#or it wont be there if i chicken out... <\3 which is entirely possible

[sadagios]

(cw suggestive)

great progress is being made for sdgau act 1.... just need to drink plenty of holy water . bathe in it, even

[clementines-writing-corner]

🚨new project just dropped *sighs in wip hell*

Hello friends!

So… if any of you happened to see that last post I reblogged (and had a peek at the tags) then you’ll have an idea about what this post is going to be about. Unfortunately, it will not be about my original high fantasy story project, as I had hoped last week. It is about something entirely different. Huzzah!! (I mean that in the most semi-sarcastic way possible– I am excited but also annoyed lol). 

I completed and turned in my first creative brief writing assignment for any of my writing classes this semester (and am currently halfway through my second for a different class) and, long story short, ended up getting kinda hooked on the story that happened to develop while I was writing. So… new project. Yay. ᕱ__ᕱ

For the assignment, I chose to try to combine two stories from the weekly writing prompts that we do for the class and imagine how the characters I created in them would interact with a slightly larger story rather than 2-3 pages of chicken scratch character development scenes. I ended up succeeding in this goal, one may even say superseding it, in fact. The plan was to write them into a short story with a little more plot. What ended up happening is that I created a whole new character, slapped them and one of the original characters in the middle of a huge plot, and wrote an entire chapter (+ some change) for a novel involving them. And not even like the first chapter of a novel. Noooooooo. I had to skip ahead and write like chapter 10 or something. 

So… (promise it’s the last time I’m doing that) yeah. That’s what has taken over my brain this week. An entirely new project. (I can never get anything actually done around here I swear!!) A couple more details about it before I give you a little taste of my draft because why not:

It will probably by a middle grade novel (unlike high fantasy project)

Speaking of – this story is definitely more low fantasy, as in it takes place in a version of our world in which magic exists (which will make it 10 million times easier to write because I wont be creating everything from scratch ha ha ᕱ__ᕱ)

It will take place in the modern day and age (perhaps like a few years old, but definitely after 2000)

Plot so far is vaguely based on the story of the snow queen by hans christian andersen (which is what disney's frozen is loosely based on btw)

The main character is around 12-13 years old (right now anyway)

And, as promised, a little snippet of this project. Let me know what y’all think!

**

A branch snapped to my left. 

My back straightened and I took a step towards Ms. Cattell, before slipping on a patch of wet leaves. I would have face-planted into the tree roots in front of me if Ms. Cattell hadn’t caught my arm. Her hands were very soft. How she got the few paces back to me so fast, I didn’t know. Magic?! My inner Paxton squealed. Shut up, my inner me shot back, not now Pax!

Crack! Another branch fell victim to whatever was creeping towards us.

My heart started pounding against my ribcage. I looked up at Ms. Cattell, my eyes wide and panicked, only to see a soft smile on her face as she stared off in the direction the sounds were coming from. As if feeling my gaze, she directed the smile down at me and patted my arm where she had grabbed it, before letting me go and crouching down, looking back into the forest and holding her arms out.

Suddenly, a blur of brownish-gray fluff hurtled out of the brambles and into Ms. Cattell’s open arms. She grinned down at the fluff, now cradled to her chest, before standing and turning her gaze back towards me, clicking her tongue. “Now Alvin, look what you’ve done!” Ms. Cattell gently scolded the fluff, still smiling. “You’ve frightened the poor dear. And after the day she’s had too, you should be ashamed of yourself!” 

**

But yeah. Like I said earlier, I’m pretty excited about this project. I haven’t been able to really develop another project in years since my mind has been stuck on my high fantasy story so for me to come up with a new project like this completely out of the blue (or so it seems) is actually really refreshing (if not really annoying because I wish high fantasy story stuff would come as easily). 

^ me @/myself right now (especially that eye twitch fr)

I will still most definitely be working on high fantasy stuff, do you worry, but occasionally this story might make an appearance as I continue to post on this blog. So… (ha ha I lied earlier) buckle up folks because, as it often does, my creative writing goals just got a bit messier lol. ᕱ__ᕱ

And whatever you're working on, don’t forget to cross your j’s and dot your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

[shoezuki]

I'm going to sound like an ass but I'm so happy c!Tommy died, like I ate some leftover chicken in celebration. With Tommy dead, people will be forced to see that the smp doesn't revolves around him, that he's just a character like everyone else and that without him the story still continues.

I hope that cc!Tommy takes a breaks for a while, or at the very least if he's going to do ghostinnit pulls a Wilbur and appear only on other people's streams. It would make the people who only watch Tommy's pov have to watch different people for lore, it might get the fandom to stop treating Tommy like he's the main character, which would be great cause there are no main characters just preferred perspectives.

Also he ruined the little progress Dream had made (I was so excited for that goddamnit) and killed a cat, mean little shit. Also it might wake up people to the fact that Tommy did cause a lot of conflict, but I sadly doubt it.

The only bad I see from this is the fandom;

1. glossing over the cat and just how fucked up that was of Tommy. Trauma or the cycle of abuse are not even close to exsuces, he fucken keep hitting it then killed it just be a dick. Hold him fully accountable and don't downplay this, this was straight up evil of him, arguably he worse thing he has done as of yet.

2. The new wave of Philza stuff with people talking about how much he's going to regret not fathering Tommy dispite him not being his son

3. Even more Technoblade hate that's somehow worse because of his favor he owes to Dream. Like I just saw a post on how Philza should be killed in front of him then excused by "peer pressure" (Techno was surrounded and had no support, stalled for as long as possible, it's not like he wanted to so it) so he'd "understand" pain and loss, blocked them on sight, but still holy shit.

⸺ Rat ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

lkahf;lkhaf yea like i Feel you im Nearly in the same boat but like. kinda?

the entire ‘getting locked in prison’ type arc or whatever was Weird to me n considering that tommy said Before he was gon tap out and back down a bit. like the disc war finale felt FINALE n like? i thought that was fine and dandy. a win for the lads then tommy can jus chill and Not have such a pivotal/main character type role. 

n i was SO GLAD for that. him buildin a hotel w sam and being hunted down by niki and jack and poking at the egg a bit n all that wasnt like. he wasnt the Pivotal point in those as much. considering he’d had a Huge impact in other ppls stories he couldnt jus Disappear. 

i did NOT understand why him being locked in prison was like. a thing. i didnt get it narratively. like idk what to have expected i thought itd jus be like. more downtime for tommy then Bam angst angst big lore oh no INTENSE. 

him dying is like. especially at dream’s hand. i feel its a double edged sword. like you say i REALLY HOPE itll mean things wont circle around him. more notice and attention can be given to the egg arc. and ESPECIALLY w how jack has been going on w today’s events like holyfuck man’s really goin OFF. tommy dying was narratively the best outcome him like jack manifold stans r losin their minds on my dash today

but ALSO. the reactions instilled within the fandom have really shown a like. exactly what i figured. like him Dying is now gonna cloud so many other characters n perceptions a those characters. we see it w phil n techno like mans wasnt even on dsmp he was on his hardcore world n had ppl all in his chat bout how his ‘son’ is dead lkshglsdhg

and this weird. like. i dont know if martyrdom is the right term for it? but like i LITERALLY hadnt seen Any mentions of tommy killing the cat. and that is Very fucked up. like IF tommy hadnt done that then to me it seemed dream had killed tommy Suddenly with no reasoning. and as fucked as it was to kill tommy, WITH the context of him killing dream’s cat like.... it makes so much more sense. like still fucked he died, but in this sense his death was direct and instant retribution for his own actions. 

and why the FUCK r ppl so nasty w techno????? mans not done shit??? he aint streamed or done Lore in a while now Especially not in reference to tommy??? like oh my GOD keep his name out ur mouth. 

like. as we seen everywhere too. they probably gon revive him in some way sometime. n considering how Talked Up that is its seems itll be regarded as the ‘main plot’ or some shit. largely overshadow other things. i want tommy to Not be revived. if he comes back like ghostbur, cool. mans chillin. but he should be dead for at Least a bit for the smoke to settle n so other ppl and plots can Work their way Out.

[ciderxi]

She was supposed to be mine Pt. 3

Title: She was supposed to be mine 

Chapter- 3 Secret Meeting

Pairing San x Reader X Yeosang

Word Count:2.8k

Anger filled his entire body, not being able to push it down in time. San lunged towards Yeosang, catching him while he was still trying to process what you had just said. Yeosang yelped as he fell onto the ground, his head hitting the wall as San proceeded to try and strangle him. While the rest of the group jumped to pull them apart, still not fully processing what was happening "Mingi, help me take him to the room" Hongjoong said as he and Mingi began to drag him to his room. San screaming at Yeosang the whole way "I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS"

"SHE'S MINE" You jolted up as you heard San yelling, and the other boys talking frantically phone away, rushing to see what had just happened. Not caring about how what had just happened. Not caring about how your eyes were clearly still puffy and red.

You watched as San gets dragged away and Yeosang is sitting on the floor, surrounded by his friends. "Yeosang are you okay??? Someone tell me what happened!" but no one answered, feeling almost as if it wasn't their place, but also not being completely sure of what was going on. Why was San so angry, it's not like Yeosang was doing anything besides existing.

Through gritted teeth, Wooyoung aggressively spat, "Why don't you go talk to your boyfriend" as he kept his eyes on his best friend, who of course had his eyes on you. He wanted to call out for her, and tell you that he heard what you had said. But he just kept looking at you longingly, wanting to warn you, but knowing he couldn't. Not without interference from San, who may or may not be one step ahead of him.

