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yeonchi · 6 months ago

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Sea Princesses on Discovery Kids: How the Context Was Cut

In 2017, when it became clear that the English dub of Sea Princesses had become lost media, the Spanish Disney Channel raws of El Reino de Acuatica was the only version that was made available in full (even if a few episodes from the first season ended up being copyright blocked on YouTube). I had hoped to seek out the Brazilian Portuguese dub of the series in the belief that it was the original version, but as I would later learn, that would not be the case as there were scenes cut from that dub and by extension, the Latin American Spanish dub (not to mention the 4:3 presentation instead of 16:9), meaning that the English dub was the original version per se.

While working on the Sea Princesses Iceberg post in 2021, I mused on how I wanted to compare the English and Brazilian Portuguese dubs of the series to see what was cut, then gave up in the middle of the first episode when the cuts got ridiculous. Back then, I was collecting those cuts in a Word document, but now with my new gaming PC, I had the capability to actually edit videos without worrying about anything crashing or shutting down, so I decided to revive this project in June 2023 with the intention of eventually documenting everything on the Sea Princesses Wiki.

It took five months to determine the cut scenes in the episodes and write up a list of cuts for the first season, then I took a break for a few months and came back to it last month, finishing off my documentation in just over a week. Using the free and open-source video editor Shotcut, I lined up both versions of each episode, then cut and rearranged the episodes as best as I could based on the English episodes, allowing me to determine what scenes were cut from the Discovery Kids versions.

The English dub raws are 23.5 minutes long and the Brazilian Portuguese raws are on average 21 minutes long. Now, in a series that can easily fit in a half-hour timeslot, cutting parts of the series the way they did was stupid because many of the cut scenes had context that was essential to the episode, not that kids in 2008 South America would have cared anyway. As I said in the iceberg post, the scenes weren't cut for censorship reasons, but likely to accommodate ad breaks.

Take a look at the below recording of Sea Princesses (Polvina the Teacher/The Pirates) uploaded by Paulo Vignolo, father to Fernanda (Tubarina) and Eduardo (Caramelo). It's the only full episode to have survived the copyright takedowns and not merely be recorded off a screen.

youtube

The entire program does take up a half-hour block (as it goes to the next program, Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps around the 30-minute mark), but there are two ad breaks from 8:41 to 12:22 and 17:41-22:16. With the breaks being 3:41 and 4:35 in length, that adds up to a total of 8:16. I don't know how it is nowadays, but back when I used my DVD recorder (nearly a decade ago at this point), you could skip an ad break by skipping the recording ahead by 3 minutes. That means that you would get 6 minutes of ads in the same half-hour block, meaning that Discovery Kids cut 2 minutes out of the original episode to put in more ads. Comparing the length of both versions, the story does check out.

And the worst part is that the cut scenes carry over to Amazon Prime as well. Given the nature of the cuts I've seen, it's safe to presume that they were cut from the episodes before they were dubbed.

Despite this, however, I will note some good things about the cuts. The second season appears to do better as there are more episodes that don't cut scenes with important context, though they still commit this sin in numerous episodes. There are some episodes where the only cuts are fade outs to ad breaks, making them the most intact episodes.

The 4:3 presentation of the series in Latin America came about because the digital/HD TV rollout didn't begin until 2007-2009; additionally, Discovery Kids didn't broadcast in HD until 2013. One way they cut scenes was that the characters would only be shown within the cropped frame. For example, say it takes 5 seconds for something to move from one side of a 16:9 picture to another. When cropping that picture to 4:3, you could cut, let's say, 2 seconds from that scene. And when you have to cut out transitions and filler content that may or may not provide context to the episode, seconds matter and they can quickly add up.

That being said, let's take a look at the most cut and intact episodes of the Brazilian Portuguese dub. I'm going off the lengths of the files in my computer (and therefore the cloud drive folder), so there may still be inaccuracies.

Episode awards

Let's give it up for the most cut episodes, also known as the shortest episodes per season!

Season 1:

S1E28 Shooting Star (8:46)

S1E04 The Golden Penguins (9:28)

S1E32 The Hammerheads (9:36)

S1E08 The Toy (9:44)

S1E29 The Trick (9:45)

Season 2:

S2E43 The Sweet Talker (9:47)

S2E51 Beauty (9:59)

S2E35 The Surprise Party (10:02)

S2E39 The Ungrateful Fish (10:03)

S2E47 The Crack of Doom (10:04)

The Battle of the Bands (S2E06) and The Forbidden Reef (S2E17) shared fifth place with The Crack of Doom, so for those episodes I had to consider how much important context was cut and how severe an effect it would have had on the episode, hence my decision.

And finally, let's move onto the most intact episodes per season, also known as episodes that are close to the English dub duration of 11:45 minutes!

Season 1:

S1E52 Ester’s Fear (11:24)

S1E07 The Diary (11:24)

S1E15 Art (11:07)

S1E30 The Big Game (11:05)

S1E31 One Too Many (11:03)

Ester's Fear and The Diary were originally both in first place with The Boy (S1E03) coming in second at 11:12, however as that episode has a scene with important context cut from it, that episode has been disqualified. The same goes for A Weighty Problem (S1E44) even though it drew fourth with The Big Game.

Season 2:

S2E18 The Accident (11:57 > 11:41)/S2E48 The Healer (11:41)

S2E36 Grow Up (11:40)

S2E40 The Too-Playful Shark (11:39)

S2E05 Rumours (11:37)

S2E44 The Sea Quake (11:36)

The video file for The Accident was actually 11:57 long, but after pinpointing the end of the credits, it ended up sharing first place with The Healer as both episodes had no important context cut.

Anyway, this was a brief overview of the deleted scenes in Sea Princesses. Details of the deleted scenes will be in the pages for each episode on the wiki.

#sea princesses #princesas do mar #princesas del mar #el reino de acuatica

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itgetsdarksometimes35 · 4 years ago

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Day 3: Chris Beck- Daddy and Creampie

Warnings: Dub con, non con, forced pregnancy, breeding kink

Tags: @saiyanprincessswanie @mcudarklibrary @coconutqueen21 @jtargaryen18 @what-just-happened-bro @nsfwsebbie @bucksgoat @gigistorm @avengerimscreaming @venusavengers @saharzek @navybrat817 @xoxabs88xox

XXX

You and Chris worked together well. You and him had been co-workers for years for the Ares 3 mission. Your relationship was strictly professional, but you’d be lying if you both hadn’t snuck off during long training weeks to relieve some pent up energy.

You both had made it very obvious there were no feelings involved and that it was strictly a sexual relationship. He seemed fine with this, and you knew you were. You had bigger things to worry about, things far more important than a relationship. You and your team were on the brink of a breakthrough with the Mars trip being successful.

You were the team’s science officer as Beck worked at the surgeon. You both were to stay behind, you to research the planet and Beck to make sure you’re not hurt without proper assistance. You were to send weekly videos on the information needed for the arrival of permanent human life.

Though it was a far-fetched dream, you wanted to find and grow enough organisms to start moving humans to the planet. After about 9 years on the planet, you were proud to say you had done just that.

You excitedly turned on your computer to start a new weekly video, your mouth hurting from the uncontainable joy. “Good evening everyone, by the time this reaches you it should be morning, so good morning to you. I would just like to inform you all that the plants on the C-side of our inhabitants are growing enough oxygen to support 15 people, while the B-side and the D-side are able to hold 35. Side-A is not currently able to hold any form of life due to the temperatures still being too harsh, but I’m sure a weather modifier can be one of the first people on the shuttle here to start changing that safely. Chris and I happily await your arrival, and we hope to see you all soon. Bye-bye.” You smile and wave to the camera as you end the video, preparing it to be sent off.

You thought about the number of people who would be here just in a few months. People of all ages and backgrounds had signed up to come, including children with their parents, so you could study how it would affect people of different ages, bodies, etc.

Just as you were walking out of your personal quarters, you bumped into Chris. “Oh, sorry about that,” he apologized, steading two mugs he held, “Tea?” You smiled at the raspberry tea he had become famous for making you every evening.

“Thank you,” you happily grabbed one of the mugs and began drinking, “Just sent off the good news to base.” Chris raised his eyebrows before swallowing his own mouthful of tea.

“Are you excited?”

“You have no idea.”

“Yeah, it’ll be nice to have others around. Not that you’re not awesome.” Chris playfully elbowed you on the arm as you started leading him to the cameras in the kitchen. You wanted to check on the gardens and green life you had been nursing for the past 9 years.”

“No, I get it. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner on this, but man has it been a long nearly a decade.” Chris blew out a heavy sigh.

“God, has it really been that long? Seems like yesterday we got here,” you nodded your head as you checked off every camera for the night, “Well, I’m happy I spent it with you, too. How much you think we missed at home?” Now you let out a deep sigh.

“Who knows. The little information I’ve gathered hasn’t been too interesting, but I’m sure there’ll be something that’ll throw us off. You think socks with slippers are finally socially acceptable in public?” You looked down on your comfort shoes before meeting his eyes.

“If they haven’t, I think they’ll have to make an exception for you. You rock it so well,” he grinned at you.

You laughed loudly, and he joined in. “Thank you, I’ll put in a good word for your stained shirts.” Chris mockingly rolled his eyes, causing another laugh to leave your lips, before he finished his tea. He took your empty mug to the sink as you got up to shower and prepare for the night.

As you were in the shower you heard your door opening. “What the Hell, Beck, I’m in the shower.” your mind thought to the cameras in the bathroom that would no doubt see him walking in. Though the toilet and shower area were out of reach of the camera’s view, you still found the invasion too much. Sure they wanted to make sure you and Chris were staying strictly professional, you’d be lying if you said you and him didn’t turn off the cameras every once in a while to get in a quickie.

You didn’t hear a response, so you opened the curtain to see nobody there. But your door was open. Huh, weird. Maybe he was just dropping something off?

Once done in your shower, you made your way to your room and shrieked when you found Chris lying nude on the bed. “Chris, the cameras!”

“Relax, babe, I turned them off. Think I’m a dumbass or something?”

You looked suspiciously at him for a second. “How, the cameras need a password that only I have.” It was your computer after all.

Chris reached for a slip of paper on the bedside table that wasn’t there before. It was the very one Dr. Grudge had given to you before the mission. “You hide everything in the same place. Under your sink isn’t the most clever hiding place, honey.” You rolled your eyes before shaking your head at him.

“You’re something else, Beck.”

“You love it. Now come on, it’s been two weeks, I’m hard as fuck, baby,” Chris pouted as he grabbed his massive member. You could feel your pussy clench at his words, and at how much you had missed him inside you. It had been a long two weeks.

You discarded the towel that covered your modesty, quickly climbing on the bed to straddle his hips. Chris hurriedly grabbed onto yours, both of you moaning in unison as you sunk down to his limit.

“Fuck, daddy. You feel so good inside me,” you moaned as you found a rough but steady rhythm.

Chris growled, “Yeah? You like it when I fuck your tight little cunt? God, you’re so tight. I don’t think I’m fucking you enough, what do you think, hmm?” That’s when he took over and started thrusting up into you at a fast rate. The only sounds that could be heard were your loud moans of pleasure and skin against skin. If you listened hard enough, you could just barely hear the sounds of your pussy squelching around his dick.

“Shit, I’m gonna cum,” you whined out.

“Fuck, you’re squeezing me so hard, you wanna cum baby? Wanna cum all over my fat cock?” Chris’ thrusts got faster and harder as he reached a hand down to play with your clit. “Come on, honey, cum for me. Cum for daddy.”

“Arg- oh God I’m coming!” you screamed out, drenching Chris in your juices. Chris continued to chase his own pleasure, you still trying to recover from the powerful orgasm. You tried to lift yourself from you to help him cum elsewhere, but Chris’ grip on you never faltered.

“Let me cum inside you, I wanna feel your tight walls around me as I dump my load into you.” You quickly dropped from your post-orgasmic state at his words. You shook your head hurriedly.

“No, you know I’m not on birth control,” you couldn’t have them due to them being destroyed on the journey here, “Pull out!” The pull-out method wasn’t the best plan, but it had been working just fine for the past 9 years. You couldn’t risk a pregnancy ruining the progress you had made, the academy would no doubt fire you both.

“I spoke to Mark the other day, they lifted that rule a little while ago now,” Chris grunted, his orgasm was getting close, “With them sending supplies I figured we could easily get something to prepare for a baby. They’ll be here in what? 6 at most 8 months. You’ll still be pregnant with my baby by then. Our baby.”

You shook your head. This was madness, even if the rule wasn’t in force you were in no place to have a baby right now. You still wanted to further your career, and you certainly didn’t want to have a baby with Chris. He was a good man, but you couldn’t see yourself with him in that position.

“Chris, stop. This isn’t funny, let go now. I won’t tell anyone you did this if you stop now.”

Chris just laughed at you, “Can’t do that, baby. I want you to make me a real daddy, I’ve waited long enough. We’re. Perfect. For. Each. Other.” Each word was accompanied by a hard thrust, soon you felt warmth flooding your channel. “Fuck! Take it, take my load.” Chris continued pushing his cum further into you, working himself down his high.

Chris held you to him as he stayed inside you. He stroked your back as he slowly pulled out of you, forcing your limp body into a position on your stomach. You were too numb to fight back, tears were starting to form in your eyes that you quickly blinked away.

“You’re gonna be such a good mom, I can see it now,” Chris mumbled as he cupped your stomach before shoving his hardening cock back into you. This was going to be a long next few months.

#itgetsdarkspookychallenge #mcudarklibrarykinkmonth

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 years ago

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summertime sadness .4.

tgif

Sequel to kiss me in the d-a-r-k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (masterlist under construction)

Warnings: dub con sex (oral)

This is dark!(dad)Steve and dark(professor!)Bucky explicit. 18+ only. I know they aren’t super dark, but like questionable so I’m keeping those tags just to be safe.

Summary: You settle into your new job but can’t get too comfortable.

Note: Okey, dokey. Here’s the fun part (for me at least). Still tryna figure out how exactly this one will pan out by part 6 but we’re all having a ride together, eh. Thanks everyone for their support and I love you all! 💋

<3 Let me know what you think in a reblog, reply, or like. I’m loving the feedback from y'all and the enthusiasm! Also as always, memes accepted.

💋💋💋

It had only been a few weeks since your last visit to the university but it felt longer as you walked onto campus. Just as planned, you were due to meet Bucky in his office. He texted you as you rode the subway. He was eager to start his ‘marking’. You smirked and wondered how long he’d last at that.

You entered the English Building, the elevator back in service and empty. Not many instructors were in their offices on a Saturday and most students were hungover or readying for another party. You knocked on Bucky’s door before you entered. He had a stack of essays on his desk as he sat behind them listlessly.

“Finally,” He said.

“I slept in.” You replied. “For the first time in a week.”

“Then you’ll have lots of energy,” He reached below his desk, the sound of his zipper discernible beneath it. “I’ve got about forty papers here.”

“Forty? And how many do you think you’ll get to?”

“Knowing that mouth, maybe one.” He snickered. “Come on, baby, I’m rock hard over here.”

He rolled his chair back as you neared and set your purse down behind his desk. He slapped your ass and you got to your knees. You grinned up at him as you ducked under his desk and gripped his thighs as he pushed closer. You pulled down his briefs and his cock sprung out. He groaned and grabbed his pen.

“Fuck,” He swore under his breath. “I can’t believe you’re actually doing this, baby.”

“You’ve got marking to do,” You reprimanded and stroked him. “Now get to work.”

You stretched your lips over his tip and he groaned. He slid closer and you could hear the clumsy scratching of his pen on paper. As he reached the back of your throat, his leg twitched. You pushed past your gag reflex and he nearly choked. You pulled back and felt the shiver in him.

“Mmm,” He hummed and flipped a page. “Just like that.”

The sloppy sounds of your mouth added to the flutter above, the scribbles of ink. You bobbed your head steadily, every now and then forcing him to your limit and holding him there. And then you stopped as a knock came at the door. You both froze.

“Shit,” He pushed himself against the desk entirely and trapped you underneath it. The front shielded you from view on the other side. “Keep going.”

