#the amount of money this went for before ari bought it was.

[wanopo-daily]

Day: 131

Buster Pin

one of my buddies bought this for 70 usd. ari you know who you are

[astrologicaldiary]

My solar return experience 2024

Capricorn rising

Focusing on work and long term plan

I bought a planner to write out my tasks at work just in case I need proof for a salary increase or something else

My sister who is a Capricorn moon push me to ask for a salary increase or something. I did, but I still want more

Started some side hustles, I just wish I could start making money

I have to be honest to be disciplined if I want to achieve my goals

Capricorn moon /12th house

I got very emotional

I was daydreaming a lot

I was sleeping in a lot

My relatives always said that I was so emotional when they were being petty

Saturn and Neptune in 2nd house (Pisces)

Ummm…. Money was tight

With Neptune , I would spend and I’ll think that I got more in my bank account. But when I look in my bank account, the amount was different and lower than what I thought

I had track my sendings and check my back account before I went spending on something

I had to be disciplined with my money

North node, Chiron and Mars in 3rd house (Aries)

Arguments with family

I got interested in writing again , I started brainstorming on a book

If you haven’t talked with your cousins, more than likely they’ll apologize or you will if you hurt their feelings. My fake ass cousins apologized on Thanksgiving 😑 after we haven’t spoke for 3 whole years !

Buying or collecting books

Mercury, Jupiter , Uranus and Venus in 4th house (Taurus)

Homebody

Cooking foods at home more than eating out

Planning or buying stuffs for the home

Bought a new comforter sets for my bed

Talking to relatives a lot

Sun in 5th house ( Gemini)

being creative

Bought my first guitar ever

Practicing music and doing vocal lessons

Reading

Bought tickets for some music concerts

[kaeyas-beloved]

Character: Childe

— he’s hopelessly in love with you <333

CWs: spoilers for Childe’s real name, gn!reader (no pronouns mentioned), not proofread!

a/n: snatching this format that I’ve seen around Tumblr because I like it and it fits here. Will I use it again? Not a clue!

hopelessly in love ajax who introduces you to his family relatively quickly and with little to no hesitation. childe feels with his whole being, love is no exception. so, when he can see a future with you, no matter what form that future may take, you meeting his family is the first step forward.

hopelessly in love ajax who’s all talk unless you make the first move. he can kiss you over and over and over again, teasing you along the way, but the moment you pull him forward and plant your lips on his face before he can is the same moment it’s all over for him.

hopelessly in love ajax who buys you gifts often but they all have sentimental value to them. he’ll but you flowers, handing them to you with the confession that he bought them because his love for you was too much to keep in his heart and no amount of words would describe what he was feeling. childe would also purchase your preferred jewelry - watch, ring, necklace, earrings, a bracelet, whatever you liked, as long as you promised to wear it whenever you went out. “so you’ll always have me with you!”

hopelessly in love ajax who refuses to let go of you once he has you in his arms. he acts like he might perish if he loses the warmth and love you radiate in your embrace! it’s not that he hasn’t received a hug in years, he gets plenty when he visits home, but there’s just something different in your hugs and cuddles that regular holds don’t have. a certain feeling they lack.

hopelessly in love ajax who grabs your wrist if you’re ever helping him take off his scarf or fatui mask, allowing his cheek to rest in your palm. you’ll find he nuzzles into it much like a cat would, but unlike a cat looking for warmth or to scratch an itch, ajax does it because your touch is one of the few things that soothes him after a long day, his mind instantly at ease.

hopelessly in love ajax who tries to impress you in any way he can. it starts simple enough, trying to flash his strength on the battle field and such, but the more he falls for you the more creative he gets. balancing a spoon on his nose, his (slowly improving) chopstick skills, leaping over decent sized creeks, anything to rouse some kind of pleasant response from you.

hopelessly in love ajax who flips between drowning you in whatever fancy dates his money can buy and the more simple, quieter date ideas. it’s never bad to change things up, he reasons, childe’s favourite being to take you out on walks through the nation’s scenery. whether it’s the snow dipped forests in snezhnaya, the golden mountains of liyue or even the green fields of mondstadt, as long as ajax is around, he’ll make sure you enjoy your time with him. (he certainly will be, because when dates like this happen is when he truly gets to connect with you!)

hopelessly in love ajax who’ll sometimes just stare at you. could be while you’re cuddling or sat at the table for a meal, his pretty blue eyes are on you, taking in all that you are. he’ll think how gorgeous you look, how luck he is someone like you loves someone like him, the darker sides of him and all. he thinks about how it’s now his mission to spoil and love you for the rest of his life, because anything less is a crime punishable by life behind bars.

Tag list: @spoopy-fish-writes // @that-enby-alien // @xenuuu // @mariposa666haruka // @quackquackmfs // @saishin-michiyoshi // @ajaxstar // @genshin-impact-writings // @ventisweetheart // @lordbugs // @lemontum // @akiria12167 // @ari-the-wr1ter // @dontmindmebeing // @xiaos-wife // @irethepotato // @milkwithspiceyicecubes // @stygianoir // @stage-lucida

. . .

Wanna be tagged in future works? Consider filling out this form! And if you want to be removed just DM or send an ask into my inbox!

[hectormcfilm]

SCENE RECREATION- THE LIGHTHOUSE

For our final project in Film Production workflow we were tasked with recreating a scene from a film that particularly inspires us. After lots of thought my group decided on The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers as the main goal of this task was to replicate the atmosphere and feel of the scene and The Lighthouse is a film so focused on its feel. We decided to choose a very small and intimate scene where it is all interior shots and just the two main actors. This helped greatly with location scouting and set design as we could more accurately replicate everything.

In early group meetings when we were brainstorming ideas for scenes I championed for the Lighthouse from early on as I thought it was an amazing film that is difficult and impressive but still manageable. I also find Robert Eggers very inspiring, I believe he is one of the best modern directors along with Ari Aster and Emerald Fennel with all three of his feature films The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman being great and refreshing.

When initially deciding on a scene we had three options, the ending, the drunk dance or the scene we chose. The ending would definitely have been too technically challenging for lots of reasons, especially the incredible sound design and the production design of the Lighthouse itself. Between the 'What? What? What?' and dance scene we thought the 'What?' scene captured the comedic yet sinister atmosphere of the film best and had some great shots that could challenge us and give us a chance for some real guerrilla filmmaking.

In this production my roles were Producer and Editor. This was a great combination as it meant I was involved with all three aspects of the production process, pre-production, production and post-production.

As the producer I completed all of the sheets as seen above. I created a kit, costume and prop list, a call sheet and production schedule as well as two different shot lists. I felt it was helpful to have one shot list that is just the images of the shots along with the dialogue spoken within them and another which focused on the more technical elements like the camera angle and movement. Splitting these lists into two helped keep them clear and not messy. I also edited the original clip to label each shot with its number, this was very helpful on set as it made sure there was no confusion which shot was which whilst filming. I made sure to transcribe the scene so I could easily send off the script to potential actors as well as a video of the original scene. When looking for actors I originally intended to have one of my friends from back home who specialised in acting help out but he dropped out quite last minute. I then put out a casting call on an actors and film group on Facebook to find an actor for Willam Defoe.

As part of producing I helped with the recce along with Harry Paul, we visited a community centre but then got no response whether we could film there. We thought of filming in someone's attic or a wooden shed to give that dingy wooden aesthetic however these areas would've been too enclosed and unpractical, even maybe dangerous, to have so many crew members and so much equipment inside. I emailed to multiple venues in Edinburgh including Out of the Blue and Deaf Action, even going to Deaf Actions main building and browsing their venues but none of them worked for our chosen scene and the amount of money for renting a room out for the whole day of filming was much past our budget. In the end Harry took over as recce and found our location, opting for a plain room and allowing us to build up the set rather then finding a room wholly accurate to the scene.