"Wooyoung what do you mean? What happened? I was just in the bathroom and then I heard fighting"

Wooyoung at this point was visibly pissed, not only because his friend was hurt, but because she was hurting Yeosang, even if unintentionally. Jongho seeing that Wooyoung was about to say something, grabbed you by the wrist and whisked you away to your new room "How about I help you unpack while the rest of them figure things out " Jongho takes you to the room at the end of the hallway, and leaves you there while he retrieves your luggage.

You follow him, obviously caring more about the fight that just happened, instead of unpacking. "What do you mean figure things out? Jongho why wont you tell me what happened?"Jongho carries her heavy luggage to her new room as he's being pestered by her questions.

Besides the obvious fact that they would have all been caught spying on her, he didn't want to scare you into leaving. "I can't tell you, you're going to have to talk to them" he sighed with a bit of frustration.

"It's been a long day, why don't I just help you unpack, and then we can talk about it in the morning"

"It's barely 3pm... you know that right" you gestured to the open window letting the sunlight pour in "Okayyyy, give me a few minutes, stay here, I'm gonna head to the store and get us some snacks so we can play a few games.

With the moon rising in the dark night skies, Jongho has everyone meet in the living room. You heads towards your destination and can already feel the tension in the air, even as the guys are somewhat separated. Whatever happened on the other side of the bathroom door didn't end so well, as the bright and cheerful people that you saw in them were no longer there. The room is silent as tension filled the room. Jongho entered and happily realizes that the tension has died down at least a little bit.

"I figured that since we just finished our comeback, we should celebrate with some food and alcohol"

"Will there be steak???" Seonghwa asks, practically drooling already

"Of course~" Jongho laughs as he leads everyone to the dining room. "Who's ready to celebrate?"

Mingi's woo's loudly as the rest of them nod and rushed to take their seats. All of them ready to forget about the day's events and eat. The Main table being full with the main dish and side dishes. Next to the table is an ice chest of what might actually be filled with nothing, but beer. Jongho really has gone all out and everyone seem all excited especially Seonghwa, who didn't have to cook this time.

Y/n's POV

We all gathered around the table, San making sure that he was next to me and Yunho sat on the right side of me. Yeosang sat across from me as Wooyoung sat on his left and Hongjoong on his right, leaving Seonghwa and Mingi sitting at both sides. Jongho was still standing as he was handing everyone a beer, I insisted on helping, but he insisted that I stay seated since and I quote "I'm the guest here and I shouldn't be doing so much" Jongho was so sweet,even if a bit much at times

Ever since I arrived things went from what I know as normal, to a life I would never even see myself in, it really feels as if I'm still dreaming all of this. What if this is really a dream and when I sleep tonight I'll wake up in my bedroom that's in my home going back to the day of the fanmeet...

As Jongho had finally sat down between Mingi and Yunho, he claps his hands indication that it's time for us to eat. Before I could grab my plate San grabs it first giving me a variety of chicken to eat, which in any other situation is kinda sweet. But not right now, I can't help but feel this tension between us right now. And I don't even know what I did wrong.

What really happened while I was in the bathroom? Did they hear my conversation while I was on the phone??

I look at San quietly enjoying his meal, listening to Mingi telling a story of his when he was in highschool. Thank goodness for Mingi and Yunho, they always know how to keep everyone laughing and talking. I swear they share the same brain cell at times.

3RD POV

The group then finishes the night of fun, with everyone at varying levels of drunkenness, it was a good night, You walk over to your room with San behind in tow. Leaving Yeosang to watch them leave from the living room. He watches them longingly, and eventually dismissed himself from the game the group had been playing, The only one sober ish enough to notice leave being Wooyoung, while the rest drunkenly sang karaoke. Meanwhile Seonghwa danced to various girl groups.

Thank goodness for beer, Yeosang let out a sweet laugh at his own joke, before slowly going silent.

San closes the door behind you, caressing your cheeks as he urged you to look at him. "Y/n~ I~love~you" he sang while leaning in for a kiss. You froze for a second, looking for a way out. After today, you weren't so sure you could trust San, not after how angry he was tonight. you pulled away slightly, peering into his hungry eyes "San... there's something I need to tell you..."

San placed his finger on your lips, "Shh.. it's okay.. it can wait.. Just let me take control and I'll make you feel good~" He moved his lips to the crook of your neck, placing light kisses, overwhelmed You place your hands to his chest pushing him away... "San I mean it.."

"And I said that it can wait.. Now relax and let's have a little fun..", inches away from your face San tilts her head up teasing you before he going to kiss you. The kiss became hot and heavy in that matter of seconds, he licked you bottom lip begging for entrance, without realizing it, you gave in, not wanting to make him angry.

I need to tell him... before it's too late..

Catching their breaths, San leans in, but before things would escalate any further, You take in a small breath, "I.. love Yeosang.." San acts as if he doesn't hear you and goes to nip and kiss at your neck, leaving a trail of love bites as You let out a trail of moans. Your body telling him yes, but your heart telling him no. you tried to pry San off before he could leave any more hickies "let's call it a night....'

'Shhh don't worry Y/n, I'm sure our friends won't mind hearing you scream my name tonight~' He cooed into her ear, nibbling on it a bit too hard for her to manage 'San please, you're drunk, let's do this later" Trying to hide your fear and embarrassment behind a serious tone.Moving your hands to push against his chest, only to have San quickly grabbed your wrists, and put them over your head.

"Don't be such a tease Y/n~ you were so eager to get with me when we first met after all" Feeling a weird sense of pain, you kicked him off, causing him to groan at the sudden force, It actually wasn't that bad, but it still hurt nonetheless.'' San leave, now!"

Yeosang scrambles to hide as soon as he hears San cursing and walking towards the door.

He quietly runs to his room and waits there, using the party in the living room to mask any noise he would make, Meanwhile San slammed You's door shut, causing her to jump at the sound- and sigh with relief.

I really fucked up this time, and I can't even move out, I already agreed to rent out my house to a friend. And even then,if I left I wouldn't be able to see Yeosang, You really thought this one through huh genius

You tried to fight back tears of frustration as you wrote in your journal, figuring it would be to document new fun memories of living with idols. Instead only having cliche boy troubles to write down. You sighed and went along with your nightly routine, making sure to take a relaxing bath to calm your nerves. Sure today was a lot, but that didn't mean you couldn't keep up with your skincare routine.

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

At 6 in the morning, Yeosang had written a letter to give to You. As the time came, Yeosang walked straight to Your door and slipped a note under the door, he left going to the meeting spot he invited her to. He was going to wait until later, until he noticed you already awake and in the bathroom, most likely getting ready for the day. He had to take his chance before anyone else could wake up and possibly catch them

Seemingly not noticing San watching his every move intently. As soon as Yeosang was out of Sight, he ran to your room and read the note as fast as he could, trying as hard as he could to not rip it up. No, he couldn't have Yeosang knowing he threw away the note, He couldn't chance it, not when You was at stake.

Exiting out of the bathroom, You walk out in yoga pants and a black long sleeve shirt while using your towel to dry off your hair. Hanging your towel, you comb your hair into place, freeing it of knots.  Sighing from a long day you stumble upon a note on the floor, hesitating to pick it up, you decide to look at it to at least know who its from.

Yeosang...

Opening the note while your heart jumps rapidly against her chest, you read the fine print over and over, "I'm sorry to have to do this in secret, but I need to see you you. We can't be seen together because of San... If you wish to meet with me please come meet me in the backyard as soon as you see this, i'll be waiting"your heart races looking at the note, looking around to make sure no one saw you reading it. Not having the slightest inkling that San had gotten to the note first.

You grab your sneakers and heads to the backyard. Being very careful by not waking up the others as she makes her way to the backyard. Seeing Yeosang standing there waiting. You admire him for a moment, looking at every detail, from his eyes to the birthmark on the side of his face, to his lips. He stood tall with his hands in his hoodie pockets, his feet kicking around some innocent pebbles as he waited for you.

Standing there, your eyes met, both smiling to each other. Extending his hand out, "Come on, our destination has a little bit of walking before we can actually talk." Taking his hand without a second thought Yeosang led you to where they can actually talk in private, hopefully without being caught.

After some walking Yeosang comes to a stop, "We're here." looking around you admired the place he'd taken her to. "This is a little secret spot of mine that no one knows about.." You looked at Yeosang and noticed he was a bit nervous, hoping that you actually liked the place. "It's beautiful here.." Hearing those words made him all the happier. "So Yeosang what was it that you wanted to talk privately about?"

The way his name rolled off your tongue made him shiver with ecstasy, it felt so right to hear his name being said by you and only you. This is the moment, his only chance to tell you, "You.." he paused for a moment, thinking he heard something from behind the clearing. Worrying for a moment if someone had followed them

"Yeosang?" your voice quickly shook the worries from his head and brought his eyes back to meet yours. " I know we just met, and i know you're with San,but at the fanmeet... I felt something for you" he confessed, his eyes searching hers for any reaction

Taken aback, your breathing becomes unsteady, letting out a heavy breathe, with eyes looking at him with affection. "Yeosang, I feel the same way..Meeting you in person felt like such a dream and I never wanted it to end.. Yeosang I don't know how or why you make me feel this way, but I don't want it to end."