“Buck---”

“Slowly, quietly.” He grabbed his dick and slapped it against your lips. “Now.” He cleared his throat and shoved your head down as he glided into your mouth again. “Come in.” He called and the door opened.

Your eyes widened as he pulled his hand away. You carefully dragged your tongue along his length.

“Hey,” He greeted in a smooth tone. “Tanya.”

“Sorry to disturb,” His visitor replied. “I was just grabbing some stuff from my office and I just remembered I still had this.”

A thump sounded on the top of the desk as you slobbered down his cock.

“Thanks,” He said and squeezed his legs around you. “I almost forgot myself if I’m being honest.”

“I owe you one,” She said. You recognized her voice. She taught the other section of journalism, though you had her for a social movements class in your first year. “Maybe a drink. I could hang around til you finish with those.”

“Ah, you know, I wish I could,” He lamented. “But I promised a buddy I’d swing around to watch the game.”

You kept from gagging and held your breath, afraid to give yourself away.

“You don’t seem like the sports type,” She countered.

“Not really but a few beers and I am,” He dismissed her easily.

“You sure you’re not avoiding me?” Her toe tapped impatiently just on the other side of the desk.

“Avoiding you?” He chuckled. A slight quaver in his voice as you swirled your tongue around his tip. “Why would I be doing that?”

“Well… Ever since our little… you know…” She hesitated to say it aloud.

“I thought we agreed that it was just a little fun.” He said and you stopped suddenly. He nudged you with his toe and you wrapped your lips around him once more. “A drunken bit of fun.”

“Hmmm…” She sounded disappointed. “You free tomorrow?”

“Sorry, maybe next weekend,” He said. “But I really gotta finish here.”

“Okay, okay,” She accepted with a trill. “We’ll sort out a time then.”

“Sure,” He confirmed unconvincingly. “Next weekend. See ya.”

“Bye,” Her voice was cheerier as her heels clicked back across the floor and the door opened and closed once more.

You tried to pull away but he caught your head and held you down as he emptied himself down your throat. You choked and smacked at his thigh as he cupped his sac with his other hand. He left your mouth salty and sore as he slipped out and rolled back with a sigh.

You spit his cum into your hand and crawled out from under the desk. “What the fuck?”

“Sorry, I had to-- fuck, I almost came with her right there.” He grabbed a tissue and handed it to you.

“You could’ve warned me,” You wiped your hand off with a grimace. “What was that anyway? Did you fuck her?”

“Why? You jealous?” He cleaned himself up and zipped up his pants.

“No,” You rolled your eyes. “But I did just suck you off within two feet of her as she obviously wanted to do the same.”

He laughed and pushed his shoulders back. “It was months ago. Before… us. There was a conference, there was wine, and I regret it.” He sighed. “And she looks back on it fondly but… lots of teeth and she was stiff as a fucking board.”

“Wow,” You said dryly and wiped your mouth. “You know, I’m barely surprised.”

“This… thing between you and I, it’s not--”

“It’s just a bit of fun. Trust me, I get it. I haven’t got time for anything but.” You tossed the kleenex in the small bin beside his desk. “Right? That’s what it is?”

“So much fun,” He assured you. “You wanna hang around till I’m finished?”

“Thought you already were,” You jibed. His brow furrowed and you grinned. “Sure,” You pulled up a chair. “I got nothing better to do.”

“Well, don’t sound so excited,” He said. “Besides, I might need some more help sooner than later.”

💋

You scribbled along the margin of your agenda and dropped the pen. The keys clacked beneath your fingers as you typed up a manic sentence. Your screen glowed back at you as the seconds ticked by with each letter. So enthralled by your task that the speck in your peripheral gave you a start.

You leaned back and turned your chair to face the man watching you. Loki’s lithe fingers swept up your golden pen and he admired the engraved letters beneath the fluorescent light. You watched him nervously as you pushed yourself away from your keyboard.

“Mr. Laufeyson.” You greeted him meekly. “I am just finishing the blurb you wanted.”

“Hard at work, as always,” He mused as he carefully set the pen back on your desk. “A beautiful pen…”

“A gift,” You smiled awkwardly.

“Well, I hate to interrupt you so I will let you finished,” His fingers brushed along your desk and he leaned on it as he casually cross his right leg in front of the other. “But when you have, I would like a moment in my office before you leave for the day.”

“Of course,” You affirmed. “It shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes.”

“As you will,” He stood straight and smoothed his jacket and buttoned it. “Then you are free to enjoy your weekend.”

“Okay,” You nodded and he turned away.

You watched him go, his strides long but lingering as he retreated to his office. The usual crowd had thinned out and Stacey was readying for her own departure. You spun back to your computer and resumed your work. Your second week down and not a stumble yet. You dared to be proud of yourself. Even, to be happy.

Another weekend ahead of you and you weren’t entirely excited. You liked being in the office; liked working with the other journalists, writers, and editors. Enjoyed your chance to shadow one of the most powerful men in New York publishing. And he had achieved it all at such a young age. You could only hope to achieve as much in the next fifteen years.

It was more than a bullet point for your resume, it was your own paradise.

So you finished up your blurb and attached it to an email. You logged out and packed up your agenda and pen beside your laptop. You pushed your chair in as you hooked your bag over your shoulder and trod tentatively to Loki’s office. You knocked on the open door and he looked away from his screen.

“Ah, there you are,” He beckoned you in with a wave. “Close the door behind you, please.”

You glanced back into the main office and did as he said. You stepped inside and sat across from him, your bag set down against the leg of the chair. His green eyes focused on you and he tilted his head as he absently traced his fingers over his phone. You fidgeted as you struggled not to shy away.

“I just wanted to check in,” He said. “And I was recently reviewing your references.”

“My references?” You wondered.

“Mmm,” He hummed. “Your professors speak highly of you. One of the reasons I even considered a second year, let alone one who had so suddenly changed majors, was a certain word on your behalf.”

“Okay?” You were confused and gripped the arms of the chair as you blinked at him dumbly.

“James Barnes has earned his tenure at the university and on occasion, he has written pieces for my own magazine. A respectable writer, admirable in his work both in teaching and otherwise. And when he proposed this workshop, the tours, I thought it was a charming idea. He proved me right so I had no doubt when he spoke to me of you.”

You gulped but said nothing. Your stomach churned and you brought your hands together and wrung them.

“You see,” He lifted his phone and blindly unlocked it. “You have lived up to his reference and your work is commendable…” He smirked as he flicked a finger across the screen. “But I still questions the veracity of his endorsement as I find his integrity has come into doubt.”

He set his phone down and slid it across the desk. He nodded for you to pick it up. You slid forward on your chair and took it. Your lips parted in horror as you stared at the screen. It was you and Bucky in the bookshop, your lips locked and his arms wrapped around you. You looked up, mortified, as the phone shook in your grasp.

“I…” The breath went out of you and you put the phone back on the desk before it could fall. “How did you--”

“It’s a quaint little shop.” He purred. “I venture in every now and then.”

You chewed your lip as your cheeks burned.

“You do realize that this could be… damaging. To you more than him.” He stood slowly and came around the desk to stand before you. “He has tenure, he is established. You, my dear, you’re barely getting started.”

You gaped up at him. The pet name unsettled you and you wiped your sweaty hands on your thighs.

“And aside from the ethical dilemma, I do wonder what a girl your age sees in a man his age. Especially when your work speak so boldly on its own.”

You shook your head, speechless.

“Surely there are boys your own age who would be delighted to offer you… companionship.”

“I never… I would never use him like that.” You insisted. “It’s all… my work. My own work.”

“Oh, I know it, dear,” He said as his lips curled. “But to risk that work on him? On an affair better fit to a dime store erotica?”

“Are you-- Are you going to report him? Me?” You asked. “Am I fired?”

“Well,” He leaned on the desk, his long fingers gripped it’s edge as he leered down at you. “That depends on you, my dear.”

“Me?” You squeaked.

“Oh yes, this is a very powerful secret, don’t you think?” He slithered. “And in our business, well, it would sell.”

“What do you want?” You asked.

He pushed himself away from the desk and reached to tickle your cheek. His fingers crawled along your chin and he brushed his thumb over your bottom lip.

“I haven’t yet made up my mind,” He bent so that his face was only inches from yours. “But when I do, my dear, you will appease me, won’t you?”

You shuddered but didn’t pull away. You were too frightened. A lock of his dark hair fell forward as his pale skin shone sinister in the lamp light. His green eyes bore into yours and you wanted desperately too look away.

“Y-yes,” You stammered weakly. “I--I will.”

“Very good,” He drew away slowly. “Now, darling, go enjoy your weekend.” He scooped up his phone and tucked it in his pocket. “And give the professor my regards.”

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animesavior · 4 years ago

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“My power is not to destroy. My power is to mend this world. With its creator. With Akane Shinjo.”

- Gridman, SSSS.Gridman (Ep. 12)

This Toonami Trending Rundown is a double-feature for the nights of March 27-28, 2021 and April 3-4, 2021. During this fortnight, we commemorated the final two episodes of SSSS.Gridman.

For the night of March 27-28, Toonami trended in the United States alongside Food Wars, Fire Force, SSSS.Gridman, and Naruto Shippuden. Character trends were also spotted with both Gabi and Falco from Attack on Titan, and Erina from Food Wars. Meanwhile for the night of April 3-4, Toonami trended in the United States alongside Food Wars (including another character trend of Erina), Fire Force, and SSSS.Gridman. #Toonami also trended on Tumblr. The full list, including statistics and tweet counts from the Twitter app and Amr Rahmy’s Fan Screening analytics app, can be seen below.

This likely won’t be the end for Gridman on Toonami, as Studio Trigger is already working on a sequel (albeit with a completely new cast) called SSSS.Dynazenon. The new series premiered on April 2, and is available for simulcast on FunimationNow. Whether Dynazenon will join Toonami as well is a question for the future, but watch this space for future developments.

Another sequel fans will be anticipating for the near future is the second season of MegaloBox, titled MegaloBox 2: Nomad. For those who want to check out the simulcast, it’s available for viewing on FunimationNow. We’ve yet to hear anything regarding production of the dub at this time. The first season premiered on Toonami on December 9, 2018, eight months after its Japanese premiere on April 6. If precedent is any indication, we could see season 2 air on Toonami at a similar timeframe, assuming everything goes well in negotiating. Of course, if you do want to see MegaloBox return to the block, as with SSSS.Dynazenon or any future show, send your show requests to Toonami’s Facebook page or by directly messaging Jason DeMarco on Twitter (@Clarknova1).

After four years and over 170 episodes, the Black Clover anime will be going on a hiatus to allow series creator Yūki Tabata to create more storyline in the manga. For the record, Toonami aired Episode 143 last week, meaning we have 27 episodes left to go in the season. On the 2021 17th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump released during AnimeJapan 2021 week, it was revealed that a Black Clover movie is in the works. Further details are to be revealed in a later date.

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Following the Japanese broadcast and simulcast of Attack on Titan Episode 75 (Ep. 16 of Season 4), it has been announced that a second cour of Attack on Titan Final Season is in production. The season will resume with Episode 76 this winter. Toonami premiered the dub of Episode 70 this past Saturday (April 3), so we’ll have 4 more episodes before we reach the mid-season point.

Late at night following end of the April 3-4, 2021 broadcast of Toonami in the East Coast, Warner Bros. and Shueisha were hosting a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure online event, titled the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure the Animation Special Event ~JOESTAR the Inherited Soul~ in Japan. There, JoJo fans received the news that there will be an anime adaptation of Part 6,titled Stone Ocean. Jolyne Kujo, the protagonist of this arc, will be voiced by Ai Fairouz.

Aniplex and Bang Zoom! has released a new trailer for tonight’s premiere of The Promised Neverland season 2 and revealed some of the newest voice actors. Of note, the English Voice Direction and Adaptation is by Alex von David, taking over for Chris Cason.

Emma – Erica Mendez

Ray – Laura Stahl

Don – Cedric Williams

Gilda – Ryan Bartley

Nat – Michelle Ruff

Anna/Alicia – Brianna Knickerbocker

Thoma/Yvette – Cristina Vee

Dominic/Christie – Janice Kawaye

Lannion – Philece Sampler

Mark – Erika Harlacher

Phil – Amber Connor

Rossi/Barbara – Allegra Clark

Jemima – Kimberly Anne Campbell

Sonju – Daman Mills

Mujika – Lizzie Freeman

Vincent/Zazie – Jalen K. Cassell

Cislo – Mark Whitten

Vylk – Jake Eberle

Peter Ratri – Crispin Freeman

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Finally, Toonami and Funimation have officially revealed that My Hero Academia will rejoin the lineup for Season 5 beginning on May 8 at 12:30 a.m. Eastern/Pacific. MHA will replace Attack on Titan on the lineup once the latter show goes on its mid-season break. In the meantime, Toonami will be broadcasting an encore run of Season 4 beginning on May 8 at 4:00 a.m.

Tune in tonight for the season 2 premiere of The Promised Neverland, among other great moments. Until next week, stay safe, be sure to visit blacklivesmatters.carrd.co and anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co to see what you can do to help the fight against racial inequality, and continue to do your part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect others by following your local health advisories. Stay at home unless essential purposes require you to go out, practice social distancing by staying six feet/two meters away from one another if possible, and wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

March 27-28, 2021 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#3]

#FoodWars [#12]

Erina (From Food Wars) [#26]

#FireForce [#28]

#SSSSGridman [#29]

#Shippuden [Trended with #Toonami]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [6,933 tweets]

Gabi (From Attack on Titan) [47.1k tweets]

Falco (From Attack on Titan) [3,582 tweets]

#FoodWars [2,399 tweets]

Erina (From Food Wars) [3,831 tweets]

#FireForce [2,632 tweets]

#BlackClover [6,099 tweets]

Notes and Other Statistics:

#Toonami: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @JessicaCalvello and @blumspew are responsible for the show trending in the United States.

April 3-4, 2021 Tweets

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#7]

#FoodWars [Trended with #Toonami]

Erina (From Food Wars) [#28]

#FireForce [Trended with #Toonami]

#SSSSGridman [Trended with #Toonami]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [5,880 tweets]

Erina (From Food Wars) [3,934 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#Toonami

Notes and Other Statistics:

#Toonami: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @JessicaCalvello and @blumspew are responsible for the show trending in the United States.

Special thanks to @sdurso5, @TarkatanBauty, and others I forgot to mention for spotting some of the trends on this list.

Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

#Toonami #Adult Swim #Cartoon Network #Toonami Trending Rundown #SSSS.Gridman #Attack on Titan #Shingeki no Kyojin #Falco #Gabi #Food Wars #Shokugeki no Soma #Erina #Fire Force #Naruto #Naruto Shippuden

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champagne-bucky · 5 years ago

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The Undoing: Three

Summary: The truth about a past life is unveiled.

Warnings: THIS IS A DARK STORY!! dark! Steve Rogers x reader, kidnapping, non con and dub con (or at least mentions of), dark! Bucky Barnes, Stockholm syndrome, grooming, mentions of pregnancy termination and suicide mentions (for one chapter), possibly more tags to be added!

Notes: Hahaha... remember this story? Lol so I finally can give to you Chapter 3!! I feel so bad that this was so late, but school really kicked my ass so hard and I’ve just been so unmotivated. I’m gonna try my hardest to give you guys this story and some other stuff I’ve been working on! I hope you guys enjoy this one! Please make sure to like, reblog, comment, inbox, and follow me for more!! Enjoy :)

PLEASE READ WARNINGS!!

Hell must be an eternal bliss. If it’s anything compared to how you’ve been living your life the past few years then Satan himself has nothing on Steve Rogers.

Life was never the same after that day in the hospital. From the moment you left that bed to the moment you arrived home with your little Sasha, Steve had already struck the fear of God into your soul. From the second you entered into your prison, Steve had wrestled the newborn out of your hands and into his. What followed after was a swift grab of your hair and a drag down the basement steps.

“You can leave when you learn,” Steve spat at you before locking your ankle back into place.

Those days were the darkest moments of your life. You never got to see Sasha, well you did interact with her you just couldn't physically see her. Steve made sure of that. Every time poor baby Sasha was hungry you were subjected to a blindfold around your eyes. Steve said it was part of your punishment. You tried to take away his family, he would take away yours, at least the sight of them.