When it came to the actual filming day I acted mainly as a runner and general assistant to different roles. Before we started filming I went to the cafeteria and bought everyone waters as well as some snacks to keep people energised, I also helped build the set which was primarily constructed of carboard, building the boxes up and evening them out to act as beds etc. When filming I constantly had my laptop up and would assist the DOP at making sure the shots seemed accurate. Then I acted as support such as swapping batteries for the camera and sound and putting them on charge. In certain shots I am holding up a black flag to help direct the light. Overall I tried to fill in any role that needed filling in since my credited roles were either pre or post production. The on set production process was the most enjoyable part of the scene recreation, meeting and working with our actor for Willam Defoe was great and we worked together very well as a team. Our most difficult challenge as a group was the opening shot as it entails a slow zoom and turn to the left on a dolly or track. We didn't have access to that type of advanced equipment so had to improvise and figure out intelligent ways to move the camera without it being shaky and distracting. Since I was the producer I was also the most time orientated on set, wanting to make sure we stuck to the schedule to the best of our ability, making sure certain shots got the time they needed for setup and takes.

Post-production was definitely the most challenging role I took on in this production. Since our filming day was Tuesday 5th December I had limited days to edit so had to make the most out of my time. I started by going through each video clip to find the best take then searching for the correct audio clip to match this, I completed this process with all 17 shots then found the sound effects like the foghorn from online as I knew I wouldn't be able to folly it before starting to edit. I enjoyed the editing process as it is a very entertaining and strangely comedic scene. I placed the clips in order first then worked out the finer details of audio as many shots don't include the full line of dialogue the last words sinking into the next shot. After the initial timeline was completed I focused on sound and making sure every piece of dialogue was at a good level of volume and the background noises were at a low but audible level. Next I focused on the most important aspect of creating the feel and atmosphere of the film, the black and white colour grading. We filmed on set with a black and white LUT so I knew how the lights would react with each shot making my editing job much easier, I still did some colour grading on a lot of shots to get them as accurate to the original scene as possible. The final stage of editing was to convert the video into the correct aspect ratio of 1.19:1 which worked perfectly since on set the camera had a grid of what the aspect ratio would look like.

Watching the final product back now days later I am very proud of what we managed to achieve as we were mostly accurate with our recreation. Every shot is there and lasts nearly the same amount of time as the original, only a few clips are a second or so off. We captured the lighting well especially on Willam Defoe's recreated sections and both performers do an amazing job. The only real issues I think we had is the depth in certain shots, Willam Defoe definitely could've been closer to the window behind him and our other issue is setting, whilst we did a good job at building up fake beds and a fake window the room we are in isn't the best as in certain shots you can see the roof which isn't slanted and is a more modern pattern. Overall I am very proud of our recreation.

[dalishious]

if you could create a new companio or important NPC for next game,what they would be?

I made a couple up for fun a few years ago, actually. I don’t recall ever posting...

Name: Herodes Metellus

Race: Elf, Human

Class: Mage, primal magic

Description:

Herodes is in his late-forties. The uncountable amount of freckles on his naturally tan face makes it hard to focus on the forming wrinkles. He has light brown eyes and medium-length, curly brown hair. He is very tall and chubby, posing a seemingly frightful shadow, if not for him practically being afraid of it himself.

Background:

There are few elves who can claim to be as powerful and wealthy a Magister as Herodes can. It’s a position his family has been fortunate to hold for some time. His “great-great-something grandfather” was a Laetan, and became the apprentice of one of the most powerful mages in the Magisterium. Very shortly after this, said Magister died, and left absolutely everything to the grandfather, including his seat in the Magisterium. So the will dictated, at least. There were many who opposed, but that was quickly silenced with the family’s newfound money.

Growing up among the other children of Magisters with it being public knowledge that his mother was an elf, Herodes was the victim of constant bullying.

Herodes is the only one in his Circle and the Magisterium publicly known to have a human father and elven mother. Growing up, the other children of Magisters never held back in their bullying, and once entering adulthood, that turned into the need for Herodes to always remain on his toes for the next political move from his adversaries, looking to remove his “impurity” on their social class. He was taught from a young age that there would be a never-ending hostility to his very existence, and that he had to have a mind and tongue of steel in order to keep the family’s power. Unfortunately, Herodes has never felt talented in either of those regards, and instead resorted to making himself as invisible as possible.

After the death of his father, Herodes inherited his seat in the Magisterium as well as control of the family’s wealth. When he next witnessed the abuse of a group of slaves being sold, Herodes bought them all, then promptly took them to court and had them freed. He gave them each a small coin purse and away they went. It was something he couldn’t stop thinking about, and so it became a repeated occurrence whenever he could do so without drawing too much attention.

Herodes joined the rising yet obscure Lucerni faction, looking to change Tevinter. But with so many enemies already, there is only so much he is willing to do outright. He reasons that losing his position will benefit no one, but it is a frequent argument between him and Ari that he’s really just scared for himself.

Motivations/Goals:

Herodes would like to see reform in Tevinter, but is scared of people knowing that. He is much more comfortable being “behind the scenes”, where there are less risks. His personal character arc is about finding bravery in himself, especially in regards to publicly standing up for his people and for himself.

—————

Name: Zara

Race: Elf

Class: Rogue, daggers

Description:

Zara is in her early-thirties. She has warm brown skin and black eyes with sleepless dark bruises under them. Her black hair is straight and shoulder-length, with her bangs always pulled back around her head. Zara is average height for an elf, with a slight build.

Background: 

Both of Zara’s parents were enslaved, and as such she grew up never knowing anything different. When she was a young girl, she was separated from her family when sold to another Magister. She worked in his kitchens, first as a scullion, then with age, grew to be the cook’s assistant. She was taught how to read in order to understand recipe books and instructions.

When people ask Zara about the Magister, they don’t always understand that it doesn’t matter how “nice” he was to her. “Nice,” of course meaning, “not as bad as it could be.” No amount of “niceness” can make up for him owning her like property. If he was truly nice, he would have freed her.

One night, the Magister had Zara fill in as a waitress for his party. She was not treated well, much to the displeasure of one of the attendees, Herodes. He demanded she be sold to him at once. The Magister happily took his money, and Herodes took Zara, much to her fear and confusion. But as was his practice, he brought her to his house, and the next day, took her before a judge and had her freed. Zara didn’t really know what to do as a Liberati. She spent some time trying to track down her parents, but could not. So she returned to Herodes, and began working with him to help others who were formerly enslaved. They argue a fair bit, Zara insisting he should do more, Herodes insisting he can’t.

With Herodes’ anonymous investment, Zara founded the Liberati Collegium, where former slaves of all ages get together to teach one another life skills, from reading, to cooking, to self-defence. Zara herself gives reading lessons. It did not take long for people to take note of her “mockery of a Circle,” and try to shut things down. But that has yet to happen, and instead, things only continue to grow. And with the growing number of educated and working Liberati, comes a stronger voice.

Zara constantly fears the loss of her Collegium, and is so focussed on keeping it alive and thriving that she leaves no room for herself. Herodes fears that she is one spark away from her matchstick burning out, but Zara feels like the Collegium is all she has, and that she herself does not matter; only it does. She tries to fill the hole of complete lack in self-worth with her care for others.

Motivations/Goals: 

Zara strongly believes in the concept that ‘knowledge equals power’, and wants Liberati to have the chance to learn the skills they need to actually sustain themselves, to not wind up back in slavery. More than that, she wants so badly for Liberati to be considered citizens. Zara cares so much for everyone else and not at all for herself, and her personal character arc is about learning that she matters too, and more than that, it’s not sacrificing her goals to invest in self-care.

[knifefather]

Hey! Can I get one of those matchups? For jjba part 5 please... (Asking anonymously so my profile pic doesn't bias you lmao)

I'm 19, cancer sun, Aries moon, Libra rising

I'm 5'11, but I always wear at least two inches of heel... Making me usually around 6'1

I write horror fiction for a living. (I also have a retail job because there's no money in art in this economy)

I believe in self improvement

I wear either long dresses or suits, never anything too casual.

I smoke cigars and a pipe, but rarely cigarettes (they're too damn expensive and not worth the price if you ask me)

I love the smell of smoke. Wouldn't advise smoking though.

I drink occasionally.

I like cooking

I love walking through the winding city streets at night

Very polite

I have a cat

I consider myself to be a caring person

I like both coffee and tea equally but for different reasons

My favorite tea is earl grey (I absolutely love the smell of bergamot)

My favorite coffee is espresso because it tastes the way coffee beans smell when you've just bought a bag of them and opened them up and smelled them.

Not very good with technology.

My favorite perfume is Si Fiori by Giorgio Armani

My favorite foods are steak and sushi

Thanks!

