US, it's the US Copyright Office.

(US Only) Do I want an LCCN (Library of Congress control #) for my book? This helps you get into libraries. If you want a #, you need to fill out a form before your book publishes.

Resources!

I realize this is a LOT to research. Please don't feel like you need to do all the research at once or know everything right away. Put most of your focus into writing and set aside some time to tackle the other topics as you go.

Here are some resources I found to be helpful:

FB Group: Wide for the Win (all about distributing across multiple platforms)

FB Group: 20Booksto50K (very business-focused, almost to a fault, and has some failings, but also has some great advice and detailed insights. I'd recommend using this page only if you're very serious about self-pub)

FB Group: Author Unleashed (great for getting blurb feedback!)

David Gaughran's "Starting from Zero" free online video course, all about marketing when you're totally new to the game

Tammi Lebrecque's Newsletter Ninja books and resources, if you want to delve into newsletters and reader magnets

The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Bucket Siler

The Indie Author's Bible by Christopher D Schmitz

Becca Syme's series for indie authors

A word of warning...

There are a lot of people out there making money off writing resources, aka selling mining equipment to the miners rather than mining themselves. There are thousands of self-publishing gurus with books, consultation packages, sales funnel advice, etc. Before you throw a lot of money at those resources, do some research and take a look at what other indie authors recommend first. (If it helps, I really do trust David Gaughran, Tammi Lebrecque, and Becca Syme for starters.)

Okay that's it!

That was a lot. I'm so sorry. I'm happy to answer any specific questions or concerns you have!

[golbrocklovely]

I myself am trying to catch up on this corey stuff. I'm so lost

okay, i'm gonna give the quickest of rundowns on this whole thing.

aka i watched elton's video so everyone doesn't have to lol

so to give the slightest bit of backstory, corey left tfil/overnight/haunted homies a couple months back. he then came out with a video in april saying that the reason he left is bc he wants to pursue other ventures, in particular sketch comedy bc that's so timely. but he also said he would still be doing ghost hunting, just not with elton. around this time he also unfollowed elton, and devyn on her secret twitter was shitting on elton in some way (but idk what she said bc it's private). him and devyn have also started back up their old channel where they ghost hunt. and corey... i think... has posted some vlogs or whatever here and there on his main channel. but idk for certain since i don't watch him.

now, for some reason, elton has decided to clear the air on what happened with him and corey bc his leaving was very abrupt and confused a lot of fans.

imma just bullet point this list as best i can bc wow does that man love to talk and say almost nothing for over an hour.

THIS IS ALL ALLEGED, I'M JUST QUOTING WHAT ELTON SAID

elton alluded to corey possibly being the reason why the beef with snc lasted so long; mostly bc corey loves talking shit on ppl he's collabed with in the past. and full on would tell elton not to recollab with certain paranormal ppl bc. in particular, exploring with josh (who was also surprised to find out corey shit talked him since he commented "what" on elton's video)

the main portion of the video was solely to explain that while corey allegedly claims to be broke or not have made much money off of the overnight channel/tfil, elton very much begs to fucking differ

corey would get paid roughly $10k A WEEK during investigations, trips, whatever. elton also stated that he would pay anyone that would go on trips with them, roughly $2500 for the day, but that would fluctuate depending on the circumstances.

corey technically made over half a mil a year for the past couple years bc of elton paying him to be on the channel. elton also stated that corey makes more than elton on the channel bc elton basically pays for everything while corey has no stake in the claim.

corey did literally no work bts whatsoever. never suggested any places to go to, never paid for anything (not the hotel, driving, booking of spots, ect), and then on top of it never did any work like editing, getting ghost equipment, research. elton did everything, but would pay corey 50% since he was the other person on the channel mainly.

corey would flake out of a lot of things last minute for unknown reasons. or when they would discuss things to do/places to go, he would just not do it or go. and sometimes this would play out on camera, and to elton's justification, is why he would seem to "force" corey to do things. basically bc it was agreed on beforehand, only for corey to not do it once they got there.

during a charity livestream that was supposed to last for about a week (if not longer), corey claimed to feel ill, did nothing to help himself, and then left the charity livestream early.

then the fans that donated the most during that stream were supposed to fly out and meet elton and corey (all expenses paid by elton himself). corey decided last minute not to meet fans. elton then had to give refunds to some ppl who had wanted to meet corey.

corey would get a cut of the shares when it came to merch as well. even tho he wouldn't design it, be the one paying to ship it out, nothing. they created the haunted bundles that they did on the tfil site just so corey could make more money.

