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simp-ly-writes · 5 months

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Betting on Hearts

Cross-over: Contemporary! Peaky Blinders x The Gentlemen (2024)

Pairing: Edward "Eddie" Horniman x afab!Shelby!Reader,

Summary: Being the main face to the (legal*) Shelby Business Empire, you too dabble with the less than legal side when prompted to (against your Brother's wishes). So when a certain Duke and Glass Family start stirring things up on your doorstep, you decide to seduce the duke into compliance but maybe, Eddie had the same idea for you too...

Warnings: 5000~ words, depictions of blood, overprotective siblings, emotional manipulation (seduction), reader is a bit... much. Probably some other tags that I am forgetting

A/N: more notes later.

Masterlist | Taglist Request | read-through and edited.

↳ The Shelby empire was dominant in many industries and with you being among the middle children, just behind your three older brother's, you mainly took to the newer parts of the business but you of course wrangled your way to the darker sides as well no matter how much your family protested (except for Polly, she openly cheered you on before her untimely passing)

↳ You were the Queen of import/export, the face to the Gin company and co-owner to your new digital sports betting app, your younger sister Ada had stepped in to help you manage it all. Using the earnings from the gambling you put it towards the branding and advertisements of your other departments and the greater Shelby corporation

↳ Arthur, the spirited yet your mentally-barley-afloat brother as he drank half the gin you supplied to his section of the business or found himself high as a kite while insisting on keeping your hands as clean as possible, coming with you on every assignment. Arthur maintained his "Garrison" bars across the country, moving on to establish high dining and was currently trying to stick the Shelby name into hotel management.

↳ John, a man that carried a huge heart with his irresistible charm and humor. He (while trying to convince the youngest, Finn to join him) managed the productions and manufacturing of each one of your industries. Supplying the parts, the bottles and ingredients, alongside the construction materials for every one of Arthur's expansions alongside supplying for your... darker dealings. The company, to a degree, was self-sustainable

↳ And of course, you had Thomas, the mastermind of the whole empire and the one you reported every minuscule detail to at the end of the day. You wouldn't call him kind, but he was considerate to a degree. You could always count on him to protect you where other's have failed but that also caused the greatest conflict between the two of you. It was hard, managing family verses business with him, lines always threatening to be crossed as your relationship was strained. Thomas respected you deeply, you had stuck with him when the rest of the family fell apart and offered him new perspectives to cultivating legal business. Yet he was too protective of you, he couldn't stand to lose you and openly admitted that you where his first choice if he needed to choose who would live

↳ In recent times, your family was playing chess against with a rising power called the Glass family who not so suitably started poking their fingers into your sectors, fixing your gambling sites with their newest expansions. You chuckled to yourself within Tommy's house. The men reported on the new business the Glass family had established, a boxing ring as you shoved Arthur in his chair with a teasing smile.

"Remember when you wanted to become a boxer, brother?" Arthur flips you the finger, a frown emerging from his moustache as he pours himself another drink, mumbling about you being a spoiled little brat yet you don't bother to catch the end of it.

The spy coughs, returning all of your attention back as Thomas glares at you both to hold yourselves, John's face has gone red trying to conceal his laughter at the childish faces you pull at him as Thomas throws his hand up, signalling for the man to continue.

"They have been having some difficulties in expanding their weed enterprise as well, we are still trying to get to the bottom of as to why this is as the documentation we have stolen shows nothing out of the sorts." A series of copied folders and photographs are then spread against the hardwood table as your painted nails sort through each stack, categorizing them in sequential order. Your green nail taps on top of a dead mans face thoughtfully stroking his cheek as you look at the bullet hole placed in between his eyes, "And what is the backstory to this incident exactly?" you comment.

The spy looks towards Thomas who already looks bored, there was nothing of significance to be said just yet but this newest bit of information had him raising as eyebrow. "Well, that kill was confirmed to be done by the new Duke of Halstead as I were one of the men stationed to dispose of it."

The spy throws another bundle on the table labelled, "The Duke." You excitedly snatch the manila folder quicker than anyone else at on the table as your eyes dart across every picture and piece of information you can grasp. Captain, Aristocrat, Medals... More Medals, Service, First Place, Honour Roll, Head Boy, Family Strain, oh... Your thoughts pause, cheeks heating when you flick up a stapled bundle of papers, a defined uniform, blue beret. The next page a Polo champion in college and deep black suit for the funeral. Slamming the folder shut, all eyes snap to the sudden noise.

"We are joining the upper echelon of society, brothers! Do let me meet up with him- I promise not to disappoint," you plead, already knowing that you are perfect for the mission. You and the Duke were both public-facing faces with one foot in reality and another in the pits. It would be a simple mission really, you convince yourself and your brothers as they immediately protest to the idea. Step in, seduce, convince him to sign-out and step out- as simple as that.

You look at Thomas, eyes strong, eyebrows furrowed as you level his stare. "You know I'm the only who can properly do this job, Thomas and if it does not work out, we can just kill them off just like the last, right?" The spy departs, bowing his head before speedily turning out of the room as tension only rises in the room, getting caught in your throat as you hitch your breath watching as Tommy's mouth moves into an echoing, "fine."

↳ So here you sat, in your covered box from the sun at the races. You clapped joyfully with a smile spreading your cheeks. You tip your hat down, seeing your bets adding up on your card as Ada cheered loudly beside you, leaning over the railing as she praises your chosen racer. Interviews for the sportsmen start as the Jockey casts a wink up at your sister. Ada throws down a business card the he clutches, placing it in his breast pocket with a tap to his chest before continuing to answer the post-race questions.

"Have yourself a date?" you tease out, picking up your spiked lemonade to hide your smile curving up into a knowing smirk. "Well you are one to talk sis, I heard down the grapevine that you had a certain duke chasing after you like Cinderella," Ada rebuttals, fixing herself a drink at the cart as you eye the three shots of vodka she stirs in, "isn't that a bit much for..." you look down at your wrist-watch, "...1PM? We do have dinner at Arthur's later tonight you know."

"We all can use a pick-me-up every now and then," she comments as you hum out, eyeing up your singular shot drink before shifting further down the couch to create space for her as she removes a pillow, placing it on her lap as she kicks off her heels and sets her feet up upon the coffee table. "Now, you didn't answer my question, go on then," she sasses, setting her drink down and leaning closer to you with knowing eyes gleaming into your own.

You roll your eyes, face going red while pushing her face away from your own as she laughs, "So you do have the hots for him!"

"No, its just that a second sun is bursting in my face and plus, we could never work," you retort, now refusing to meet her chasing eyes as she grips your hand. "Oh, come on (name)! details, details! don't leave me hanging here, thats brothers work," Ada presses forward just as your resolve crumbles. You place a hand to the bride of your nose, pinching as you eyes squeeze shut. "I won't repeat myself so listen closely," you start recalling the first day you met Captain and Duke, Edward Horniman.

↳ Running around your house, asking various staff members of your estate as to where your old mail had been distributed you felt around the thin papers and pages till you felt weight and lifted out the invitation from the stack. Mr. Johnston's Estate invites you to his quarterly festivities, your fingers trace over the pressed letters and seal before looking towards your closet

↳ You had worn a tailored dress that perfectly accentuated your body for tonights assignment. Within a closer inspection, various hand stitched black branches and birds spread across the top sheer level of fabric set to a black backdrop. Your hair was pinned upwards, showcasing the glowing skin of your neck and upper chest that you spent way too much time blending in with your makeup.

↳ You suitably leaned against the bar-top, feet already sore from the high heels you wore to make your legs appear longer and by the looks around the room, your plan of seduction was already in the works as a woman ordered a drink for the two of you. Her red lipstick simmering brightly under the dim lights, beckoning you in closer yet you held your resolve. Thanking her for the drink while placing a hand on her own before walking towards the neighbouring room. Feeling her stare as you left, you offered her a floating kiss before turning the corner.

↳ The windows were open as you walked down the long hall towards the cheers as multiple guests played various card games within the billiards room, you pulled the sleeves of your dress down further as you dropped the drink on a floating tray- it's sickeningly sweet taste formed a headache as you pinched your temples.

↳ You strolled around the room, smiling at every face that met yours, shaking hands with others as you enjoyed watching every. single. face. fall in recognition to who they were just flirting with. Stuttering apologies, you grew disappointed when their eyes drifted cautiously around the room for a threat of a man, one of your brothers. You scoff at this, turning towards the next.