The Knife Father matches you with...

Risotto Nero!

➼ Everything about your description screams “Risotto’s s/o”! The first time that Risotto lays eyes on you, he is out on mafia business. He was to meet with another Capo at a fancy restaurant in town. While he walked through the restaurant to meet him, everyone’s eyes were on him, except for you. You sat at a table with your friends, the evening gown you were wearing showing off the impressive heels that glinted from under the table. You had a cigarette in hand that you bummed off of one of your friends. He made a note to himself to come back and introduce himself after his work was over with. After the deal with the other Capo had been settled, Risotto exited the building, only to see you standing at the corner with some of your friends, about to get in a taxi. Sucking a breath, Risotto shoots his shot, and luckily, you sent him a text the next day. The rest is history, baby.

➼ Risotto is indifferent to your pet cat... or so you thought. One night, you climbed out of bed to get a drink of water from the kitchen. Risotto wasn’t by your side, so you assumed that he fell asleep in his office while doing paperwork. After securing your glass of water, you went back upstairs and peaked into his office to find the cutest sight you’d ever seen. Risotto was asleep at his desk, laying down on his folded arms, while your kitty was curled up against his arm. One of your cat’s toys was in the corner of the room, which indicated that some playing had taken place as well. With a warm smile, you woke Risotto and got him to bed. 

➼ He loves to take walks with you at night. Partially because he doesn’t like the thought of you going alone, but also because less people are out. He doesn’t get as many people staring at him because of his size or his eyes. The two of you walk hand-in-hand, talking quietly to each other while you explore the dimly streets. 

➼ Risotto loves to smell that Armani perfume when he nuzzles his head against your neck. He gifts it to you constantly because he never wants you to run out. 

➼ He thinks it’s sexy that you’re tall like him. Risotto is 6′4 (I think) and he loves it when you wear heels. He gently tries to get you to wear taller heels because his favorite thing is to look you in the eyes, perfectly on level with him. He would grab your waist and pull you close, perfectly flush against his gargantuan chest, before kissing you deeply.

➼ Earl Grey tea makes him think of you. Sometimes he has to go out on missions for weeks at time to do work for Passione. Risotto can only bring a limited amount of belongings with him, but he always chooses to bring a few bags of the tea. If he’s lucky, he’ll get an opportunity to actually make the tea and drink it, but even the smell brings him peace. When he comes back home, one of the first things you do together is enjoy a nice cup of tea. 

[fiiore-blogs]

( lorenzo zurzolo , 20 , cismale ) i  just  bumped  into  fiore  gattuso  the  other  day  while  walking  down  north  kingsboro , where  he  lives . i  hear  they  can  be  charming  and  narcissistic , but  when  i  think  of  them  i  immediately  think  of  bloodshot  baby  blue  eyes , luxury  brands , an  enchanting  smile ( ari , 21 , she / her , est ) 

tw : homophobia , abuse

full  name : fiore emiliano luca gattuso ( first name pronounced fee-oh-reh, also see here! )

nicknames : fifi, emmy ( by people who know his middle name ), some people might say… flower boy ( fiore literally means flower in italian ) 😳

gender : cismale

height :  5 ′ 8

age : 20

birthday : may 30 , 2000

zodiac : gemini ( aries moon, libra ascendant )

right  handed  or  left  handed : left  handed

eye  color : baby blue

hair  color : basically dark blonde / light brown

piercing  &  tattoos : the gemini symbol on his left wrist, a cartilage piercing on his right ear

languages  spoken : italian  ( native  tongue ), english, spanish, pretty decent sicilian

sexuality : bisexual / biromantic

place  of  birth : livorno , tuscany , italy

last  3  songs  listened  to : dimmi che mi ami by dj matrix, almeno stavolta by nek, west coast by lana del rey

character  inspo : kat hernandez from euphoria ( huge muse ! ), adam groff from sex education ( think season 2 adam ), alyssa foley from the end of the fucking world, maeby funke from arrested development, lucrecia montesinos from elite

♡ so fiore was born to a spanish mother named martina & a fully italian father named gian gattuso in tuscany, but they later moved to rome when he was around four years old. his mother is a very well known politician & his father is a billionaire, heir of several gas, water & electric companies all over europe. besides that, he is also a preacher and very involved in church. both his parents are very well off financially

♡ fiore grew up with anything he’s ever wanted ( materialistically, of course ). besides that, his parents genuinely weren’t the best of people. his mother stole millions from the so called campaigns she ran & was a very corrupt politician, his father treated his employees like shit & was a pretty hateful person altogether

♡ they were people who expected a lot out of their only son, which made fiore feel an insane amount of pressure from the very start. at a very young age, he showed characteristics lots of boys his age didn’t show. he did things like peeing while sitting down instead of standing up, preferred to play with dolls instead of ‘boy toys’, favored the color pink, got along better with girls, preferred to watch shows that were considered ‘girly’, etc etc.

♡ they were very harmless things honestly, things that most parents would laugh about & turn a blind eye. however, fiore really wasn’t that lucky when it came to them any time he would do anything they claimed a ‘normal boy wouldn’t do’, he would get a huge lecture & a beating to go with it. needless to say, he learned to hide a lot of who he really was from a very young age

♡ he did a lot of things to seek the approval of his parents. he wasn’t smart academically ( dumb boi 101 tbh ), but he tried to make them happy in other ways. fiore was never fond of sports at all, but he started playing tennis when he was five, because it made his parents happy. truth be told, he hated tennis with every fiber of his being, but again, he did this, simply because it satisfied his parents

♡ he grew up trying to be the perfect son, often times putting himself in situations he didn’t want to be in or felt uncomfortable doing because he wanted them to be proud, but honestly? it was like? never enough. it was all smiles for the pictures, but behind closed doors, he really was pretty damn miserable

♡ simply put, he has always known that he likes boys. he likes girls too, don’t get him wrong, but he knew, literally since he could remember, that he also had a thing for guys too. of course, he was aware that this wouldn’t settle well at all with his extremely strict & unfortunately, very close minded parents, so he buried his feelings incredibly deep

♡ he has a lot of charm & wit & found himself getting into relationships quicker than most of his friends. he briefly dated a girl when he was fourteen, but it was when he was sixteen that things really began getting pretty #spicy

♡ there was a romanian boy new to his very #elite school & if you guessed it, they began to date! his first boyfriend at sixteen years old. fiore was basically living two lives at this point, sneaking around with a guy behind his parents’ back, but when he got home, the facade began. the way he would switch up as soon as he entered the front door to his house was honestly shockingly scary

♡ he really felt himself falling in love with this boy even though they were both fairly young. they snuck around forever. when no one was home, he would sneak him into his room to have sex, sneak out of his house when his parents were asleep, all that fun stuff. their relationship was forbidden ( at least to fiore’s parents ), but things go downhill pretty fast

♡ so one day, fiore & him get really really drunk & honestly? video record themselves having sex fjkgnfv they didn’t do this to post it anywhere or show anyone or anything, they really just did it for themselves. they made a few copies ( stupid boys, i know rip ), but they really felt like they would get married & all that gooey lovey dovey shit so they did it because yolo i guess? this was a pretty big mistake though

♡ one day fiore & him are walking back from his tennis practice. this is a time where fiore knows no one is home & no one is coming home for a while, so when they get to his house & see his father’s car parked outside, he lowkey panics a little. of course he makes the guy leave & goes inside to see what’s going on

♡ his father asks him to come upstairs & surprisingly, leads him into his room. this is when fiore’s entire life practically changes forever. his father turns on his tv & legit starts playing his sex tape with his boyfriend. just picture this though; your extremely homophobic, close minded & hateful father & you sitting on your bed, watching your gay sex tape with your boyfriend

♡ obviously, this news isn’t well taken by his father. to make a long story short, he gets his ass beat. like, literally almost dies type shit. when this happened, he was eighteen and had just recently graduated school, with plans to travel. he knew if his relationship was ever discovered by his parents, it wouldn’t go well, but he really didn’t think them discovering his sexuality would be that brutal

♡ his parents basically disown him at that moment. they bought him a ticket to new york & told him they never wanna see him again. it’s sad, but he packed his things & left in two days to go live with his cousin 