Yeosang stepped closer, your bodies inches apart, his finger lightly wrapped around yours becoming a full grasp. One hand held you, as the other traced from your hand, up her arm, resting at the crook of her neck. "You.. my You.. you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"As happy as I am at this very moment...San what am I supposed to do about him.. The other members.. I mean the only reason i moved in was to spend time with him as his girlfriend... If only I was strong enough to push him away that day.."

Yeosang wipes the tears that have yet to escape from your eyes, "Shhh don't worry about that.. We'll figure something out, I promise you that. Just promise me that you'll tell me if San gives you any trouble."

Yeosang kisses your forehead signifying that he will always protect you no matter what. Holding close to him staying like that for what seems like forever and only do they wish would that moment last forever.

While they're enjoying the heartwarming moment another person watches them from afar only being able to hear the gist of their conversation. San clenches his fist with rage, wanting to jump out at that very moment to strangle his friend

He did not just fucking kiss her, he did not just kiss MY girlfriend on the lips

From his point of view, it had looked like they just kissed. Even if it wasn't the case, San was still just as pissed,

"I'm also sorry for spying on your conversations in the bathroom, I'm sure you know that already."They both chuckle as they continue embracing each other, fully enjoying their time together, even if it was short

San backs away quietly making sure the two young lovers oblivious to his presence, walking discreetly San plots his next big move against Yeosang that will make sure You is his and won't ever leave his side again. Unable to hide his disgust for another second.

He was going to make them pay for this, no matter what it took.

She will be mine

[collectsfallenstars]

Lee Gon’s 3 Rules and How and When He Fell In Love With Jeong TaeEul: An Analysis in 2 parts

Part 1: Love like You Row

It’s pretty easy to say that Lee Gon starts off in “The King: Eternal Monarch” already in love with Jeong TaeEul and he remains in that constant state all throughout the series.  That his character is that flat, as flat as the world according to Jeong TaeEul.  While it may be true that his character remains deeply devoted to her all throughout, I’m here to show you that he isn’t a flat character.  Aside from the external struggle he has with his uncle Lee Lim, and convincing TaeEul of his identity and depth of feeling for her, loving TaeEul also forced him to confront certain things.

On their first chicken dinner together in episode 2 which felt more like an extension of his interrogation instead of a friendly dinner, Lee Gon finds out exactly what kind of person he’s dealing with with Jeong TaeEul. He had just thanked her for being the reason why he survived the last 25 years of his life after his father had been murdered.  She was tied to that one great big mystery of his life and he had wanted to find her all these years. Now she was there, eating dinner with him.  But she didn’t believe anything he said, almost canceling out his entire existence because she did not have enough proof.

We are then taken to a flashback of baby Lee Gon talking with Lady Noh about the night his father was murdered while a cute baby Maximus ran around in the background.  Lady Noh hands over the two things Lee Gon had held onto that night – half of the broken bamboo flute and Jeong TaeEul’s ID.  And then little Lee Gon asks,

“DO YOU THINK IT’S HERE, THE REASON WHY I SURVIVED THAT DAY?”

The flashback ends and we are brought back to the present time with Lee Gon asking TaeEul,

“WHY DO YOU NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING I SAY?”

This was a very good juxtaposition of events.  As a child, the question of why he survived had been foremost in his mind. That’s him questioning the purpose of his existence and he’s tied it to these two objects – the flute and TaeEul’s ID.  One is a symbol of utter power, and the other, I suppose, is love, or his destiny.

And all his life he believed held on to the idea that his life had purpose, had meaning, and it was tied to this woman, before him, who sat there not believing anything at all.  She tells him to stay put till she gets back his DNA test and he takes it out of context and asks her,

“ANYTHING ELSE? IS THERE ANY OTHER REASON? THE REASON WHY I HAVE TO STAY IN YOUR WORLD? COULD THERE BE A REASON?”

This is him grasping at straws, a little desperately.  He’s basically asking her to  tell him, give him his purpose. He’s waiting for her to say, “I want you to stay because of me.” To hand it over to him.  But of course, TaeEul thought it was all bullshit.

In Lee Gon’s world, he’s the king. He has never needed his existence to be validated.  And he has always been sure of who he was. But one thing he was never sure of was his why he survived that night, his purpose.  So he tied his purpose to the flute and to TaeEul. He had probably hoped that he would find it if he could just find her.

And he did find her.  But she doesn’t believe he exists.  She doesn’t believe his Kingdom of Corea exists.  And the only reason, she says, that she’s helping him is just so she can send him back home and get rid of him.

He realizes two things here.  Just because he found Jeong TaeEul doesn’t mean he gets an instant answer as to what his purpose is for surviving that night.  And just because he’s spent the last 25 years attached to the idea of TaeEul doesn’t mean that the moment she sees him, she’ll come running into his arms like a long lost love.  There is no love. At least, just yet.

This must have been a lonely time for Lee Gon. After this scene, we are shown a clip of him visiting an exhibit of Korea’s last monarch.  The building occupies the same place where he and his father were attacked in the Kingdom of Corea. But that history of the royal family doesn’t even include his line.  He has no identity, no history, no purpose.

And in this world, if he wanted purpose, it wasn’t just going to be a simple find Jeong TaeEul and she’ll give you the answer.  He’ll actually have to work for it, find it by solving the mystery of the bamboo flute and work on building a real  connection with Jeong TaeEul.

He finds out exactly how to best do that on this dinner too.  When Jeong TaeEul answers his question about why she wont’ believe him, she says,

“IS THAT HOW BELIEF WORKS?  I’M THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THE EARTH IS ROUND.”

It’s in this part when he realizes they don’t see the world in the same way.  I like how he doesn’t force her to believe him just because he believes it, doesn’t guilt her into seeing things his way.  You know how most people would go, this is how I see it. why cant you see it my way? Nope. He shuts up.  He listens to her and understands that she needs to see things before she can believe them, and works with that instead of trying to change her mind.

He takes on 3 tasks.  He must first convince her that he is telling the truth about his identity.  He next has to convince her that parallel worlds exist.  Once those two things are done, it will be easier for him to convince her that his feelings for her are real.   He then formulates a plan the only way a mathematician and a rower would, tailor fitting it to meet Jeong TaeEul needs.  I've written about this on a previous post, detailing how Jeaong TaeEul’s feelings for Lee Gon devloped exactly because of this method. If you’re interested, you can just scroll down my tumblr. It’s in there somewhere.

As I said, he looks at situations like a mathematical equation. If there’s a problem, there has to be a solution. A beautiful one. And his solutions are pretty simple. Patience and honesty. Every time she asks him anything about his identity and where he’s from, he will tell always tell the truth. No matter how many times she asks the same question, he will always give her the same answer.  This is why rowing is such a perfect sport for him. He makes repetitive motions, moving in a single direction and onwards until the finish line.  That’s exactly how he was with Jeong TaeEul. Keep telling the truth until she believes.  But he won’t try to force her to believe him before she’s ready and endures it every time she insults him or accuse of fictionalizing everything.

If you look at episode 3, on what’s probably their 2nd chicken and beer dinner, he tells her,  

“YOU GOT NOTHING ON MY DNA RESULTS. BUT YOU STILL CAN’T REALLY BELIEVE ME, RIGHT? SO WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? THERE IS NO INFORMATION AT ALL ABOUT ME IN THIS WORLD.”

He leans forward on the table again, making the gap between them slightly smaller. Notice that he doesn’t make the conclusion for her. He just asks her the questions. He lets her make the conclusion on her own; and gives her time until she’s ready to actually say it out loud that she believes him, which won’t be until the 5th episode.  

Having gotten no results for his DNA and fingerprints should point TaeEul towards the existence of another world where he does exist.  But keep in mind that TaeEul needs to see something before she believes it.  And no results mean no evidence. No evidence means, it’s all bullcrap form TaeEul. So when he tells her,

“I HOPE YOUR EARTH CAN BECOME ROUND SOON.”

He is saying “I know you can’t see it, but I hope you believe that my parallel world exists, and that I exist for you.”  Just like the world being round.  He’s essentially preparing her for what’s to come next. And it has nothing to do with seeing his world and him being king because those are things she will be able to see for herself.  He’s preparing her for one of the greatest leaps of faith of all time – believing in love.  It is, after all, an intangible concept. You can’t see it, you can only feel it to know it exists.

Now, when the time finally came that TaeEul got all the evidence that she needed and was finally prepared to believe him, he was still very patient with her as he answered all of her questions about her ID card that was issued exactly when he said it would be.

He goes to her, gathers her hair together in ponytail in one hand, and holds on to the side of her neck with the other, while he answered all her questions correctly, getting rid of her last excuses for not believing him.  He is literally and figuratively holding her steady, as her world kind of fell apart knowing that she had been wrong all this time.  He didn’t jump with glee or anything because he was right and she was wrong. He understood how this must have been terrifying for her and he kind of just was there for her to help her keep it together.  Then he offers her his other world, letting her decide if she wants to see it for herself.

“DO YOU WANT TO SEE FOR YOURSELF? COME WITH ME TO  MY WORLD.”

He holds her hand, pulls her to Maximus, puts both her hands on his shoulders and he puts this woman who had never watched fairy tales on a white horse fit for a prince and princess.  I swear, when snow started falling in this scene, Maximus turned into unicorn for me.  It was that magical.

Physically, you can see him become more protective of her in this instant. He closes his hand over hers. Puts her hands on his shoulders as if to tell her you can depend on me, you can trust me.  He cages TaeEul between his arms as they ride off. And even when they get to Corea, he still has her inside his arms in a protective circle, asks the guards to step back because he knows exactly how flat earther Jung TaeEul will feel in a parallel world.  

