#i made an account so i should get a discount and am using that discount to make sure i can get a refund just in case

[vagueconfusion]

i am nervous about the show next week but.

i'm gonna do it, and i'm going to try to book my hotel today

[bitchesgetriches]

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about Saving Money and Being Frugal

We’re all in this together. Don’t give up.

On food and groceries:

How to Shop for Groceries like a Boss

Why Name Brand Products Are Beneath You: The Honor and Glory of Buying Generic

If You Don’t Eat Leftovers I Don’t Even Want to Know You

You Are above Bottled Water, You Elegant Land Mermaid

You Should Learn To Cook. Here’s Why.

On entertainment and socializing:

The Frugal Introvert’s Guide to the Weekend

7 Totally Reasonable Ways To Save Money on Cheap Entertainment 

Take Pride in Being a Cheap Date

The Library Is a Magical Place and You Should Fucking Go There

Your Library Lets You Stream Audiobooks and eBooks FOR FREEEEEEE!

What’s the Effect of Social Media on Your Finances?

You Won’t Regret Your Frugal 20s

On health:

How to Pay Hospital Bills When You’re Flat Broke

Run With Me if You Want to Save: How Exercising Will Save You Money

Our Master List of 100% Free Mental Health Self-Care Tactics

Why You Probably Don’t Need That Gym Membership

How to Get DIRT CHEAP Pet Medication, Without a Prescription 

On other big expenses:

Businesses Will Happily Give You HUGE Discounts if You Ask This Magic Question

Understand the Hidden Costs of Travel and Avoid Them Like the Plague

Other People’s Weddings Don’t Have to Make You Broke

You Deserve Cheap, Fake Jewelry… Just Like Coco Chanel

3 Times I Was Damn Grateful for My Emergency Fund (and Side Income) 

When (and How) to Try Refinancing or Consolidating Student Loans

The Real Story of How I Paid Off My Mortgage Early in 4 Years 

Season 2, Episode 2: “I’m Not Ready to Buy a House—But How Do I *Get Ready* to Get Ready?”

The Most Impactful Financial Decision I’ve Ever Made… and Why I Don’t Recommend It

On buying secondhand and trading:

Almost Everything Can Be Purchased Secondhand

I Am a Craigslist Samurai and so Can You: How to Sell Used Stuff Online

The Delicate Art of the Friend Trade

On giving gifts and charitable donations:

How Can I Tame My Family’s Crazy Gift-Giving Expectations?

In Defense of Shameless Regifting

Make Sure Your Donations Have the Biggest Impact by Ruthlessly Judging Charities

The Anti-Consumerist Gift Guide: I Have No Gift to Bring, Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum

How to Spot a Charitable Scam

Ask the Bitches: How Do I Say “No” When a Loved One Asks for Money… Again? 

On resisting temptation:

How to Insulate Yourself From Advertisements

Making Decisions Under Stress: The Siren Song of Chocolate Cake

The Magically Frugal Power of Patience

6 Proven Tactics for Avoiding Emotional Impulse Spending

On minimalism and buying less:

Don’t Spend Money on Shit You Don’t Like, Fool

Everything I Know About Minimalism I Learned from the Zombie Apocalypse

Slay Your Financial Vampires

The Subscription Box Craze and the Mindlessness of Wasteful Spending

On saving money:

How To Start Small by Saving Small

Not Every Savings Account Is Created Equal

The Unexpected Benefits (and Downsides) of Money Challenges

Budgets Don’t Work for Everyone—Try the Spending Tracker System Instead

From HYSAs to CDs, Here’s How to Level Up Your Financial Savings

Season 2, Episode 10: “Which Is Smarter: Getting a Loan? or Saving up to Pay Cash?”

The Magic of Unclaimed Property: How I Made $1,900 in 10 Minutes by Being a Disorganized Mess

We will periodically update this list with newer articles. And by “periodically” I mean “when we remember that it’s something we forgot to do for four months.”

Bitches Get Riches: setting realistic expectations since 2017!

Start saving right heckin’ now!

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[gingersnaptaff]

Me again! Bringing in some hot gossip about the Welsh Laws of Women. (By which I mean from the laws of Hywel Dda.)

No. No! Don't run away, it's good shit, I promise!

So, the legal majority for a girl was twelve. This is different to a boy. Under Welsh law, they didn't become men until they were 14, and, if they were high-ranking, were fostered out to other nobles, whereas girls were kept at home, hence the 'father's platter.' What's interesting to me is that after she became a woman she was entitled to hold her own property as an unmarried woman and 'go wherever she pleased.'

I realise I am saying that verbatim to what I've highlighted but like think about it!!!! She wasn't bound to her family - except in marriage but I'll get into that - and she legally had the right to go bye byes! Her father didn't rule her life, basically. She's a free spirit.

NOW, the right to land is pretty tricky, on account of different parts of Wales having different customs. You gotta remember that Wales was NEVER really united* under one big fish until AFTER the Normanic Conquest, and even then that took some fuckin doing.

(*Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Owain Gwynedd, and Llywelyn Fawr are exceptions. That's the House of Aberffraw, bb!)

So, in South Wales, it seems more prevalent to give land to a lady's descendants when there were no men to take up the land. This is far better than in North Wales (and may I just say as a North Walian *clears throat* WHAT THE FUCK?) where basically Salic Law applied which is basically where u gotta give it to a male descendent. Female lineal descendants were excluded. Boo!!!

BUT!!! However, matrilineal bloodlines should not be discounted. Royal women still had claims to the throne that could be used by their descendants to press their claim. Owain Glyndŵr did this. I suspect if u were related to a Welsh lady you could try and do it but, pls, don't use this tumblr post to try and convince the jury. It's on you, bud.

MAWWIAGE. IT'S WHAT BWINGS US TOGETHER.

Now, there are two forms of marriage. Your normal one where your parents pick for you or at the very least gift u to your husbando like in Culhwch and Olwen, and the one where you can ELOPE. Because Welsh law didn't see marriage as a religious thing the sanctity of marriage wasn't in question so, therefore, you could have a little fun and y'know nyoom after your chosen beau. (Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd ap Cynan did this. She's ace.)

The Mabinogi gives us a lot of good shit about the gift of kin stuff. Branwen gets gifted to Matholwch by Bendigeidfran, all fine and dandy. BUT Welsh law states that your relatives - mam, dad, grandads, grandmum's, great-grandad's and grrat-grandmum's - needed to take counsel cuz y'know it's a big fuckin thing, giving somebody in marriage. So, that's why Efnisien is so upset because he wasn't given a say. He thinks he is legally entitled to do so. However, he's only her half-brother so not full-blooded. Therefore, he's unable to have a say because he isn't fully related to her.

(A lot of Welsh law is prevaricated on kin ties.)

Also for all u Rhiannon lovers out there - like me - the Welsh law was on her side when she fought to free herself from Gwawl ap Clud. (Although the badger-in-a-sack game was a bit much.) Welsh law forbade a woman from being married against her will. Yeah, your family could try and capture you and bring you back but like if you'd bonked the lad you could stay. You'd made your choice. Nobody can take that away from you. All that was needed in a personal bestowal was continued cohabitation. *clicks teeth, finger guns.*

Also, there are marriage laws too, but I don't want to clutter up the feed too much, or overly ramble. Suffice to say there's some fun ones!

[stopaskingme]

not afraid to say the last scene pissed the hell out of me. did Xiao heng survive to return to her? how? The visuals from the battle clearly showed he was outnumbered and ready to face his death. they didn't show his face either, which is a cop out because seeing his reaction to reuniting with her would make it real. while this drama wants to keep the ending ambiguous.*

(*I heard there was a special epilogue? but it's not included in the original run, so I am discounting it.) not to mention, we only ever see A-Li in full red in those flashback fantasies with Shen Yurong; you know the one where he be playing the flute and she's dancing and pleasantly entranced in the harmonious love they shared.

it's an idealistic moment, which probably never happened, and is there to serve as a symbol of 'when times were good' between the two of them.

so, taking all that into account, and in the final scene, A-Li is wearing all red, AND, she'd explicitly discussed her plans if Xiao Heng died in battle and never returned ("I'll wear my hair up like a widow for the rest of my life," she told Jiang Yuanbai.) - I absolutely read this scene as a reunion in heaven. She's in her full red, and we never see his face even as he comes charging in on a horse; white jade cat dangling from his belt.

it's a joyous reunion in death. and I hate this for them because everything in the writing was signposting as happily ever after for the couple. This ending was most definitely drawn up to get people talking, even after the show ends, but it betrays the spirit of the show so much that I'm just pissed.

you can argue that the Dai kingdom took Xiao Heng alive, and somehow, the Emperor brought Xiao Heng back for this triumphant reunion. But that would be reaching.

Textually, it's absolutely implied that Xiao Heng does not make it. Even if the overwhelming enemy soldiers do not convince you, Lu Jin and Wen Ji's death should.

Sigh.

Su-guogong, su-guogong. After your dramatic entry in the first episode, the way you endeared yourself to the audience with your thirst for drama and then the way you and A-Li made us kick our feet when you started to fall in love and flirt. what an utter fucking waste.

