#i want to love this app so bad!!!!!! but there are no pen pressure settings

[time-slink]

i really really love procreate dreams and what its capable of but i gotta say that so far i have some major gripes with the UI </3

[6okuto]

🍙 for @satorisoup from my fruits basket :3

Long Post. but i (Rlly) summarized the questions for viewing ease 🫡

1) life & school

i Am nervous about school hbdfhbg i’m a sociology major!! ^^ love soc but i switched to honours so i have to keep my gpa up, and most of my classes this year are really reading/writing/presentation heavy.. plus i'm trying a full course load for the first time so doing my thesis next yr will be easier, but i'm already easily stressed and burnt out.. lol.. ;; it's probably fine though

life’s getting busy.. and i’m not sure my cosplay will get here in time for my con but it’s ok tbh! the good outweighs the bad for those things. i wish i had money for the con outside my grants/loans but LOL that's life 

2) celebrating my birthday with keiji :3

tmi maybe. i haven’t had a great birthday since i was 15/16 to be honest FBHBDJ i'm so burnt out and depressed in dec that the past few years i haven’t done anything at all LOL but hearing this,, keiji makes it his mission to give me a good one ^^ ! 

he takes the day off and makes sure the day is just for us! practices making heart shaped pancakes and cooks breakfast.. i walk in on him in the kitchen super focused and accidentally scare him LOL he wanted it to be a surprise but it’s ok!! i watch and talk while i wait

it’s usually cold so i don't go anywhere ;; but we still have fun!! it’s nothing crazy,, we just talk, put on a show while we work on a puzzle or bake… play some co-op games.. order dinner.. yeagh

if it isn’t awful outside, we might make a little snowman or snow angels at the park nearby :]

he gets birthday gifts separate from his christmas ones.. since they're so close my birthday’s kinda overshadowed & i tell people to get one gift or none but keiji refuses!! he writes a long heartfelt letter, commissions art of us & our cat, and buys custom matching necklaces + little crochet accessories + ribbon 🙂‍↕️ (also macarons. i rock w macarons.)

3) favourite aki scene :3

his morning routine changed my life. they didn’t have to do that (not in the manga) but they did… my beautiful domestic soft morning dreams… it’s so Aki… and then i think about how he’d include u in his routine when ur together the way he does with denji and power… ouh..

4) art app + ur new stylus :0

looks down and kicks rocks. krita user over here. not that anything’s wrong with krita. i just feel lame when i see brushes i want because of course they’re never for krita. but it’s cool! how's ur new pen!! bro sometimes krita’s pressure sensitivity doesn’t work on start-up and i didn’t realize i could just restart the window settings . i kept reinstalling it. it’s fine but Wow i was miserable for so long (Months. like a stupid poopoo head)

5) Secret Art Opinions.

olivia wilde nodding gif. smoking duck gif. no one knows what i know no one’s seen what i’ve seen. BEAUTIFUL!! PERF!! i love his smile and jewelry (🤯) and hair and EVERYTHING!! your art style is SOO lovely cutieful lene!! and a 17 layer max seems nonsensical?! HELP.. how big is your canvas.. what app are you using bc isn't there ones made for what u want to try.. I believe in U!! no matter what i’m sure it will turn out awesome!!! he would be so flattered. his lips would wobble and he'd gasp/whine and hug and kiss u like WHAT!! FOR HIM..?..!!! yeah.

6) akaashi and i’s song :00

wanna say i will by mitski but that’s gonna be in every self-ship playlist of mine. maybe home by reese lansangan.. hesitate to say it’s Our Song but it’s a good one!!

My bones are safe / And my heart can rest / Knowing it belongs to you / My world is changed / And it's cradled by / The comfort that is you

7) monster lover post + ones i like

i wish i had good specific hear me out's but i don’t consume a lot of media with them so the ones i can think of are super basic and boring… i’d need a list in front of me so i could smash or pass. (if u have any in mind let me kneow.) but

the teacher from the girl from the other side. Like it’s my fault. doting adoptive self-sacrificial father figure DON’T TALK TO ME. also i must mention tokoyami. + shirou from BNA if he counts

tai lung from kung fu panda just once. the plague doctor (scp-049) obviously

probably some transformers. i like bumblebee 🩷 THE PACIFIC RIM JAEGERS . gipsy danger of course. striker eureka of course. gipsy avenger & november ajax & valor omega (Sorry.). azure defiant omgg PILIPPINS! 🇵🇭🇵🇭

i can usually get behind a “hear me out” if it isn’t like.. super slimey(?) or spikey. they could all hurt me but anything Very sharp/spikey i’m like nooo owwww ouchie nooo..

8) JJK since hell started on earth (+ lenoso!)

I Have been keeping up. unfortunate for my happiness. but Dear God. finding that out two hours after a comm and on FORTNITE is CRAZY? I’m so sorry. I get it. there’s like 3 vids and 6 pics of me crying. …did u at least win the fortnite match. i thank god every day my main thing is HQ because i just watch guys play volleyball. the manga.. a bit exciting.. hoping for an Ok outcome… maybe if gege has love and megan thee stallion in his heart

9) demon slayer opinions (+ genya specifically)

i watched the first season of kny but dropped it after hebfhsbjb nothing against it, just not rlly my cup of tea!! but i know quite a few deaths and the manga ending.. i don’t have a fave demon though.. i liked tanjiro + giyuu + sabito (predictable x3). also fond of rengoku (predictable) and mitsuri/obanai (predictable). Is akaza awesome and beautiful. i don't rlly know genya but i’ve seen him and his brother!! I will like him In Ur honour!!! ur friend reporting u for an edit is crazyehsbfjhb STAY STRONG… GENYA! i’m sure he’s fantastic!!

10) bnha + izuku thoughts!

Who’s calling izuku ugly. ☹️ i get u btw Like it’s my fault i’m always fond of the main characters and want the best for them. i don’t usually read stuff for him bUT i fr see the appeal, and he can be soo super interesting/fun to write and read about!! AND HE’S NOT UGLY!! ☹️ he’s very cutieful handsome. grown up deku… vivid and beautiful in my mind… 

11) favourite food, drink, etc. :3

rice . LOL i don’t think i have a favourite food but i love pinoy chicken dishes! my mom's adobo + caldereta + niligang manok. also been eating chorizo de cebu lately.. yummay..

sweet drinks.. frappes & taro boba… i need to expand my palette but y'know. and my fav soda is crush

i said this but i Love Macarons. you give me a plate of macarons i’m inhaling that shit like kirby. also sapin sapin and cheesecake! a great cake in general is so yummayyy

big hazelnut creme chocolate fan. I Love hazelnut chocolate. started when i was a child with kinder eggs and purdys chocolate hedgehogs and here i am

fav cereal is kellogg's krave. obvious chocolate fan here

SUSHI VIBES IS SO INTERESTING i’m pretty sure i’ve never had a piece. like ever. i do like fish… do u have any fave sushi.. i doubt i’ll be trying any soon but for future reference!!

12) anything and everything else ^_^ (mammon + mlp ment.)

Lene i have stuff to talk about at all times and will overshare every time

YAGH! mammon is the avatar of greed and 2nd eldest brother of 7 in Obey Me: One Master To Rule Them All. i actually didn’t like him at first (I’m sorry.) but he grew on me real bad. it’s serious. he's very tsundere which is Not my type but. something happened. He's a softie.. he cares about you and everyone So Much.. he's very empathetic and emotionally intelligent even if he struggles with being vulnerable.. he can generally control his emotions better /gets angry less than his brothers… he gets teased/mistreated a lot.. he loves money and hates working but he loves U even more So Of Course He’d do/give up Anything 4 U.. he's insecure and has called himself worthless on his own Which Devastated Me So Bad i love this guy so much Let’s All Just. oh man.

i Did like MLP. i stopped watching at some point but i want to go back and watch it all.. predictably obsessed with princess cadance and shining armor. I wanted to be her and I wanted him. Predictably. i cried over BBBFF when i was little btw /pos but hm.. my fav show was gravity falls maybe. so good.

we finally fixed what was wrong with the water in the one bathroom in the house that has a bath tub. exciting because i’ve never taken a bath… want to see what it’s like… perhaps use a bath bomb 🤔..

don’t think i’ve processed we’re going to have another person living with us. wow

been thinking about p5 akira a lot. my stupid beautiful loser sopping wet cat idiot handsome prince guy. Do u think 13 year old me would be surprised i still like him or that my bff likes goro or that i ship akeshu. i have 150 ss's from the p5 vn. and when i say he's written like my version of akaashi keiji.. hah......

might deactivate at some point tbh. saying this because i don't think people will read this far so it's like a little secret convo but i feel like i've overstayed my time / don't rlly fit anywhere bshdjsd i'll click delete account and just Stare for a while. like at some point u think about it so much it's like.. girl stop clinging on and just do it. but i don't want to lose my stuff so it won't happen until i put it all somewhere else. which won't be soon because i'm lazy as shit so. that's life i guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️ def won't until i finish my event.. will see if i can at least make it to my blog anni if not my birthday 🤔 would probably come back at some point anyway. also my users... can't lose 6okuto r u joking...

been rocking with pleasure delayer by between friends & rock-paper-scissors by katzenjammer lately.

broken 3 nails this week and may unfortunately break a 4th. my stupid baka life. might just cut the rest and restart... they were all Even. 1/2 cm long bro.. why does this happen to me...

excited to call and ask about my joke bear plate in a few days. i'm 100% sure i didn't do an even number of coats for everything and it'll look wonky in places, but i think that's part of the appeal. the nia 6okuto joke bear brand

thank u for joining and asking lene!! 🙆🏻‍♀️🩷🩷 i like 2 talk so do not worry. would u like some q's back.. a similar amount.. less.. more.. let me kneow. meow

[little-cereal-draws]

Hi feel free to respond to this privately but Hi, i love your animated videos, especially the shadows ones! What program(s) do you use if you don’t mind me asking and do u have any tips? I would love to start doing animatics but idk how/where to start. Thanks in advance! ^^

Hello! I'm so glad that you enjoyed my videos! My software is not fancy at all and might be a bit of a letdown tbh lol

For drawing I used to use Paint tool sai (which i think is what a lot of ppl use) but it wasn't working right on my computer, it wouldn't let me save my images. I got it off of some Japanese website and it was $19 (USD). Now I use the app that came with my computer. I have a Windows computer. It's called Sketchbook (oOoOh, so fancy lol) and it is limited in terms of brushes and pen pressure but I like it. Very easy to figure out. I also have Krita which I think I had to pay for. I don't remember how much tho, I want to say $15 (USD)?? Maybe? It is much more complex and lets you do things like animate but I don't use it bc I'm too lazy to figure it out lol I know there's a lot of great tutorials online tho. I also know a lot of ppl use Procreate which is much better especially in terms of brushes but it's not compatible w my computer :( Procreate costs $10 (USD) I think.

As for editing, I use Shotcut. It's a free software that I downloaded from somewhere, I don't remember. It is definitely limited in terms of filters, camera angles, and what you can put in it but hey, it's free! The one thing I hate the most abt it is you can't pan. It drives me insane. But it has zoom, text, filters, etc. I used to use Filmora which is also free but is even more limited and I think it puts a watermark on your videos.

Now for tips!

Uhh, I guess the most obvious is practice. I started doing animatics four years ago and I can't watch any of my old ones now, they're so bad lol

Another thing is vary your shot type. If you have a couple ppl doing smth together, do close ups, medium shots, and wide shots. Try different camera angles. It's ok to do the same type of shot a couple times in a row but after a while it can get boring.

An extension of the last point, if a character does smth like knock a thing over or move it or whatever, show the object moving and then their reaction. Reaction shots are very important for character's emotions. Wide shots to establish a setting.

As an extension of that point, watch your favorite show/movie and watch how they film it, when they zoom in, how they frame the characters etc. I've spent so much time doing that lol (WWDITS might not be the best example bc it's a documentary but it should still work pretty well)

In terms of moving characters/making it smooth, layers are going to be ur best friend lol I end up with so many layers when I make a video. It's partially because I'm scared to delete layers in case I need them later but it's also helpful to see a character's last position. If they're on the left and need to move to the right, draw them on the left, copy the layer, and move the new layer a little bit using the original one as a reference point. Continue until they've made it. Same thing if they're moving their hand up or whatever. Use old layers as reference points to avoid jumpiness.

Because animating/drawing in general is hard and time consuming and I'm lazy I try to reuse shots/poses as much as I can. Again if you have a character going from left to right and then later in the video going right to left, save the left to right layers. You can just flip them to make it look like they're going right to left and now you don't have to draw it again! This can be tricky tho bc you don't want your video to get repetitive like I said before. So do it but do it sparingly lol

THUMBNAIL FIRST! This is very helpful. Just make a bunch of little boxes with stick figures mapping out what's going to happen in ur video. It doesn't have to look good at all, it's just so you don't forget what's going to happen/get lost. This is mine for the video of Laszlo and Nadja dancing:

I put notes on this one so I remember what the actions and camera angles are. Since I was copying an already choregraphed dance here, I did that in black and then put in more interesting camera angles in blue on a different layer so it wasn't two minutes of the same full body shot

And uh yeah I think that's it! Hopefully this is helpful!

[mirismuffins-ovo]

Plant Palace ☘️Pt 2

Warning ⚠️ Mpreg

He removed his hands and stood up, helping John to his feet. “So, dinner, what do you have in mind? I’d like to help.” He gave off a cheesy grin.

John blushed and the small cat jumped off his lap when he stood up. “Well we can make some rice n beans,along with some broccoli and carrots” Giving a meek smile and leading him into the kitchen and getting out the broccoli and carrots from the fridge. Taking out the chopping board and a knife and then some pots for the rice and beans “would you mind making the rice and beans while I cut the vegetables?” Eddie had nodded and began to prep the pot's boiling water before adding the rice in.

John had begun to cut the vegetables chopping the carrots awkwardly for a moment until he got into a rhythm. He got too cocky with the speed he was chopping and gave out a small pained hiss when he cut his finger. Cursing under his breath he watched as he saw small roots branching off the carrot growing more off the small slice. Small flowers blooming from the cut he quickly rushed to throw out the carrot slice and painfully ripped out the plants in his wound throwing it in the trash. He heard Eddie say something to him in concern but John ignored him. “I’ll be back..I’m gonna get a bandage” he rushed to the bathroom to get a band-aid.

“Let me know if you need help!” Eddie called over his shoulder.

He saw the water boil so he turned it down for the rice and set it aside. Next he got to work on the beans, washing them then boiling them a bit. John returned a few minutes later looking frazzled. The other shaked it off and resumed cooking.

“Rice is done, beans are cooking? I hope I’m not messing them up.” He said, looking into the pot with curiosity. All he’s ever cooked were beans in a can.