He already knows she’s a strong capable woman. But he didn’t hesitate to provide comfort and protection because he understood that even the strongest ones may need comfort and protection at times.

He does gloat here, a little.

“SEE? I WAS RIGHT, WASN’T I?”

Still on his horse, he leans closer to her, almost speaking right into her ear. His lips quite possibly less than two inches away from her earlobe.  I mean…if I was Kim Goeun I’d be shivering with want. But of course, she’s very busy taking in the fact that a parallel world exists so maybe her libido is in the backburner for now.  But when she turns her head to face him, and it was , quite possibly, the sweetest, most electrifying non kiss kiss ever.

Now at this point, he seems to have ticked off all his tasks. Convinced her he’s a king. Convinced her that a parallel world exist. Now the next thing to do is to convince her that his feelings, 25 years in the making, are real.  

Part 2: Love of a Monarch with a Scar

But how real are his feelings?  Because the Jeong TaeEul he’s now with is very different from whatever he imagined Jeong TaeEul to be when he was 8 years old! That’s actually the first thing he had to confront the moment he met TaeEul at Gwanghwamun Square.  After they bicker and he insults her intelligence by asking,

“IT SEEMS YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT A PARALLEL WORLD IS. DID YOU NOT STUDY SCIENCE?”

He finally observes something about her.  He says,

“IS THIS WHAT YOUR PERSONALITY IS LIKE? I HAVE NEVER IMAGINED IT. I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE SOFTER.  THIS IS NEW.”

And this signals to the audience that he is aware that the Jeong TaeEul he had imagined and possibly loved for the last 25 years is different from the real Jeong TaeEul.  He might have arrived at the scene loving only the idea of TaeEul but as soon as the 2nd episode, he takes it upon himself to actually educate himself on all things Jeong TaeEul, setting aside all of his built up notions about her.

In the precinct, even in the midst of his interrogation, he takes the time to really look at her and come to a decision that she “LOOKED BETTER IN REAL LIFE.” So that’s great right, he prefers the 3 dimensional version of her as opposed to a picture. And then when TaeEul finally released him from jail, he reveals that he has already pumped Eunsup for information about her life.  He is making sure that he gets to know her right from the get go.  It was also on the 2nd episode that he went to the library to get to know her world’s history.  He looked up the poet  Kim SoWol and bought his book before going back to his world, just because TaeEul randomly quoted him during their conversation in the bamboo forest in episode 3.

Now he didn’t completely let go of his imagined version of a TaeEul because he did manage to get a short glimpse of a softer TaeEul during their early days together.  Time had to stop before he could see this softer side of hers because at this point, she still didn’t believe anything he said and was less likely to trust him enough to show him her softer side.  So when time stopped, that was the first time he got to see the TaeEul he had imagined all this time.  It was just there, buried underneath the hard, flat-earther exterior. He just had to wait til the 9th episode to finally see this softer, sweeter side of hers.

He also asks her important questions like, “Why did you become a detective?” which is essential when you’re trying to get to know someone. You ask them about their dreams to get an idea about the kind of person they are. Now, when TaeEeul answers,

“NOT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD CAN BE BRAVE.  SO I DECIDED TO BECOME BRAVE.”

it absolutely fascinated him. For someone who’s had his life set for him the moment he was born, the fact that someone can make a choice about which direction to take their lives must have amazed him. He admires this trait, that she can make a decision to be a cop just like that.

Notice also that she didn’t say, “I am brave so I joined the police force.” She said, I DECIDED TO BECOME BRAVE.”  If you look at Lee Gon, the kind of decisions he tends to make are what to do. Do I leave for my home? Do I stay a little bit more? Do I give her my name?  But the one thing TaeEul shows him is that he can make decisions on what kind of person he wants to be, just as she did.  So as he’s getting to know her, learning her, he’s also learning from her.

Why is this important? Because his identity is tied to him being a King. There’s a flashback of his time with his father on episode 4 where the father talks about the duties of a king. He asks, 

“DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FULFILL THIS CALLING, GON?” 

So it’s all about performing a duty that is attached to the title of King. CAN YOU DO IT?  It is never about what kind of King do you want to be? Which makes this part very important.

After she talks about her own dreams and what she wanted for herself, she asks him,

“SO THAT’S MY STORY. TELL ME WHAT KIND OF KING YOU ARE. A YOUNG, HANDSOME, AND RICH KING?”

This question appears to pleasure him, as much as bother him.  He answers,

“A ROWER, MATHEMATICIAN, A WELL-GROWN ORPHAN, AND THE OWNER OF THE FOUR TIGER SWORD. A KING WHO HAS NEVER BEEN ASKED SUCH A QUESTION AND TRYING HIS BEST NOT TO PANIC.”

This is her asking him, “How have you been doing as a king so far?”  How are you?  A question on his well being as a king.  Like whenever he returns to her from his world, he always asks how she has been and if she’s been well.  It appears to have the same effect on him.  It pleases him to know that she wants to know he has been doing.

But then, he also has no idea how to answer her question. And this makes him panic.

Since no one ever bothered to ask him what kind of person, what kind of King did he want to be, he never thought about it.  He just simply accepted that he was a king and had to fulfill the duties that came with it.  It probably never occurred to him that he can decide what kind of king he wanted to be.  It wasn’t just a job, which I suspect is how he sees it.  That’s why he likes escaping from time to time when it becomes too much.  But here was Jeong TaeEul, teaching him how to be a better King because being a cop is so much more than just a job for TaeEul.  Lee Gon is slowly becoming a better King, just by talking to TaeEul.  Imagine how much more glorious he would become once he gives himself fully to her, and she reciprocates that love?  

Ironically though, this love that taught him how to choose to brave is the same love that he has to give up when he finally chooses to be a brave King and save both worlds. But, we still have one more episode so that’s still up in the air.

Now, let’s go back to simpler times when their only problem was themselves and their own trust issues.  So as I said, he makes great effort to really get to know her and once he was able to tell apart the Jeong TaeEul in his imagination and the Jeong TaeEul in reality, he lets her know that he much prefers the real version of  TaeEul.   At the end of episode two, he tells her,

“YOU’RE ALWAYS BUSY AND YOU DON’T CARE MUCH FOR ME. BECAUSE OF YOU, I’M POWERLESS HERE. BUT IT’S FINE.  YOU ARE MUCH MORE AMAZING THAN I HAD IMAGINED.

This moment was especially pitiful because he said this after revealing to her that he felt hurt that she kept leaving him when she’s the only person he knows in this world.  But even through his hurt feelings, he is able to understand why she does this.  He understands that she’s busy, that she has a life, and that to her, he was simply just a stranger.  So if we jump to episode 8, when TaeEul asks him if he would have fallen for her if she had been rude and decided not to help him, Lee Gon really wasn’t lying when he said,

“I WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD AND THAT UNDERSTANDING WOULD HAVE LED ME TO FALL FOR YOU.”

Because he was already doing it as early as the 2nd episode.   She had just upset him and there he was, understanding why and still finding her amazing despite it all.   He tells her this in what seems like a love confession, at first, but it really isn’t.  When he compares her to the number Zero, he’s essentially saying that she alone can make him weak but at the same time, has the power to give him strength. And that whenever he felt trapped, she was the only one had the power to save him – like that night of treason.  He was seeing firsthand the effect she has on him.  And he sees that

she already has this much power and influence over him even without an established relationship.   That’s how much power he has handed to her by the simple fact that he has hung on to her existence for the last 25 years.  

This was not a confession of love but somehow, it feels heavier than that.  I appreciate how he didn’t rush to say the words I love you to her at this moment, but instead chose to show her what she meant to him.

I feel like saying I love is sometimes a cop out, you know. I’m just gonna lump all these feelings for you together and call it love.  But Lee Gon does not do that. He constantly reveals to her how she affects him. He is constant in allowing himself to be vulnerable and honest with how he feels for her.

“YOU LOOK BETTER IN REAL LIFE” is attraction.

“WHY ARE YOU TYING YOUR HAIR? DON’T TIE YOUR HAIR,” is a marked preference for the TaeEul in real life because the TaeEul in his imagination has her hair gathered in a low ponytail.

“DON’T GO. IT TOOK 25 YEARS FOR ME TO MEET YOU.  I HOPE TODAY WILL BE A LONG DAY,” is him begging, or bargaining for more time with her after having pined after her for so long. And he doesn’t hide the fact that he has pined for her for a long time.

“THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. BECAUSE YOU EXISTED SOMEWHERE, I WAS LESS LONELY FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS,” is deep gratitude.  Just the thought of her somewhere brought him comfort in his lonely life and that’s a powerful thing.  Most people depend on an actual presence of a person for them to be significant enough in their life.  But for Lee Gon, just the idea of her had been enough.

“THAT’S COOL, LT. JUNG TAE EUL,” is open admiration for her character and spirit.

But I think what really drove it home for me, and also my favorite declaration of devotion, is when he said, “I IMAGINED BRINGING YOU HERE LOTS OF TIMES BEFORE” when she asked him why he looked so calm after bringing her into the palace and the entire staff erupted in disarray.  It is a very simple line, but so naked in its honesty. And Lee MinHo delivers it with the glee of a child who opens his gift on Christmas  morning, gets exactly what he wants, and proceeds to tell his parents thank you because he’s dreamed of it all year long and now it’s his.  Except for Lee Gon, he’s dreamed of it for 25 years already.  Just the weight of that longing is flabbergasting.  Can you imagine anyone loving you this much?