That was all you got with precious Sasha. This punishment was real and it ended up fucking with your mental and physical health.

*a few months later*

How long has it been down here? Months, year? It couldn’t have been weeks. Life was going on all around you and you had missed it all.

Steve taunted you, he got off on your absence in Sasha’s life. The doctors had told Steve it was safe to start using bottled milk after a while which meant there was no chance of you to even feel Sasha and her touch. No more, you saw nothing, not even a shred of hope.

*18 months*

You had cracked, it had officially happened. That light you hoped would never fade has burned itself out. In its place a hollow bulb left with no purpose. The only difference between you and the bulb? Your purpose was to be solely Steve’s. You didn’t belong to anyone else, not even baby Sasha.

These last months had broken you down into the compilable puppet Steve wanted you to be. You missed everything in your baby’s first year of life all because of that stupid mistake the night of her birth. Steve tortured you even further by not even mentioning the baby one bit. It’s like there wasn’t even a baby at all. At one point, you feared that Steve might’ve given her away, but he accidentally slipped one night during your punishment by mentioning her. Sasha was your last source of joy and you couldn’t even see her.

“I wanna have another one,” Steve mentions to you while you eat the food he brought you. For the past months you were only given his scraps of food, it’s no wonder why he’s giving you full meals lately, he wants you strong for another baby.

The stubborn girl inside you wanted to scream no, but you knew what would happen if you did. If having another baby would make Steve happy, you would do it. Maybe you could wager your way out of the basement.

“I would like that too, Steve. A little sister or brother for Sasha,” Steve hid his shock. He was fully expecting you to have another outburst, but you seemed so compliant now.

“Why don’t we go upstairs and see little Sasha,” you gasped at Steve’s suggestion. You would finally be able to see your little girl after all this time.

Steve led you up the stairs for what would be the last time for a while now. The bright light of the upstairs hit your face and you needed to adjust to it. He led you over to the living room area and that’s when you saw her.

She was sitting with Bucky and playing with her toys. You had tears in your eyes as you broke away from Steve’s hold and ran to Sasha. Bucky eyed you up and down. You were dirty. Hair long overdue for a cut and your nails were grimey. You were a wreck. What had Steve done to you down there?

You picked up your daughter and held her close. She cried. In fact, she was wailing to the point where her face was turning beat red. Sasha started failing her limbs around and looked for her daddy. It took both Steve and Bucky to pry you away from your daughter. Steve took her into his arms and soothed her.

“I think she needs a nap,” Steve then handed your daughter to Bucky as he brought her upstairs.

“I don’t understand,” you were kneeling on the floor now looking at the staircase Bucky had just gone up.

“Oh, well she doesn’t know who you are. You're more a stranger to her than a mother,” you didn’t even want to turn around to see the grin on Steve’s face. He lifted you into his arms.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” you didn’t even realize you were crying, “she’ll come to know you soon enough. Now let’s get you upstairs and cleaned up. We have plans.”

*5 months later*

It was a brutal few months. Months filled with trial and error in regards to getting pregnant again. Months spent in a bathroom crying over another negative pregnancy test. Months spent living in Steve’s disappointment due to your failure to conceive a child. However, that silver lining came in at the five month mark. Finally, there were tears of celebration from both you and Steve. The latest addition to your family would be on their way soon enough.

During this time, you got to see Sasha, but barely. With every failure that came Steve would redact the amount of time you two would spend together. Some days he wouldn’t let you see each other at all because of your “unwillingness to commit to this family” and that broke your heart.

You were groomed to be the perfect wife and perfect mother to this family and goddammit were you sure not going to fail. Steve had taught you how a wife should serve and act around their husband and you followed his every command like an obedient dog. Now, you finally succeeded with this baby and were back in Steve’s perfect graces.

*a few years later*

The routine was always the same. Get up, get dressed, feed the babies, and make breakfast for your husband before he locked himself away in the office for the day. Take care of the babies and clean around the house. Make lunch for Steve and maybe have some alone time together if the babies are down for a nap. Not if, they better be down for a nap, Steve’s orders.

Grocery shopping is to be done on the weekends and weekends only. Steve will go out because only you can watch the babies. If you needed something you forgot to write on the list, too bad it would have to wait until next weekend.

It was a good system, a steady routine. You didn’t argue with Steve because you knew better than to question his ideas. Plus, you didn’t mind staying home with the babies. You loved taking care of them and spending so much time with them. To be honest, you even hated putting the little ones to bed because that meant you would be apart. The babies were keeping you in one piece.

Of course Steve was doing his part as well. The perfect husband. A man you didn’t know you needed in your life to be your provider. He truly was becoming an ideal man.

The babies were doing great. After Sasha you gave birth to another girl, Gwenyd. Sasha was a helpful big sister to her and you couldn't wait to tell them about the newest little one to join your perfect family.

Life for baby Sasha was as simple it could be for a toddler. She got naps and food and spent the whole day with her mommy. Needless to say she was living the ideal toddler life. However, past her toddler years she was taking up responsibilities that a little girl shouldn’t have.

Ever since she turned 6, Sasha would help her mother out with the younger siblings. It was a sweet sight to see. You had taught Sasha how to feed the little ones, how to change them, how to dress them, like one big game of house. This was the bonding time you had always craved with your little girl.

Steve thought that it was endearing. A mother and daughter helping take care of his children. He really did have the perfect family.

As the years went on, Sasha had gotten older and she had more siblings to help take care of. You were burnt out by then. A new baby almost every year or two. Luckily, you had your daughter helping you out, but she shouldn't have to be subjected as a second parent when there was another perfectly capable one sitting locked in his office.

On top of that, you now have to homeschool these children while making sure the helpless little ones were being properly taken care of. Needles to say, you were on the verge of a breakdown and Steve wasn’t willing to help out with some of it.

Sure, he would have his bonding time with the babies, but when it came to the older ones and homeschooling he couldn't deal with that headache. After all, he did tell you that if you didn’t want them sent to a daycare then you would have to take up all the responsibilities while he was at work.

He knew you wouldn’t send the kids away, you were too attached to losing them like you had lost yourself. They were the only thing stringing your reality together and keeping the cracks from splitting further down the line. You were happy, he convinced himself, happy and compliant.

*a few years later*

Why didn’t you take that deal with Steve when the kids were younger? Why couldn’t you just let them thrive in a better learning environment? You are worried you’ll fail these kids. Worried that you’ll screw them up. You were close to shattering.

Being pregnant again and teaching your daughter how to do fractions, that not even you knew how to explain, was taking a toll on your mental state. You wanted a break. Just one day where you didn’t need to worry about what was for dinner or what’s tomorrow’s new lesson play. You NEEDED a break.

Steve wouldn’t let you go anywhere. The rules had never changed. You never even got to be in your backyard alone. Didn’t anyone realize that no one but Steve ever left the house?

The kids were sometimes allowed out, but only when Steve had the time to take them, which was rarely. Bucky never came around anymore. You didn’t know any details, but assumed they must’ve had a falling out. Steve never told you anything about his work or about family or friends. Frankly, you didn’t care as much either. This was your new life now and the past was in the past.

Steve was going to kill his wife. If it wasn’t him killing his wife then then it would be the first person who would cross his path. How could she be so careless? How could HE be so careless? He thought the locks he bought for the house were secure enough to keep his wife in, guess not. Turns out all it took was his 13 year old daughter swiping away a key he thought he misplaced for the total shit storm to come down on him.

It all started on a quiet afternoon, the wife was cooking in the kitchen and the kids were playing in their rooms. There was a knock on the door, Steve told his wife not to bother as he went to answer it. He remembers the feared look on the one agent's face as they announced they were CPS coming in for an investigation. Needless to say after they left, Steve went berserk. Not only on his wife, but on Sasha too.

“HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS?” Sasha was clinging to her mother with tears streaming down her face.

“Steve please don’t be so hard on-”

“YOU STAY OUT OF IT. I’LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER,” well you knew better than to interrupt at that point.

Steve was pacing back and forth while yelling at how careless and stupid his daughter was. Sasha was scarred from that night on. She was afraid of disappointing her father and mother anymore. So, she became more quiet and reserved than usual. You thought it was awful the way Steve broke her down, Steve thought it would teach her to be better.

CPS wouldn’t let up on their investigation with the Rogers family. Steve noticed that someone was always watching them. Whether it was from across the street or an impromptu visit, they were always around.

He needed to get them off his back somehow. If they were to find out who his wife really was then it was to the prison cell for a long time. Of course the cops had been looking for you. In fact, your father offered to fund all the money in their pockets to keep their investigation going. The case ran cold a few years back, Bucky told him that before he departed for the next few years.

Steve did the most drastic, and most likely stupid, thing he could’ve thought of: he enrolled his eldest in high school.

It might backfire, but if Sasha just stuck to the carefully coordinated routine Steve laid out for her, then all would be fine...right?

Tags to be added in comments!!

#dark avengers #dark captain america #dark steve rogers #dark steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fic #dark marvel #mcudarklibrary #dark bucky barnes #dark james barnes #dark winter soldier

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unwarrantedopinions-blog1 · 5 years ago

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“NINE” by Blink-182

So for my first “official” blog post, I figured I’d write about something near and dear to my heart. My favorite band, Blink-182, released their new album “NINE” 09/20/2019. As soon as I heard it, it sparked some sort of energy and interest in me to blog a review. It started out as a journal, but with some encouragement and motivation from my friends, I was able to pen a full review and now, post it. So here it is, my complete review of the album “NINE” as I heard it for the first time, with additional information added with subsequent play throughs.

1. The First Time - 2:27

Upbeat, loud drums, distant yelling. Cherish your first times for any occasion. Memories about taking risks, taking chances. What are you going to remember when you’re old?: the memories you made taking risks or the times you played it safe? Take risks, try new things, experience life. Still wishing Tom DeLonge was back, but his replacement, Matt Skiba (also the frontman of rock band Alkaline Trio), is fitting in perfectly fine with Mark and Travis.

Final: 8/10.

2. Happy Days - 2:59

Sounds very reminiscent of “Stay Together For The Kids”. A song about being positive when you don’t know what positive even is, don’t know what’s going on, don’t know what your next step is. “I want to feel happy days”. Memories triggering sadness, not doing enough, feeling like you aren’t enough. Yet, at the same time, still being content in your life. Still pushing, still trying, still working to achieve your true happiness. It’s like you can acknowledge there is room for change, but you don’t know if you can yet. It’s a first step, though, and sometimes that’s all it takes for everything to fall into place.

Final: 9/10

3. Heaven - 3:17

First thought: existential crisis. Impulsive actions. Self destruction. From good to bad, not getting into Heaven based off of prior actions. Struggling to better, but falling short due to lack of effort. A feeling of being forgotten, left behind, not fitting in because of your choices. “We’re lost in our ways, nothing left to say” .. “we’re stuck in our ways, I’ve got so much to say”. Acknowledging the need to change, but not actually changing.

Final: 7/10

4. Darkside - 3:01

Observing a mysterious, unknown girl. I get an 80’s vibe from this song. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Following someone into the unknown for a new journey, to a new world, an unknown place. New experiences. Sounds kinda synthy at the bridge. The fading of the loud voices make it sound more like a yell.

Final: 7/10

5. Blame It On My Youth - 3:06

Airy sound, bass comes in, Mark’s angel voice. Growing up in the past vs growing up today. Apologizing for differences in their youth vs how they are in adulthood, but ultimately saying to blame it on how they were raised. We are in a completely different time now than what they were when they were growing up. “I don’t need an excuse”. What was socially accepted then ( ) vs now (maybe 2016 on), they are two completely different time frames and have two completely different socially acceptable norms.

Final: 7/10

6. Generational Divide - 0:49

Heavy drums. Work in progress adjusting to life before and life after? This is probably the most confusing bit in the whole album. The rating is more for sound than message since it was so short and I didn’t get much out of it.

Final: 8/10

7. Run Away - 2:28

Sounds very two albums ago. Childish rebellion, teen angst vibes. Possibly a song about blaming others for your actions but still getting left with the responsibility. Running away from your problems, but hoping someone holds you down to own up to them. Definite “Neighborhoods” vibes based off of the sound alone. Another great Blink album.

Final: 7/10

8. Black Rain - 2:46

Starts slow with Skiba vocals, then the pace picks up and it’s loud singing by Mark. Chorus comes back in and is slow, lighter than during Mark’s part. A song about struggling with loss. Mark’s voice seems far away when listening through a phone or TV speaker, different when you’re wearing headphones/earbuds/etc. “Tragedy erased my memory and now all I see is this black rain. Tragedy, you too my everything.” Sound is actually kinda shit in conjunction with their voices.

Final: 6/10

9. I Really Wish I Hated You - 3:11

This song hit hard, it’s very relatable. “Cuz I really don’t like myself without you, every song I sing is still about you. Save me from myself the way you used to, cuz I really don’t like myself without you. I really wish I hated you right now. Won’t you say something?” Being broken with someone you clearly love, not knowing what to do without them, unable to cope with them being gone. A longing for someone you wish you could have because you gave them your all, you tried your hardest, but love being too strong to stay. Stuck in the past, thinking, reminiscing. Hard to let go of someone you care about, even though you know they are better off without you. You start to feel like a burden and it doesn’t even get better. “I hate the way you’re better off” .. basically letting them go because you know it’s the less selfish thing to do if it means they’re happy. You can’t keep someone for your own benefit.

Final: 10/10

10. Pin the Grenade - 2:59

Another song about losing someone, life changing and going on without them. Not being able to let go, t hint to drag it out as long as possible. Not worth losing someone compared to being dead. “Just another night before I’m lost and all alone. If you’re gonna kill me, baby, please just do it slow” .. dragging out the torture of being killed to get more time with that person you love.

Final: 9/10

11. No Heart To Speak Of - 3:40

Remembering a life you had before, losing someone, being heartbroken over the memories you keep thinking about. There’s nothing left for you here. “Laying on the bedroom floor, hanging on the words you said before” .. “Dying on the bathroom floor, thinking of the life we had before”. When you’re so heartbroken, is it worth staying alive when you don’t have that person who made you whole? The sound overall is good, reminds me of “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard based off the sound alone. I love the range of Skiba’s voice, from soft and lull to loud and emotional, almost strained.

Final: 9.5/10

12. Ransom - 1:25

“Say the word and I’ll be there”. Sounds kinda trappy. Like SoundCloud trappy. Two opposites attracting, becoming one. A guy obsessed with a girl, uprooting his life to be with her across the country. Trapped. Ransom.

Final: 7/10

13. On Some Emo Sh** - 3:10

Missing someone so much that your current life is put on hold. You remember things so vividly that it interrupts your current life. Questioning why you exist without that person who made your existence seem painless, easy, worthwhile. Memories, flashbacks, stories, all about someone you still love. “These feelings pound in my chest, maybe I am better off dead.” Still leaving yourself 100% open for someone you love that takes advantage of your soft spot for them. Is it happiness you’re after? Or is it the fear of being alone? Is there a sliver of hope left that things will fall back together eventually or are you just torturing yourself holding onto that hope?

Final: 8/10

14. Hungover You - 2:59

Fuck this song, first of all. Second, I absolutely love it. Super relatable for someone, anyone, that has had their heart broken. Maybe even for people who have broken hearts. If you’ve broken a heart, does this open your eyes to the feelings you left your significant other with after you were gone? The overall sound, the breakdown on the chorus, and the way Hoppus and Skiba harmonize gives me chills. The only song that I found myself screaming along to while I was driving. Can’t get over someone, they disappeared from your life. “It was just one time, one time. Started turning into two times, a few times”. “It feels like last night, you come over. And now I wake up, and you’re nowhere.” Is this even real? Is this a drunk hallucination? How long has this person been gone that he can say he’s “still hungover you”? Shouts out to Travis Barker on the drums, this one is one of my favorites because of the work he puts in with the sound.

Final: 10/10

15. Remember to Forget Me - 3:30

Sounds like a song that represents giving someone your all, being broken into tiny pieces in the process, and then all those tiny pieces being scattered. Sounds like some soft dubs in the second verse. Not sure of how to exist on your own without your person. Lack of ability to be independent. Kind of sounds like you want someone to get rid of every thought, memory, trace of you when they forget you. Don’t even think about me in the future. Erase your memory.

