#but we'll have to do our best with what we have

[mayakern]

hiiii it's me! devin! ur favorite!

maya is still banned from doing big business things on social media while she takes time to rest and detoxify from the poison that is running social media full time for ten years. everybody clap! yay!

i'm here to share some info on our button-up shirt and dress preorders!

as many of you already know, i lost my anti-preorder campaign due to the high minimum per design. there's been some confusion and uncertainty. carsyn's doing her best but preorders are overwhelming and i have some time today

SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS:

how close are you to hitting the minimum goal for the button-up shirts and dresses?

not close lol. as of 4/26 we're at about 8% funded. i refuse to panic until after may 3rd

why the funeral design?

the funeral design won our design poll

initially we were going to run preorders for two designs: funeral as well as astronauts. when we got news that the minimum would be 400 garments per design (we're able to spread that across the button-up shirts and dresses) we decided to cut back to one design. we're really not big enough to expect 800 orders on an $80-90 item

why not another design?

another design did not win the design poll

what would have been chosen other than funeral or astronaut?

deadly florals, hiss from a rose, microorganisms, and hands were all the top placers in the design poll after funeral

can you do solid color?

yes

why didn't you do solid color?

you can buy a solid color button-up shirt or dress from anywhere. the plan has always been to introduce these garments in solid color after their initial introduction

...so can you do solid color?

we will consider doing solid color preorders if these preorders bomb

how much would solid color cost?

probably the same. it's not much cheaper. it's faster to make tho

how much would the ecovero viscose cost instead of cotton?

maybe like $10 cheaper

it's really soft tbh but it's a different weave from the viscose for the skirts. it's my number one fabric for the button-ups but alas the cotton fandom won for now

what happens if preorders bomb?

we cancel and refund all preorders.

maybe we'll try again with a different design or with fewer features after we have some time to decompress from the nightmare that is running preorders (can you tell i hate preorders). if they bomb bad enough we may completely nix patterned button-up shirts and dresses. we don't know yet!

does that affect the picnic top?

the picnic top is completely separate. since it's made out of a different fabric it has its own minimum, so it will not be affected by button-up shirt and dress preorders

and like, to be totally honest, it's way cheaper to produce. we can eat some of the cost and just make them. they're small enough to store easily and they're at a lower price point so we can expect to sell them after we receive them, like the wrap tops

btw, we have other ready-to-ship things already in production. we've been working on a whole secret project. surprise!

why did you launch preorders for the button-up shirt/dress at the same time as the picnic top?

the picnic top sample came in with the button-up dress sample and it needed very little alteration. also maya liked it. also we may be developing an entire line inspired by the picnic top so keep an eye out for that next spring

why is the new button-up shirt more expensive than the old button-up shirt?

it's more expensive to make

why is it more expensive to make?

this is a different factory from the one we used before. it's more expensive because they pay their staff a higher wage and likely have other costs

this is a different fabric from the one we used before. it's a stretch cotton with a GOTS certification

this is imported from a different country from the one we used before. turkey has much higher import fees to the US

what is a GOTS certification?

the short version is the fabric itself is more environmentally friendly and produced with more fair labor practices than standard cotton

you can read the long version here here

can you do fulfillment from somewhere other than the US?

we're working on it. it probably won't lower prices tho, since fulfillment centers also cost money

anyway...

none of this is to shame someone for not preordering. groceries are expensive and things are tight, plus it kinda sucks to spend on a tight budget and not get what you ordered for a few months

(can you tell i hate preorders)

i think there's a lot of surprise since we've never done preorders on a single design before, and that's fair! we debated on doing a kickstarter but a) i hate doing kickstarters b) kickstarter takes a percentage of sales and our profit margin on these is already lower than we'd like it to be

i'm tired and i can't remember anything else i wanted to say. i may answer any additional questions from my own tumblr (@punchyemblem and now i'm gonna get a notification that i'm gonna be jumpscared by) but carsyn will be handling most questions

also don't worry, when you say nice things we still show maya. also she's fine, she's just in her (forced and highly necessary and possibly permanent) limited social media era