[johnnylandslide]

You know I had to ask Estinien

I wouldn't have expected anything less! Alright, here goes:

Estinien had been lingering awkwardly near the Warrior of Light for several minutes now. There was a question that needed to be asked, but he could not for the life of him conceive of a way to ask properly. To make matters worse, when he'd voiced his concern to Aymeric earlier today, the man had actually told him off and warned him that his question might even offend.

That brought up even more sinister implications. Estinien both needed to ask this question, and ask it in a way that made sure it never found its way back to her. He felt a faint chill run down his spine.

"Alrighty, let's do Shinryu next! This was first song of his I heard, and it's still one of my favorites!" Johnny called out to the Seventh Heaven tavern, gesturing for his bachelor party guests to give the Wandering Minstrel a round of applause.

Estinien put his hands together for the bard along with everyone else. As Johnny headed back over to his seat, though, Estinien saw his chance, closing the distance and placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Johnny."

"Yes?"

Estinien went silent, hand still on Johnny's shoulder. He was fumbling already. He had to ask indirectly.

"How is your... financial situation?" he settled for.

"Well, this wedding has been a nightmare-"

Estinien's eyes went wide, and he tightened his grip on Johnny's shoulder. Right from the start, this was worse than he'd thought. "A nightmare?!"

"Financially, I mean! We invited way too many people, and we didn't exactly pick a cheap venue, either. Nanamo did give us a discount, but there's only so much she can do. We've burned through a lot of savings. Tataru's happy to spend it though; a huge royal wedding was always a dream of hers."

There was still plenty of room for sinister motives here. Estinien had to inquire further. "Are you paying for it, or is Miss Tataru?"

Johnny laughed outright; the question seemed bizarre. "We're getting married, Estinien! We've had a joint account for months already. What are you getting at?"

"I am curious if this is putting you into debt," Estinien said. That was how the woman had ensnared him the first time, and if she was using the same strategy once again, then he needed to do what he could to rescue his friend from it. "You, personally. If someone is gaining leverage over you through this union."

"I don't understand what you mean," Johnny said.

This wasn't working. Next time, he'd ask Alphinaud for help with subtle implications. For now though, he asked directly. "Are you marrying Tataru out of love?"

"...I thought that was pretty obvious," Johnny said, confused.

"That's good," Estinien said. He just needed to check one more time, keeping extra close attention to Johnny's expressions for any signs of coercion. "You truly love her?"

"Yes!" he said. "Tataru is the kindest, sweetest, cutest girl in all Eorzea, and I still cannot believe she's going to marry me. We were together through some of my hardest times, but also some of the best times! She's always been there for me, ever since the first time I walked into the Waking Sands."

Estinien slowly nodded.

"The first time I actually noticed how cute she is was back then, actually. I was leaving on a mission, and I looked over her desk to see what she was up to, and on the Scion roster she'd drawn this little flower next to my name. I should have just proposed to her right there and saved us both half a decade."

"Ah. I understand."

"Then there was Ishgard, which was really rough. Every time we got back to the city, though, she was there in the Forgotten Knight waiting for me, ready to tell me about all the stuff she'd gotten up to while we were out. She really livened that place up, made it feel like a home. That's what Tataru is to me; she's my home."

Estinien nodded again.

"She made this shirt and cape for me, you know? These boots, too," Johnny said, pointing to them. "That white suit I have was the first outfit she made for me. I didn't really put much thought into what I wore before that, but she took such care in making it match the rest of the Scions that it made me feel like part of the group for the first time. She made an entire suit to help me feel included. She's the best."

Estinien hoped this would end soon.

"Also, I just can't believe I'm dating her. Engaged to her! I'm marrying her tomorrow, Estinien! She used to do this thing to get my attention where she would raise both her hands and hop up and down, and it was so cute that I had this urge to just pick her up and kiss her, and now I can! She likes to ride on my shoulder when we go shopping because she tells me it makes her feel like a princess, and when we hug I can pull her so close."

By the Fury, how much longer was this going to go? Estinien could clearly see his initial worries could not possibly have been more misplaced; the only worry remaining being how he was going to escape this.

"She called me her hero when we got back from the big thing, by the way. People have said that to me before, but never like she has. You know?"

"That is... good," Estinien said, eyes flitting about the room looking for an exit.

"Also, her hair is the color of a sunset-"

The sound of a spoon clinking against a glass rang out, Thancred at another table getting Johnny's attention. Estinien gave silent thanks to the Twelve for the reprieve.

"Wrap it up, Landslide! We're all waiting on you," Thancred called out.

Johnny swallowed the rest of his sentence, realizing that seven other people were waiting on him so they could listen to the next song.

"Oops, sorry about that. Okay, I'm ready!" he called. Before the Minstrel began to play, he whispered quickly to Estinien, "Yes, I love her. There's no funny business going on. Thank you for checking, though."

Estinien sighed. Whatever hallucination this bard's next song brought on would be a welcome change of pace from listening to this newlywed. He seemed to be truly happy, and if he happened to find that happiness with the Scions' terrifying pink menace, then Estinien was not one to judge.

[idreamtofmanderleyagain]

I have done some RP with this tech. I am still considering all the ethical concerns going on right now with AI, particularly when it comes to how it interacts with my own communities and spaces. So I won't discount this post. I want to take as much information as I can into consideration. I understand why people feel the things they do and are spreading these kind of opinions.

I would agree regarding things like making audio and video of real actors who have not consented to their likenesses being used by anyone. We should be working together to protect people from their image being used in harmful ways. If this tech progresses in any healthier or more ethical ways, I hope people in fandom will not support works that are presumptuously using actual likenesses without considering the real humans it can impact. If you are going to use it for creative purposes like this, change likenesses. Use fake voices or work with voice actors who consent to public domain usage of voice AIs they create.

Respectfully, I am not convinced that RP or many other ways individuals are or are going to use RP is going to make much of a difference when it comes to the rest of it.

First of all, one thing that doesn't check out for me is where OP thinks RP is taking place. My impression is that most RPrs are using CharacterAI, which is a chatbot that exists and is trained pretty much only for fictionalized chatting. Now, there are ethical issues absolutely going on with C.AI that it's own community have already been discussing, and there of course are possible ways it can be utilized for text based impersonation online (but any random human can do that more effectively). I think more needs to be done to hold these devs accountable for shady practices, frankly.

But my understanding is that ChatGPT, which is touted as a multi tool and is one of the worst chatbot AI culprits, is mostly not used at all for RP, because it's very very bad at it. So most RP folks probably aren't even training that particular chatbot.

So maybe OP knows something I don't, but that aspect doesn't seem like the correct information. But I digress.

The problems and dangers of AI are going to persist whether people try their hardest to avoid it or not, because the cat is already out of the bag and made its way down the block. There are many people outside of fandom and artistic spaces who are absolutely going to be using this tech for shady shit regardless of what anyone else does. Yes, training data will help it get a little more sophisticated (and potentially also more broken). But saying much can be affected by fandom en masse refusing to use it is kind of like saying "if we all just stopped buying things containing plastic, the earth would be saved!" It's not...really realistic at all. It puts the onus and spotlight on regular people doing the least direct harm, when again, the majority of harm is going to be the things OP already knows they are. Shady corporations, shady governments, propagandists. They are going to shovel the largest chunks of data into it and the most money. They will direct the tech in the directions they want it to go, not in any directions we want it to go (even if we just want it to go straight to hell).

Training data that is made up of people making their OTPs kiss...will feed OTP kissing data into the tech. the tech will learn from that data how we use romantic language. (In fact, its arguable that the more RP is choking a system, the less data focused on other material is going to be in the output. C.AI. literally already has that "problem," the characters often lean a little bit more towards romantic RP because thats the majority of the training data. But I digress again.)

Right now, I am more concerned about the people RPing/chatting with it using it as a replacement for therapy they cannot afford, a replacement for healthy socialization they no longer have time for, or feeding too much sensitive personal information into it. I think the most direct harm with AI RP is going to be young folks who do not have the access to care they need using it as the only tool available to them, and make no mistake, these companies want to exploit that and replace real therapists too.

Now, that said, one thing that I am observing is that a lot of very (reasonably) frightened and distressed folks are looking for ways to resolve their distress. People feel like if they can just point the finger at their neighbor, or instruct others in their communities on how to behave, or shun/ostracize certain folks doing the "wrong" behaviors, or construct a perfect, squeaky clean ethical philosophy around the whole topic, or catastrophize enough about the potential dangers so we cover all our bases before bad things happen, that maybe this can all just be resolved. If AI is hated eternally and we all just collectively reject it out of disgust and/or terror, maybe we can shove it under the rug and that will just fix everything.

Have you guys all rejected plastic completly from your lives? I mean, none of us but a small few really need it, right? There are ways around using it, right? We all collectively know plastic is harmful, as well as useful. Many of us try our best to navigate a world full of plastic, we try our best to be kind to our environment. We are still working to make the world healthier. But we know nothing will actually change until the people in positions of power are held truly accountable. And getting angry or distressed at the actions of your neighbor isn't really the best investment of that passion and energy.