“I bet they’re great” He said in a more calmed tone,continuing with the vegetables before placing them in with the rice and beans “we’ll let them steam for a lil bit” He placed the cap onto the pot and stretched some more,his back was still aching and he felt somewhat dried out “Maybe after eating I’ll take a bath” He shrugged,part of him wanted to ask Eddie to join him but he was never that brave. Tiredly he sat up on the counter and motioned for Eddie to come over. Eddie had walked over to John who was now his height sitting on the counter,John gave Eddie a small hug resting his arms on Eddie's shoulders. The smaller man pulled back for a moment before giving Eddie a small hesitant kiss. John was pretty tired and he always became low energy once the sun started to set. His kiss was gentle and soft,still radiating the flowering scent that consumed the both of them.

Eddie wrapped his arms back around John and held him. The kiss was a surprise, but it felt good. He kissed back, before resting his head on John’s chest. They stayed still for a moment, just enjoying each other’s presence. He had grown to love John a lot since meeting him and working for him. He was his breath of fresh air and his newest inspiration for music.

His team was curious as to why they wanted to go a little soft and gentle with their music. Eddie decided to do a few calm songs to make a small EP for his own side stuff. Right now everything was instrumental, and one day hoped to perfect it enough to share it with John. As his ear rested against the younger man’s chest, he could hear the steady heartbeat and something else. It was lighter, quicker, but seemed to match a rhythm.

He pulled away, he needed paper. John was confused at first as Eddie asked for paper and a pen. He got off the counter and found some scrap paper and a pen, handing it over. Eddie quickly drew 5 lines in a row before looking at the confused botanist.

“Stay still.” He asked as he placed his ear to his boyfriend’s chest again, listening for the quick beats. He closed his eyes and envisioned the sound then began to write. The singer got lost in his world, confusing John who left to go fix the food before it burned.

Eddie opened an app on his phone to record a synthesized beat, lost in his zone. He was in his zone, trying to get it right until John tapped him on the shoulder, scaring him out of his little world.

“Ah! Oh, sorry!” He realized what had happened. “Oh no, I’m so so sorry! I just heard your heartbeat and I just had to write music around it. It was… I can’t explain it, but it sounded like you had two heartbeats. There was a big and steady one then a sub beat that was quick and light. I tend to get lost when I hear a good beat. Inspiration just struck me and I had to write it down.” He felt bad for zoning out his boyfriend but once he could put guitar and drums to it, it was going to be a song. John’s song. A song for him.

John couldn’t help but blush at what he said “oh..that’s pretty sweet” He pushed his hair back with one free hand after handing a bowl of food to Eddie “didn’t know my heart made such an interesting rhythm” He laughed softly as he guided Eddie to his bed to go eat in the comfort of his room. “Let's get comfortable,you can write later luv” John's voice was a gentle soft tone as he took his shoes off and sat in bed,Eddie following suit. Them eating together on the bed,John had brought some water to his room, downing the large glass quickly. He basically inhaled his food,he hadn’t mentioned how hungry he’d been recently. He’d felt his stomach start cramping again and the idea of a warm bath coming to him again hoping it’d help. “I was thinking of taking a bath..if you’d like” His face felt hot and was red. “you could join me?” John's words were shy and shaky as he made the offer.

Eddie was surprised to see how hungry John was, but thankful his sickness was passing and he could eat normally. But when he mentioned the bath, Eddie got all shy. Of course he wanted to become more intimate with his boyfriend. He nodded, taking in his last bite of food and taking the bowls while John ran the bath. He took a moment in the kitchen to gather his thoughts.

I mean… he will sit in your lap to fit in the tub. That sounds nice. He could hear his mind smirking. He shook his head. He needed to be respectful. He heard John call him from the bathroom. Nervously he wiped his hands on his shirt to get rid of the sweat and followed the younger male into the bathroom.

John couldn’t help but feel nervous and decently body conscious since he’s put on a few pounds. He looked up at the taller man as he took off his pants sighing in relief when the tight buttons no longer smushed his pudgy belly.

“I’m not making you uncomfortable at all am I?”

John turned around to face him all the way,only standing in his boxers and loose shirt. He didn’t wanna make Eddie feel weird at all,but John at the same time couldn’t help but feel the need for physical comfort. He glanced away as Eddie also got undressed,John slid his shirt off shyly revealing his pale pudginess. Now only in his boxers and ready to get in the tub.

“Not at all.” Eddie replied with a red face. He turned away. “I’ll keep my back so you can jump in first.”

He heard the water slosh around as John got in. John did the same, looking away as Eddie finished getting undressed and stepped in himself behind John. He got comfortable before opening his arms for the younger man to sit in his lap and relax, his fluffy red hair tickling his chin. The two let out a duel sigh, thankful to finally relax.

The two relaxed for a bit but as soon as they felt the water start to grow cold, they washed up quickly and got out. Eddie stepped out first to grab a towel and wrap it around his waist before helping John up and out, setting a towel around the man’s shoulders to help dry him off. They had their backs turned to give each other some privacy as they dried off. Eddie loved the contact the two had in the bath, just holding onto each other and enjoying the quiet. But what next? Was a movie in order? Was he staying the night? He didn’t want to impose.

Once the two finished dressing, they returned to the bed to relax some more.

John went back to the bathroom and dried off his hair which was now a red puffy mess. He dried off his body a bit more and he looked in the mirror for a moment while he combed his hair. His tummy had been noticeably more swollen than normal,it made him anxious. It looked like it was just small pudge,he gently rubbed it. He could feel the cramping again and he tugged at what used to be a loose t-shirt on him. He focused for a moment on the cramping and winced slightly at a small pressure he felt. He was lost in thought and hovered his hands over his stomach to test something. He put energy forth that he’d normally do when growing plants. He felt internal panic when he felt slight squirming and saw the bump grow slightly. Johns face went flushed and he held his stomach in his arms tightly. He didn’t know what this meant.

Only taken out of this trance when he heard Eddie call out to him checking if he was okay.

“I-I’m fine!..” He tried to hide that he was trembling,in denial of what just happened. John slid back out of the bathroom and back to Eddie who was lying in bed.

Eddie felt something was off again. John had joined him back on the bed with a clouded look on his face. He sat up and inched closer to the man.

“John, you’re really starting to worry me.”

He reached up to take his hands noticing John’s usual loose fitting clothes looked more snug. He almost looked… pregnant. It wasn’t a usual pudge with the weight hanging over the waistline, no it looked almost too perfectly round. It was small and didn’t look right. He wanted to say something but didn’t want to frazzle the man any further than he already was. All Eddie could do was wait.

He let out a shaky breath and couldn’t look at Eddie only past him.John spoke in a soft flat tone “I’m okay..alright Eddie?” He tugged at his shirt some more and sat up straight pulling some of the blankets over him to hide his growing tummy. John didn’t know how to explain what'd just happened in the bathroom. He didn’t want Eddie to get super involved because he knew it might be an abnormal thing and he was still considerably afraid to tell his boyfriend. John hadn’t noticed the small leafs and buds that’d barely grown from John's small test. He was guessing there was a chance he had seeds inside his stomach and maybe that was what was happening.

“Okay, I’ll drop it. I’m sorry for pestering you about it… I just want you to know you can trust me if you need help.”

He looked at his boyfriend with sincere eyes and let go of his hands, sitting back in the bed, opening his arms. John crawled onto the bed and snuggled up to him. Bitty had joined them too, curling up closer to the younger man, purring up a storm.

Eddie was feeling tired but wanted to stay up with John. As they sat there, enjoying each other’s company it wasn’t long until Eddie could hear the soft evened breath of John. He was asleep, curled up to him, his head on his chest. He carefully moved them to lay down and turned off the lamps before cuddling him back and the two fell asleep.

[tmntgirlie]

Saviors in a Half Shell 6

“Do you think she heard us come in?”

“For a ninja, you are really no good at the whole ‘silent’ part.”

“I’m just asking, did you think-”

Y/N shot up, her eyes opening. “Holy fuck-”

It was still mostly dark, save for the small wave of light coming through the sole window in the apartment. “What the- how did you get in here?”

She was less angry than she thought she should be, the four brothers sneaking into her apartment (which they somehow knew the location of, she didn’t remember telling them) at some ungodly hour at night. Or was it morning? Where was that line drawn, anyway?

“You think we can just walk in the front door?” Raphael said through a snort.

She reached over to turn the lamp on next to her. Looking around, these turtles took up most of her living room. Those shells were huge. Like chunky backpacks you could never take off.

“I have so many questions,” she mumbled. “Not that you guys aren’t welcome here or anything, you welcomed me into your home, but like… Boundaries? Guys?”

“We just wanted to check in, Mikey here wanted to say hello,” Leonardo said, pushing his youngest brother forward.

“What’s up, gorgeous?” Mikey said through a grin, shooting her some finger guns. “Sorry we woke you. Forgot you’re not… Donnie, what’s the word?”

“Nocturnal, not that we’re supposed to be that either,” his brother said.

Y/N pulled her blanket back up to her as she sat up, humming. “I guess I’m up now.”

Four hours and about fifteen cheese omelets later, Y/N found herself once again alone in her apartment. Man, those turtles could sure eat.

She really didn’t remember much of the conversations that were had. It was actually kind of nice in a way. They felt comfortable enough with her to just pop into her home without her really knowing how they knew where she lived. She didn’t remember telling them that little detail.

Maybe this was her life now.

Not that she was complaining.

-

With an iced coffee in one hand and her phone in the other, Y/N flipped through her apps to check her work schedule for the day. She smiled when she saw her favorite client taking up a majority of her day.

“April! Saw you on TV last night.”

“Hey, Y/N!” April made her way through the salon and into Y/N’s chair. “Yeah, it was a late night last night. Quite a bit of activity if you know what I mean.”

“Never a quiet night in New York,” she replied, draping a cape over her. “Your hair still looks new. What are we thinking today?”

After a quick consultation, Y/N’s day had officially begun. It never really felt like work. This was where she was in her happy place, where nothing else really mattered. It was just her and her client, making art.

It was typical for them to make small talk, weather and recent happenings in their lives, but April tended to keep most of her personal life to herself. Y/N didn’t judge her for that- she knew that April had enough of her life out there as a news reporter as it was. She did like to talk about her boyfriend, now fiance, Casey.

Y/N recalled a time where she spoke about a man named Vernon Fenwick, a man who used to be a cameraman for the same news team. The same Fenwick that took all the credit for saving the city of New York twice.

She wondered if April knew anything about that.

No, she told herself. She probably doesn’t. And even if she does, she would never tell me.

During the last few minutes of April’s processing time, Y/N snuck into the back room to send a quick message to the boys. For once, she actually had people to text while at work. Or at all. It was a nice feeling

Hey, guys, thanks for stopping by this morning. I’m not sure how you knew where I live, but you guys are welcome anytime. Maybe let me know the next time you’re coming? Xx - Y/N

N prob Angelcakes! We’ll let u kno - Michelangelo

We just wanted to make sure you were okay, it was kind of a spontaneous decision to actually come in. Sorry we scared you - Donatello

Just a little heads up would be much appreciated - Y/N

For a reason she couldn’t put her finger on, she was disappointed Leonardo didn’t say anything. Not that she didn’t like Michelangelo or Donatello, she liked them a lot. But both Leonardo and Raphael didn’t say anything.

They’re probably busy, she told herself. Back to work.

Forty-five minutes later, Y/N grinned as she spun April around to a mirror as the final reveal.

“Y/N, you’ve done it again,” April said, running her fingers through her hair. “You have no idea how many of your cards I’ve handed out in the past few months. Your books must be full.”

“Thanks to you,” Y/N nodded. “I couldn’t ask for a better client. I have no idea where I’d be without you.”

April scoffed. “Oh, stop it. You’d be doing amazing even if you didn’t have me.”

“You gave me a jump start here in the Apple, can’t deny it.”

Doing April’s hair was always the highlight of her day. It was easy, she was easy to talk to. It was hard for Y/N to keep that client/stylist relationship just that with her. They were fairly close in age, Y/N being only a few years younger than April. Y/N would like to think they ran in the same circles as each other.

Or, they would if Y/N even ran in a circle.

As Y/N was checking April out at the front desk, April slid what looked like a postcard across the counter.

Y/N frowned. “What’s this?”

“Open it, will you?” April said, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

She set her pen down and sliced the envelope open.

“Oh! A save the date!” Y/N stared down at the card in front of her.

“You’re invited, of course!” April beamed at her. “And a plus one. It’s not for another year, but I thought I’d give you a heads up. I’m hoping you’ll be able to do my hair and makeup, too, but no pressure.”

“I’ll block off the entire weekend, no doubt about that,” Y/N stated. “Do you have a registry already?”

Y/N and April could have spent hours discussing wedding colors, themes, the stress of writing wedding vows (not that Y/N had experience in that, but she figured it wasn’t easy). It took Y/N by surprise when she saw her next client walk in the door and wave at her.

She checked April out quickly, giving her a last smile. “I’ll see you in twelve weeks then. Have fun wedding planning!”

“Actually, do you want to go out for drinks tonight? Or tomorrow, whatever works for you.”

“Drinks?”

Y/N wasn’t used to people so nonchalantly asking her to do things outside of work. It took her by surprise- she went to work, she went home. Grocery shopping was in there sometimes, maybe going to a movie solo, grabbing takeout. Grabbing drinks with a client?

A friend?

“I’d love to,” she said finally. “I’ll text you when I’m off, okay?”

Now she only hoped the rest of her day went by fast. For once, she was looking forward to something other than work. She was going out for drinks with a friend.

-

Two clients and three iced coffees later, Y/N finally checked her phone as her final client of the day sat at the shampoo bowl.

Sorry I didn’t message back earlier, I was meditating. How is your day going? - Leonardo

She felt her heart skip a beat. He wasn’t ignoring her messages after all.

Amazing actually! I got invited to a wedding for next year and drinks after work. It seems things are looking up in my world - Y/N

That’s too bad, I was hoping you could come to the lair for food and a movie tonight. Donnie found a taping of the new Avengers movie - Leonardo

The new one? Didn’t that come out a week ago in theaters? - Y/N

You’d be correct - Leonardo

That sounds illegal - Y/N

So are a lot of things we do. Like living in the sewers without paying taxes - Leonardo

Fair point. I’ll try to stop by after drinks, don’t want to miss that prime showing - Y/N

Y/N let out a breath and smiled. Was this really her life now? Work, drinks with a friend, then a private movie showing with four new friends?

She was definitely not complaining about that.

[flipsideds]

“ oh, haha... ”  a default response to a very non-default situation –– a little post-show, barside rendez-vous with an older man who insists nour has been singing to directly to him the entire night. “ flirting ?  i... ”  

gentle eyes gloss over the banquet hall’s dimmed lights, bright smiles, flickering electric candles... “ . . . what’s that ? ”  and then he’s off, gin and tonic in hand. three strides and it’s already half-drained. yikes.

or, alternatively :  greetings loved ones!! my name is linc ( 21 / est / she/her ) and here is the ever so graceful, ever so unintentionally magnetic nour al-busiri! below the cut you’ll find a messy run-down. i am so excited to plot & write with all of you !!