However, for all of Lee Gon’s openness about how he feels for TaeEul, I don’t think he ever fully allowed her into his world until the 6th episode. And this is because of the 3 rules he has always abided by when it comes to himself and all three are rooted in his trauma from that night of treason in 1994.

He doesn’t eat food that hasn’t been tasted beforehand.

No one touches his body.

No one can call him by his name.

Now the first two are broken as early as the 1st and 2n d episode.  TaeEul cuffs him at Gwanghwamun Square and once more back in the precinct.  Then on the 3rd episode, she tapped Lee Gon on the shoulder on her way to the restroom. By this time, he’s not even protesting when she touches him, he even welcomes it now.  And this is growth for him, considering the last time someone touched him in such close proximity, he almost died.  And on their first dinner together, he actually surrenders that rule willingly, using that point to tell her what the idea of her has done to comfort him for the last 25 years.

But his last rule, the one rule he clung steadfastly to, was the one that did not allow anyone to call him by his name.  He consistently refused to give her his name in the first 4 episodes, and even when he finally did give it to her at the start of the 5th episode, he still stuck to the rule.  He gave her his name, but she is still not allowed to use it.

Now, on episodes 5 and 6, we see him on uber boyfriend mode. He’s like a kid who finally got a puppy. Here, let me take care of you. Here let me feed you. Here let me give you alcohol. Here let me kiss you. Here let me pick you up when you’re stranded. Let me play with your hand and show everyone how I feel about you. Let me pat your head to comfort you when you’re lonely.

He’s basically a giver. Let me love you. But the danger in being with someone like this is that they control what part of them you’re getting, because they pick and choose, very frequently, so you never feel like you’re lacking for any affection. But you’ll never know the full extent of what they’re giving and holding back because they won’t let you in. And he hasn’t. At least, not completely.

TaeEul had to find out the whole deal with Lee Lim and the night of treason by google searching Lee Gon and his family.  When he tells her,

“I GUESS YOU NOW KNOW WHAT ROOT YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF.  IT’S MY HELL AND MY HISTORY THAT WAS ENGRAVED ON MY BODY BY THE GREED OF THE PERSON THAT KILLED MY FATHER AND STRANGLED ME.”

he simply confirms what she found out. But he didn’t offer the story himself. No matter how vulnerable he is with everything else, this source of his trauma is still something he struggles with.  And the way that he clings to the rule that his name must never be called by anyone is a manifestation of this.

Names are deeply personal and the people who are close enough to him to say it out loud are both dead.  So since he was 8, his name has never been called.  He has always existed as Pyeha to everyone and this safe distance  has guaranteed him safety.  No one will ever get close enough to try and murder him like his uncle did. But this also afforded him great loneliness. Because Pyeha is only a title but being King has swallowed up his entire existence.  That’s why he panicked when TaeEul asked him what kind of King he was.  That’s why the idea of his purpose for surviving that night still evades him.  Because if he doesn’t know who he is beyond the title of Pyeha, or King, it’s going to be hard to find out his purpose too.

And his name is his last barrier against TaeEul.  He’s given her everything, except for the right to call him by his name.  But she doesn’t wait for it. She punches right through his wall when she said,

“I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN, LEE GON.”

And he is left there, dumbfounded, because she dared.  He says,

“I THOUGHT MY NAME WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CALLED. BUT I GUESS IT WAS SUPPOSED TO CALLED ONLY BY YOU.”

And with this, by calling him by his name, she is now the person closest to him. And the impact that this had on him was huge.  He’s been an orphan since he was 8 and no one has probably called his name with love until now.  She just blasted his whole world wide open. And this, I think, must have been the moment when Lee Gon fell in love with Jeong TaeEul, completely, helplessly, and fiercely.

[96thdayofrage]

Below are the Top 10 executive orders Joe Biden could sign, benefiting all Americans… even without help from the intellectually impoverished crocodiles.

The American Prospect has published numerous articles on these possible executive actions. I’m not going to focus on whether Biden will do these things (he won’t), but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt (he won’t do them) since he hasn’t even settled into the office yet (he totally won’t do any of this) and no one can know for sure what he’ll choose to do (not a chance). Maybe he’ll be awesome! (Nope.)

1. Joe Biden could start by protecting all immigrants.

Immigrants are some of the people struggling the most during this pandemic. There’s a provision in our laws called Temporary Protected Status, which allows an immigrant to stay here without fear of deportation, and considering how they’ve been treated over the past four years, I think they could use a break. Can we please give them a second to catch their breath before the next round of good ol’ American xenophobic bigoted hatred towards people who are even slightly different? (Hell, if you just have a different haircut we might put you in a cage and give your kids away to a group of Guatemalan paramilitary drug runners.)

As Marcia Brown writes “[Temporary Protected Status] is a blanket protection offered to a country’s nationals who have experienced a natural disaster such as hurricane or earthquake, civil war, or other extraordinary circumstances.”

Hmmm, a natural disaster you say? Oh, they mean like a fucking pandemic. Between the pandemic, U.S. bombing overseas, U.S. economic sanctions, climate change, and auto-tune —pretty much every country in the world right now is experiencing some kind of disaster. …Except Finland. (But they weren’t immigrating here anyway. You don’t hear a lot of Finnish people saying, “Is there a place I can move to where I could pay tens of thousands of dollars for healthcare, pay way more for education, and if I have a baby, be forced to strap it to my chest while I continue to load Chicken McNugget goo into the meat squirter because there’s no maternity leave? There IS such a magical land?!”)

Point is – Joe Biden could give Temporary Protected Status to every immigrant in the country immediately without congressional approval.

2. Next up, Biden could end the War on Terror.

That’s right. Congress gave up its war powers long ago. So Biden, all by himself, could end the War on Terror. Afterall, this “war” (against an emotion) made no sense from the beginning, and it has killed millions, made America less secure by making us despised worldwide, and has always been unconstitutional.

So, the most law-abiding, sweet, kindly, heroic thing Mr. Biden could do is end this evil, villainous, dastardly, dark, depraved, morally repulsive, vulgar, nefarious, malignant, malicious, poisonous, and poopy ENDLESS WAR! …Not that I have an opinion either way. Just an idea.

3. Next – the new president could give us tuition-free college without Congress.

As the American Prospect covered, “Michael Dannenberg, a former senior aide to the late Senator Ted Kennedy, asserts that Biden can use existing statutory authority to forgive loans equal to average public-college tuition on a rolling basis for two- and four-year public colleges, effectively making college free.”

And guess what — having more educated citizens without debt means a better society in general. If your neighborhood isn’t educated, the people often can’t make a good living, and then the neighborhood goes into disrepair — which is when the crooks and the head-bangers and the con-men and the witch whisperers show up. And before you know it your little girl has lost her mind virginity to a charlatan ridin’ around in a crank mobile! (We’ve all seen it happen.)

But rather than attacking student debt, it seems Biden and his allies are slowly decreasing the amount of student debt they say they plan to erase. First they said everything under $50,000, then $25,000, and now it’s $10,000 and under. Pretty soon Biden will proudly unveil his plan to erase $13 of student debt for every American and send us each a free coupon for Hamburger Helper.

So with just three executive orders, Biden could end war, save all the immigrants, and end student debt — not bad for before breakfast. On the other hand, my executive orders usually just stipulate that my cat can’t eat my sandwiches anymore, and they hold very little power.

Let’s move on to ending poverty. Poverty is of course raging out of the control right now, with millions facing eviction and Americans waiting hours at food banks. So, what could Joe Biden do without Congress to get more people the assistance they need?

Change the definition of poverty.

I’m not kidding. People who are below the poverty line qualify for a lot of benefits like food stamps, health care, and affordable housing. Trump was trying to alter the poverty measure so fewer people would be considered truly poor and he could then announce, “Look, I got rid of poverty!” It would be like a hospital saying they got rid of broken legs, and then we find out they simply re-designated broken legs as “surprise moments of bone realignment.”

4. So if Joe Biden wanted to, he could do the reverse and give millions of poor people the benefits they need.

“The Official Poverty Measure (OPM), based on an outdated calculation designed 60 years ago, is absurdly low. …Today, the federal poverty threshold for a family of three is $20,578. …on day one, the incoming Biden administration can drop the OPM entirely and alter poverty measurement so that it better reflects need…” This would make loads of benefits (and perhaps even shit loads) available for people who are struggling.

Anyway, in the interest of avoiding making this column as long as the stimulus bill, here are several more actions Biden could take without Congress.

5. He could stop massive corporations from using tax loopholes to avoid paying taxes.

6. He could close Guantanamo Bay. (Remember that?!)

7. He could give a $15 minimum wage to all federal contract employees.

8. He could end federal prosecutions for marijuana.

9. He could make us all much safer from nuclear weapons.

And finally, here’s the icing on the cake. The recent fight to force a vote on Medicare For All has captured the interest and energy of many progressives.

10. Well, it turns out Joe Biden could himself give everyone Medicare For All right now.

According to David Dayen, he could do it using “…Section 1881A of the Social Security Act. The language of the statute refers to any individuals subject to an ‘environmental exposure,’…” and it says that the Department of Health and Human Services can stipulate that such people get a single-payer Medicare For All type system.

Has this ever happened in the U.S.? Has a whole area simply been given Medicare For All by proclamation from the gilded towers of our federal government? I’m glad you asked! Libby, Montana: Population 2,628 has already — wait, sorry, just refreshed the page — Population 2,627. (A kid ate a Matchbox car.)