[russellsppttemplates]

We can all agree that our little gremlin boy Lan has a big head, don't we? Like we love him, he's cute(hot af too), but boy was blessed with a big head 😅 so I just had the funniest scene of his wife complaining to him about his big head while drowned in hormones when she's pregnant with Tilly. Like really complaining, but laughing at the same time, and maybe his sisters or max and P are cackling while he tries not to laugh too much not to hurt her feelings,but they all end up having a laughing fit together 😆

Note: when I was a baby, my head was so big that I had to get a series of tests and scans to rule out any problems! In the doctor's words, fortunately, the only problem I would have was finding a hat that fits! So I relate to this very much - also, absolutely agree with all you've said!

Cw: reader is pregnant

The annual Norris family summer vacation was well underway by the time you decided which days you wanted to spend on the boat, Oliver and Savannah staying inside with the girls along with Adam and Cisca who decided they would make lunch for everyone.

"Do you know what I have just realised?", you spoke to Flo as you both watched Lando and Cisca's boyfriend jump into the water, "your brother has a massive head - like, it's really big, specially when you compare to Max's", you pointed to your husband's best friend.

That morning, you cried about the fact that your bikini dug on your hips only for Lando to tell you that you hadn't tired the sides properly and that you had more than enough room to accommodate your growing body, so right now this was a way better way to deal with the rush of hormones you were having.

"I think we all do, to be fair - Cisca has the smalled one I guess", Flo squinted as she looked at her sister who walked closer to you.

"Why are you looking at me like that?", Cisca wondered.

"I've just realised how big your brother's head is and how I'm probably going to be split apart when this little girl - little body but surely a big head - joins us", you rubbed your bump as tears formed in your eyes.

"Oh, Y/N, my friends have had babies with big heads and they're fine", Pietra offered, "they were just fine", she said before waving at Max so him and Lando could come to the rescue.

"I don't know why I'm crying, which makes this even worse - Goodness", you wiped your eyes and chuckled, "I can feel her head, it's about here from what I remember from the scans - and it's big, like, really big! How is that going to work?", you blurted.

"What's the matter? Is everything alright? Y/N, are you good? Is it Tilly?", Lando asked worriedly as he saw you break into a fit of giggles and seeing the girls fight their laughter a bit before joining.

"The matter is that you have a big head and Tilly's will also be big", you explained, "I'm not the tiniest person ever, so there's definitely room but can you imagine? I have to ask your mother how big your head was when you were born because I feel like I need to do prep work for it", you mused, "it's all natural until you decide to have a kid with the guy who has a big head".

"Oh, Y/N has gone dark", Max muttered, earning himself a swat on his forehead from Pietra, "what? Did I lie?", he hissed, containing his laughter.

"I'm not sure what you'd like me to do here, my love", Lando admitted, sitting next to you and attempting to squeeze your thigh lovingly, knowing the affectionate gesture could go both ways.

"Our baby is making me feel like I have the emotional and cognitive skills of a toddler", you mumbled as you cuddled your husband, supporting your bump with a pillow Flo got for you as you both layed down.

"It's okay, Y/N, I don't mind having to reason with you - we'll consider this practice for when we have our little one, okay beautiful?", Lando kissed your forehead.

(Thank you for sending this in ✨️)

[guywrestlingaddiction]

That Wresting Moment: Exotic dancer v dancer - Jose v Gino Ponti (bgeast.com)

Gay wrestling has searched far and wide for the elite and today we continue our journey looking at the type of wrestler that does it best.  Last time we looked at models, so this time we'll find out if Male strippers/exotic dancers do it best with Jose v Gino Ponti (bgeast.com).

Jose v Gino Ponti (bgeast.com)

SPOILER ALERT: I highly recommend viewing this match in its entirety before reading this post.

The Backstory

One of the many things I love about Bgeast is that they provide a ton of context and background for their fighters.  Is there a rivalry at stake?  Were our wrestlers best friends?  Often this exposition took place during some trash talking or pumping weights or in some of the earlier matches - in a erotic dance off...

Gino, the construction worker, is ready to build you up?