( i’m scheduled for a tonsillectomy tomorrow so i’m gonna be so grateful for the distraction, y’all have no idea. ) 

if you want some great mood-setters for this beb’s backstory / insight into his soul, slap on some jacob collier, kevin garrett, or charlie burg ‘n let’s get cookin’ !

so this is all copy-pasted from a discord chat with devon bc i improvised nour’s entire life story over a span of... 10 minutes ?? bahaha pls enjoy i apologize in advance. ( i also put this in normal text size bc it is v long and i don’t want anyone hurting their eyes !! protect dem beautiful retinas <3 )

h i s t o r y .

his parents met in grade school in egypt, but then didn't reconnect until their masters studies crossed paths in london... immediately fell head over heels again ( had they been searching for one another in crowds since being 6-7 years old?? maybe... ). graduated top of their class, accepted job offers in london in the biopharmaceutical realm. but then. when nour was 3...

they were involved in a freak monorail accident on their way back from a science conference in amsterdam. the babysitter paid 80 quid to watch the kids for two nights became their sole protector in this world. british authorities had trouble contacting other kin, but managed to reach mr. al-busiri's mother, rashida, who was still living in dahab with her second husband, zaim.

the al-busiri's came from old money. so off nour goes ( and potentially his older bro if i decide he exists... potential wc with a rami malek fc tbh ) to live in the city which, unbeknownst to him, sparked his parents' storybook love.

so nour grows up in this like... picturesque seaside childhood. collects shells. bonds with his grandmother and her husband. they encourage him with school, etc. but he quickly shows that he excels at maths and... music? wow. that's unexpected. gets his first piano at 5. first guitar at 6. by 8 1/2, he's managed to hodge-podge together a little recording studio for himself in his bedroom, and he's constantly serenading his friends at school.

( death tw / illness tw ) then comes zaim's stroke. he lives for four months after, but he loses his ability to speak. his motor skills deteriorate. nour and his grandmother do their best to tend to him –– she's already about 40% down the macular degeneration path, but hasn't told him yet that her vision's going. so 10 y/o nour does what he does best: unconditional love and support, delivered through the gift of song. zaim dies after requesting his favorite song: 'blackbird' by the beatles, sung in verses alternating from english to arabic.

after,  it's just nour and rashida against the world ( maybe his brother too bergorghre if i decide he's a thing ) . rashida's forced to come clean about her vision the day she can't for the life of her find the bloody pen she just put down so she can finish signing off on nour's choir trip permission slip. ( it's right next to her, to her left, just out of her closing field of vision. ) things progress more rapidly after that. by the time nour's 16, his grandmother is legally blind. it's not an uncommon sight to see him at the markets or strolling along the beach with her on his arm. she refuses canes as long as nour's around. ( “ don't rob me of my youth, nuri-nuri [ my light ] ”  )

despite her growing dependency on him, she encourages him to apply to unis all over the globe. by the time college apps roll around, nour is somewhat of a local household name: he plays summer concerts, coffee shops, and is even asked to play at his teacher's wedding ceremony –– and his neighbor's cat funeral.

acceptances roll in. julliard. berkeley. chicago school of music. he chooses chicago, because there's someone there. someone he connected with online a few years back, a friend, but... could turn into something more. this hopeless romantic heedlessly ventures off to find out if this boy in chicago might... be someone. something more.

spoiler alert: he gets to chicago, starts music school. and each meet-up they set? gets pushed. sometimes it's traffic. a cold. transit trouble. can't get work off, sorry. things with ma are really tough. the excuses kept coming but... nour's naive. he believes every word. but in his second year of uni, things....... start getting suspicious. by chance, he spots this man in the window of a coffee shop downtown. overjoyed, he texts as much. but ... messages go read and unanswered. phone calls dwindle.

his music suffers. so does his muse. so much so that he's tempted to drop out, to throw in the towel, to just...... go back home. he speaks with his grandmother each day on the phone. she's doing well, stop worrying, nuri-nuri, your uncle is taking good care of me. nour goes on dates. thinks about chicago boy. thinks about him a lot.

he's 20 when it happens. sat on a stage in a little dive bar, tuning his acoustic guitar for an opening number, and there. those eyes. he knows them.

they talk after the show, in the alley. share a cigarette. and it's almost like... maybe things are finally clicking. maybe this is finally their shot.

except chicago boy ( neil ) says they have to stop talking. that he had to just... see nour for himself. see that he's real. hear him sing, and... move on. nour doesn't buy it. pushes back. asks why the hell neil'd come out now only to slink back to the shadows. things get heated. neil yells. and the men... the men who hear and come running ?  they think nour is the cause of it all.

( hate crime tw, violence tw )  how many kicks does it take to break to the center of a broken heart ? twelve. how many broken ribs does it take to immobilize a probably terrorist, dude ? four. shattered wrist. snapped ankle. broken arm. cracked skull. and neil scuttles off like nour's bad meat. bad blood. like he asked for this. 

chicago school of music receives a call from weiss memorial three days later.

nour never gets his degree. he breaks his apartment lease. flies home after he heals, spends a year with his grandmother and uncle. just... creating. writing, playing, trying to fill that void with something. but then things with his uncle get heated. he wants to put his own mother in a home, sell the estate, pocket the cash. nour fights it, but he's got no legal bearing.

the nursing home concept never takes hold, though, because his grandmother's still sharp as shit and refuses to sign anything nour doesn't read first. eventually the uncle grows tired of fighting and stops trying, just... slinks back to his husband and keeps his mouth shut. nour's grandmother pressures him to go back to chicago, make that city wish he never left. take back his own story. together they work to find a live-in aide they trust. freshly 22, nour ventures back to the city that broke him.

he finds cheap housing, a gig. the malnati, seems legit. good money. good exposure. and then he meets @ryderxmms​ –– they form one night stand. when not scheduled for malnati banquets, you can find nour providing vocals ( and occasional keys ) in the dive bars / parties the band lands gigs at.

g e n e r a l .

nour creates like food and drink don’t exist, sunlight is an illusion, and all the human body needs for sustenance is sound. he can find his way around just about any instrument under the sun, but his main poisons are piano, acoustic guitar, and digital recording tools –– think jacob collier and you’re right on the money.

actually, i’m stealing a lot of jacob collier discography and pegging it as his creations. this kid’s got an experimental sound and loves it.

he grew up speaking english and arabic equally, but because he learned english in london and then continued in egypt, he does have a mild brit-arab accent. it’s v cute, i promise.

looks like he’d be a total lothario, yeah ?? but. he’s so shy ?  so sweet ?  get him on a stage and he’s shameless but plop him in a bar and eye him up and he’ll honestly just smile nervously and pretend you’re looking at someone else.

love languages : singing to his succulents and plants before his 5am morning runs. facetime calls at times least convenient for him, but most convenient for you. little notes written on napkins, smiley face doodles included. candy bars. lingering a little longer in doorways after saying hello, just to see you smile.

he’s got major water sign vibes. birthday comin’ up in march, woot woot !!

he often wears very simple statement pieces. he likes rings, crystal pendants, leather bracelets. soft tees layered with embroidered jackets, metallic blazers. somehow he pulls off mixed media and crazy prints that should never go together ?  he just... is so easy breezy.

he often wears his hair wild ‘n curly, unless the gig he’s got mandates a more streamlined look. 

falls in love.... 14 times a day ??  really.

has a scar across his left temple from the incident with neil. will probably write it off as a bike riding accident. ( he doesn’t know how to ride a bike. )

don’t let him cook ever, okay ??  unless you want him to literally do this.

pls come at me for all the plots ?  i’m so open for all the things !!!  y’all got me on discord, so feel free to slide on into my dms. i promise i will be so thrilled <3

[moonkissedisms]

If suddenly she rears pulls, pitches into the lightning

if the split sky strikes splinters the glassy ground (her stride is a circle growing smaller)

when she sees the stars —all skies have storms and she has seen them

if she shies and starts when she skids when she lowers her eyes if she stops to listen:

nervous rider, beware.

—anu lakhan  

APP

✧･ﾟ(   artemis + hunter schafer + trans woman   ) 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒂 !!  have you seen (   morrigan ‘mora’ driscoll  ) around ? (   she  ) has been in kaos for (  four months  ). the (  twenty year old  ) is a (   college student   ) from (   dublin, ireland   ). people say they can be (   vindictive   ) but maybe that’s not too bad ‘cause they can also be (   protective  ). whenever i think of them, i can’t help but think of (  jeans ripped in the woods, the scent of the forest, dirt smeared across hands   ).  ･ﾟ✧  (  penned by chris, 19, est, she/they  ).

STATS

name: Morrigan Driscoll

nickname: Mora

age: twenty

pronouns & gender: trans woman, she/her

sexuality: lesbian

birthday: july 1st

BIO (TRANSPHOBIA TW, VIOLENCE TW, DYSPHORIA TW)

What an angry little thing. Your mother said the day you were born. No matter how she held you, no matter how long she let you lay, no matter how much you ate, no matter how much she tried to soothe you, you screamed and screamed and screamed. She said it with a smile on her face, a sweet and affectionate thing, as she thought that, perhaps, this would grow into passion. ( It did, but the angry remained tucked behind your ribs, messily entangled with your passion. ) 

What an angry little thing. Your first teacher said the first day of school. Another student called you a boy. It was not malicious, and at the time, you did not yet know why that word applied to you left your emotions a mangled mess of anger and pain and despair. Nonetheless, you lunged at the boy. It was written off as the result of too much energy. 

What an angry little thing. Your mother said the day you yelled and yelled. Now, you were a preteen at the time, and you felt wrong and wrong and wrong. All you knew, you wanted to do something to stop the feelings that paralyzed you. You needed her to do something, to stop it, to help you. 

What an angry little thing. Your father said when you first put a pin on your bag. Newly sixteen, newly legally named Morrigan, and newly moved into an apartment in Dublin with your family, you had no qualms about putting a transgender pin on your book bag the first day at your new school. We already moved all this way. He said. You really got to flaunt it here too? And you cannot remember anything other than the anger and the tears as you spat insults his way as you stormed out of the apartment. 

What an angry little thing. You said as you cleaned up a cut. It was a long and thin angry red line above your brow. A protest gone wrong, really. An act of rebellion gone wrong, really. Gone wrong when a counter protester got too bold and you got caught in the crossfire. ( Of course, you had been in quite a few fights before then, your angry always likely to propel you into a clash of fists. )

What an angry little thing. Your first girlfriend said after she dumped you. The relationship had been a long one, at least to the standards of two high school seniors. Days before graduation, while you voiced your angry about your father, about the kids in you class that didn’t understand you, about politicians that cared more about staying in power than people staying alive, watched you, took in your righteous anger and your over-exaggerated hand motions. She narrowed her eyes, something akin to annoyance crossing her face. I don’t see why any of this fucking matters. She interrupted. Can’t you just let this dumb shit go? Minutes later, you stormed out of her house, swallowing rage and wiping away your tears.

What an angry little thing. Your mother said after you packed your bags and stormed out of the house. You loved her, you really did. While you father wanted to ignore you, pretend that you were not different in a way he could not reconcile with the image of the world and the image of you he held, she offered you love and support and helped you get what you needed to live as the person you were. Except, maybe she never understood you, never understood the angry that beat in tune with your heart, and maybe she never would. He’s trying his best, Mor, can you try to see things how he does? ( Three time’s a pattern, you thought as you threw your bags into the cab, wiped the tears away, and tasted iron. )

Your anger is a good thing. A pretty girl said against your lips. And maybe that was the only the second time someone had praised your angry and the first time that you could remember. It’s fucking hot. It wasn’t the validation you craved, exactly, but it was enough for you that first year of college. You kissed her and you kissed her and you convinced yourself that you were in love with her not because she thought your anger, something that pushed you away and away and away from most everyone else, was something to be admired, something hot. 

Your anger is a good thing. A college professor told you after a lecture about declining ecosystems. Animals and plants and microorganisms were dying off. They were not dying to put food on the table, they were dying because of the avarice and carelessness of humans. When called on, you could not bite your tongue, could not stop the spiel about the injustice of it, the horror of it, and the ways the world was being ruined. Another pin, one calling for more environmental protections, was added to the collection of pins that adorned your bag. 

Your anger is a good thing. You thought as you packed up your bags, leaving to studying the wildlife on a Greek Island over the summer. A professor had suggested it, handed you a pamphlet for the aboard program for a summer research program for undergrads and a fall semester spent there hosted by your university. You applied nearly as soon as you got back to your dorm, and when you found out you got into the program, your excitement was nearly palpable. You would be helping out with research that might change the world, might help save a burning planet, and you could not imagine a better summer. 

Your anger is a good thing. You reminded yourself as idyllic life on Kaos made you consider staying. It lulled your anger into a dull thing, sometimes, on the days you had off from the research program. The beaches and the green and the sleepy smiles of the native residents of the Island, it left you with lowered blood pressure, and you wanted, perhaps selfishly, to never leave the beautiful beaches and the quaint village. Of course, of course, you forced yourself to remember the flaws of your world, the animals elsewhere that were dying for no purpose, and the people that were dying because of hate alone, and you knew, deep down, that you could not stay there for the rest of your life.

PERSONALITY EXPANSION 

adventurous→ Deep within your heart, there has always been a want, the all-consuming and clawing kind, to find excitement wherever and whenever you went.

fervent→ Your passion is a sort of undying thing. Once you set your mind to something, you are unshakeable in you convictions, and, with words or your fists, you will fight for what you believe with a fiery passion.

loyal→ While you are not the most friendly person, once you begin to care about someone, it’s almost impossible to chip away at the affection you feel for them.

protective→ Perhaps it is only natural to want to see those you care about out of harm’s way but, with you, it is an all-consuming thing, something that keeps you up with worry and forces your hand when someone you care about has been hurt.

aloof→ There is a distance between you and most people, a need to keep you heart safe from the many ways that people have hurt you before. To you, it is basic cost-benefit analysis that led to your decision to keep people at arm’s length rather than something more akin to fear.

argumentative→ Biting your tongue has not been your strong suit since you left the halls of your second-level school. University has thought the value of your words, even as you voice raises and blood pressure spikes, especially when your voice raises and blood pressure spikes.

irascible→ Burning alongside your passion is anger that you cannot ever seem to tame. Perhaps it is you anger, the way an injustice causes you blood to boil, the ache in your fists when men get a bit too creepy with a woman, the metallic taste as you bit you tongue in your youth, that fuels your passion.

resentful→ A bitterness runs through your veins, coloring the world a grey-tinted red, only made worse by the ways the world and basic human decency seems to crumble all around you.

TLDR  (TRANSPHOBIA TW, VIOLENCE TW, DYSPHORIA TW)

Morrigan Driscoll was born in Galway, Ireland on July 1st, 1999. She spent most of her life in Galway, growing up there and going to school there until she was sixteen.

Her deadname is not important, so unimportant that I didn’t bother to think one up so please don’t ask about it. 