Realistically, I think this is going to be an unavoidable part of our reality. I think that rather than rejecting it entirely out of fear and anger, we are going to have to focus on passing comprehensive laws and regulations to protect the most people that we can. We need to stage protests where applicable. Vote in our best interests. We are going to have to ensure that people get the most robust education they can regarding what this technology actually is and what it can actually do, so they know how to deal with it and advocate for themselves the most effectively. I believe that if we choose to lean a little bit into this wave with courage and a willingness to learn as much as possible, take in bad and good with open eyes, we might be able to better absorb the blow of it with our heads still above the water. Blind resistance might do nothing, or might even swallow us up in our own paranoia and misdirected feelings. Particularly if it's coming from a less informed position.

this is an earnest and honest plea and call in especially to fandoms as i see it happen more - please don't use AI for your transformative works. by this i mean, making audios of actors who play the characters you love saying certain things, making deepfakes of actors or even animated characters' faces. playing with chatGPT to "talk" or RP with a character, or write funny fanfiction. using stable diffusion to make interesting "crossover" AI "art." i KNOW it's just for fun and it is seemingly harmless but it's not. since there is NO regulation and since some stuff is built off of stable diffusion (which uses stolen artwork and data), it is helping to create a huge and dangerous mess. when you use an AI to deepfake actors' voices to make your ship canon or whatever, you help train it so people can use it for deepfake revenge porn. or so companies can replace these actors with AI. when you RP with chatGPT you help train it to do LOTS of things that will be used to harm SO many people. (this doesn't even get into how governments will misuse and hurt people with these technologies) and yes that is not your fault and yes it is not the technology's fault it is the companies and governments that will and already have done things but PLEASE. when you use an AI snapchat or instagram or tiktok filter, when you use an AI image generator "just for fun", when you chat with your character's "bot," you are doing IRREPARABLE harm. please stop.

[doe-rates-stuff]

I know I don't really use this account anymore but I need to shout about it somewhere. Genshin impact y'all. Genshin impact.

The music score is absolute top tier not only in quality but also quantity. Almost 100 titles for Fontaine alone, and I probably am not even counting all areas of Fontaine. A unique fighting soundtrack for every region that somehow does not get old. Cinematic scores that to me are honestly big cinema worthy. Sometimes orchestral, sometimes more subdued, Inazuma Sumeru and Fontaine boss fights are what I think is rock? And it's so fun.

Scenery? This is the most obvious one but I will not discount it bc you will see previews and still images and go yes, this is nice actually. Very pretty and picturesque. And then you'll stand on a mountaintop looking at the sun set, see the colours change and know it looks completely different standing at the foot of the mountain and you couldn't decide which view is better while the colours shift from one delightful hue to another.

The story feels so full and it is clear how much it has evolved from mondstadt to Fontaine alone. And mondstadt was already fun! I enjoyed it, and it felt like a satisfying narrative. In fact, all of the areas I've explored have had extremely interesting and satisfying narratives that have drawn me in and made me want to know more. I personally am a fan of all things mystery, so I have been having a blast specifically in Sumeru and Fontaine, but Inazuma and Liyue were engaging and fun to play through as well. Really the only thing I would criticise is them not fully following through on the mystery. Both in Sumeru and Fontaine did they in my opinion reveal the truth a smidge too soon, and put scenes after where The Traveller is still trying to find out the mystery while you, the player already have gotten an extended cutscene. For example in Fontaine, Neuvilette and Furina's cutscene should come just after The Traveller and Furina's and not The Travellers in the middle. I think it would have been great to build a bit more tension and make the reveal hit even harder. And, I do understand why they did it in this way because narratively it does make sense like this too. I just like being hit in the face with realisation even more. I don't remember what exactly the scene in Sumeru was, but I remember thinking a similar thing, because they had built anticipation with hints and all these insinuations really well, but it did feel a bit like not following through, because all the way through you and your Traveller know the same amount, but suddenly they change that right before the end where The Traveller gets all the information anyways. But all in all as I've said. The stories are incredibly engaging and more than once ice found myself unable to stop at the time I wanted to because I need to know what happens next.

Boss fights. After having finished Tears of the Kingdom just before, I had been curious about the boss fights since Totk had been slightly lacking in that. Especially in Totk the boring thing was that every boss fight had pretty much the same lead-up and the same beats. Essentially it was the same fight in differnt clothes. Even Breath of the Wild had had more variety. So I was curious about how genshin would handle it. Divalin's two stages were fun if a bit hard to get the hang of, but I was optimistic and thought that if the next fight would just not be exactly the same, I would be fine. And the next boss fight in liyue was the coolest fucking thing. I had. So much fun in that. It did such a good job really making you feel as powerful as people kept telling you that you were. And it was very different! Inazumas and Sumerus boss fights were not my favourite but I think I had had my characters slightly underleveled for both. But they also were completely different! And uniquely fun and challenging.

The levelling system is incredibly complex considering how many characters you can and will have, there are multiple ways to level characters, weapons and the difficulty and rewards in-game which is just a fully wildass system that they somehow manage to implement so slowly that you can get your head around it by the time it's time to actually do something about it. How. And also why. There's already 84 characters and counting. I don't think I want to know how many weapons there actually are.

And also. This game is free. I have not paid a single cent and I've been able to do all of this. Fully for zero cents and zero euros. None. What the fuck. I would fully buy this game and with all of the included gameplay expect it to cost me a small fortune but I do not in fact have to. Because this game does not cost. Anything.

(Yes you can buy things and yes it is a gacha game. I am aware that they do in fact need a way to actually make money and this is it. But still. No one's forcing you to play a guessing game with real money. I have a decent amount of characters and as said, have not spent a single cent.)

[petluxe157]

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There will be an abundance of opportunities for you if you are good at seizing them. Rest assured, our spa staff will take care of your cherished pet. The those that really dove into their work achieved remarkable results. Trust the spa personnel to provide outstanding service. You need not be concerned about this promise. We can say this with confidence now that we've resolved your concerns. I mean, come on! You should always give your pet plenty of space to roam and unwind. Breathe deeply to bring yourself to the here and now. Please don't hesitate to contact us whenever you have questions about redeeming this pet grooming discount code. If you're not sure what your pet like when it comes to grooming, we provide personalised services to assist you figure it out. You may wind up saving a tonne of money if everything goes according to plan. Why? To get the campaign rolling earlier than planned, take advantage of our limited-time offer. On the other hand, you could do nothing at all. Because nothing has changed on that front, you can relax. We landed ourselves in this embarrassing situation because our previous plan did not account for the actual cost of honesty services. The results of your decisions are completely out of your control. Our wide range of pet care services is the main reason for this issue. Remember this so you can act more sensibly. This is extremely important in light of recent events. 

All it takes to unwind when the mood strikes is a short horseback ride. We have a large, welcoming indoor space in addition to an outside play area. I implore you to read this if you hold a negative view of kennels. We are writing to formally request that you take action regarding our pet boarding issue, which is rapidly becoming out of hand. If we desire this change to occur, we must maintain our luminous presence. We will have achieved our goal of becoming the market leaders regardless of the outcome. Our dreams can finally come true now. Every ounce of our being is going into this because of how important it is. When you're not looking, Fido can run amok in the garden grooming services I am completely unprepared when it comes to this specific matter. Nothing will change; everything will stay the same. Analysing the reasoning and assumptions that underpinned them occupies a significant portion of the book. The journey will undoubtedly remain etched in the kids' minds indelibly. My assertions from this semester do not necessitate any additional research. The reply is hard to make sense of. Our ability to reach more people will be greatly enhanced by this technique. The outcome of the operation will determine their fate. This is just one example of how decisions made here can have a significant impact. I assure you this is in no way an all-inclusive list. 

We will continue searching for your beloved canines until we receive a response from you. With this agreement in place, you can have peace of mind knowing that your children are protected. Healthcare, social security, and special needs children all have far more serious issues. Our clients may rest assured that we will provide them with first-rate help for whatever size or complexity of project. To satisfy their extensive set of demands, multiple plans are presently under development. There is no going back once our hearts are involved. Your pets will receive first-rate care from our veterinary technicians while you're away. Right now, more than ever, it's beneficial to focus on the here and now and to keep things simple. Put your personal happiness first at this very moment. 

[mahamid110]

Voice2Content Review 👉 Bonuses + All-in-one Bundle ( Neil Napier ) - Should I Get This Software?

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[technologywalabandha]

What to Consider in Buying Laptop: 4 Things Related to This

A laptop provides the resources needed to be a successful Business Rocket, from registering for classes to accessing notes and taking exams.Before talking about what to consider in buying laptop, let us talk about what kind of questions we will talk about.

so let's move on our queries :)

our queries will be like this:

Q1. How We Decide Which Laptop to Buy?

Q2 Which Laptop Brand is Best For Students?

Q3 Which Laptop Company gives Students Discount?

what to consider in buying laptop

So the answer of the first question is

First of all, I am proud of myself that I am an Indian and I will say Jai Hind, Vande Mataram from my heart. Whenever it comes to buying a laptop or any tech accessories in our mind, we want to buy it at an affordable price, but before that we should know that what kind of company's laptop should we buy and what kind should not.

Pro Tip 1: Buy only those laptops or accessories which are manufactured in India or originated by any other country, but we do not want to buy laptops made in China or Origin in China.