↳ With the most recent man that was trying to capitalize on the half-attention you were giving him, absent-mindlessly nodding along to his business proposition as you both strolled around the estate, you found yourselves back at the entrance as your eyes snapped over to the late party-goers just making their arrivals, one of them being just the man you were waiting for as he stumbles through the open doors.

His beauty stumps you in person, the blurry pictures you obtained from at the table do not do the man justice as he practically glows under the warm lighting above. His hair tussled in a wind-swept way as your hands itch to fix every strand. Chocolate eyes are all you want to drink in before your attention is being called back as you start to glare at the intrusion.

"So what do you think, Mademoiselle Shelby?" the man asks to you, hand starting to drift up your arm, another on your leg before your eyes snap back down to his face from over the crowd. You rip your arm away from his touch, sending him a cold smile as you fix the lapels of his jacket for him, gripping the suit closest to his neck as you pull him closer to you. Any outside looker would think your reaction to be a romantic display yet by the sweat starting to form at his hairline, you were receiving just the reaction you wanted.

"I have no interest in working with a boy who already starts to sweat at the mere touch of a woman," and with that you drop him, watching as he falls into a group of people who all glare down at him, stepping around as he scrambles out the backdoor. You fix your appearance in your phones camera before making your way towards your mission.

Edward Horniman's Perspective

Re-buttoning his suit jacket, he places his keys in the hands of a staff-member while making his way up the stairs. Susie had been waiting for him in the lobby rather impatiently, her foot tapping against the tiled floors as she dully looked at the floral decorations that hug around the vaulted space before her eyes snapped to Eddie form spinning around to face her.

"You look a bit shit," she says while eyeing him up and down, taking notice to the small amount of blood beginning to form at his side with distaste.

"Remind me why we're here?" Eddie states, taking the conversation reigns as he begins to glance around the room. Susie begins walking closer to him, making their way out of the foyer.

"We are here to learn why Uncle Sam wants in to your estate and subsequently our Business," Susan replies, a subtle shake of her head as if ringing out the terrible idea of it all. Her feet start to falter as she instantly notices you stepping into the room behind them both with a champagne flute delicately place in your hand.

"Then whats his business?" Eddie pushes forwards, moving them both through the sea of people as Susie snaps her head back forwards, doing her best to maintain composure and not cause a scene as she allows Eddie to guide her further into the estate.

"Meth. He's made billions from it."

"Then what are you, Susan, a drug dealer with a heart?" Eddie question's, raising a brow as he stops to pick them both up a drink. A small smile spreading across his lips as they chime together before Susie proceeds to down the rest of it.

"Everything alright?" concern now rising in his features as he looks around the room, his gaze stopping, breath intaking sharply at the sight of you. He is unable to tear his gaze away as you turn your head to face him, you offer a small smile. Eyeing the man from his shoes, the seam of his pants, his neck that swallow deeply as your hand rises from your side, up to your collarbones as you delicately play with the necklace you wear. You finally stop at his eyes as you mouth a cheeky hello before turning around back towards the bar.

Susie still remains looking at her now empty drink, unknowing to Eddie's distraction by the sound of the crowd as she continues conversation normally. "We like money just as the next man, but his gear comes with a rather violent price tag. We stay in our lane because comparatively, its a peaceful one. We let him in, carnage will follow."

Susie now looks up, noticing that Eddie had not replied to her speech as she follows his gaze to your back as your fingers play with the lip of your cup. You laugh at whatever the bartender had just said to you before your glass has been topped off once more, you turn around, flashing them both a smile before slowly making your way closer to them.

Eddie takes a step forwards, wishing to meet you halfway before Susie reigns him in, nails digging into the arm of his suit jacket as she pulls him back to her side.

"I don't think you are quite ready for the big leagues, Captain-" Susan warns, looking at the side of Eddies face before he turns back to her, a charming smile accentuating his features before he speaks.

"I just killed a man, Susie. I think I can handle speaking to a woman-"

"Hm, well thats just not any ordinary woman, Edward. That is Miss. Shelby- the possible saviour to every one of our problems if we did not already... push some buttons," Susie states, smile waning as you get progressively closer, many people still try and gain your attention as you hold up your hand, wishing not to be disturbed.

"And there's room to fix that I'm sure, but what exactly did WE do?" Before Susie could answer, your heels are in front of Eddies dress shoes as you extend a hand forwards in greeting. "Miss. Shelby," Susie greets you with a composed look, her smile dropped as she tries to stare through you.

Edward picks up your hand, pressing a kiss on to the back of it as you hold hands for longer than necessary before pulling away. "Your Grace, Miss. Glass," you greet, "a pleasure it is to see you both here tonight." Your voice is like honey, hanging in the air as you smile at them both.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss. Shelby," Edward replies, noticing Susie's mock indifference as she shifts her weight slightly under your faux-gentle eyes; sharped to a cutting-stare as you strike her down. "You two make a rather charming couple, if I may ask, how recent is this development?" you question, hiding your growing smirk in your drink as Eddie's gaze falls to your lips and the print you leave against the glass, snapping back up to your eyes- yours crinkle in a second greeting.

"You have yourself mistaken, Myself and Miss. Glass are merely business associates," Eddie clarify as you set your glass gently on the bar-top, hand brushing against Eddies bicep in the movement. Your eyes continue to lock on to one another, a silent conversation being played as you lean a bit closer, taking a deeper look at his features as you notice Eddies gaze roam your's own. In that moment, Susie decides to step back into the conversation.

"What does your family want?" she deadpans, eyeing the closing distance between you and Eddie with hardened eyes as her hand threatens to crush the glass in her hand. "Well, by the looks of it, your business had became my business, thanks to your mingling," you charismatically charm, hand hovering on Eddies arm as you adore the jealous look brewing inside her.

"And if you two are merely just associates, I think this calls for a more... personal discussion with the Duke since our businesses are now becoming tied together, is that not tight Susie?" you finish with as Eddie looks between the two of you, undeceiving of who to follow alongside. But by the look of your eyes snapping to his lips once more as you tongue swipes across your own, parting them slightly- his decision is made.

"I will be back in a moment, Susie," Edward says, following in-step as you lead him out of the crowded space. Just as Eddie reaches the hall, he casts his head back, sending Susie a knowing look as if to say, I'm fixing it before disappearing. Susie glares at your lipstick stained glass sat on the counter with distaste before being led towards Mr. Johnston by his assistant.

Your Perspective

Success, you cheer to yourself, as you loop your arm around Eddies arm, leading him towards a nearby study you know to be empty. The door softly closes behind you both. In the next moment, you pull Eddies arm to his side, shoving him against the door as it rattles from the impact.

Eddie's eyes are blown wide as he hisses out slightly in pain, forgetting about the gun-shot wound before becoming distracted by the feeling of your soft lips against his own. Your heels make you tall enough to capture his lips into a delicate battle of heated touches, your skirt being bunched up by Eddies hands, your gentle caresses of the stubble of his cheeks as playful bite his lower lip, wishing to explore more.

Gasping for air as you pull away, you further taint his skin a deep red to match his lips you coated in your lipstick. Pressing a kiss at the side of his mouth as he whispers out a tease before you trail over to his cheek, paving a way to his chin and down his neck as his head raises, exposing more skin for your greedy lips. He grips your hips, keeping you in place as you suck a mark onto the base of his neck. A soft moan escaping between his lips before an equally greater hiss as blood continues to pour out of his side.

You take a step back, gently opening his jacket, your eyes cast upwards, through your lashes as you playfully pout. You place a palm at his inner thigh, watching as his eyes grow in size as your hand drifts just past the growing bulge in his pants- stopping slightly before the wound as you hum out thoughtfully while looking at it.

"My, my, your grace. Whatever do you have here?" You rhetorically ask before pressing your hand into the opening, listening as he hisses out, hands swiftly moving off your hips and onto your hand as they pull your touch off of him side.

"You little fucking temptress," Eddie curses out, eyes darkened as his tongue sweeps over his lips, you take a few steps back. The Duke presses himself off the wall, taking wide strides as your hands begin to sweat yet you do not break eye contact. Continuing to swiftly walk backwards as best you can in heels before tripping over a rug and falling against the back of a chair.

Eddie's arms cage you in against the chair, your breath hitching as he places his face within the crook of your neck. His facial hair tickling your skin, a soft burn forming with every word he speaks, "Now tell me, Miss. Shelby, what is it you want from me?"

You swallow. Hard. Knuckles turning white at the force you grip the chair with before trying to compose yourself, a shaky breath you exhale conceal in a moan. Pressing a kiss to the shell of his ear, "I want you to kiss me, Eddie," you murmur, hand fixing those curls you wanted to from the start. Your fingers curl around a few strands within an instant as Eddie sucks a bruise to your neck, licking the area afterwards. "What are you here for?" he questions once more as you shake your head, wondering how far you can truly push this.