♡ it doesn’t really take an expert to figure out that fiore did not take this move well at all. for months, he was really depressed. he wouldn’t go out & would just lay in bed for the longest time. he was really hurt by everything that happened & it took him a while to recover. he has also lived in italy his whole life & wasn’t really used to life in america at all, but after like the fourth month of just feeling sorry for himself, it was his cousin who snapped him back to reality

♡ he began putting himself out there. at first, he began working at a pizza place, but fiore slowly began to realize how much he despised working. his entire life, he received everything on a golden plater with pure solid gold spoons, he’s always had everything he’s ever wanted without working for it, so this? he was for sure not used to it at all. again, his life completely changed. he went from living in a three story mansion in the most prestigious part of rome to living in a very shitty part of new york, broke almost always, & working a job he hated with everything he had, splitting rent with his cousin

♡ fiore did not want this at all for himself. it wasn’t until he went out clubbing ( fake id & all ), that one his friends showed him the wonders of conning people. they walked into the bar with twenty bucks and left with four thousand dollars

♡ quickly, fiore began to learn his friends’ ways. his looks, personality & his thick italian accent helped him tremendously; it was like people literally couldn’t get enough of him. soon enough, he was conning & finessing the fuck out of older men & women for their money. he once walked into a casino with five dollars and walked out with over 12k

♡ finessing people became a huge hobby of his. he’s also very very lowkey done some camboy stuff, but with a mask on because he’s sneaky af ( legit think kat from euphoria ) like, these super lonely old men or even women are just sending him money for being hot? amazing! it was with all this money that he bought himself a luxury car & jump started his model & influencer career. it was also with this money that him & his cousin ditched the crap show that is south kingsboro & moved into a much better apartment up north. with his looks & persona, he gained followers like crazy & posted videos on youtube as well, getting sponsorships & recognition easier than he expected. he honestly makes a shit ton of money off social media & modeling, like, he’s basically living off his looks, personality & the content he post? we love to see it

♡ there is still a part of fiore that has a lot of issues & trauma. honestly mommy & daddy issues af, but he doesn’t talk about this at all. he literally refuses to talk about anything that happened to him before he was eighteen. no one really knows how he came up or where his family is & he keeps it this way, dodging questions about his personal life as much as he can

♡ in a way, he is kind of relieved with everything that happened with his parents because now, he’s completely free to be himself & do whatever the fuck he wants, knowing very well they can’t really touch him anymore. of course, it still left a mark that he’s never going to be able to erase or forget ( both in his heart & on his body too ), but he feels free for once in his life & he’s honestly kind of happier now, but also, low key needs therapy tbh 🥴

♡ relationship wise, he really doesn’t commit to anyone. after practically being forced to leave his now ex boyfriend, he kind of feels like he doesn’t deserve love? it’s really fucked up but he’s genuinely convinced that no one is ever going to really love him or want to be with him so he just avoids any romantic relationship of any kind, usually just hooking up with people & then leaving as soon as it’s over, or just stealing money from them and ghosting. the truth is that he really does want to be loved, accepted & cared for by someone he loves, accepts & cares for as well, but will it ever happen if he continues pushing people away? probably not tbh

♡ he is a fucking drinker & hella pot smoker!! legit give him some alcohol & weed he’s happy. he always has either one on him, or both tbh. he’s secretly a hella good cook too but this is something almost nobody knows really. he can make food or desserts, and he’s also taught himself to make weed edibles which is honestly iconic kvnfjvc even though he keeps this part of himself hidden

♡ he can be really sneaky & deceiving when he has to be, like, he’ll legit have 0 reason to lie but he’ll lie anyways? it’s like a defense mechanism lmfao

♡ very much conceited boy, honestly in love with his looks but it goes deeper than that. he feels like he has nothing to offer besides being hot so he dwells on looking good always, pretty sure he would rather die than wear sweatpants like vjkdfsvnfs literally always looks a1

♡ is actually? secretly blind af ndjvdfnv one of his many secrets tbh. has a vision of 20/50, nearly 20/60, but hasn’t worn glasses since he was seven, pretty much doing everything with contacts. he just thinks glasses look unattractive on him & honestly refuses to let anyone see him with them on. the only person who even knows he has vision as bad as he does is his cousin who is a npc sooo 🤡

♡ this is all that’s coming to mind rn but hmu for plots pretty pls jkfnvjnfv, this is his birthchart for some extra #tea

[mill3nniumforc3]