Final: 8/10

FINAL THOUGHTS

Well, I obviously fucking love Blink-182. I was always a little skeptical about Matt Skiba taking over for Tom DeLonge, but at the same time, I was never a fan of Angels and Airwaves (Tom’s other project), so I feel like it could be a reasonable compromise. Personally, the lack of vibe balance throws me off a little. You start out super happy, upbeat, encouraging, and then the whole album takes a turn into missing someone, losing someone, feeling completely lost without someone. And honestly? I fucking felt that shit. You can only be so positive when you feel like you’d be better off dead. The last, like, 12 months of my life have been absolutely chaotic and I’ve lost so many people from friends, fuck buddies, boyfriends, family members, wherever it is, I’ve probably lost it. I’ve made a lot of big life changes and shit so this album actually kind of hit me hard. Only two 10/10 songs, but a lot of 9s to back it up. The two 10/10s (“I Really Wish I Hated You” and “Hungover You”) made my “Top Songs To Scream Along To” playlist for when I’m driving and feel hyper, bummed, emo, etc.

I’m not entirely sure what I expected from NINE, but I don’t think that I was necessarily disappointed either. I like the sounds, I like the progress, all the guys are doing great together. They just did a tour with Neck Deep and Lil Wayne, including a few shows guest starring my favorite band All Time Low out in Ohio. It was a really fun album to review. I’ve listened to it all the way through a handful of times, writing over them between two instances and the rest just trying to listen without pressuring myself to make something out of it, but instead just to vibe and understand.

The big difference with this album is that it’s so serious. This Blink album is honestly so mature, there’s no dick jokes or short interludes about fucking someone’s mom. It’s super foreign territory for Blink to delve into, but I respect the change and enjoyed the album just the same without the jokes and silly antics. Another thing with this album is that I heard a lot of throwback sounds and I actually fucked with it heavy. Hearing an old song’s tune in a different way actually made the album kind of nostalgic. The beginning of “The First Time” has big time “Feeling This” (Blink-182 self title, 2003) vibes. On top of that, “Hungover You”, (yes, I’m obsessing over every aspect of this song), has BIIIIG “Snake Charmer” (Neighborhoods, 2011) sounds with the maraca/salt sounds. Almost every song on this album, if not for sure every album, has throwback sounds in a different pitch, frequency, order, etc. and I’m actually really digging it. The synthy sound from “Ransom“ is a dead ringer for the beginning of “Love Is Dangerous” (Neighborhoods, 2011), which is the last album that featured founding member Tom DeLonge. The sound itself isn’t spot on, but the concept of the sound is what is familiar. I don’t know if this was intentional, but regardless, it’s an interesting take on the new sound playing off the old sound.

So, what did you think of the album? Did you hear any other similarities between albums or notice any big differences between old Blink and seemingly new Blink? Comment down below what you think and suggest some new albums that would be worth a review! There you have it, an opinion nobody wanted, but y’all are getting it anyway.

#blink-182 #tom delonge #mark hoppus #matt skiba #travis barker #alkaline trio #blog post #music blog #follow #music #pop punk #punk rock #everything

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southside-vixen · 6 years ago

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Fire and Ice (Sweet Pea) 1

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

AO3

Adrianna Rivera has just made a difficult move from Arizona to the southside of Riverdale. With the history of her life in Phoenix behind her will she be able to find a new family in the Southside Serpents? Or will a certain tall, dark, and rage inducing Serpent cause issues?

It had been 36 hours since what she had not so affectionately dubbed her “fall from grace”. Adrianna Rivera sighed as she stared out of the Greyhound window. One more mile until the exit to Riverdale, her new home for the foreseeable future.

The last day and a half had been particularly jarring. One minute she was sipping orange juice on her back porch the next an entire swat team burst through the door, dragging out her father in cuffs. The next few hours were a whirlwind of FBI questioning as well as her father’s legal team dictating all the words that shouldn’t come out of her mouth. But now it was over, and her father remained in a high security prison. No bail presented as he had been deemed a flight risk.

That’s where Riverdale came in. It was a long shot from Phoenix which she had called home for her entire 16 years of life, but it was her aunt lived. Vanessa Allen, her mother’s sister. The last time she had seen her Aunt Ness she was a 6 year old child. Hanging onto her father’s leg at her mother’s funeral, not understanding the gravity of the situation. Over time she realized her mother was never coming back, and neither was her mother’s only sister.

With her father gone she had no one else to take care of her. The state dictated that her father’s family had too much of a history with crime, so much to her surprise Ness had agreed to take her in. Thousands of miles away on the east coast in a small town she never left. Adria knew next to nothing about her aunt, or her home. All she knew was depending on her father’s lawyers she could be stuck here until she turned 18. The thought made her skin crawl.

The bus pulled in to the station and things already weren’t looking good. There was multiple graffiti tags littering the walls, and at least 2 people begging for spare change. Adria plucked her luggage from the driver’s hands with a small muttering of thanks and scoped out the scene. Soon she saw the woman from the photo her case worker had provided her. She was short, with long wavy brown hair and a smattering of freckles across her face. She couldn’t have been older than 35.

“Adrianna, hey!” she called out, waving her hand to make sure she had her attention “I’m your aunt Ness. God, last time I saw you, you had pig tails” she laughed a bit to herself. “Let me grab your bag.”

She picked up the suitcase as Adria gave her a small smile. She wanted to shower already, the long bus ride along with the bus station made her feel like her skin was covered in grime. Ness led her to a beat up Lincoln that looked like it was at least 20 years old.

“So…this is your car?” She asked, disdain obvious in her voice

Ness let out a sour chuckle “Yep, she’s mine. Not as flashy as your dad’s Mercedes if he still has it.” Ness could already tell this would be a rough transition. Her niece wasn’t the pleasant little girl she remembered. Not to say that wasn’t entirely expected. Her mother had died while she was young, and her father was never the best example. ‘Rude bastard.’ Ness thought to herself.

The car ride was silent on the way back. They pulled up to a small ranch style home nearby a trailer park. It looked like it hadn’t been washed in a couple years. Ness unloaded her niece’s bag out of the car and brought it into the door. Inside there was a small kitchen table covered in mail and some Chinese takeout boxes. The kitchen looked clean, but in a way that meals most likely hadn’t been cooked in months.

“Your room is at the end of the hall,” Ness set down her bag, “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll clean up the table and order us a pizza. You a pepperoni girl?”

“Yeah…that’s fine.” Adria was still in shock. She looked down the hall and noticed the open door at the end of the hall. She picked up her bag and threw it by the inside of the door. The room wasn’t even a quarter of the size of her old room. No en suite bathroom. No walk in closet. Just a twin sized bed, a small full sized mirror propped against a wall, a beat up dresser, and a closet that could maybe fit a half of her already diminished belongings.

She unpacked everything she could, trying to be as creative as possible. Ultimately, she was exhausted. She left half of her belongings in her suitcase and walked out as soon as she heard the delivery boy. She devoured a few slices of pizza before Ness spoke again

“I know you’ve had a long day but there’s somewhere I need to take you before you start school tomorrow” Adria had already forgotten she was set to start school so soon. A way to keep her out of trouble and under a close eye she figured.

“Where are we going” She asked

“My bar. Well, half my bar. There’s someone I want you to meet. She’s the same age as you and will be at the same school. I’ve given her the heads up that I want you looked after.” Ness sighed “Everything here might seem a bit rough around the edges. And believe me I know it’s not the posh shit you’re used to in Phoenix. It’s not all bad, you’ll get out what you put in here.” It was cliché bullshit advice and Ness knew it. Everyone Adria knew in Phoenix was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Drug kingpins dressed in suits and ties and presenting themselves as respectable businessmen in public. She would get none of that here. There was no front, Ness surrounded herself with the Southside Serpents since she was 16 and Alejandro Rivera hated her for it. It was the reason after her sister’s death she never saw her niece again.

Adria stared out the window on the ride to the White Wyrm. Nothing here was pristine, it seemed everything was marked with graffiti or trash. She found it hard to accept this as her life. The bar was busy, filled with men and women in black leather jackets. The same as her aunt wore. The Southside Serpents. Her father told her multiple times her aunt was a criminal and ran with a bike gang. She never thought she’d see it first hand

“Toni!” Ness shouted over the music “I have someone I want you to meet” She ushered Adria over to the bar

“Adrianna, this is Toni Topaz. She’s a sophomore same as you, she’ll be around to help you out on your first day at Southside High”

The girl behind the bar put down the glass she was cleaning and held out her hand with a smile

“It’s nice to meet you Adrianna” Adria took her hand and shook it

“It’s nice to meet you as well. Call me Adria.”

The two girls sized each other up in silence. Adria noticed she also had a leather jacket, and that her entire look screamed grunge. Beat up flannels, fishnets, more leather. Immediately Adria knew she didn’t belong anywhere around here. If people in this town looked anything like Toni she had a bad feeling her first day of her knew school would be worse than she anticipated.

---

Sure enough her first day of school was going about as well as she thought it would. Her Calvin Klein crop top and Lucky brand jeans stood out amongst the sea of leather and flannel. It felt like walking into a grunge concert. On top of that she had to go through the metal detector 3 different times while everyone stared, she had more difficulty getting to class than she did getting through airport security. Then there was the cherry on top of the cake. Toni Topaz as her peer mentor.

“Hey so, first class of the day is English, which you’ll have with me. After that you have Chemistry and History. I’ll have to see if anyone else lines up with that…” Toni was looking over her schedule with a fine toothed comb. According to Ness, Toni was supposed be her liaison to the younger serpents. All which were supposed to be keeping a watchful eye on her.

“From today on you’re an honorary Serpent. You’ll sit with us at lunch and we’ll keep you from being food for the Ghoulies.” She paused for a second “Possibly literally. The rumors of cannibalism are unsubstantiated but better safe than sorry.”

Adria raised an eyebrow “Awesome. Thanks.”

Classes were underwhelming. Unlike prep school no one cared if she underachieved. She could sit quietly on her phone and no one seemed to bother her, she guessed her luck had to turn around at some point.

And it did. Until lunch.

“So this is the cartel princess, huh?” Toni sat her down at a table filled with much larger boys with leather jackets. All Southside Serpents.

“Fangs. Shut up.” Toni smacked him upside the back of the head before sitting down herself. “The idiot with the mouth is Fangs, and the large one is Sweet Pea”

She wasn’t wrong. He was extremely tall even sitting down. But then again it wasn’t hard to seem large next to her slim 5’1” frame.

“The cartel princess has a name. Adria.” Adria threw her bag onto the table and took a look at the meager sandwich the school had provided

“But really.” The boy named Fangs leaned over the table “How much time is your dad doing? How many hits did he call? Is it true they string up snitches by their feet on public bridges to send a message?”

He didn’t have time to spew out more questions before Toni threw an apple at his head which he managed to dodge at the last second. She wasn’t entirely paying attention as she was noticing out of the corner of her eye that the one known as Sweet Pea was glaring daggers at her.

Keeping her mouth shut had never been Adria’s strong suit.

“So are you just going to keep staring at me or are you going to tell me why you want to stab me after we’ve just met” She fixed her eyes on Sweet Pea who looked taken aback.

“I don’t care if your Aunt’s a Serpent. We don’t need some Northsider-like outsider here. Why don’t you go cross the tracks where you belong” He scoffed

“First of all. I have no idea what any of that shit means. Second I’m here and you’re stuck with me, if you have a problem with that go take it up with the Feds.” Adria shot back her biggest shit eating grin.

“Alright. That’s enough” Toni said “Like it or not. Both of you. Adria is a part of our dysfunctional Serpent family.” The bell rang “Now if you’ll excuse us, Adria and I have gym class to get to.” The two girls got up and collected their things before leaving the cafeteria.

“God, she’s hot.” Fangs smiled

“She’s a bitch.” Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag. “Sooner she’s gone the better.”

#sweet pea #riverdale #fanfic #fireandice #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea x oc

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snkpolls · 6 years ago

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SnK Season 3, Part 1 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 240 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that this is the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE FIRST COUR 231 Responses

Overall, respondents had a positive experience with the anime’s retelling of the Uprising arc with a 4 being the most popular ranking. It seems most believe there was room for improvement, but that it was overall enjoyable!

Good shit man, good shit. Next arc is gonna wring my heart dry of every last feel in existence, but so far I am satisfied.

This season was poor. I hoped for better. The scenes I loved it the manga were removed. Lots of character development was gone. But my biggest pain is anime version of Kenny. I will be honest - I am disappointed.

I liked it but the manga version will always hold a special place in my heart

I thought it was amazing, despite all the new things and things taken out. I still love the series way too much to really criticize choices they or Isayama make. I know I'm still gonna watch it and love it.

FAVORITE ANIMATED COUR SO FAR? 235 Responses

Nearly half of voters favor the Clash of the Titans arc’s adaptation the most so far, but the Uprising arc came at a surprisingly strong second overall!

Well done, WIT Studio! Although some of my favorite chapters became my least favorite and vice versa (sadly), this was over all the best arc in my opinion.

It was a good story, but they cut out way too many scenes I loved making it not the best adaptation when it comes to comparing it with the manga. Season 3 is still my favorite season though.

FAVORITE EPISODE(S) FROM THIS COUR? 231 Responses

“Friends” was the most well-liked episode of the first half of the season, but overall the last four episodes performed the strongest. This is likely due to their more faithful adaptation of the manga material than than the earlier episodes. On that note, “Pain” did pretty well in regards to the earlier episodes.

First two episodes were meh (way too fast for my liking), then it got slightly better, but the last 4 episodes were amazing

that ending scene in ep 12, what the hell, that scared me so much but it was so well done! also that last scene before the ending song is great for hype lol, Erwin's (japanese) voice actor is a god, my god what a man, SUSUMEEE

RATE THE SOUNDTRACK 236 Responses

It is probably safe to assume that the majority of respondents agree with the sentiment, “OST when!?” The soundtrack was great this season according to voters. Hopefully Sawano treats us soon!

It was so good and I really want the soundtrack to come out, I have 6 months to mentally prepare myself for the return to Shiganshina arc and I still won’t be ready

RATE THE ANIMATION 235 Responses

Overall, reactions to the animation were positive. Although there were some scenes that had room for improvement, ultimately we can’t deny that the hard work done on the action sequences really paid off. Here’s hoping for even more glorious animation in the second half of the season!

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE FOLLOWING KEY CHARACTERS BY THE END OF THE COUR?

We’ll let the results speak for themselves on this one. Levi, Historia, Erwin, Hange and Kenny drew the most positive feelings. Rod evoked the most negative feelings.

ARE YOU PLANNING TO WATCH THE NEXT COUR? 237 Responses

We’re happy to see that most of you guys will be around for more!

I feel like this section and onwards are not going to make for very entertaining episodes and are better in manga format, particularly if it's going to keep forcing major changes

HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING THE DUB? 237 Responses

The majority of respondents have not watched the dub and have no desire to do so. 16% will get around to it eventually and 14% are keeping on up on it.

IF SO, WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS OF THE DUB THIS SEASON? 211 Responses

Aside from the 75% who haven’t been watching it, those who have are having an overall positive experience with it this season, regardless if the original Japanese is the preference or not!

This season has been an improvement both in voice acting and script, I've been pretty satisfied with it.

I'm not sure why people think animes need dubs tbh. They never sound good. Kenny's voice actor really butchered the cowboy voice.

I've only seen a few scenes but when Levi shouted ''Nifa!'' it sounded really weird in the dub xD

The very idea of watching dubbed anime is heresy

DO YOU THINK LINKED HORIZON WILL BE INVOLVED IN THE NEXT COUR? 233 Responses

The majority are feeling pretty confident that Linked Horizon will be back again for part 2 with an exciting new opening for us! 16% are sure they will stick around, but we may not see them retake their role as the artist of the opening. A small sliver of respondents think that they will be absent.

OVERALL, DID YOU THINK THE ADAPTATION OF THE UPRISING ARC WAS DONE WELL? 237 Responses

Just over half of respondents believed that the Uprising arc was adapted well overall. 28% felt it was a good story, but not a good adaptation - still enjoyable, but not close enough to the source material. Smaller percentages either preferred the anime’s retelling or, on the opposite end, believe that the adaptation wasn’t good in any way.