Mora was always an angry child, prone to fighting and arguing with just about anyone she ran into. While her early fights were centered a lot about how she fight a disconnect between how she felt and her assigned gender, later it was also about how people were treated in society. 

When she was fourteen, she came out to her mother as trans and began to transition, even if Irish law wouldn’t have let her legally change her gender identity. While her mom was entirely supportive, her dad was less so, not ever really understanding why she needed a big deal out of this gender stuff. 

In 2015, a month after the end of the school year, Mora and her family moved to Dublin to avoid the stigma that she had been facing in Galway at her school since she started to transition. This was something that her dad held over her, acting like it was just more proof that she was being ridiculous about the entire thing. 

This was also the year she legally changed her name and gender since Ireland passed legislation that year. 

As supportive as her mom was, she never really challenged Mora’s father’s ideas and how he talked to Mora, so that led to a pretty strained relationship with both of her parents until she moved out for college. She doesn’t really talk to her dad much anymore but she does talk to her mom from time to time. She’s not really a part of Mora’s life but Mora’s not exactly that torn up about that. 

She goes to Trinity College, getting a degree in biology, and summer research and fall semester hosted by the school brought her to Kaos three weeks ago. 

While she’s on the island, she’s staying with Jonas !

She’s always been the activist type, going to protests and advocating for the causes she took up. Trans issues, women’s issues, and environmental issues are particular important to her but she does what she can for most causes she supports.

And similarly, she has always been a fiercely protective person of people who she think need, and those she is close to. 

Her anger is still very much a thing getting her in trouble. 

WANTED CONNECTIONS

I want all the connections but I have a page with a few ideas that you can find here !!

[vernonfielding]

Life Writes Its Own Stories

Chapter 6! (Or go to AO3.)

By the end of September – eight weeks after Holt had given her permission to focus solely on the jail investigation – Amy had finally finished her story. She’d gone through nearly two weeks of edits with Terry and another few days with Holt himself. She’d triple-checked the spelling of every name and quadruple-checked every number. She’d spent hours fact-checking everything from the date the Brooklyn Detention Center opened to the backstory of the Spanish-speaking inmate who had become the main character in her article. They were set to publish the story in a few days, once Holt gave his final stamp of approval.

Except she wasn’t quite finished yet. And that was why she was sitting across from Jake in a Greenpoint diner on a Wednesday night, hands folded on top of a print-out copy of her article.

“Ordinarily I would never do this,” Amy said, glancing around the largely empty restaurant. They were seated in a back booth, an overhead lamp casting a warm yellow glow over the table. Jake looked at her expectantly, eyebrows raised.

Amy cleared her throat and went on. “I guess it’s not that uncommon for reporters to use expert sources to look over their stories, it’s just I’ve never done it. And I don’t think Terry or Holt would approve. It’s one of those Journalism 101 things: You never share your unpublished work with a source.”

Jake frowned. “You want me to read your story?”

Amy swallowed and nodded slowly.

“That’s it?” Jake glanced at the print-out.

Amy nodded again and held up the papers, tapping them on the tabletop to straighten them out. Jake held out a hand, and she gingerly handed them over, feeling nervous and guilty. She immediately began chewing on her thumbnail.

Jake flipped through the pages and said, “Wow, it’s long.”

“You don’t have to,” Amy said, reaching out to take back the papers, but Jake tucked them into his chest.

“No, I want to,” he said. “But, um, what do you need me to do? Like, look for spelling errors or-”

Amy laughed a little. “No, we’ve already gone over all of that. I need you to tell me if I got anything wrong – like, anything police-related wrong. The kind of stuff that would be obvious to a cop. And also, I want you to tell me if you think it’s fair. I really tried to be balanced and I think I managed it, but I need it to be fair, and I trust you-”

“You trust me,” Jake echoed, a smile quirking his lips.

“You know I do.”

“Okay.” Jake set the papers on the table and picked up the top one, and then wiggled his fingers at her.

“What?”

“I’m gonna need a pen.” He beamed at her. “Ideally red ink.”

Amy rolled her eyes but she obliged – red ink and all.

The next half hour was torture. Amy had ordered a BLT but she mostly just dismembered it, eating pieces of bacon and tomato and mayonnaise’d bread at random. Jake picked at his French fries as he read but mostly ignored his cheeseburger, which was shocking. Amy tried not to just sit and watch him, instead pulling up the Times crossword puzzle app to pass the time. But she kept stealing glances, especially when he’d suddenly uncap the red pen with his teeth and make a note in the margins of her story.

Finally, he turned to the last page, and when he’d finished the final paragraphs he flipped all of the papers over and folded his hands on top of them. Amy stared at him, feeling like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She hadn’t been this anxious handing over her first draft to Terry, or her fifth draft to Holt. Jake’s opinion, she realized with sudden clarity, mattered more than anyone else’s.

“You did it,” Jake said.

“I- yes? I did?”

“I mean, you really did it. You got the story,” he said. “Ames, this is incredible.”

Amy’s grin was involuntary, and so wide that she probably looked insane. She could tell she was blushing furiously too. Jake beamed back at her.

“You really think-”

“Yeah,” Jake said, cutting her off. “I really do.”

“Thank you, Jake.”

He pushed the papers across the table at her and said, “I do have some notes.”

Amy began flipping through the pages, pleased to find that though his handwriting was sloppy it was legible enough. He hadn’t made many notes, and most of them were more commentary than critique. On the second to last page Amy paused at a note that was just an exclamation point, and she had to muster some courage to look up at him. He was watching her.

“You quoted me,” he said.

“I did.” Amy pushed aside her half-eaten sandwich and leaned over the table toward him. “Hear me out: I will take out your quote and your name if you ask me to, no explanation necessary, I promise.”

“When did I say this?” Jake said. “I don’t remember you ever taking notes.”

“It was three weeks ago,” Amy said.

She’d been in a particularly frenzied state about the story, having reached the point where the bulk of the reporting was done but she was feeling overwhelmed by the writing task ahead and frustrated by the stonewalling she was dealing with daily from the corrections department and the NYPD. She and Jake had met for drinks that night and she’d gotten a little tipsy and gone on a rant about cops and how they were all about the power and the ego trips, and Jake had said, surprisingly gentle, “Amy, any good cop is going to be furious about what’s happening at the detention center. I’m furious about it. If all of this is true, it needs to be stopped, and I know that every decent detective in the NYPD would agree with me.”

Amy had immediately apologized for going off on him and he’d smiled and said it was okay, he knew she was exhausted. And when he’d gone to the bathroom a few minutes later, she’d taken out her notebook and written down every word he’d said.

“So, everything’s on the record now?” Jake said at the diner. His tone was teasing, but she could read the concern on his face.

“No, definitely not,” Amy said. “I’m sorry, it was really bad form for me to write down what you said like that, and I am totally serious, if you need to be taken out of the story, just say so. I won’t try to talk you out of it. Except-”

“Except?”

“Your quote is great, Jake. I think you were right, and what you said really is what most of the rest of the NYPD will believe, and that voice is important. Really important.” Amy took a deep breath. “But I mean it. I’ll take it out.”

Jake sighed and glanced away, running a hand through his hair and making the curls stand up on top. She felt terrible, suddenly, for putting him in this position – for making him choose between his career and her story, and after he’d been so helpful all these weeks.

“You know what, never mind,” Amy said. “I’m taking you out.”

“No,” Jake said. “Leave it.”

Amy studied him. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you,” she said, shoulders slumping a little with relief. “So much.”

Jake scratched his neck and chuckled. “Honestly? I’m kind of glad you’re quoting me. After all this time, both our names will actually be in one of these stories. It’s nice.”

He smiled shyly at her, and Amy ducked her head, tucking her hair behind her ears.

“I, um, actually thought the same thing. It felt good to type your name.” Amy closed her eyes and grimaced. “Wow, that sounded super nerdy, even to me.”

Jake laughed, and so did Amy, and for a moment they just grinned like two dorks at one another.

+++

They took the subway back to Amy’s neighborhood together, because Jake pretty much always walked her home. She’d said to him, the first time he’d insisted, that she didn’t need an escort. But Jake had responded by describing three gruesome murders that had happened in her zip code and eventually she’d relented just to get him to shut up.

They got to the platform just as their train was leaving, and at that time of night on the G it was another 20 minutes for the next one, but Amy didn’t mind. Now that the pressure was off Jake reading the story – and seeing his name in print – she felt practically breezy, even as they went over his notes and Amy pestered him for more critiques. He seemed hesitant at first about giving her honest feedback beyond the notes he’d scribbled, but by the time their train finally arrived he was picking apart word choices and Amy had to remind him that the story had already been through two editors, including Holt, who had once been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

“What were you going to tell them if I asked you to take my name out of the story?” Jake said, as they headed up the subway stairs to Myrtle.

Amy chewed her lower lip for a minute and finally admitted, “I hadn’t figured that out yet. I was really hoping you’d be okay with it.”

“Good for you that I’m so generous,” Jake said, nudging her shoulder with his.

She jostled him back, and they walked in a companionable quiet for a couple of blocks, past Amy’s bodega and the shoe repair shop that smelled so nice and the laundry service that was her guilty pleasure because they always folded her sheets so crisply. She loved her neighborhood, most of all this time of year, when the leaves were turning and the air was cool and dry, and smelled of wood smoke. Soon she’d start treating herself to the warm pierogies and hot chocolate from the Polish place that she only indulged in when the weather was cold.

She should take Jake there – the thought made Amy smile to herself. The owner, an ancient Polish woman who seemed to speak no English but always clasped Amy’s hands in both of her own and kissed her on the cheek, would love Jake, who was never more charming than when he was wooing an old lady. She’d witnessed it the first time when they’d met at the Cuban bakery where Amy had been buying pastelitos for years, never speaking more than three or four words to any of the employees. Jake had walked out with a box of free pastries from the owner herself after one visit.

Jake stopped when they reached her building, standing in front of the stairs that led up to her door. He said, “So when is this story going to be in the newspaper?”

“Why, you want to get up early and buy extra copies?” she said, trying to keep a straight face.

“No, I want to know what day I should call in sick to work,” Jake said. “They can’t fire me if they can’t find me.”

Amy’s face fell. “Do you really think you’ll get in much trouble?”

Jake shrugged one shoulder, but he was smiling, his face half-lit from the glow cast by a streetlight.

“It’ll be worth it,” he said. “Whatever happens.”

His eyes locked on hers, and Amy felt her breath catch. He leaned into her, gaze sliding to her mouth. She felt his hands on her waist and closed her eyes, tilting her head up to him, and his mouth brushed hers, his lips dry and warm. He pulled away with a sigh, and she pushed back into him and kissed him, insistent and hungry. She opened her mouth to his and curled a hand around the back of his neck, fingers scratching up into his hair. His arms wrapped around her, hands sliding under her jacket, holding her close. She was lightheaded, adrift in the taste and the smell of him, in the flutter of her heart and the warmth pooling in her stomach.

And then she gasped and pushed him away with a hand on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding.

“Jake, we can’t,” Amy said, breathless and bewildered, cursing herself.

Jake stared at her, loosening his hold on her so his hands rested on her hips. His mouth was open and he looked dazed, his eyes shining in the faint light.

“I like you,” Jake said. “I thought- I felt like you might like me too.”

“I do,” Amy said, and she placed her palm flat, over his heart. “I do. But god, this is so unethical. I knew we were becoming friends, and maybe- but I shouldn’t have let it get this far. I just, I can’t, Jake. I’m sorry.”

Jake held her gaze, and when he finally looked away Amy was heartbroken. He placed his hand over hers on his chest, and he squeezed her fingers and then he let go, and took a step back.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay.”

Amy knew it wasn’t okay, not even a little bit, but she let him walk away.

CHAPTER 7

[svtsweet]

Good Boy

A/N: First a dom Vernon and now a sub.....give me a minute before my head explodes. Whew I’m going to need a break after writing all these!! And welcome to the app!

Vernon x Reader

Summary: Vernon’s sour attitude begins to ruin a night out with the Hip Hop Unit so you take matters into your own hands to relieve the bitter tension. 

Genre: Smut

Warnings: Sub Vernon, Public Sex, Oral Sex (male receiving)

Word Count: 1700+

Eating with Vernon had never been more fun. The rest of the Hip Hop Unit joined you and soon the five of you were seated at a booth in a Korean barbeque restaurant. The lighting is dim and the chatter that erupts between Mingyu and you adds to the noise surrounding you. Mingyu directs a question at Vernon who had stayed quiet almost the entire night. He’s stiff besides you as you make eye contact with him for a moment, but then he breaks away and shrugs his shoulders. You’re set back a bit by his response and shake your head, going back to talking to Mingyu. Wonwoo throws himself in and you laugh at a bad joke he says. You glance over at Vernon to catch him laugh as well but to your surprise he’s going through his phone, a single earbud resting in his ear. He was fine earlier that day, even suggesting this whole outing to you. What was causing him to be in such a bad mood? The waitress comes by to take your order simultaneously ending your thought process.

“Vernon, is there anything specific you want?” you ask as the waitress holds out a pen and paper.

He shakes his head, eyes fixated on the small screen in front of him. In the end, you give out your orders to the waitress and she leaves. The five of you are left in awkward silence that Seungcheol tries to break by asking you some questions about your job and how it’s treating you. You try to answer but Vernon cuts you off.

“It’s going great.”

Seungcheol leans back in his seat, Wonwoo and Mingyu obviously uncomfortable with how everything is going. Vernon needs to be taught a lesson, you think. You reach over and place a hand on his knee, the table a perfect cover.

You give Seungcheol a complete answer. “It was a bit rough last week but I toughed it out and now it’s all good.” You squeeze Vernon’s knee, smirking when he abruptly sits up in his seat.

Seungcheol smiles and carries on with to the prank Seokmin tried and failed to pull on Jihoon. Mingyu and Wonwoo laugh along with him and you smile as they stray into a different conversation, hearing their bizarre shenanigans. Little did they know that you smiled because they had no idea your hand was inching higher on Vernon’s leg.

Vernon still hasn’t put his phone down but you know his attention is anywhere but the bright screen, the way he tenses beneath your touch evidence enough. You continue stroking up and down on his thigh, your thumbs occasionally pressing into his clothed flesh. The waitress comes back to deliver your drinks but with the how Vernon jumps in his seat, she might as well be holding a knife to his face. You chuckle into your other hand at his reaction, the others eyeing him suspiciously.

“Vernon,” Mingyu inquires, “are you feeling okay?”

Vernon nods vigorously. “Yeah, just thirsty-” He squeaks suddenly as your hand hovers over his crotch. Throwing a glance your way, he pouts and goes to tap at his phone, with little interest you had no doubt. It does nothing to stop you. Taking a sip of your drink, you rub his growing bulge and smirk when he props his forehead on his hand, face down so that his bangs would cover his eyes.

“Are you going to drink your water?” Wonwoo asks.