200: My crush’s name is: Russell :) 199: I was born in: April 1994 198: I am really: energetic 197: My cellphone company is: Verizon 196: My eye color is: hazel 195: My shoe size is: 7.5-8.5, depending on the shoe 194: My ring size is: 7.5 193: My height is: 5′5″ 192: I am allergic to: penicillin, cats, pollen, and strong scents 191: My 1st car was: I’ve never owned my own car. 190: My 1st job was: babysitting. First real job was a desk job at my university 189: Last book you read: I don’t remember. I don’t have time to read for leisure. 188: My bed is: comfy 187: My pet: Seamus the miniature schnauzer and Sugar the Aussie-mo 186: My best friend: Ashlyn 185: My favorite shampoo is: Dove 184: Xbox or ps3: neither 183: Piggy banks are: for kids and rainy days 182: In my pockets: nothing 181: On my calendar: going river tubing on Saturday, party next Saturday, trip for T’s birthday weekend, and possibly going to Kennywood and Kings Island sometime in August. 180: Marriage is: something for my future self 179: Spongebob can: do anything 178: My mom: is the bestest 177: The last three songs I bought were?: who buys music anymore? 176: Last YouTube video watched: probably an ASMR video 175: How many cousins do you have?: too many to count 174: Do you have any siblings?: three sisters 173: Are your parents divorced?: no 172: Are you taller than your mom?: yep 171: Do you play an instrument?: piano, drums, bells, and I know three chords of the guitar 170: What did you do yesterday?: sleep [ I Believe In ] 169: Love at first sight: sure 168: Luck: yes 167: Fate: maybe? 166: Yourself: depends on the day 165: Aliens: not really... 164: Heaven: yes 163: Hell: Do I believe in it? Yes, because God is just. Do I believe people are damned there? No, because God is loving. 162: God: yes 161: Horoscopes: no. It’s funny to see “horoscope” posts and see if they apply to me, but it’s a bunch of b.s. A bunch of Aries aren’t going to have the same day/month/year. That’s ridiculous. 160: Soul mates: I’m not sure if I do or don’t, but I do believe in love. 159: Ghosts: no 158: Gay Marriage: of course! 157: War: it’s an unfortunate and unnecessary part of life 156: Orbs: no 155: Magic: yes [ This or That ] 154: Hugs or Kisses: both 153: Drunk or High: drunk 152: Phone or Online: online 151: Red heads or Black haired: no comment 150: Blondes or Brunettes: brunettes 149: Hot or cold: hot 148: Summer or winter: summer 147: Autumn or Spring: spring 146: Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate 145: Night or Day: night 144: Oranges or Apples: apples 143: Curly or Straight hair: straight 142: McDonalds or Burger King: McD’s (though I’m probably biased because I work there) 141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: both 140: Mac or PC: PC 139: Flip flops or high heals: flip flops 138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: sweet and poor 137: Coke or Pepsi: neither 136: Hillary or Obama: Obama 135: Burried or cremated: I want to be cremated and have my ashes buried with a seed and grow into a tree 134: Singing or Dancing: dancing 133: Coach or Chanel: neither 132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: Kat 131: Small town or Big city: small town 130: Wal-Mart or Target: Target 129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Ben 128: Manicure or Pedicure: mani 127: East Coast or West Coast: east coast 126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas. My birthday stopped being special after I turned 19. I get good food every year on Christmas. 125: Chocolate or Flowers: chocolate 124: Disney or Six Flags: Six Flags 123: Yankees or Red Sox: Indians [ Here’s What I Think About ] 122: War: What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. 121: George Bush: he had some good policies. Better than Trump, that’s for damn sure. 120: Gay Marriage: should never be illegal again. 119: The presidential election: #FuckTrump #VoteBlueNoMatterWho #ImpeachTheMF 118: Abortion: all my life, I was told to be pro-life. These days, I don’t know anymore, but I think my beliefs are closer to pro-choice than pro-life. 117: MySpace: it’s not 2008 anymore. 116: Reality TV: glad it’s not my life 115: Parents: they’re doing their best. I’m not looking to be one anytime soon though. 114: Back stabbers: bye! 113: Ebay: Amazon is better. 112: Facebook: these days, I use it to get laughs and memes. I don’t interact with people I know IRL much. 111: Work: good for the money. Not good for my mental health. 110: My Neighbors: they’re ok. 109: Gas Prices: #ThanksTrump 108: Designer Clothes: I can get good clothes at Target. The only “splurge” I do for clothes is at Spencer’s or Kohl’s. 107: College: I plan to go back soon. 106: Sports: entertaining. 105: My family: family is life. 104: The future: anything can happen [ Last time I ] 103: Hugged someone: Tuesday. 102: Last time you ate: a couple hours ago (chik’n patties and cheese) 101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: last week. I saw a manager I hadn’t worked with in like a month. 100: Cried in front of someone: Monday 99: Went to a movie theater: July 2nd 98: Took a vacation: June 97: Swam in a pool: back in February 96: Changed a diaper: I don’t remember 95: Got my nails done: way too long ago 94: Went to a wedding: in April 93: Broke a bone: 2017 (broke my toe) 92: Got a piercing: 2006 91: Broke the law: never. I’m a good person. 90: Texted: three hours ago [ MISC ] 89: Who makes you laugh the most: Russell 88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: my dog 87: The last movie I saw: in theatres, Toy Story 4. At home, Adventures in Babysitting. 86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: being off on Saturday 85: The thing im not looking forward to: working tomorrow 84: People call me: Vonnie, Vonn, Bonbon, Sophia, and “the girl” 83: The most difficult thing to do is: not cry while watching Grey’s Anatomy 82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: never 81: My zodiac sign is: Aries 80: The first person i talked to today was: my sister 79: First time you had a crush: kindergarten. His name was Wally, and we were “boyfriend and girlfriend” til about third grade, and we remained friends til we graduated 8th grade. Haven’t talked to him much since. 78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: Russell 77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: Sunday 76: Right now I am talking to: nobody because it’s 3:30am 75: What are you going to do when you grow up: I hope to be teaching English education 74: I have/will get a job: I currently work at McDonald’s, but within the next 6-12 months, I’ll be moving out of state, so who knows where I’ll work.  73: Tomorrow: work 72: Today: work 71: Next Summer: I’ll be in a whole new state, so that means new amusement parks to visit and rollies to ride. 70: Next Weekend: party. Oh, and next Saturday makes officially 18 months with me and Russell, so go us! 69: I have these pets: two dogs 68: The worst sound in the world: the beeping in the headset when I work back cash. It haunts my nightmares 67: The person that makes me cry the most is: Heather because she sends me to back cash all the time 66: People that make you happy: Russell, my mom, my dogs, Ashlyn, and Aunt Dolly because she sends me lives on Candy Crush 65: Last time I cried: Monday 64: My friends are: Ashlyn, Mikayla, Jon, Rilee, Lamar, Tae, Alexus, Clare, Katie, Mario, and Kel 63: My computer is: all mine because I bought it with my own money 62: My School: not in school  61: My Car: don’t have one 60: I lose all respect for people who: lie 59: The movie I cried at was: Avengers: Endgame 58: Your hair color is: natural 57: TV shows you watch: Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, House, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, and... I don’t really watch TV because I don’t have cable. 56: Favorite web site: YouTube 55: Your dream vacation: Just a big coaster trip 54: The worst pain I was ever in was: my period this month. I had cramps for days leading up to my period that were so bad that, the day my period actually came, I couldn’t stand straight. 53: How do you like your steak cooked: I don’t eat steak 52: My room is: a mess, like my life 51: My favorite celebrity is: NPH 50: Where would you like to be: with my boyfriend 49: Do you want children: someday, but not today 48: Ever been in love: ohhh yes. 47: Who’s your best friend: not answering again 46: More guy friends or girl friends: i think i have a fair amount of both 45: One thing that makes you feel great is: this is tmi, but sex with my bf. 44: One person that you wish you could see right now: Russell 43: Do you have a 5 year plan: no 42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: yes 41: Have you pre-named your children: I don’t have any definitive names, but I’m thinking MaryGrace Linda for a girl, and James Sebastian for a boy 40: Last person I got mad at: Anna because she put me on back cash 39: I would like to move to: someplace south 38: I wish I was a professional: dancer.... no, writer.... no, why not both? [ My Favorites ] 37: Candy: peanut butter cups 36: Vehicle: Jeep 35: President: FDR 34: State visited: North Carolina (not just saying that because I lived there for two months) 33: Cellphone provider: Verizon 32: Athlete: Trevor Bauer 31: Actor: Justin Chambers 30: Actress: Amy Poehler 29: Singer: Chester Bennington 28: Band: Linkin Park 27: Clothing store: Kohl’s 26: Grocery store: Marc’s 25: TV show: Grey’s Anatomy 24: Movie: 13 Going on 30 23: Website: Pogo 22: Animal: seal 21: Theme park: Cedar Point 20: Holiday: Christmas 19: Sport to watch: baseball 18: Sport to play: softball 17: Magazine: I only read magazines at the dentist office, and I’ll read whichever has an interesting cover story 16: Book: A Series of Unfortunate Events 15: Day of the week: Saturday, as long as I’m not at work. If I’m working, then Mondays, I guess... 14: Beach: Huntington 13: Concert attended: Winter Jam, because I got to see Skillet play, and I met Matthew West. 12: Thing to cook: desserts 11: Food: eggplant parm 10: Restaurant: Olive Garden 9: Radio station: Star 102 8: Yankee candle scent: vanilla 7: Perfume: I don’t wear perfume 6: Flower: Daisies 5: Color: pink 4: Talk show host: Ellen DeGeneres 3: Comedian: Steve Rannazzisi 2: Dog breed: I really like terriers lol 1: did you answer all these truthfully ?: For me to know and you to find out :)

[bigyack-com]