"No. That was not a proper kiss, sir. Kiss me." You state again, taking a deep breath in as victory when Eddie pulls away, eyes boring into your own, blood now tainting the band of his pants as your eyes flicker down to it. Your chin is gripped as Eddie pulls you into that proper kiss you were begging for but he pulls away too quickly as you press your lips together to hide your frown. Your cheeks were warm, hair a mess, your chest raises up and down like you had just ran a mile.

Edward appears in the same state as he stumbles back, hand gripping his side, eyes tipping down to your chest before snapping back up with a cold look- you needed to answer, couldn't have your signature bleeding out before he could sign.

"I need you out of my bettings, your grace," you breathily state, hand placed on your chest as you feel your heart-rate still bumping fast. You take deeper intakes of air, feeling for your heart starting to slow as you watch Eddie crunch over, blood-loss starting to make him go dizzy.

You swiftly stand and hobble towards the desk, finding a first aid kit in one of the lower drawers as you unknowingly bend down in front of Eddie as he curses you out once more, you look back, murmuring an apology before standing up straight and beginning to make work of his clothes, jacket off, tie discarded and shirt unbuttoned, you pluck the remnants of the bullet out from his side.

Eddie grits his teeth together, hands curled into fists as he watches you work, your tweezers poking into his muscle. "If you would stop watching me so closely, maybe I could focus more and poke you less," you sass, looking up at his while blowing the hair out of your eye. Eddie fixes the stand behind your ear before raising his hand once more. "Well just a minute ago you were practically on your knees begging for me to look at you," Eddie responds with a smirk, you huff and maintain your work, gathering the last bits of metal before treating the area and wrapping his torso snuggly.

The Duke's blood stains your hands as you look down at them thoughtfully. The thick liquid cascades off your fingertips, falling onto your dress, marking a pair of birds. "You owe me a new dress," you say, wiping your hands with the small cloth the kit provided before taking a stand. You start to walk away before Eddie grasps your arm, you pause mid-step, feet now plated in wait.

"Thank you, Miss. Shelby. I will sign to never fix a game with your business if you promise to have a meeting with Miss. Glass and I," Edward compromises, letting go of your arm and watches as you walk towards the exit, "I don't think you are in any position to make compromises, nevertheless demands, Edward. But... I'll keep you updated on my decision," and with that you close the door softly behind yourself for him to get dressed. Pressing your forehead to the wooden surface, you grip your hands into fists before settling your head up high as you descend the stairs and move towards the coat room. You sneak your keys and coat before slipping out the side door and walk towards your car.

A series of hastened footsteps against the gravel have you rolling down the window to your Range Rover, foot on the brake, hands on the wheel- ready to make haste. You do your best not to be surprised when the Duke's face greets you on the other side, a I know something you don't smile resting on his features as you raise a brow to it.

"We never exchanged contacts," he states to you casually, as if it were the weather. You hum out, analyzing his statement while look out the windshield before looking back at him. Light rain begins to fall as you press a lingering kiss to his cheek, "I will find you in due time, you and Miss. Glass. Have a good night, your grace." And with that, you roll up your window, and drive off underneath the moonlight.

You take a deep sip of your drink as Ada sits still, mouth open as you swear to be losing circulation to you hand. Pins and needles start to form at your fingertips form how tightly she holds onto your hand. "Fuck, sis. Sounds like you got him good," Ada says, barley able to conceal her smile.

Shaking your head you take a deep sip of your near melted lemonade before clearing your throat and checking for the time, it would be an hour's drive from here, you both had to leave soon. "Well even if I have managed to, 'get him good...'" you raise your hands in quotations, starting to mock even the idea of you two together yet your heart speaks otherwise, beating rapidly in your chest as you recount the feeling of his lips on yours. The small hickey on your neck still bruised as you wonder if his has healed since then.

Ada raises a brow, watching as you absent-mindedly reach up towards your mark, fingers circling around the mark as you continue to speak, "...Tommy would never allow it-"

"Fuck what Tommy thinks, he's not you. Do YOU want to see him again?" Ada cuts you off, a serious look taking over every feature, tightening into sharp lines- as if daring you to say else-wise.

You refuse to meet her eyes, looking outside to the near empty tracks, "I mean..."

↳ Taglist: @daffodilstark @leavemeslowly @iamasimpingh0e @kneelarmhstrung @surazim

↳ A/N: What did you all think? I am quite happy with this being a standalone but I am willing to write a pt.2. If you have any ideas as to where it could go- send an ask, DM, or comment and I'll see what can be done further :) (i'm also taking a break soon... maybe... probably).

#eddie halstead x reader #x reader #eddie x reader #the gentlemen #the gentlemen x reader #netflix #the gentlemen netflix #fanfic #fanfiction #simp-ly #simp-ly-writes #eddie horniman #eddie horniman x reader #edward horniman #edward horniman x reader #the gentlemen 2024 #peaky blinders #the gentlemen 2024 x peaky blinders

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earthtoharlow · 1 year

Text

Flashing Lights

1) intro

Jack Harlow x Singer!OC

Series Masterlist

AN: Hello, I’m back with a new series, and I promise I won’t abandon this one lol

*2021*

NFL Star Nate Williams ARRESTED Allegedly Squared Up W/ Cops

New York Giants Quarterback Nate Williams was arrested after a drunken dispute with cops in LA... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 28-year-old -- who's the son of NFL Hall of Famer, Mike Williams -- and his girlfriend, singer Maryse Monet (23) were pulled over near downtown LA... after cops say Nate was driving the wrong direction on a one-way street.

According to our police sources, cops say their car reeked of booze ... so they ordered the couple out of the car.

We're told while Maryse talked to cops, Nate got out of the car and took off his shirt and jacket and squared up like he wanted to fight.

Nate ultimately settled down and complied with their commands ... then he was handcuffed, and arrested for disorderly conduct and obstruction.

He was taken to jail ... and later posted bond.

Maryse apparently mentioned to police that the couple were arguing beforehand and that she was trying to get Nate to pull over so she could drive, knowing Williams had been drinking.

This isn't the first time the football player has been arrested, he was charged with a DUI last fall after being kicked out of a superbowl party which he also attended with Monet.

Nate Williams & Maryse Monet SPLITSVILLE…

Nate Williams and Maryse Monet are no more -- the couple reportedly broke up ... and the early indication is that it might've been her who wasn't on the same page for their future.

According to ENews, the toxic couple have ventured into splitsville, this is after more than 3 years together and power-coupling all over Hollywood & New York City. Unclear when they might've gone their separate ways ... but neither has posted a photo with the other for months.

Now, as for the reasoning behind the reported uncoupling ...ENews, citing a source familiar, says Nate apparently wanted to get even more serious with Maryse than they already were, as he was already looking in for rings and planning on asking Maryse’s family blessing to marry her.

Maryse reportedly didn’t want to get married, telling friends and family that Williams who has a history of DUI’s) drinking and anger problems were a big problem in their relationship and getting married would make things worse.

Maryse Monet seen visibly upset leaving ex Nate Williams home in NY with Rapper Doja Cat

Maryse Monet covers her face with notebook as paparazzi try to snap pictures of her moving her things out of shared NY loft with ex Nate Williams

Maryse's best friend, and famous rapper Doja Cat, yells at the camera men to back up and get away from their vehicle as the girls try to leave.

Maryse seemed visibly upset, as you could see her close to tears as she brought out the rest of her things.

STAY STRONG MARYSE- look on the bright side, at least you’ll have good writing material now!

*2022 Grammys*

You would think after 4 years of being in the industry, Maryse would be used to the bright lights and the hundreds of photographers shouting her name on the red carpet but NOPE. It doesn’t get any less nerve wracking.

As she tried to focus on not falling and tripping over her own feet in her custom Del Core dress she noticed the flashes seemingly getting brighter and the photographers motioning for her to turn around. Turning her head, she let out the biggest laugh as she saw one of her best friends, Amala, aka Doja Cat, over her shoulder making the most ridiculous faces to photobomb her.

“You bitch!” Maryse said, letting out another laugh. Amala gives her a cheeky smile before pulling her in for a big hug. The two of friends posed for pictures together before she left to go take solo photos of her own but not before slapping Maryse on the ass.

All she could do was shake her head with a smile. She loved that girl.

Maryse stopped and talked to a few musicians before her publicist, CoCo directed her towards the press to do interviews.