Vernon nods slowly, refusing to make eye contact. Watching intently as Vernon takes a small sip from his glass, your meager attempt to hide your snicker wears thin as you increase the pressure on his cock. The glass almost tips over as he tries to place it back down, whimper threatening to spill the liquid in his mouth when your palm touches his sensitive tip. The other boys eye him curiously but return to their conversation. Speeding up the rate of your ministrations, Vernon can’t help but lay his head into the crook of your neck.

“Don’t make me cum here,” he pleads below his breath.

Smugly, you tilt your head so that your lips brush against his forehead. “You deserve it though.”

Vernon whines softly. “I’ll do anything, please.”

Deciding he’s had enough, you remove your hand from his now hard erection but keep it on the inside of his thigh. “Go and wait for me in the bathroom like a good boy.”

You can feel him grit his teeth, protest on its way, but you drag your nails up his leg, palming him until his legs start shaking. “Okay, okay,” he concedes, voice strained.

You give his thigh one final squeeze and kiss his hair. “Good boy.”

There’s no way his walk to the bathroom is comfortable, not with his dick almost ripping through his pants. The thought has you giggling, Seungcheol, Wonwoo, and Mingyu giving you a look. You distract them start a new conversation though, waving off Vernon’s strange behavior when they ask. Spending a good ten minutes chatting with them, you finally excuse yourself to follow through with your plan. You walk into the mens bathroom quietly, breathing a sigh of relief when you see no one else inside. That is besides the familiar pair of sneaker at the last stall. You knock on the door and grin at Vernon’s flushed face.

“Did I keep you waiting?” you tease.

“Why did you do this?”

You push him further into the stall with a firm hand on his chest and close the door. “Funny, I was about to ask you the same question. Why were you acting that way out there?”

He furrows his brows and looks to the ground. “Watching you laugh and smile because of them,” he motions with his head to the trio still sitting at the table, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you leaving me for someone else, someone better.” He shrugs. “I guess I...I got jealous.”

Your hand goes limp on his chest, heart burning with the desire to cradle him in your arms and make those awful thoughts of his go away. “There is no reason for you to feel that way. Ever. Because I love you and only you Vernon.” You massage his shoulders gently, urging him to get his eyes off the floor and back to you. When it doesn’t work, you drag your hands up and around his neck, twirling the strands of hair at your reach tenderly. “Let me show you how much I love you.”

Vernon lets out a silent gasp as you kiss him, lips moving slowly on his and tug him lower. He hesitates but returns the kiss, his hands hovering around your figure. Just as it gets heated, his tongue sliding into your mouth and body solid on yours, you pull back and trail your lips down to his neck. Sucking until you find his sweet spot, your fingers ghost over his abdomen. Vernon groans at the feeling, his hands finding comfort in your lower back. But you don’t stop there. The cold floor of the tiled bathroom hits your knees but that doesn’t compare to the wide eyes staring down at you. He stammers a protest when you tug his sweats down but you shush him by kissing up along his shaft, causing a low curse to stumble out of him. He whines when your thumb grazes the sensitive vein under his cock. He’s practically coming undone already and you haven’t taken him into your mouth yet. Your free hand soothes the tense muscles of his thighs and you take the moment to gaze up at him.

“You’re going to have to be quiet baby. Can you do that for me?”

Vernon gulps and from your angle, you can barely see his lips parting and tongue dabbing the corners. He nods quickly, placing a hand to the back of your head yet you tut at him, moving it to the wall on your left.

“You haven’t been a good boy.”

He bites his lip, releasing it with a heavy breath. “Please, I’ll be a good boy for you. Fuck, I’ll be so good.”

His impatience fumes an excitement within you that allows you to let him bring his hand back. He leans his remaining hand on the stall wall next to him and watches you with hungry eyes. Locking your eyes to him, you lick a long, slow strip on his tip.

“Shit, ah.”

You tighten your fingers on him, reminding him of your order. Vernon murmurs an apology and closes his lips shut. Chuckling up at him, you ultimately put him in your mouth, your tongue caressing his underside. You spend a few minutes like this, warming him up before taking him in deeper. His head falls back the second you hollow your cheeks around him. Seeing him so worked up, along with his nails digging into your scalp, gears you into bobbing your head. You’re slow at first, sliding him in and out until the pain in your lower jaw numbs. Now relaxed, you grab his hips to steady yourself and increase your speed. Below your fingertips, Vernon trembles with the need to moan, call your name, do anything to mellow out the tension at the pit of his stomach. Knowledge of this spikes your yearning to get him to cum, your throat closing in on him and your hand going to play with his balls. Vernon’s release doesn’t fall far behind, his whole body shuddering as you swallow around him and take all of his warm liquid that you can.

A loud pop fills the stall when you pull out and you wipe your lips clean with your tongue. Vernon has to prop himself up on the toilet paper rack to stabilize himself, his breathing hard and shallow. Getting up on your feet, you brush his sweaty bangs out of his face and plant a kiss on his forehead.

“You did good baby. Now rest up before you rejoin us at the table. The guys might have a lot of questions for why you took so long.”

Vernon gapes at you, cheeks reddening as he searches your eyes for guidance. Scoffing at him, you pull up his sweats and pat his chest, exiting the bathroom hoping your food had been dropped off in the meanwhile.

[kjhomqhan]

Review: XP-Pen Artist 13.3 Graphics Display

Review: XP-Pen Artist 13.3 Graphics Display

Review: XP-Pen Artist 13.3 Graphics Display

First Impressions

The product arrived on time.The packaging was pretty impressive The box was very well, I loved the packaging it has a beautiful and very firm and strong box so in case you are shipping it far away rest assure the package is well protected.

The overall build quality is solid. Edges are all rounded off. It actually looks quite good. Can’t compare to the build and looks of the Wacom Cintiq but the price is much more affordable.  XP-Pen Artist13.3 is one of the most affordable Cintiq alternatives out there, price-wise. It’s really a good choice if you’re cash-strapped, as long as you don’t mind drawing on a smaller screen.

Specifications

Product dimensions: 39 x 25 x 1.4cm

Active area: 29.3 x 16.5cm

Screen: 13.3 inches with 1920 x 1080 resolution

Panel type: IPS

Colors: 16.7 million

Input: USB-C

Graphic ports supported: HDMI, miniDisplay

Pen does not require battery

Visual Angle:178°

Pressure sensitivity: 8,192 levels

Display Color Gamut:75% Adobe RGB

At the time, it’s selling at site:https://www.storexppen.com/buy/artist13_3.html

Package Contents

XP-Pen Artist13.3 V2 tablet

HDMI/Power/USB all-in-one cable

USB extension cable

HDMI to miniDisplay adapter

Pen and stand

8 replacement nibs

Wall charger and various international plugs

Manual, warranty card, cleaning cloth and glove

The packaging box features a very simple clean design. With this box, you lift up the cover to reveal the pen display and all the things included.

The Screen

XP-Pen-Artist13.3-Screen

When you first open up the box, the screen has a protector film over it which has to be peel off to reveal the matte screen protector. It’s a nice texture to draw on.

On XP-Pen Artist13.3’s screen there’s a screen protector that adds texture to the screen. The purpose for this texture is to add friction while you draw, and to hopefully make it similar to drawing on paper. the anti-reflective coating reduces glare by 56 percent.

Calibration on the tablet is decent and does stray a bit towards the edges, but not so bad to ruin the drawing experience. I recommend calibrating the tablet before you draw if you are moving the tablet around.

The XP-Pen Artist13.3 comes with a 13.3-inch screen, which provides you with a decent drawing area (the active drawing area is 293.76 X 165.24 mm). the tablet used an IPS panel so colour reproduction is quite decent. Some one will think this is small draw area, but you could get used to it if this is your first pen display, or if you want a portable one to take with you on the go.

This 13.3 inch pen display supports a 1920 x 1080 resolution. For a screen this size, which isn’t too big, everything appears sharp.Using a Spyder5PRO colour calibrator, I get a readout of 89% sRGB, 68% NTSC and 70% Adobe RGB.

The Pen

XP-Pen Artist 13.3

XP-Pen-Artist13.3-Drawing-Pen

XP-Pen Artist13.3 comes with a passive pen. The pen supports 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. It does not use battery so it does not need to be charged.it has two side buttons but no eraser.

The pen comes with a pen holder to store it away while not in use. Inside the pen holder, you can find 8 replacement nibs.  Replacing the pen nib is something you ought to do when the current nib become pointy.

Hot Keys

XP-Pen-Artist13.3-Hot-Keys

XP-Pen Artist13.3 comes with 6 hot keys. You could customize these keys to do all sorts of the shortcuts you do on your art program. For example, you could set one of the keys to switch to the selection tool(assuming you use it a lot), while having another one to activate a certain filter. The possibilities are high.

Having 6 hot keys in a cheap drawing pen displays like this is really nice too. It can help you replace the keyboard in case you don’t need that much keyboard shortcuts.

The Driver

Before you get to install the driver, it’s important you remember to uninstall any graphics tablet driver on your computer, either from Wacom or another manufacturer.

You can install the driver from the USB storage included. But it’s always best to download the latest driver from XP-PEN’s website.

With the driver, you can change the pressure sensitivity, assign functions to the side and physical shortcut buttons, calibrate the screen to compensate for parallax offset and switch to left-handed mode if you want to.

When you’re using it for the first time, there’s going to be parallax. The glass is close to the screen but there’s still a distance. There’s parallax so you’ll definitely want to calibrate the screen.

It is very easy to install and I love the way everything looks and feels. I use both photoshop, paint sai, and clip studio and this tablet works great for all of those programs.

Drawing performance

Most of the functions such as sketch, paint, design and edit can be executed directly from the tablet screen, work naturally and intuitively.

There’s this inconsistency or the challenge of maintaining a consistently smooth line when drawing curves. When you’re testing for it, it’s going to show up, but when actually drawing with it, it’s not that big of an issue. Out of all the apps, Clip Studio Paint works perfectly without any of the wobble or stroke issues.

Enjoy Every Detail Artist13.3 driver can support 4K displays, allowing you enjoy every sharp detail and every soft line. The newest brightness adjustable buttons help you to find the most suitable lightness, offering you an comfortable drawing experience.

If you’re using Windows, the performance of the pen is better than on Mac. You get nicer looking lines.

Pros

Good build quality and design

Pen does not require battery

8 replacement tips included

6 shortcut buttons are useful

Matte anti-glare screen does not have reflections

Screen has decent colour accuracy and viewing angles

Price is very competitive on this size

cons

Matte screen protecter affects sharpness of the screen

Parallax exists, corrected by calibration

No stand included for the display

Summary

It’s a great little drawing tablet! Full support for Windows 10, I definitely recommend this tablet to artists who cannot afford the Wacom price.

For anyone that wants one of those fancy Wacom Cintiqs but can’t afford one, this tablet might be a great alternative!

Warm Reminder: the drawing tablet could draw power from USB port, as that could mean the ability to use it on the go more easily than other pen displays.

If you want to learn more about the XP-Pen Artist 13.3, check out the link below:https://www.storexppen.com/buy/artist13_3.html

[financiallymint]

Student Guide: Budgeting

You now have a pretty clear picture of how much debt you owe. The next step is to tackle it and make a plan to pay it all off.

Savings

Write down all your savings + that 15% of your income. If you don’t have any savings, just put the 15%.

Budgeting is an art.

It’s the art of being in control. Of having an efficient money system. Of knowing where your money is and how it’s doing. Budgeting is your ground base, your concrete foundation to managing your money well. It’s the bread and butter of personal finance.

Too many times budgeting is regularly associated with deprivation and restrictions – but it’s not about that. Budgeting is about having a plan. It’s a plan that you need to keep reviewing and improving, modifying and analysing, constantly trying to make it better. It’s a reflection of yourself: it shows your money habits, your goals, your discipline. The more you work on your budget, the better you get, which in turn improves your spending habits and discipline. It’s a self-improvement tool

So what I’m trying to say: do a bloody budget. And being a college student, now is the best time to practice, make mistakes, and prepare for the future.

What we’ll be talking about today:

What is budgeting exactly?

Why budget?

How to get started

Moving online

What is le budget?

As I said before, a budget is a plan. A plan to see where your money is coming in, where it’s going out, where it should be going out and where you would like it to go out.

Think of a budget as a flow chart of improvement. At first you see you’re in a bad financial situation. Your budget plan says your income and expenses aren’t looking too good. You analyse and see what you need to improve on. Then you re adjust, you track how you’re doing and you set your goals. Your budget will never be perfect, but it will be a little better each time. And every time you do this, you get closer to your goals.

A budget is a constant readjustment of your finances in order to reach your goals. And who doesn’t want to reach their goals?

All you need is a pen, paper and calculator.

Why le budget?

You already know budgeting is essential, especially in college – but let’s put the advantages of budgeting into a nice little list:

Easy to track income and expenses (good for tax returns)

Helps figure out your short and long-term goals

Helps keep track of your progress

Ensures you don’t spend money you don’t have

Prepares you for emergencies

Recognises bad spending habits

Puts you in control

Prepares you for the future: larger expenses, important debt, etc.

Gets you started on your financial education

And guess what? Money is everywhere. No matter whether you want to become a scientist, a plumber or an astronaut, money will always be involved in your life. You may hate it, you may curse it and you may have a fit every time you see cash. But you’ll still have to use those damn pounds and pennies. So why not make sure you’re using them right?

A budget lets you put your money on autopilot: no more worrying if I’m saving enough, no more ‘did I spend too much?’, no more ‘will I get to the end of this month?’. Nope, because your budget will tell you where to put your money and how much you can spend. And trust me, this makes sleeping at night so much easier.

How to get started

I’ve been blabbing on about how amazing budgets are for quite some time now, so it’s time to get started with the nitty gritty. Apologies if you’ve already taken the 6 day email course – I will be using the exact same examples and structure.

So it’s very simple – get a nice big piece of A4 paper, a pen and a calculator (maybe even a ruler if you’re a perfectionist).

Start by drawing 5 columns:

Then fill these out with the following: Income, Budget, Expenses, Savings and Debt.

Then, very simple: slot in your income every month and then your expenses. Have no idea where your money goes each month? Do a rough estimate – check your bank account or try tracking for a week, see what happens. Below we have Jimmy’s expenses (he loves takeaway).

Everyone’s budget will look differently. Maybe you have irregular income, maybe you have a credit card and like overspending every month (not good!) or maybe you have some expenses that don’t happen exactly every month. For this reason I always like to start with a piece of paper – write down whatever you feel is necessary. Add extra columns, strange signs, whatever helps you understand what’s going on with the ££.

The Spending

Now we get to the magical part:

Calculate 15% of your total income and add it to the budget column as ‘Savings’.