Pro Tip 2: While buying a laptop, it must be checked that the service center of your laptop company should be in your nearby area or city only, because after the return period of the e-commerce site from which you have ordered the product, if for some reason your laptop If it gets damaged then it is not their responsibility to repair your laptop.

Pro Tip 3: Whichever company your laptop is in, it takes the responsibility of repairing your laptop in the warranty period and if your laptop service center is not near you, then the company will come and take the laptop from outside to fix it on your request. But after taking it, your laptop may not get fixed within a few months and it may also happen that the company may stop responding to you.

So the answer of the second question is

Apart from the laptops manufactured by China, we should buy all the laptop companies like Acer, Asus, Dell and Lenovo. Of these, Dell and HP laptops can be a bit expensive, but you can also go with Asus and Acer.

For all the students, laptops with i 3 processor are perfect, in which we can do browsing and editing with normal multi-tasking, and the price of laptops with i 3 processor is maximum 25 to 30 thousand, which is a very good option for us.

So the answer of the third question is:

 I will always tell you only one thing that you should always buy tech products from manufacturers of India and other countries (except China).

According to my research students get discounts upto 5000 on specific laptops and the rate of discounts may vary according to the occassions.

So the answer of the fourth question is: 

i will introduce you to the website and apps for Find The Real time Price of our Favourite Laptop or Accessories.

FAQ's 

Q. How can We Find The Real time Price of our Favourite Laptop or Accessories?

Both Amazon and Flipkart are e-commerce websites where you can buy all kinds of products, but remember that you should not buy any product sold by any seller because anyone can create a fake account and sell you anything.

After all this information, if you have taken the decision to buy a laptop, then go to YouTube and research once about the laptop you have decided to buy and use the official purchase link given in the caption by YouTubers.

Note: You can find out whether the seller is official or not by yourself. After clicking on the product on amazon, scroll down and look at the bottom if sold by "seller's name" and full fill by amazon is written then you can buy that product.

And similarly after clicking on the product on Flipkart and scroll down if you see Flipkart assured then you can buy that product.

Note: If Full Fill By Amazon is written below in the description of the product in Amazon and Flipkart Asured is written below in the description of Flipkart, then you must also see the videos and photos posted in its reviews there.

You May Like This: Buying a Second hand Laptop: Things to Keep in Mind

The suggestions given by me are absolutely accurate and have been researched and applied by me.

In the end, I would like to tell you that after reading the entire article, you should buy any product only after doing research by yourself.

See you in a new article till then Jai Hind to all, Vande Mataram.

[bitchesgetriches]

On food and groceries:

How to Shop for Groceries like a Boss

Why Name Brand Products Are Beneath You: The Honor and Glory of Buying Generic

If You Don’t Eat Leftovers I Don’t Even Want to Know You

You Are above Bottled Water, You Elegant Land Mermaid

You Should Learn To Cook. Here’s Why.

On entertainment and socializing:

The Frugal Introvert’s Guide to the Weekend

7 Totally Reasonable Ways To Save Money on Cheap Entertainment

Take Pride in Being a Cheap Date

The Library Is a Magical Place and You Should Fucking Go There

Your Library Lets You Stream Audiobooks and eBooks FOR FREEEEEEE!

What’s the Effect of Social Media on Your Finances?

You Won’t Regret Your Frugal 20s

On health:

How to Pay Hospital Bills When You’re Flat Broke

Run With Me if You Want to Save: How Exercising Will Save You Money

Our Master List of 100% Free Mental Health Self-Care Tactics

Why You Probably Don’t Need That Gym Membership

On other big expenses:

Businesses Will Happily Give You HUGE Discounts if You Ask This Magic Question

Understand the Hidden Costs of Travel and Avoid Them Like the Plague

Other People’s Weddings Don’t Have to Make You Broke

You Deserve Cheap, Fake Jewelry… Just Like Coco Chanel

3 Times I Was Damn Grateful for My Emergency Fund (and Side Income)

When (and How) to Try Refinancing or Consolidating Student Loans

The Real Story of How I Paid Off My Mortgage Early in 4 Years

Season 2, Episode 2: “I’m Not Ready to Buy a House—But How Do I *Get Ready* to Get Ready?”

The Most Impactful Financial Decision I’ve Ever Made… and Why I Don’t Recommend It

On buying secondhand and trading:

Almost Everything Can Be Purchased Secondhand

I Am a Craigslist Samurai and so Can You: How to Sell Used Stuff Online

The Delicate Art of the Friend Trade

On giving gifts and charitable donations:

How Can I Tame My Family’s Crazy Gift-Giving Expectations?

In Defense of Shameless Regifting

Make Sure Your Donations Have the Biggest Impact by Ruthlessly Judging Charities

The Anti-Consumerist Gift Guide: I Have No Gift to Bring, Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum

How to Spot a Charitable Scam

Ask the Bitches: How Do I Say “No” When a Loved One Asks for Money… Again?

On resisting temptation:

How to Insulate Yourself From Advertisements

Making Decisions Under Stress: The Siren Song of Chocolate Cake

The Magically Frugal Power of Patience

6 Proven Tactics for Avoiding Emotional Impulse Spending

On minimalism and buying less:

Don’t Spend Money on Shit You Don’t Like, Fool

Everything I Know About Minimalism I Learned from the Zombie Apocalypse

Slay Your Financial Vampires

The Subscription Box Craze and the Mindlessness of Wasteful Spending

On saving money:

How To Start Small by Saving Small

Not Every Savings Account Is Created Equal

The Unexpected Benefits (and Downsides) of Money Challenges

Budgets Don’t Work for Everyone—Try the Spending Tracker System Instead

From HYSAs to CDs, Here’s How to Level Up Your Financial Savings

Season 2, Episode 10: “Which Is Smarter: Getting a Loan? or Saving up to Pay Cash?”

The Magic of Unclaimed Property: How I Made $1,900 in 10 Minutes by Being a Disorganized Mess

[druid-delaluna]

What happened in that official discord

I will not be listing anyone's names. Use your context clues or whatever I don't care, just don't send hate to anyone involved. This is just me trying to sort out my feelings on the situation and get some closure.

Okay, for context, I've been in the eddsworld official server since it opened in February 2019. I was a very active member and if you remember druid/laly that was me. In 2021 I was given the chance to become a curator thanks to an old admin(Also there were barely any adults and mods had to be adults to sign their NDA)

Another fast forward to July 2022, the mod team was told a few days prior that the server would be Patreon only. We made our case for being against the change but after a meeting with Bing, he change a few mod's minds (I still held onto it being a bad idea but it wasn't really like I could change the situation). The day happened, the announcement was made, and all hell broke loose. You can imagine what happen when you tell over 11,000 fans that their server is going to Patreon only when it has been free for the past three years.

So why am I speaking about my experience? Well, I wanted to put it to rest, I wanted to go into the new year not feeling like I held my tongue on a shitty situation. What happen is this artist during the situation made a comment about how happy they were about the change. Now I'm all for opinions, speak your mind you know. But in that situation where the mods are scrambling to handle a SHIT TON of angry and upset kids, it wasn't the time nor place for that. Also, I knew that this artist would get hate, so I reach out and told them pretty much to not fucking do that. It was taken wrong, maybe my tone or message wasn't clear of my intent? But this artist is an adult, they should have known better. And I honestly was just saying it, to help them out. They later come on to say they got death threats and I'm just thinking, what did you think I was trying to do by telling you to knock it off?? I knew that shit would happen and wanted to prevented it.(now I DO NOT condone death threats, earlier I told the mods to close their dms because I knew it would happen and it did) .It's the evening and this artist seem to have gotten their friends involved?? And I notice this tone and reaction to anything I do or say and I'm not one to beat around the bush, I ask what's up, get shit in return, okay whatever. It was when troll accounts were brought in to mock only me. Mind you there are other mods doing the same thing I'm doing, but I was the only one targeted by these trolls and members. Now I would think nothing of these trolls, we get them all the time. It's the fact this artist, their friends, and then crew members join in reacting to the trolls messages mocking me, with smiley emojis or something (I have screenshots of all these situations due to the server channels all getting deleted in the Patreon change). Mind you I am trying to help in the situation, I'm trying to calm people down, and do my job and this is how I'm getting treated, like horseshit. And I wish I could say this was one time, but no, myself and other mods have been treated like absolute crap by certain crew and server members. And nobody higher up did anything and it finally click they weren't ever gonna do anything.

That's what kinda started the downward spiral of my position there. I was heading out of state on a trip so I stepped back and focus on that and the trip itself and when I came back it was the end of the world party. I made that eddbot art, which pretty much sums up my feelings. I didn't take part in the party really. The change happen, 11k drops to 150ish. Now, mods DID NOT have to pay for Patreon. That was our gift from Bing/Matt (along with a store discount, which I never got). We were allowed to stay in the server with the paying members. The new main channel was the old Patreon one, so still emotional about that troll event, I looked up my name. Yeah....Not very good messages but I didn't want to cause trouble. So I just took it on the chin..again and kept my head up. I thought you know what, maybe it just was me and with time everything will calm down.