Í think a few parts would've been better if they had stuck to the source, but overall it was a good adaptation

It was horrible to be very honest, ehhhhh they ruined it

There were a few cuts and changes that didn't make sense or took away from the story but it wasn't too bad. I love Attack On Titan too much to be ungreatful lol.

At some points it was a better adaptation, with changes I liked, and at some points the attempts to fix some issues created some others. I'd say I find it about even with the manga, the pros and cons balance out.

I enjoyed it, and I loved the action animation in the first few episodes, but I'd still have preferred a more faithful adaptation.

First half was rushed, i like the manga version of it better, but the second half that went more like the manga was excellent

It could've been a teensy bit better, but glad they hit all the marks that were important (except for the hesitation of the 104th squad killing people)

It was a good story, but they cut out way too many scenes I loved making it not the best adaptation when it comes to comparing it with the manga. Season 3 is still my favorite season though.

Although the story was entertaining and was produced well, it missed a lot of key factors present in the manga that really brings it down. At the end you have a feeling of hollowness as opposed to satisfaction

OPINIONS OF THE ARC BEFORE THE ANIME? 238 Responses

Prior to the anime adaptation, the majority of respondents were fond of this arc of the story. A few were indifferent or didn’t enjoy it, however.

I thought this arc was boring when I read it in the manga and it honestly wasn’t any better when it was animated.

AND AFTER? 237 Responses

Opinions stayed about the same after the anime retelling, with just a small bump up in the “liked it” area.

I actually like the Uprising arc. So when the anime came up I expected it to be better. So for me this is a good adaptation. Plus I think half of the budget was spent on making Levi 100 time hotter... My only regret is that they didn't show Levi shirtless.

Uprising arc is my favorite in the manga. So many changes have driven me mad but in the end, I have rather enjoyed this cour. The chara design and the animation are insane. Feel robbed in many ways though, but never mind.

I felt like a lot of details that made the arc good in the manga was lost in the anime

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR CHANGES?

While most stances were overall neutral on many of the changes, the most disliked change was taking away Levi forcing Historia to take the crown, thus unraveling subsequent events which eventually lead to the beloved punch/smile scene. The most well received change was including a proper Kenny vs. Levi fight scene in the cave.

I did disapprove of some removals and additions, because I felt that the way the manga structured it made the plot flow easily. For the anime, it felt a tad rushed with the fast stream of information given to the viewers.

Like many manga readers, my biggest and only really significant complaint was the removal of Levi's choking-and-speech moment. It was entirely crucial to both his and Historia's characterisation and future development.

I only liked two of the changes. Everything they did that stuck to the manga was really well done.

The fandom is happy because of the 2nd fight between them in the cave. That was the worst fight IMO: Kenny didn't learn anything from the first battle between them and decided to go against Levi again; he was babbling some nonsense, offended his nephew and as result - he almost got killed. So in other words - Kenny was shown as immature, dumb simpleton who despised his nephew and was pathetic fighter.

while different, i still think it was a good adaptation and none of the changes really bothered me too much.

An additional scene that I'm still upset they didn't include - the conversation between Nile and Erwin before Erwin's arrest, where they discuss their childhood together.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST COUR?

A shame a bunch of the political parts were ''rushed'', but it was to be expected. Otherwise a good adaptation!

Decent adaptation that skimmed over the boring stuff. Too bad some scenes were hacked away.

"Okay, this is epic." - Ben Shapiro

I don't care that Isayama approved the changes and that the majority of people seemed to have enjoyed this arc more in anime form with the changes. I'm not an idiot, I know how adaptations work and that they're a different medium and that it wouldn't be a 100% panel by panel adaptation nor was I expecting it to be. Neither of the previous seasons were. But they removed and changed SO MUCH of what made the arc great and my favorite personally that I'll never get over that.

After a few fast paced episodes that were slightly Concerning™️ things slowed down and made a lot of sense. I’m glad that isayama got a chance to see uprising play out in the way he would have liked. And as far as changes, some were great, some were not awesome, but we always have the manga. Overall it was amazing and what will I do with my Sundays for the next six months rip

It was pretty calm, right before the storm of the next cour

First sighting of god tier character Floch

I feel like a fair bit of changes were made just to give the main/loved characters far more screentime, and some other changes to be simply dumb and entirely unnecessary

I wish they had just stayed true to the manga. It seems like they wanted to remove some of Levi's darker parts which makes him a less interesting character.

While it could have been better (less CGI!), it was phenomenal overall, and I believe guarantees that the Shiganshina arc is in good hands!

Rod's Titan was so gross. YUCK!

EEEEEEKKKKKK

10/10 there was a brief flashback of Mina Carolina in the Cave.

I'm still salty about some cuts but overall I liked it. Who will say no to Anime SNK?

For Yams story and characters are the most important, for the anime team - it's fun for watchers. That's a bit sad but okay.

Historias new coronation outfit was better than in the manga

I see the anime as an extra, so nothing that happens in the anime will change how I see certain characters or the arc itself. So I really had a problem answering your poll. In my eyes, it a gimmick, a nice animated extra but nothing more.

Despite not being a 1:1 adaptation of the manga, the anime still manages to do a fantastic job of adapting Uprising as well as altering it. The story and characters were still executed very well, and this arc overall had a MUCH better reception than its original counterpart which, in my opinion, says something.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 221 Responses

SHOULD THE POLLS CONTINUE/OVERALL POLL FEEDBACK? 226 Responses

We’re happy to see you guys are enjoying the polls! We appreciate all of you! <3

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in April!

#snk poll #snk spoilers #snk s3 #poll results

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littleredroseonthevalley · 6 years ago

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Red Rose - Chapter 17

Prologue Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 11Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15 Ch. 16 CH. 17

Summary: Christmas arrives to Cordonia, and Riley feels emotional with the lack of snow and her solitude. Her hopes for a quiet holiday were soon twarted, though, with an attack where she least expected.

Rating: M - Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Avlona, Cordonia, Christmas Eve 2015

The holidays were a silent happening for Riley that year. It has been that way for years, now. This time, however, it seemed more so, as she now had friends, something like a boyfriend, and had reconnected with Charlotte.

She wasn’t alone by choice, but by circumstance.

Hana was at the Baleares with her parents and other relatives, spending their season under the Mediterranean sun. Drake and Liam were a short drive away from her, at Brigade Hill, but she doubted either the King or the Queen would be too glad seeing her.

Maxwell called her from Switzerland the day after Charlotte and she fled from Applewood. He had apologized he couldn’t say goodbye before the holidays, as Bertrand, unsurprisingly, was in a hurry. It was a good thing, though, as she wouldn’t have to explain why she left in the middle of the night.

After their flight from Applewood, Riley and Charlotte stopped by a deposit, as in to leave in safe-keeping some of her prized possessions, especially those which could compromise her identity, such as other fake passports, her bank card, the key to a Swiss safe deposit box in which she kept other important valuables and miscellaneous documents, which bared her birth name. Her journals, under Liam’s possession, were the only other sensitive object not protected.

Those, and a small jewelry box. One Charlotte wasn’t privy to its existance.

After their quick stop at the warehouse, the two women parted ways. Riley checked into a tourist-y hotel near Paparoúna Court, while Charlotte left for Italy. Not that her marriage was in any good shape, but it was to be expected she would spend her holidays with the Duke in Guastalla, rather than with her in Valona.

While Riley dwelled on that line of thought, her phone went off. “Your ears were burning?” She answered.

“Why?” Charlotte asks, confused.

“I was just thinking about you.” Riley responded, with a smile. “What gives?”

“Not much.” She shrugged. “Federigo is passed out in the couch, thankfully. I’m finishing dinner. You?”

“Room service.” The other said, simply.

“Well, I called to wish you a merry Christmas, but since yours is being as miserable as mine, I can give you a piece of bad news.”

“Bad news?” Riley echoes, concerned. “What happened?”

“Do you remember that Art teacher you were so fond of?” Charlotte lead with that. “Peter Brandl?”

She recalled the mouse-y man who used to teach her Art. “Yes, I do. He was a broker for Ludwig, right?”

“Yeah, he worked for the Fund in Prague.” The blonde hummed.

“What about him?”

“Well, I called mother earlier for wishing her a merry Christmas, and she said his body had been found at the Danube in Hainburg.” Charlotte ripped off the band-aid.

“Mister Brandl is dead?!” The other woman asks, incredulously. “Do they know what happened?”

Charlotte hummed. “The police ruled it as a suicide. Apparently, he was debt-ridden. Besides, he was a lonely man, no friends, no family, no wife, no children. If not for mother’s solidarity, he would go to the homeless pit. At the very least, he got a proper burial.”

“How sad!” Riley lamented. “I wish I could have been to his funeral.”

“Have you read the file I gave you?” She asked, changing the subject.

“Yes, it appears Bellevue kept a comprehensive file of the girls who worked for him.” The black-haired said, calm. “This is about some girl named Leda. She ‘joined’ in 1990 and was relieved of her position a few years later.”

“Anything special about her?” The blonde questioned. “There must be something special about it. Katya said it was on a safe.”

She shook her head instinctively. “Not that I can tell. Except for one thing, she has the marking for a client, number 830, who enjoyed her services for over five months.”

“That’s an awful amount of time to be with a hooker.” Charlotte commented.

“Charlotte.” Riley chastised.

“What?” She asked, in a teasing high pitch. “It is.”

“Be as it may,” The other responded, demeaning. “There is a photo attached to the file. That should be a lead to find out where she is.”

“And who she is.” The blonde echoed.

As she finishes her sentence, the TV blasts the opening theme for ‘María la del Barrio’, a Mexican soap opera.

“I cannot believe you’re watching this crap.” She scoffed. “It’s Christmas. Have some respect for yourself.”

“I like it, okay?” The other defended. “It’s dubbed in Greek. It’s terrible. But I like it.”

Itatí Cantoral, who played the main antagonist Soraya, gave a malicious laughter over at the TV.

“Terrible indeed.” Charlotte echoed. “Hey, remember when Grandmother would play those sappy French radio soaps?”

“Old woman Franziska sure loved those. She put me, you and Alexander to hear those, and then we went out and replay the episode out in the garden.” Riley reminisced.

“Mother got crazy mad with us playing at the flower beds.”

“Of course, she would. We destroyed the roses, making Alexander pluck them every once in a while, to propose to you or to me, as the script dictated.” The black-haired pointed out.

Just then, a knock came from her door. “Are you expecting anyone?” Charlotte asks.

“No, not really.” She responded and walked over to answer the door. The presence startled her. “Drake?!”

“What?!” The woman shouted over the phone. “Drake’s over there?! What on Hell he’s doing?! Pass over the phone to him at once! Are you listening, Riley?!”

Ignoring Charlotte’s voice but mirroring her question, Riley asks: “What are you doing here?”

He scoffed, good naturedly. “Some welcoming, huh, Flowers?”

“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t expecting you.” She said. “Do you want to come in?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He said, and she let him in.

“What are you doing?” Charlotte asks, over the phone.

“Excuse me for a minute.” Riley says, and then places the cell on her ear. “Talk to you later.”

“No! Wait!” The blonde tried to meddle, but Riley hung up.

The black-haired woman walked him over to the small sitting area on her room and motioned for him to sit. “Now, what good winds bring you here? I thought you’d be dining with Liam and his family tonight.”

“Oh, please.” He scoffed. “You think Regina would let me at the table with them? Sometimes the security let me join their feast, but normally I spend it alone.”

She smirked. “So, you came here to be alone together?”

“Pretty much.” He lowered his sight. “I also brought you something. From Liam.”

He pulled a small box from his coat pocket and slid across the table to her. Inside, there was a small pendant. “It’s beautiful!” She gushed. “Help me put it on?”

“Sure.” He coughed and stood up. She pulled her hair, baring her milky white, soft skin of her neck and shoulders to him. He took the necklace and fastened it.

Suddenly, he was taken by a want to kiss that exposed skin. He lowered his face to it, the warm breath sending chills to Riley’s spine. His height shadowed the woman, who wasn’t short herself. When he was millimeters from the flustering body, a knock resounded through the room.

With that, he sobered up and took a step back. “You should go answer.” He chocked.

She sighed. “Okay.”

Riley walked over to the door the second time that night and opened it.

“Riley!” Maxwell’s perky voice screeched on Drake’s ears and damping his mood.

“Merry Christmas!” Hana wished, sweetly.

Riley was dumbstruck. “Maxwell! Hana! I thought you were abroad.”

“We were.” The young man responded. “But Switzerland was boring, the room was terrible, Bertrand wouldn’t let me ski, so I came back.”

“We met at the lobby, actually.” Hana provided. “My family was thrilled I was invited to the Royal Family private Christmas feast.”

“But you’re here.” Riley pointed out.

“They don’t need to know that.” Hana said, with a wicked smile that felt foreign on her face. “They also don’t need to know I wasn’t invited, either.”

“Well, it is great to have you both here.” Riley smiled at them. “Come in, make yourselves comfortable.”

They stepped into the room and met Drake, standing there. “Drake! You’re here!” Maxwell exclaimed, surprised.

“Are we interrupting anything?” Hana asked, politely.

“No.” The man grumbled in response. “I was just bringing a parcel to Riley. I should leave.”

“Nonsense.” Riley said. “I’ll call room service and we can have a feast up here ourselves.”

“Great! I’m starving!” Maxwell said, sitting at one of the chairs. Hana gave the other three an appraising look and sat down next to the excitable man.

Drake waited standing for Riley to finish the call, as in to offer the last one of the three chairs. She declined with a: “I’ll sit on the bed.”

The black-haired picked up the remote and turned off the finishing credits to María la del Barrio.

“What were you watching?” Hana asks, curious.

“A Mexican soap opera.” Riley answers, dismissive. “It’s just something I do when I’m bored.”

Drake scoffs, mockingly.

“What? Did you think I’d study etiquette for fun?” Riley defies.

“Honestly, I don’t know which one is worse.” He answered.

The woman looked dirty at him and went over to her closet. She put a glass bottle in front of him. “Here, take it before I throw it on your head.”

He looked carefully at her and opened the wrapping. It was a 23-year-old Evan Williams Bourbon Whiskey. It sold for two thousand dollars in most of Cordonia, which was enough for making Drake gape.

“Jesus, Flowers, are you nuts?” He asks, taken aback. “Those things are crazy expensive.”

“I have a friend who let me have it for cheap.” She dismissed his worry. “Charlotte said you preferred Schlitzer, but I couldn’t find any for sale.”

He tried to disguise a grateful blush from seeping into his cheeks. “Thanks, Flowers. I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you.”

“You’ll have to outdo yourself next year, then.” She smirked at him. “Hana, this is yours.” She handed a rectangular package to her.

The Asian felt the package, trying to guess what was inside. Unable to, she asked: “What is it?”

Riley smiled. “Open up and see for yourself!”

The other woman obeyed and teared the wrapping paper. There was a leather-bound notebook.

“It is a sheet music notebook.” Riley explained. “It is completely blank, for you to write down your piano compositions. Well, blank save for the first page.”

“Sie zog tief in sein Herz, wie die Melodie eines Liedes, die aus der Kindheit heraufklingt.“ She read the dedication and wiped her eyes clean of tears. “Thank you, Riley. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Hana.” They hugged the moment out. “Now, last but not least, Maxwell.”

He was sitting by the edge of his chair, in childish anxiety. “Gimme!”

“Now, Maxwell, I’m going to give you something that symbolizes my trust and care for you.” She handed him a DVD. “This is the recording of the New York leg of ‘Straight to the Heart 2010 Tour’.”

“Sophie Ellis-Baxtor?” He tested the name and took the DVD, confused. “Thanks, I guess.”

She neared his face and whispered to his ear. “Watch it, and then you tell me what you think.”

He looked at her like a kicked puppy. It didn’t take a genius to know he was disappointed. “Okay, Riley.”

The bellboys arrived with their Christmas feast and they settled poorly around the small table and served themselves with turkey and chestnuts.

By ten o’clock, she was alone yet again. Maxwell and Hana excused themselves to get checked into the Hilton, in Vougliameni, while Drake had to return early to the palace, as security wouldn’t let him in later.