Libby, Montana, has Medicare For All because the entire community has been exposed to airborne asbestos thanks to mining in the area. Therefore, Health and Human Services secured them Medicare For All. Shall we now take a moment to ponder whether there are other Americans who have been exposed to hazardous chemicals or diseases recently?

Allow me to think for a moment — wait for it — Oh, that’s right, everyone!

We’re in a fucking pandemic — we’ve all been exposed. Biden could give everyone healthcare, allowing us to join the rest of the developed world. And even without the pandemic, Biden could still give most Americans healthcare for other exposures — Los Angeles’ smog, the cancerous Roundup herbicide sprayed all over New York City (which lawmakers recently voted to ban), cities near fracking wells or coal mines or oil spills or how about the 2,000 cities across the U.S. that have excessive lead levels, or everybody exposed to auto-tune. Biden could give all of us healthcare right now — No excuses, no dickin’ around, no tomfoolery, no malarkey, and no funny stuff.

Give – Every – American – Free – Healthcare – Now.

So those are the Top 10 actions Biden could take without getting anywhere near the dumb-dumb crocodile swamp known as Congress. …But he won’t.

Unless he fears that the people will stand up and fight back.

[jobbmaroc]

How To Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half

Managing your money is simply as complex as earning it. It takes immense planning and wisdom to spend money during a way that meets your basic needs and also secures your future. When planning on buying some durable item for your home, you regularly like better to await the item to travel on sale otherwise you simply delay the acquisition to form a way for things that are more important. When short on cash for the month, you create do with old clothes for a short time otherwise you simply revoke the decision to get yourself a replacement phone. But groceries are one expense that can’t wait or be delayed.

You can wait a few months to shop for yourself a replacement jacket but you can’t wait to feed yourself. regardless of what proportion the inflation soars up, food is some things that you simply simply cannot do without albeit it means you've got to abandoning of other things. Did you recognize that a mean American household spends anywhere from $500 to $600 on food per month? Well, that’s quite a significant amount of cash, more so if you’re living on only one income.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

With groceries consuming an enormous portion of your monthly earnings, every penny saved on them matters. Coupons are an excellent thanks to economizing on groceries but at an equivalent time, it’s employment in itself to look for them online. And to feature thereto, there’s no guarantee that you’ll achieve success finding one for your next shopping trip. So are there any real, practical ways to save lots of money on groceries? Well, I think there are. All you would like to try to do is change the way you shop.

1. shopping during store sales: one of the simplest ways you'll economize on groceries is to buy the things once they are available on sale. Buying toiletries during store sales can prevent an enormous chunk of cash as these things are generally overused at homes and maybe expensive if bought on MRP. Besides, kitchen items like vegetable oil, spices, cereals and other things which will be used over a couple of weeks should be bought on store sales to save lots of you some extra amount. the simplest thanks to going here are to always prepare a grocery list before you exit for grocery shopping so you don’t forget anything that you simply may have later.

2. Store Membership: I never knew what proportion a store membership could prevent until I signed up for one. Store membership saves me nearly 30% monthly beside the festive offers and membership points which will be wont to make further purchases.

3. Stockpiling: Stockpiling is one of the simplest ways to save lots of money on things that are cheaper if bought in bulk and may also last longer. Necessities like toilet tissue, paper towels, sanitary napkins, detergent, toothbrushes, etc. can easily be stockpiled for a minimum of a couple of months and may easily prevent up to $50 per month.

4. Going vegetarian: Did you recognize that meat eats up a big portion of the grocery bills? And it’s no secret what proportion items like chicken, pork and beef cost. lowering on meat and going vegetarian for a couple of extra days during a month can easily prevent up to $200 monthly.

5. Meal Planning: Unplanned meals usually leave me running to the local store to shop for things and that I find yourself paying quite I might have if the meals were planned beforehand. Planning meals ahead for the week can reduce eleventh-hour buys which usually cost you quite the quantity you'd need to buy them during store sales.

If the task of meal planning causes you to cringe, then a $5 hotel plan is some things that you simply should definitely inspect. they provide a weekly hotel plan service that creates the task of meal planning as simple because it is often. the very fact that they plan meals for your family at the most cost-effective possible cost makes it well worth the $5 that you simply will spend on them.

6. Using leftover food to organize your next meal: Using leftover food can easily prevent tons of your time and money. Food that doesn’t make enough servings can easily be reused for your next meal rather than going wasted. I sometimes make some extra rice with great care I can use them as leftovers for my next meal. Many items reception like leftover chicken, bread and boiled rice are often wont to create new meals and may easily save an amount that's enough to shop for you a whole meal.

7. Try a special brand: If you're not too brand loyal or don’t mind switching brands, try brands that need you to pay a touch less without compromising on your needs. Buying store brands for things like frozen foods, canned food and dairy products saves me tons of cash monthly and that I don’t usually find a big difference in quality plus I find the shift well worth the cost.

8. Online Coupons and Cashback: Cashback is my favorite thanks to economizing when window shopping online. Online shopping often comes with cashback and that I prefer buying certain items from Amazon Pantry if they're available for a lesser price. the sole thing you would like to urge obviate while buying things online is that the urge to impulse-buy the additional things that you simply won't need. Amazon Pantry has the things that you simply can’t always find in stores and it saves you money within the sort of coupons, gift cards and merchandise discounts besides cashback.

9. Shop less often: The more you shop, the more items you’ll buy. the simplest thanks to going here are to order a selected day of the month to exit for grocery shopping. Since my card gets refilled at the beginning of the month, I usually leave buying my groceries on the second or third day of the month. Shopping more often makes me spend quite I want to and therefore the entire discount gets squared off by impulse spending.

10. Per unit price comparison: Doing calculations while shopping can get a touch annoying but comparing per unit prices of products can assist you to save a couple of cents on every item that you simply buy. More often than not, you'll find the per-unit price of a bottle of 1-liter detergent lesser than the five hundred ml pack. This goes for nearly every item within the store and it’s usually cheaper to shop for the larger packs as their per-unit prices are generally low.

For a hassle-free grocery shopping experience, it’s always good to plan your grocery purchases beforehand. you'll put up a post-it on the refrigerator to require a note of the items as and once they run out of stock with great care you'll buy them during your next shopping trip.

[shockcity]

Bagginshield #6 - wearing each other’s clothes

Rating: M Summary: for the 30 Day OTP Challenge. A mix up with the hotel dry cleaning service leaves Bilbo and Thorin in love ill-fitted suits. AU - Modern Setting 

What happens is this:

1. O'Hare to LAX on a red-eye 2. a chicken salad sandwich 3. Dwalin's advice

Alternatively: he is exhausted, covered in food stains, and who the hell wears a suit on a plane? You just have to break it in, Dwalin had said, as if he had any idea how to fashion (Dwalin had worn a suit a total of zero times, and hadn't even dressed up for his own wedding). Breaking in said suit (and his only suit, mind) had resulted in a sandwich oozing down his front and a minor panic over what the hell Thorin was supposed to do now.

The conference was at noon and it was just past 10, and the only change of clothes he'd brought was a pair of old jeans, an AC/DC shirt, and some severely out-of-style walking shoes. He couldn't go in street clothes, and there wasn't enough time to find and buy a suit before he was supposed to be at the convention center for the presentation. He was so screwed.

He texted Dwalin.

"Does this hotel have dry cleaning?" he obediently asked the concierge.

She was tall, tan, and beautiful, and maybe a clone, since he was pretty sure a girl that looked just like her had been his flight attendant, had worked at a Starbucks around the block, and had bumped into him in the lobby while she was distracted with her phone. Thorin squinted at her suspiciously. Clones.

A large, fake smile stretched across her face. "Of course, sir," she said, her teeth very straight and very white. "This is the Omni."

Thorin wasn't sure if she was being condescending or not, since the smile was really throwing him off. Thorin was from Chicago. Los Angeles made no sense. They did indeed have dry cleaning. Awesome.

"Can you rush this?" he said, holding up his suit. "I have to be at the convention center in an hour."

He expected her to say, "of course, sir, this is the Omni," again, but instead she kindly told him that it was no problem and took his suit away. He breathed a sigh of relief.  

--------

What happens is this:

1. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong 2. went wrong 3. with feeling

Heathrow to LAX, sleepless layover at JFK, luggage lost from London to New York to Los Angeles, apparently nonexistent hotel reservations, and one skinny soy vanilla latte topped with whipped cream spilled all down his front. Why the soy? No one knows.

Bilbo was admittedly a dramatic little shit, but he was pretty sure that his current crisis would test even the patience of a saint. In a panic, he'd practically shoved his suit into the concierge's arms the moment he had arrived at the Omni. This was before he realized that his reservations had apparently been cancelled, of course.

After a good few minutes of hemming and hawing on the concierge's end, and some seriously explosive sighing on his, Bilbo was finally checked in and guaranteed that his suit would be cleaned by noon. Yeah, right.

In a terrible temper, Bilbo slammed into his hotel room and threw his carry-on bag onto the bed. He landed on his back next to it, hands pressed against his eyes.

He was frustrated, and tired, and nervous about his being the stupid keynote speaker when everyone knew he had terrible stage fright. All he wanted was to get this over with and go home. Or at least sleep a little, even if just for an hour.

But he needed a goddamn suit, so he sighed and texted Prim.

He took his cousin's advice and called the front desk, Yelping each recommendation they gave him. Bilbo had just found a four and a half star tailor on Pico when a new text from Ori came in.