She smiled widely as the interviewer started to introduce her. “This is Jessie with Entertainment Tonight, and I’m here with the first time Grammy nominee, Maryse Monet! How are you feeling tonight?” They said turning towards Maryse.

Maryse took a moment to look around. She couldn’t believe this was her life.

“Nervous but definitely excited! This is such a surreal experience. You know, the last time I was here I was a plus one. Wasn’t even nominated at all, literally no one knew my name.” Maryse replies with a smile, and waves slightly at the fans that were behind the press.

Maryse watched as Jessie’s eyes got wide, slightly shocked at her words. “Oh wow! Well that’s definitely not the case anymore. You’re nominated for best new artist tonight and you’ve had one of the biggest years out of everyone with the success of your song, Good Days which is nominated for song of the year. One of the top awards of the night. Tell us how the writing process of that song came about.” He asked shoving the microphone to her lips

“You know, for the past year, I’ve gone through so much in my personal life. It was one thing after another. So Good Days became like a mantra. Everyday I woke up, and told myself that good days were coming. Sometimes I hardly believed myself when I was saying it but sometimes all you need is a sliver of hope that things will get better. It’s one of the most therapeutic songs I've ever written.”

“Wow! I absolutely love that! Everyone needs that reminder sometimes. You’re definitely a fan favorite to win tonight!” Jessie says. “Now, there’s so many talented artists here tonight and I know you mentioned how you haven’t been to the Grammy’s in a couple years, so who are you most excited to see and even meet tonight.” Jessie asked with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows.

Maryse took a moment to think, there were so many artists there tonight. Hell, even the artists she was nominated with were amazing but there was only one artist who popped in her head first.

“Well, I’m super late to the party but I’ve recently discovered Jack Harlow’s music, and I’m obsessed.”

Maryse could see the smirk forming on Jesse's face. “Better late than never, right? It also doesn't help that he’s such a cutie!”

Leaning closer to the microphone Maryse answers “Are you trying to set me up, Jesse?!” holding in a laugh.

“I won’t deny that he’s handsome but, I’ve become such a huge fan of his music and I’d love to meet him tonight.”

Maryse took a small pause

“And Beyonce too, gotta meet her first!”

——————————————————————————-

Maryse let out a tiny scream and she reached over and hugged Amala as she made her way back to her seat after accepting her Grammy for Pop Duo with SZA. Even if Maryse didn’t win anything tonight she was happy that her friends wouldn’t leave empty handed.

Maryse had a smile on her face for the rest of the ceremony. Best New Artist went to Olivia Rodrigo, which Maryse wasn’t shocked by. Olivia had an incredible year. When the host announced that Song of the Year was next, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. She was a newcomer, her peers that were nominated with her were super talented in their own right and have been in the industry for years. All of them deserved to win so she knew she most likely wouldn’t win.

Maryse gave a nervous smile as the camera panned to her as they read off the nominees. She felt Amala grab on to her knee to stop her nervous bouncing.

“And the Grammy for Song of the Year goes to…” the presenter took a pause before looking out into the audience.

“MARYSE MONET!!”

Hearing her name get called immediately made her freeze up. Maryse felt her face feel warm from blushing. No way did she just win a Grammy. As Maryse stood up to make her way towards the stage, her eyes started tearing up with happy tears. She couldn’t believe this, she just won a Grammy!

Thankfully, she was sitting in the front row so Maryse didn’t have far to walk. As she was walking up the platform steps she felt the bottom of her dress get caught on the back of her heels, she was going to be the laughingstock of the whole industry. Maryse braced herself for the fall before she felt a hand quickly grab her arm.

Maryse turned her head to see who saved her from the embarrassment and let out a tiny gasp at the blue eyes that stared back at her.

“Are you okay?” The gentleman asked with a look of concern.

All Maryse could do was simply nod and squeak out a thank you. He smiled and escorted her up the rest of the steps, making sure she was good before walking back down to his seat, but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek and whispering congratulations in her ear. Maryse chose to ignore the small spark she felt from that kiss.

Once Maryse got up to the podium she let out a deep breath and a nervous laugh.

“I can’t believe I almost tripped and fell in front of Beyoncé!” The audience began to laugh and Maryse could see the Queen herself laughing it off and mouthing that it was okay.

As everyone continued to clap, Maryse took a moment to look down at the trophy in her hands. This felt like a dream, one she hopes she never wakes up from.

“For long as I can remember music had always been in my life. My dad played guitar and my mother was a music teacher. There was hardly ever a time where music wasn’t playing from my dad’s record player.”

The entire audience was quiet as they listened to Maryse speak. “So standing up here and holding this award with all my favorite artists and people I grew up listening to, is a dream come true.”

“I want to first thank the Recording Academy. I want to thank my whole entire team for believing in me and never giving up on me. A huge thank you to everyone who listened to this song. I literally wrote Good Days on my childhood bedroom floor. It means so much to me that you guys love it as much as I do….”

Maryse took a small pause and it looked out into the audience. It seemed like her eyes would only lock in on one person.

“…And I can’t leave this stage without thanking Jack Harlow, who really saved me from embarrassing myself in front of all of you. So thank you for your quick reflexes.”

Maryse watched with a smile as Jack raised his glass of water to her and gave her a wink. With blurry eyes, she raised her very first Grammy back at him as all her peers stood and gave her a standing ovation. She will never forget this moment in her life.

——————————————————————————-

Maryse playfully rolled her eyes at her friends as they laughed around her.

“HA. HA. Laugh it up all you want, at least I didn’t fall on my face. I would’ve never shown my face again.”

“Yeah, that’s because you had Mr. White Chocolate himself, Jack Harlow save you” Diamonté added with a smirk

“White Chocolate??” Maryse heard Lil Nas X speak up from the kitchen.

“I love that guy but ain’t no chocolate in him, he’s more like a sweet uncrusted bread slice.”

The whole room started to roar in laughter

“A sugar cookie sweetie”

“A little package of cream cheese”

“OH! OH! I got one! An unsalted butter babe!”

All Maryse could do was shake her head in laughter at her friends foolishness

Maryse couldn’t help but think about that moment at the Grammys.

After she made her speech, the rest of the night went by in a blur. Maryse was pulled into so many different directions that night by friends, family and press that she wasn’t able to personally thank Jack again. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t feel a connection from their tiny connection. With how busy she was going to be with working on her debut album and she was sure Jack was going to be just as busy, she didn’t know when they would run paths again but she hoped it was soon.

LIFEOFMONET

liked by dojacat, jackharlow, champagnepapi, summerwalker, Beyoncé, urbanwyatt, chloebailey, SZA, saweetie and 657,035 others

lifeofmonet: unforgettable night

view all 10,046 comments

user: SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU

user: YOU DESERVED

user: I love you sm like

saweetie: The most deserving 🥹

user: queen tings !!

user: mother 😭

dojacat: remember when you almost fell

lifeofmonet: No, because I had a hero save me

jackharlow: I’ll be your hero any day. Congratulations again, beautiful!

——————————————————————————

Hope you all enjoyed this! I’m very excited about this so please let me know what you thought!

Tag List:

(message me if you'd like to be added)

@heavyhitterheaux @hoodharlow @neon-lights-and-glitter @babiefries @toocriticalharlow @macey234 @jackmans-poison @dstark-0706 @xxkoolkatxx @itsyagirljaz @harlowsbby

#jack harlow #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow x y/n #jack harlow reader #social media au #jack harlow instagram au #jack harlow social media au

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gabbykinneysupremacy · 6 months

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So… I’ve watched the original X-Men tas probably five or six times, and I was so excited for the new episodes today!!

So I broke down all the Easter eggs I saw in the first episode! I hope to do this with every episode and I’m going to start the second one tonight. This probably isn’t all of them, so comment if I missed something.

If you want a really good analysis of this episode, you should watch the YouTube channel New Rockstars. They do amazing breakdowns of everything nerdy and have the coolest merch!!

Obviously, spoilers for episode one of X-Men ‘97’

Logo update on title card

1:16: The panning of the city shows signs that advertise Ashida, Stark industries, VistaCorp and Da Costa. Noriko Ashida is mutant Surge, who was introduced in New Mutants in January of 2008. Stark industries is obviously Tony Stark. The original show featured a story with both Wolverine and Captain America, so we know the avengers exist in some form. And Da Costa: Roberto Da Costa AKA sunspot appears in the opening of the show, captured by the FOH. Sunspot made his appearance as a member of the original New Mutants.

1:20 Anti mutant graffiti and X logo spray painted over “Report Mutants” flyer on pole.