elton got rid of some of his staff just so corey could make more money/be paid more

the haunted homies tour that they did, elton planned all of it and created it bc corey wanted to do more funny bits instead of all of the haunted stuff. bc… it was corey's dream to eventually end up on snl. no, i am not joking. that is something elton actually claims corey wants lol

the second haunted homies tour, the one with matt rife, corey was contractually obligated to post about it/tell their editor in time what clips he would want to repost on his accounts. corey never did that/would take too long to get back to them on what he wanted, and then would later ask for certain clips to be removed from the vids long after the video was already up.

elton gifted $10k to corey bc he claimed to need more money… even after all of this shit played out

they had to make less content last year bc of how often corey would just not do projects with him/would flake out last minute

at the beginning of this year, elton had a bunch of tfil trips planned, with overnight videos in between also being filmed. basically had it laid out that they would only have to film for the first couple months, and then pick up filming again in october. so almost the entire year was planned out. he was just waiting for corey to sign off on it.

elton travels to some place (i'm blanking on it now) and then gets a single text from corey that says "hey man, i've wanted to bring this up for a while, but this year i'm gonna pull back from overnight and just focus on myself" with no explanation or conversation. and since that text, he has basically ghosted elton irl and online. but has apparently been saying things to friends in common that old roommates (like elton and whoever else all lived with them these past couple years) has stole shit from him, ect. and in general, he has been talking shit on elton bts.

i think that's everything i can remember off the top of my head that elton alleged. if i remember anything else, i'll add it. but this was pretty much a good chunk of the vid.

basically, the general gist is corey had one job: show up and make money. and he couldn't even do that lol

[machifuwa]

Autumn Cafeteria | Episode 3

Tsukasa: In summary, we are working as Volunteers to help this place.

Yuuta: I see, so that's why you're all here.

But I'm a bit disappointed that even my seniors used to come here. I thought it was a hideout that only I knew of because there are never many customers no matter when I come.

Shu: I used to think the same way before. Because there are few people, it is calm and comfortable.

However, when I put myself in the position of the store, I realized that the number of customers is proportional to its profit.

Even though it's a holiday, this situation is simply terrible... It's not a viable business at all.

Koga: Even though you're just volunteers, seems like you guys still have time to talk to usーcutomers.

I mean, what about work? Is it okay for all three of you to be relaxed like this?

Shu: It's a bit of a bummer, but it's not a problem. As of now, you two are our only customers.

Yuuta: Oh, that's true. But there was another couple there just now.

Tsumugi: By the time I had brought the food to you two, they had already paid the bill and left afterwards.

Even though it's pretty busy during lunch time. It's still a lonely sight~.

Koga: …So, how's that workin' out for you? Do you guys know how to solve this, huh?

Yuuta: Why is Oogami-senpai acting like he's in charge?

Koga: I didn't mean to meddle, but I'm pretty sure you're also curious about all this, ain'tcha?

Tsumugi: We've been looking for ways to improve the café while we work, but we haven't thought of any good ideas so far.

The menu has a wide variety of items, the prices and tastes are perfect, and the customer satisfaction is high.

The only thing wrong is the location. If this store could be moved to the front street with just a "bang," it would be an immediate solution.

Tsukasa: As expected, it's difficult. We don't have any more land left to move this place…

Tsumugi: No no, I'm just kidding. Don't take it seriously.

Shu: What are you doing, teasing a serious child, Aoba?

Tsumugi: I was trying to make the situation more relaxed~. After all, we won't gain anything staying still like this.

Yuuta: Is that so? I can't believe they're closing, even though I found a great hideout. I'd hate to see it go down the drain without being able to do anything about it...

I don't have any good ideas. But can I help you?

Shu: Umu, you are very much welcome. This place means a lot to me too.

Koga: Dammit. This reminds me of "Special Music Zone".

Seems like the number of closed shops and collapsed buildings increased due to the influence of ES over there, too.

Yuuta: So, this means Oogami-senpai will be joining us.

Koga: Haa? Why would I?

Yuuta: Eh, am I wrong? In the spring, when I was making a fuss about helping the live music clubs in the "Special Music Zone".

"I'll help you," you offered. So I was expecting that you would cooperate with me this time again.

Koga: Ah…Well, since I've stuck my head in so far, I can't just ignore it, huh?

Yuuta: Really? Fufu, Oogami-senpai is very caring, isn't he?

Koga: Shut up. Don't be comfortable just cuz there are more people. It's all meaningless if you don't have any ideas.

Tsumugi: Even if there are volunteers like us, there are no customers and this place is deserted in the first place.

We're still having a lot of free time, and now that we've increased to five people, we're going to have a lot more...

Aah, yes. If you guys don't mind, Yuuta-kun, Koga-kunーand Suou-kun, can you three inspect the site?

Tsukasa: Inspect?