Okay that was lame, how about this - Gino, the builder, has really nailed it? 

Jose has no costume really, the man is just a sexy bad-ass

Remember that dog collar, it'll come into the picture later on.  

The Action

Around the 10 min mark, we are finally introduced to the fight and what would wrestling be without a bit of trash talk.  

Jose talks a lot of shit.  Jose: You want to touch me? Touch my chest.  You're making me horny [sarcasm]

There's something particularly satisfying about watching aggressively hetero Jose get taken down a notch.  

And yes, at times however, the moves can be a bit questionable...

The action can still be pretty hot nonetheless.  A straining and struggling Jose being held down like a punk was definitely hot. 

But what really makes this match is less dancing and more wrestling, especially your classic Heel-Jobber dynamic.  

How can you not love this?

Gino fights back with all he's got but it doesn't even dent mighty Jose; The guy simply bushes himself off.  I mean, could we ask for a better 'moment' than this?

The Moment 

But eventually Jose comes to dominate as we all knew he would.  The guy is built like batman and whatever resistance Gino puts up is simply no match for him.  Ultimately it comes down to a battle of personas and Jose simply has Gino beat on all accounts here.  To me, this is when things really begin in all it's gay wresting glory and it's this moment, when Jose takes control that truly makes this match.  

I've always thought that the thing that separates 'wrestling' from 'fighting' is the fantasy and over-the-top nature of it all.  We are talking about a serious matter - getting hurt - and turning it into something more.  It's clear to me that the male exaggeration, the almost silliness of it all, is something that exotic dancers have in spades, and absolutely why I love gay wrestling.  

Gino, controlled and collared

A sweaty, destroyed Gino is forcefully brought to his feet - only to be taken down once again.

Did I say Jose was built like Batman?  He's actually more like the ultimate supervillain of your nightmares in this match.

[224bbaker]

F&S S2 Crowdfund: FINAL WEEK!

Well, detectives, here we are! The dawn of the final week. The finish line that marks that moment where we get to stop posting about the crowdfund (god I've copy-pasted that link so many times) draws near. The end is in sight. But first, we have ONE WEEK to push toward our goal. 

We are delighted and honored to say that we have raised 80% of our goal - at the time of this typing that means we are just under $6500 of our $8000 goal we set for this crowdfund. That means we have roughly $1500 to raise in 7 days. Will we make it? We don't know, and neither do you (unless you just found $1500 in a pocket when you were getting out your Spring clothes--no judgement, we WILL accept it!). We hope we'll make it across the line, but the only way we'll all be able to find out is if we spread the word. 

SO. If you haven't donated yet and are planning to, this is so very incredibly much The Time to do that--and get one of our fantastic rewards AND some episodes of audio drama! No donation is too small, we truly treasure every donation that comes in whether it be $5 or $750. If you have already donated and are wondering what you can do to help, first of all THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts--and second of all, the answer to that question is to simply tell people we're here. Recommend us to your friends, your enemies, your neighbors, leave us a review, bake some Matcha Focaccia (yes, we have lovely folks doing that already and we LOVE IT)! Spreading the word is the best thing aside from donations that we can ask for. 

Also, in case you missed it, as a thank you to everyone who helped us reach out $750 match goal, we released a FIFTH STICKER which will automatically get added to the sticker pack of anyone who donated or donates at the $30 tier or above at any point in the campaign. Check out our "Ask Me About Sherlock Holmes Entering the Public Domain" sticker below!

We also released a mini-mystery that YOU all helped us create, so if you haven't already, head over to our feed for The Case of the Missing Magician today! And as if that wasn't enough, we ALSO released the recipe for Archie's Lotcha Matcha Focaccia! As we mentioned above, people have even been baking it already! 

Again, thank you. And while the future of this campaign, as well as the future of our detectives, remains a bit of a mystery, we will always be honored to tell this story to you, whether we meet our goal and make it at our intended pace, or take a bit longer to make sure it's good enough and our artists are provided for. If you or anyone you know has any doubts, this money will go toward a story we find such joy in bringing to you. If we can make our listeners feel even a fraction of the joy that we feel making it, we will have done our jobs well. It's the best job anyone could ever have. 