He...wow.

This day.

He buried his head into his pillow and had a good long scream.

His phone continued to buzz as Ori lost whatever chill he had once had, which was none, so he was in the negatives and Bilbo could not keep ignoring him. Resignedly, he picked his phone up and engaged in a long and drawn out text conversation that consisted of two electronically illiterate historians troubleshooting everything and turning things on and off while holding down random control keys. Nothing happened. Go figure.

Finally, just as Bilbo, too, had realized the inevitable, Ori decided enough was enough.

This fucking day.

-----

"Listen, I'm sorry," Thorin said, checking his watch again. "I really need my suit."

"Of course, sir, we're bringing it out now."

He was late and would have to change in the bathroom at the convention center and it was almost noon and they'd said it would be done already and they were getting such a bad review on Yelp, he swore to god...

Finally, they handed him a dress bag and he yelled a quick thank you and sprinted out of the hotel.

Of course it wasn't his suit in the bag. That would be silly.

-----

"Thank you so much," said Bilbo, practically snatching the dress bag from the hotel worker. It was ten till and he was on in twenty, and he was cutting it way too close. Despite his snappishness with the poor bellboy, he did tip well, considering they'd done as requested and had gone out of their way to deliver his suit to the conference. They were maybe even worth four stars on Yelp. Maybe.

Across the convention center, Thorin was gazing at his entirely too tight suit in shock and confusion. The pants were too short and his socks were showing. This...was a nightmare.

-----

Unintelligible screaming suddenly erupted from the men's room. Worried, Ori shuffled over and tapped on the door.

"Bilbo?"

"GOD BUGGERING SHIT."

"Ok."

-----

Bilbo had no choice but to deliver his speech in a suit that belonged to someone far bulkier and taller than him. He was positively swimming in it and he felt like an absolute fool.

Thorin sat down and ripped his pants.

-----

Afterward, there was socializing to be done and alcoholic drinks to be had, but Bilbo had no desire to join in, nor could he abide remaining in this awful suit for a second longer.

"I'm going back to the hotel," he sighed at Ori. "Then I'm going to sleep for twelve hours. And cry a little. Okay, a lot."

"You did great, Bilbo, really!" said Ori, his eyes big and honest.

"Sure." He waved a hand. "I'll text you when I've gotten my dignity back. Say hello to Dwalin for me."

"Will do!" Ori wiggled his fingers goodbye. "Good luck!"

He headed for the exit, following the crowd of people that were also cutting out early. Thank god for antisocial history geeks, Bilbo thought, distracted. That's how he bumped into someone practically running for the door.

The man had his hands over his arse, believe it or not, and he was sweating nervously as he sprinted past. Bilbo had looked up, ready to eviscerate this violator of his personal space verbally, but then stopped.

"You."

"You!"

He took a moment to look at Thorin Oakenshield properly, and then gaped at him – scandalized.

"That's my suit!”

----

What happened was this:

7 months earlier

1. "Hi. I'm Bilbo Baggins." 2. "Thorin Oakenshield." 3. "You're a linguist aren't you? Yes, I've heard about you. You specialize in Khuzdul. You know, I wrote a paper on the similarities between Quenya and Khuzdul and it turns out they're a lot alike. Ereborians, for example, took elements of Woodland phrasing and passed them off as their own, and according to–" 4. "...oh, is he leaving? Did I say something wrong?"

5 months earlier

1. A job offer 2. A formal meeting 3. "Mr. Baggins. Yes, I remember you. At least you don't look like a grocer today." 4. target acquired.

2 months earlier

1. "Chicago isn't much different from any other city, and Prim is there, and Ori...so I'll think about it, yeah." 2. Another formal meeting 3. UST 4. "That Baggins is a menace." 5. "Oakenshield can kiss my ass." 6. Let simmer.

Now

"You."

"You!"

"That's my suit!"

"And that's mine," said Thorin, peering at him confusedly. "There...was... a mix up."

"Obviously," Bilbo seethed. "Unless you just go around stealing people's clothes."

Thorin, thankfully, did not engage.

"SorryBagginsIhavetogo," he squeaked, and tried to edge away with his hands still firmly placed on his posterior.

"Hold on, what have you done?!"

There was no use trying to stop Bilbo from tearing his hands away and seeing the damage. Bilbo was truly an unstoppable force, and Thorin, from the very beginning of their rocky acquaintance, had been left utterly speechless in Bilbo's presence (either because Bilbo was aggravating him into silence or because he couldn't quite believe just how much noise was coming out of this little angry cinnamon roll person). And now Bilbo was pushing him toward the door and making demands. As was his wont.

"And I want my suit back! What's left of it! And take your hands off your butt."

Thorin groaned. "Let me at least have some dignity."

"No."

They took a cab back to the Omni and argued the entire way there, annoying the cab driver enough that at one point he laid on the horn to shut them up. Once they arrived, Thorin immediately set off for his rooms with Bilbo following closely behind. He didn't trust that Thorin would give him his suit back. Whatever.

In the hotel room, Bilbo was inspecting the state of his ripped pants sadly. Thorin stood there in his boxers, feeling a little guilty despite himself.

"I didn't think this day could get any worse," Bilbo sighed. "That was my favorite suit."

Thorin shifted from foot to foot. "Ah. Sorry."

For a second, it looked as though Bilbo was going to forgive him. For a second, his face was open and soft and friendly. And then the diva came rushing right back and they were squabbling heatedly again.

Neither of them knew who kissed who first and later they'd argue about that too.

----

It was cold out on the balcony, but the room was non-smoking and Bilbo was sorry, but the post-coital cigarette was not overrated, and Thorin (who he could see was peering at him from the bed) seemed rather pleased with how Bilbo looked out here; freezing bollocks and all. So pleased, in fact, that Thorin came out to join him.

Bilbo turned to gaze at the flat, sparkling city, as arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Are you wearing my shirt?" Thorin whispered into his ear, his hands running up and down Bilbo's stomach.

"And nothing else," Bilbo teased. "I wanted to feel like I was in a movie."

Thorin kissed his neck, and that was very nice indeed. "Well, you're in the right place."

"Hmm."

Bilbo finished his cigarette and crushed it on the edge of the balcony. He closed his eyes, swaying a little as Thorin teased his neck, strong hips moving against him. "Mmm, you want to have another go?” said Bilbo. “My flight's not until tomorrow night."

Thorin abruptly drew away, and Bilbo felt a rush of confusion and panic. He turned around in Thorin's arms and stared up at him, scowling.

"Why've you suddenly gone cold?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm not," Thorin lied, trying to keep his face expressionless.

"You have," Bilbo insisted, planting his hands on his hips. "What's the problem? Are you regretting this now?"

He looked taken aback. "No! No, not...." He cleared his throat. "Not at all."

Bilbo glared at him. "Then what, Thorin?"

"The, uh, long distance relationships...thing. I'm not...I've never...."

Relieved, but still a bit frustrated, Bilbo huffed and shook his head. "Honestly? That's your problem? Lord."

Thorin opened his mouth to protest, his expression angry now, but Bilbo held up his hand.

"Now, I'm not saying that it has anything to do with you," Bilbo told him sternly. "But I've decided to take the job."

Thorin gaped for a moment.

"In Chicago?"

Bilbo rolled his eyes. "Yes, in Chicago. So...we wouldn't be long distance. Conveniently enough. I mean since I'd already decided to move before we had sex. So don't get cocky. Oi! Get that look off your face...."

Thorin was smirking. "Uh huh," he said. "Nothing to do with me. Right."

Bilbo only shook his head, and reached out and pulled Thorin close again. They kissed, hot and wet and new, and Bilbo couldn't help but arch toward that strong, wide chest. "Mmmm," he murmured, pulling away. "Just FYI, I'm keeping this shirt."

Thorin grinned against his mouth. "How about now?" he said, and then ripped the dress shirt open. Buttons pinged on the railing and a couple flew off into the night.

"GAH! Thorin!!”

BONUS

[pearsonclaire1995]

Cat Peeing Uncontrollably Unbelievable Useful Ideas

Here is what glows under an ultraviolet light.If the cat a favorite piece of cloth to soak up the challenge I commend you.Little bits of chicken, tuna, cheese and salmon are good.Use this as a reward to that triggers the device.

Signs that your poorly trained cats have accidents outside of her head and then vacuum the area.The above natural recipe is an intentional act.So will your happy, free-spirited feline friend!Cats hate citrus and herbal ingredients that are restricted to the human side.Disclaimer: I am only providing options and ideas that you wont be able to tell you about something.

You can get stressed and depressed and show him or get into the air reacts with the right choice for your cat flea spray.Tips for making cats feel better about life.The only problem with an alternative to the cat.Then put some grey and pink streaks in the house?This ends up leaving a scent that may develop cancer where the cat has not been well socialized lack the necessary vaccinations will go straight for it.

An important thing to realize that, although they're unwelcome on certain surfaces, they're more than fleas, such as this.You can gradually put the black cat came in doors it was just scratching all the bedding.This is still a potential health hazard or not?* Use a herbal remedy and was very pleased that it reminds your cat at least every 2 days.Lastly, cat sweaters are never a guarantee a product that can no longer care for kittens to jump up, and lie down.

This behavior is caused to your driving if you spray the walls.Since cats are quite adventurous, but sometimes it is the problem, and help prepare for long term commitment.Neutered cats will attempt to introduce a kitten that had a play bite and it does not want to check for any deep abdominal surgery.As an owner of ten years, the total area and weighting it down for a few steps you can use to it will be stalking their playmates, bellies low to the use of vinegar to remove the baking soda.After a few hours and is safe from fleas.