Then the Patreon leak happen. Once again, I never had access to Patreon, because I did not have to pay to be in that server. I saw the leak on Twitter and Tumblr, and I rb to my tumblr to keep an eye on it because wow that was fast. Went to bed, next day it was the talk of the server, a member earlier was caught sending leaks to other servers and was scolded but not kicked. It was brought up again and I told them, its on tumblr as well, thinking it be helpful for them to understand the situation. Then that one artist friend chimes in with a screenshot of my tumblr with the leak, pretty much saying this you?? So of course, I can't lie, I'm honest, my bad. Then two crew members come in and I kinda realize yeah this might be it. Due to one of them disliking me due to things that happen in the past between us. (whole another story). I delete the rb and apologize. I go to another server to chat and then see, I've been kicked from the server. I admit, did not take it well. My mod friends are all confused because none of them did it, and it comes out that the crew member who dislike me, kicked me even tho they arent suppose to act as mods. (it a whole mess man). The reason I was kicked was due to they thought I was the leaker?? Once again, did not have access to the Patreon, so wasn't me.

After my moment, I realized that I would be constantly dealing with shitty people and my socials being stalked to find something to charge(??) me with.... this was the push I needed to leave that situation behind. Most of the mods left after that in support of me. Bing reached out to me a few days later apologizing on that crew member's behalf, that I wasn't in the wrong and that I was more than welcome to come back. I declined and promptly removed bing from my friend list to cut contact with him.

And that's where it ends, I've blocked eddsworld, all the crew, and those artists' socials and been doing grad school and my own thing. I believe it was just a very emotionally charged situation and that nobody was thinking clearly. After the server change, it was the majority of adults but that meant absolutely nothing in common sense or correct ways to react to situations. From what I've heard thru the grapevine the server has spiraled into very toxic environment if you arent buddy-buddy with that artist who had an issue with me and their friends so take that as you will. I just want to get my voice out there so I don't feel inside that I let myself get hurt and did nothing to defend myself?? Look I get that I'm difficult to understand or I've rash and impulsive but I honestly never acted out in malice, I did a lot of things, in defense of others or just the greater good. I've stood up to the crew a lot due to shitty situations and still, I stayed because I thought well I can make someone's day, make it a good time in the server. I didn't stay for fame or to be featured in their spotlight just to make the day-to-day good. But it was a very hard lesson to learn that I can't save it all, that server crashed and burn and I felt I wasted time of my life on something that would eventually stab me in the back in a way...But there still good memories and I made wonderful friendships. Everything gone now, but I hope the good memories are alive in others spaces. So yeah, that what happened and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[kiingocreative]

The Structure of Story is now available! Check it out on Amazon, via the link in our bio, or at https://kiingo.co/book

.

.

.

Performance coach Tony Robbins says that the quality of our lives depends on the state we live in every moment of every day. That state, whether we’re happy, sad, frustrated or excited, depends on three things:

• Our physiology — the way we move our bodies, the way we breathe and what we do with our face.

• Our language — the words we use, whether spoken out loud or inside our own head, to describe our experiences.

• What we focus on — the things we see versus the things we block out or fail to notice.

Today, I want to zone in on that final piece, because what we focus on is key, and it will in turn affect the way you move your body and hold yourself, and the language you use. I see this play out so much around me in general, and in the writing community in particular.

At any given time, the things we focus on determine how we feel and what we make of a situation. And what we focus on, in turn, is governed by the questions we ask ourselves every moment of every day.

Take your writing journey for instance:

If someone leaves you a negative review, do you ask yourself whether this means you’re a failure and your work is a failure? Do you ask yourself how dare that person belittle your work with a bad review? Or do you ask yourself what you can learn from this? Could you ask yourself how good it is that this person was honest in their feedback, so that readers with similar tastes won’t buy your book—and therefore not spend money on a read they might otherwise dislike and rate negatively too?

See how different questions would illicit different points of focus, and therefore different states? Some are more conducive to a positive mindset, whilst others tend to nurture frustration.

‘Why’ Questions: The Endless Loop.

And so it goes that by asking lousy questions, we get lousy answers. Because our brain has this tendency of taking any request we give it and processing it, regardless of whether or not it’s good for us. It’ll scour through the recesses of our mind and go on and on until it finds an answer.

‘Why’ questions are the worst, because there’s often no clear answer, or more than one possible answer to them, and it sends our mind on a chase to find as many possible reasons, processing like a headless chicken, often going around in circles, leaving us ruminating.

Take our example again: What if you asked yourself ‘why is this person leaving me a bad review?’

Now unleash your brain on that one, and let it roll with it—you may get:

• Because they didn’t like the book.

• Because my book is terrible.

• And if my book is terrible, then that makes me a terrible writer.

• Maybe I should just stop writing.

• Who was I to think I could do this?

• I’m clearly not good enough.

• Or maybe they left a bad review because they’re an idiot and didn’t get the brilliance of my work.

• Clearly they’re a moron.

• Maybe I should track them down and tell them just that.

• Maybe I should rally everyone I know on Instagram to shame that dimwit for leaving that review.

• …

… this can go on, until it loops back to the top and starts again. Sounds familiar?

What kind of state do you think you’d be in from obsessing over those disempowering, angering questions, never able to get closure because the loop has no logical end?

Empowering Alternatives.

My own experience of asking myself lousy questions, and my interactions with others within the writing community, have left me convinced that writers need to start asking themselves more empowering questions.

Because the way we tend to ask questions to ourself—those that breed anger, and resentment, and self doubt—ultimately only bring us back to two fears that sit at the root of it all: the fear that we’re not good enough, and the fear that we won’t be loved (or appreciated, or liked). These fears can be crippling. And that can’t be good for anyone’s art anywhere.

I’m writing this today to give you some more empowering alternatives. Some that I have used along my journey and have helped me improve.

Here are four examples:

#1 — gearing up for success:

• Instead of: ‘Why are other writers so much more successful than I am?’

• Ask yourself: ‘What I can learn from other writers to become more successful myself?’

There’s a lot of comparison out there. We know we shouldn’t fall into the trap of it, but it’s easier said than done.

If you see fellow writers thriving with their writing, their social media strategy or their exposure, try modelling what they do that is working and find what, from that, works for you.

Better even, reach out to people and ask them for advice—most people will be more than happy to share, and it’s a great way to build a network!

#2 — boosting sales:

• Instead of: ‘Why am I not selling books?’

• Ask yourself: ‘What I can do to increase my book sales?’

It can be discouraging to have published something, and to see your sales figures stalling. If you start wallowing in self pity through disempowering ‘why’ questions, you’re bound to start spiralling.

Instead, make a list of what you could do to help your sales along.

Here are some ideas that come to mind:

• Seek out book clubs and put your book on their radar. See if they’d been interested in reading your book and having you for an author Q&A when they’re done reading the book.

• Look into running promotions on Amazon (like discounted eBooks).

• Go local! Reach out to your local community and spread the word (cafes, local bookshops and libraries, local Facebook groups and communities etc.) and give them a chance to support a local.

• Contact your old school or university and enquire about showcasing you and your book as an alumni success story.

• Build genuine connections with fellow writers, avid readers and book bloggers. These relationships are a fantastic way to increase your reach and spreading the word about your book—and as a result, improve sales.

• Offer to do a read and review swap with a fellow author, where you read and review each other’s book.

• And so on.

If you start asking your brain to think outside the box, it’ll do just that!

#3 — the writer’s life:

• Instead of: ‘Why can’t I be a full-time writer and have financial security from writing?’

• Ask yourself: 'How is my present occupation helping my writing?’

• …And then ask: 'What can I do to increase my revenue from writing?’

This is one topic that’s been crossing my mind a lot, and I suspect many of us out there have pondered it at one point or other. If asked the wrong way, this question can send you spiralling into a frustrated state.

I don’t write full-time at present, and I have had my moments of daydreaming hours away, wishing I could live off my craft. That never led to anything very productive.

What I have found helpful however has been to focus on what my day job enables me to do with my writing:

• It takes away the pressure of earning a full income from writing.

• It gives me time to write and experiment with my craft in different forms.

• It enables me to look into ways to monetise my writing at my own pace.

• And that’s made for much more exciting trains of thought!

#4 — social media guru:

• Instead of: ‘Why can’t I manage to grow my Instagram reach?’ Or ‘why is social media sapping my energy?’

• Ask yourself: ‘What can I do to create a healthier balance when it comes to promotion efforts?’

Social media is a tricky one. It has incredible benefits if leveraged the right way, and it’s an amazing tool to get yourself and your work out there. In fact, I recently wrote a piece on the immense value of joining Bookstagram for writers.

But it can also be a drain, because the mechanisms of social media are built on the principle of addiction. It’s literally designed to suck you in and make you crave more, and fear that you’re missing out and not doing enough.

To avoid falling into that vicious circle, I’ve found it much healthier to ask myself how I can find the right balance to achieve what I want with my social media presence whilst also keeping my sanity. What this ends up being will look different for different people. If you’re unsure where to start, think about what you find challenging about maintaining your social media account, then what you find helps with your peace of mind, and try to find a middle ground somewhere in between that meets your needs.

Ask and thou shalt get.

I’m a firm believer in our ability to manifest our reality—at least to some extent. If you focus on all the wrong things, then your reality will look challenging and bleak.

If you train yourself to look for constructive ways forward and to get yourself excited about making the journey smoother for yourself, then finding that sweet spot that works for you can be a fascinating journey.