Tsumugi: If we all stay stuck here, we'll just end up wasting time, so I think it might be a good idea for you to visit other stores to gain some insight.

I want you to leave this place to me and Shu-kun.

Tsukasa: Hah...I understand. Oogami-senpai, Yuuta-kun. I'm looking forward to working with you.

Yuuta: Yeah, same here! What are you going to wear? Are you just going as you are?

Tsukasa: No, I'm going to go change. Could you give me some time?

Koga: Alright. We'll wait for you outside.

Yuuta: See you later~!

Alrighty then, we're off for a visit!

Tsumugi: Take care~.

Shu: ...It's such a pity. I had no idea I'll have to stay with you, out of all people.

Tsumugi: I'm simply worried about leaving it to only Shu-kun and Suou-kun, who have little customer service experience.

Even if you went with them, will you be able to blend with them?

Shu: Excuse me. I'm more used to collective action than I was before. In Paris, I'm always surrounded by free people who pretend to be artists.

Tsumugi: Oh~. You must be a good influence there, then.

But still, Paris, huh... When I was still a student, I remember making the "French Special Corner", even though I haven't set foot in the country myself.

If I come visit sometime, will you show me around?

Shu: Non. I don't want to.

Tsumugi: Even if Natsume-kun and Sora-kun came along?

Shu: ………

...I never came to Paris to become a tourist guide.

However, it'll be troublesome if they go missing, so I'll simply lend a hand.

Tsumugi; Fufu, thank you very much.

Shu: Somehow, I feel like I'm being tricked into this.

Tsumugi: You are kindhearted.

Shu: Hm. You saying that won't make me feel proud at all.

Tsumugi: Aw, that's pretty harsh~♪

Prev | Masterlist | Next

Translated by mars | Proofread by machi

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

If you've ever wondered how some of the Anons were created.......

If you carefully watch the overall mood, tone, and topic of discussion you will be able to notice the pattern

The lower the mood the worse the tone of the anons, the lighter the tone the lighter the topic

I am of course referring to the sons that get sent to multiple blogs to initially stimulate the conversation

Think of them as conversation starters, it will gain an initial conversation response and then a bot will create a new response based on the data it received in order to keep the conversation going, hence different blogs will get different replies to their different responses

Every time the LSA threads got quiet, a "fake/new" account would appear on the thread and ask a random question, most fonts chase them off or call them cleaners

This is for the most part an automated system designed to agitate group discussions within various sectors to help artificially stimulate the desired analytics in terms of anons, fake bot accounts leaving comments on IG etc etc

But there are also paid trolls dropping relevant info to test what will take, and what will not, for complicated conversations chatbots simply can't accomplish the task adequately

The bots that are bought as part of a follow count for any user are designed to help emulate whatever it is that the highest analytics are providing to help reinforce it, which is why control of a narrative is so important, a lot of them are automated responses

This technique and technology is something being deployed across many different social media platforms for various uses

It's a type of conditioning reinforcement that catfishes the fandom into driving traffic, hence you will likely have watched Team PR and Team Real opinions get pushed further and further apart

AI chatbots that analyse your content will send requests, questions, "gossip tips" etc etc to blogs run by real human beings in order to trick their ego into giving a response, and further data they can then add to their data set and algorithm

Programs require user input to run hence the deep level of analysis on fandom chatter and the responses that then come out shaping both sides of the conversation

This is how fandoms, and the general public are slowly having their opinions and outlooks carefully manipulated to shape a rumour mill that can be quoted as "sources", bypassing the requirement for Mainstream media to have to do any real fact checking and still be able to create content, drive traffic using that clickbait, and reap the monetary benefits from the ad revenue from the resulting site traffic

Whoever has been paying for the creation of this AI content is responsible for the situation we are in now

Last I checked Christopher was not that tech savvy

🤍

[bethanydelleman]

I feel like we need to establish a better social contract around free Fan Fiction. If I read a story in front of you, you'd clap (I imagine) but post something online and people feel okay just reading it and staying silent.

I haven't done actual research, but I feel like people have become so used to free content on websites that they forget that most FF is written as a hobby by non-professionals. Other sites have paid workers behind their content (whether they are paid enough is another discussion but this is not the time). Even FF writers who will publish down the road are giving away their first drafts for free.

Readers should be giving back! It's just polite. Now I understand if you don't like an FF you might not want to be negative, that is fair. But I had a WIP that got nearly a thousand hits per post, so people clearly are enjoying it (do people read through 17 posts in hatred?) and yet I would get maybe 20-30 comments max per post. I have heard from some people that they don't know what to say or are nervous to comment.

Also, most people commenting are names I recognize; they comment habitually. I love them, they are great. But they shouldn't be carrying the whole weight of replying!