Out of some kind of childish sentimentality, Riley persuaded herself to go to the Midnight Mass at a Catholic church nearby. She would have attended the ceremony at Anastasis, but since the Orthodox followed the Julian calendar, Christmas would arrive a week later for the Greek community in Cordonia.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Good Council was an Italian-style church at the South end of the port area, on top of Gloire Hill. It was the cathedra for the Archdiocese of Valona, and the main congregation for the French Catholics in Cordonia.

She arrived at the temple ten minutes before the start of the mass. The benches were full, but the church wasn’t crowded. Riley waked over to the altar and paid her respects to the image of Cordonia’s patron saint.

With little difficulty, Riley found a secluded seat and waited for the ceremony to begin. The mass started, and a few minutes in, a man sat right next to her.

The priest and a deacon enter the altar and start the Act of Penitence. “I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to you, brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.

“Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Saints, and you, brethren, to pray for me to the Lord our God.” The congregation repeats after the clergyman.

“You know, this part always tears me up.” The man next to Riley commented.

“Nothing is more wretched than a guilty conscience.” She offhandedly offered.

“Shakespeare?” He asks, uncertain.

“Plautus, a Roman playwright.”

He laughed quietly. “You’re full of little aphorisms, aren’t you, Lady Riley?”

“It is as much fun as it denotes a certain elevation of the intellect.” She shrugged it off. “But we were talking about guilt, were we not, Lord Bellevue?”

“I believe we were.” He hummed. “Though, this is less about my guilty conscience then it is about what you had printed on the papers about me.”

“That much was a given. After all, to have a guilty conscience, one must have a conscience beforehand.” She said, daringly.

He scoffed. “So brave, so much gall.” He took off a black piece of metal from his trench coat’s pocket. It glistened on the Christmas lights of the church and it had an almost-inconspicuous unlocking click. It was a pistol. “Are you still feeling brave?”

Her teeth glistened on an unease smile. “You’d have to be pretty stupid to murder me here now. I’d wager I have until the communion, at the very least.”

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give You thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God Almighty Father.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Only-Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; Who take away the sins of the world, hear our prayer. You Who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You alone are the Holy One, you alone the Lord, you alone the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father. Amen.” The community chanted the Gloria.

“Mercy, that is a funny sentiment.” He scoffed. “You and the press certainly had none for me.”

“And you had none to Katya and Zarina and all the other girls.” She pointed out.

“Merciless? Me? After rescuing those girls from deject poverty? After leading this country through its golden age? I should be hailed.”

“How unfair is life, isn’t it?” She said, sarcastic.

“You are not without your secrets, Lady Riley.” He said, changing the subject slightly. “It is intriguing how you managed to waltz into circles any other person, even with all sorts of noble titles, take a lifetime to infiltrate.”

“I was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.” She countered. “Believe me, I would much prefer to be in New York by now.”

He trailed her neck with his right index finger, while the gun rested on his left hand. “You have posture, you have class, you have beauty. You’re no peasant.”

“Reading the right books and dressing the right clothes, it happens to be not that hard.” She said, shrugging

“So very opinionated. This is not a flattering attribute. And yet, you’ll become Queen of Cordonia soon enough.” He ironized.

She scoffed. “You’re naïve if you think so. Regina picks the Queen, and she chose Madeleine.”

“So, I have heard, but I merely assumed you would have a plan to take her down, just like you had me.” He countered.

She laughed, quietly, as in not to call attention to herself. “And what makes you think I would have taken you down if I had any plans to become Queen? Expose myself like that would be very counterproductive, don’t you think?”

“So, this is what this is all about? Revenge for not being picked?” He said, incredulous for being collateral damage.

“In a way.” She conceded. “But mainly because it is fun to see the world burn.”

The priest begins his sermon: “When the angel tells Mary that she’s going to give birth to Jesus, the message is ‘don’t be afraid’. ‘Fear not’ is what the angel also says to Joseph in his dream. That’s the dream which convinces him to stay faithful to this girl to whom he’s betrothed and who finds herself strangely pregnant. There are lots of reasons to be afraid in the Christmas story. Who wouldn’t be afraid away from home with nowhere to stay and about to give birth? Who wouldn’t be afraid when there was a despot like King Herod around? He wasn’t above murdering members of his own family if he took a dislike to them.

“A couple of months ago I was in Bethlehem for the first time in almost twenty years. We went to Beit Sahour about three kilometers outside Bethlehem. It’s where the Shepherds’ Fields are found. Despite the constant stream of pilgrims, it’s a peaceful place. But there is fear in air. The Shepherds’ Fields look across the valley to an Israeli settlement. In between there’s the security fence and wall separating Israel from the Palestinian Territories. It’s a vivid symbol that where the Prince of Peace was born there is no peace. And yet to troubled Bethlehem countless people come as pilgrims on a journey of faith, curious to see the place where Jesus was born, wanting to catch something of the joy, mystery and love of the Christ-child, God with us. The little town of Bethlehem will be packed tonight.

“Suddenly it seemed to make entire sense to me that Jesus was not born in a place of stability, security, prosperity and freedom. He was born in occupied territory, in poverty, in danger, and where there was no room for him at the inn. Pilgrims to Bethlehem still go to a problem place of high unemployment, where many of its citizens cannot visit Jerusalem just a few miles away and where many citizens of Jerusalem cannot visit Bethlehem. But that’s the point. God reveals himself to us within the troubles of the world, not after our problems are solved. Jesus Christ is born in us when we are ill or after we’ve had a row, when we’re divorced, or when we are lonely. The birth of this child in Bethlehem two thousand years ago wasn’t some simple solution to the world’s problems. He grew to be a man who had to face suffering, an unfair trial and an undeserved death himself. He knew life wasn’t fair. But this is God coming to live alongside us, within us, to bring us hope because even when we don’t love one another he never gives up loving us. That’s the joy of the Christmas message.

“There’s a chapel in the Shepherds’ Fields at Beit Sahour, just outside Bethlehem. There are three paintings within it depicting the story of the shepherds. The first recalls the angels telling the shepherds of the birth of Jesus; the second pictures them at the stable where they find this new born child. The third is of their return journey for Luke says, ‘the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen’.

“Each of the scenes features a dog with the shepherds. The dog is terrified in the first painting, attentive in the stable, and is clearly dancing with joy on the return journey, ears pricked up, caught in mid-bark and tail wagging. The shepherds and their dog return to work but transformed. They face the same problems and live the same lives but with new hope because of the joy coming from this child, Jesus Christ, God with us.

“Fear not. May the message of the angels and the joy of the shepherds be yours and mine tonight. A very happy and joyful Christmas to you all.” He finishes his sermon.

“Are you a Catholic, Lady Riley?” Lord Bellevue asks.

“I am hardly anything, Lord Bellevue.” She said, inattentive. “I haven’t step on a temple of anything for almost a decade now.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” He scoffed. “For all your single-minded dedication to a fleeting, insubstantial goal, you would have a future as a crusader.”

She smirked. “Much the opposite. I do what I do because I believe God is dead, therefore my actions are completely inconsequential.”

“You’ll know for certain soon enough.” He taunted, twisting the gun he held to her waist.

“I’m certain you would much prefer if I was crying and begging for my life.”

He laughed. “I cannot say I would not. You are making this whole thing very boring.”

“I’ll keep your notes in mind next time someone abducts me from a church.” She defied. “But, I fear, I am a lady worthy of the name.”

“If all noblewomen were like you, Lady Riley, there wouldn’t be a single republic in the world.” He praised, ironic.

“I thank you, Lord Bellevue, and as a gesture of goodwill, I would like to remind you we are at the Anaphora. In ten minutes, the old lady to my left is going to come over and wish me a merry Christmas.” She commented. “As much as she’s being a good sport about your more vocal disturbances, I find it hard to believe she wouldn’t notice you’re holding me at gunpoint.”

“Then we should be going to a more private place, no?” His smirk glinted.

Lord Bellevue took her arm, pulled her up and shot to the ceiling three times. The mass came to a halt, and the parishioners started to scream in terror. Taking advantage of the commotion, the former politician pulls her from the seats and out the door.

As the two of them exit the church, however, a police operation had been formed on the stairs. The building was completely surrounded.

“You planned this!” He shouted, angrily.

“You never asked whether I had my phone.” She smirked at him.

He pushed her and was about to shoot her, but he got shot first by the police officers. With the wound, he dropped the gun and Riley scurried away quickly to behind the lines.

She finally found a familiar face, Drake’s, and hugs him, crying, as the adrenaline wears off. “It’s okay,” He whispered feverishly to her ear. “You’re okay now.”

Hana and Maxwell appeared soon after, and Riley hugged them both, tightly. The two of them led her to a car and took her away from the scene.

As the car drove off, Riley could hear Bellevue being taken forcefully by the policemen, cursing and shouting.

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wanderingaunt · 3 years ago

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Invisalign-ing Patience - The Parallels between Orthodontics & Starting a Business

"My business is going to take off when I'm done with my Invisalign." -- Me, end of 2020

Life has an interesting way of teaching us lessons in patience.

When I was a pre-teen I entered into the world of orthodontics. I had a habit of sucking my pointer finger when I was a child, which pushed my teeth outward. At age 12, I got braces. As if being a middle schooler wasn’t awkward enough, getting braces topped it off. Luckily, I wasn’t alone in this stage of life. Many of my classmates and my sister, Lisa had braces alongside me. We at least got to make it a little more fun by changing the colors of our bands to match school colors and create an expression of our own. I had the added element of having a bridge in the roof of my mouth with a metal key that I would turn daily to expand my bite. It goes without saying, but I do not miss those days!

I was a structured kid who followed the rules out of expectation and approval. So naturally, when I got my braces off 2 years later, I made sure to wear my retainer every night. I wanted to be a “good” patient and seek praise from my doctor. For some reason though, when I got to college, I decided that my retainer wasn’t needed anymore. I had been wearing it for 5 years, so surely my teeth were in place by now…

Things shift in life when you let go of the structure holding it in place.

As you guessed, slowly over time, my teeth began to shift. From the outside, there wasn’t a noticeable difference. My teeth were slanted slightly, but it wasn’t anything to fuss about. What did cause a fuss, though, was my bite. I noticed that I was biting the inside of my cheek frequently when eating especially crunchy foods like apples and carrots. It was not enjoyable.

When I was in my late 20’s, I decided to go to the orthodontist to get a consultation about my bite. The first orthodontist I went to said that I would need to get braces again. Orthodontics has come a long way and made many advancements in the 16 years since I had had braces. Invisalign was a newer option that allowed you to move more freely through life without the constraint of monthly checkups or the pain experienced from wire braces. I was excited about this possibility. The orthodontist I visited said I was not a good candidate for Invisalign though, because of my bite. She said it would be a long journey (at least 2 years) and would cost at least $5,000 and not be an effective form of treatment. That was enough for me to say, “No Thank You” and go back on my merry way.

Money is often what stops us from taking action.

In this case, it wasn’t just the money that was stopping me. It was the thought of having to have braces for 2 years. I had plans. I was going to switch jobs, travel the world, and follow my dreams. And that couldn’t be done with braces.

Oh, how clever our minds can be to keep us safe from taking action.

I moved on and went back to living my patterned life. During that gap, my life really began to shake me up. I went through a long period of depression followed by taking inspired action and investing in myself through therapy, transformational programs, and retreats. 2017 was the year that things really began to shift. I dubbed 2017 as My Year of Action. I reached a point of exhaustion by repeating the same patterns, and not taking action towards what I said I wanted. I committed to showing up for myself consistently in ways I hadn’t done prior. It was the year I went on my first international retreat in Guatemala and realized that I was playing it safe in life. I knew after that retreat that it was time for me to quit my job of over a decade and follow my dream of traveling the world.

When I returned home from Guatemala, I raised the bar in showing up for myself inside of my Word of the Year, Action. I went to the dentist and told her that my bite was bothering me. She referred me to an orthodontist whom she highly recommended (Dr. Ortega at White Rock Orthodontics). I immediately booked a consultation. During the consultation, I learned that I was in fact a candidate for Invisalign. Dr. Ortega was confident that I could continue to live my spontaneous lifestyle as a traveler while correcting my bite. He said it would be a long journey and take at least 2 to 2 1/2 years. After all, teeth, especially molars, don’t move overnight.

My fear was screaming at me that this was too long and wouldn’t work, but my intuition knew it was time.

I thought back to my initial orthodontist consult 3-4 years prior. Had I committed to the process then, I would’ve been finished now. I didn’t want to wait another 4 years and be back in this same place with no action. So, on August 22, 2017, I committed to getting Invisalign and going down the path to fixing my bite. I had no idea that by making this commitment I’d also be opening myself up to the longest and most beautiful lesson in patience. After the initial “getting used to having attachments on my teeth”, Invisalign became a part of my lifestyle. I learned to embrace my smile and work my life around appointments. In the past, I would’ve been self-conscious about showing my smile with attachments on my teeth, but I learned that most didn’t even notice it. It became a part of me. I modeled in at least a dozen photoshoots and continued to travel all over the world while stopping back in Dallas every 4 to 5 months to get new trays.

When I hit the 2.5-year mark, I was a little disheartened to learn that my molars still needed more time to move. I received a whole new box of trays starting back to tray 1 of 24. At the rate of changing trays every two weeks, I was looking at least another year. I had made it this far, what was another year? That was a statement I never would’ve embraced prior to this journey. I used to think a month was a long time and that a year was an eternity… oh how naive I was.

It was around this time that I had also started my business and was navigating the world of being my own boss and learning to charge for my services. I thought committing to a multi-year journey with my teeth was challenging. Starting my own business, however, there was no preparing me for this ride.

It’s one thing to enter into something knowing how long it will take; it’s another to enter into something blindly believing it’s going to take off right away.

There are a lot of romantic success stories that entrepreneurs share that suck the newbies in:

I just had my first $10,000 month!

I went from broke to rich just by putting myself out there.

I have more clients than I know what to do with.

I made $50,000 doing one event.

While these are legit scenarios among many service-based entrepreneurs, it is not a common narrative. What’s missing from these stories is the work behind the scenes and more importantly, the internal work that others rarely see. So, while I celebrate business owners who reach these milestones (and wish to achieve levels like this myself), the way the stories are often shared can be a bit disheartening to those of us who are still building and refining our message and offerings.

If I was to share any wisdom with wannabe or newbie entrepreneurs, it would be to have patience. Take things one step at a time. One day at a time. Trust in the process and learn from those who have been where you want to go.

It was frustrating to hear from my orthodontist that I’d have to wear my Invisalign for another year to a year and a half. I wanted to quit and held back tears in the chair when I learned again that it would be yet another 6 months. But, I was so grateful that he was honest with me and asked me to trust in the process and trust that it would be worth it.

This journey with Invisalign has had so many parallels to running a business.

Timing is not something that’s always so easily predictable. I learned during this process to let go of linear time and trust in divine timing. There was a deep knowing that the process with Invisalign was here to teach me patience in all areas of my life. It taught me to trust in divine timing with the launch of new offerings and services within my business.

Don’t compare your timing or results to others’ journeys. I’ve had several friends get Invisalign as adults and the process only took them 6 to 9 months. When I first considered going down the path of orthodontics, I thought it would only take 9 months because that’s what I had heard from so many. But that wasn’t the case for me. My situation was completely different than theirs and would take more time. There was no sense in comparing my timing to theirs because it was unique to me just as theirs was unique to them. The same is with business. These days they say it takes 18-24 months for the average business to make a profit. While some can get there quicker, don’t discount all of the navigating, refining, and planning that takes place in the beginning phases.

Release attachment to the how and when. When I learned that the process would be longer than 2.5 years with my teeth, I learned to let go of expectations and surrender to the process. I couldn’t force my teeth to move. They had to go at their own pace, just as I’ve had to learn to go at my own pace in business. In 2020, I was set to lead my first international retreat in Spain. This was a big and exciting step for me! And then the pandemic hit. My travels, this retreat, business, and offerings were put on hold. I had to learn to pivot, try on new offerings, and release control.