And that all starts with asking the right questions. Finding the right point of focus. Writing can be a wonderful, yet at times confusing and challenging journey. So do yourself a favour: where possible, take away those mind blocks that stand in your way!

Different questions about your writing journey illicit different points of focus, and therefore different states. Some are more conducive to a positive mindset, whilst others tend to nurture frustration.

[teawaffles]

There’s No Business Like Show Business: Chapter 3

“Fred. How’s their acting like to you?” Jack asked in a low voice.

They were seated at the edge of the stalls. They could also see Bond from where they were, completely focused on the stage.

“I’m not an actor myself, so this is just my personal opinion — but I think they’re awfully good,” Fred replied.

Jack gazed at the stage with a serious look in his eyes.

“I think so too. I won’t discount the fact that their sets and props look a little homemade, maybe due to a lack of budget; but when it comes to acting, each one of them is highly skilled. I can tell that the performers are all deeply familiar with the intent of the script.”

They were no theatre professionals for sure, but they possessed an eye for the true essence of their art.

The creases near Jack's eyes deepened as he quietly groaned.

“And best of all is that lady.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Moran agreed. With Fred included, all of them were focused on the lone person on the stage.

As Jack had pointed out, Maya, the chairwoman, was the standout actress even among the highly-skilled members of her own company.

Although she only held the lead role in “The Little Match Girl”, and was relegated to supporting roles for the other stories, the delivery of her lines, the movements of her body and hands, and even the slight shifts in her gaze — each and every one of her actions was perfectly under her control. They had seen a glimpse of this when she’d stood before her fellow company members previously, but this person on stage was completely different from the one who'd spoken to them at the entrance.

Even accounting for the fact that she had written the script herself, this level of sophistication in acting was not one which could be achieved by some run-of-the-mill actress. Moreover, the lines and pauses in the script had been carefully crafted to make it easy for the audience to relate to the stories.

From then on, the three of them enjoyed the rest of the play in silence, marvelling at her exceptional talent. Eventually, the rehearsal came to an end.

“——That concludes our performance. Thank you very much for coming.”

After her closing words, the company lined up on stage, silently waiting for Bond’s comments. While there had not been any flashy moments during the performance, almost all of them had sweat on their foreheads. Each breath they took revealed the depth of their concentration.

“…………”

For a short while, Bond stared at the stage without saying a word. Growing uneasy at the silence, the company members lowered their gazes slightly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bond cleared his throat, and adjusted his posture. Seeing that, the company members straightened their backs.

“——If I were to summarise my thoughts, I think your acting has already reached a high standard. I’m sure all of you have put in much time and effort to achieve this.”

Their faces beamed at his compliment. But Bond would not allow them to be satisfied with that alone.

He rose from his seat.

“But that’s also why some bad habits have stood out to me. For example, the witch in ‘The Little Mermaid’: there were times when your movements were too exaggerated. I know that you wanted to emphasise her sinister nature, but the way you did so may turn off the audience.”

“Y-Yes……”

The actress who’d been singled out hung her head, perhaps out of shock. But Bond ignored this, and pointed to another woman.

“Now, you played the main character in ‘The Red Shoes’. I watched your steps after putting on the shoes — have you properly studied dance? It’s true that even some stage professionals may think that it’s alright to just mimic the real thing, but if you really want to make your performance more authentic, you must take the time to learn how to do it properly. Your audience will not be satisfied unless you show them a level of skill that will astonish even people in that profession.”

“Understood!” she responded with vigour.

“Next up is you: the way you project your voice——”

Then Bond singled out each of the performers in turn, highlighting in detail what they needed to work on. He only needed to watch their play once to spot areas for improvement at such a fine level of detail — his eye for the arts gave them all a sense of the former professional’s brilliance.

At last, Bond finished addressing every member of the company. But he then swept his gaze over the entire theatre.

“In addition…… this isn’t your fault at all, but your success today was only possible due to the small size of this theatre,” he said, with some distress. “If we were in a bigger venue, the hall would be wider and deeper to accommodate the larger audience. In other words, I’m afraid that with your current performance, your voices simply would not reach the entire audience.”

Maya paled.

“So, in order to accommodate the size of the venue……”

“Yes. The worst-case scenario would be that you have to rework the entire play. By the way, when is the opening night?”

“T—Two weeks later.”

The entire room was enveloped in silence. Even from where they were seated, Moran and the others felt the weight of their despair: all the hard work they had put in thus far, might just have amounted to nothing.

Even Bond, who had revealed this harsh reality, dropped his gaze and grimaced.

“Well, there are a fair number of productions that focus only on the stage, and do not account for the size of the audience, so you may not have to change——”

“——No, we’ll do it.”

Maya sharply interrupted his proposal.

“You’ve seen how I am; I’ve always been timid and hesitant…… but theatre is the one thing I will never compromise on. Especially now — this is a rare opportunity for us. For my fellow company members, for the people who’ve supported us this far, I want to show them something I’ve put every effort into making.”

“…………”

At her words, the rest of the company nodded in silence.

Even with the actual performance only two weeks away, Maya and her company had steeled their hearts and chosen to start again from scratch. That stubborn determination surprised Bond, and even Moran and the rest.

“U—Um…… Mr Bond, I actually have something I wish to discuss with you……”

Out of the blue, Maya’s voice had grown soft.

“U—Um, if it is alright with you, just for the next two weeks, could you sit in during our rehearsals? A—Ah, actually, just whenever you have the time would be fine……”

Bond chuckled.

Even after being told about all those problems, they refused to stand down, and even continued to ask for help. Their mental fortitude sparked hope in him, and he couldn’t help but let out a grin.

Bond shot the party in the stalls a questioning look. Moran looked to Jack and Fred in turn, before giving him a thumbs-up.

With that, the former flames of passion within Bond burned even hotter. He faced the company members with a determined grin.

“——Okay. But I will be especially tough on you all, so be prepared.”

Then, he called out to Fred.

“Fred-kun. I would like your help as well — is that alright with you?”

“Understood,” he replied, standing up.

“Bond, I’m always happy to teach knife-wielding.”

“And you can always ask me about gun handling.”

“Now that would be helpful,” Bond smiled at Jack and Moran’s jests, then turned back to the stage.

“Well then, everyone — for the next two weeks, let’s do our best together.”

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

“During a performance, you must be always be aware of three things: the audience, the other actors, and yourself. If the feeling of being ‘watched’ becomes too strong for you, first direct your attention within yourself. Then, you will be able to focus on your acting once again.”

“I don’t advocate the idea of getting into a role. In the end, acting is just a skill: what you should focus on instead is how you are moving.”

“Although an effective way of bringing out emotions is to dredge up your past memories, I would advise you to avoid that. Recent memories are too concrete and vivid — if you must do so, use memories from your distant past. And be careful: if you frequently immerse yourself in negative emotions, you will hurt yourself on a spiritual level too.”

In a small theatre in Whitechapel, Bond’s instructions came forth ceaselessly.

He stood on stage together with the company members: carefully reviewing their movements, even acting them out himself as an example on occasion, and putting in every effort to raise the level of their production.

The remaining two weeks were short, but with their foundations already strong to begin with, Maya and her company steadily honed their acting skills to perfection.

One week left until the show. His work as an instructor had finally ended for the day, and he let out a sigh as he sat in the stalls to catch his breath.

“Good work today — fancy a sip?”

Having watched the proceedings from the stalls, Moran handed him a bottle of water. It was a beer bottle — very Moran-like — and Bond accepted it with a smile.

“Thanks, Moran-kun.”

Bond gulped down a single mouthful of water.

“So, how’s the play going?”

“At first I thought we would be hard-pressed for time, but they truly exceeded my expectations. I think we might just make it. ……Scratch that, we will make it.”

Moran nodded.

“That’s right. And they seem to be well-liked by the residents around here. I really hope they can pull it off.”

As Moran gazed off into the distance, a thought just occurred to Bond. He cocked his head.

“Come to think of it, you really didn’t have to tag along with me all this time, you know?”

Ever since the day Bond had agreed to lend his support to the company, his other colleagues had stopped over from time to time to cheer him on. However, Moran had made it a point to come to the theatre every day without fail.

Moran scratched his cheek in embarrassment.


“……Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do when there aren’t any missions. As a senior member of this organisation, I’m just here to see how my junior works.”

“Even though you’ve been skipping out on chores at the mansion?”

“D—Dammit, I told you before: I always do my share of the work, you know.”

Bond had said that half-jokingly, but his words flustered Moran nevertheless. It seemed he had not been entirely wrong about that.

Bond returned his gaze to the stage.

“……Thank you, Moran-kun,” he said quietly.

“Hmm? Didn’t you already say that earlier?”

“This one means something different,” he said, with a hint of mischief in his voice. Moran raised an eyebrow in bemusement, but the presence of a caring senior alone warmed Bond’s heart.

Just then, they heard the sound of the theatre doors opening.

As the two men turned to look, they saw a portly middle-aged man with a magnificent moustache standing at the entrance.

Maya hurriedly bowed in his direction. “T—Thank you so much for your help thus far! What brings you all the way here?”

From her formal manner, it seemed this was the very noble who had asked them to stage the opening act for his theatre.