2:00 FOH has same arm bands and military style berets. They also appear to have sentinal technology as wearable weapons.

2:47 There’s a missing poster for a woman who appears to be Marrow, another frequent X-Men character and Morlock.

4:55 Daily Bugle, the news paper known to Spider-Man fans, flashes by. Again, spider man was in an episode of the original X-men animated series, confirming the universes are one. This paper advertises “Benetton’s Mutant Fashion Show”, the cover notably features four mutants, two of which are resubmit recognized and Banshee and Dust.

5:03 Gambit is rocking a crop top that says “Rock.” From the design, it looks like he cropped the shirt himself. He’s also sporting a necklace with a blue/ white gem. Here, he’s making Begets, a traditional Cajun treat, reflecting on Gambit’s own roots in the French quarter of New Orleans.

5:18 Rogue is back in her pink dress, the same dress she wore in the pilot of the original animated series.

6:54 Beasts’s book collection features Animal Farm by George Orwell, the book he read in prison in the original series.

7:37 Both Beast and Jubilee mention that Bishop is a time traveler, but neither mention why he’s staying in their time with the X-Men.

8:52 The Danger Room simulation features the rubble of the UN, Magneto flying above it. This foreshadows later in the second episode where he does use his powers at the UN.

9:20 Jubilee lists off powers to Sunspot, asking which are his. She mentions shooting gold balls from his body, saying that would be weird. This references Goldballs, a very real and very weird X-Men.

9:57 Scott stares at a picture of the original X-Men with Xavier. In the comics, the original five are Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Ice Man and Beast. In the show, we’ve seen all five but never all together. And Angel never acknowledges being in the original X-men.

10:00 Scott and Jean talk to Dr. Cooper; aka Valerie Cooper. In comics, she’s an assistant to the president on the context of superhumans.

10:54 The team play basketball outside, just like Wolverine, Gambit and Jubilee did in the original show.

11:08 Charles’ death certificate reveals that the date of his death is 11/11/1996, and that his middle name is Francis.

12:13 Jean confirms for the first time that her and Cyclops’ baby is a boy, most likely Nathan Summers.

18:42 Jean sees a child’s hand drawing a picture when she uses cerebro. Is this a flash to the future of her son?

19:04 The baby jean holds is wrapped in a yellow X-Men blanket.

19:35 The rocks behind Jean turn into gravestones.

23:28 The sentinels call out an omega level threat. This refers to Storm’s Omega level status, one of the first times we’ve talked about power rankings in tas.

23:42 Where Storms’s lightening hits the sand, it turns into glass. This is a natural phenomenon and the glass structures are called fulgurites.

24:50 The soldiers and helicopters that come to take Trask are labeled as UN forces. They’re accompanied by Valerie Cooper, her second appearance this episode.

28:12 When Magneto moves the book, only the metal corners light up as being manipulated by his powers, just a fun detail.

And of course, updated title cards in the end credits

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probablyasocialecologist · 1 year

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The latest IPCC report and recent studies highlight the huge and thus far largely untapped mitigation potential of demand-reduction strategies, with an emphasis on sufficiency, equity, wellbeing, and improvements to provisioning systems. Policy makers can take several steps toward this end: shifting away from economic growth as a core objective, and instead prioritising equity, human wellbeing, and ecological sustainability; scaling down energy-intensive or carbon-intensive and less-necessary forms of production and consumption (eg, sports utility vehicles, air travel, industrial meat and dairy, fast fashion, weapons, cruises, mansions, and private jets); reducing income and wealth inequality, and curtailing the purchasing power and consumption of wealthy classes (eg, via wealth taxes and maximum income thresholds); insulating buildings and repurposing buildings to minimise new builds; reducing food waste, and shifting to agroecological farming techniques and predominantly plant-based diets; introducing laws to end planned obsolescence, lengthen product lifespans, and guarantee rights to repair; shifting away from private cars while also improving public transit, bike systems, and walkability; and shifting from commodified for-profit provisioning to decommodified, socially and ecologically beneficial not-for-profit provisioning. Livelihoods and wellbeing can be secured independently of economic growth, by shortening and redistributing working hours to secure employment, introducing a public job guarantee, living wages, living pensions, and a minimum income guarantee, and providing universal access to affordable housing and good-quality public services.

Is green growth happening? An empirical analysis of achieved versus Paris-compliant CO2–GDP decoupling in high-income countries

#degrowth #ecosocialism

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ericdeggans · 4 months

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Joining the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame: Fulfillment from a life of helping a community understand itself

Journalism always seemed like a realistic career goal for me, thanks to my dad, Chuck Deggans.

He had a regular column in several newspapers around my Gary, Indiana hometown when I was growing up, writing for Black-centered newspapers like Gary INFO and The Crusader, in addition to the dominant local daily, The Post-Tribune. His column was like a local version of Jet magazine’s happenings pages, with tidbits on all the stuff going on in Gary’s Black social scenes, complete with a few photos of beautiful women in bikinis or local notables.

That’s why I spent time talking about him and my mother, Carolyn Williams, when I was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. The honor, which has surprised and gratified me, was a direct reflection of both their influences.

My mom scrimped and saved to send me to private schools we could barely afford, giving me an education and experiences that broadened my horizons invaluably. And my dad showed me a career in journalism could bring a steady paycheck, community influence and great pride – knowing you were helping a community understand itself by telling its story, again and again, every day. Which was no small lesson for a Black kid raised in a tough neighborhood with few similar role models.

The Hall of Fame class this year includes some impressive names: Max Jones, editor of the Tribune-Star in Terre Haute; Bill Benner, a former sports reporter, writer and columnist at the Indianapolis Star; Sandra Chapman, reporter/investigative journalist formerly with WISH-TV and later WTHR-TV in Indianapolis; Francisco Figueroa (1896-1951), the printer, publisher and editorial contributor to Indiana's first Spanish language newspaper, El Amigo del Hogar; Wallace Terry, 1938-2003, journalist, documentarian and author who covered war and civil rights for a variety of national newspapers and magazines and Kathy Tretter, owner and publisher of the Spencer County Leader and the Ferdinand News.

Joining this group was a distinct honor – a major highlight in a journalism life which has included everything from hosting shows on NPR and CNN to interviewing Oprah Winfrey and Prince, writing a book that predicted a lot of the modern shape of media and forcing the TV industry to face much of its hypocrisies regarding race and equity.

These days, it’s easy to despair over the waning impact of journalism, as audiences increasingly align with outlets telling them what they want to hear and those in power find more insidious ways to undermine a truly independent press.

But the Hall of Fame ceremony was poignant reminder of value in the ceaseless, constant work of journalists from my home state and around the world – a lifetime-long challenge which could not be more rewarding or necessary in the current moment.

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motocorsas · 4 months

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this is gonna be a little rambling, I hope you don't mind!

as a marc stan (obviously :D), I really appreciated your post on him and his character/behaviour. it was nuanced and clear and one of the best pieces I've read on him. from a personal standpoint, I loved that you separated your arguments/facts from your personal opinion, something I find sorely lacking in motogp, making yours all the more powerful for it. there's a lot of hate for marc, so I freely admit I get defensive for him quickly. your writing was a breath of fresh air and I definitely agree with your points.

I wasn't going to send this, because you certainly don't need my validation, but I saw your tags saying you wanted to become a journalist, and I decided I'd come and say I think you will be incredible at that and I truly hope you're successful. the writing world would be blessed to have you.

thank you, that means a lot to me. i sometimes feel like my time would be better spent on things that actually matter, so it's nice to know that sports reporting is valuable. here's hoping publications think the same, so many working journalists have been getting laid off lately. i'm worried that by the time i graduate, there won't be an industry left. not to mention how difficult it is to find employment as a motorcycle racing writer -- there are a few print publications here in the states, but they're very small operations.

#ask

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today-review · 2 months

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coochiequeens · 10 months

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While I'm not sad that an industry that exploits women is filing for bankruptcy I am pissed that a lot media will identify the new owner of the franchise as a woman and feed into negative stereotypes about women and money.

A 2022 Miss Universe judge is revealing why the organizer behind the event has filed for bankruptcy just days before the next main event.

"I think the outrage about a trans woman coming to Miss Universe and preaching, 'Bring the power back to women,' couldn't be more of an oxymoron," television host and reporter Emily Austin said Thursday on "Varney & Co."

"I think her company in Thailand has its own financial issues," she continued, "but socially and morally it's just wrong. And people are starting to catch on that."