My FFs are written, edited, and beta-read. It takes hours of work. Can we not agree that I deserve a minor serotonin hit in for that effort?

I wrote out some suggestions, I think it might help FF writers to add something like this on their fics (it has helped me at least with comments):

I’m a person and while I do write for pleasure, I share it because I love to hear what other people think. So if you are enjoying this story, please take the time to comment, even if it's just to say, “Thank you.” or “I enjoyed that chapter”. I also am completely accepting of:

1. Parts that you really loved (so I can smile about it)

2. Parts that you found boring (I can learn from that)

3. Parts you found confusing (I will clarify and try to do better in the future)

4. Predictions (the best indicator of if I’m doing foreshadowing correctly is if a few people, but not all people, guess where I’m going)

5. Typo fixes (you would not even BELIEVE how incapable of spelling I am without a computer, I will take no offence)

6. Canon/character interpretation disagreements (I don’t think this character would ever do that! Being canon compliant or in-character is always what I am going for)

7. Your emotional response: “This made me feel… sad/angry/happy/relieved/in love/horrified/excited…”

I know not every author is accepting of constructive criticism but I am fully open to it. Please leave a comment if my stories have enriched your life in any way. Or even if it just helped you kill a few hours.

These of course can be modified if you don't want concrit. This did help me on a recent WIP.

But I do feel like this lack of commenting is a breakdown of social exchange and I don't know how to fix it.

I feel like this is an unpopular opinion, but more people should read incomplete/unfinished/in-progress fanfics.

I’ve noticed this huge trend where creators on tiktok and tumblr who will be explaining how to use Archive Of Our Own to new users and they always say “and make sure to scroll down and click completed only” or how people will go out of their way to mention they only read completed fics ‘because they were traumatized when they forgot to check the dates and didn’t realize this fic hadn’t been updated since 2012’.

The thing is - I think by not engaging with and/or actively avoiding writer’s WIPs readers are potentially adding to the aggregate of abandoned works. Now this obviously isn’t the case for all abandoned fics, anything from major life events, to loss of interest, to getting busy can be a reason for a fic getting abandoned - but at least on some level I just know that writers are quitting while they’re ahead when they aren’t garnering any response or feedback because reading WIPs has become unpopular. If you’re worried about reading something that hasn’t been updated since 2012 then you can use the date updated function to sort out old fics.

Anyways, support your favorite fanfic writers by engaging with their WIPs.

[www-tommydesigns-store]

A Journey to Custom Designs: The Struggles, Sarcasm, and Camouflage

So, here I am, on the brink of my third year trying to start a business without diving into the world of paid advertising. Why? Because I’d rather not spend my hard-earned time dealing with marketer spam while trying to build something meaningful. I mean, time is the only resource we can’t replenish, right?

Let’s be real: I started from rock bottom—no family support, no moral compass guiding me, and certainly no fan club cheering me on. I often wonder if my wife's family thinks I'm allergic to work. But let me set the record straight: I’ve clocked in 20 years in various jobs, working so hard that I could probably run my last job with my eyes closed and half-asleep. And just to clarify, I wasn’t exactly living the easy life—think roofing and setting up mobile homes. Fun, right? Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

I got burnt out, not by choice, but because my knack for honesty apparently made me too “real” for the job market. I mean, who needs honesty when you can hire someone to sing your praises, right? I’ve learned the hard way that companies often prefer a butt-kisser over a hardworking, honest employee. Believe me, I could write a book about the places I worked that still owe wages to former employees. Apparently, "free labor" is a thing if you can’t afford a lawyer. The way they dehumanize workers? It’s like watching a circus act, except you’re the clown.

Living in a town of 400 people has its perks—mainly the chance to witness some truly questionable decisions in the local job market. Once you call someone out, your employment chances become as slim as a supermodel on a diet. But you know what? I firmly believe in doing what’s morally right, even if it means putting my foot in my mouth (again). Sure, I still have bills piling up like my laundry basket, but this blog? It’s my little escape.

Now, let me take you back a bit. I somehow managed to squeeze in a year of college before we were almost tossed out of our home. I had nearly a full ride with scholarships and grants until, wouldn't you know it, someone went and told the world I was trying to make something of myself. Suddenly, the chair was pulled out from under me, and it was back to work or school—there wasn’t enough time for both. With 14-hour days becoming the norm, we barely had time to breathe, let alone hit the books.

Oh, and before I forget, I also proudly served my country for eight years in the armed forces. You’d think that would count for something, right? But no! I had a staff sergeant who couldn’t handle my views and opinions—guess they were clouding his brown-nosing abilities. So, I gracefully exited at the end of my service, leaving behind the buddy-buddy system that nearly derailed my military career.