“Ah, you’ve been working hard, I see,” he said as he stroked his moustache, a big smile on his face.

“Yes; with your assistance, we’ve been able to prepare for the performance in time. I’m sure the audience will be satisfied with——”

“Well, about that.”

The man interrupted Maya, still all smiles.

“——Your performance has been cancelled.”

“What?”

No one could believe their ears.

Her expression brimmed with confusion.

“U-Um, what do you mean……?”

“What does it mean? Just pretend our conversation back then didn’t happen. That’s all.”

The man made another simple pronouncement, then smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Honestly, it’s just as well that this has happened, since I’ve also been troubled over your debut. So what I’m saying is, your company doesn’t have to turn up. That’s alright with you, isn’t it?”

The entire company was still in a state of shock. Then, Bond addressed the man directly.

“Now hold on just a moment. What do you mean, you were troubled? Then why did you ask them to perform? What’s more, isn’t it a little late to cancel the performance at this juncture?”

Hearing that, the man sighed in displeasure.

“Who are you, anyway? Someone connected to this company? I’m not happy to be asked so many questions at once.”

“Then I’ll summarise it for you. If you were going to cancel the performance so easily, why bother requesting Maya and her company to perform anyway?”

At Bond’s question, the nobleman shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, that’s simple. I just felt like it.”

“……What?”

Those shocking words froze him to the core.

“I’d heard about a reputable theatre company in the slums. Since there’s this notion of noblesse oblige anyway, I thought a performance would be a good topic for conversation and approached them. But then I grew to realise that the thought of poor people stepping onto the sacred stage of an official theatre just didn’t sit well with me. So yesterday, I finally decided to put an end to this madness.”

“How could you……”

He had asked Maya’s company to perform on a whim, and then cancelled their act on a selfish whim as well. And this was all decided just ‘yesterday’. Even though they had been putting in every effort into their play.

The nobleman continued.

“That’s all I had to say. You poor folk are living off the graces of the nobility, so be grateful that I even bothered to come all this way to talk to you. Now that I’m finished here, I’ll be leaving. The smell here is simply an assault on my senses.”

Right before he walked out, the man spat out one last line.

“Well, at least you all had a nice dream, didn’t you?”

“………!”

A violent rage surged within Bond. Somehow, he managed to grit his teeth and hold himself back. If he were to retaliate right now, he would be inviting unnecessary reprisal on Maya and her company rather than himself. So all he could do was look daggers at the nobleman’s back as he left.

The theatre was enveloped in a mournful silence. Everyone seemed to have lost their verve, and no one uttered a word. Bond was shaking with frustration.

Amidst the heavy atmosphere, just one man — Moran — gazed upon the situation with composure.

Finally, Maya, the chairwoman, mumbled in a thin voice.

“Um, I’m so sorry. I think, I’m not feeling too well……”

Then, with a hollow expression, she headed to the dressing room, her footsteps shaky.

[phantomnostalgist]

My review of The Phantom of Manhattan, 1999

Digging through the Wayback Machine, I found what I once wrote about Frederick Forsyth's Phantom of Manhattan. Y'know, the pile of crap ALW did in fact improve when creating Love Never Dies.

This is what I posted on my website circa 2005, posting what I'd written when the book was published in 1999. I'm not even going to re-read it, I'm just going to paste it, in case I cringe and want to edit it. But from my brief skim read, I lolled. Also, I never got beyond reading the first few chapters, I hated it that much. I gave my copy to another phan, so she could throw it against the wall and scream too.

The Phantom of Manhattan, aka, a pile of pigshit

Frederick Forsyth collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on this novel, a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera (a novel in which the lead character dies at the end), published in 1999. At the time I posted my initial review to the Phantom mailing list - only the introduction and first chapter, because after that it became too painful. I present those posts below. They are, needless to say, opinionated.

Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 19:54:29 -0700

From: Christine Daae

Subject: POTO: Phantom of Manhattan preview - BAD news

I have just obtained an advance reading copy of The Phantom of Manhattan, the Phantom sequel by Frederick Forsyth which will form the basis of ALW's sequel to the show, if he ever writes it. This sequel was written working with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

So far I've just read Forsyth's preface, and it made me so angry and so sick to my stomach that I have to rant before reading any further. I'll give this post a swear words warning since I doubt I can write it without swearing a lot. If you don't like swearing, you've been warned. Mr Forsyth, in his preface, introduces the reader to the Leroux novel - and then graces us with the information that Leroux was "wrong". He acknowledges it as fiction but clearly feels that the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is in fact the definitive version, and Leroux is incorrect and stupid. For instance: "He appears also to have made an error with the position, appearance and intelligence of Mme. Giry, an error corrected in the Lloyd Webber musical." Excuse me, fuckhead, but Leroux invented the character. Forsyth also tells us at length how implausible the story as told by the Persian is, as well as: "Prior to the intervention of the Persian, Leroux the writer and most readers might have felt some human sympathy for the Phantom.... The Persian however paints him as a raging sadist, a serial killer and strangler for pleasure" etc, etc. Did we read the same book? According to Forsyth, however, "Fortunately there is one flaw in the Persian's story so glaring as to permit us to disbelieve the whole lot. He claimed that Erik had had a long and fulfulling life before coming to dwell in the cellars of the opera house... [fills in background of Erik from novel]. This allegation has to be nonsense. If the man had enjoyed such a life over so many years he would certainly have come to terms with his own disfigurement." Along with more piffle disputing Leroux's story. Dear me Mr Forsyth, you should have read Susan Kay's version too. She has no difficulty giving us a far more psychologically accurate portrait of the Phantom than this pigcrap.

"The only logical step for a modern analyst to take, as Andrew Lloyd Webber has already done with the musical, is to discount the Persian's accounts and allegations in their totality, and never more so than in disbelieving both the Persian and Leroux than the Phantom died shortly after the events narrated."

He does not, however, tell us WHY one should assume this. Oh, silly me, the answer to that is obvious - so we can write a sequel and make a bucket of money from it. Can't do that with a dead Phantom.

I am so sickened that it's difficult for me to even start reading this book. How DARE Forsyth, and Lloyd Webber, insult and write off Leroux in this manner? ALW should remember that if it wasn't for Leroux's novel he would not have his billions from his most popular and successful show. I sincerely hope that one day someone mutilates one of Forsyth's novels in this manner.

I'll review the story itself when I can cope with reading the book. I never expected just a preface to be quite this angering.

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 03:09:45 -0700

From: Christine Daae

Subject: POTO: Phantom of Manhattan Chapter 1

Just finished chapter 1 and have to get this out of my system or I'll never be able to get to sleep.

It gets worse, and worse, and worse.

Mr. Forsyth has taken the liberty of dating the action of the novel (or rather the show, since he ignores the novel) later than usual, in 1893. In 1882, in his version of events, Mme Giry finds and rescues the 16 year old Erik, who has been chained in a cage for 9 years. This makes him 27 during the action of the novel and show. As we know, Leroux's Erik was over 50. Lloyd Webber's original intention for the musical was also clearly to have an older Erik as the casting of Michael Crawford (and Colm Wilkinson in his very first try-out) shows. Yet according to Forsyth, and apparently now ALW, he was just 27. He had never lived in Persia, never travelled the world. He is given the name Erik Muhlheim. He was born not in a village near Rouen, but in the Alsace, to circus folk. His father was a drunk who beat him, his mother a useless fool. He learned his many skills at the circus, or later, at the opera house. Giry rescues him and keeps him in her home for a month, before letting him into the Opera House where he builds himself a home by the lake and learns all about music. Oh yes, and the bath Giry gave him was the first he'd taken in his life.

Sorry, but Susan Kay's description of Erik's past is far more accurate to Leroux and far more psychologically convincing.

Buquet killed himself, we learn. Erik did not mean to kill Piangi (who is not even in the novel), it was an accident, he just meant to silence him (with a rope??). At the end of the show Giry finds Erik and hides him out, then sends him to New York on a boat.

I am summoning up the courage to begin Chapter 2, narratted by Erik Muhlheim himself in New York.

I wish there was a law against this.

And remember, all ye who felt that ALW would never let Hollywood do anything bad to the show - ALW himself helped Forsyth come up with this trash.

[hb-writes]

The Firstborns

A Sylvie Bridgerton Story - 1815

Sylvie (OC) is the eldest child of Hugo Bridgerton, the older sister to George (OC), and a cousin raised alongside the infamous Bridgerton brood. Born in-between Daphne and Eloise, Sylvie has made it her mission to delay her season again and again. Will 1815 be her year? 

A/N - I’ve read the books and watched the show, so fair warning there are likely spoilers and it’s also likely a mix of both media because my mind honestly didn’t separate them - it just choose what it wants from the books/ tv show. 

---

It was often said that elder brothers could be the worst sort of thing to happen to a young woman of marrying age, but Sylvie Bridgerton had three elder male cousins and could rightfully attest to the fact that they could be similarly problematic. 

Sylvie supposed they were essentially siblings, the Bridgerton brood labeled tidily from A through H, because she had been raised mostly by their side as an alphabetical outcast, the elder of the two children born to Lord Hugo Bridgerton, left in the care of her Uncle Edmund at her father’s passing, the responsibility then left to her cousin, Anthony, only a year after that. At least that was the way society dictated it. 