Thai business tycoon and transgender activist Anne Jakrajutatip of the JKN Global Group bought the Miss Universe organization for $20 million in 2022. Jakrajutatip, who has international fame as a transgender celebrity, described the purchase at the time as "a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio."

But one year later, the franchise itself appears unstable

2022 Miss Universe judge Emily Austin, right, said on "Varney & Co." that the event organizer's bankruptcy was "absolutely" caused by the transgender owner's "socially and morally" wrong controversy. (Fox News)

A public document sent to the Stock Exchange of Thailand from JKN Global Group declared "JKN Global Group Public Company Limited (the ‘Company’) has filed a petition for business rehabilitation with the Central Bankruptcy Court under the Bankruptcy Act B.E. 2483 (1940) (as amended) (the ‘Bankruptcy Act’) on November 8, 2023, the Central Bankruptcy Court has subsequently issued an order to accept the petition for business rehabilitation of the Company on November 9, 2023."

The Miss Universe Organization published a subsequent announcement declaring that due to "the current financial situation… we confirm that Miss Universe 2023 will be held in El Salvador on 18 November 2023, where a top notch experience provided to our fans will remain our top priorities." [sic]

For the first time, this year’s Miss Universe pageant is slated to feature at least two transgender contestants — Miss Portugal, a flight attendant named Marina Machete, and Rikkie Kollé, the first transgender Miss Netherlands. Spain’s Ángela Ponce was the pageant’s first trans contestant in 2018, but did not advance to the finals.

Austin argued Thursday her belief that transgender women should not be permitted to compete in the high-caliber pageant.

"If you want to empower women, the way to do it is not demeaning women and belittling women by allowing men, or biological men who became a woman, to come into an industry like sports, like beauty pageants, come all dolled-up plastic — [they're] beautiful men, by the way — and start dominating women's industries. That's the opposite of women's empowerment," Austin explained.

The 2022 judge added that many decisions are based around a contestant’s interview, and expressed how a transgender woman’s life experiences may not be comparable to a biological woman’s.

"The interview comes from your life story and how as a woman, you've evolved and you want to change the world. So if you grew up a man and you decided to become a woman, I don't think you have a true woman's, feminine story. You don't know what period cramps feel like, I'm sorry. You don't know what it's like to walk down a stage during that time of the month and really say: this is femininity," Austin said.

"You are a man who identifies as a woman, and that's fine," she added. "But don't start coming into women's industries — have a line, have a boundary. That's the problem."

#Miss Universe #Anne Jakrajutatip #JKN Global Group #bankruptcy

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logorrhea5mip · 1 year

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I wish i had 20% of the creativity my brain displays when dreaming while mildly sick.

To give an example:

A young man, dressed in informal baggy clothing stands with a microphone on a hill overlooking a city. (he is, at the same time, both me and Tom Scott, as is normal in dreams)

"As an infrastructure reporter, you might wonder what im doing here in Iceland, which certainly isn't well known for grand engineering projects not advanced technology"

"After the GEA project was ratified, the local economy expectedly crashed, and Iceland needed a new path towards its promised, prosperous future. The PIP, almost nonexistent before the crisis, quickly rose in power and became the dominant party that would define the 40s in this country. While their legacy is controversial, it's biggest physical relic isn't. And it is right behind me."

At the center of the large metropolis, a peculiar structure rises. The upper part of it is a half kilometer wide and slightly more tall ellipse of road, reinforced with a mess of jutting steel pillars and I-beams, almost as if someone had too much of them and needed to stick them somewhere.

The lower half of the structure stands on a U shaped building, which looks like many residential towers haphazardly stuck together, with the shortest ones in the middle and tallest ones on the sides. The roofs of the buildings are connected to the steel mess above them, which in turn holds the road.

"Sincere the highly specialized materials used for Loop construction aren't domestically produced here, and it would be to costly to import them, the project leaders decided on an approach that would utilize the domestic metal industry, resulting in an effective but unorthodox looking design."

"And while the Reykjavik Loop isn't as tall as the Dubai Circuit, as technically complex as the Double Loops of Berlin, nor as important to the sport as the Loop of San Francisco, it is more than enough for this often forgotten corner of the world."

"And it truly is, a wonder to behold"

So, this is all form a single dream i had. And while this isn't the best writing or world building ever, one has to appreciate it's volume. To list it all out:

In the mid to late 2030s, a UN project (GeoEngineering of the Atmosphere) suddenly stopped most of the acute effects of climate change.

Northern countries, where real estate was highly sough after as climate refugees flooded the less affected parts of the world, experienced a serious economic downturn as their safe haven status suddenly disappeared.

This caused a shift in Icelandic politics which got a public infrastructure and large projects focused party into power(seemingly controversial in the late 50s which appears to be the present), who built The Loop.

Loop racing is a(physically impossible, dream physics is like that often) motor sport, seemingly very popular "today", where drivers race around the Loop many times.

The whole look of the Reykjavik Loop is certainly unique in that way that dream architecture often is.

Remember, all of this came from 3 minutes of random neuron activity.

And meanwhile, conscious me can decide on a surname for my DnD character for 20 minutes.

#dreams #not a reblog #ramblings #iceland #unreality #architecture #weird dreams #random thoughts #long posts

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thevitaminz · 5 months

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The super-rich buying super-fakes

Earlier this year, I attended a speaker event featuring the Chief Strategy Officer of LVMH. In his talk, he highlighted the $3 trillion counterfeit industry and the billions of dollars the company has spent defending its brand and legacy. As highlighted in the Burberry case, in the early 2000s, the brand had to navigate the negative associations of "Chavs" sporting counterfeit Burberry products. Today, luxury brands find themselves in a new phenomenon, but with a different segment: the affluent customers who can easily afford and have previously purchased their products are now opting for "super-fakes."

As reported in The Cut, it's the super-rich buying super-fakes. Meet Lisa — "A stay-at-home mom with a household income that she says caps around $3 million a year. Lisa already owned a number of authentic pieces. But since discovering replicas, she's sold almost all of them, funneling the money into a cache of counterfeit Birkins." (Singh-Kurtz, The Cut, 2022) More worryingly for brands, the comfortability with preferring and wearing super-fakes is catching steam amongst emerging luxury consumers. For many Gen Zs, counterfeit luxury is "not an unethical scandal but a big, joyful open secret. Replica communities laugh at big luxury firms, taking on a subversive, stick-it-to-the-man attitude." (Wang, NYTimes, 2023) Instead of adopting new brands to signal exclusivity, many are obtaining the "same" brands from elsewhere.

Luxury brands must aggressively expand their difficult-to-replicate offerings to maintain their exclusivity and relevance. Experiences such as travel, dining, and clubs should be viewed as new revenue and brand drivers. Companies can harness social media and the digital world as growth engines. In this strategy, it won't just be what you're wearing but where you were in your Instagram Story.

For example, Muji, a "brandless" Japanese retailer, entered the hospitality sector to combat copycat brands and products in China. The retailer's hotel properties extended Muji's brand story and delivered irreplicable experiences. And companies like LVMH are already adopting similar approaches, acquiring Belmond in 2019 and collaborating with Ritz Carlton to build Bvlgari Hotels. The company recently announced the construction of its Louis Vuitton hotel in Paris. Another example luxury brands can reference is premium credit card products. While high-tier cards offer proprietary fraud protection and waived fees, financial service providers rely on the experiences — from exclusive clubs to VIP concerts — their cards unlock for holders.

As the counterfeit industry continues evolving and targeting even the most affluent consumers, luxury brands must adapt their strategies to maintain appeal and exclusivity. By focusing on delivering unique, irreplicable experiences and leveraging the power of social media, these brands can continue to differentiate themselves and retain their coveted status in the eyes of consumers.

#MITSloanBranding2024B

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aergisgeist · 1 year

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May 22nd, 2011 Joplin EF5

Photo of the aftermath of the tornado

May 22nd, 2011

The Events

(A note before we start, kilometers and Kph are rounded up if over .5, and rounded down if .5 or less)

12 years ago, one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history occurred, the deadliest tornado since April 9, 1947. The May 22nd Joplin Tornado. The tornado initially touched down at 5:34pm in Newton County and was quickly reported to be a multi vortex storm. The tornado tore up trees, whilst heading ENE, where it damaged more trees and some buildings, all whilst continuing to widen.