Currently, I’m glued to my computer while living with family since our power’s out at home. My kids are staying with their aunt until we can all fit back under one roof. I miss them every day. Sure, they visit often, but it’s not the same as snuggling on the couch together. I’m also waiting on a job that involves leaving for 27-day stints on a boat. For a family man, that’s about as fun as a root canal. But here we are, just trying to hold on to the last threads of our sanity as everything crumbles around us. Life’s a real kick in the teeth, isn’t it?

Despite having nothing, I’d still give anyone the shirt off my back if it helps them out. But when does it start looking up for us? I mean, I’m basically a keyboard warrior at this point, sometimes staying up for 2-3 days straight, adding products to my site or revamping SEO until it shines like a freshly polished car. Here’s hoping Google isn’t suppressing me again for some ridiculous policy issues. All I’m trying to do is feed my family and get the lights back on, but it feels like the universe is playing a cruel joke.

My car is on its last leg, and unless I find a U-joint that’s practically extinct, I’m stuck. I’ve managed to keep the thing running for far too long, but at this point, I might as well buy a new driveshaft (at a cool $1500) or another car altogether. Fun fact: the most I’ve ever paid for a vehicle was $3,800. Who needs car payments, am I right? Work around here is as seasonal as the weather, and you can’t exactly haul 20-ton mobile homes over soggy ground or balance on roofs when it’s snowing.

Now, sorry for the long-winded intro—let’s get to the meat of this blog and the photos I’ll be sharing. Please don’t forget to like, share, comment, follow, etc.

Lately, I’ve been designing custom patterns, primarily camouflage. And one day, I thought, why not throw in some cannabis patterns to support legalization in my home state of Alabama? People down here act like they’re the gatekeepers of freedom, deciding who gets access to what. It’s a shame the pharmaceutical companies have their hands in the mix too. Shows you just how “free” we really are. But hey, people are going to do what they want, whether it’s through a licensed pharmacy or an unlicensed one. So here’s my take: mind your own business, and you won’t have time to meddle in mine.

So, I’ve released a new mix in my shop—what I envision #marijuana and #camouflage would look like as a pattern. I also create all my own camouflage designs for the clothing featured on my profiles or at www.tommydesigns.store (shameless plug).

A bit about me for those curious about how I landed in this field: not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Some of us get the raw end of the deal from day one, and I am definitely one of those people. If something can go wrong, it probably will. But I have the willpower to tackle nearly any challenge that comes my way.

I've been on this entrepreneurial journey for a while now, trying to keep my morals intact while navigating the murky waters of business. Being brutally honest can make it tough to find friends, a decent job, or even much of anything. I’ve been unemployed for three years—not because I’m lazy. I’m out there daily, working on the house, running errands, and rebuilding my website from scratch whenever I can’t make a payment.

I can’t seem to figure out why my sales are nonexistent. My website’s performance and SEO are solid, but I’m missing some secret sauce. I refuse to invade anyone's inbox—seriously, who likes spam? So, to any marketers out there reading this: if you’re not offering genuine, free information without a Fiverr link attached, just keep on scrolling.

On a brighter note, I create most of my graphics from scratch and occasionally use AI for reference. I’ve even penned six books on Amazon—mostly guides, how-tos, and self-help gems. Unfortunately, without any advertising budget, it’s a slow burn. I’ve studied top companies, and yet, I can’t pinpoint what’s missing in my strategy.

This isn’t about me seeking handouts. I believe in taking care of my own. Crowdfunding has proven to be a bit of a dead end without ads, so I set up a simple PayPal link on my social pages. If anyone wants to read my story, I’ll add it to this post.

So, there you have it—my journey through the ups and downs of starting a business while trying to keep a sense of humor. If you enjoy what I’m doing, please consider supporting my journey. Life’s tough, but so am I.

Website Links:

Amazon Author Page:

Discover the world of storytelling on my Amazon Author Page, where you’ll find a diverse collection of books spanning various genres, including self-help, survival, and fiction. Explore titles like "Survive & Thrive: Easy DIY Survival Tips & Tricks," designed to inspire and empower readers. Your support by purchasing or reviewing my books helps me continue to create and share valuable content. #AmazonAuthor #SupportIndieAuthors #BookCommunity

Paypal Link:

Paypal QR Code:

Stripe QR Code

Stripe Link:

Other and Social Links:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/l337app  

Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/designs_tommy

Threads Profile: https://www.threads.net/@designs_tommy 

TikTok Profile & Shop: https://www.tiktok.com/@tommy_designs

Pinterest Profile: https://www.pinterest.com/Designs_Tommy/

X/Twitter Profile: https://x.com/designs_tommy

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tommy_Designs

Mastodon Profile:https://mastodon.social/@tommydesigns 

Tumblr Blog: https://www.tumblr.com/tommydesigns2024 

DesignHill (Services & Products): https://www.designhill.com/member/tommyscouture 