Sylvie had always been quite certain it was really her Auntie Vi who was in charge of her and her younger brother, George, though. Or more precisely, Sylvie was quite certain that Auntie Vi was in charge of everything, her Viscount of a cousin included. 

But as Sylvie sat twiddling her fingers in Anthony’s office for the third time in less than a week, she was starting to question that certainty. 

Sylvie had assessed that her cousin looked rather disgruntled, though she supposed Anthony had simply had that look about him for about a week or so now.

“So, are we to have a little chat or…?”

Anthony had ignored his cousin from the very moment after instructing her to take a seat a little over a quarter of an hour before. He focused instead on whatever was keeping him chained to his desk at this time of night, some paperwork regarding the estate and the family finances.

“If not, maybe you’ll allow me to borrow a book to pass the time?” Sylvie gestured to his brimming shelves. 

“Sylvia.” 

Anthony set down his pen, eyebrow raised as he interlaced his fingers, settling them on top of the papers before him. He was surprised she’d humored his silence for so long, nearly fourteen minutes when he’d expected no more than three to seven.

“Is my given name truly necessary?” she said, allowing only a moment of silence before continuing. “I suppose from that alone I should gather I’m in some sort of proper trouble?”

Anthony only stared at her and then, despite himself, he sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples and rolling his neck. 

If anyone thought raising girls was an easy business, they’d clearly never done it themselves. They’d never met Daphne or Eloise or Francesca or Hyacinth Bridgerton. And they’d certainly never met Sylvia. 

It still shocked him a bit, the differences between the Bridgerton girls, his younger sisters and his younger cousin. It was impressive, the way they could each vex him in such creative and distinct ways, their ability to bring him to laughter matched equally by their making him wish he had remained an only child, and entirely cousin-less as well. 

On some days, Anthony wondered if every Bridgerton below him in age didn’t actually gather in the drawing-room at an agreed-upon hour to arrange a schedule designed solely for agitating him, deciding who would next take a swing and what technique would be employed. It seemed that Sylvie had been assigned extra vexing duties as of late, though that was not entirely surprising to him. She had always seemed to enjoy it a bit more than the others. And she was bloody good at it too.

“Are you ever not in trouble, Sylvia?” 

Her eyes longed to roll, his continued insistence on using her full name bringing her the slightest bit of frustration, because despite all of the evidence otherwise, she did prefer when Anthony wasn’t lecturing her. She actually quite enjoyed his company when he wasn’t scolding. 

“On those precious few evenings when you actually do go out, or better yet go to your own home, I find myself in a distinct lack of trouble. No one else deems me fit to be scolded, however—” 

“However—” Anthony sat up and straightened his jacket. “—I am seemingly required to do so three...or four,” he said, allowing for the chance they’d find themselves in the same situation the following evening, “nights a week, all because you think a little untoward behavior will allow you to put off your season for another year.”

Sylvie was left with her mouth open, her elder cousin’s words an effective silencer and stunner, finally coming straight to the point after the two of them had danced around it for weeks. 

“I—”

“Hear precisely what you are saying, my dear cousin, and will stop all this nonsense at once?” Anthony suggested. 

“That’s—That’s not what I wanted to say,” she answered.

“No, of course not. I would never dream to expect as much.”

Sylvie took a breath as she considered her options. She wanted to ask for another year of reprieve. That’s what she had planned for, waiting at least another year before subjecting herself to the same torment Daphne had endured only two years prior.

She was still young enough to justify a delay and she’d successfully done so for two years already, citing a need to finish out a few academic endeavors the first year and an ankle injured in a particularly ruthless game of Pall Mall the next, but she hadn’t postured herself correctly for her cousin to be amenable to a conversation on delaying yet again. But then again, Sylvie hadn’t truly postured herself very well for Anthony to be amenable to her requests for nearly a decade by this point. 

“But Georgie—”

“You do not need to concern yourself with matters concerning your brother. The boys will be at Eton come the next fall. They’ll be home for the summers. No matter who you marry, you shall always be welcome to visit him here or at Aubrey Hall, and I’m sure George should like to come to visit you as well.” 

Sylvie’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she cleared her throat and regained the ability to form proper words. “Actually Anthony, I had expected that Georgie would be living with me.” 

Anthony shook his head, sitting up in his chair. “George will be at Eton. He and Gregory will both be at Eton and then—”

“He is my brother,” Sylvie answered. “My responsibility.” 

“I think you’ll find that both you and George are both my responsibility. And that responsibility extends to seeing you settled in a comfortable marriage and your brother receiving a proper education before, when he is ready, he also settles into a comfortable marriage.” 

“When he’s ready?” Sylvie repeated. “Why is it that you boys get to marry when you’re ready and we young ladies are simply commanded to join the parade when you men determine it’s the proper time? Why do you get to decide everything?” 

Anthony could have been honest and told Sylvie that he wanted them all tucked away into the safety of marriage because he didn’t know that he would be around to see to it if there was a delay. 

Or he could have spoken to her from firstborn to firstborn, appealing the fellow eldest child he found in his younger cousin, aligning them through their common thread, and insisting that he only did these things because it was what he thought was best for them, same as she did for the younger ones and George especially. 

Or he could have been quite frank and informed her that he had no desire to have multiple Bridgerton girls in season at the same time, though the prospect of settling Sylvie, Eloise, and Francesca down all in one go was enticing. 

But Anthony didn’t tell her those things. He offered a much simpler explanation, one which he suspected would allot less room for argument on the part of the cousin who was testing his capacity for patience at such a late hour.

“Because I am Viscount, Sylvia.” 

Sylvie released a quick breath and turned her face down to focus on her fumbling fingers as she considered it. Anthony had only uttered four simple words, but there was a whole lot of complicated meaning built up behind them.

Because you are Viscount.

And a man.

And I am nothing.

A woman, and therefore, nothing. 

Property. 

A dowry. 

A machine for use of creating an heir. 

Meant to be seen and not heard. 

Nothing.

She found it all hard to swallow after her upbringing even though she knew Anthony, and the other male Bridgertons, didn’t truly live by those beliefs. But society did. The ton did. And so the second she entered society, it would become reality, in a way. 

Sylvie had never before been discounted on account of being female. As a young Bridgerton girl, she had frequently gone out into the fields tagging along behind her older cousins, playing the very same games as the boys, climbing trees and forging streams. Even once they moved to London year-round, Sylvie had retained a certain amount of autonomy. 

And though they often went toe to toe, Anthony had always respected Sylvie’s position as George’s older sister, and he’d always acknowledged the importance of the common ground that stood between them, that of the firstborn sibling, affording her an extra measure of respect that he’d not afford to even Benedict in certain matters. It often came out in shared glances across the room, or their lending one another support with simple nods in response to “Right, Sylvie?” or “Right, Anthony?”

Although they had never explicitly discussed it, Sylvie assumed when she did one day marry, her brother would come to stay with her, assumed that if he were still of a certain impressionable age, George would officially become the responsibility of her and her future husband. 

And if she didn’t marry until later in life, until her younger brother was fully grown, or if she never married at all, she was alright with those scenarios as well. She loved Bridgerton House and Aubrey Hall and being surrounded by family, her wild cousins and brother running about and shouting at all hours. She didn’t long for the solitude of marriage. And despite loving children, she wasn’t entirely sure whether she wanted to bear her own.

“But—”

“What could you possibly have to say to argue that point?”

“I’m not going to argue whether or not you’re the Viscount, My Lord.” 

Anthony rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment. He rued the day that his cousin learned that she could somehow twist his title into an insult. 

Sylvie smiled, considering his silence permission to continue, not that she was truly waiting for it. 

“I’m going to argue against this season. Daphne didn’t meet Simon until the season in which she turned one and twenty, and your own wife didn’t have her season until one and twenty, and—”

“And you’re telling me that I should allow you to wait until you are one and twenty?” 

“No,” she said. “You, my dearest cousin, are the Right Honorable Viscount Bridgerton, and I am well aware that I cannot tell you what to do. I am merely asking that you consider my humble little request.” 

Anthony snorted. “Sylvie Bridgerton? Humble, eh?”

“My ability to be humble is not the question at hand, Anthony,” she muttered. “And neither truly is the time at which my season should take place because... well, your wife has already agreed with me. Kate thinks one and twenty is the perfect age for a first season.” 

Anthony’s thumb rubbed at his temple, an entirely subconscious gesture on his part. “My wife has already agreed with you?”

“Yes, the Viscountess has agreed that I should be allowed to wait a year. We had tea this afternoon while you, Ben, and Colin were at the club.” 

“Of course you did.”

“She also said that you’ve lost a bet to her and as such, you will have no choice to go along with us.”

Anthony closed his eyes and his nostrils flared before he released a deep exhale. “You’ll be the death of me.”

“Me or Kate?”

Anthony waved a hand in the air. “I’ll let the two of you work that out. Not as if my opinion on the subject matters.”

“So, you’ll tell Auntie—”

Anthony’s booming laugh cut off Sylvie’s words. “No, no, my dearest cousin. I shall leave that particular discussion for you.” 

He stood up from his desk then, taking his hat as he stepped towards the door. “Best of luck. Do let me know how that goes.”