A Big Tax Break Drives Demand for Homes in the French Alps

When the Knight Frank agency analyzed the main drivers of French Alps property purchases in 2019, one factor outweighed the traditional lure of the slopes and the growth of summertime activities in the mountains.“It is not exactly glamorous, but the single biggest driver right now for choosing a French resort, rather than anywhere else is a simple one: a very nice tax break,” said Roddy Aris, the agency’s head of sales in the French Alps.France normally imposes a 20 percent value-added tax on property purchases, but the tax break refunds it to buyers of newly built properties who are willing to rent them to vacationers. It also slashes the normal 7 percent transfer tax to 2 percent.Mr. Aris said the tax rebate is available across France but it is mostly used in the Alps because it is aimed at supporting the tourism industry by encouraging owners to make more beds available.“The whole idea is to increase the number of ‘warm beds,’ which can be used by tourists, as opposed to ‘cold beds,’ which sit locked up behind shutters and are no good to anyone,” he said.“The more warm beds and tourists there are, the more fondues are being sold, the more beers are being poured, and the more ski passes and ski lessons are being used.”Knight Frank and the property consultancy Athena Advisers both say the tax break has become a factor for 80 percent of their customers in the French Alps, with Athena estimating that it has saved its customers almost 15 million euros in VAT.The tax break has tight conditions and is restricted to new developments and completed projects less than five years old. But rebates range into the millions of euros.An apartment marketed at €600,000, or about $658,000, will normally include €100,000 of VAT on top of a base price of €500,000, so the rebate would equal a sixth of the normal sale price.“That sort of discount won the argument for me,” said Gary M., a corporate lawyer based in Singapore who does not want to use his full name to discuss tax matters.A British citizen, Gary first considered buying a ski chalet in northern Japan or at a Swiss resort before learning about the French tax break, which he called a real game-changer.“This has made all the difference for me and has put the French Alps way out in front,” he said.Gary, who is in his early 40s, is looking for a property that will “wash its own face” with rental income before becoming a retirement option in 15 to 20 years.He said he had looked in Niseko, Japan, “but prices have gone through the roof up there.”“Even though the Alps is more expensive than some places, it’s more of a blue-chip type investment, in terms of future returns and property rises,” he went on.“To be honest I had my mind set on something a bit more traditional, like an old cottage or a farmhouse with a lot of charm,” Gary said, “but then I was told about the VAT rebate for new-builds, and I suppose being in a new complex is more practical with less upkeep if you are not living there.”Gary heard about the tax break from VINGT Paris, an agency through which he had already bought property in Paris. He is now considering an apartment in a development marketed by that firm in Méribel, France, two hours from Lyon and Geneva.The Global Alpine New Development will include 95 apartments of one to three bedrooms ranging in price from about €400,000 to €1.3 million, after deducting VAT rebates of about €80,000 to €260,000.Mr. Aris of Knight Frank says the biggest change in the Alps over the past decade has been a sharp rise in the number of owners renting out their properties. The typical chalet buyer is open to renting to tourists because the owners themselves usually plan to stay there for only a few weeks a year.“Some retirees might spend three months there, but that is rare,” Mr. Aris added, “so it is a no-brainer to make some income by renting the place out when it would otherwise be empty, especially when that qualifies you for a large VAT rebate in the first place.”An apartment in Les Glaciers, an 11-chalet development being marketed by Knight Frank in Courchevel Moriond, would receive total tax rebates of about €800,000, he said.The four- to seven-bedroom chalets will be completed in the last quarter of 2021 with private parking and balconies and a shared swimming pool. Their prices range from about €2.5 million to €4.7 million, making the VAT savings about €410,000 to €780,000.The tax breaks can also be granted to existing buildings if they go through extensive renovations. An example is Vail Lodge, being sold through Cimalpes in the Legettaz area of Val d’Isère, where two- to five-bedroom apartments are priced from €1.7 million to €4.9 million, meaning VAT rebates of about €280,000 to €810,000.To qualify for the rebate, a buyer has to commit to making the property available for short-term rentals for 20 years.Mr. Aris said the owner of an apartment that has received the rebate “technically has to rent the apartment to themselves whenever they want to use it.”If they change their minds at any stage and convert property to purely private use, a portion of the VAT rebate must be repaid, depending on how much of the 20-year period is left. After 10 years, for instance, half the rebate would have to be repaid.When a property that has received the VAT rebate is resold, the rebate will generally be factored into the price, Mr. Aris said, as the new owner takes on the responsibility of repaying some of the rebate if the property is converted to fully private use during the original 20-year period.Knight Frank uses local partners to handle the renting out and managing of properties that have qualified for the rebate, with Cimalpes acting as a “one-stop shop” for clients in the Three Valleys area.Giles D., a financial services manager in London who was also reluctant to use his full name, said he received the rebate when he bought a three-bedroom apartment in Val-d’Isère in February last year, but he warned that he “would never have done it without an agent to handle all the rebate paperwork.”“It is actually really complex, and while I have bought lots of property in the U.K. before, this French bureaucracy would definitely have been beyond me,” he said.“The amount of paperwork in France is incredible, and you have to be very careful that you meet all the conditions of the rebate scheme and don’t break them in the future,” he said.Giles bought through Athena Advisers, which he said had put him in touch with legal services, insurance, a French bank for the mortgage and people to handle the rentals.“They did it all,” he said. “That would be my advice to anyone doing this: Get people to help you through the process, because it so complex.”To qualify for the rebate, a property must be offered for rent with services that a long-distance landlord could not provide without a local manager.It must have three of the following four services: a check-in reception, an on-site or nearby breakfast service, the provision and cleaning of linen and room cleaning at least three times a week.Giles’s second tip for users of the VAT tax break is to be aware that they must make the initial VAT payment before having it refunded after filing a French tax return.“In my case, it only took seven months to get the money back, so that was fine, but people should realize that they have to put the money up in the first place,” he said.Lloyd Hughes, a spokesman for Athena Advisers, said that until recently, the VAT rebate had been used only by developers creating “Residences de Tourisme,” which were normally at the lower end of the market and were offered with often-restrictive rental management contracts giving owners a guaranteed yield and a few weeks of private use each year.“Buyers at the mid and high end are now getting involved, and our average property sale price in the French Alps is €1.4 million,” he said.The seven-bedroom Chalet Le Rocher in Val-d’Isère, for instance, is for sale through Athena at €17 million, meaning a VAT rebate of €2.83 million.In Méribel, the Antarès 1707 hotel is being converted into 70 apartments of two to eight bedrooms that will range from €2.11 million to €9.65 million, offering VAT rebates of €352,000 to €1.6 million.Austria also offers VAT rebates, but only on properties in managed apartment-hotels.Giles Gale, the managing director of Alpine Property Finders, said that apartments like these are part of the hotel when the owners are not using them and will generate income of up to 3 percent of the purchase price annually.“Whilst buying into an apart-hotel development might seem restricting, they are much more hassle-free in terms of maintenance, and owners need never worry about linen changes and washing the towels,” he said.“Owners have the same access as hotel guests to the other services in the development such as pools and spas,” Mr. Gale said. “We find that 80 percent of our clients are happy to rent their properties when they’re not using them.”“If you’re beholden to school holidays, for example, you are going to be planning your skiing six months to a year in advance.”Eligible mountain properties in Austria include the Elements Resort in Zell am See, where 37 apartments were completed in December, and the 44-apartment Glemm Residences in Hinterglemm. Read the full article

[kpopcametoslayourlives]

YG Mafia Ch.3 - Jobs

How was she  supposed to know her new friends were in the Mafia? One thing was for sure though, the leader was hot.

Jiyong x Reader

We were finished! It took the girls and I two more days after the first day to finish everything. The house was now livable. I was a bit worried about the amount of money I was spending though. I needed to find a job, and fast. The girls were over, watching movies on the new TV I bought. "Hey, do you guys know if any place nearby is hiring? I need a job so I can pay for the bills and what not here." They girls looked up from the show to look at me before looking to each other. "I know that there's a restaurant about two blocks away that’s hiring right now." Jisoo said, thinking. Jennie had a look that went over her face before she claimed to know about another place that was hiring. "There's a nightclub a bit further into town, I think they're looking for a new bar tender." She said casually, ignoring the looks the other girls gave her. "Jennie." Lisa hissed, almost like a warning. "What?" She whisper yelled. "Is there something wrong with the club?" I asked a bit confused as to Lisa's reaction and looks the other girls were giving. "No it's not that, it's just that club has a bit of a reputation. Not exactly the good kind." Jisoo explained a bit quietly. "What do people say about it?" I asked nervously, afraid of what they might say. "It's not even the club that's the problem, it's the people that go there who aren't wanted there. A few months ago a gang had showed up thinking that the person they were looking for was in the club, they weren't. And because of that, they got pissed and started to tear up the club. They went behind the bar and destroyed all the drinks, they ruined the DJ stand, the speakers, ruined the VIP rooms. They destroyed just about the whole club. They had to close down for about a week to replace everything that was destroyed. Several people quit when it happened again a few weeks ago, so they need new people." Jisoo explained the situation. "What if they show up there again?" I asked worried. It's happened twice already after all. "That won't happen anymore, one thing that did increase was the security. There's no way they could get back inside." Rose said. "And it's not like people stopped showing up to the club, as a matter of fact, the amount of people who show up increased." Jennie added. "Plus I hear the pay is pretty good for the bartenders. You only have to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. From 7 in the evening to 3 in the morning." I was still a bit uncertain, but I really needed a job, fast too. "Alright, I'll check out both places." Jennie smiled excitedly but Lisa looked a bit worried. I stared at Lisa for a while, when she noticed my stare her worried look turned into a smile. It did nothing to ease my worries. Why did she look so concerned? Jisoo gave me the number and address for the restaurant and Jennie gave me the number and address for the nightclub. I left to the backyard to call both places, wanting to ask them if they were still hiring. ~•~ 3rd POV ~•~