Impacted areas of damage. Catastrophic damage welly shows the main path of the vortex

The tornado made its way to Twin Hills Country Club, at EF3 intensity, and caused major and catastrophic damage to many houses and tossing cars, sometimes into houses. It proceeded to tear through multiple more subdivisions, while strengthening to an EF4 tornado. The tornado caused extreme damage to homes, cars, and business, collapsing concrete walls. A steel reinforced step and floor medical building was "deflected upward several inches and cracked." Steel trusses and beams of several buildings were heavily warped and twisted. Vehicles were thrown into buildings and trees, becoming wrapped around them. The tornado continued its progress through southern Joplin with no signs of stopping. The St. John's Regional Medical Center had most of its windows destroyed, floors and ceilings heavily damaged, and was missing large parts of its roof. The life flight helicopter was blown away and mangled. Debris and medical records from the hospital were found miles away in a neighboring counties. The inability to restore power directly resulted in the death of 5 individuals. The damage to the building was examined, and the NWS stated that it showed signs of windspeeds equal to or over 200mph (320kph). The hospital would eventually be torn down due to the damage.

Damage done to the hospital

A thrown semi trucks wrapped around a tree, and nearly every house from McClelland Boulevard and 26th Street was damaged severely or completely swept away. During this time, the tornado gained EF5 strength. All buildings in the tornadoes path were near completely destroyed, or completely destroyed, as it progressed through Main street (route 43) and between 20th and 26th street.

Hook echo from the tornado as it went on its destructive path. It leveled entire neighborhoods, as it tracked just south of the downtown area of Joplin. The tornado would eventually hit Joplin High School, which was luckily empty at the time due to a graduation ceremony going on in a different area. The Greenbrier nursing home was completely destroyed, resulting in the death of 21 people. The tornado continued, impacting a pizza hut. Store Manager Christopher Lucas lead his employees and several customers/people seeking shelter, into the walk in freezer. Unable to close the door, he would tie a bungee chord around it, and around his arm. As the tornado approached, the building was destroyed, and Lucas was sucked out and killed, leaving behind his wife and three children. All other individuals in the freezer survived. The tornado then struck a Walmart and home depot, along with several other business. The roof of the Walmart would collapse in, killing several people. The asphalt in the Walmart parking lot and other nearby lots had been scoured. Multiple more businesses such as a Acadamey Sports, and Pepsi distribution center were destroyed. 100-pound (45kg) manhole covers had been undone and throw, which shows that by now, windspeeds well surpassed 200mph (320kph). Most fatalities of the tornado were caused in this region, due to a high amount of homes and impacts on retail stores and restaurants. EF5 damage progressed a bit longer, destroying more houses and industrial/commercial buildings. Large metal warehouses were swept away, and heavy industrial vehicles thrown 400 yards (370 m). A concrete block and steel building was destroyed. The tornado proceeded to destroy a gas station and connivence store, the last of its EF5 damage, but not the end of the nightmare.

The safety deposit box of a bank was the only part of the bank left standing.

The tornado continued with an east to east-southeast movement heading to I-44, where it began to weaken. Vehicles were thrown from the interstate near US-71. Damage reports after show damage here ranging from EF2-3 damage. The tornado continued to Jasper and Newton county, dealing damage to homes, trees, and several other buildings with EF0-1 damage. It would lift east of the town of Diamond at 6:20pm, after 50 minutes.

AFTERMATH

The path of the tornado was 21.62 miles (34.79 km) long.

At its widest point, it was 1,600 yards (1,500 m) across.

The tornado caused a total of $2,800,000,000usd in damage

The tornado caused 161 deaths, and 1,150 injuries. Most deaths occurred at home. 5 were killed at the hospital as their ventilators went out with no power. 5 were killed semi indirectly when a Mucormycosis outbreak occurred during the aftermath in the area. 18 people committed suicide after the disaster.

944 pets were rescued according to officials.

A neighborhood ravaged by the twister. Picture was taken 10 days later.

It destroyed 7,964 buildings according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. FEMA reports that 8,264 had been impacted, over half of which were destroyed. An estimated 4000 electrical poles were damaged. And 110 miles (161km) of electrical lines brought down. 20,000 people were left with no power, and many would not get it back for 10-12 days. The electrical damage alone costed nearly $25.700.000USD. Major damage to water caused 4000 leaks from water service lines, creating a boil water notice. 3,500 gas meters and 55,000 feet of gas main were damaged, some of which could not be turned off due to providing critical facilities gas, such as hospitals and medical buildings. Freeman Health System was the only hospital in the city left standing after the event.

How did so many people die?

An article from Reuters (Many failed to heed Joplin tornado warnings, report says | Reuters) explains why so many people died from the tornado.

“The vast majority of Joplin residents did not immediately take protective action upon receiving a first indication of risk, regardless of the source of the warning,” is stated. Despite sirens being turned on for 20 minutes prior to the storm impacting, many residents of Joplin simply...didn't do anything. This is on top of warnings issued via TV, Radio, and other forms of media. The report further states “Instead, the majority of Joplin residents did not take protective action until processing additional credible confirmation of the threat,”. This confirmation included noting darkening skies or checking these other forms of media after hearing the sirens. The NWS did a lot to issue warnings, but it simply didn't work. Some people may have heard the sirens and thought to themselves about how often they may go off for tornado threats, that don't impact their area. This has become a common issue in areas that experience tornadoes. Many people simply don't think it'll happen to them, until it does. I don't think the people should be looked upon negatively for this, I can understand in some ways, why they may not take shelter after several previous warnings resulted in nothing in their region. However, you can never guarantee it won't happen to you, and the best thing anyone can do is to take all advisories seriously, and be ready to shelter at a moment's notice, or be in a shelter when issues start happening.

The Joplin tornado is incredibly infamous due to the damage it caused, and people it killed. It also serves as a warning about taking weather safety seriously. As I said, no one thinks it'll happen to them, until it does, and when that occurs, the results are often fatal. I'm going to end this with some pics I've taken on google maps, pointing out some things in relation to Joplin and how it is now. Joplin is once again a large and busy city, but it will never forget this incident that has caused immense grief and devastation, and I hope the city may never again go through such an event.

Note the ground, most regions of Joplin are grassy, but damaged regions are brown from grass not growing. Other areas have hefty amounts of trees, but areas in the path have many less trees.

Many areas of Joplin also have homes missing, that were never rebuilt. This can be due to owners simply leaving the area, or people not interested in getting a home built in an area that could be prone to another tornado.

The path of the tornado is easily visible, between the areas in northern Joplin which still have greenery, and the affected areas in the south, with scoured land.

#tornado #tornadoes #joplin #missouri #weather #disaster #essay #meterology #storm chasing #storms #thunderstorms #on this day

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beardedmrbean · 9 months

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Morning papers carry extensive coverage of the effects of strikes Thursday on public transport services as unions take industrial action to protest against the government's proposed labour reforms and social security cuts.

The business online daily Taloussanomat is among the papers reminding readers that the strikes will also impact a large number of other sectors.

Due to the industrial actions, snowplows will not be out as normal, at least in Espoo, Turku, Tampere, Oulu and Jyväskylä. The paper reports that in several cities, if snowplows are needed, they will work only on main thoroughfares.

Some union members will be on strike at Turku Airport, and the situation will reduce connections to Helsinki. A number of travel agencies are also affected.

At the nation's sea ports, employees of the cargo handling, forwarding and service companies will be out for the day.

Strikes at logistics and transport companies, distribution centres, and within the food industry, will likely be seen in reduced availability of some items at supermarkets, both on Thursday and Friday.

Mail will not be delivered on Thursday.

In numerous municipalities, employees in catering, cleaning, waste mangement, as well as sports and cultural services are on strike for the day.

Some power plants of energy utilities operating in Vantaa, Järvenpää, Tampere, the Turku region, Espoo and Pietarsaari are subject to strike. The companies have warned of a drop in power production.

Action by unions in the industrial, construction, foodstuffs, and power sector are on strike at nearly 600 workplaces, including bakeries, dairies and 85 construction sites across the country.

Border reopening

The Joensuu-based daily Karjalainen reports that the Southeastern Finland Border Guard said in the early hours of the morning that the situation was calm at the Vaalimaa crossing point on the border with Russia, after its reopening at midnight.

The Border Guard described traffic as "normal" in both directions. STT reported that a half-kilometer queue of cars heading towards Russia had already formed at Vaalimaa by 9pm on Wednesday, but moved forward smoothly once the crossing was reopened.

Earlier in the night, Jussi Pekkala, head of the Vaalimaa border inspection station, told the news agency that there was less traffic from the Russian side into Finland than from Finland into Russia. According to Pekkala, no asylum seekers had arrived at the crossing, at that time.

Cards and packages

Helsingin Sanomat reminds readers that there is still time to get Christmas cards and packages into the mail with assured delivery before the holidays.