BlueSky Page: https://bsky.app/profile/tommymarcum.bsky.social 

Redbubble(Store & Portfolio):  https://L337Apparel.redbubble.com 

ArtStation(Store & Portfolio): https://www.artstation.com/tommy_designs 

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommydesignsstore/ 

Twitch(Streaaming): https://www.twitch.tv/tommyscouture 

Throne(support streamers): https://throne.com/tommyscouture 

Beacons Page(Link in Bio/Subscribe): https://beacons.ai/tommydesigns

Tommy Designs(Main Apparel Store): https://tommy-designs-store.printify.me/ 

Instagram Bot  https://aistudio.instagram.com/ai/1071617124303632/?utm_source=share

[erithacuscreations]

06/24 Update (fundraising)

Hello again folks! Happy Pride! I hope you all have been doing well!

Work has been the same old daily slog; my drive is significantly longer now that I’m living in a different city and that bums me out a bit. Summer is always a slow season for us, and I can tell there’s not much room in the budget for hours because I’m not getting many! I’m constantly in a struggle trying to pick up more work there.

I haven’t been doing great about it, but I really need to push harder for commissions hard right now. My cat has some dental work that needs done, I have a medical bill that needs to be paid and a prescription to get, the car needs an oil change and new tires probably… I hate that I’m making more than most people doing the same thing, and I still can’t afford everything I need.

That said, I’m open for various types of commissions! Info can be found here: [https://erithacuscreations.carrd.co/]. I'll be making a more formal post on my "timeline" sites here soon that will be able to be reshared as well, if you're able to help that way.

Anyways, thank you for reading, as always, and I hope this upcoming week treats you well!

(Also, If you don't need a commission but can still afford to help, my Ko-fi can also be found on my website ;;)

(((Also also: Artfight! I am going to be attempting it for the first time this year. Here I am: [https://artfight.net/~ErithacusCreations]))

(((Also also ALSO, if you’re in the DFW, TX area and are interested in keeping isopods, I stock several species at the moment! I would love to introduce others to the hobby (and maybe buy my hungry bugs some more leaves while I’m at it hehe))))

[pithmemos]

third week of march

I'm reading Lovecraft--this really wonderful off-white and purple penguin classics edition of The Colour Out of Space (with the Whisperer in Darkness and the Shadow Out of Time)--and my brother is texting me at one am on a Wednesday a screenshot of a stranger's LinkedIn profile and a note: This is our half brother. The Whisperer in Darkness was my favourite of the three--I wonder if this was the suspicion, all along, the first of the three stories barely giving you anything, only the repercussions an individual family faces, and the third giving you all of it, everything you would never want to know, describing the others that you usually only hear / see in scratches on roads and in the dead dogs they leave outside residences. The names are all familiar to me from Julian Simpson's BBC audiodrama, which I never shut up about, and having just finished another re-listen of the entire series I nearly cried when I finished that second story. His horrors are so terrifying because they've been there all along, they've been watching you all along, they've been waiting for you all along. Those that don't learn the history of Earth and Lovecraft's other beings' involvement with it--they live peacefully, for the most part, or at least their futures don't become immediately doomed in the way our narrators' lives do as they read on, seek further. I think the tipping point for my brother doing the genetic test was the weak diagnosis I was given for my deafness (will I ever shut up about this, too) and the lack of basis there is for it on our mom's side. He didn't learn anything new, after all, and besides all the known evils from companies having this data there are also these names he has access to now, waiting to be looked up. I've claimed in the past that I don't care, wouldn't want to meet any of them, wouldn't even want to see a photo of our father--I'm protecting something by pretending that's the case, but I don't know what. I used to be (still am) in a Facebook group for the donor-conceived, where anonymous members called "angels" essentially stalk your potential family members for you and do the math on how they're related to you with the genetic data the sites provide. The angels are not allowed to be paid or have the favour returned, which makes me feel worse about what they're doing and why, but I would never enlist their help, anyway. It's too easy to keep going about life, (where is the time to investigate if and why I'd want a relationship with a genetic half sibling), and I know who it would hurt if I started actively searching. If it was all online, findable through public google searches, I would already know everything about them, though. I tried not to imagine anything looking at that photo my brother forwarded, but I knew within ten minutes that this guy, probably a bit younger than me, maybe a little older than my brother, had no social media. I haven't finished the Shadow Out of Time, yet--the point I'm at feels too obviously doomed. I'm waiting for the catch.

My left ankle is sunburnt from sitting out in the park reading last week, and it snowed on my walk home from work last night. ASL classes start tomorrow morning.