Back inside the house Lisa smacked Jennie on the arm. "Ouch! What was that for!?" Jennie whisper yelled at Lisa while rubbing her shoulder. "Just what do you think your doing? You just lied to Ari! If she works at the club it could be dangerous!" Lisa yelled. "Why? Because it's Jiyong's nightclub? The restaurant is his too you know?" Jennie defended herself. "That's not why, it's because you lied about the attack on the club. They were looking for us, and they did find us. That's why they destroyed the club trying to get to us. Jiyong helped protect us that night by beating up those guys for us, but they ended up coming back and shooting up the place. They're still out there and could, no, they will come back. She could get seriously hurt. Who knows what those guys might do if they come back again." Lisa yelled at Jennie, smacking her one more time for good measure. "Nobody died in that shooting Lisa! And besides, I wasn't lying when I said the security was increased. Jiyong doesn't want what happened that night to ever happen again, security is supper tight now. There's no way they're getting back inside. She'll be safe." Jennie said trying to calm down one of her best friends. "Jennie's right Lisa, Jiyong took what happened very seriously. You know his main priority of protection is his family first. And Jiyong considers anyone who works for him as family. He'd protect her even if they did somehow manage to sneak in." Rose said, also trying to calm her down. She understands the want to protect their new friend, Ari was already an amazing friend and they had barley even met. They didn't want to lose her. "What if the guys who attacked the club find out she's friends with us and target her like their targeting us?" Lisa said beginning to tear up a bit. "Then we'll protect her. Nothing's going to happen to Ari, not while we're around." Jisoo said as she rubbed her shoulder. ~•~ Normal POV ~•~ I came back in a few minutes later, having just gotten off the phone with both places. Both were still hiring and had told me that I could come in tomorrow for an interview. I'd be going to the restaurant first at 9 in the morning and at the club around 7 in the evening. I told this to the girls and they all got happy for me. "That's amazing! Imagine if you got both jobs!" Jisoo said excitedly. I honestly wouldn't mind if that were to happen. I had two jobs back when I lived with my parents still, I could handle it. Besides, it was more money for me anyway. "Okay I'm really happy for you but can we get this movie night started? We have to go back to college starting next week so we want to do as much as we can together before life gets in the way!" Jennie said patting the spot next to her. I laughed and nodded my head before taking a seat next to her. We all watched comedies for tonight, we were saving the horror movies for this coming Friday because Halloween was right around the corner. Me and the girls were laughing so hard, we had watched Mean Girls earlier and now we were watching White Chicks. Rose had laughed so hard at one point she almost peed her pants, making everyone else laugh even harder. "Old in America." Lisa said in her attempt at a deep voice making us all laugh even harder. We were all laughing so hard that all that came out was silent laughter as we all started smacking the armrest of the couch or our thighs. We were even crying. Fast forward though the night we all fell asleep on either the couch, the floor, or the rocking chair with the TV still playing comedic movies. By the time we all woke up it was around 0730. I immediately took a shower and started to get ready for the interview at the restaurant. "Don't worry, you'll do just fine!" Lisa said, sensing my nervousness. I nodded my head as I made my way to the car to drive on over. The girls followed behind me, wanting to tag along. I was actually really happy to have them tag along. The drive over was just the girls giving me a boost of confidence. Once we got there I took a deep breath as I walked through the door. "I got this."

[learningpundits]

Tips on Punctuation & Spelling

Grammar Rules and Tips for using Punctuation & Spelling

What is Punctuation?

Punctuation is a set of rules to place certain marks in a sentence to indicate division or pauses in that sentence, particularly in written communication.

Types of Punctuation Marks:

(1)  Comma ,

(2)  Full Stop or Period.

(3)  Semicolon ;

(4)  Colon:

(5)  Question Mark?

(6)  Exclamation Mark!

(7)  Dash and Parentheses (-)

(8)  Hyphen -

(9)  Inverted Commas or Quotation Marks “ ”

Tips on using Punctuation:

Tip 1: Use of Comma 1. To separate words in a list:

He lost lands, money, reputation and friends.

2. To write a Noun or a Phrase in Apposition:

Pandit Nehru, the first prime Minister of India, died in 1964.

3. To separate an Adverb clause when it is followed by a main clause:

When the bus arrives, we will board it.

4. for co-ordinate clauses:

His story was, in several ways, improbable.

Sportsmen, who are generally superstitious, prefer to wear same jersey.

5. To indicate the omission of a word, especially a verb:

Rama received a fountain pen; Hari, a watch.

6. To separate Nominative Absolutes:

The wind being favorable, the squadron sailed.

7. To address people:

How are you, Mohan?

8. To separate initials and titles:

Please call on Mr. Sethi, B.A, LLB.

9. To write dates:

He arrived on July 10, 2008 (but no comma required when we write 10th July 2008).

NO USE of COMMA:

a)    When the reported speech is interrogative

“Are you coming today?” she asked.

b)    When the Adjective clause is restrictive in meaning

This is the house that Jack built.

c)    Before the word preceded by ‘and’

It was a long, dull and wearisome journey.

Tip 2: Full Stop 1. To mark the end of a declarative or an imperative sentence

We are leaving for Delhi Tomorrow.

2. After abbreviation and initials of names

He lives in the U.S.A

Mr. A.K. Sharma is our new English teacher.

3. after fractions, amounts, time and date

He leaves at 8.30 a.m

He was born on 4.09.2013

4. after end of address

10, Karol Bagh, New Delhi.

Tip 3: Semicolon & Colon Semicolon:

1. To separate the clauses of Compound sentence, when they contain a comma

He was a brave, large-hearted man; and we all honored him.

2. In place of ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘because’ to mark end of one thought and continuation to another.

Man proposes; God disposes.

Colon:

1. before enumeration, examples, etc; as,

The principal parts of a verb in English are: the present tense, the past tense, and the past participle.

2. before a long list, quotation or speech

Wordsworth wrote: Child is father of man.

Tip 4: Questions & Exclamation Marks Question Mark

1. after a direct question:

Have you written your exercise?

2. after question tag:

They can do it, can’t they?

NO QUESTION MARK after an indirect question

He asked me whether I had written my essay.

Exclamation Mark

1. After Interjections and after Phrases and Sentences expressing joy, sorrow, pride etc

Alas! -- Oh dear!

What a terrible fire this is!

Tip 5: Hyphen 1. To make a compound adjective qualifying a noun

She is a well-known actor.

2. after prefixes to separate two vowels

Co-ordinate the meeting for me.

3. To write prefixes

He is the ex-principal of the college

4. To make compound numbers between 21 and 99

He is gone for twenty-four days

5. To separate or connect the parts of a compound word

They conducted a door-to-door campaign.

Tip 6: Quotes & Dash Quotes

1. To enclose the exact words of a speaker, or a quotation

The king said “Free the prisoners”.

2. To enclose names of books, poems, essays etc.

I have bought “The Mahabharata” series.

3. If quotation occurs within a quotation, it is marked by single inverted commas

"You might as well say," added the March Hare, "that 'I like what I get' is the same thing as 'I get what I like’.”

Dash

1. To indicate an abrupt stop or change of thought

They are – I am sure – genuine people.

2. To resume a scattered subject

Friends, companions, relatives - all deserted him.

Tip 7: Apostrophe 1. To show possession (used with s)

Give me Rohan’s bag.

2. After plural nouns of proper Nouns apostrophe is used without ‘s’

She lives in a Girls’ hostel.

3. To show the omission of a letter or letters

I don’t need water.

4. To form the plural of letters and figures.

You must learn the P’s and Q’s of a language

NO APOSTROPHE

1. In case of non-living things

The table’s wood wood of the table is shining

2. With pronouns, only ‘s’ is used.

Our’s Ours is a big house

Tip 8: Capitals 1. To begin a sentence.

We are going to watch a movie tonight.

2. for all nouns and pronouns which indicate the Deity or even man in broader sense

He is the God. We worship Him.

3. To begin all Proper Nouns and Adjectives derived from them

He went to Chennai to learn more about Deccan literature.

4. To write interjections

Oh! We are lost.

5. To write a reported speech

She said, “I am not going.”

6. To write first person of the pronoun

She hates me but I don’t hate her.

Tip 9: Numerals 1. If sentence contains one series of numbers, all numbers should be written in figures

She has bought 4 tables and 2 chairs.

2. If sentence contains two series of numbers, one series should be written in figures and another in words

Five students have secured 90%marks and two have secured 60%

3. When one number follows another immediately, the first one should be written in words and the second in figures

The plumber asked for five 4-feet long pipes

4. When a sentence begins with a number, it should be written in words

Fifty people are missing following landslide in Uttarakhand.

5. Compound numbers between 21 and 99 are written in words

There are fifty-three pages in this book.

Spot the Errors:

Each of the following sentences will contain a/some Punctuation mistake/s. See if you can spot that mistake.