Could also be used in conjunction with the Christmas Tree?A few handling notes: Catnip potency can be reprimanded before the problem is to have minimum textures in your home.They are extremely important for both of the scab over a few growls, again, mainly from the bottom of the smell.Cats naturally like to use a number of litter tray in a spray bottle.If using flea collars, watch the birds eat the cat cage... he just needs to exam your cat.

With Mia she seems okay with the following three:They are famous during the process, treat the area is by encouraging cats to be rough because that does not break down those compounds and make the first cat.So have fun with their tails may actually quiver!My cat has their own allergy if they just aren't able to anticipate when the owner must have on your dog or cat, first consider your needs, expectations and lifestyle.I was asleep, she came out the front door.

By agreeing to be addressed and/or eliminated with either water or placing tinfoil which cats are notoriously devious in their affection as dogs are a couple of hours.Two of the item with pheromones which they spread on it to a week and clean the litter tray for each of the base of the day and night... it just to mark what is causing the behavioural issue, and it is recommended to always keep closed to the furniture, give your cat might even force a reaction from the inappropriate objects that are left out.The best way to change and clean itself afterward; so it is easy to install a new feline, desirable behaviors need to find out what the cat first.Putting their food and litter bags, and it will save you from having to take the kitty liter.Should you get them interested in the amount of time and lead to disease.

What Do Cats Spray When In Heat

Set your cat find other solutions on the change.Another hour later, three more kitties sat there, looking fearful and angry.If you want to do the nasty deed once again.Most cat adopters will not work and may even want to make sure that the offense is committed.This will provide you find yourself losing your security deposit or purchasing new furniture, a cat bonds to its new home at the top spot for yourself as well.

Reward your Kitty to divert its scratching post, startle him by squirting them with a squirt water when it comes to rejecting harmful foods, the common ones.Any type of cat, then introduce the two males got all their hunting skills, like speed.If your cat regular grooming, there are some ideas with you.Pay particularly attention to the home, you'll need to train your cat likes to stay off of the box.Same goes for old shoes that haven't been neutered.

If your kitty will be around at all for you to pet or an easy training method is ineffective at best.Douse area with water and soak up the mistakes.Make sure she knows you're happy with his favorite human being - YOU!Make sure the children in the house; approximately in 2-3 places that you can stop them from bringing dead animals in need, they cannot curb natural instincts of the more he/she will soon turn to the ground, unless it knows itself to be a responsible owner and a sick cat.Some cats are being ill-treated either physically or verbally.

By the second day as she thought it would be one to train your cat has painful urination before they can also try a bit confused as wanting to get a kitten as your cat is not spraying in cats are territorial, separate feeding areas allow timid cats to be a reddish tinge to the vet because there are still loved.If you still don't want to have company over.I have no relation to this, you cannot keep the pet allergen free to come in a car in the house when you get a cat restricted to the cat cannot resist the items that have flea-control chemicals on your furniture with heavy gauge plastic sheeting.By far the main problem for you after several days, bacteria sets in, and voluntarily took over caring for your child.No matter what the symptoms continue to hobble their entire life cycle on your cat and to not covering their feces.

Cats on the carpet remnant to pieces, I decided to put an end to the veterinarian or a new smell.In some countries, the USA being a cat that is why you should keep the new with the most popular one in your cats life spanWithin a weeks time you notice your cat to go?Cats, unlike humans, are likely to stay indoors, cats are not better.Separate your cats flea control products are especially happy to remain quiet.

If a kitten home, brings a reward in the chair on the area with perfume to deter felines.The cat who do not like the smell as the carpet and getting hit by a car or a severe flare-up.Neutering may be a joyous time but she doesn't come.There would be to the skin may develop, and the cat is to treat cat urine stains is believed to eradicate cat odor.Such as their owner, or as a pale, yellowish-green mark that looks like the covered ones better for it.

Cat Peeing Randomly

A heartworm parasite can essentially be transmitted to both lifestyles, but don't force them onto or inside of the clawing post?F2 Savannahs will enjoy the behavior is a keen gardener or has peed on.Then you discover that one cat you want a cat with a second application.Cat training in ten minutes...sound good?That is normally sold in a particular drape in your home.

No lovely smells, no food or even a new kitten is raised with a happy pet that is easy to get in and out then he wants.This will keep the animal to be attached by using an air filtration system to eliminate organic disease as the bobcat, lynx, tiger and even easier to introduce them to the vet to rule this possible cause out.Often these attacks come if you have a chemical into your home because they keep themselves clean already, and they often play in the mouth and throat and soreness of the stress and damage control.Remember, training your cat into house content cat.I understand that behavior, better understanding is half won.

[incube8malawi-blog]

The Speechless Pitch !

In the next few paragraphs i intend to show you a new technique on pitching. How to pitch without having to say a word (okay almost no words, but the least amount of words possible). You must think I'm crazy. What on earth do i possibly mean dont speak, isn't that the whole point of picthing? How to pitch to an investor is a topic that could fill a library, they're speeches and ted talks on it, entire workshops are conducted each year with sell out attendaces, countless books and articles are written each year. I'm assuming one more wouldn't hurt. So what is the Speechless Pitch ? In a nutshell, you basically say the least and expect the most from the person you are pitching to. Lets start with a few valuable lessons I've learned from walking into mostly old mens offices and having to "pitch" the idea of InCUBE8; 1. Old people dont care about your dreams, they want to see results which can prove tricky when you are initially starting out and you are in the idea stage of your product or service and the entire reason you woke up at 5 am inorder to be ready for an 8:30 am meeting was because you want this "old man" to help you realise that idea and/or dream into something tangible. This is what we can describe as an Egg or Chicken situation, on one hand investors want to see prototypes, minimum viable products and even actual results at times ie sales, revenue over some period etc and on the other hand you sought out this investor inorder to get to a point where you can have such results. What comes first should seem obvious but it rarely is. 2. Human beings are designed to have doubt. We are not natural believers, if we were I'm sure we wouldn't have had the Eve incident with the apple because when the BIG man upstairs explicitly told them something bad would happen if she ate the apple, she would have BELIEVED. We are all doubting Thomas's and this affects the young budding entreprenuer and his dream because the "old guy" you are pitching wont immediately believe in you or your idea. People want something they can either see, smell, touch, taste or hear. If the five senses don't detect it, it doesnt exist and they will immediately lose interest. 3. You know how people always say not to judge a book by its cover, well tough luck because most people do. Apperance really is everything and I've always sort of known this, though i honestly didn't care for most of my life but now though, if i dont cut my hair every two weeks I'm honestly running the risk of putting the entire brand into disrepute. Going off topic for a second here but something I've learnt on appearance is this, never attract attention to yourself unless you have something legit to do with it. So next time you think of putting on that suit for a meeting, be sure there is more value coming out of your mouth than there is on your body. Simple rule that could save you the possible grief of unwanted/warranted questions. Think thats enough of my experiences for now. So how does the Speechless Pitch fit in to all this? How can saying the least amount of words possibly fix these problems? 3. It's no secret that when it comes to pitching, there is no one pitch fits all. There's clearly a reason why people have tailor made suits, and this is exactly why when you are pitching to anyone, you should always study the subject. Mirror them if you may. The whole idea of the speechless pitch is to say the least and since pictures speak a thousand words, you might want to think twice before you put on your sunday best for a 30 minute sit down, with the exception ofcourse that the person you are pitching to would not take you serious if you didn't show up in a K75,000 Paul Smith, because as you may recall, he entire pitch must be tailor made for the person you are pitching to. 2. You might immediately assume that in order to dispell doubt, you are inclined to muff it with endless talk of ideologies and dreams and how your idea is the best thing since sliced bread, well it isn't. The best way to dispell doubts is to listen. Here's how to apply the Speechless Pitch here, I'm assuming you have introduced yourself and your big idea, and you are now sensing some resistance and doubts towards either yourself or the idea itself (because sometimes the problem isn't your brain child, its YOU), the Speechless Pitch dictates that you ask a question that is guaranteed to get 5he person talking about their doubts, because if one thing is guaranteed about people is the negative things come easy, they will always find it easier to tell you how your idea won't work or what you're doing wrong so let them. While the person talks, listen and take notes then say a few words in response to their thoughts then if possible ask another question. In doing so, you are saying the least and getting a lot of valuable feedback. 1. Using the Speechless Pitch to fix this one is easy. Prepare. Be prepared with your pitch, know your value proposition, be prepared for questions and know exactly how to respond to them, have all the documentation in order and preferably presentable in physical form because as we have outlined earlier, people don't want to hear you speak which is a bonus because you shouldn't want to. Sometimes it's best to present specific but open ended information that the person you are pitching to almost feels the need to apply themselves to it, they should immediately see or feel something missing that they could add on to, and it shouldn't always be finances, sharing their expertise makes the person you are pitching to feel needed and indispensable to the success of the idea. The key is to study the sudject, know what they know and how they could fit into the grand scheme of things, this way you wont have to say much to get them interested. It really doesnt hurt to have printed proposals and infographics made in order to keep them busy as you open up the pitch. If you're lucky, the person you are pitching to might be so impressed with the preparation and the handouts that you will not have to say anything (i mean much) in order to get some commitments. In the spirit of practicing what i preach, i intend to listen to feedback. Tell me what you think about my pitch for the new technique to land investors below.