And now figure out where all the rest of the money goes. The magic is that you’ve already allocated a percentage to your savings – and so you don’t have to worry about making the rest lower than your income!  Let’s see how Jimmy’s done it:

Improvements

You may think ‘wow, that’s a large cut on my ‘fun time’’ (Jimmy went from £160 to £100)

I agree, which is why you can improve that amount in two ways:

Lower expenses: Look for ways of decreasing your ‘mandatory expenses’: find ways to lower your rent, cut on transport and find some gym discounts. Cutting down the bills and essential expenses means more fun money – so do some research.

Increase income: Now it’s important to note that as a college student, your priority is studying and making the most of university. If you feel you have time and are eager to earn some more, by all means go ahead and get a job, earn some passive income or start a side-hustle. But don’t feel pressured to do so.

And feel free to increase that 15% savings rate. As a budgeting beginner in college, 15% is a good place to start, but the more you can do the better!

Debt

The next column to tackle is debt. As a college student, you hopefully won’t have too many debts: student loans and maybe credit card debt. Student loans are a tricky subject, because you have to decide whether you want to pay them off or not. Credit card debt has to disappear for sure, the sooner the better.

First, if you have credit card debt or any high interest debt, slot the numbers into the Debt column. Jimmy wasn’t really sure what a credit card was last year and went a little crazy:

Second, read ‘Should I pay off my student loans?’. Then decide on whether you want to pay them off or not. If you don’t, no need to add anything else to the column. If you do, simply add on how much student loan debt you’ll have at graduation. Here are some websites to help you calculate the number: Complete University Guide calculator and Money Saving Expert calculator.

Here’s Jimmy’s Debt column:

You now have a pretty clear picture of how much debt you owe. The next step is to tackle it and make a plan to pay it all off.

Savings

Write down all your savings + that 15% of your income. If you don’t have any savings, just put the 15%.

As you can see, Jimmy has £127.5 every month just for himself (from the 15% of his income). He has goals, he has debt and he also has responsibilities. He decides to allocate this amount to three things every month: Debt, emergencies and personal goals. He know he really has to pay off this high interest credit card debt.

Half of the 15% goes to clearing off debt

A quarter goes to building an emergency fund

A quarter to buying his dream car.

His columns looks like this:

His 15% is truly working for him: getting him out of debt, preparing for emergencies and helping him get to his goals.

And yes, at £30 a month it will take him a while to get that car. But once you get started remember that you can always increase that 15%, change around the numbers and find other ways to work towards your goal. Keep trying until you find what works best for you.

Why an Emergency Fund? I’m going to cover this in a future article, but it’s pretty obvious: emergencies happen, and you want to be prepared. As college students it’s recommended to have around 1- 2 months saved up into a separate bank account especially for emergencies. Jimmy knows this, and so wants to start building his Emergency Fund bit by bit. Every month those £31.88 are allocated to a separate bank account.

I recommend setting those 15% apart the minute you get your loan/paycheck/allowance. At the end of the month, or whenever you get paid, take apart your 15% and make each part do its work for you. Save up for that car/trip/laptop, build up your emergency fund and starting paying off your debt.

You’ll suddenly start to feel like everything is in order, everything fits. You know where your money is going and you know that it’s going in the right places. Everything is calm. You are becoming an efficient and responsible adult. Congratulations.

Moving it online

You’ve done the planning and the forecasting, now it’s time to automate the process so that every month you can quickly and easily set your budget, keep track of expenses and keep working towards your goals.

Now really, everyone does this differently. There are tons of resources out there to help you budget, track, invest, build an EF, tickle your nose, etc. So it’s up to you to test and decide for yourself. To give you a bit of an idea, here are how some people do it:

Araminta (yes that’s me):

I keep track of day to day expenses with an app like Coinkeeper (check out Top Money Apps Every College Student Needs). The app also has my budget so I make sure I don’t overspend. Then, at the end of each month I add everything onto an Excel spreadsheet and calculate where my 15% should go. I also have a separate spreadsheet with all my bank accounts and investments, which I update regularly.

Daniel from Reddit

I work out how much money I have to spend for the entire term and divide that by the number of days (as I’m living on campus it includes weekends) and it will give me how much I can spend per day. I will document how much I spend per day. At the end of every week I will see how much I am over/under and document that. At the end of term I’ll have a full summary. I work week by week. If one week I overspend then the next week I’ll be more cautious.

Megan from Inside Megan’s Mind

My number one way to budget is using an app on my phone. The app I use is called Dollarbird and I like it because it’s laid out as a calendar and I’m able to add income/expenses by day. I can also see a monthly overview and this allows me to look at how much I spent during the month and what I spend it on. Using a budgeting app like this keeps me from overspending; plus, I always know where I spent that random $20 that I’m missing.

Frankie from Tumblr

I seperate my income into halves, making sure there’s at least 10 percent put into savings where the savings is halfed by investment and retirement. The 90 percent is then fitted and divided into food, house bills (electricity, water, internet), transportation (commute, having a car isn’t an investment), entertainment (movie tickets for me), medication, and miscellaneous (emergency money and clothing)

Also, when it comes to food, meal plans are your friend. It’s difficult, but to make things a bit easier, I suggest collecting recipes, seperating them into categories like chicken, beef, and pork. Vegetables must be either incorporated or side dishes, and must make up 60 percent of the dish (aside from being cheaper than meat, vegetables are an investment for your body). Once, that’s done, rotate the three meat for a month and estimate the costs of all ingredients – – better if you’re using an online grocery delivery because you can see the actual prices of the store while coming up with your dishes and it’s time saving, perfect for single parents and overworked peeps. Also, List. Lists are importants.

Look Me in the Stars from Tumblr

I auto deposit into a “bills/house” checking account my monthly expenses + another for savings; the rest is gravy for add savings and day to day expenses. rent is always set aside first, then savings, recurring bills, minimum payments on cc debt and then I can assess what room I have to add to paying down debt. leaving extra for weekly pocket money/gas/groceries.

So there you have it! Now it’s your turn to plan out your life. Trust me, it gets exciting.

Read more like this over at Financially Mint’

[crownoyami]

March

Here is my submisison for @gabriel-monthly-challenge!  @revwinchester @archangelsanonymous @archangel-with-a-shotgun @lacqueluster

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14147094

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Supernatural

Relationship: Gabriel/Chuck Shurley

Characters: Chuck Shurley Gabriel (Supernatural)

Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship

Language:English

Author Notes: Okay so a few things. First this is my addition to the Gabriel Monthly Challenge  on Tumblr (http://gabriel-monthly-challenge.tumblr.com/) This month we had a few to choose from but I went with… The trope for March will be fake relationship. So here it is! Now a couple things to point out before you read. This is AU. In this fic Chuck is NOT a prophet but an author. He wrote the Supernatural series which is being turned into a TV show. There are NO monsters in this (that we are aware of) and Gabriel is human. If you want Sam and Dean could have been cast to play Jensen and Jared on the show.

Warnings: AU-Human, Fake relationship, Insecure Chuck. One-Shot.

Relationship: 

 March

   He was doomed. While he checked the schedule one more time, Chuck couldn’t help the soft groan from escaping his lips. In less than a week he would need to show up at his own convention, completely alone. It was bad enough that he had just broken up a two-year long relationship with his number one fan Becky, but now he was going to show up without anyone. What was worse was the first convention in his schedule was going to be in his hometown. While he anticipated some of the crowd to be actual fans of his book series the truth was most of them would be people he went to school with.

 Boy he missed being able to use his pen-name exclusively. When Becky had suggested he post his real name to boost sales and show his face he should have said no. It may have lead him to where he was now, about to disclose he had a five-year contract to produce a TV series based on his books with room for more if the views were good. They had even managed to finish up most of the casting, the main characters being chosen who were almost exactly as Chuck had pictured them while writing.

 Still, success in his work life was one thing; people had always known he had the chance to go places. They also teased him because with his shyness and inability to take a hint, it was likely he was going to die alone, he was even voted as such in his yearbook. He couldn’t go to the convention with only his success in his work, he needed someone to have on his arm or else he would never hear the end of it.

 Pulling up the listing on his phone, Chuck sighed before posting the ad. He didn’t have enough time to try and find someone, he needed results and if he had to pay for them he could afford it now. Going about his day, Chuck only had to wait a few hours before there was a response, his phone dinging to inform him of an answer. Pulling up the app, Chuck couldn’t help but blush at what he was doing.

 ‘I saw your add and wanted to know if you wanted to meet and discuss terms? It lists that we live in the same area if you know the diner off Main Street? Barb’s? Let me know ;)’

 Chuck bit his bottom lip before sending his reply. It was almost time to take a break anyway and he did love the food from the small diner. Making his way there, Chuck couldn’t help but feel nervous. The man hadn’t given him a picture or description to work off of however Chuck had posted his own picture in the ad. Opening the diner doors, Chuck glanced around when his gaze caught a pair of golden eyes looking at him.

 The man was beautiful. His soft blond hair was slicked back slightly his bangs started to lose some of the gel which caused a lock of hair fell loosely onto his forehead. There was a slight five o’clock shadow on his jaw; just enough it would feel wonderful rubbing against his face while they kissed. Blinking that image aside, Chuck was startled as the main waived him over.

 Taking hesitant steps, Chuck couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated as the other man looked up at him. His eyes were gorgeous. Chuck almost didn’t catch what the other man said since he was distracted by taking the man in. When his name was called however, Chuck blushed brightly and listened to what the man was saying.

 “There you are, I was wondering if I lost you there… you zone out often or am I just that stunning?” While the man spoke he wiggled his eyebrows in jest but Chuck couldn’t find much humour in it. “I’m sorry… I just…” Once Chuck started to stammer a reply the man softened his smile so it was less teasing and more reassuring. “Hey,” the man began to speak. “It’s fine, I mean we should be attracted to each other at least a bit to pull this off, right? Sit down and take a load off and we can plan this out.”

 Chuck realized the man he had been staring at was the one he had been looking for and sat down on the other side of the booth his cheeks flushed. “Let’s try this again,” said the main, still with the softer smile on his face. “I’m Gabriel and I’m here to answer your add.” Chuck nodded his head, reaching out with his hand to shake Gabriel’s. Instead of shaking the hand though, Gabriel brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of it. It should have been insulting, feminizing, but Chuck couldn’t help but feel warmed by the action.

 “Hi… so ummm… what all do we need to cover?” asked Chuck pulling his hand back. The waitress showed up then, having recognized both customers she easily took down the orders with a smile before leaving the table. Gabriel smiled and picked up the glass of water she left and brought it to his mouth. Chuck couldn’t help but watch as Gabriel’s throat moved to swallow the water. “You know if you keep looking at me like that selling this isn’t going to be a problem.”

 Gabriel set his glass down while speaking, his golden eyes not leaving Chuck’s blue ones while a smirk crossed his face. “What we need to figure out is our back story. I also have an alternative payment method if you’re interested.” That caught Chuck’s attention. He had posted that the payment wasn’t negotiable, he had offered a good deal of money plus he would be covering all food and travel costs for the long weekend.

 “While I will completely take you up on your offer to feed me and travel, instead of money I would rather you do something for me.” Gabriel hunched slightly then, and for the first time Chuck thought he saw some vulnerability there. It was enticing and made him want to reach out to the other man. “I looked you up before I responded. I have a few friends in your networking department for the show and so I know what you’re announcement will be.”

 Chuck sucked in a slight breath, while it wasn’t exactly something to sign an NDA over, he hadn’t expected someone to release that his books were going to be on network television. “What I would like instead of the money would be to spend a day on set if you could arrange it. If not I’ll still do this for you, but I’ve been directing small films for a while and I think I could learn a lot watching a day of filming on an official set.”

 Gabriel stopped speaking while the waitress returned with their food. Picking up a French fry, Gabriel waved it slightly while speaking. “Like I said, if not it’s no big deal but I thought I would give it a try.” Chuck bit his bottom lip as Gabriel started to eat, while he wanted to help Gabriel he honestly didn’t know if it was something he could pull off. He had been invited to watch the filming process, an invitation that he was told would not be retracted in case they needed his input.

 “I can try,” Chuck heard himself say which caused Gabriel to look up from where he had been about to take a bite of his burger. “I don’t have much sway, I mean they want me around enough to ask questions and stuff but overall I don’t have much say in what goes on… but I’ll try.” Gabriel smiled then, putting his burger down and reaching across the table with his palm up for Chuck to take. When the smaller man did they both felt a jolt go through their palms, Gabriel rubbing the back of Chuck’s hand for a second with his thumb.

 “You know, I think we should say we met at a book signing. I saw an ad you were in town and being the fan I was I couldn’t help but try to have my own collection signed. Bringing my favourite book I was nervous as hell and nearly chickened out until I saw you.” Gabriel had let go of Chuck’s hand to take a bite of his burger, Chuck starting to eat as well. “You were flustered; because as much of a fanbase as you have it still gets to you that people enjoy your work. The second I saw how adorable you were I changed my plan.”

 “Your plan?” asked Chuck to which Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, instead of wanting an autograph I decided what I really wanted was a date. I waited until the signing was done, and as you were about to leave I came up and asked if I missed my chance. When you said you were sorry and opened your mouth to most likely offer it anyway, I asked you if I could take you out to dinner to make up for being late.”

 Chuck couldn’t help but actually believe the story Gabriel was spinning. He would have done it; if Gabriel came up and asked him out on a date like that he would have been so flustered he would have agreed before even thinking about it. “I chose a cozy diner where we could sit and talk without any kind of pressure, and by the end of the night I had secured a second date and your number.” With a smirk on his lips, Gabriel caught Chuck’s eyes and leaned back on the booth.

 “What do you think?” Gabriel asked. “Think it would work along with some PDA?” Chuck’s eyes widened at the last statement, nearly choking on the food in his mouth before he swallowed it down. “PDA?” he asked his voice squeaking slightly. Gabriel once again reached over and placed his hand on Chuck’s. “Nothing like making out in dark corners like in high school… but when I’m with someone I like to make sure everyone knows it. Small touches if you’re comfortable with it. I like placing my hand on the small of their back, holding their hand or wrapping my arm around them. Sometimes a small peck here and there. If you’re not comfortable with it it’s fine…”

 “No,” began Chuck. “I uhh… I would like that.” Though he didn’t think it was smart of him to let Gabriel get this close when he was already attracted to the man, Chuck couldn’t help but want to milk as much physical contact with him as possible. “I also have a habit of using nicknames more than actual names, so you might want to prepare yourself for that.” Commented Gabriel. Chuck nodded his head to Gabriel’s statement. He wouldn’t mind being called baby or something of the like by the man.

 “How are we getting there? Flying or bus?” asked Gabriel, still keeping his hand on Chuck’s while the other finished his meal. “We have a tour bus, it will only be us and my ex… she’s organizing the whole thing besides the driver of course.” When Chuck mentioned his ex Gabriel squeezed his hand for a moment. There was suddenly a grin on Gabriel’s face that Chuck wasn’t certain he would like what the man was going to say next.

 “Does you ex know about me?” Gabriel asked, his thumb lightly rubbing Chuck’s hand which he had yet to release. Chuck shook his head in response. “Good,” responded Gabriel before linking their fingers together on the table. “Cause we can practise by convincing her of us being together, think of it like a trial run for when your former classmates start giving you hell. Just remember that I’ll be there for you, okay?”