Just when you think you’re done, another path appears. I attribute much of my journey to climbing a mountain. The peak can look so close to you as you’re moving towards it. But just when you think you’ve reached the top, another hill or path appears. It’s not as close as it looked. So then you’re faced with a choice, do you keep going? Or, do you turn around and call it done? I could’ve told my orthodontist that I was done when I learned I had another 12 to 18 months to go. But I knew from experience that the journey to the top is worth it. It’s worth it to keep going. The lessons learned along the way are priceless.

Consistency is key. My teeth would not have moved had I not worn my trays daily and overnight. While I didn’t always follow the recommended wear of 22 hours per day, I never went a day or night without wearing my trays. It was not easy to commit to at first, but after weeks of establishing a routine, I got used to the consistency and began to see results with each new tray and each check-up. I’ve dabbled so much in my business trying on different services and offerings. I’ve not been the best at sending regular newsletters or following what the “experts” say you’re supposed to do to run a successful business. But I have continuously shown up through the good and the hard. I learned that My Why was the foundation (or the trays like with my Invisalign) for everything that I do. And no matter what is happening in my life, as long as I’m holding to My Why, I will continue to show up and be seen.

When you learn to fully surrender and embrace the process, things begin to shift.

At the end of 2020, I learned that I had another 7 to 8 months left with my Invisalign. And I knew there was no point in fighting it. After all, I had already made it this far. So I surrendered and accepted where I was. I remember declaring to my sister, “My business is going to take off when I'm done with my Invisalign.�� While I was half-joking, I had this sense that things would shift when I finally learned to let go of control, trust, and be patient.

I wanted to give up many times with my Invisalign. Just like I’ve wanted to give up many times with my business. I’ve gone through the common cycle that many entrepreneurs face of wanting to quit and find a regular job. Yet, something keeps me on this path. There’s a deep knowing within that I’m meant to keep climbing. I’ve come a long way on this journey. The pandemic showed me that I am capable of slowing down and being in one place for a time. It taught me that it’s okay to try on different avenues and embrace all of the many skills I have. It’s taught me to ask for support and open up to receiving. I’ve had to ask many friends and my sister and her husband to support me several times in the last year with money for bills and, at times, food. It has not been easy to ask, but it has been so humbling to receive.

It’s been my greatest lesson in patience. When I finally surrendered to the process, I let go of attachment to the end. At the beginning of June 2021, I went in for what I thought was a normal checkup for my Invisalign to learn that it was actually the day to have my attachments removed and be fitted for a permanent retainer.

Letting go of attachment allowed me to reach the finish line.

And guess what? My declaration has started to show evidence of the payoff from being patient. Last year, I applied for a grant with the Small Business Association (SBA) for Covid relief, and I was denied. I applied for unemployment and again, I was denied. I didn’t earn enough to be considered.

Last week, I went in for a 6-week follow-up for my permanent retainer. It was my final appointment for this leg of the journey. Everyone cheered me on and congratulated me as I walked out of the building. And at that moment, I knew. Things finally were shifting.

I reapplied several weeks ago for an EIDL Covid Relief grant through the SBA. Monday, I woke up to find a generous sum of money in my account.

While I did receive a large portion of money overnight, the work that went into being patient, trusting, and surrendering to the process did not happen overnight.

I wasn’t ready to get orthodontics when I first went in for a consultation. I was meant to go on this 4-year journey at this time in my life. And the same is with the grant money. Had I gotten the money last year when I first applied, I would’ve used it to escape rather than face my pain.

Patience is a beautiful teacher and one of the most challenging lessons we will ever learn.

Where in your life are you afraid to start out of fear of how long the process will take?

Where in your life are you wanting to speed up the process to be done rather than soak in the journey?

Where in your life are you wanting to quit because it’s gotten too hard or you simply can’t wait any longer?

Where in your life are you comparing your timing and your journey to others’ stories rather than embracing your pace?

I invite you to reflect on these questions and see what arises. And if you find yourself desiring support, reach out to me. I created a new customized program to support you with where you are now that is designed to fit how you best operate. Send me a message or schedule a curiosity call to learn more.

#invisalign #patience #patient #life lessons #trust #surrender #business #entrepreneur #solopreneur

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

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Thursday, February 11, 2021

Arab spacecraft enters orbit around Mars in historic flight (AP) A spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit around Mars on Tuesday in a triumph for the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. Ground controllers at the UAE’s space center in Dubai rose to their feet and broke into applause when word came that the craft, called Amal, Arabic for Hope, had reached the end of its seven-month, 300-million-mile journey and had begun circling the red planet, where it will gather data on Mars’ atmosphere. The orbiter fired its main engines for 27 minutes in an intricate, high-stakes maneuver that slowed the craft enough for it to be captured by Mars’ gravity.

Chinese spacecraft enters Mars’ orbit, joining Arab ship (AP) A Chinese spacecraft went into orbit around Mars on Wednesday on an expedition to land a rover on the surface and scout for signs of ancient life, authorities announced in a landmark step in the country’s most ambitious deep-space mission yet. China’s space agency said the five-ton combination orbiter and rover fired its engine to reduce its speed, allowing it to be captured by Mars’ gravity. If all goes as planned, the rover will separate from the spacecraft in a few months and touch down safely on Mars, making China only the second nation to pull off such a feat. The rover, a solar-powered vehicle about the size of a golf cart, will collect data on underground water and look for evidence that the planet may have once harbored microscopic life. Landing a spacecraft on Mars is notoriously difficult. Smashed Russian and European spacecraft litter the landscape along with a failed U.S. lander.

World’s second-oldest person survives COVID-19 at age 116 (AP) A 116-year-old French nun who is believed to be the world’s second-oldest person has survived COVID-19 and is looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday on Thursday. The Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, lists Frenchwoman Lucile Randon—Sister André’s birth name—as the second-oldest known living person in the world. French media report that Sister André tested positive for the virus in mid-January in the southern French city of Toulon. But just three weeks later, the nun is considered recovered. “I didn’t even realize I had it,” she told French newspaper Var-Matin.

Canada beckons again for some Hong Kongers (Reuters) A second generation of Hong Kongers is heading to Canada for refuge from political uncertainty, but unlike their parents in the 1980s and 1990s, this time seems for good. Cities such as Vancouver and Toronto are a magnet for those looking to escape as China tightens its grip on the territory of 7.5 million people. Some 300,000 already have Canadian citizenship after many families initially moved there ahead of Hong Kong’s return from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Back then, many families separated, with one parent staying in Hong Kong for work, usually fathers who were dubbed “astronauts” as they soared through the sky on visits. Among those who went to Canada, many eventually returned, lured by the booming economy and what still seemed to be a relatively free environment. With recent pro-democracy protests virtually snuffed out and Beijing enshrining control last year via a national security law, bags are being packed once more. “Staying in Hong Kong is not an option anymore,” said Maria Law, 39, who moved to Vancouver last year with her two girls ahead of her husband. “I’d rather have a free future for my daughters instead of making money while they have to keep their mouths shut.”

US pandemic surge weakens (WSJ) The most severe surge of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. has weakened significantly, according to key metrics, though public-health experts and epidemiologists urge caution, given the spread of highly contagious new variants. Newly reported cases have dropped 56% over the past month, based on a seven-day average, marking a significantly steeper fall than the U.S. saw after the spring and summer surges. Hospitalizations have declined 38% since Jan 6. The seven-day average of Covid-19 tests returning positive fell over the past week to 6.93%, the lowest since Oct. 31.

Poll: A third of US adults skeptical of COVID shots (AP) About 1 in 3 Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new poll that some experts say is discouraging news if the U.S. hopes to achieve herd immunity and vanquish the outbreak. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that while 67% of Americans plan to get vaccinated or have already done so, 15% are certain they won’t and 17% say probably not. Many expressed doubts about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. The poll suggests that substantial skepticism persists more than a month and a half into a U.S. vaccination drive that has encountered few if any serious side effects. It found that resistance runs higher among younger people, people without college degrees, Black Americans and Republicans. Of those who said they definitely will not get the vaccine, 65% cited worries about side effects, despite the shots’ safety record over the past months. About the same percentage said they don’t trust COVID-19 vaccines. And 38% said they don’t believe they need a vaccine, with a similar share saying that they don’t know if a COVID-19 vaccine will work and that they don’t trust the government.

Facebook to temporarily reduce political content for some users (Reuters) Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it would temporarily reduce political content appearing on New Feeds for some users in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia this week and in the United States within the coming weeks. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in January that he wanted to “turn down the temperature” of political conversations on the social networking site because “people don’t want politics and fighting to take over their experience on our services.” The world’s largest social network, which has received flack for not doing enough to remove hateful content from the platform, last month said it would stop recommending civic and political groups to users. Reducing the frequency of political content will mark initials steps to explore different ways to rank such content in people’s feeds using different signals. Facebook will exempt content from official government agencies and services, as well as COVID-19 information from health organizations from the drill.

For Hungary’s poor it’s wood or food (Reuters) Zoltan Berki usually wakes up before dawn, as his five small children sleep next door, to feed the old iron furnace that stands in a wall cavity to warm up both rooms. This is the only part of his house that he can afford to heat during winter. Come rain or shine, Berki, a stocky 28-year-old Roma man, cycles an hour to work to save on the bus fare, so he is up anyway. But he also has to burn some materials before daylight, to conceal the thick black smoke that billows from his chimney when he uses plastic or rubber. Such household pollution is illegal in Hungary, including in this town near the Slovakian border. People do it anyway. “Firewood is expensive,” Berki said one recent afternoon, as his family played around him, crammed into a small room. “Either I buy wood or food. So I go to the forest, or the junkyard, and if we find plastic or rubber we burn that.” Scavenging for material to burn is common for the poorest people in the small, run-down town of Sajonemeti and those nearby, among the most destitute communities in Europe since Communist-era heavy industry vanished 30 years ago, leaving thousands jobless.

Russia’s vaccine (Washington Post) Not long ago, talk of the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine provoked mockery. “There’s no way in hell the U.S. tries this on monkeys, let alone people,” a Trump administration official told CNN in August, referring to initial reports about Russia’s development of the Sputnik V drug—which bypassed traditional steps in testing before its release. Even at home, where a history of political opacity and bureaucratic incompetence has left a lingering distrust of authority, many ordinary Russians shied away from getting the jab once it was made available to the public in December. But now, Sputnik V—named after the world’s first satellite that saw the Soviets initially outpace the Americans in the space race—is starting to look like it could be a global success story. It got a boost last week after the respected British medical journal the Lancet published a peer-reviewed paper that found the vaccine had 91.6 percent efficacy 21 days after the first shot and 91.8 percent for those over 60 years old, placing it on par with the celebrated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Sputnik V is considerably cheaper than its Western competitors and does not require the same sort of ultracold storage infrastructure that would complicate distribution of the Pfizer vaccine in much of the developing world. “It does say something about the quality and integrity of the scientific enterprise within Russia, which a lot of people disparage or dismiss as decayed and obsolete and underfinanced and underpowered,” said Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Russia detains Jehovah’s Witnesses, searches properties in new criminal case (Reuters) Russian law enforcement detained a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses and conducted searches at 16 different addresses in Moscow on Wednesday as part of a new criminal investigation against the group, state investigators said. The Investigative Committee, which handles probes into major crimes, said the people had been detained for organising and taking part in the activities of a banned religious group. It said they had met in a flat in northern Moscow and studied the teachings of the religion despite being aware of the ban on the group’s activities. Russia’s Supreme Court branded the Jehovah’s Witnesses an “extremist” organisation in 2017 and ordered it to disband. Since then the authorities have detained dozens of Jehovah’s Witnesses and convicted them on extremism charges.

What quarantine is like in Olympic-host Japan (AP) What’s it like traveling to Japan, six months ahead of the Olympics? Almost impossible, unless you’re a Japanese national or a foreigner with resident status. A state of emergency for a large part of the country means that even those special cases who are allowed in have to take multiple coronavirus tests and stay holed up in quarantine. And what could the entry process be like for thousands of Olympic athletes scheduled to show up ahead of the July games? Plans now call for the athletes to be tested 72 hours before they leave home; then again when they arrive, and then frequently when they are closed off in a “bubble” in the Athletes’ Village alongside Tokyo Bay. All athletes are being asked to arrive only five days before their first competition and leave two days after. They are being told there will be no tourism and little social contact—even in the Athletes’ Village. These will be an Olympics like no other.

Myanmar protesters back on streets despite police violence (AP) Crowds demonstrating against the military takeover in Myanmar again defied a ban on protests Wednesday, even after security forces ratcheted up the use of force against them and raided the headquarters of the political party of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Fresh protests were reported in Yangon and Mandalay, the country’s two biggest cities, as well as the capital Naypyitaw and elsewhere. The growing protests and the junta’s latest raid suggest there is little room for reconciliation. The military, which held power directly for five decades after a 1962 coup, used deadly force to quash a massive 1988 uprising and a 2007 revolt led by Buddhist monks. In Naypyitaw and Mandalay on Tuesday, police sprayed water cannons and fired warning shots to try to clear away protesters. In Naypyitaw, they shot rubber bullets and apparently live rounds, wounding a woman protester.

More on COVID-19 (Worldcrunch) Ghana parliament shuts down over outbreak that leaves 17 MPs and 151 support staff ill. The U.K. releases new quarantine guidelines that includes possible £10,000 fine or 10 years in prison for unauthorized travelers. South Africa cuts distribution of AstraZeneca after research shows its lack of efficacy on the South African variant. Healthcare workers in Bolivia go on strike to demand stricter lockdown measures, facing an average of 1,000 daily COVID-19 deaths.

Ultrawealthy givers (AP) As the world grappled with COVID-19, a recession and a racial reckoning, the ultrawealthy gave to a broader set of causes than ever before—bestowing multimillion-dollar gifts on food pantries, historically Black colleges and universities and organizations that serve the poor and the homeless, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual rankings of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity last year. “When I look at the events of the last year, there was an awakening for the philanthropic sector,” says Nick Tedesco, president of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. “Donors supported community-led efforts of recovery and resiliency, particularly those led by people of color.” Giving experts say they think the trend toward broader giving is likely to persist. “I don’t think this approach is just a 12-month moment that started with COVID and continued following George Floyd and is going to recede,” says Melissa Berman, president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, which counsels donors around the world. “There has been change building among private donors.”

#headlines #news

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animesavior · 8 years ago

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"Majin Buu was ridiculously strong, there's no way I could've stopped him on my own. And you never know, one day someone even stronger can show up. So I've got to keep training, to keep you guys safe."

- Goku, Dragon Ball Super (Ep. 01)

“Toonami and Dragon Ball. We go together like peanut butter and jelly.”

- Sonny Strait, the voice of Krillin and TOM 1.

The Toonami Trending Rundown for January 7-8, 2017. We kick 2017 off with a bang with the long awaited premieres of Dragon Ball Super and DBZ Kai’s Buu Saga in addition to the TV premiere of Gundam Unicorn. And what a night it was. As a result, Toonami and every show successfully trended in the US during their respective East Coast airings, in addition to Dragon Ball Super and JoJo’s trending during the West Coast airing.

And in the case of #DragonBallSuper, saying that it trended might be an understatement, as the show began trending in the US during the primetime airing at 8, and quickly going up to the #1 spot in the US trends, and continuing to trend through the Toonami airing at 11:30 (and all this despite the buzz of the first day of the NFL Playoffs going on at the same time), in addition to even trending worldwide briefly.

DBZ’s buzz would also create a character trend in Gohan as on Super, Gohan gets married to Videl, so Goten and Trunks look for a wedding present for them, while on DBZ Kai, Gohan enrolls to High School in Satan City, but on his way he stops a bank robbery. Though going Super Saiyan sealed his identity somewhat, the news about the “Golden Fighter” stopping crimes around the city ever since Gohan’s arrival and his early struggles in fitting in has made Videl very suspicious.

Finally, Dragon Ball Super’s buzz was enough to make Nielsen Social’s daily top five most talked about shows on Facebook and Twitter on that day, making it to #1 for the very first time. This is also the 8th time we’ve seen this occur for a Toonami show, the first time this has occurred outside of summer, and the first time this has happened since Facebook was integrated into their analytics. Overall, it’s definitely a great start, especially for a show that’s been long awaited in Dragon Ball Super, and here’s to many more weeks like this going forward.