And now, one more time, for our final week: #ForAmbrosius! 

[himabyul]

Satan & Violins

I share a lot of similarities with Satan, even when before they canonized something about him; one of them being violinist!Satan😭 In spite of me having a mini identity crisis following the drop of his canon violinist card, i think it makes sense! heres why.

Disclaimer!

1. I have not picked up an instrument in years

2. This is purely bcuz my brain is so busy thinking abt Satan so its kinda rambly. . Pls bare w me T_T

3. THIS IS LONG IM SO SORRY

4. Not too used to tumblr writing just yet sorry if it's messy

(Uploaded on my twitter aswell :D)

The violin and its family, unlike other string instruments (ex. the guitar), doesnt have these little things (that i forgor the name of because im a bad musician) that separates every note. those little separating thingies are the reason why people who dont know shit about playing a key on guitar but memorize musical scales (me) is at least able to strum a simple one octave melody.

Obviously, the two come in with their one difficulty (i prefer the violin myself), but it's a little bit harder to pull that trick with the violin. As you can see, theres not exactly something to tell you where each note begins or where they end. Nothing to determine where is where. You simply have to memorize the placement and the distance between each note. You basically play the violin with Your Gut (1). We'll keep this in mind for now.

Moving on, let's talk about body posture.

Beginner violinist usually directlty face towards the strings when playing, as they aren't used to letting their 'gut' lead the show. However, more experienced players would find no need to do so. A quick glance at Satan's art could tell us he was at least above beginner level to be brave enough to face (us) instead.

When you're not facing your violin, you would usually lean your head towards it, resulting in your ear becoming the closest thing to it- here's a real life example:

Now, if there was anything my teacher warned me before starting violin, is that even without having your ear be the closest thing to it, the strings are already LOUD😭 so its even louder when you alr have ur ear on it. The violin is considered one of the most emotional instruments ever, their lower sound resemble what we use to express sadness in speech. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, you as a player are forced to feel what you're playing. Thus is also why you play the violin with Your Heart (2).

So, how does this tie into Satan? It's no secret that our handsome man is incredibly romantic, and to me if he ever wants to express something to us and making sure the message is clearly received, the equally emotional violin is his best bet! The violin allows Satan to play heartwrenching notes that would quickly be felt by the listener.

Lets get technical.

There's still another side of the violin, as there is another side to Satan. The way you stroke your bow matters, the way you angle it so you'll only hit the notes you want. (thankfully if you mess up, the violin is made to still sound graceful😂). Satan too, is quite the detail oriented person. He is tactical, analytical, observant, a man obsessed with striving to be the perfect one, etc etc. The need of preciseness of the violin is definitely right up his alley. The way you need everything to be correct to be rewarded for a beautiful sound. Idk exactly where I'm going with this but it's basically intelligence meets emotion kinda thing, do you see it too?!?!

In conclusion, the violin is a wonderful instrument that both requires great attention to detail yet is also incredibly emotional and heartfelt, an instrument that requires your gut and heart guide your play without abandoning technique. Satan, the incredibly smart yet fluffy softie, is quite literally made for this and I LOVE HIM for that RAAAAAAHHHH. im normal.

THATS IT RLLY im soooo sorry if it's incredibly messy please have a sugarry picture <3 ily

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.109 My place in this world

Mama called and invited us over for dinner that night, so Sophia and I discussed whether we would share our news when she inevitably asked us about her grandchildren. We knew she could handle it, and would offer to help any way she could, but we decided to keep it to ourselves for the moment. I didn't enjoy keeping secrets from my mother, but letting the world in felt like defeat at this stage. Sophia had only just begun the treatments. She could be pregnant by tomorrow. It wasn't time to worry everyone, especially when they weren't suspicious yet.

But to both of our surprise, we got through the entire evening without one question or comment about babies. Not even Alessia, who was even nosier, said anything. Without a story to fabricate, we ate in a semblance of peace with our secret between us, hoping one day this would be a distant memory added as a footnote in our story.