 While he didn’t want to, Chuck couldn’t help but smile as Gabriel looked at him with such an earnest expression. He felt safe with Gabriel, like the man wasn’t going to harm him even though it was likely that once he delivered on his payment Chuck would never see Gabriel again. There was something there though, and while Chuck was shy at the best of times it seemed Gabriel was willing to grab it with both hands so neither let it slip away.

 Needing to make sure Gabriel wasn’t making all the steps, Chuck cleared his throat before speaking. “We ah… we might need to be… physical with her around I don’t…” Gabriel squeezed his hand around Chucks for a moment. “I am more than okay with that, how about we meet up later in the week to get more comfortable with each other? There’s a new Marvel moving playing if you’re interested.”

 Smiling Chuck spoke softly. “I’d like that… Wednesday?” Gabriel nodded and pulled Chuck’s hand until he could place another kiss on it. Watching as Chuck blushed again, Gabriel couldn’t help but feel relieved that the other man was attracted to him. At some point he was going to have to tell him that his original plan was to try and wiggle a date out of him at a signing, but his agent hadn’t allowed him through the line once the signatures were over.

 Thank God for Craig’s List.

[notsoguiltykpop]

FIRST LEMMA SAY hot cocoa is so cute!! and the latest to the tenth floor OMMFMFgbut anyways a while ago i said you inspired me to get back in writing but do you have any tips? i find that i write like, three sentences an hour >_

I’m so happy you liked it!! I honestly don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to writing, but I can definitely try to give you some tips I’ve found work for me! 

My number one rule for myself is to try not to edit while I type. Nothing slows me down more than trying to fix mistakes as I go. Don’t worry about how stuff is spelled or even basic grammar to begin with, just focus on getting your thoughts down. When I’m struggling to keep going and keep changing my mind about how/what I’m writing, I turn off spell check and grammarly so the red underlined words don’t distract me. Alternatively, I grab a notebook and pen so I can’t keep re-wording and just write (unrelated, but I also do this with timed essays in college because I have to work with what I’ve already written, and then I edit while I transfer it from paper to a word document.).

If what you’re working on isn’t going the way you want, don’t feel bad about setting it aside. Sometimes the words just aren’t flowing for a story, and that’s normal. Admin Bread recently reminded me that Jordan Peele stopped writing “Get Out” more than twenty times. While I don’t recommend quitting, I do think it can be really helpful to work on something else if you get stuck on a part. I write snippets of a nameless couple’s life when I feel like writing but none of the stories I want to work on are going quite right. Sometimes even just typing out how I feel helps to get the words flowing!

I never time myself, per se. Years ago, back when I first tried NaNoWriMo, all my friends told me that the best way to write fast was to set a timer and write as many words as possible. This never worked for me–I ended up with random words that usually didn’t even relate to what I was originally trying to say. This doesn’t mean it won’t work for you, only that if it doesn’t, that’s okay too! Instead, I like to set aside designated time to write. Like I’ll look at the time and say “I’m going to focus on writing for the next hour,” put my phone on silent, and close the other tabs on my computer. I take breaks, but they’re usually to make more tea/coffee or stretch, avoiding looking at apps/notifications so I don’t get distracted. 

If I’m at a loss for ideas of what to write next, there are a number of things I do! Prompt blogs are a great place to start–I recently discovered @hellsdemonictrinity and highly recommend checking them out!

Most of my series ideas come from asking myself strange questions, and answering them with illogical answers that are way too detailed. For instance, I have this one Hoseok wip that all started because I was looking at laundry lines and asked my sister “Okay but what if you hang up your laundry and your neighbor just keeps stealing your socks?? Only the left one’s, of course. What would you do? Leave notes in them asking them politely to cut it out?” She told me to shut up, but I just kept on until I had this whole story about neighbors stealing socks and starting a passive-aggressive note-leaving war that eventually leads to romance lmao. Anyway my point is, asking yourself questions can help with the creative process. If I’m in the middle of something and get stuck, asking “why is she feeling this way?” Or “what if he secretly loves elephant plushies?” can lead to some fun answers that get me going again.

Story planners are also really helpful for me! I get terribly sidetracked lol (one minute I’m writing about JK the race-car driver, the next I’m off on some tangent about Jimin the adorable cop whose best friend is a drug dealer rip I get so off topic), and knowing exactly where I’m trying to go with something helps with that! When I find myself just staring blankly at the page like “where am I supposed to go from here?” or just can’t get the words out, I can look back at it and see a clear path of what happens next. There are some great apps out there for free to help with this, but I usually just grab a piece of paper and sketch out a basic outline of the main points.

I keep a notebook with me at all times to jot down ideas or funny phrases as they come to me, so when I’m writing slow I can look back at them. 

I do try to write every day, but not always for stories. Recently I’ve been emailing colleges constantly and working on transfer essays which have taken up most of my writing time. 

And of course, don’t pressure yourself. Writing can be therapeutic and relaxing, but if you get too caught up in “I have to finish this chapter today” or “I need to write 2k words every day” it gets stressful and the fun drains right out of it. I find that I’m much more productive when I simply write what I feel like when I feel like it rather than give myself unnecessary deadlines.

I am not a professional, and have so much more to learn, but I hope some of these helped! Sorry it’s so long, I was trying to think of as much as possible that I do that might answer your questions. Every writer is different, and it’s really a matter of trial and error to figure out what works for you. If there’s anything else I can help with please feel free to ask!

[karanguni]

[Japanese] Language Learning Signup

So, I've been thinking about how to get around to starting language learning posts here with you all. It's been awesome seeing a general interest in getting back up with Japanese, but it is tricky when we are all at different levels of formal/informal education and exposure, have different learning styles, and have no native speaker to reference. This post is going to be two things: a general braindump, because on weekdays my capacity for critical thinking gets expended in the office trying not to murder people whom I want to send to http://www.lmgtfy.com, and also a general signup to commit to some goals.

Braindump

If years of academic Japanese have taught me anything, it is that critical mass is the most important part of acquisition. This guy over at All Japanese All The Time may sound quacky and weird, but the core of his ideas are right, IMHO: there is a time and place for rote repetition, and often picking up a new language is it. The trick – I think – is that certain types of rote work better than other types of rote depending on who you are. I was very surprised, when I briefly stayed for more than just a holiday in Japan, to find that rote memorisation of vocabulary (literally going alphabetically)... worked. But that was because I was immediately exposed to usage, and there was a constant feedback active/passive loop. I'm going to try to provide that exposure, but at the same time rote has got to work for the individual since – short of switching all your internet browsing over to JP – it's hard to get effective reinforcement. Picking a non-English/first-language aid/crutch to make rote effective might be the key here: visual people might go for picture flashcards, audio people might try to memorise a song, textual people a Japanese-to-Japanese definition or reading in general. That's my meta on "picking stuff up" in general. But there are whole categories of stuff to "pick up" – reading comprehension, listening comprehension, writing fluency, speaking fluency. I'm going to focus almost entirely on reading and listening, with a side-step into writing to reinforce the two and copying spoken Japanese by natives to do the same. I'm nowhere near native, and will not pretend to be: I'm not going to teach or co-learn aspects that I'm not native in. It's fairly important to emphasis the "do not co-learn badness" part here: reinforcing bad and/or plain wrong ideas can be fundamentally terrible for you. Even then, it leaves a lot of stuff to cover, and a lot of ways which it can crossover into more intense practice in the writing/speaking domain.

Goals

So - goals! NYRs! Whatever you want to call what you want to achieve! I'm thinking we do this on a week-by-week basis, because long-term goals are hard to hit: it's easy to overpromise and even easier to underdeliver. Weekly checkins with others = peer pressure = good pressure. Even if a goal is dropped, rolling it over to the next week is easy. Then there can be big picture goals: things you want to achieve that you might not get 100% of the way through but that will guide weekly aims. These can go up to the end of the year. Here are mine for the upcoming week:

Write a post a week with original material catered directly to people's questions or difficulties

Work through, by rote, 10 常用漢字 per week including all phrase-words

Translate at least half of a rakugo story and publish it here

And my bigger goals:

Write a website or flashcard tool or GDocs thing so that people can have printable, submittable worksheets/exercises

Get through my kanji book by doing the 10/week minimum by the end of the year

Watch at least 12 episodes of something in Japanese with only Japanese subtitles by the end of the year

Switch over to only using Japanese-to-Japanese dictionary lookups by March

If you're interested in tagging along – whether you're seeing this post now, or at any time at all while I'm still updating my journal with the tag "Japanese" – leave a comment with yours. Depending on what people jot down, I'll plan for the next post!

Prep

Until the next post, here are some things you can do to get yourself prepared and/or excited. Physical Study & Practice Materials Don't even bother typing when you do any exercises – go straight to pen and paper, and then type in response to posts here. Muscle memory is your friend, and it's really nice to write things physically! Get a nice writing implement while you're at it. Ballpoint and 0.5mm pencil will smudge the least; gel will be smudgier; nibs will be painful. Muji has great pens and Japanese writing supplies if you're lucky enough to live near one. You're going to be writing a lot: enjoy the experience! (I hated coming to America where most writing paper felt like sandpaper. It makes a difference when you're doing repetitive exercises, let's just say that.) Then get good writing paper. Cheap: get a notebook, preferably one without any lines, or at least faint ones, or one that's gridded. You want to not feel like you're cramping your kana and kanji. I'm a big fan of nice paper, so I'd be happy to send people notebooks! Slightly more expensive: find and print grid paper online. Henceforth, we shall call it by its given name: 原稿用紙 genkoyoushi. One PDF source here. Prettier and better ones with kanji grids. Print a whole bunch for your weekly goals! Expensive: Japanese stationary stores (and some Asian marts) in the US will have 原稿用紙 for sale in tear-off gum pads or in practice notebooks. Japanese IMEs I'll write a separate post on getting set up on this because this one is already the length of the moon, but you should get your computer set up to switch cleanly between English and Japanese IME inputs. Google has an IME that introduces crowdsourcing to typing: this is awesome, because suggestions that pop up are going to be the most-used ones. I default keyboard switching on all my systems to something like CMD-SPACE or WINDOWS-SPACE. Dictionary/Grammar/Practice Books If you're just starting out, resist the urge to buy anything just yet. I have tens of reference books I've never cracked open beyond an initial gleeful reference. Books that are really useful in my experience: one good physical introduction-level book if you're just starting out. This can be Genki, Minna no Nihongo, or any equivalent. Make it a goal to go through each chapter. Write on every margin. Use the hell out of it: make it worth your money. Other useful books are JLPT practice books. Stores like Kinokuniya will often have entire sections dedicated to them. They sometimes come in trilingual or quadrulingual mode, English/Korean/Mandarin/Japanese being the most common. If you have one of the other two (Korean/Mandarin), they provide a interesting triangulation onto certain grammatical or vocabulary contexts, though the quality isn't necessarily always 100%. I'll grab some PDF'd materials that I'll put up into f-locked posts – those will get you through just about anything else. For kanji, don't pick up a dictionary unless you plan on using it. I've got some recommendations if you do want one, but in the meantime sites like Jisho.org will get you through just about anything. On the iPhone side of things, imiwa? is an invaluable app. Audio/Visual This will be expanded further along, but now is a good time to figure out if you like listening to songs, or anime, or Netflix original series. Shows like 深夜食堂 (shinya shokudou/Midnight Diner) on Netflix have both English and Japanese subtitles in addition to being good introductions to aspects of Japanese culture and types of speech – I highly recommend watching them in English now, and then gradually trying to pick up things from the Japanese subtitles later. My Old Posts I did a short-lived and more disorganised equivalent of this last year: if you're starting from the kana or basic grammar level, it might be good to go back through those posts. If you're interested in More Estorericer Stuff, I once wrote a post on classical Japanese and the opening lines of the Tale of Heike. It's written sort of terribly, but if it interests people I would love to do more of that – gotta keep in practice. comments Comment on DW: http://ift.tt/2Flb5FF

[kichanzo]

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Samsung DEALS

Jumia

ksh120000 VIEW

Ghulio

ksh120000 VIEW

Samsung has spared no expense in terms of the features, prices, and specs with its powerful flagship, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya.

The company announced on August 5th 2020, that they will release the new phone in the market. Going for around Ksh. 120,000 this is the most expensive flagship smartphone it has released.

It comes with the 5G, and yes, you pay the extra money for the 5G. Though 5 only people in Kenya might end up using it!

Put 5G aside, we review the improvements that in this device such as the S pen, cameras, software, battery capacity, and everything. We’ll also look at some reviews online from others who have used it. It’s always good to get a second opinion.

The Samsung’s Galaxy Note20 Ultra is competing against its cheaper sibling , the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which have a lot of similarities. Read on to find out the minor improvements made to the Note 20 Ultra and S20 Ultra. Then you can decide if the device is worth all that money!

What You Will Read

Things to Consider Before Buying Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

Chipset /iOS

Display

Performance

Battery Capacity

Camera

12MP AI Dual Rear Camera

Front AI Beauty Camera

Space Zoom camera

The Front Camera

Colors

Extras

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra S pen Stylus

Features

Communication Connectivity

Accessories

Social Proof

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Price in Kenya

Alternatives

Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series

OnePlus 8 Pro

Verdict of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Things to Consider Before Buying Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

There is only one thing you should consider when buying this phone. That is fact that it heats up.

JerryRigEverything tore it apart and found out that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a multi-layered graphite thermal pad. Causing the phone to heat regardless of use.

This is where the S20 Ultra beats the Galaxy Note20 ultra. It has a copper heat pipe and vapor chamber that allows the device to cool.

Chipset /iOS

The Note 20 Ultra operates on OS Android 10,One UI 2.5

The Chipset Exynos 990 (7 nm+) Snapdragon 865 Plus has improved the overall performance. It’s its standard hardwarer the latest apps. It’s standard hardware is impressive.

Display

The design of the phone is naughty altruistically.

Samsung phones are famous for being big, and the Note 20 Ultra isn’t any different. The phone has a gorgeous screen of 6.9 inches, the device takes the perfect shape of a slab. This will make you feel as if you are using a notebook, which i guess its the whole idea behind the Note series.

Dynamic AMOLED 2X capacity touchscreen, 16M colors display is great. It sets you to enjoy your scrolling when you turn on the adaptive motion smoothness.

The resolution 1440 x 3088 pixels (~496 ppi density) is great. One thing you should know that you cant have max refresh rate at 120 and still get the maximum resolution on the screen. Though the fresh rates save on the battery life that would otherwise be consumed by the device.

The back of this smartphone has a matte finish, which looks better than a glossy finish, though its slippery than normal phones.

Both the front and the back of the phone have a Gorilla Glass Victus, which strengthens your phone and more resistance to scratch compared to normal glass being used on other phones.