[kuuhakublank00]

Updates, I guess? (Part 2)

So well, after joining the company, I started staying at my uncle's place since they wanted us on-site and not doing work from home every single day. So the routine was to go and come back with my uncle. I also didn't like the family much (except for my cousin sister) because they were extremely right-wing and that didn't exactly sit right (heh) with me. My sister is still in school so she doesn't understand this stuff yet. Plus, our interests sort of match. I also introduced her to novels and Percy Jackson, before which she didn't ever like reading. So, that feels really good, honestly.

I also had a mini existential crisis because I found out that I don't want to be a data scientist because that is a research heavy role. But since I still like machine learning (ML) I could go for Data Engineer or ML Engineer. But these require SDE experience as well. So I had an existential crisis for about 2 days where I questioned my master's plan, talked to friends and seniors about it, questioned whether I should've gone for placements (I couldn't because the deadline to sign up for that was long gone). In the end, I decided to stick with my master's plan unless I found a good opportunity to get experience for a couple of years before going for master's.

But anyway, slowly, the routine changed to: get up at like 7:30, go to the office, work till 5:30/6 pm, come back, rest for a bit, work on college essays and the application processes till 2 am or something, sometimes 4 am if I had to meet the deadline, and then sleep. Missed 2 family trips, worked my ass off. It was really bad in Dec 15-20 because I had deadlines of like 5 colleges in that period. Dec 20 was also my project submission deadline for the internship, so that definitely didn't help things.

A few other things that happened as well during this time:

Made a new friend, my ex's best friend in fact. Wasn't really trying to hit on her, we just became friends naturally. Then she freaked out and stopped talking. Later talked about it, it was a little messy, but now we're okay.

Talked to my ex, told her how she made me feel as well back then. She apologised. But even now, since we'd decided to be friends, she doesn't really say much. I also sent a voice note to everyone that was important to me in 2023 on New Year's, and she just left a like on it. Proceeded to say "Did not know how to respond but did not want to leave you on read". Decided then that I wouldn't really keep in contact with this person anymore. We've had 2 conversations after that, pretty short ones.

Went to my college's farewell. It was nice to my friends again in person. I'd really missed them. Stayed in the hostel illegally as well lol.

Saw a post for an internship in machine learning at a startup. The company looked legit so I applied. Figured what's the worst that can happen, right? If I don't want it, I can just reject them. My uncle's company had offered me an extension after all and was even offering to start paying me. But then I got a callback for an interview, aced it, had another interview, and did good in that as well! Finally had one final interview call with the tech lead, and I got selected! I couldn't believe it! I had always wanted to get something without an influence on the hiring side. No referrals or anything. And this was my first paid internship as well. And I honestly couldn't have done it without my friends and family. Even more so, these guys hired 3 interns, and they want to convert 1-2 of them. So I hope all goes well and they convert me. This could be the opportunity that helps me gain experience before going for a master's. Plus, the funding would be really nice.

So yeah, that's been going well. I'm 2 months into this 4 month internship now. I think I'm doing well? I hope I get converted. I also moved to Bangalore because the freedom is nice, my hometown is not exactly for people my age? (it's a very slow city and I cannot for the life of me deal with that. Perhaps it would be something I would crave when I get tired of the hussle, but right now, I definitely do not like it). Trying to find friends here. That's hard.

[truemeaningforthepeople]