Back at home, I caught Sophia sneaking out of the bathroom as I headed for bed. She froze like she got caught stealing when she spotted me, but then the disappointed took over. I sighed, not because I knew what she did in there, but because of her tenacity. I loved how she wouldn't give up despite how much it hurt. But I didn't want her to end every day disappointed if these treatments didn't work, so I grabbed her by the hand and led her into our room.

"It's okay, you know. Maybe it takes a while for it to take effect."

"Or maybe it won't work for me."

"Don't say that. It'll work. And even if it doesn't, it's not the end. We'll just move on to the next thing. Regardless of how it happens, very soon, we'll have our baby, and we'll be in our new house, and everything will be great."

She sighed, nodding in agreement, but I could tell she struggled to believe.

"Is it bad that I hope we don't have to adopt? Does that make me like my parents?"

"Not at all. I think everyone prefers their own blood. It's natural."

"It's just that... You have all these beautiful family ties. There's only me. I don't want my existence to be just a blip on the radar, here one day and gone the next, forgotten and unimportant. I want to leave a piece of me behind so my life matters!"

I couldn't hold it together anymore. The dam broke, and tears flooded my face. I hated how much those idiots who birthed and raised her affected her life. She arguably was the best sim to ever walk the earth; The star in my sky; The light in my darkness; The gummy bear in my pancakes! No one else mattered to me quite like she did.

"Sophia, you do matter! You matter to me! You matter to this family! My life has been a thousand times better because you're in it! And when we're finally able to hold our child, whether it's ours or not, you'll matter to him too! Her. Whoever! You're gonna love the hell out of them, and they'll think you're the best sim on earth. Right?"

She nodded through her tears.

"Yes. I love it so much already! I haven't even met it yet."

"Exactly. Don't worry. It'll happen."

[knifearo]

ultimately when it comes to shipping and fandom space treatment of aspec characters i just don't accept "aro/ace people can still date/have sex" as an answer from nonaspecs. like yeah. mhm. okay. now i think we both know that you're not saying that out of real interest in the diversity of aspec experiences. so you can turn in your seventeen-page essay on why and how you plan to examine this character's aspec identity within the context of a romantic or sexual relationship complete with evidence from canon and peer reviews from multiple aspec people within the next week or i'm putting you in the pit from the edgar allen poe story

[wizardnuke]

thinks about the mighty nein. throws up blood

[twilightarcade]

man .

[incomingalbatross]

Will, moodily shooting arrows: Horace and Evanlyn are leaving me out of stuff because I'm a Ranger >:( Evanlyn, kicking rocks: Will doesn't have time for me now because he's a Ranger >:(

The teenagers are stupid, your honor

[aeide-thea]

dipping my toe into fandom discourse here, which is never a great idea, but—i really am baffled by the contingent of fans who apparently want AO3 to not only denounce but ban AI-generated works, as if there were any reliable way to distinguish between mediocre writing produced by a human and mediocre writing produced by an AI…?

[libraryofruinaofficial]

Hands-down the most useful tip for anyone trying to figure out how divisions of astral, etheric, spiritual, etc. work (especially in relation to the mechanics of magic, the paranormal, the supernatural, etc.) is acknowledging that they all have phases and states of "matter" affected by levels of energy like the physical does, and that those phases and states will affect their own "matter type" differently than they will affect others depending on those energy levels.

[kirexa]

I could probably get away with pulling an all nighter,, i don't rly wanna sleep :(

[finnlessshark]

trying to make what food i have left stretch until the 12th is too fuckin hard. most of it is listed as "diy" just because that's going to be tinned soup or spaghetti hoops on toast nights, and fuck knows what i'm going to do about lunch. plain buttered pasta?

[army-of-bee-assassins]

i feel like this season of h/dm has gotten considerably worse but also i'm not 100% sure i'm remembering the previous seasons correctly. i remember mostly liking them and just finding some things weird. but maybe it was just as bad as this season and the amount of time that's passed since i watched them has simply made me forget how much stuff i didn't like

[proteuus]

"business school is easy" business is the hardest major. you dont know what i have to deal with (working with other business majors)