This upcoming March will mark Toonami’s 20th anniversary, and among other things, Toonami will be showcasing the Production IG microseries, Sand Whale and Me. Directed by Mamoru Oshii of Ghost in the Shell fame, the microseries is a 25-minute, 5-part short film, with each part to be shown weekly beginning on March 18th. In addition, Toonami is looking into having a throwback look for the month of March, with 4 options from four different eras during Toonami’s original run. The options can be seen below, and if you wish to cast your vote, comment on their Facebook post here.

Several Toonami shows will be making it onto the silver screen over the next few months, including One Piece Film Gold, which premiered in select theaters on Tuesday, with showtimes going through the 17th. If you’re interested and a showing is available near where you live, go check it out and give your support to the anime industry on the big screen.

Likewise for Ordinal Scale, as Aniplex is beginning to sell tickets for the upcoming film, which is set to be released in select theaters on March 9, 2017. Click here to check your local theaters for showtimes and tickets.

youtube

Those keeping up with simulcasts might know that on Friday, the season 2 premiere of Blue Exorcist premiered in Japan. The first season had a successful run on the better cartoon show back in 2014, and we could see this as a potential candidate to make it’s return when the show’s dub is produced in the months ahead. We’ll keep an eye on any further developments, but in the meantime if you want to check out the new season now, new episodes are available to watch legally at Crunchyroll and Daisuki. A little quick note for those planning to watch: since the last 8 episodes of Blue Exorcist season 1 considerably diverged from the manga, the new season ignores those events, so for those wishing to restart from episode 1, you only need to watch the first 17 episodes (or the first 4 volumes of the manga) to get caught up.

Finally, no word on Samurai Jack as of yet, though in preparation of the upcoming season, Adult Swim will rerun Samurai Jack episodes starting next week at 8:30pm Eastern, following the Dragon Ball Super prime time premiere.

2016 sure was a memorable one for the block, with the successful airing of Intruder 3, as well as the successes of all the great shows to have aired on the block in the past year. We revisited an old classic in Samurai Champloo as well as saw some new experimentation with the broadcast dub of Dimension W. We saw that good things indeed come to those who wait when the Gundam franchise made its grand return for the first time 12 years with Iron Blooded Orphans, and after many years of waiting, both Hunter x Hunter and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure respectively got over the hump to finally air on the better cartoon show. We saw that nothing is really impossible with the airing of Children Who Chase Lost Voices, which gives a glimmer of hope for the future prospects of movies on the block. And the success of One Punch Man among others continue to remind us of the potential of how big and great anime can be and that more great things may still be to come.

And with the successful premieres of Dragon Ball Super, the Buu Saga, and Gundam Unicorn, 2017 is off to a great start. Super finally got it’s English Dub and Toonami debut after a year and a half wait since the series started airing in Japan, bringing in the first new Dragon Ball series to US shores in since Dragon Ball GT aired on Toonami 11 years ago (movies and Kai aside). The Final Chapters meanwhile brings DBZ Kai’s Majin Buu arc to US shores, something long awaited since Toonami brought back DBZ in 2014, and even longer for those who watched Kai from the get-go when it originally aired on Nicktoons and the Kai DVDs. And the Gundam franchise now has it’s second title since Toonami’s revival in Unicorn, the newest addition to the Universal Century timeline and a title well requested since the original OVAs were being produced earlier in the decade, which has been converted into a 22 episode TV series for broadcast.

The new year always brings new beginnings, and we have some pretty exciting times ahead as the block reaches its 20th anniversary, with new shows and other surprises yet to come, in addition to the current arsenal of shows. And with Toonami back on the air for almost 5 years now and anime going back on the upswing, things are looking up and there’s plenty of anticipation to see what’s next in the year ahead. But of course keep watching as always and help keep those ratings and overall buzz up so we can keep this train going for years to come.

Until next week, congratulations to Clemson on winning the National Championship, and stay gold.

United States Trends:

Toonami/#Toonami [#6]

#DragonBallSuper (Also during the Primetime presentation and the West Coast airing) [#1]

#DBZKai [#1]

Gohan (From DBZ) [#1]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure (Also during the West Coast airing) [#1]

#GundamUnicorn [#1]

#HunterXHunter [#1]

#Shippuden [#4]

#OnePiece [#3]

Worldwide Trends:

#DragonBallSuper [#10]

Tweet Counts:

Toonami [14.4k tweets]

#Toonami [6,013 tweets]

#DragonBallSuper [16.6k tweets]

#DBZKai [3,071 tweets]

Gohan (From DBZ) [12.6k tweets]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure [3,105 tweets]

#GundamUnicorn [2,705 tweets]

#HunterXHunter [2,612 tweets]

#Shippuden [1,013 tweets]

#OnePiece [4,899 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#toonami

#dragon ball super

Special thanks to @brezerkfury, @coreymbarnes, @jmb70056, @TheNextHokage and others I forgot to mention for spotting some of the trends on this list.

Edit 1/12 @ 5:10pm PST: Added image of #OnePunchMan trending in the US. Thanks to @jmb70056 for this.

Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

#Toonami #Adult Swim #Cartoon Network #Toonami Trending Rundown #Dragon Ball Z #DBZ #DBZ Kai #Dragon Ball Super #Gohan #Jojo's Bizarre Adventure #Gundam #Gundam Unicorn #Hunter x Hunter #Naruto #Naruto Shippuden #One Piece

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preciousmetals0 · 5 years ago

Text

Alibaba Explains It All; Tesla’s $2 Billion Call

Alibaba Explains It All; Tesla’s $2 Billion Call:

Alibaba Explains It All

The market’s got chills. They’re multiplying. And China’s losing control.

Because the Wuhan virus they’re supplying … is electrifying!

Yesterday’s lull in new, reported coronavirus infections was the calm before the storm. Today, China announced 15,152 new cases and 254 new deaths. The totals now stand at more than 60,0000 confirmed cases and 1,369 dead.

So far, China has remained confident that it can contain the outbreak, and Wall Street has followed happily along. But that narrative changed this morning after an earnings conference call from Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: BABA).

Now, Alibaba’s most recent quarter was stellar, with earnings surging 58% and revenue climbing 38% year over year. But the company’s guidance was a wake-up call for Wall Street … and not just for Alibaba shareholders.

“The epidemic has negatively impacted the overall China economy, especially the retail and service sectors,” said Chief Financial Officer Maggie Wu. “While demand for goods and services is there, the means of production in the economy has been hampered by the delayed opening of offices, factories and schools after the Lunar New Year’s holiday.”

In short, Chinese workers are either sick and can’t work, or can’t work because of delayed return-to-work dates or quarantines. It’s safe to say that productivity is grinding to a halt in the country.

Alibaba’s quarterly report has, so far, been the most honest take on the situation, and investors across the board should take notice.

The Takeaway:

So, how’s everybody feeling today? Any sniffles? Fever? Aching outside the norm?

I hope you’re doing well. If you’re outside of China and inside the U.S. (like most of Great Stuff’s readers), you’re probably just wondering when the rain will stop.

Maybe you’ve got your own flu worries to contend with. While the Wuhan virus gets loads of attention, schools are closing due to outbreaks of the regular old flu here in the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, area.

We went from snow days to flu days here … it’s kind of sad.

You’ve probably heard that the Wuhan virus — officially dubbed COVID-19 — is like a really, really bad flu. That’s not far off the mark.

But that comparison brings with it generalization. Why can’t the Chinese just suck it up and keep working? That’s what we do here, after all.

The Chinese are hard workers, but their health care system (from hospitals all the way down to local drug stores and supermarkets) just isn’t as convenient as ours. We can rag on U.S. health care all we want, but at least we have convenience at our disposal! It’s the price of that convenience that’s a pain…

I think this is the main reason why Wall Street and most regular investors aren’t taking the threat of COVID-19 very seriously. It’s not spreading here, so why worry?

In truth, the virus may never widely spread in a Western country due to improved health care options. But that doesn’t mean that COVID-19’s impact in China won’t affect you or your investments.

Alibaba made that very clear this morning. The company relies on local merchants and businesses to operate and sell goods … and those businesses are struggling under the weight of the outbreak.

This is true for every single company with a significant supply or manufacturing chain running through China — as we’ll see later with Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO).

Now, this isn’t the end of any of these companies by any means. For Alibaba and the rest, this latest bout of volatility is just another buying opportunity in disguise.

Great Stuff readers know more drawdowns may follow today’s, and the shrewdest of you may have already taken the chance to scoop up some shares on the cheap. But, if you’re tired of panicking on down days, Banyan Hill expert Jeff Yastine is your guide to buying when the buying’s right.

Over his 15 years of financial news coverage, Jeff’s seen it all — from boom to bust to boom again. No matter what happens in the market’s fickle flights of fright, Jeff Yastine has his eyes out for high-growth stocks trading at bargain prices.

Today, he’s about to reveal a massive investment that he calls “Q Shares.” This may be Wall Street’s best-kept secret — a simple upgrade that could grow your profits up to 27 times faster than holding “normal” shares.

Click here to learn more about “Q Shares.”

The Good: Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Oh boy … we’ve got another winner here! I hope you’ve been reading Great Stuff, because you might’ve missed this recent opportunity.

I’m talking about Applied Materials Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT). Shares of the semiconductor equipment-maker are rallying today, after the company put in a solid fiscal first-quarter performance. Applied beat earnings expectations by $0.07 per share, and revenue rose to $4.16 billion. Wall Street was looking for sales of just $4.09 billion.

What’s more, the company issued second-quarter guidance significantly above the consensus target. Applied sees earnings in a range of $0.98 to $1.10 per share and revenue of $4.14 billion to $4.54 billion. The average analyst targets rest at $0.91 per share and $4.05 billion in revenue.

I’ll just take this opportunity to say: I told you so! Back on December 31, I recommended AMAT as one of Great Stuff’s top picks for 2020 and beyond. In less than two months, AMAT is up more than 12%!

And, as the cycle continues to improve for semiconductor stocks, we can expect bigger and brighter returns from AMAT.

Congratulations, Great Stuff investors. You’re on a roll!

The Bad: An Offer You Should Refuse

You know when a company says it’ll sell more shares, and investors get worried about shareholder dilution? Yeah … that didn’t happen with Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA).

Today’s trading was quite volatile for TSLA, but the stock still moved broadly higher. Why should Tesla stock have fallen? Because the company announced it was selling $2 billion in new common stock. Yes, $2 billion.

Now, I get that the company can put that money to good use. This is not necessarily a bad thing for Tesla … as a company. In fact, with the shares trading stupidly high right now, it’s a brilliant move by Tesla to raise capital.

But $2 billion in new Tesla shares running around should have some negative impact on the stock’s price. It just should.

You divide the current market capitalization by the new higher number of shares outstanding and the price goes down. That’s how math works.

Well, that’s how math is supposed to work. But, when your stock price is propped up artificially high by speculation and over-the-top bullish sentiment, math tends to take a back seat.

Don’t get me wrong: Great Stuff is still bullish on Tesla over the long term.

But this current craziness in TSLA pricing is still out of hand. If you already own Tesla, you don’t need to sell, but some hedging might be in order to protect your portfolio. If you don’t own TSLA … don’t sweat it. There will be better prices to buy in at down the road.

The Ugly: Down With the Sickness

Earlier, we mentioned Cisco Systems in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak. The stock is getting punished today, and I don’t think it’s because of the company’s earnings report.

In fact, the company’s fiscal second quarter was quite good. Earnings beat expectations by a penny. Revenue came in at $12 billion, also edging past Wall Street’s targets. Third-quarter guidance was relatively tame … but nothing unexpected.

All in all, it was a very vanilla quarterly report with no real surprises.

But there was one little tidbit that Wall Street might’ve seized on. Asia-Pacific orders were down 4% last quarter, with China driving that weakness. In fact, Chinese orders plunged 30%.

When you combine that footnote with Cisco’s heavy reliance on Chinese component suppliers and contract manufacturers … things start to get dicey. Add in Alibaba’s stark admission on just how bad things are getting economically in China, and you can see why CSCO fell roughly 6% today.

That said, Cisco is a well-run company with solid growth opportunities. The COVID-19 outbreak won’t last forever, and CSCO will bounce back, meaning now could be a good time to buy the dip.

I would also like to remind you that now’s an excellent time to choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. You don’t have to rush to take Jeff Yastine’s advice, but, if you’re a working man (or woman), sooner is better.

Here’s that information on Jeff’s “Q Shares” again, just in case you missed it earlier.

Welcome back to another edition of Great Stuff’s reader feedback!

In this weekly column, I read your emails and … provide feedback. It’s kind of in the name, huh?

This week we asked for your thoughts on the Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) / T-Mobile US Inc. (Nasdaq: TMUS) merger … and boy, were you guys chatty!

Let’s get started:

They Did the Math

Perhaps the judge is the one who understands the economics of building a network.

All network operators have to build a network that gets you 100% coverage, or you don’t get customers. The most expensive part of all networks is the last mile. So, the cost is the same for all providers. Now, take the mobile population and divide by the number of networks:

100%/1= 100% revenue = monopoly, covers costs and huge profit.

100%/2= 50% revenue each = duopoly, covers costs and nice profits for both.

100%/3= 33% revenue each = oligarchy, covers costs and slim profits for all.

100%/4= 25% revenue each = costs not covered, no profits and fight to kill one.

Based on 30 years working on mobile networks, three competitors provide both competition and money to upgrade to each generation of networks. Having four slows progress down and impedes innovation.

Mike H.

Thanks for writing in Mike! I’m not entirely sure about your math there or how it applies to T-Mobile and Sprint — that last mile is often run by companies like Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI) or American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT). But you get an “A” for effort, nonetheless.

As for the judge in the case, it seems his decision was based less on the credibility of the 10 witnesses in the case and more on the fact that Sprint just sucks as a company.

Total Domination

There is an extreme determination in the world to justify one’s existence by how much $$$ you have or control. And that equates to Power and with unabjectable Power comes total domination … so it refurbishes that, in our reality, you are undeniably the Most Superior essence in Existence. My relative that came over here on the MayFlower didn’t come here for me to live under that concept!

Brian R.

I have to be honest with you, Brian. I totally appreciate and get your point, but … maybe … lay off the Red Bull occasionally? (Or maybe I need more Red Bull … caffeine is a heck of a drug.)

Remember, the new T-Mobile still has to compete with AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) … as well as a host of other internet companies providing access. We’re not at “total domination” levels just yet … despite how the financial media portrays this merger.

Thanks for reading and writing in!

Happy Wife = Happy Life

Following up on your wholly unsubtle snarky comment, “Please tell me you don’t still have a phone landline,” in today’s Great Stuff, I have to guess that you have never been married, or if you were, you are since divorced. Why do I say that? Because if you had a wife, she probably disliked her cell phone — I know mine only uses hers in a true emergency!

We also have cable TV, since streaming here is still too fragmented for comfort, so I use a much less expensive (Tracfone) cell service for us and do my heavyweight online stuff from home. I figure my extra net landline cost is maybe $30-$50/month — a very small price to pay to have a happy wife.

Yes, I suppose if my wife were under 40 and grew up with wireless, this conflict would not exist, but there you are. I’ll stick with the one I got…

Dave G.

I feel you Dave. I’ve been married for more than 20 years. My wife is like a technology black hole. Everything she touches randomly and mysteriously stops working for no reason. It took me years to get her to use a smartphone, and she only switched after I laid out a detailed plan on how cutting the landline would save us lots of money down the road. (One of the benefits of being a financial wag on the internet, ha!)

Now, she’s hooked on the thing and uses it more than her laptop. But those mysterious tech issues pop up more and more frequently, and we argue about those instead of dropping the landline.

It’s a never-ending cycle. So, we did manage to drop the landline … but at what cost? At what cost, Dave?!

If you wrote in and I didn’t get to you, it might be because you cursed too $%*?@#! much. I still really appreciate the feedback, even if they won’t let me publish it.

And if you haven’t written in yet … what’s stopping you? Drop me a line at [email protected], and let me know how you’re doing out there in this crazy bull market.

That’s a wrap for today. But if you’re still craving more Great Stuff, you can check us out on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

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goldira01 · 5 years ago

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