However, there is a bit of a rush when it comes to cards. Finland's Posti postal service has announced that Christmas cards must be mailed on Sunday at the latest, in order reach domestic recipients before the holiday. Posti has also said that domestic mail packages will be delivered in time for Christmas if they are sent no later than Wednesday of next week.

Mail deliveries may suffer some short-term delays due to the political strikes taking place on Thursday. However, Posti estimates that the mail flow will quickly return to normal and that the work stoppages will not prevent the delivery of cards and packages by Christmas.

Snow here today, but...

Ilta-Sanomat reports that the maximum depth of snow cover in Finland is currently near Kittilä in Lapland, with a recorded 66 centimeters of snow on the ground. Readings of half a metre are widspread elsewhere in Lapland, and in the Kainuu region.

Finnish Meteorological Institute meteorologist Tuukka Keränen told the paper that these readings are exceptional, and pointed out that it is not every year that southern areas get as much snow cover as they have now.

Temperatures have also been colder than usual for the time of year. However, Saturday will bring a change in the recent winter weather.

Keränen said that temperatures in the south are forecast to hover around the freezing point by the start of next week, possibly melting some of the snow.

Temperatures reaching the plus side will melt some of the snow. It is still too early to say whether next week will bring rain and sleet, as well, and Keränen was unwilling to yet forecast if southern parts of the country will have snow or slush for Christmas.

#nunyas news #updates from up north

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power-chords · 11 months

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I mentioned, as the most conspicuous social mobilization of aggressiveness, the militarization of the affluent society. This mobilization goes far beyond the actual draft of manpower and the buildup of the armament industry: its truly totalitarian aspects show forth in the daily mass media which feed ‘public opinion’. The brutalization of language and image, the presentation of killing, burning, and poisoning and torture inflicted upon the victims of neocolonial slaughter is made in a common-sensible, factual, sometimes humorous style which integrates these horrors with the pranks of juvenile delinquents, football contests, accidents, stock market reports, and the weatherman. This is no longer the ‘classical’ heroizing of killing in the national interest, but rather its reduction to the level of natural events and contingencies of daily life.

The consequence is a ‘psychological habituation of war’ which is administered to a people protected from the actuality of war, a people who, by virtue of this habituation, easily familiarizes itself with the ‘kill rate’ as it is already familiar with other ‘rates’ (such as those of business or traffic or unemployment). The people are conditioned to live “with the hazards, the brutalities, and the mounting casualties of the war in Vietnam, just as one learns gradually to live with the everyday hazards and casualties of smoking, of smog, or of traffic”. The photos which appear in the daily newspapers and in magazines with mass circulation, often in nice and glossy color, show rows of prisoners laid out or stood up for ‘interrogation’, little children dragged through the dust behind armored cars, mutilated women. They are nothing new (‘such things happen in a war’), but it is the setting that makes the difference: their appearance in the regular program, in togetherness with the commercials, sports, local politics, and reports on the social set. And the brutality of power is further normalized by its extension to the beloved automobile: the manufacturers sell a Thunderbird, Fury, Tempest, and the oil industry puts ‘a tiger in your tank’.

"Aggressiveness in Advanced Industrial Societies," Herbert Marcuse, Negations, 1968.

#herbert marcuse #commonplace buch

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calciumcryptid · 1 year

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Naturalsverse | Tanner Brown & Sol Beck

A little while back I made a post detailing a parallel I found between two ocs of mine and friendship between two certain spider people. Upon posting this, my mutual @floof-ghostie inquired more into the boys. Now, I'll never pass up an invite to talk about my characters so here is more about my ocs Tanner Brown and Sol Beck.

Prologue: The Naturalsverse

To give proper context to their friendship, I feel like it is necessary to explain the Naturalsverse.

The Naturalsverse is the name of one of my personal universes. It is an alternate earth where Mother Nature, upon seeing the future threat of the industrial revolution, worked to preserve the natural world through creating nature essences.

Nature Essences come in four types (Animalias, Plantaes, Lapideums, and Phenomenons) and will embed themselves onto newborns. In exchange for hosting them, the essences will grant the human they have latched onto special abilities. The problem is, most humans do not awaken their abilities due to activation occurring activating a severe case of flight, fight, or freeze.

Tanner Brown and Sol Beck are both hosting Animalia nature essences, and their abilities are those of Mustelas. Tanner's powers come from the domesticated ferret and Sol's powers come from the black-footed ferret.

Chapter One: Story Context

As one of the main characters, Tanner Brown features prominently in Naturals with many of his storylines centered around societal issues.

Tanner has faced many different opponents throughout his stories, but his primary one is Selene also known as the mercenary Night Huntress. Despite being a teenager, Selene is a prolific mercenary due to her skills and abilities.

Right before Tanner and Sol's first meeting, Tanner comes out from a rough fight with Selene. Tanner may have recovered from his injuries, but his insecurities have been ripped right back open due to his feelings of inadequacy standing alongside fellow protagonists Eun-Jin Rhodes and Markus Torres.

You see, Eun-Jin and Markus have a great amount of athletic prowess. Eun-Jin from being trained for the Naturals business at a young age, and Markus from the many sports he partook in over the course of his life.

Tanner is a scrawny boy, simply stating.

As a primarily background character, Sol Beck doesn't feature prominently in Naturals minus the one story we shall discuss.

Sol was created to fill out a roster first and foremost, and that was where he was going to remain static. Until I made the worst mistake a writer could do.

I got attached.

Chapter Two: The Story

It has not been long since Tanner got his ass handed to him by Selene. His tailbone is not the only thing bruised, as his confidence took a large hit following the scuffle at the warehouse.

Re-examining his place among his friends, he realizes that he has always been the wrong variable. Eun-Jin and Markus are the model vigilante, and have the reasoning to back their decision up. He simply joined because he wanted the glory of a hero. He concludes he should go back to a normal life, and refocus on his plans after he ages out of the foster system.

Before he can tell the rest of the trio his decision, a distress call comes from their allies in the western region of the United States. The Goldstone siblings report that they are struggling to combat the sudden crime wave while uncovering the mastermind behind it all.

The group suits up to head out West, holding out hope that they can get it over with before the weekend is over. Tanner begrudgingly tags along, stuffing his Scout uniform in a duffle bag before boarding the eco-friendly plane his best friend built as another stab to his low confidence.

Upon arriving at the agreed meet up spot in Montana, the trio is greeted by the Goldstone siblings who are happy to see them again. After everyone has reunited, they catch the main trio on what the western region has been doing.

Dakota Goldstone introduces them to their new recruits, and other vigilantes (teams and solo) that promised to protect their respective states. Dakota shares the reason they have met in Montana is because the Goldstones are waiting for an ally to deliver intel. The Goldstones take them to an abandoned motel that has been slowly renovated into a safehouse.

Unfortunately some thieves wish to hide out as well, and the Naturals burst into action to fend off the intruders and leave them for the authorities. One thief tries to escape, and Tanner chases after him through the trees like he is used to. Except, he isn't the only one there and soon he is racing another individual for the thief. The individual beats him to it, and the thief goes down with a swing of a nail ridden baseball bat.

The others arrive to the scene, and the Goldstones greet the individual who Tanner learns is name Sol Beck. Sol is far from antagonistic, greeting the others with an easy going smile and leading them back to the abandoned motel that they learn he renovated himself. Back at the motel, Eun-Jin and Markus start discussing with the Goldstones about the distress call and new intel delivered.

Tanner wishes to join the discussion, but is unsure how he goes to get a drink. He is interrupted by Sol who tells him to ignore the others as they are boring, and invites them to head out. He drags Tanner onto the roof where they can see the stars.

While stargazing, they learn more about each other and Sol is ecstatic to learn he is a fellow ferret based natural and musically inclined. Sol jokes that they should start a band together which Tanner laughs at.

I don't have much on them beyond that, but I do know at some point Sol tells Tanner he is intersex.

After the rest of the plot happened, Tanner forgoes his plans to quit the team and him and Sol exchange contact information with Sol once again joking they should start a band together.

I know at some point I want one massive team-up among all the Naturals against a common enemy and I want Sol to be on Tanner's panel when it happens, coming to help him out specifically.

Chapter Three: The Epilogue

In the planned epilogue for Naturals, it is revealed that Tanner Brown and Sol Beck made good on their promise and are in a band together called the Masked Mustelidaes. With Sol Beck being an uncle figure to Tanner's future daughter.

#naturalsverse #naturals: tanner brown #naturals: sol beck

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