JerryGigEeverything conducted a test on the phone, and he is quite impressed with it. He also found out that the device is covered with both plastic, gorrila glass and aluminum foil.

Cnet also, placed the gorilla glass under intense pressure to test its limits, turns out, it breaks. I guess glass is still glass.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has 12 GB RAM, which is enough for an android phone to perform a bunch of tasks without running out of storage. It also has a 126GB storage space. Allowing you to save up all the important content.

You can expand the storage up to 512GB using a SD card, and expense you will incur extra charges.

The processor of this phone is qualcomm snapdragon 439 Octa Core. They ensured that this flagship device is 5G enabled. This is great for those with ideas of a smart home.

Battery Capacity

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 4500mAh High-capacity battery. You can use the screen time for up to 9 hours before you recharge it again. At night, the device is draining about 6-10% of the battery when on stand by.

You can fast charge it at 25 watts, reverse wireless charge at 4.5 watts and wireless charge your battery at 15 watts. This non-removable battery performs great for a big phone as the Note 20 ultra.

Camera

The camera owns the 20 ultra with laser autofocus. They create it in such a manner that you would think it is a Lego, yet it has a domino effect when taking photos or videos.

Everyone is raving about it’s new camera

Night Mode on the Note 20 Ultra.

This was on almost pitch black. #Note20Ultra pic.twitter.com/qGJRneKKFz

— Daniel (@ZONEofTECH) August 16, 2020

  12MP AI Dual Rear Camera

The ultra-wide 12 MP AI rear camera produces okay but not amazing photos, which is basically what you would get with any android ultra-wide camera.

Front AI Beauty Camera

The selfie has 10 MP with a f/2.2, 26mm, it will make the images you take look soft. Such that even without makeup, you will appear as if you have make up on. What they are trying to achieve with their phones is to make you look good. You are free to love or hate them for that!

Space Zoom camera

Good news, the telephoto has 12 MP and 5x optical lense zoom. What’s more intresting is the fact that you can have a digital zoom up-to 50X zoom.

This feature ashamed iPhone 11 Pro Max’s because they don’t come anywhere close to it. The cheaper version of this phone, Galaxy S 20 has lower zoom count and megapixels.

The Front Camera

Finally, the big camera has a triple 108 MP with an aperture of f/1.8. You will take some incredible master pieces.

The best part is the fact that it has a Samsung pixel sensor behind the lenses. The juice is right here. The company wants to differentiate itself from Google and Apple in the photography world.

Techradar tested it and concluded it is amazing

One thing is for a fact though, you will have a blast taking photos/video. Makes sense why they are selling it for ksh. 120000 in Kenya.

Colors

The phone is available in three color Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White. I especially love the bronze color.

Extras

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra S pen Stylus

Finally, the note lovers get to write on the best note pad invented in the technology world.

The company has improved their note app user experience. It has done things that Apple is still trying to catch up and Microsoft will never get close to. So, you can only imagine how good the note pad is.

Tomsguide said that the S pen feels better than pen and paper

You can highlight your hand writing and then copy it into plain text. You could record a meeting, then later convert it into a text file. Best part is that you can export to docs and power point and share it.

This year 2020, the S pen has been placed on the left side of the phone. making the left-handed feel more special. Whichever hand you use to write, the note pad will transform your horrible handwriting into delightful notes that is easily and understandable.

One last thing, you can now organize all of your notes into folders, taking chaos out of your note pad.

Features

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra has the following sensors:

Fingerprint Sensor (under display, ultrasonic),

Accelerometer

Gyro

Proximity

Compass

Barometer

The device is audio enabled and you can clearly hear when playing music with the stereo speakers

Communication Connectivity

WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6,

Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot

Bluetooth5.0

RadioFM radio

USB connectivity

wireless charging

Accessories

When you buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya, the following should be included in the package:

Ejection Pin,

Travel adapter

Quick Reference Manual,

Data cable,

Terms & Conditions

Health & Safety Guide

Social Proof

Rodolfo Lopez a verified Amazon purchase left a 4 star review said,

Whites are a bit dull not as bright as my note 10+. Almost a perfect phone .

Cry Dante a verified Amazon purchase left a 5 star review and said

Fantastic

i am in love with this beautiful phone

John left a 4 star Amazon review and said.

I say it’s the best, with a grain of salt

– AMAZING display, I had so many high end phones, including the IPhone 11 pro max and Google Pixel 4XL & even the note 10, but this screen here bests all of them. The high refresh rate, the beautiful colors, and the better ratio (it’s a little wider than the S20 ultra for example), all this makes for an outstanding screen.

a little that cropping a 108 MP picture didn’t yield the perfect result. The videos are even better. You won’t find a phone with a better main camera on the market.

– The S pen is pretty useful for taking notes! I didn’t feel like I needed it for anything else except, may be, for a selfie, so even though it isn’t the biggest selling point, it’s worth mentioning.

– It looks great! Yup, design wise, that phone looks really good, that it feels bad putting any covers on it. I just ordered a very slim, transparent case & I wouldn’t recommend anything else.

  Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Price in Kenya

The Samsung galaxy note 20 ultra price in Kenya is about ksh. 12000. Is this smartphone worth the price of a hybrid cow? At ksh. 120,000, it had better be. This is one of the most expensive flagships released by brands in the year 2020.

But is it worth the premium price? My answer is yes. It is more than just a phone. If you can appreciate all that we have reviewed above, you would agree of the same thing.

Alternatives

Are looking for a less expensive smartphone. Here are three alternative you should look at that are worth your time and still on the same category:

Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Earlier we mentioned that Note 20 Ultra is competing against the Galaxy S20 series. The two devices have a lot of similar specs such as wireless charging, One UI, 120Hz OLED screen and they both have IP68 design on the phone.

The S20 is a great phone so long as you don’t care about the camera improvements made on the Note 20 Ultra and the S Pen. If you want a cutting edge experience, then consider purchasing the Note 20 Ultra.

If money is a factor to consider when buying a new device, i would recommend that you pick the S20. You will have a great device and save up on a few thousand shillings.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series

If you love the Note family and want to save money, then picking the Galaxy Note 10 is also a great option. Both the Note 10 and Note 20 Ultra have Snapdragon 865 Plus, OLED 60Hz panels, 10 MP selfie camera and a flexible front camera.

Note 10 is a relatively cheap flagship that comes with an S pen. It comes with a big battery capacity of 3,500mAh. also has a big battery capacity of 3500mAh, fast charging, and it supports wireless charging of 15 watts.

OnePlus 8 Pro

If you want to take a break from Samsung, consider the OnePlus 8 Pro. It has lots of similar features. Such as a 120Hz refresh rate, 30Watts wireless charging, Snapdragon silicon and IP68 rating.

One plus 8 Pro also has a quad main camera with 48 MP, 48 MP Ultra-wide camera, a 5MP color filter and a 8MP 3X telephoto. Pretty much of what we have seen on the Note 20 Ultra.

Verdict of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya is a great phone. What makes it perfect is the minor improvements made by the company. Better low light photography, all options when shooting video, no fingerprint smudge on the back of the phone and the variable refresh rate saving on the battery.

Could Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 do better? Yes, for a flagship of 2020 costing this much, they should expand the storage they are offering from 126 GB to 256 GB. But then again, every time you buy a phone there, a trade-offs you have to make.

Would i recommend you buy this phone? The answer is both Yes and No. Buying a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or 10 would still perform a decent job and they are less expensive.

One reason why people upgrade their devices is cause the latest smartphone is super nice and flashy. But that’s not with Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the phone is not classy but it is a tech bump. it has better improvements from what there is on the other note smartphones. Making it worth your time and money when you buy this phone.

Check out more of our reviews here.

The Review

Samsung

4.4 Score

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya sets the bar in how smartphones should behave. With it's incredible Camera and unmatched processor, Samsung has outdone itself with this one. It is the ultimate in flagship phones.

PROS

Dynamic 6.9-inch 120Hz display

Smoother S Pen performance

Very good battery life

5x optical zoom camera

CONS

It's Expensive

Review Breakdown

Battery

Display

Camera

Performancy

Value

Samsung DEALS

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Cathryn Hein

Cathryn Hein is a best-selling author of rural romance and romantic adventure novels, a Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year finalist, and a regular Australian Romance Reader Awards finalist.

A South Australian country girl by birth, she loves nothing more than a rugged rural hero who’s as good with his heart as he is with his hands, which is probably why she writes them! Her romances are warm and emotional, and feature themes that don’t flinch from the tougher side of life but are often happily tempered by the antics of naughty animals. Her aim is to make you smile, sigh, and perhaps sniffle a little, but most of all feel wonderful.

Rocking Horse Hill (A Levenham Love Story Book 1) By Cathryn Hein Buy on Amazon

Cathryn lives Newcastle, Australia with her partner of many years, Jim. When she’s not writing, she plays golf (ineptly), cooks (well), and in football season barracks (rowdily) for her beloved Sydney Swans AFL team.

Cathryn’s latest release is EDDIE AND THE SHOW QUEEN, book five in her popular Levenham Love Story series.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

Riders By Jilly Cooper OBE

Riders by Jilly Cooper

What an eye-opener this book was. All those horses! All that upper-class naughtiness! That promiscuous but oh-so-sexy cad Rupert Campbell-Black! It was Riders and Cooper’s other early books that had me on a desperate hunt for Australian equivalents but, sadly, I could find none. I knew then that I would have to write my own, so it was a bit of a shock to discover my stories turned out nothing like Cooper’s.

A Place In The Hills By Michelle Paver

A Place in the Hills by Michelle Paver

It was probably more a combination of reads (see above), but I suspect this book is the one that cemented my desire to write romance. Everything about it is romantic, from the opening line, “It was noon on the Day of Blood when he first saw her” to the south of France setting, the forbidden love of both the historical and contemporary characters, and the kántharos - or chalice, that binds them all.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

I signed up for Dragon Anywhere, a dictation software that I can use on my phone or tablet and works as long as I have an internet connection. It’s $20 a month and such a handy thing. I can dictate at home or when I’m out and about, and it’s quicker than note-taking or typing. Once I’ve relayed the words, I just tell the app to email the document to me. Easy.

There is a learning curve with dictation but the more you do it the easier it becomes. My goal is to write the first draft of an entire novel with it. So far, I’ve only managed the occasional chapter, and notes and blog posts. I’ll get there though.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

It reminded me why I write – because it brings me joy.

One of the books I’m most proud of is Wayward Heart and I wrote that just for me. It wasn’t contracted and I was resigned that it was unlikely to appeal to a publisher if I did shop it, which meant there was absolutely no pressure during its creation. I could make it whatever I wanted. So I did.

I love that book. It was written with absolute delight and I think that shows in the finished story. Wayward Heart was picked up by Harlequin Harper Collins and is loved by readers too.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

I’m going to go with an oft-quoted one, which I think belongs to Nora Roberts – you can’t edit a blank page. Because it’s true, you can’t. Even the worst day’s writing can be turned around.

My process is to edit as I go, which means I’m always rewriting. Some days getting that raw page down can be incredibly hard (other days it can pour out fast and near-perfect – if only there were more of those… sigh). The words will be awful and wrong and the doubt-demon on my shoulder will start sniggering and telling me how terrible I am, and I’ll wonder why I’m bothering. Then tomorrow will see me picking up those raw bones and rewriting them into something good.

I love that part of the process. Mind you, I’d love it even better if the words came out right the first time but you can’t have everything!

What is one of the best investments in a writing resource you’ve ever made?

My workstation. I love this desk, although in some ways it’s been a lot of trouble. I bought it when I was working on my second contracted book, Heart of the Valley. It’s a commercial corner workstation with loads of space that I can sprawl my stuff over and lets me keep important things like my notes and diary, and collection of fountain pens and books close at hand.

It’s been trouble because with my partner being in the military we moved house a lot and it’s not only big but an awkward shape, and not designed to be pulled apart. Getting it into its current position took some serious manoeuvring and resulted in a couple of wall dings. Worth it though.

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

I’m not sure this is particularly unusual, but I do like to have a theme song for each book. If I can find the right song, I’ll play it on a loop over and over, across the day until it fades into the background and I barely notice it.

What happens then is that the songbecomes so entrenched with writing the story that hearing it acts as a trigger. I hit ‘play’ and am immediately thrust into the story’s world again.

The biggest hassle is finding the right song, with the right feel.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

I walk a lot. Being a keen golfer, I tend to walk a fair bit anyway but about three or so years ago I developed an eye condition that stopped me driving and forced me to walk more. Walking time makes for fantastic thinking time.

Want to solve a plot problem? Go for a walk. Or have a shower. That works brilliantly too.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

I’ve never prescribed to the “write every day” school. I do write most days, but I don’t get het up if I don’t. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about writing or my storieson a daily basis. If I’m in the middle of a book, I’m thinking about that baby all the time, sometimes to the point of obsession. But writing every single day? Nah.

I treat writing like a job because it is my job, and take weekends off. Although I do tend to do admin type stuff and write blogs on weekend mornings.

As for what advice I’d give... Finish your stories.

Every book you write will teach you something – even if it’s not what to do. Don’t fret over those words being wasted because they won’t be. Some will go the high-jump, sure, but you’ll probably find yourself later mining those stories for gems. You might steal back a character, a dramatic scene, or a setting. Maybe you’ll recycle the premise but approach it in a different way.

I think I wrote six full-length novels before I was first contracted, and every one of those books have been raided and had parts of them recycled in some form since.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

I really want to say I’m better at limiting my time on social media but that would be a big fat fib. I’m trying though and I’m much better at scheduling now, which helps a lot.

Social media is an excellent way of keeping in touch with your readers and the writing community. It can also be a massive time suck and distraction from writing.

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

I’m not sure I’d rule out anything specifically. Market according to your goals and target audience. Try things out. Make mistakes and learn from them. Although please, please do not be one of those people who friend or follow a person on social media, then once that person has friended or followed you back, you immediately reply with a ‘here’s my book’ message. Urgh. Even the thought makes me shudder. It’s stupid and rude and just about guarantees that person won’t touch your book.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals?

Readers don’t care who the publisher is. They just want your next book. Understanding that has allowed me to embrace self-publishing, in addition to releasing traditionally. Self-publishing means I can release more books for my readers in all sorts of lengths and formats. What fun!

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

Walk. Take a shower. Or go and do something completely different, preferably something mundane or mind-numbing, like doing the dishes. It clears your head and lets creativity flow again.

If it’s a particularly stubborn or difficult issue, I book a get-together with my writer buddies so we can talk the problem through. Writer buddies are gold. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

Any other tips?

Make friends with other writers. Loved ones can be supportive, of course, but only writers truly understand the quirks of this weird life. They can empathise when you’re in knots over horror revisions or the bad cover the publisher wants you to accept or the scene you’ve ground to a halt over. And they can cheer with you and know how truly amazing it is when you’ve achieved something magical, like finished a book or reached a best-seller list or solved a thorny plot problem.

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source https://www.thecommunitywriter.com/blog/cathryn-hein