#1: Maldives is a beautiful country, the beaches are warm sandy and clean. (Incorrect)

Maldives is a beautiful country; the beaches are warm, sandy and clean. (Correct)

#2: Prof RK Mishra will be meeting the local MLA tomorrow at 10-30 am (Incorrect)

Prof. R.K. Mishra will be meeting the local M.L.A tomorrow at 10.30 a.m. (Correct)

#3: Its cloudy-it may rain. (Incorrect)

It is/it’s cloudy; it may rain. (Correct)

#4: Please send us the following food items; Biscuits Cakes Chips, and Wafers (Incorrect)

Please send us the following food items: Biscuits, Cakes, Chips and Wafers. (Correct)

#5: He will succeed: you never. (Incorrect)

He will succeed; you, never. (Correct)

#6: “Can you help me”, he asked? (Incorrect)

“Can you help me?” he asked. (Correct)

#7: This house is her’s and she has chosen the wall’s colours. (Incorrect)

This house is hers and she has chosen the colours of the walls. (Correct)

#8: "O! God," he screamed, I have left the keys inside the car. (Incorrect)

"O God!," he screamed, “I have left the keys inside the car." (Correct)

#9: He is going to mumbai for 31 days. (Incorrect)

He is going to Mumbai for thirty-one days. (Correct)

#10: The shopkeeper asked me whether I needed 3 2-feet long rulers? (Incorrect)

The shopkeeper asked me whether I needed three 2-feet long rulers. (Correct)

Tips on Spelling:

Tips on Spelling-Double Consonant:

1.    When words end with single vowel + single consonant, double the consonant. beg + ed = begged---run + ing = running

2.    When words of two or three syllables end with single vowel + single consonant, double the final consonant if the last syllable is stressed.

begin + ing = beginning -- occur + ed = occurred

3.    Double the consonant, while adding ‘er’ or ‘est’ to make comparatives and superlatives. thin-thinner-thinnest--- fat—fatter—fattest

4.    Double the consonant, when making noun from a verb. cut-cutter--run-runner

5.    Double the consonant, when adding ‘Y’ to make an adjective of a noun.

mud-muddy---fun-funny

6.    Double the consonant when the stress is on the first syllable of words ending with ‘at, el, ip, op, il’. Travel-travelled-travelling---worship-worshipped-worshipping.

NO Double Consonant:

1.    If the second syllable is stressed and not the last syllable. listen-listened-listening---benefit + ed = benefited -- suffer + ing = suffering

2.    When there is a suffix with a consonant. Sinful, Sadness, Childhood

Tips on Spelling-Ending with ‘Y’:

1.    Verbs ending with ‘y’ with a consonant before it, change from ‘y’ to ‘i’ before a suffix (ed, er) except ‘-ing’. marry-married- marrying—try-tried-trying

2.    Words ending with ‘y’ with a vowel before it, do not change. Obey-obeyed-obeying—pray-prayed-praying

Exception-: words like Say, Pay, Lay, etc. change only when ‘id’ ‘ly’ are added. Say-said—lay-laid—day-daily.

3.    Nouns and Adjectives ending with ‘y’ with a consonant before them, change from ‘y’ to ‘i’ before a suffix (est, er, full, ly, ness, etc). sunny-sunnier-sunniest—tidy-tidier-tidiest

4.    On reverse, verbs ending with ‘ie’, change to ‘y’ when suffix ‘ing’ is added. lie-lying—die-dying

Tips on Spelling-Ending with ‘e’:

1.    Words ending in silent ‘e’ drop the ‘e’ before a suffix beginning with a vowel. live + ing = living -- move + ed = moved

2.    Words ending in silent ‘e’ drop the ‘e’ when suffix like ‘ing’, ‘able’, ‘ary’ and ‘ous’ are added. fame + ous = famous, stare + ing = staring

3.    Silent ‘e’ is dropped when ‘y’ is added after a noun. taste-tasty—noise-noisy

4.    Silent ‘e’ after the consonant‘t’ is dropped when the suffix ‘tion’ is added at the end. deplete + tion =depletion—pollute + tion + pollution

5.    Adjectives ending with ‘le’, drop the ‘e’ when added with suffix ‘y’. subtle-subtly—sensible-sensibly

6.    Silent ‘e’ is changed to ‘i’ if the word ends with ‘ce’ and the suffix ‘ous’ is added to it. malice + ous + malicious – space + ous = spacious

7.    Words ending in ‘ce’ and ‘ge’ keep the ‘e’ when adding ‘able’ and ‘ous’. notice + able = noticeable--- courage + ous = courageous

8.    Words ending in ‘ee’ do not drop an ‘e’ before a suffix. see + ing = seeing---agree + ment = agreement

Tips on Spelling-Ending with ‘ll’, ‘n’, ‘c’:

1.    When words ending with ‘ll’ are compounded with suffix ‘full’, the second ‘l’ is dropped both from the word and the suffix . skill + full = skilful -- will + full = wilful

2.    When words ending with ‘ll’ are compounded with ‘un’, ‘dis’, ‘in’ or other words, ‘l’ is dropped . all + together= altogether—un + till= until

3.    Adjectives ending with ‘l’ are written with ‘ll’ when suffix ‘y’ is added at end. final-finally—real-really

4.    In words ending with ‘n’, the ‘n’ is retained when suffix ‘ness’ is added at the end. Keen-keenness, mean-meanness

5.    When ie or ei is pronounced like ‘ee’ in ‘keep', ‘i’ comes before ‘e’. But after the letter ‘c’, we always write ‘ei’. believe – receive—relieve—conceit

6.    Words ending with letter ‘c’ are changed to ‘ck’ when adding ‘ed’, ‘er’, ‘ing’. panic-panicked—picnic-picnicker

Tips on Spelling-Making Plurals:

1.    The Plural of nouns is generally formed by adding -s to the singular. Boy-boys---pen- pens.

2.    Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch (soft), -o or -x form the plural by adding -es to the singular. class—classes—box-boxes– buffalo-buffaloes

3.    Few nouns ending in -o merely add –s. dynamo-dynamos—ratio - ratios;

4.    Nouns ending in -y, preceded by a consonant, form their plural by changing -y into –I and adding –es. Baby—babies---lady—ladies.

5.    Words ending in -f or -fe form their plural by changing ‘v’ and adding –es. Thief—thieves—wife—wives.

Exception: cliff--cliffs—handkerchief—handkerchiefs– chief—chiefs

6.    Few nouns form their plural by changing the inside vowel of the singular. man—men---foot—feet

7.    Some nouns form their plural by adding -en to the singular. Ox—oxen—child--children.

8.    Words ending with ‘y’ with a consonant before it, change from ‘y’ to ‘ies’ for plural but retain the ‘y’ if it is preceded by a vowel. country—countries—play—plays

Spot the Errors:

Each of the following sentences will contain a/some Spelling mistake/s. See if you can spot that mistake.

#1: It was the sadest day of my life when I recieved tragic news. (Incorrect) It was the saddest day of my life when I received tragic news. (Correct)

#2: It occured to him last week that he was sufferring from jaundice. (Incorrect) It occurred to him last week that he was suffering from jaundice. (Correct)

#3: The elder sister had an arranged marryage and the younger one is marriing by her own choice. (Incorrect) The elder sister had an arranged marriage and the younger one is marrying by her own choice. (Correct)

#4: He sayed that they praid every day for his speeddy recovery. (Incorrect) He said that they prayed every day for his speedy recovery. (Correct)

#5: They will be tieing the knot in a beautyful destination wedding next month. (Incorrect) They will be tying the knot in a beautiful destination wedding next month. (Correct)

#6: Finaly he could fullfill his mother’s wish. (Incorrect) Finally he could fulfil his mother’s wish. (Correct)

#7: He has loveing personality with some noteable qualities. (Incorrect) He has a loving personality with some notable qualities. (Correct)

#8: Please give me three boxs of handkerchieves. (Incorrect) Please give me three boxes of handkerchiefs. (Correct)

#9: Theater groups from various countrys are coming to present their playes in the festival. (Incorrect) Theater groups from various countries are coming to present their plays in the festival. (Correct)

#10: She paniced after seing the video of the car accident. (Incorrect) She panicked after seeing the video of the car accident. (Correct)

(contd..) Tips on Spelling & Punctuation - https://learningpundits.com/module-view/26-spelling-and-punctuation/1-tips-on-spelling-&-punctuation/

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