The Truth About McCluskey Chevrolet

 With Christmas around the corner and Thanksgiving almost here you would think that people would have more heart than they do but that isn’t so , not in the case of McCluskey Chevrolet Company. There are several complaints against this company and no matter how many times they have done people wrong they just pay their attorneys to clean up their dirty work and leave the hard working men and women without. Now I do not know about you, but I know with a company like that, that is cheating the hardworking people who are already suffering today. We already have the cost of living, food, gas, utilities, car and life insurance , and the cost of fixing our vehicles going up. So for a dealership to sell hardworking men and women bad vehicles and then not want to make right on what they are doing wrong I would say this company is not worth even looking at. Now I am not just writing about them because I was one of those customers but I have done extensive research in the time that I have been dealing with them. They have over 5000 reviews, none good on the Better Business Bureau site not counting how ever many complaints that have been made against them with the Federal Trade Commission and Most importantly the Ohio Attorney General. Now some people may ask why is the Ohio Attorney General so important, well that’s because they are uphold the law in the state of Ohio and keep the citizens safe from people safe from people like McCluskey Chevrolet, they are supposed to uphold the law when companies like this break the laws , but they don’t. Instead they do nothing. They do not hold them accountable for the illegal actions. They close cases faster than they open them. During the entire process of trying to get help from all these places they did nothing except say they would look into it and they are just a third party and they have to have enough complaints to even open a case when I found out that is not true. If a dealership sells an unsafe vehicle and also to someone who is not of sound mind at the time of sale it is an illegal transaction. They did nothing. They did not take into account even though there is Dr’s paperwork dating back for years. And also there is also Paperwork from the sale that doesn't even match what I have gotten since the sale by other companies. So what I have found out is that the company was willing to fix my car if I pay half of what is wrong with my car as long as I agree to sign documents that I will no longer post anything on the internet or say anything McCluskey has been informed I am writing this as well as the Ohio Attorney General because one broke the law the other is supposed to uphold the law. Just as well as the Warren County Sheriff office is supposed to and also the BMV but they do not. There is a document that I have that was not notarized in front of me and it was not. Instead the company waited until I was gone, the salesman knew I was having an anxiety attack and wanted to get out of there. I did not read a single piece of paper that he had me sign. His exact words are " let me have you sign so we can get you out of here. And before I even bought my car I asked if there was anything wrong with my car I was told no. But as soon as I paid the company money and signed their bogus paperwork, they told me they needed to keep my vehicle for them to do transmission work. Something that was not told to me when I bought the car was also illegal. Anything wrong with the vehicle is supposed to be told at the time of sale. Not telling me that the vehicle was in multiple accidents was also illegal. Now here is the catch: the Manager of the company has specifically stated on the Better Business Bureau site that it was my job to look it up and make sure even though when you go into a dealership they are to tell you that there has been damage, and also that the vehicle has been in any accidents. But the lawyer told me to prove it because I signed the back part of a carfax

[doberbutts]

For those who don't understand how homeownership builds wealth for generations, here is a look at my own life:

My parents bought a house in the 90s for about 90k. It is now worth 500k. It's paid off. When they die, the house is to be sold and the resulting money split evenly between my two sisters and myself. That's about 166k each. That amount of money, alone, would pay off ALL of my debt (my house, my car, my college loans, etc) and still have some left over. Of course I won't get the full amount because it will be taxed, but even after tax most if not all of my debt would vanish overnight. My sisters' debts would vanish overnight. They'd be able to funnel that money directly into schooling funds for their kids, or into home improvements, or other investments into their futures.

My godfather died of AIDS. He rented an apartment. When he died, I got nothing. He had nothing deemed "of value". His stuff was gathered and sold or stored away by his friends to pay for funeral costs. The only things I have left of Keith are his letters and cards.

The man that took his place as my godfather has already told my parents that he plans to leave his 2 million dollar estate to me when he dies. It will be sold and the money given to me as inheritance. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be sharing it with one of my sisters or if it's all going to me. Again, taxes will be taken out of it, but 1 or 2 million dollars??? That's an entirely different financial situation than I'm currently in. If his house sells for market value I'll go from living paycheck to paycheck to having a sizeable nest egg as well as having to actually look up how to invest large sums of money so it doesn't just sit in a bank account rotting, while also reducing my bills to just utilities and taxes and therefore enabling me to save that much more money.

I don't have children, and currently am single. There is a clause written into my mortgage that states that when I die, my house and assets should be sold and distributed evenly to my sisters' kids. If at this point I have already inherited what I know is pre-written for me, that's about 1.5 - 3 million (depending, as said, on whether I'm supposed to be splitting that estate or if it's all mine, and how much gets eaten by taxes) split 3 ways between my niece and nephews. Best case scenario, that instantly turns those kids into millionaires. One of those kids is already grown, just got married, with plenty of college debt and looking to buy a house and start a family with his wife. That will be a godsend for him, whenever that day comes.

All of the people in this scenario besides my mother are black.

Keith could not give me any money. Keith owned the contents of his apartment and that's it. Keith never had a lot of money so when he died his stuff had to be sold and my parents and their mutual friends had to pull together to fund his funeral and gravestone. Keith was a gay man dying of AIDS in the late 90s to early 00s- any biological family he had had long since written him out of their lives.

Chipp had the ability to buy his estate because he worked a job that paid his food and board for 40 years and thus he had ZERO bills outside of his car, which he didn't have to use for commuting because he lived on-site. He never had kids, and has remained an unmarried bachelor his entire life. He never spent his money until he retired, at which point he was given a sizeable pension on top of the massive savings he already had. So he put that money directly into something that would only gain value, so he could give it to the next generation that he helped raise.

When people are unable to buy houses, they are unable to do this. They remain stuck in a desperate financial situation they most likely will never dig themselves out of, and their kids will never see the fruits of their labor, because it's being siphoned away by rent and debt.

Three people in my life owning houses is what makes the difference between my current financial situation, and the one I already know is written into their wills. That's why it's bad that businesses and corporations are buying people out of affordable housing and creating this god awful market.